by Bella Klaus
My breath quickened. What I’d seen earlier proved that Kresnik’s hold over the stolen power wasn’t absolute at all. Perhaps my sound-healing session had frayed the link he’d created to me with the ritual. His control over Valentine also wasn’t absolute. Valentine had growled at Kresnik when he thought I was in danger and stood up to him to protect me. I needed to help Valentine to see that so he would break free.
“Then why did you protect me today?” I asked.
He closed the distance between us, his gaze sharpening, and his knee mounting the bed. Valentine’s magic eased off my body, only to be replaced by a pair of hands encircling my wrists and pinning them to the bed.
My heart leapfrogged to the back of my throat and every muscle in my body trembled. The scent of sandalwood and musk and woodsmoke filled my nostrils, making my head spin. My lips parted to let out ragged breaths, and despite the danger of being so close to an enraged Valentine, the pulse between my legs pounded as hard as my heart.
He lowered his lips to my ear, engulfing me with his larger body. “Kresnik is my master, but I am yours. I take care of what belongs to me.”
Heat rose to the surface of my skin, and flutters spread from my heart to the muscles of my core. What was wrong with me? I was probably under the biggest death sentence of my life, with the man I loved once again about to be manipulated by magic into becoming my executioner, but my body thought this was a prelude to pleasure.
I squirmed beneath him, trying to shake off his overpowering presence. “So that growling was the noise a dog makes when his master takes away a treat?”
Valentine nipped at my ear, making me shriek. “Precisely. And if you don’t behave yourself, I’ll lock you in my kennel.”
My heart sank, and prickly heat rushed to the backs of my eyes. Wasn’t there a part of Valentine who loved me more than others? The part that had ended his own life so that he wouldn’t cause my death? I blinked, and two fat tears rolled down my cheeks.
He drew back, his brows furrowing. “Innamorata.”
“Don’t call me that,” I whispered.
“Stop resisting Lord Kresnik,” he said. “His power is absolute.”
He said it again, and a denial sprang to my lips. I wanted to tell him about the sparks of magic I’d made earlier today and how Kresnik’s failure to reduce that man to ashes hadn’t been a coincidence. But a surge of self-preservation clamped my lips shut.
The last thing I wanted was to make Valentine feel conflicted about that revelation. It was a miracle that he had spoken up today in my favor. While he was under the influence of the Mage King, he hadn’t hesitated to hand me over when commanded.
“What are we going to do about tonight?” I asked.
Valentine’s hand released my wrist, slid down my arm, and settled on my breast. He rubbed tight circles over my nipples, making them tingle. “We’ll go, of course.”
“What?”
“It will be an honor to accompany Our Lord on his first foray into the outside world.” He lowered his gaze to my neck and ran his tongue across his lips.
“Don’t you think it might be a trap?” I asked.
Valentine snorted. “You didn’t see how he dealt with the Demon King. Lord Kresnik’s power is—”
“Absolute,” I snarled. “I got the message the last two times you said it.”
Valentine’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps you need a little thrall to stay out of trouble tonight.”
“No,” I blurted. “I know my place now. I’ll be good.”
He continued staring at me as though debating whether or not to keep me under the influence for our dinner date with Kresnik. Valentine’s hand continued to caress my breast, and the sweep of his thumb against my nipples sent sparks of pleasure to my core.
I reached out with my free hand and slipped it down his broad back, letting it settle on his glutes. “Cross my heart,” I said in a voice soft enough to make myself cringe. “I’ll be an obedient pet but I’m just worried there’s nothing nice to wear.”
He lowered his nose to my neck, took a deep sniff, and hummed. Apparently, my arousal had convinced him that I was telling the truth. Maybe I was. Direct confrontation didn’t work with people far more powerful than me and I already had a spy who could sneak in and out of places without being detected. I needed to stick to my plan of working against Kresnik from the shadows.
“The wardrobe is full of beautiful dresses,” Valentine drawled. “Wear the green.”
“Alright.”
Valentine wrapped an arm around the small of my back and captured my lips in a kiss that was both domineering and possessive. I relaxed my muscles and let him plunder my mouth.
The last thing I wanted was to go anywhere with Valentine when Kresnik was around to command him, but tonight might be an opportunity to prove to them both that I had learned my lesson and was willing to obey.
As I lay beneath Valentine, clinging onto his back as he lavished me with toe-curling kisses, I cracked an eye open, looking out for signs that Hades was in the room. The air was still without even a dust mote. Perhaps he would show himself while I was alone.
Chapter Ten
After a few more of those kisses, I melted beneath Valentine’s larger body, letting him lavish me with his tongue. My arms wrapped around his neck, and I arched my back, pushing our bodies together. Valentine growled his approval and slipped a hand beneath my sweater and would have pulled it off if a knock hadn’t sounded on the door.
Valentine stilled. “Who is that?”
“General Sargon?” said Aurora’s voice from behind the door. “Our Lord says that a car will pick you up in an hour.”
He released my wrist and pulled away, leaving me devoid of his warmth, and stalked to the door where he exchanged some words with Aurora. She leaned to the side, her gaze meeting mine through the gap between his body and the doorframe.
Unease settled across the lining of my stomach. Was she taking one last look at me before Kresnik got rid of me tonight? I slid off the bed and headed to the drinks cabinet, where crystal glasses sat upon its open shelves among bottles of spirits and wine. Were they supposed to be for me? I’d never seen Valentine consume anything but blood.
Dropping to my knees, I opened the refrigerator at the bottom of the cabinet, and let out a tiny gust of cold air. All the blood packs were gone, replaced by blue bottles containing a blueberry-based drink that claimed to be rich in iron. I read the wording on the label, which also said it would help women suffering from heavy periods. I clenched my teeth. Was this some sort of joke?
Shaking off those thoughts, I took a bottle, twisted off its cap, and sniffed its contents.
Valentine hurried to my side. “What are you drinking?”
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t contain aspartame.” I raised the can to my lips. “It’s hard to eat properly while under the influence of thrall.”
His face fell. “You were hungry?”
I placed a hand on his chest. “Only as it wore off.” My insides cringed at the manipulative way I tried to sound casual, but not a single word was exaggerated. “I tried to get out of bed but fell on my face and broke my nose.”
“Innamorata.” He cupped my cheek. “I thought I was keeping you safe.”
“How?” I asked.
“Our Lord is demanding of those who fail to meet his exacting standards.”
My teeth clamped down on the inside of my cheek as I refrained from correcting Valentine. By now, Valentine must have worked out why the people in the infirmary had gotten so injured.
Any normal person would disapprove of Kresnik’s tendency to act like becoming magicless as a result of having one’s power stolen was a moral weakness that warranted eternal punishment.
Valentine’s word sank into my skull. Because of him, I’d missed the first few days of Kresnik’s reign, when he had also gathered other teams for rituals to extract their magic. Because I had thrown up this morning, I missed an opportunity to get myself maimed and injected with v
ampire blood.
“You did it to protect me?” I asked.
His thumb brushed against my cheekbone. “You’re mine, and I don’t share.”
Disappointment thickened my throat, and I swallowed down a lump. It was unreasonable to expect an admission of love or care or any kind of affection when he was still under Kresnik’s influence. I had to be grateful that his desire to protect me was even greater than his wish to obey his so-called lord.
Valentine pressed his lips against my forehead and gave my ass a gentle pat. “Get into the shower.”
Unlike the rest of the house, the bathroom was ultra-modern, with a heated floor, marble worktops and a gigantic cubicle large enough to fit eight. A quartet of sunflower-shaped shower heads hung from the ceiling with another four hand-held hoses mounted on the walls. The magic warding Kenwood House had to be immense to support all these extra features while still maintaining an alternative space in the real world.
After hanging up my cloak, I kicked off my boots, pulled off my sweater, and let my jeans fall to the warm tiles in a puddle of denim.
A long sigh heaved from my lungs. Tonight was going to be a disaster, and my only means of staying alive were the blood stabilizers in my pocket. Healer Calla had prescribed two a day, but I’d taken six to counteract the thrall and ended up spewing artificial blood all over the training room floor. I took another two and turned on the valve, letting out jets upon jets of hot water.
I stepped into the shower, letting the spray soak into my hair, pummel my skin, and massage the worries from my scalp. Instead of thinking about what could go wrong, I needed to find a way to build up my magic. With a deep breath, I pushed my power down to my hands and produced a glow.
Excitement skittered up my spine. A few more attempts, and I might create a flame. Firestone no longer encased my heart, and there would be no limit to my power as long as I could wrestle it from Kresnik.
Just as I was about to try again, Valentine’s large body pressed into my back, his hands cupping my breasts. My heart flip-flopped, and I pulled back my magic. He ran the tip of his nose up the column of my neck and groaned.
“Have you fed?” I murmured.
“Twice today,” he said.
Relief flooded my system, making me lean against his chest. “Are you still only eating bad people?”
“More or less.” He nibbled on my neck and slid his fingertips down my belly.
I turned around, meeting his darkening eyes. “What does that mean?”
“Our Lord is building up his ranks with an army of humans who don’t deserve their lives.” The hot spray plastered his hair to his scalp, bringing out the sharpness of his cheekbones.
Apart from being a little thinner than usual, Valentine looked much the same as he had appeared when alive but without the radiance of his newly restored soul. An ache formed in my chest as I thought about Valentine’s soul, trapped within his heart. He had a sense of the passage of time and would become anxious that I hadn’t visited.
My gaze lingered on his cupid’s bow lips. “Criminals?”
Valentine’s hands settled on my waist. “There are several prisons within flying distance, a source of strong candidates.”
I rested my hand on his chest. “Aren’t you worried that humans will find out about the Supernatural World?”
Valentine placed his fingers on my lips. “We have hidden since the time of Henry VIII. It’s time for supernaturals to take our place within British society.”
“At the top.”
His fingertips slid down my jaw and over my neck. “We are stronger, faster, magical, and longer lived. Our Lord doesn’t wish to destroy them—”
“Only turn them into an underclass.”
Valentine’s brows formed a deep V, making my stomach clench. It wasn’t his fault that he was spouting this nonsense, and hadn’t I just told myself I would play along?
“I’m sorry.” I slid my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his. “You know what I’m like with my incessant questions. I never mean any harm.”
“Not everyone will find them charming.” He wrapped his arms around my middle and pulled me into his chest. “You’re an intelligent young woman with beliefs that oppose your father’s. It’s to be expected. If you had lived during the time when humans preyed upon the weaker of the supernaturals, you would understand Our Lord’s desire to protect us.”
I rested my head on his shoulder and sighed. “Maybe that’s what I’m missing.”
Valentine drew back and placed a soft kiss on the tip of my nose. “I knew you would fall in line when you understood.”
I stretched my lips into what I hoped was a genuine smile. Istabelle had a book in her library called Witchcraft Act of King Henry VIII, which outlined the sixteenth-century witch trials that caused the weaker supernaturals to band together with stronger ones to create Logris and escape persecution.
Humans had changed since those times, and London’s human population had expanded from sixty thousand to nine million. Even if I believed that humans were below us, the numbers didn’t make sense. Even if Kresnik turned the entire prison population there still wouldn’t be enough people to defeat all the humans.
We rinsed off and changed into fluffy bathrobes. Valentine guided me through a door within the bathroom to a walk-in wardrobe half the size of my studio apartment. It was nearly as luxurious as the one in his palace, with floor-to-ceiling closets that housed the clothes he’d brought over from the penthouse.
I padded across the wooden floor and onto a rug with a deep pile that yielded beneath my bare feet. In the middle of the room stood a chest with drawers thin enough to accommodate jewelry and soft benches on either side. I settled onto the seat facing the women’s clothes, my eyes falling on the dress.
My breath caught. Valentine might have called it green, but its fabric was a silk that matched the iridescence of peacock feathers. Golds mixed with greens and blues and a deep indigo to form a dazzling array of eye-catching patterns.
“It’s beautiful,” I whispered.
The design itself was simple, with sculpted cups that hugged my smallish breasts, a bustier that pinched in at the waist, and a skirt that flared at the hip. A split ran up most of its length, ending inches below my knickers.
“I want you to wear my ring on your finger.” Valentine nibbled my ear. “So everyone knows you belong to me.”
My lips parted, but all I could do was nod. If we were going to a supernatural establishment, it might be handy to have a way to return to Valentine’s side in case a fight broke out and we got separated.
After dressing, I stood in front of a full-length mirror, admiring Valentine’s choice of outfit. The fabric clung to my modest curves, and the slit showed a glimpse of my slender legs which looked even longer with silver sandals.
Valentine stood behind me and slipped a silver choker around my neck. “You look ravishing. I could feast on you all night and throughout the day.”
My reflection stood alone, with the choker he held seeming to move by itself. A band of sadness wrapped around my chest, squeezing out a sigh.
“How do I look?” he asked.
I turned to find him wearing a royal blue tuxedo tailored around his muscular frame that brought out the violet of his eyes. I smoothed down his indigo lapels and straightened the matching bowtie.
“Perfection, as always.”
His face split into a dazzling smile of blunt white teeth that made my heart melt. “After years of dressing myself, it’s reassuring to know I can do it without the use of a mirror.”
I brushed a lock of hair off his face. “Do you miss your soul?”
His eyes sparkled. “I feel freer than ever. Especially around you.”
“Because you don’t have to be a gentleman anymore?” I asked.
Valentine wrapped his hands around my hips, bringing our bodies close. His warm hands slid beneath my skirt and cupped my ass. “Beneath your sweet and pure exterior is a girl who enjoys my darke
r side.”
My brows drew together. “You put me on a pedestal?”
“At one point, you were going to be the mother of my children.” Valentine snapped my knicker elastic, yanked off the garment, and tossed it over his shoulder.
Grief speared me through the heart, spreading its cold across my chest, squeezing my lungs into a tiny ball. I held my breath, and lowered my gaze to his white shirt. There was no point in arguing with Valentine while he was still under Kresnik’s influence. Even though I knew why he had changed his mind about starting a family, it still cut like a knife.
He placed his fingers under my chin and tilted my head up to meet his eyes. “Disappointed?”
“We’re together,” I said, feeling every ounce of conviction in my words. “That’s all that matters.”
Valentine nodded. “Our lord needs a preternatural general who can carry out his orders and to maintain the magic of his troops.”
An implication hung in the air that every vampire turned with Valentine’s blood would die if he stopped being a preternatural. It was no comfort to the people in the infirmary but something we could use against Kresnik in the future. I pushed aside that thought for now and focussed on the upcoming dinner.
“Of course.” Rocking forward on my tiptoes, I placed a peck on his lips. “We live in service of Our Lord.”
A knock sounded from beyond the door, making Valentine’s head snap up. Relief flooded my insides, and the muscles of my chest loosened, allowing me to exhale. It was hard to utter any of those disgusting lies when all I wanted to do was shout and rage about how Kresnik needed a spot in the deepest pits of Hell.
Valentine draped my shoulders with the reaper cloak and placed a warm hand on the small of my back. “Shall we?”
I forced a smile. “Looking forward to it.”
A pair of the guards who usually patrolled the grounds stood in the courtyard of Kenwood House, wearing their usual denim donkey jackets and jeans. They both clicked their heels and saluted before rushing to the limousine and opening the door.
