Wicked Vampire Prince by Bella Klaus

Chapter Seventeen

It took an eternity to awaken and that was only because Draco’s enchantment was doing its best to keep me under. All the euphoria from the day before had gone, and I lay still, trying to work through how I felt about having drunk vampire blood.

The outrage I’d expected didn’t come, not even an inkling of irritation or regret. Draco had used his power to heal me, even though I had disobeyed him by trying to leave.

Yawning, I pushed against Draco’s magic, and cringed as I remembered sliding my hands over his delectable body in an attempt at seduction. It was no wonder he’d put me to sleep. But now that the blood had worn off, I still wanted him.

My consciousness swam to the top of what felt like warm, thick treacle, and by the time I reached the surface and opened my eyes, l lay alone in a sumptuous bedroom.

“Draco?”

Sunlight flooded the room through the bedroom’s wall of windows, the glare bright enough to make me squint. Either I had slept away the entire morning or the wardmasters were still recalibrating the protective dome around Logris.

Since it was January and it had probably snowed the day before, I guessed the wards were still glitching.

A shudder ran down my spine at the thought of all those humans with their weapons standing on the other side of the magical barrier, baying for supernatural blood. I pushed myself up to my elbows and glanced around the room.

I lay within the softest, silkiest sheets that formed part of a king-size bed with a silver headboard that stretched halfway to the ceiling. Mahogany tables stood on either side of the bed, each holding crystal lamps that reflected the sunlight.

Memories from yesterday filtered through my skull, and my heart clenched at my confrontation with Mother Hecate and the two priestesses. Somehow, I’d sent them a supernatural SOS, bringing them into conflict with Draco. I had no doubt that they would inform the Vampire Council of my mate’s location.

And if they worked out his true identity—

“Draco?”I whispered into our bond, my pulse quickening at the thought of him being dragged to the phoenix.

A loud knock sounded from the other side of the door, making my heart leap to the back of my throat. “Hello?”

Whoever it was knocked, only from further away.

I swung my legs out of the mattress, and my feet sank into a furry, white rug. It couldn’t be Draco. Draco was a gentleman, but this level of propriety wasn’t needed with fated mates.

My steps faltered, and I fixed my gaze on the closed door. What if the enforcers’ techno mages had analyzed all the footage from around the city and tracked us down to this location?

“Draco,”I said much louder into our shared connection. “Where are you?”

As I stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room of gold curtains and blue velvet sofas, the knock sounded again.

“Who is this?” My voice shook.

“Mr. Keegan, the landlord,” said a male voice from the other side of the external door. “There’s a delivery for you that was too large for the Hatch.”

My shoulders sagged with relief. I leaned against the wall and placed a hand on my chest. “We didn’t order anything.”

“Are you sure about that, miss?” he said from the other side of the door. “His-and-hers trunks from Louis Valmont.”

I glanced around the living room, only now noticing that the dining table was covered in boxes. Draco must have spent the entire night ordering things from the Hatch. That didn’t mean I would let a strange man into our suite.

“Could you leave them outside the door, please?” I asked.

The landlord hesitated for several moments, and I padded across the room and stood by the door. After getting shocked by yesterday’s wards, I wasn’t about to fling anything open, but I placed my palms on its wooden surface, trying to activate a spy hole.

“It’s no trouble, miss,” said the landlord. “If your companion isn’t around to help, I can carry the luggage inside for you and dispose of the packaging.”

Clearing my throat, I backed away from the door. He sounded like he just wanted to help, but I wasn’t about to take any chances.

“No, thank you,” I said.

“As you wish,” he replied.

“Draco,” I said into our bond. “A man just came to the door, claiming to be the landlord.”

With a snarl, I walked across the room to where the Hatch sat on the wall above a marble table. As much as I adored Draco, he was terrible at keeping me updated with his plans and whereabouts.

My lips formed a tight line, and I exhaled a frustrated breath. Why on earth did I just admit to liking the vampire? A surge of affection washed away that thought. Draco was magnificent, but if he would share a little more information with me, the man would be perfect.

I opened the door, and the screen on its other side lit up with the standard menu. Scrolling past the options for food, I navigated my way to the section for light weaponry.

“Are you alright?”I pushed a blast of magic into that last thought.

“Yana?”Draco said, his voice sharp. “What happened?”

My head snapped up, tearing my gaze from the Hatch’s menu. “Where are you?”

“I was in a black zone, negotiating our safe passage from Logris,” he replied. “Now, tell me what’s happened.”

“A man knocked on the door, saying we had a delivery that was too big for the Hatch. I think he’s gone, but did you order some trunks from Louis Valmont?”

“Relax,”he said, his voice softening. “I bought us some items for the long journey. Now, I’m making my way back. You’re hungry and thirsty. Order yourself some breakfast, and I’ll be with you in a moment.”

“Alright.”I tapped away from the weapons, returned to the main menu, and scanned the options.

My stomach growled, and I placed a hand over my belly, wondering how Draco could tell how I felt before the sensations even registered in my brain.

Shaking off that thought, I navigated to the Breakfast Kouzina, one of the many restaurants that sold food via the Hatch. Half the menu items were already out of stock, but I ordered myself a cheese and spinach frittata with a bottle of bluecumber juice. Bluecumber was a hybrid fruit that a wizard had invented to combine the taste of blueberries with the juiciness of a melon.

A click sounded on the other side of the room, accompanied by a gust of fresh air. I raised my head and glanced toward the door, only to find it closed. Strong arms wrapped my middle, and my nostrils filled with Draco’s masculine scent.

My eyelids fluttered closed, and I savored the aromas of espresso, hazelnut, and cedar, while his large palm massaged my lower belly.

“Good morning,” Draco’s deep voice tightened my nipples.

I leaned back into his broad body and sighed. “Why did you leave me?”

He brushed my curls aside and pressed soft kisses along my neck. “It’s taking more effort than I thought to exit Logris. Half the wardbreakers aren’t capable of penetrating the new barriers and the other half don’t want to deal with anyone wanted by the Council.”

I reached back and slid a hand down his muscular thigh. “You’ve been talking to people?”

“Through a broker.” He gave me a gentle squeeze around the waist. “How are you feeling today?”

“I still want you,” I murmured. “And don’t try to tell me I’m still under the influence of your blood.”

He chuckled, his warm breath fanning my ear. “I was asking about your health, but it looks like you’re warming toward vampires.”

I shook my head. “Only you because you’re my mate. That doesn’t mean I’ve accepted everyone of your species.”

Draco hesitated, his body going still. My brows furrowed. Had I offended him with my answer? I tried turning around in his arms, but his grip around my waist tightened.

“Will you return to New Mesopotamia with me?” he asked.

“Do you even need to ask?”

He loosened his hold on me, and I turned in his arms and placed my hands on the sides of his face.

Draco’s mahogany hair was slicked back, which only emphasized his strong brow and sharp cheekbones. The sunlight streaming in from the windows brought out the copper highlights in his bronze skin, adding to his masculine allure.

He wore a black suit with a red shirt that was so dark it may as well have been black. It was the complete opposite to the Napoleon-style military jackets of his official photos, giving him the air of a modern gangster.

“We’re mates.” I slid the pad of my thumb over his stubbled jaw. “Where you go, I follow.”

He gazed down at me, his pupils expanding. “I worried that you would resent me for taking advantage of you last night.”

I pulled myself up to my tiptoes and kissed his lips. “Now that I’m no longer under the blood’s influence, will you teach me how to please you?”

His nostrils flared with an intake of breath, and the white flecks in his eyes turned red. A low growl reverberated in his chest that made my nerve endings tingle.

“Please.” I slipped my hand beneath his jacket and cupped his hard pec.

The Hatch pinged, temporarily breaking the spell.

Draco glanced at the oven-sized door. “Breakfast?”

I trailed my hands down his hard abs. “Last night, you said something about putting part of you in my mouth.”

His breath quickened, and he wrapped an arm around the small of my back and brought our bodies close. “If you want my cock, then you’ll be a good girl and eat.”

My brow furrowed, and I parted my lips to protest. Yesterday, Draco had refused my advances because I’d been under the influence of his blood. Today, when all traces of it had left my system, he was still making me wait.

“But I’m not hungry.” I reached for the buckle of his belt.

He grabbed my wrist with one hand. With the other, he tapped a finger on the tip of my nose. “Don’t argue with me. Sit down, eat your breakfast, and order whatever you’ll need for the journey from the Hatch.”

A little voice in the back of my head reared up with a different kind of protest, but it was muffled by an overwhelming desire to obey.

I stepped out of his embrace, opened the Hatch’s door, and extracted a small tray containing a domed plate and a bottle of purple liquid. Since the dining table was full of Draco’s purchases, I placed my food on the marble table.

“What kind of things do I need to buy?”

“Surprise me. Le Scandale has lots of beautiful lingerie, and I also like Victoria Sacre-Bleu for cocktail dresses.” He pulled out my seat and uncovered my breakfast.

A cloud of steam rose from the plate, accompanied by the tangy scent of feta cheese, mingled with garlic and oregano and paprika. The frittata took up half the plate and was served with a salad of cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, red onions, and mint. My stomach chose that moment to rumble, reminding me that I needed to eat.

Draco guided me into my seat, picked up my fork, and pressed it into my hand. “The wardbreaker says he can open a rift this evening at six, when the angels maintaining the barriers change shifts.”

My heart sank. “I wish you’d let me touch you.”

Draco placed his hands on my shoulders and chuckled, the rich, deep sound spreading tingles across my sensitive skin. “We will have centuries together to explore each other. Millennia, but only if we can get past those blasted wards.”

I broke off a piece of frittata and took a bite. It was as light and as fluffy as a soufflé, but more substantial with hints of cheese, onions, and herbs. With a few taps on the bottle’s metal cap, it flipped open, releasing the scent of bluecumber.

“Where will we go?” I asked.

“The options are endless. I have properties across the Natural and Supernatural Worlds.” He threaded his fingers through my curls. “Is there anywhere you’ve always wanted to visit?”

“Olympus.” I took a swig of bluecumber juice, letting the cool, sweet liquid slide down my tongue.

“Apart from Olympus,” he said.

I put down my bottle and twisted around in my seat to meet his turquoise eyes. “Why can’t we go there?”

“Vampires cannot cross realms in their physical bodies, and they certainly can’t take passengers.”

My eyes widened. “You can astrally project?”

The corners of his lips quirked into a smile. “It’s been decades since I last tried it, but when our kind reaches a certain age, we can leave our bodies to visit other planes of existence.”

“Did you ever go to Olympus?”

His gaze hardened. “This fixation you have with Hecate is displeasing.”

The words hit like a slap, and I flinched. “But I’m not—”

“I cannot blame you.” He placed a kiss on my temple. “She indoctrinated you from birth, but you have a mate now, and you will soon understand that obeying me gives you greater satisfaction than worshiping a third-rate goddess.”

Prickly heat surged through my veins, fueling a riot of outrage. Draco didn’t know anything about Mother Hecate. My lips parted to defend her, but his words seeped through our connection and pushed the voice of protest down to the depths of my mind.

Draco was right. Obeying him was more satisfying than being a nun. I lowered my head and turned back to my breakfast.

He massaged my shoulders. “Power doesn’t count if it comes from a group of leering men who purport to be worshippers.”

My brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“What percentage of your congregation are women and how does that compare to the population of your hospice?”

I took another bite of frittata and chewed. “That’s irrelevant because blood salons employ mostly women.”

“But Hecate’s worshippers consist of single men?” He walked to the dining table, opened a box, and extracted a pair of silver guns.

“So, what?”

Draco tore open another box and pulled out a bandolier filled with glowing bullets. “Your temple’s congregation remind me of Aphrodite’s worshippers, who flocked in droves for sex with the sacred priestesses. Hecate parades all you beautiful nuns and feeds off the pent-up frustration.”

My mind filled with images of adoring men standing behind the temple’s iron fence, with memories of the congregation filling the pews and casting us admiring gazes. An objection pushed its way forward, but a part of my mind shoved it back. I couldn’t contradict Draco, even if he was wrong.

The baked eggs now tasted like ashes, and my breakfast sat in my stomach like stones. I shook my head, trying to dislodge Draco’s words.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he said.

I raised my head from my half-finished plate and met his inquisitive eyes. “Lechers are the ones who want to sink their fangs into our veins and drink our blood.”

“No, that’s a vampire,” he said, his voice dry. “And contrary to popular opinion, most of us don’t find your presence in Lamia an annoyance.”

“Then how do you explain the disgusting comments vampires make whenever we picket their salons?”

Draco slipped the bandolier beneath his jacket, walked over to where I sat, and cupped the side of my cheek. “All you need to understand is that your loyalty and obedience belong to me.”

I pulled away. “If our congregation really were perverts, they would have said or done something disrespectful—”

“Finish eating, buy yourself a few items, and pack our bags.” He leaned down and gave me a peck on the lips.

At his touch, a whirlpool of compliance pulled down the voice of dissent.

“Will you be a good girl for your mate?” he asked.

“Yes, Draco.” I took a mouthful of frittata and chewed.

His phone buzzed, and he pulled out the handset from his inside pocket, glanced down at its screen, and scowled. “Bloody hell.”

“What’s wrong?” I asked through my mouthful.

“Someone just outbid me, and my wardbreaker wants more gold.”

“Can we afford it?”

He gave me a pat on the shoulder. “Focus on your tasks, and let me worry about the money.”

I turned back to my breakfast and continued eating, my stomach quivering with unease. The nagging feeling that I had forgotten something tugged on the back of my mind.

Draco ran the backs of his fingers down my cheek. “If we don’t get on the next luxury carriage out of this broken city tonight, then we’ll make it tomorrow. Then I’ll give you the world.”

“Lagina,” I said, remembering a lesson Sister Mariah taught us when we were young about Mother Hecate’s ancient temple.

He tilted his head to the side and frowned. “What did you say?”

“If we can’t go to Olympus, then take me to Lagina.”

“Anything you desire, my beloved mate.” He slipped the phone back into his inside pocket, opened the door with a flick of his wrist, and floated the trunks on the coffee tables. “I’ll return as soon as I deal with the wardbreaker. He’s in a black zone, so I won’t be able to hear your thoughts.”

“What if someone calls with another delivery?” I asked.

“Let them inside. With your hair loose, you look nothing like your wanted poster.” He placed a kiss on my lips and then disappeared through the front door.

As it shut with a click and a snap of magic, I stared down at my empty plate, wondering how I had finished my breakfast without even being aware of it. Something was off, and it was more than having drunk vampire blood.

It wasn’t like me to follow orders, and it also wasn’t like me to let others disparage Mother Hecate. Now that I was mated to Draco, my connection to her and my Sisters felt even more distant and shallow than it had the day before.

“Draco?”I asked using our bond.

“Yes, my darling mate?”

His deep voice was a balm on my frayed nerves, and I relaxed into my seat with a sigh.

“Nothing,”I replied. “Please be careful when dealing with those people.”

Warmth and amusement trickled through our connection. “Are you worried about me?”

“We share a soul, don’t we?”I said.

“It gladdens my heart to hear those words from you,” he replied. “When I return, I would like to hear you say them out loud.”

Butterflies took flight in my stomach, their soft wings fluttering and caressing. I set down my fork and rose from my seat.

“I’m about to step into a black zone,” Draco said. “If you don’t hear from me for hours, it’s because my wardbreaker was a greedy bastard who sold our place, and I’m looking for someone else.”

“Alright.”I rose from my seat, opened the door to the Hatch, scrolled down the options. “Let’s hope you find a way out of Logris before we get caught by the enforcers and the phoenix.”

When I navigated to Le Scandale, it had a warning on its home screen that it was low on stock, due to logistics problems related to the lockdown. I ordered a few items of silk lingerie and loungewear in a selection of colors that would complement my skin.

Victoria Sacre-Bleu sold outerwear but was also having similar issues. Even with its low stock, I selected a few dresses and charged the total to the landlord’s account before moving on to an armory.

All the wand makers were out of stock, as were all the stores that sold magical weapons. I ground my teeth. How on earth was I going to watch Draco’s back without a means to channel my magic?

I returned to the home screen and found a women’s outfitter that sold enchanted garments similar to our habits, but its home screen said it was low on stock and had a button to speak to customer service. I placed my finger on the screen’s camera.

After two rings, a blonde woman who looked about my age answered. “Amazonia Sportswear, how may I help you?”

“Do you have lightweight, spell-proof armor?” I asked.

Her brows knitted together. “Do you mean catsuits?”

My lips tightened. “Don’t you sell tunics?”

“Is hip-length okay?” she glanced down at her smartphone. “What color?”

“Black, please. Do they come with leggings?”

“We’re sold out,” she replied with a sigh.

“Do you have any floor-length tunics?”

She shook her head. “The Temple of Light might have a few in stock, but you’d have to call them.”

A shudder ran down my spine, and I tightened my grip on the screen behind the Hatch’s door. Although we had lots of tunics, nobody ever requested them unless they were nuns. Mother Hecate was the city’s fairest blood broker and made no profits on the bottled blood we supplied to vampires via the Hatch.

By now, everyone would have either seen my wanted poster or heard about my confrontation with Mother Hecate and the priestesses. With me once again being the subject of gossip, whoever answered the call would recognize my voice.

“Does the catsuit come with built-in weapons?” I asked.

She tapped the screen of her phone. “No, but you can buy knife-boots, needle-gauntlets, armbands with external magical charge—”

“What kind of neck protection does it provide?”

She drummed her fingers on her lip. “I suppose you could get a hood in the same fabric that attaches to the collar.”

“I’ll take it.”

Her brows rose. “Which items?”

“All of them. Do you have chaste wear?”

She nodded. “The catsuit already comes with nipple smoothers and a cameltoe minimizer. Do you still need protective undergarments?”

“Yes please.”

With a smile, she tapped a few buttons before rising from her seat. “The total is onscreen. If you approve the charge, I’ll make up your order and send it via the Hatch.”

A message flashed on the screen that said, INCOMING. After thanking the woman, I closed the door, only for it to ping. When I opened it again, a box from Le Scandale sat in the Hatch.

No sooner had I taken it out than the door pinged again, this time containing the outerwear from Victoria Sacre-Bleu.

“Alright, then.” I took the purchases to the coffee table, where Draco had set down the trunks.

They were both three feet long and two feet wide, covered in patent black leather, and adorned with silver latches. I placed a finger on the lock, and tendrils of white magic wrapped around my hand before falling away.

“That’s peculiar,” I said under my breath. Weren’t those things supposed to take a sample of a person’s magic to set the locking mechanism?

I moved onto the second trunk and pressed its lock. This time, when the magic twined around me, it opened with a satisfying click. My brows drew together. The only way the security could recognize my power was if Draco had given a sample of it to the trunk maker.

“Draco?” I asked into our bond.

He didn’t answer, but then he’d told me he was moving into a black zone, which worked like the bank’s vaults, where people couldn’t send messages in or out.

The Hatch pinged again. I returned to its door, where I found a large box from Amazonia Sportswear. My gaze dropped to the itemized receipt stuck to its exterior, and I grinned. This was going to be perfect for sneaking through the wards of Logris.

As I changed into the chaste underwear and placed my legs into a one-size-fits-all catsuit, a knock sounded on the door. I shouldered on the rest of the garment and pulled up its zip.

“Who’s there?” I glanced at the door that led outside the suite.

“Landlord.”

I slipped on the gloves, waiting for the man to elaborate, but he remained silent.

“Is there another delivery?” I asked as I slipped my feet into the boots.

“There was an unusual level of expenditure on the Hatch account, and I wanted to check that everything was above board.”

My tongue darted out to lick my dry lips. Nothing I purchased could have cost more than the trunks or Draco’s silver guns. Why was he inquiring about the amount I’d spent on breakfast and clothing?

“I bought those items,” I said to the closed door.

“May I speak with the gentleman who rented the suite?” he asked.

Adrenaline surged through my system, accompanied by a kick of fight or flight. Was he an enforcer trying to trick me into opening the door?

I pulled the coif over my head, slipped on the gloves, and pushed out a flare of magic. Each garment shrank and molded around my form to create a perfect fit.

The door rattled. “Excuse me?”

“Could you come back later?” I said out loud, trying to keep my voice from rising with panic.

“Draco?” I said into the bond. “Something’s up with the landlord.”

He was probably still in the black zone, as there was no reply.

The door slammed open, and a red-haired vampire stepped into the suite. His eyes flashed, and his grin widened. The last time I’d seen him, it had been dark, with the only source of illumination coming from the holy flames burning on his crotch.

“Remember me?” he said.

“No,” I lied.

Caliban closed the distance between us and grabbed me by the neck. “I never forget a slight, and I never forget a scent. I planned on waiting until the wards were fixed before taking care of you, but imagine how lucky I felt when you became my tenant.”

My stomach lurched. Caliban owned the building?

“Let go of me.” I dug my fingers into his hand, but it was like trying to fight a vise.

His grin widened, revealing a set of extended fangs. “Not a chance, little nun. Not when it’s time for our reckoning.”