Frowning, I turned my head away. With a growl, he drew it right back.
“Answer,” he ordered.
Yes, your highness.
Shifting slightly, I gave his initial question my genuine attention, ignoring the second. “I don’t believe there will cease to be a game with you, Kyros. Not ever.”
“Ingenium is coming to a head,” he retorted. “Things are approaching the end cascade. Either way, I survive. The game will end.”
So he said.
I had a feeling Kyros wouldn’t take the murder of his family too well if Clan Sundulus lost. “Ingenium could take years or decades to truly finish once the end cascade is triggered. If it does? What about the games between you and your siblings? Or if worse comes to worst, dangerous games between you and your new clan—the triplets, Gina, and King Mikhail. A game is what you are, Kyros. Every second of your life for one hundred and forty-nine years. You don’t know how to be anything else. So no, I don’t believe that the end of Ingenium will make me feel safer. What would make me feel safe is leaving this city with everyone I know to go to a place where no one could find us.”
His arms had crept around me.
“I can’t escape you, Kyros,” I reminded him, sadness weighting my words.
Sorrow seeped through me. I hated being able to sense his emotions. I couldn’t say anything mean without feeling bad.
“The end of the game doesn’t make a difference,” he said, settling back.
Why did that sound like a may as well keep going as is statement?
“Your father said no, Kyros. Please don’t put my life in danger again. Thousands of people rely on me now.”
“I’m a game, according to your words. Do you think I move without thinking first?”
“When it comes to me, because of the bond. Yes, I do.” Though nowhere near as much as I thought. Even in the car at the beach, he’d been testing how handsy we could get before his fangs came out to play.
Jerk.
His hands slid down, sliding my legs apart so I straddled his thighs.
“This isn’t holding me,” I grumbled.
“That’s all I want.”
I choked on a bubble of mirth. “That’s a lie. I know exactly what you want.”
Kyros’s eyes sparked. “And what’s that?”
My smile faded. Was I really going to do this?
Yes.
I rested a hand against the side of his face, my other hand trailing over the base of my neck. “You want to sink your fangs into my neck. Right here. Then pin me down and force your blood into my mouth until I choke. You want me to like your blood.”
He stilled, breath and all.
I rested both hands against his face. “You want the top of my nipples to show over the top of this bodice. You’ll lick the parts you can see before disappearing under my skirts to taste me.” The blazing of his eyes and the bulge growing beneath me elicited a shiver.
I braced myself against the back of the round seat and brought my lips to his ear, breasts in his face. “You want to claim me, don’t you, Kyros?”
I smiled, licking his earlobe and relishing his pained hiss. “You want me to call you true mate.” Every word and movement hypnotised him—every slither of satin and brush of skin.
He was my captive.
It was intoxicating.
Heady.
I felt like a queen. Do it.
Bite me.
“You want it,” he groaned, letting his head tip back.
I followed him down, propping my elbows up so our chests were aligned. “Hard to remember what I should and shouldn’t do when we’re like this.”
Sweeping my hands down his rock-solid torso, I glided back up his arms, shifting again on his lap, this time to align with his length.
We moaned at the contact.
“You don’t know what happens with the fourth exchange,” he said, hands clamping down on my hips.
“What makes you think I want anything more than sex,” I answered, loosening his tie and first few buttons. I bent my lips to the exposed golden flesh.
He ground into me. “There is no such thing as sex without blood between us. Not until the mating process is complete. In the fourth exchange, you’ll begin the change to Vissimo.”
Whoa, what?
I yanked away. “I change into a vampire by the end?” Fernando did not fucking mention that. Talk about an ice bucket for my lady parts.
“It’s a possibility,” he said carefully. “And rarely done anymore. It’s not your choice, nor is it mine. Even if that doesn’t happen, you’ll exist somewhere between human and Vissimo by the seventh and final swap. So far our exchanges haven’t affected you physically, just mentally. After the fourth exchange, your senses will heighten. With my blood, I expect them to be as strong as those of the weakest of our kind.”
I widened my eyes, though Fernando had told me that part. I just hadn’t known the changes were due to me becoming some kind of human-vampire hybrid.
Kyros frowned.
Shoot, he wasn’t buying my surprise.
“About time I got cool stuff in return,” I said with difficulty. “But the fourth exchange isn’t happening—your father will kill me, Kyros.”
He studied me. “You think I’d let that happen?”
I lifted a shoulder, feeling my sleeve slip further. “He’s strong. He’s in charge.”
Kyros watched my mouth. “Strength means nothing in this negotiation. Only what the clan stands to lose or gain.”
What was he talking about? “You’re confusing me. Why the hell are you telling me all this?”
“Because now I can find you anywhere,” he replied.
His answer was at odds with what he felt. Kyros was lying?
I hugged my torso. “I really hate that you did that to me.”
“I know, my beauty.”
“At least pretend you don’t know what I’m feeling.”
Kyros closed his eyes briefly, grinding into me again. “Feeling what you feel is an incredible gift.”
I leaned forward, kissing his cheek. Shuffling off his lap, I straightened my dress.
“Why did that feel like goodbye?” He stood, and I couldn’t resist peeking at the front of his pants. I felt his amusement and cleared my throat.
Yep, that looked about as big as what I felt grinding against it. Aching stomach material—Kyros was proportional.
“Would you like to look again, true mate?” he asked.
I resisted the urge to stomp my foot. “Don’t call me that. Or vixen or my beauty. And no. One look was enough for any future solo activities.”
His initial look of bewilderment melted into burning lust.
“Oops, look at the time,” I said, snagging my pack off the bed. “We best get up to Level 66 for Ingenium.”
I ripped open the door, almost sorrowful at leaving the empty space despite everything. The bond was so messed up. Yet again, it had me believing there was something else between us.
But there wasn’t.
His dark voice trailed down the stairs after me. “The games won’t be here forever, Basilia. I promise you.”
He promised? Great.
I didn’t believe him.
17
“Lot 91 paperwork is finalized?” I asked the array of men and women on my middle screen—Grandmother’s Churchill team.
The man’s eyes darted from my face to the room around me, and I wondered how much of the underground office he could see.
“Yes, Miss Le Spyre. Everything is in order and the contract will be effective as soon as you add your signature.”
“What’s the name of the alias owner?” Probably best to know who I’d secured the property off when the inevitable questions arose tonight.
A woman flicked through a document. “Mr Barnaby Dwelt.”
“Very well. Current acquisition numbers?”
A man tucked in the far corner shot to his feet. “Acquisition rate has increased by 6 percent in the last week.”
I shifted my gaze to an open document on my right screen. “How many privately-owned properties remain in Bluff City?”
The tiniest woman I’d ever seen answered. “One thousand, two hundred, and seven.”
So few. I needed most of those houses to be mine.
“Thank you for the update. Our next meeting will be Friday at 11:00 a.m.”
The CEO smiled—an impersonal kind of smile that gave me more trust in his professional ability. “We look forward to it, Miss Le Spyre. The Lot 91 contract will arrive via private courier within the hour.”
I disconnected the call and slipped off my glasses, my eyes scratchy. Shift sleeping didn’t suit me. I always felt particularly crappy after my 3:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. sleep. I knew my second sleep before my measly hour or two of home visit appointments wasn’t catching me up on Z’s entirely. My hours for Live Right had crept up to the twenty-five-to-thirty hours a week, but the house visits were important for my plans, so I wasn’t complaining too loudly.
I walked around the perimeter of the room, studying the bird’s-eye maps covering the walls.
“We’re getting there, Agatha,” I said grimly.
My goal by the end of the year was to increase acquisition by at least 5 percent, and a further 10 percent the following year. If the rates for Sundulus and Fyrlia held steady—I expected a slight drop as trouble properties were targeted, all properties would be purchased within two years. Then my game would become more aggressive indeed. I’d hopefully have the Indebted in my employ by then. At that point, I’d focus on finance and manufacturing, already having easy access to the health industry here because of MediKnow.
The thought of that more aggressive game terrified me. But I had two years until it hit me. By then, I’d be ready.
Tommy pressed the noise-cancelling button as soon as I shut the bookshelf door and replaced Tom Hanks’s autobiography. We met here each day at 10:00 a.m.
“Conquer some shit this morning, lovely?” she asked.
I smiled tiredly. “Getting there.”
She hummed. “These weird hours are catching up on you. And the stress. When is our next spa day? I might actually be able to pay for a decent one now I have more money and zero mortgage.”
Biatch wasn’t fooling me. Tommy still paid the bill for her pop’s retirement home. Though her circumstances were better now.
“A spa day would be nice. I can get Sansi and her girls around. Saturday?”
“I’d prefer to get off the estate. I think you need it. To go somewhere other than that fucked-up tower.”
Maybe I did need some normalcy. “Deal. Don’t tell Sansi if you see her. She’ll never forgive me.”
My restraints meant Tommy knew nothing about the meeting with Kyros’s father. But she’d seen my lingering fear after and though I’d said her assumption was wrong—she’d put all the blame on Kyros.
I took my seat behind the desk. “How was your first week?”
She sat. “You laying the groundwork on those trouble properties really helped. Just that tiny bit of distrust for Live Right and Foremost has made the last few sales easy as pie. The new employees vetted by the Churchill team are showing promise, and tomorrow I’ll put everyone through extra training based on what tips and tricks you’ve learned at Live Right.”
Pride filled me. I knew Tommy would kick ass at this job. “How are you doing with scheduling?”
Her role was similar to Angelica’s. Tommy arranged which workers went to which properties based on what I discovered the night before.
“It was a mindfuck the first few days, but I’ve got the hang of it. I’d like another week or two to get everyone in motion before adding more staff.”
“Done.”
We grinned at each other.
The phone on the desk rang. I picked it up. “Fernando is here?”
“Yes, Miss Le Spyre,” Fred answered.
“I’ll be with him presently.”
Tommy waited until the phone was set in the cradle. “Fernando is hot. I pass him each morning on the way out of here.”
My eyes narrowed. “He’s bad news.”
She held up her hands. “Jeez, put your best-friend daggers away. Just saying he’s sex for my eyes and part of me wonders if he has ten abs like in Fernando’s Eighth Ab. I’m happy with Theodore at the moment. He’s taking me away to Furnley Gorge at the end of the month. To a winery.”
I bounced on my chair. “No way! That seems serious. You’ve totally downplayed things.”
“You know me, Basil. Quietly freaking out over here.”
“I want to meet him.” I winked.
She glanced away, not answering.
I blinked through the shock hammering my chest. “Oh my god, you don’t want me to meet him.”
Tommy stood. “Ugh, I do. And I don’t. I’m part of this shit, Basi. If I had a choice, I’d pick to be by your side. I’d just never forgive myself if something happened to him. I want to keep Theodore away from it all.”
Blood poured into my cheeks. Not anger at her, necessarily, anger and frustration at the situation. “I’m it all?”
She opened her mouth, and I held up a hand. “Seriously, I understand that more than you know. If that’s the way you want it, I’ll respect your decision. Just try to avoid lying to him. They catch up with you pretty quick.”
Tommy rounded the table, taking my hand. “It’s not you. Trust me, he’s heard all about you. It’s just this fucked-up situation.”
That I’d be in for a long, long time. I should probably get used to being held at a distance. It hurt, but I really did understand. “I know, Tom. I wish it was different, but there’s no beef between us.”
She leaned back, her shoulders relaxing. “Good. Then… one more thing.”
“Hmm?”
“Are we going to talk about these?”
I glanced around at the vases of white roses filling every available surface in my office. “What’s there to talk about?”
“Well, was there a card?”
Opening my desk drawer, I passed over the note.
She snorted after reading it. “Kyros. That’s all he wrote? His fucking name. Jesus, this guy is old as shit and still has no idea.”
I had to agree. “Yep.”
“You gonna give away the flowers? Seems a shame to just chuck them out.”
I tipped my head back against the upholstered chair and smirked at her. “Oh, they’ll be used.”
Tommy grinned. “That’s my girl. I’ll leave you to the hottie then. Ask him how many abs he has, I dare you.”
My smirk disappeared. My friend was hot-blooded to the extreme. Fernando had proved himself a coward and was therefore nowhere near good enough for her. It wasn’t happening.
My personal spy strode in moments after my friend left.
Closing the door, he clicked on the noise-cancelling button.
“Fernando, report,” I said, leaning back.
He placed a paper with a list of properties on my desk and I pushed up my glasses, scanning it.
“Fyrlia are yet to secure anything in the agricultural suburb. The divide between the triplets and the other siblings continues to grow. The triplets had three meetings with their father in the last week. I trailed them to an attack on Princess Safina and her daughter last night. It failed, but it seems Fyrlia are upping their illegal activities in an attempt to distract Sundulus. They believe a win is within their grasp.”
Safina had a daughter? News to me.
“Are attacks like that common?”
“From Fyrlia? Yes,
Miss Le Spyre. That is why Sundulus own more Indebted. Their vision to stick to human law leaves them vulnerable in many ways. Guarding their human liaisons and top workers takes up many of their resources.”
“And the clans are still locked evenly.” To me, that made it clear who possessed the greater business prowess.
Fernando bowed. “There was something else, miss. I heard your grandmother’s name several times during the delivery of my report yesterday. And your name—though that’s commonplace.”
I froze. “My grandmother’s name?”
He nodded. “I was too far away to hear the particulars of the conversation. But I picked up Le Spyre because I’m always tuned for conversations about you. Then I heard them say Agatha Le Spyre twice.”
Who the fuck was talking about my dead grandmother? “Who is them?”
He grimaced. “The Tonyi triplets.”
I smiled as fingers tickled my side.
“Elmo,” I murmured against the desk.
“What does that even mean? I just don’t understand where the fuck her sleep mind is at,” a male said.
Kyros answered, “Tickle Me Elmo. Kid’s toy.”
“Do it again, Lionel,” a female urged.
I snorted as the tickling fingers returned. I twisted and pushed away the multitude of hands attacking me. Some people had no manners. “Sit up straight.”
“Kyros?” another man asked.
“That one’s harder. I think she wants you to stop touching her. Have some manners. Sit up straight.”
A female cooed. “You talk sleeping human. That is so cute, big brother.”
“Shut up, Safina,” Kyros answered, not a trace of anger in his voice.
I cracked open an eyelid, peeling a paper off my cheek and straightened my skewed glasses. “I fell asleep? What time is it?”
“It’s 3:10 a.m.,” Kyros said, coming to stand behind me. He rested a hand on the back of my neck. “We thought you might like to be awake for the video call to my father.”
Sleep wanted to drag me back under, but the siblings had assumed right. Or Kyros, more likely. I’d still be asleep if his brothers and sisters were in charge.
“Your human body can’t keep up,” Francesca said, wrinkling her nose.
Vampire Debt: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers Book 2) Page 22