I nodded, mind working rapidly. “It’s unusual. You don’t know me, so I won’t ask you to put trust in me, but I can ask a client of mine from last week if he’d act as a reference. He signed his house over to Live Right via a same-day signing too.”
“That would be good,” Henry said, glancing at Bess.
They locked in a silent exchange.
“How about I leave you with this contract?” I said, rising from my chair. “It’s valid until the end of my shift—5:00 p.m. You can already tell that I’m a terrible realtor, so I have no qualms in telling you to see what Foremost has to offer first.”
“There’s no way you’ll last as a realtor.” Henry chuckled.
I grinned at them. “Nope. So I may as well give you as much money for IVF as possible before they fire my ass.”
The couple laughed.
“If I hear from you, great. If not, I wish you my sincere best for treatment. I hope you’re blessed with octuplets.”
Henry looked ecstatic at that. Bess not so much.
I smiled at them and made for the door.
“Wait, how do we get in touch with you?” Bess called, hurrying after me. “And we need that reference too.”
Oh yeah. Drat, I only had Beast. He’d be sleeping by now. “Of course. I’ll head out to my car and call my client from last week. And I’ll get my number for you. New phone and all.”
Nuts, I didn’t even have the car keys. “Laurel,” I hissed when I reached the vehicle.
“Over here,” she called softly.
I rounded the car to find the vampire crouched beside the driver door. Glancing up, I waved at Henry and Bess, who watched.
“I need your phone.”
“I already called Angelica for the number of your client.”
“Thanks, but I need to fake getting in the car to get the phone first. They’re watching.”
Laurel shuffled left as she pressed the button on the keys.
I slipped into the car and faked riffling through my pack while palming the phone from her. Then I got out again.
This was ridiculous.
The cell number was already on the screen, so I pressed Dial and waited as the phone rang.
“This is Vern.”
My lips twitched at his chipper voice. “Vern, it’s Basilia—from last Thursday.”
“The agent who took a nap on my couch Basilia?”
How many Basilias were there in Bluff City? Old men made the worst jokes sometimes. “That’s the one. I wanted to call and ensure everything ran smoothly after the signing.”
I listened as he gushed about his new RV and the stress of packing. The excitement from the sale of his house hadn’t ebbed one bit, and my smile softened as he detailed his travel plans.
“I’m so happy for you, Mr Yersaw. I wonder if I could ask you for a favour though? I have two clients—a young couple. They’re eager for a quick sale but want to speak to someone who’d gone through the one-day contract process. Is that something you’d be comfortable doing?”
Less than a minute later, I passed the phone to Bess and Henry and retreated back to the car and crouching vampire.
I folded my arms, staring in the opposite direction so they wouldn’t feel pressured. “You heard that whole thing inside, huh?”
Laurel smirked. “Sure did.”
Crap. I’d been busted throwing away Kyros’s money. “And how detailed is your report?”
“Kyros only asks questions on occasion. When this happens, I must tell the truth.” Her eyes slid to me. “Not necessarily to the letter.”
My lips twitched. “Good to hear.”
“…Thank you, by the way. I heard your conversation with Gerome. I got paid double.”
I was burning to know how much she got paid to take me on driving lessons. I refrained. Just. “No worries. Gotta get you out of those chains sooner rather than later.”
“The woman is about to walk down the driveway, and a car is pulling up. I’ll wait down the street,” Laurel said calmly.
I waited a few seconds, then rounded the car to take the phone from Bess. “Get everything you need?”
She nodded. “You fell asleep on his couch during a Truth Ranges omnibus?” Laughter burst from her lips.
“I was hungover,” I confessed.
Her laughter swelled.
“Let me jot my number down for you.” I opened the passenger door and wrote it down on the file, tearing the corner off. “Sorry, super professional. But here it is. Call me with any questions. I have another visit today, but I’ll get back as soon as possible.”
A car had pulled up during our conversation, and I glanced at the man exiting the vehicle. Almond-shaped, bright hazel eyes snapped to mine, and my heart began to pound.
Fuck.
Vissimo.
One from the other clan—or at least he looked like Clan Fyrlia’s king.
“Basilia?” Bess asked.
I laughed lightly. “What was that?”
“I said, we’ll be in touch. Thank you for the information.” She glanced at the man and back to me.
“You’re most welcome,” I replied, whispering, “Have fun with Carla.”
Her lips trembled, and I turned for the car.
Bess greeted the Vissimo who’d toned his eyes right down since glaring at me. If he was muting like that, then he had to be powerful—not ideal.
I opened the car door.
“Excuse me, Bess. I forgot the file. I’ll meet you at the top.”
Shit.
I yanked the door wide. One foot was inside when the vampire shoved the car door into me. My body was forced to twist, but I yelped as the bottom of the car door smacked into my shins, crushing against my chest.
“What the hell,” I gasped through the sting, shoving at the door.
Yeah, Basi. Engage in a battle of strength with a fucking vampire, you moron.
“Get off me or I’ll call the police,” I snapped.
The vampire sneered. “Drop the act, human. You know about us. You’re not nearly scared enough.”
True. Dammit. His eyes blazed, and I quickly dropped my eyes to his garish tie.
“Hmm,” he said. “Resilient. Kyros has picked well.”
Nuh-uh. I wasn’t being labelled Kyros’s anything. That was a sure pass to being hurt by every one of his enemies. “He didn’t pick shit.”
The vampire gripped my chin. “That’s not what I have heard. But it’s of no consequence. What is of consequence, Basilia Tetley, is that this house belongs to me. Come between Foremost and this property, and you will learn what fear really is.”
I gasped as his grip tightened. Tears of pain sprang to my eyes, and his lips curled.
“I could kill you in less than a second,” he whispered in my ear. “Remember that.”
He was going to break my jaw.
“I’ll remember,” I hissed.
The vampire let go and straightened his suit as I sagged over the door.
As soon as he disappeared into the house, Laurel was in front of me, a finger pressed to her lips.
She opened the door and caught me as my hip gave way. Lifting me, she opened the back door and placed me along the long seat. My mind was just coming to grips with what happened as she guided the vehicle from the curb.
When we were on the freeway out of Green, she finally spoke, “I didn’t come to your aid because of my orders. I am not to interfere if doing so causes more harm. If Clan Fyrlia discovers you have a guard, they may decide Kyros values you and up their efforts to hurt you.”
I propped myself up and studied my shin. A huge lump had risen, and the unbroken skin was darkening. “That’s gonna be an ugly bruise.”
“I’m sorry,” Laurel repeated, eyes flickering.
“You have your orders,” I said. “No biggie.” Big biggie. I hadn’t expected to walk away with my legs and jaw unbroken. My heart still pounded. Not from my reaction to the Vissimo—because the flare of his eyes was a drop in a lake compared to K
yros’s roar—but to his physical strength. That man could kill me in less than a second. And the memory of his smirk and glinting hazel eyes told me he’d enjoy it too.
I rubbed my jaw. Fuck’s sake. More bruises. “Will Bess and Henry be safe?”
“Yes. It’s against the rules of Ingenium to coerce signatories in any way. They’re safe.”
I suppose a mind compulsion would leave Henry and Bess aware vampires existed, and a blood compulsion would result in the thrall. “Good, they deserve better than that.”
Laurel sighed. “Just so you know. I’ll have to report this to Kyros.”
Ugh. “You have to?”
She dipped her head.
“Can you delay it until the end of the day?”
“I cannot.”
“Does it have to be Kyros you report to?”
Her eyes shifted to mine. “Yes, Miss Tetley.”
I lay back down again, staring at the car ceiling. “Fucking great.”
24
I sat behind my desk, researching clients for the next day. A doctor had examined my jaw, shin, and hip. But surprisingly, Kyros didn’t come down from his office on Level 65 to see me.
Maybe something I’d said last night got through to him. Or maybe his siblings’ reactions had shamed him about his dalliance with the human. Whatever it was, I was happy not to deal with the roaring alpha Vissimo for a day.
I stood and hobbled around the room. My hip was fucking killing me. When the vampire doctor was here—Clan Sundulus’s personal doctor—the pain wasn’t that bad.
“Basil?”
I froze and limped around in a circle. “Tom?”
It was Tommy. Fuck!
“What are you doing here?” I asked, covering my surprise with a wide smile. “It’s 4:00 p.m. You’re usually at work. Is everything okay?”
“Public holiday. And shouldn’t I be asking why you’re at work?”
It was a public holiday? I guessed that’s why Bess and Henry were at home on a Monday. “No rest for the wicked.”
I tried to stand naturally, unsure how long she’d hovered in the doorway.
“Why are you limping?” she asked, deflating my small hope.
“I fell down the stairs,” I answered. The game was up, so I hobbled to the desk and perched on the corner.
Her eyes fell to my shin. “And was that how your shin got a massive black fucking bruise too?” Red blotches stained her cheeks.
She walked toward me.
I lifted a shoulder. “Yep. Hit the corner of the railing. Hurt like a bitch. Still does. I need some drugs.”
Tommy searched my gaze, and I kept it steady. Wait, I’d never do that normally.
“You want to say something? Spit it out,” I told her. “You’re looking at me like you’re angry about something.”
Who let her in here when I was hurt? Clearly immortality didn’t always come with a high IQ.
“You fell down the stairs,” she repeated, stepping closer.
I nodded. “A few hours ago.”
Tommy hummed, reaching around to place her bag on the desk. I nearly flinched. She was fucking scary when she got protective.
“And tell me, Basi,” she whispered, looking into my eyes, “how did you get the fingermark bruises either side of your jaw?”
Ah, shit.
“It’s not what you think.”
Her eyes flared. “That bastard is abusing you.” Her colour heightened.
Every bad thing I could think of happening to Tommy ran through my mind in the space of a sharp inhale. To have her go through what I went through. For her to be compelled. For her to feel as isolated and afraid as I did every day now. The simple thought that she could be frightened to death in their company. All of that hit me in a solid, icy wall.
She opened her mouth, and I held up a hand. “I need you to leave.”
Tommy jerked back, staring at me with a rounded gaze. “What did you just say?”
My voice was cool. “I love you. But I’m working, Tom. I can’t do this at work, so I need you to leave.”
“My god. What are they doing to you? How are they controlling you of all people? You’re limping, Basi.”
I didn’t budge. “You’re wrong. And I need you to leave.”
Her voice rose, and my panic surged with it. How many vampires were listening to her? Dread curled around my heart.
“I’m calling the police,” she spat.
I arched my brows. “To tell them what? And to what end when I set the matter straight?”
She pressed her lips together, lifting her chin. “I’ll call your grandmother.”
Air lodged in my throat. “Tommy! If you do that I will never, ever forgive you.”
She halted, phone already in hand.
“This isn’t what you think,” I stressed. She couldn’t bring my grandmother into this.
My friend straightened, murder etched on her face. “Then you need to tell me what to think. Not that bullshit you spun.”
“I told you the other day—”
“And I’m telling you now that I don’t buy that line anymore. If I was standing in front of you in this state, you wouldn’t rest until the person was in a grave.”
True.
Vampires exist, I tried to say. Only a gurgle sounded. Writing it down would have the same effect.
I hopped off the desk and limped to my seat. “I can’t give you what you’re asking for, Tommy. There’s no problem. I’m not sure what you want me to say. But I’m 100 percent serious when I say that if you overstep and bring my family into this, we’re through.”
“I want you to tell me you’re leaving this place and coming with me,” she shouted, whirling on me. “What the fuck is he doing to you? Why won’t you talk to me?”
Because I can’t.
Her hands shook as she strode around the desk to grip my shoulders. “No more, Basil. Tell me now. If you value our friendship, tell me. Or I’ll walk out that door.”
It was the first time I’d considered that I might lose her over this. We were so strong. Our friendship had lasted through every single hurdle along the way. But I’d never heard her speak in that tone.
I’d never seen that look in her eyes.
I had to tell her everything, to leave, to get out. Yet that didn’t mean a thing with the chains Kyros had looped around my mind.
I’d been at Live Right for nearly two weeks and looked like death warmed up. There would be more bruises and more threats in my future. Tommy may forgive me this time. She may take back what she’d said after a few days. But she’d never stand by as I strung her along with lies over months or years.
“Basil? We’ll sort it out together. But I’m dead serious, lovely. I need to know what’s happening right now.”
I met her frantic chestnut gaze. “Or you’ll walk out that door?”
“I swear I will.”
Shoving down the urge to pull her into my arms, I hardened myself to her hurt. I whispered, “You know how I go with ultimatums, Tom.”
It was as though I’d slapped her. She reeled back, her arms falling away from my shoulders.
Her throat worked as tears rushed into her eyes, and I mentally focused on the pain in my hip. I deserved every bit of it.
“That’s all I get after sixteen years of friendship?” Her voice broke.
I tore my gaze away, facing the computer screen. When I could trust my voice, I said, “There’s nothing more to say. We both know where we stand. I guess I’ll see you around.”
A knock sounded.
I glanced up in irritation. If it was Kyros, I’d wring his neck.
Laurel stood there, phone in hand. “Those clients from earlier are on the line. Should I tell them you’re busy?” Her eyes slid to my friend, who’d frozen on the spot. “Oh, hey.”
Tommy reached for her bag and turned from me. She walked to Laurel. “Don’t speak to me as if you know me. You’re part of this too.”
She brushed past the Indebted, and I clo
sed my eyes, hunching as though I’d been punched in the stomach.
My best friend was gone.
And I couldn’t feel a thing because she’d meant too much to me. My body couldn’t feel so much pain and loss on top of everything else, so it just didn’t.
“Thank you, Laurel,” I said quietly.
Her eyes were full of sadness and nearly undid me. The fear of becoming undone made me cling to my cold, empty calm.
“They’re really on the phone?” I asked.
“They are. I can tell them you’ll be free in an hour.”
An hour wouldn’t help me. Not after what I just did to Tommy. “Pass it over, please.”
She surveyed me and crossed the room to obey.
A fake conversation sounded about the nicest place to be right now. “This is Basilia,” I spoke down the line.
“Basilia!” Bess’s relieved voice poured down the phone. “I’m so glad I caught you.”
I glanced at the time on the computer screen. 4:45 p.m. “You sure did.”
“Listen, I know your shift is nearly over. Henry and I didn’t mean to ring you this late, but we wanted to take the contract to a conveyance lawyer and check it was all fine. I’m not sure if I should tell you that, but obviously everything was in order because I’m calling you! If it’s not too late, Henry and I would love to accept your offer.”
A reason to leave the tower and scream? Absolutely. “Bess, of course you needed to make sure everything was up to scratch. It’s no trouble for me to whip down there to get the papers lined up for you and Henry. I can be there in twenty?”
“You can? Where are you right now?”
“Uh, Grey?”
“Peak-hour traffic,” she said. “It will take at least an hour to get here. Oh, that makes me feel terrible! I hate to drag you out on a Monday night.”
I smiled. “It’s not an issue, I promise. There are future babies on the line.”
“Well, how about I cook dinner in return for braving the Bluff City car park to come out here?”
“That would be lovely, Bess. I’ll see you soon.”
I hung up and flipped the phone in my hand. “What’s the Bluff City car park?”
Laurel had perched on the edge of my desk. “It’s what humans call the roads in the Grey during peak-hour traffic. Everyone is bumper-to-bumper, so it resembles a car park.”
Blood Trial: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers Book 1) Page 28