Free Blood Curse (Pulse #8) by Kailin Gow Page A

crown.”
              Why was Nereti hiding the secret of the diamonds from Octavius? Kalina couldn't help but wonder. Did she not trust Octavius fully, even now? Why keep secrets from her beloved General?
              Then, with a jolt, Kalina heard another voice – Nereti's voice. The inward workings of her mind – sounding as cold and cruel as the hissing of a snake before it strikes.
                Do not reveal all, yet. You are a Queen. You must trust no one, not even the man, not even he who makes you moan. He is your slave, not your equal. He must not know. Nobody can know your weakness. They must see you only as a Queen, unassailable. When first these diamonds were used to create the First Carrier, the potion that first boiled the Life's Blood in the veins of a young woman for the first time, their purity and strength were unknown. Only a few know the source of Life's Blood – only a few know that it is your weakness. You must destroy them all so that the secret never gets out.
                Get the diamonds – bury the secret – increase your strength, hide your weakness. Then you shall be truly immortal – free of fear, free of care. Then you will reign over all the world.
                Your power is not enough. There is no such thing as enough power. There is no such thing as enough strength. The hunger of evil is never-ending. The thirst of evil is never-quenched. There is no such thing as enough. You must be stronger, better, faster, more powerful, always...
                “Octavius,” now Nereti was speaking aloud, in a voice far sweeter, in honeyed tones that set Kalina’s teeth on edge. “How naïve you are sometimes when it comes to the workings of pure evil. You are fortunate to be so blind. I enjoy you. I enjoy your body very much. Perhaps it is because of the blood I am drunk with, the blood I drained from the Carrier, who was bonded with you once, that I feel such pleasure in your tongue, in all your parts. But you are still so innocent, so pure, so...human, almost. In time you will understand. In time you will grow harder against any emotions you may have. You will be a great General once more, and you will understand what it means to wear the blood of one's enemies upon the diamonds in one's crown.”
              “Yes, my Queen,” Octavius bowed his head. “We will send out more vampires to find these diamonds, as you wish. All of them, if you wish it.”
              “I cannot abide incompetence,” snarled Nereti. “No more underlings. We will go ourselves to lead this battle.”   
              She eyed Octavius, taking him in before pulling him in for a deep kiss. She licked his bare chest, savoring each morsel of flesh, before sinking her teeth into it, drinking from his blood before licking shut the wound. “You taste delicious, General,” she said. “And you taste like a vampire fully under my command. For an instant perhaps I wondered if you were my betrayer. But your taste is pure evil. Good.” She kissed him on the lips. “It would be such a pity to have to destroy you, General.”
              Octavius did not flinch. “I will prepare our men,” he said. “The battle ahead shall be our triumph.”
     

 
     
    Chapter 9
     
     
              K alina was exhausted. She'd never known such exhaustion before. Her bones ached. Her blood was tired, as if the very act of coursing through her veins was an overwhelming one. She felt every nerve ending in her body shudder with the pain of holding herself together. What was happening to her? She'd fought battles before – battles far harder than this one – and won. But now she was tired, bone-tired. She needed to rest.
              “It's the visions,” Jaegar said, putting his hand on her shoulder. “I know how they are. Even when I have visions of you, sometimes, it tires me out. All that psychic energy. But to get inside