could take it.
I peeked at Laurel over his shoulder, who—bless her behind—seemed genuinely ready to intervene and save me.
Car-throwing Kyros was a new one for me. This Kyros’s behaviour seemed like desperation layered on possessiveness. I didn’t feel unsafe with him right now.
“Have the night off,” I sang to the four Indebted in front of the black SUV. “With double pay for your earlier deeds.”
Kyros didn’t stop, snarling over his shoulder, “I’ll expect a report in one hour, including details of how my brother’s orders somehow superseded my own tonight.”
Pure malice filled his voice. Sounded like I’d spend that hour smoothing things over for Laurel. Which was the least I could do.
The elevator arrived, and we fell into silence as the doors closed.
I fidgeted in his arms, my hip throbbing like a bitch.
“Stay still,” he snapped.
“My hip is sore,” I admitted.
I squeaked as he spun me around so my other hip was pressed against him. Glaring, I tipped my head forward and flung my hair back off my face.
His gaze lowered to my chest. And remained.
“Kyros, you’re welcome to look because I’m too tired to pull up the dress, but I’ll karate chop you in your throat if you get handsy.”
Ding!
He took off, kicking his way into his office a second later. This time, he had the sense not to place me in the torture chair. He didn’t place me in anything. I exchanged a glance with the other vampires in the room. Angelica and three minions I didn’t recognise.
Kyros spoke too rapidly for me to understand, and soon two of the screens mounted around the room flickered to life.
One showed an empty office room.
The other, a street I’d recently stood upon.
I patted Kyros’s front for him to let me down. He disobliged. So I watched from his arms as Rhys and I came into view.
Ah, shit.
Hopefully there wasn’t sound—
“We’ll need to stop for condoms,” Rhys’s voice crackled through the monitor.
I groaned, speaking loudly in an attempt to cover the rest of the conversation. “I’m only going to tell you about the attack because I was assaulted by your enemies. The rest of the night is my business and my business alone.”
And someone could figure out how to stop the other clan from coming for me again.
Rory was wrong. This wouldn’t be my life forever. Sure, it wasn’t normal right now, but one day it would be. I could have a normal existence with a human man like Rhys. I just had to figure all this out.
Kyros ignored me. Everyone ignored me. They watched the CCTV—or their own personal city footage.
I winced as the two Vissimo sandwiched me, recalling the feeling of their presence. I turned my face away.
“Watch it, Basilia,” Kyros ordered. “Watch it all and learn.”
Learn what? That monsters existed? That I’d made a mistake? That ship sailed weeks ago.
I nevertheless obeyed the vibrating vampire holding me, gritting my teeth as an Indebted picked up Rhys and ran to a second car. Laurel collected me and once I was out of the way, the rest of the Indebted abandoned the fight.
The screen turned black.
“It’s the Tonyi triplets,” Angelica said. “Three of the royal children from Clan Fyrlia.”
I was right. Triplets. That had to be some kind of miracle in the vampire world.
I shivered. Three psychos.
“Why is Rory not on the phone?” Kyros grated, squeezing me tighter.
“Human in your arms,” I gasped, tapping him frantically.
A growl slipped between his teeth, but he loosened his hold. What were the odds he’d set me on the office chair? I assumed next to none. “Would you like to hear what happened?”
Green eyes bore into mine.
He was angry. With me. With himself. Probably with his brother. It might have been easier to list who he wasn’t angry with.
“I went to the party with Rory and left with someone else,” I said, not moving my gaze from his. “Rory and I made a deal. Laurel would follow, and I was to be left alone for the night. We were attacked—as you saw—on the way back to Rhys’s. They called me your little human before ripping my dress and leaving their saliva on my neck.”
I watched him swallow, and through everything I was feeling, a strain of pity found its way to me. A vampire as old as him, struggling to control this reaction.
I hurried on, my voice shaking. “How did they know I was there?”
“Why were you with Rory?” His voice vibrated.
I didn’t stop to roll my eyes at that. More and more, I