Retro-view: The Warlord Wants Forever

by Kresley Cole

The Warlord Nikolai Wroth, a ruthless vampire general, will stop at nothing to find his Bride, the one woman who can “blood” him, making his heart beat and filling him with strength. Coldly interested only in the power his Bride will bring, he can hardly believe when Myst the Coveted awakens him body—and soul. The Seductress Famed throughout the world as the most beautiful Valkyrie, Myst has devoted her life to protecting a magical jewel and to fighting the vampires. Wroth provides her with the perfect opportunity to torment her sworn enemy—for with his new heartbeat comes a consuming sexual desire that can only be slaked by her. Denying him, she flees, struggling to forget his searing, possessive kiss. The Hunt is on… She eludes him for five years, but he has finally chased her to ground and stolen her enchanted jewel, giving him absolute power over her. Now that she’s his for the taking, he intends to make her experience first-hand the agonizing, unending lust she subjected him to for half a decade. Yet when Nikolai realizes he wants far more than vengeance from Myst and frees her, will she come back to him?

Well, MacRieve is coming out Tuesday so, here’s another retroview from the Immortals After Dark Series. The Warlord Wants Forever is the first IAD “book”, originally published as a novella in the otherwise unremarkable (to me) anthology Playing Easy To Get, The Warlord Wants Forever was released on its own in 2011 just before the release of Lothaire.

Nikolai Wroth is a 300 year old Estonian noble. Nikolai was killed during the Great Northern War, after he and his brothers banded together to defend their homeland from Russia. Ultimately unsuccessful he was mortally wounded on a battlefield. Kristoff, the Forbearer King and true king of the Horde Vampires turned him in exchange for fealty. He and his brother Murdoch who were both killed and transformed in the same battle later transformed their younger brothers Sebastian and Conrad.

The vampires of the Lore cannot go in the sun without burning unless they are very old. They can also teleport, which they call tracing. They drink blood, but if they take it directly from the source some vampires can receive memories from the victim, over the years eventually making them mad, they drink a victim to death, they will get a high and seek out the thrill of the kill again and again. Though vampires are part of the Lore that can transform humans with a high success rate, only men survive the change. Born vampires cannot lie and will age until their physical peak that would give them the greatest chance of survival in Lore. When they stop aging their breathing and sexual needs also die. Turned vampires awake without their breathing or sexual ability, both born and turned vampires will remain this way until they either die, or meet their Bride. A vampire’s Bride awakens his breathing and sexual ability. The first time that the vampire is excited after meeting his Bride he needs to be satisfied by his Bride or while touching her, otherwise they will remain excited. Indefinitely. Being ‘blooded’ by their Bride also makes them far stronger and more powerful a vampire.

Myst the Coveted is a Valkyrie of at least a millennia in age. She is known throughout the Lore as the most beautiful Valkyrie. Myst has previously blooded three vampires and killed them. She likes to use men who would possess and own her, for her own ends. Myst meets Nikolai in Mt. Oblak Castle as he leads an army to take in from the Horde and Myst is a prisoner inside spying on the Horde general Ivo the Cruel who runs it.

Myst as a Valkyrie is not a fan of vampires as a whole, especially considering her Queen, Furie is suspected to be currently enjoying the tender torture of the Horde. But in a short time she and Wroth connect on a real level. Myst reveals her true personality in a moment and bloods Nikolai. Angry over Nikolai’s proposing to torture her Myst escapes with her half sisters without relieving Nikolai.

Nikolai spends five years searching for Myst eventually finding her New Orleans through a memory from her blood. Nikolai imprisons her using a mystickal chain than Myst was forced to wear in a punishment from her two god-parents. This gives him power over her to command her.

They are able to reconcile themselves to each other fairly quickly with Nikolai vowing not to use the chain for a period so they can see if they will suit. Unfortunately Nikolai is still dreaming Myst’s memories and what he sees, convinces him that she doesn’t care for him. This miscommunication drives everything apart almost permanently with Myst and Nikolai’s deaths. Luckily everything works out alright.

Nikolai is incredibly authoritative with almost no give in his nature. It’s easy to tell this was one of the first IAD books because it’s not quite up to where the later ones are. It ends on more of a HFN, with the resolution of their relationship coming in A Hunger Like No Other and No Rest For The Wicked. Still it isn’t a prequel novella it was very clearly meant to be read first or second in the series. Not my favourite but still worth the read.

IAD series retroviews: A Hunger Like No Other.

Currently Listening: Jealous Minds Think Alike – You Me At Six