Blood Trial Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #1) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,115

all night—with Laurel as protection, if necessary. But she waits outside and hidden.”

“You realise I could compel you for the answer?”

I lowered my gaze just in case. “How did that work out for Gerome?”

Rory grimaced.

“Shoot, was it bad? Is he hurt?”

Kyros’s sibling arched a brow. “He’ll mend. Nothing Gerome didn’t expect or mean to test. Though none of us expected Kyros to lose it to that degree. It surprised him too, I think. After that, he got a ridiculous notion in his head that avoiding you was the best answer.”

“The best answer to what?” I dared to ask.

Rory brought his lips to my ear. “To his insatiable lust for you. To thinking of nothing else but you. You know, he’s kept it all from our father. Well, no, that wouldn’t be possible. But the extent of his reaction he has kept very quiet. Saturday night was the first time we, his siblings, learned he was anything other than in his usual, perfectly controlled self.”

He told his siblings everything though.

From the conversation with Kyros, I knew he didn’t want to be feeling whatever was going on between us. Whether because of shame or because he had a relationship with someone else. “This… situation has happened before, right? Where the urges of the thrall extended longer than three days?”

Rory grinned.

“That fucker,” I spat. “I knew he was lying. It’s not the lingering effects of the thrall that are making him act this way.”

“He’s not lying as such. Some people do suffer from similar symptoms after the first blood exchange.”

His tone was off.

“What do they usually do to sort out the problem?” I studied every flicker of his expression.

His eyes danced with suppressed mirth. “Why, Miss Tetley. They exchange blood again and again. Again, again, and again.” He counted to himself and added, “and again.”

That sounded kind of like I’d die. I blew my hair off my face. “Whatever.”

“Counteroffer. For all I know, the information you have on Mr Ringly is useless. As a show of good faith, I want something additional from you. You recognised me the first night on Level 66. I want to know where from. In return, I will grant your request, and supply condoms.”

I screwed up my nose. “I’m sure we’ll be right on that front.”

Rory’s face smoothed. “Have it your way. What’s wrong with Mr Ringly’s offer?”

“Ah,” I said sagely. “Nothing with the offer.” Surveying the crowd, my gaze snagged on Rhys’s ass.

You’ve seen better.

I shoved the thought aside. My brain didn’t know shit. Kyros had short-circuited my synapses somewhere along the line. I needed someone to shock me with those paddle things off Truth Ranges.

Rory shook me slightly, a growl slipping between his teeth.

“Vissimo have terrible tempers.” I spotted a camera coming and bopped him on the nose. The flash startled him.

Gotcha.

His scowl deepened.

“I can see why you’ve done that all night.” My shoulders shook. “That was really fun.”

“Basi.”

“Keep your hair on, Rory. Mr Ringly is a rug addict.”

The vampire wrenched us to a halt. “What’s a rug addict? Is this a young thing?”

I hiccupped. “Oh shit. Champers. I meant to say drug addict,” I explained. “I don’t know if he only took them tonight, but the guy kept licking his lips like crazy while talking to you. And I feel taking drugs to attend this event is a sign his usage isn’t just here and there—or whatever the term is.”

Kyros’s brother fell silent—though resuming our dance. The song ended and merged into another. I glanced around for Rhys. If he’d disappeared after I’d gone to all this trouble to broker a deal, I’d be pissed.

“I couldn’t smell anything in his blood,” Rory muttered.

Oh.

“So I was wrong?” Dang, maybe I shouldn’t lump everyone who licked their lips in the same basket.

“No, I think you’re correct. His behaviour was strange, even for being in my presence. If I couldn’t smell anything, it means he’s using the purest kind of heroin.”

The big H. “No way! That seems more serious than, like, ecstasy.”

Rory’s amusement had fled. “Yes. Very much so. Thank you, Miss Tetley. This changes everything.”

He glanced down, and for the first time since he arrived at my room waving around the garment bag, I didn’t feel like a human puppet to him.

I caught sight of another camera. Reaching up, I smooshed his cheeks together, smirking at the flash. “Look at me like that more often, Mr Senrite, and I might think you’re not a vain douchebag.” I let go of him. “Anyway, the night is young, and