Zero Chill for the Vamp King (Not Quite Dead #2)

Isidoro

I can’t believe this. I kidnapped the wrong vampire.

I stare down the son of my archenemy, sitting next to me in the cramped helicopter as we make our way to my mansion on the outskirts of New York. How did my two friends and accomplices botch the kidnaping so badly? And why was Julian posing as his father?

The resemblance is there, I’ll give him that.

Julian has the masculine features, that proud nose and sharp jaw, the inky black hair, but he lacks that savage streak Andras had.

That harshness. The demeanor. There is an underlying elegance to Julian’s face, a hint of something refined that he must get from his mother.

I focus on his eyes as they glare daggers at me. They are a darker hue of red, alive and burning, like he can’t wait to get his hands on my throat. He’s nowhere near as towering as the former vampire king, but with that spirit, in a few years he’ll be twice as formidable.

Not that it would matter then. I am the rightful heir to the vampire throne, and I’ll have the protection and favor of the bloodstained ruby very soon.

Its power will make me almost unkillable, untouchable by the common vampire folk, a near-god among men and supernatural beings alike.

The only threat to my impending victory is Julian’s father.

He stole the crown from my bloodline once, and I will not risk it happening again.

“Julian Corvath.” I clasp a lock of Julian’s silky hair and tuck it away so I can observe his reaction. Hate and anger mix in equal measure as he tries to jerk free of my hand, but with the zip ties limiting his movements, he can’t get far. “Where is your father?”

Andras Corvath is the one problem I am yet to solve, the one thorn in my side that I must eradicate by any means necessary.

Over the centuries, many have tried to dethrone an acting king, but he’s the only one who’s ever succeeded, despite the power the bloodstained ruby had bestowed upon my father, the rightful ruler of this race.

The ruby is a magical stone like no other, a gem infused with ancient blood that gives the vampire king near godhood.

The helicopter begins its descent after a sharp turn. We land a few seconds later, silence settling in the air as the whirling blades slow down to a stop.

A slight tremble lifts one corner of Julian’s full lips.

I hate to admit it, but they are so lush and pouty, creating a stark contrast to his hard lines and softening the underlying masculinity into something a bit more delicate.

“Now, now. Where’s my father, you ask… That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? ”

He sneers. I see red. How dare he joke about this?

Pulling hard on his hair, I bring his face close to mine and snarl. I guide my free hand to his neck, grabbing it hard and letting the tips of my claws extend into his skin. “Do you think this is a game? Do not test my patience, thief.”

Julian chokes a little, then bares his incisors at me, growling. “Technically, my father’s the thief. As much as I’d love to put that down on my resume, I can’t take credit for stealing your throne.”

My chest constricts and pinpricks erupt all over my fingertips. Is he mocking me? I have him at my mercy, yet he dares talk back to me with this tone? I won’t allow it.

“Watch your tone or I will break your throat right here and put you in a preservation tank so you can’t mend it.” I squeeze Julian’s neck as hard as I can, cutting off circulation and air to his brain.

He won’t die from that, we vampires can only be killed by beheading, a stake to the heart or a mix of obsidian and iridium in our bloodstream, but it’s not a pleasant sensation to be strangulated, even if you are no longer technically human.

We still feel things, need blood and air to feed our brains.

Snarling again, Julian aims a seething look my way.

“You can’t kill me, because if you do, you will never find out where my father is.

” He laughs then, and it sounds completely unhinged as it spears right through me.

“He will wait for the right moment, trust me on that, and he will come for you when you least expect it. He stole your crown once, Isidoro, he can do it again. And this time, he won’t leave you alive.

I am your only chance to prevent that from happening, so you better—”

I growl. It comes out from deep within me and before I can restrain it.

I don’t growl, I never have. But it’s impossible not to, because he is right.

It infuriates me that he saw right through my threat.

I can’t kill him, not yet. Not until I find Andras.

We might have kidnapped the wrong vampire, but at least I can use Julian as my bargaining chip, as the bait to lure out his father and deal with him once and for all.

But even if I can’t kill Julian, I can still hurt him. Torture him, make him talk and regret ever using that tone to speak to me.

I press my claws deeper into his flesh, drawing blood.

It glistens as it trickles down the side of his neck, not warm but not cool either, regulated into something that resembles human temperature but not quite.

I can catch the whiff of copper in the air as I watch the drops, mesmerized somehow, unable to look away.

My nostrils flare. When was the last time I fed? A day ago? Two? I suddenly can’t remember.

A knock on the helicopter’s window pulls me out of the trance abruptly, shattering the spiral into which my mind was going down. I glance at Samuel, my right-hand man, who’s standing outside with a phone. His face is collected, neutral. With a deep breath, I recenter myself, too.

This is not over. But before I deal with Julian, I have a couple other things to take care of and a promise to fulfill.

Bloodlust under control, I command my hostage to issue an order to the Crimson Clan in his father’s name.

We might have captured the wrong vampire, but my friends, Tommy and Niko, held up their end of the bargain, so it’s only fair I do the same.

They made all of this possible, they brought me the bloodstained ruby and Tommy will crown me as the new king.

Besides, I gave them my word, and a vampire never goes back on that.

“Tell your people that no hair is to fall from these two men’s heads. They are not to be messed with. I want your clan to worship the ground they walk on, is that understood?” I command, my voice like thunder inside the enclosed space.

Julian frowns but then nods and issues the order, using the phone Samuel hands him. I can see it in his eyes when he decides this is a battle not worth fighting. Good. That’s a start.

With that taken care of, I cut the zip ties with my claws and herd Julian outside. A snap of my fingers later, and my other two personal assistants, Allen and Dima, arrive, materializing next to me out of mist-like hyperspeed.

“Take Julian to the interrogation room. I will deal with him later. Make sure you secure him.”

My assistants each restrain one of Julian’s arms, then do as ordered.

I turn to my friends, smiling as some of the tension lifts from my shoulders now that the source of it is not in front of my eyes.

I am not na?ve to think that this reprieve will last, but I can enjoy it for the time being and be hospitable to my guests. They deserve it.

Once we are inside my mansion and I’ve fed and entertained both men with stories from my past, Tommy hands me the ruby.

“Here you go, as promised,” he says, smiling.

I drop my head low, the ruby’s power pulsating inside me as I hold it in my hand.

Finally, what’s rightfully mine is in my possession.

My birthright. I vibrate, excitement and anticipation mixing inside me.

Everything changes now, and soon I will reclaim all that was stolen from me.

I will punish those who did it, and no one will dare oppose the Altamirano Clan ever again.

This act of passing the ruby to me is all that’s needed for the magical gem to recognize me as the rightful king of all vampires, though it will take some months, perhaps a year or two, before it fully accepts me and grants me its protection and enhanced power.

We will hold an official coronation ceremony for the public in a few months’ time, so the rest of the vampire world can meet its new ruler officially.

But from today on, I am effectively the leader of all vampires.

With the first rays of sunshine breaking through the dark sky, I bid goodbye to Niko and Tommy.

I’d accompany them to the airport, but I have a problem that needs taking care of.

They are understanding of that, and while a part of me is sad to see Niko go, I know that this time he won’t disappear from my life.

He will be a part of it, both as a friend and a business associate.

With a hum under my nose, I go back inside, clutching the ruby to my chest. It pulsates as if alive, sending a shudder through me.

I did it. After centuries of countless attempts that failed one after the other, I finally did it.

I reclaimed what is mine, and soon I will take my rightful place.

Nobody will be able to touch me, no one will dare challenge me.

The excitement within me dampens as I pause in front of the stairwell leading to the mansion’s sublevels. The interrogation room is down there, isolated, dark and silent. Julian is waiting for me.

I open my palm and study the red gem, then hide it from the world again as I cover it with my fingers. I must find out where Andras is, what he’s planning. He’s a threat that needs to be dealt with promptly and permanently.

I will kill him. With my own hands, once and for all. He will pay for everything he’s done, for the family he took from me.