in the middle of the red carpet.”
He stared at me through hooded blue eyes. “Try it.”
Swallowing, I angled my face away. Cameras flashed. “Knew your ego couldn’t handle it.”
Even if that’s close to what he did to me over four years ago.
“Am I to understand that you’ve followed me in the tabloids over the years? Is this why I dazzled you so in my brother’s tower?”
By now, I’d seen Rory check himself in mirrors enough times to know he dazzled himself most of all.
“No,” I replied.
The only thing I was dazzled by was my own hypocrisy. I’d left this shit behind. No, I hadn’t even attended this shit when I was at the estate.
Ugh.
“Can we go inside, or would you like to preen some more?” I asked him. “I could go ahead so you have space for some solo shots.”
“The kitten has claws,” he retorted, standing behind me. He circled his hands around my waist. To humans, it might look like he whispered in my ear. I’m sure any vampires here would notice his teeth were positioned over my pulse.
Rory only wanted one vampire to notice.
Which made it extra satisfying that no pictures of me would survive this encounter.
I snorted despite myself. “You are such a brat. Why does Kyros put up with you? I would have strangled you and Gerome a century ago.”
He ran his nose up my neck, inhaling. “Our youth and antics remind him there is joy in life.”
That was… really sad. “How old are you?”
“That’s a rude question,” he chided, a smile plastered on his face.
My brows climbed as he guided my arm through his once more. “No, it isn’t.”
He studiously ignored me as we entered the building and the flashing cameras were left behind.
My jaw dropped. “You don’t like aging?”
He was totally, totally vain. As vain as humans at least. I felt like an immortal should know better. “Talk about dodging a bullet.”
The curled length of my hair tickled my lower back as I gave full throat to my chuckle. Angelica had worked the top half into an elegant swirl that coiled neatly at the back of my head.
Rory pulled me against him as another camera flashed. Man, did he have a paparazzi radar?
“What do you mean dodging a bullet?” he whispered in my ear.
Peering around, I eyed a gilded clock, the centrepiece of the lobby. I’d been in this building many times. One of my grandmother’s best friends—Sir Olytheiu—had his main offices here. He was the founder and owner of Bluff City Bank and one of the richest people in the city. Internationally, the Le Spyre estate had him beat, but locally, he came out on top. Thank fuck I’d never come to these things. The only people I might know were my grandmother’s select few friends. Hopefully none of them were attending tonight.
A thought caught me. “How is it that two clans can fight to own the city when so many others own a chunk? You’ll have to battle rich humans at some point. And some of them are seriously fucking rich.”
I’d said too much, but Rory didn’t notice.
“They’re a front. Various CEOs and Head of Estates are tied to one of the clans via blood compulsion. Through them, most of the city rich are in our employ and control, and they carry our holdings in name only. If two families own everything, humans get angry,” he murmured, waving to a middle-aged couple I didn’t recognise.
I contemplated that my grandmother was one of their puppets and our family wealth belonged to Sundulus or Fyrlia but disregarded it quickly. The Le Spyre estate was hundreds of years old. And when this place was a village port, the ancestors of the current-day elite owned the land. We’d been here longer than Ingenium.
“I suppose that makes sense. People would stop selling to you.”
Rory slid me a look. “They would. They are.”
If my list of trouble properties was anything to go by, the vampire was right. “What happens if a clan lands on the estates?”
He sighed. “Not much. The estates don’t sell. And it’s against the rules to coerce a human into signing. Anyone tied by blood compulsion falls under that umbrella, so although the city elite help us to do business in many other ways, we cannot secure their assets directly.”
Interesting. It made me very glad the Le Spyre fortune was generated and invested internationally for the vast majority.
“I have another quibble.”
He rolled his eyes heavenward. “By all means, ask away.”
Don’t mind if I do. “I