One way or another, I’d lose him anyway. If not because of my betrayal, then because I was working against him.
This was all so fucked up.
“Four,” someone exclaimed.
Ilion grinned. “Orange. Well done, Miss Le Spyre.”
Conrad clapped me on the back and nearly sent me sprawling.
Well done?
They wouldn’t be saying that before the end.
“Thank you for gathering today,” I said to the crowd of fifty Indebted, my voice pitched low.
I stood atop a pool-side table, ready for my afternoon shift visiting trouble properties for Live Right. I’d work through the weekend to get my game plan and various teams back on track.
I could always rely on work to distract me from feeling too much. From thinking about Tommy and the long list of shit I’d gotten myself into.
The Indebted were stone-faced. The smiles they always shot my way were just a memory. Yep, sneaking out without telling them was a dog act. I’d known it at the time—if not the threat Kyros’s berserk rage presented to them—but I’d acted in the knowledge it would place them in some difficulty.
“I’m sorry for putting each of you at risk by sneaking off the estate,” I told them. “There’s no excuse for it, other than Tommy’s life was on the line and I did not understand how badly Kyros would take it.”
Some of them softened, but would I just forgive some human for putting my life in danger when I was helpless to protect myself in any way?
Nope.
I chewed on my lip. “I didn’t intend to put any of you in a position where you felt helpless and threatened. I also understand that if someone did that to me, I’d have a really hard time forgiving them. I’ve already promised Laurel that I’ll never put the Vissimo on this estate in such a position again and know that I don’t make that promise lightly. You’ve seen what I will do for a person I care about. By making that promise, I’ve agreed to trust all of you with the people I love too. That’s something I’ve never done in my life.”
Scanning them, my stomach twisted anew with guilt. “With that said, I’d planned a surprise for you guys before I acted like a massive butthole, but I’m no longer sure the gift is welcome.”
Laurel had stood to one side throughout the conversation, her face as hard as the others. I was on my own for this and hadn’t expected any less.
She frowned at my comment.
If they rejected the gift, I’d deserve it. “I bought a nightclub a month ago. Tonight is the opening night. I’d like to invite any of your Vissimo brethren not on duty tonight and those on estate duty to come party. If you don’t show, it will be a seriously lame opening, but I respect that attendance is your choice. I’ll give the details to Laurel for those who are interested. And you can expect cameras to be there.”
I exhaled and nodded to them before leaping down from the table.
It felt like fifty sets of eyes bored into my back on the walk into the house, but I was glad to have the guilt off my chest at least. Though I felt so much guilt, I wasn’t sure I’d made a dent.
“Miss Le Spyre,” Fred said, bowing slightly as I passed through the music room to my office.
“Hey Fred, can I help you with something?”
“Just a few housekeeping points I wished to discuss.”
“Sure, come in.”
He followed me into the office and as soon as the door was shut, he reached for the noise-cancelling button.
I blinked as his face dropped into serious lines.
“Are you okay? The man in your suite two nights ago. We heard you screaming.”
… Oh my god.
The butler was stricken. “He hurt you, but I wasn’t sure if it was part of your strategy. I didn’t want to act without confirmation one way or another.”
“You were right to wait, Fred,” I said firmly, rounding the back of the desk. The computer was already on. Stacks of papers lined up. “If a similar thing happens in the future, don’t intervene.”
The butler stared at me. “He didn’t hurt you?”
Uhm. He hurt me in ways I didn’t know I wanted to be hurt.
I cleared my throat. “Right as rain, Fred. Thank you for the concern. And I mean that.”
“That vampire is an important one,” Fred said as his impersonal butler mask fell back into place.
An important one? In the game, absolutely. To the kings, yes. To me?
I inclined my head.
Fred’s face twisted. “I know it’s not my place to be saying this, but the thought of such a monster in your personal space makes me sick inside. I’m certain your grandmother never intended you to take the game so far.”
His words were a punch in the gut. Despite his initial bluff, he knew exactly what those screams were about.
The words fucking awkward came to mind.
I opened the first email, an update from my stockbroking team. “You’re right. It isn’t your place. Is there anything more I can help you with?”
When I glanced back at him, red had flushed across his cheeks. Not the angry sort. The butler appeared absolutely mortified.
The truth was, I felt disgusted at the thought of what my grandmother would say if she knew what I was doing. My words came out harsher than intended, but I couldn’t back down now.
“I apologise for overstepping, miss,” he said, bowing. “There’s nothing else to discuss. I will leave you to your correspondence.”
And the guilt is back.
“One more thing,” I called when he was at the door. “Is Mr Tetley gone?”
He turned, mouth pulling down. “Yes, Miss Le Spyre. I’m in the process of finding a replacement.”
Tommy kept her promise then. I wasn’t surprised her father would follow his only daughter. She was the moon, stars, and sun in his life.
“Hey, Freddy boy, is Basilia in there?”
Mrs Gaughton sidled into the office without waiting for his reply. “Hey, Basi.”
I smiled at Fred over her head. “That will be all, Fred. Thank you.”
Sorry.
“Mrs Hannah,” I said when the door was closed. Reaching under the table, I started the frequency generator. It wouldn’t stop the Indebted who really wanted to listen in, but they’d have to be close to overhear, and I knew my main crew of seven stuck closest to the house.
She eyed my clothing. “Heading out on Live Right business today?”
“Sure am. Have to catch up after the three weeks off.”
“I like you, Basi, but I’ve got to say that I think Live Right is seriously dodgy. If you ever want to work for a business who have the best interests of Bluff City residents at heart, you come to me.”
Was Mrs Gaughton vetting me for my own company? She had no idea I was the owner.
I loved her.
“You’re enjoying the new job with Tommy then?” I asked her. Tommy’s name left a sour taste in my mouth.
She winked. “I’m not supposed to talk about it. But yes. Tommy is actually on leave, so I’ve stepped into her HR position for a little bit. I’ve been doing some hiring.”
I made a mental note to read the latest report from Churchill without delay. “Anyone I know?”
“Well, get this. There’s such a thing as trouble properties in Bluff City. We’re having a hard time acquiring them. So I thought… why not hire some of them?”
Considering I did the same thing to her, I’d say that was great reasoning. “We have the same trouble list at Live Right, I’d say. I probably know the names of your new employees.”
“Mr Triffz was my first one.”
My jaw dropped. “Mr Triffz? You’re kidding me! That’s the bastard who threw compost at me.”
“All he needed was a battle to fight.” She eyed me. “He wants to take down Live Right and Foremost. He thinks they’re secret agents who put old people in homes.”
And now he was working for me.
“When I sold his home to a lovely family from Spain, I helped
him find a smaller rental. One thing led to another.”
I absorbed that as best I could. “Anyone else?”
“Mr Trenington. And a Mrs Franger.”
Both off the trouble list. I’d only met the suspicious Mr Trenington. Mrs Franger put on her sprinklers each time I reached her letterbox. “You acquired all their houses too?”
She cackled. “Not so hard, really. Just got to talk to them like they’re people.”
I bit back on my smile. “Sounds like you’re a HR natural.”
“Yeah, but it’s only until Tommy is back.” The older woman sounded moderately miffed. “You know when she’s back?”
Hesitating for a beat, I decided to impart some of the truth. “Tommy and I aren’t in a good place at the minute. I was the reason behind the breakup with her boyfriend. I told Theodore what I thought of him and he took off without telling her where. She’s really angry at me.”
The older woman studied me. “I’ve never known you to be unnecessarily mean. He was hurting her?”
I nodded. “Badly. Without her knowing.”
“Then he’s a fucker. If Tommy has any sense, which I know she does, she’ll come around in time. Never easy to deal with a broken heart, especially if it’s her first one.”
They were words I so desperately wanted to believe in.
“And the pure hunk of god I saw walk in here the other day looked familiar. Strutted as if he owned the place, too, I might add.”
“Who?” I asked her innocently.
She waved a hand in the air. “None of that now. We all heard the screams.”
Ugh. I choked on laughter. “Stubbed my toe.”
Her gaze darkened. “I’d like to stub my toe like that a few times.”
I grinned. “Can’t say I’d mind a repeat.”
She scowled. “You went back there with the guy who wanted you for your money? I mean, not that I blame you. He’s a tall drink of something.”
“He told me he’s not after any of that,” I replied, grimacing. “I’m not so sure. So I’m testing him. Could you do me a favour?”
“Sure.”
“If he asks you anything about how you came to be here or about the work you and Tommy do, could you lie through your teeth and let me know? He’ll assume that you work for me or are a family member, so if he’s here for the wrong reasons, I believe he’ll speak to you first. Make sure to bullshit him.”
The glint in her eye was 110 percent evil. “It would be my pleasure.” Her gaze turned shrewd. “So we can expect him around here often?”
I arched a brow. “Yes. Why’s that?”
“Just wondering if you’ll have soul-destroying sex all the time.”
Leaping up from the table, I shooed her out of the room, husky laughter bursting from my lips. “Time for Mrs Hannah to leave so Basilia can get her work done.”
“Tell me!” the woman blurted just before I got the office door closed.
7
“I got hold of all the papers relevant to Mr Ringly’s development approval,” Lady Treena said. “And everything in his file. Thought we should be thorough. There may be a past transgression we can use to stall things.”
Pretty sure Sundulus already tried that.
I sat with my grandmother’s friends around the round table.
After a few agonising hours at the last meeting, they knew most of the details of my exchanges with Kyros—everything except for one tiny thing.
They had no idea Kyros was anything other than an evil tyrant who controlled my mind. I just couldn’t bear to tell them I was considered his true mate or to see the horror and disappointment on their faces.
Whatever I saw on their faces would be what I would’ve seen on Grandmother’s face.
Dame Burke placed a stack of papers in front of me, next to the file I’d brought along for reference. It contained details of their compulsions.
Lalitta compelled Dame Burke thirty-five years ago. Not tightly—which was such a Lalitta thing to do.
I flicked my eyes over the first page.
“This is all the correspondence and rejections for his development approval request for the last ten years. You’ll notice the main issue was the concern of necessary agricultural land being re-zoned and lost to residential land. He spent an arm and a leg trying to win approval. Idiotic if you ask me.”
Which is why I believed the answer rested here. Fyrlia wasn’t new to this game and neither was Sundulus. But neither of them were human. It was a desperate hope, but all I had to bank on right now.
I skimmed through the pile and passed it to Mr Dithis on my left. He was controlled by Gina, but he was able to converse about anything Vissimo-related in metaphor. How he’d even figured that out was anyone’s guess.
“Did you spot anything amiss, Lady Treena?” I asked, consulting my other file.
Lady Treena was controlled by King Mikael himself. Her compulsion was nearly as bad as mine except she could nod and shake her head in answer to direct questions. He usually contacted her for information on council affairs via his minions, and contact had dwindled considerably after her retirement. She’d been compelled for as long as Sir Olythieu.
“No,” she replied. “And I went through it thoroughly.”
Mr Dithis passed the stack to Mr Hothen.
Mr Hothen belonged to Francesca and discovered Vissimo and Ingenium fifteen years ago. He could say pretty much anything if he was vague enough, something I attributed to Francesca’s youth.
“Sandra Hoyt was the town planner in charge of this deal?” he asked.
“Why?” Sir Olythieu asked drily. “You know her?”
He belonged to King Julius, and his compulsion was as tight as mine. Like father, like son, I supposed.
Mr Hothen smirked. “For a while.”
Which surprised no one. He had the silver fox look down to a T and knew it. The ladies flocked, and his only rule was twenty-five plus and highly educated.
Mrs Syrre made a small sound in the back of her throat. It was strange to think that Neelan drank the genteel woman’s blood while compelling her.
“Let me guess,” she said. “You dumped her via letter.”
Was that the original dumping via text move?
“Actually, no,” Mr Hothen said, frowning. “She moved to Frankton Gorge and ended things.”
I stilled.
Sir Olythieu beat me to asking, “How long ago did she move to Frankton Gorge?”
Lady Treena snatched the stack away, pacing the room as she scanned the pages.
“I should cut you out of shares in my new plaza for that,” Mr Hothen said to her, leaning back.
She eyed him briefly. “Empty threats are for the lower class.”
I snorted with the others.
“It’s possible I missed something,” she announced, setting two papers before me.
Dame Burke whispered under her breath, “Never thought I’d hear the day.”
“It seems that Sandra Hoyt managed this case until three months ago when there was a change to Julia Dinh.”
That name rang a bell. But I was certain Julia Dinh was under Sundulus control.
“She might have just moved away,” I said slowly, my gut already telling me that wasn’t so.
Mrs Syrre countered. “She might have run for her life. Or been forced to relocate.”
Exactly.
“I’ll track down her current address,” Dame Burke said, jotting a note in a diary.
I smiled tightly. “Let’s hope this is a lead. If I can take proof of a shady deal to them, they’ll be locked in battle again.” An impartial clan would rule the development deal as void—at the minimum—according to Kyros’s seconds.
Mr Hothen leaned back. “Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to let someone win.”
I located the F on the table. “Not these ones,” I said, holding it up and thinking of the kiss Kyros gave me that morning. “They’re worse.”
“They’re as bad as each other,” Sir O
lythieu spat.
Shaking my head, I swept back my heavy braid to show them the red scar. Then I stood to show them the nearly gone bruises on my stomach.
Murder was etched on each of their faces when I resumed my seat.
I held up F again. “Believe me. I know.”
Maybe I thought the same for a while, but having met both royal families, having been questioned by both, I could say with certainty there was a difference.
Fyrlia wasn’t wholly bad, but the bad parts were evil to the core.
“What can you tell us about the clans, dear?” Dame Burke asked.
I focused on sunflowers. “S is scared.”
Man, focusing so hard made me sweat.
“They would be. From what I understand, only one flock of eagles can fly the skies,” Mr Dithis said.
The royal family of the enemy survived. Yes. “Two from S survive. Kyros and Titania.”
Mr Hothen’s expression darkened. “It’s a shame the lot of them won’t die. Good riddance.”
I withheld a retort, my guilt soaring. If they knew I was sleeping in the same bed as a vampire each night, they’d never look at me the same.
I should tell them. Maybe I could convince them it didn’t mean anything. They’d have ideas on how to turn the development to our advantage.
But maybe that’s why I hadn’t told them.
If they knew, they’d expect me to use Kyros. If I didn’t do that, they’d know my dirty secret.
That I didn’t want to hurt Kyros anymore.
Yet disappointing my grandmother’s memory and her friends? I couldn’t do that either.
I’d landed myself firmly in the middle of a battle I could never win.
8
Only Jessica Alba could wear black leather. In Dark Angel, specifically.
I’d broken my rule twice.
White leather didn’t count. Right? Why did I get the feeling my standards were crumbling? How long until I wore black leather and felt no remorse?
It was a slippery slope.
“Will you require me to pick you up later, Miss Le Spyre?” Fred asked from the front seat.
Death Game: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers Book 3) Page 7