Read Online Viktor: Heart of Her King by Julia Mills - Free Book Online Page B

his skin touching hers as his hands slid under her sweater drove the air from his lungs. His struggle to maintain control when all his instincts were driving him to make love to the keeper of his heart, to bind her to him, to make them one even before she knew their destiny, was overpowering.
    Summoning a strength he didn’t know he possessed, Viktor moved his hands to her shoulders, kissed her as if she was the very air he breathed, and then set her an arm’s length away from him.  Dazed and more than a little confused, Katarina slowly opened her eyes. A lust and passion he knew he’d put there made Viktor stand a little taller. He took pride in her kiss-swollen lips and the gently tossed look of her locks. The day when he didn’t have to stop, when he could love her the way the mate of a King of the Blood should be loved, the way his woman should be loved, could not come soon enough. Alas, it was not this night.
    “Viktor—” Her words were cut off by the appearance of Roman.
    “There you two are. We thought maybe you got lost.” Grinning like a loon, making Viktor concoct new and inventive ways to torture him, Roman winked and added, “Viktor, there’s someone in the office to see you.” Then to Katarina he said, “How about you and I get some refreshments while the boss conducts a little business.”
    Viktor watched as Roman took the confused Katarina by the arm and headed toward the bar. The King made his way to the concealed door that led to the Manager’s office and once secluded from human eyes, used his preternatural speed to rush to his waiting saietas .
    Angelique was the daughter of Roman’s steward and she’d had the privilege of providing Viktor’s nourishment for almost ten years. She was well-paid for her services. Her family, like all the other families who’d been stewards to the Kings over the millennia, was loyal and trustworthy.
    “How are you this evening, sire?” Angelique asked. She stood, moving the strap of her camisole from her shoulder and leaning her head to the right.
    “I am fine, dear. How are you?”
    “Fine, sire.”
    “And your parents?”
    “Vacationing in the Isles and from the postcards I’ve received, having a blast.”
    “That is good to hear.”
    Wanting, no, needing to get back to Katarina, Viktor asked the question he’d been asking every month since he’d arisen from his grave. “Do you, Angelique, agree to provide nourishment to me, a King of the Blood, freely and of your own volition?”
    “Yes, sire. I do.”
    “Then I shall take only what I need. Thank you for your service.”
    Viktor supported her with his hands on her upper arms as he leaned in. Angelique sighed as he pierced the tender skin over her carotid and pulled the life blood from her vein. Feeding was a sensual experience for the saietas but not for the King. That only occurred when the keeper of his heart took his vein or he took hers, something the supreme commander was very much looking forward to.
    Drinking quickly, Viktor took only the barest amount necessary to maintain his health, as he’d been doing for several centuries. Removing his teeth from her neck, he wiped the single drop of blood that had escaped his lips with his linen handkerchief and then returned it to his jacket pocket.
    “You’ve ordered your meal?”
    Smiling, she nodded, “I have. It’s in the lounge with the others.”
    “Good. You received your new assignment?” Because Katarina had now come to Viktor, whether she agreed to be his mate or not, the King no longer needed a feeder, therefore, he’d had Angelique transferred to the corporate office where her skills as a programmer could be utilized.
    “Yes, sire. Thank you so very much and congratulations. Your custos animae is beautiful.”
    “Thank you, Angelique.”
    Viktor had just opened the door when Angelique asked, “Is that why you had us come two nights earlier than scheduled?”
    Before he could correct her assumption and get his much needed