breathing via the tube in his throat. “What changed?”
“His heart stopped. The nurse said it stopped twice during surgery last night, remember? This time they were unable to revive him.”
“Oh my god,” I choked out, pressing a tight fist against my lips to keep the cries inside. I squeezed my eyes shut, breath held as I internally screamed myself raw.
“He didn’t feel a thing,” she continued quietly. “There was no pain.”
Shaking, I lifted my head to her. “How do you know?”
“Because I smelled the medications they were using. His heartbeat was so slow he would have slipped away. I promise you.”
I believed her.
“The nurse knew he wouldn’t make it, didn’t she?” I said hollowly. Her eyes had darkened when I mentioned returning tomorrow. She’d known there wouldn’t be a tomorrow for Rhys.
Laurel dipped her head. “I think so, yes.”
My breathing quickened and I shot to my feet again, hand pressed to my chest. Exactly where Rhys was struck.
I dropped my hand in horror.
I killed him. I killed Rhys.
A human was gone because of my actions. And horribly, selfishly, a part of me could only feel relief it wasn’t someone I truly loved. Rhys, I barely knew—and I was coming apart at the seams. If one of my two people was ever hurt like that, I couldn’t answer for what I’d become.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
I turned to the Vissimo, not answering her. Disagreeing would make her feel like she had to reassure me. I didn’t need reassurance because I was 100 percent to blame. I could only hope to accept everything that came with my mistake in time and take steps to protect those I loved.
“Thank you for telling me,” I told her. “And for thinking to keep in contact with the nurse. I appreciate it more than you know.”
She half bowed. “Of course, Miss Tetley.”
Had she ever bowed before?
I ignored the formality. “I’ll see you tomorrow for work.”
Laurel followed me to the door. It took two steps to cross the prison cell that passed for an Indebted’s room. “Where are you going now?”
Where was I going?
Pausing in the hall, I met her blue gaze. I did have more than one friend, I realised. Laurel wasn’t like Tommy in that we didn’t have the same history. But I’d known from the first meeting that we could be tight if I let her in.
I stepped close and hugged the vampire, bringing my lips to her ear. The Indebted on this level would probably hear, but we were so far down the tower, hopefully no one else would.
“I’m going to do the second swap.”
I pulled back and caught the sorrow in her eyes before she masked it. I was only telling her now because she clearly didn’t want me to undergo the second blood compulsion.
Part of me agreed with her.
The rest of me knew the second compulsion was happening whether I agreed to the scheme or not.
The fact remained that if things went to plan, Kyros’s enemies would lose interest. My family wouldn’t be used against me.
Over my dead body would Tommy or my grandmother end up like Rhys.
I waited until 3:30 a.m. when the call for the king’s approval would be over. Once Kyros came down, I wanted his undivided attention.
Vissimo, I tried to say. The resulting gurgle didn’t bother me. I tried again. Then attempted to sing it. Abandoning that, I turned to writing the word on the bare skin beneath my white skirt.
I tried the individual letters, backward, and then as an acrostic poem.
“Fangs,” I stated, much to my surprise.
Vampires have fangs. Nope. Fangs to drink blood. Nothing. The locks on my mind weren’t budging an inch.
“Blood.” Huh. So I could say some words in isolation. In the context of Vissimo, not so much. Interesting.
My door burst open, slamming against the wall.
“That didn’t take long,” I said.
The fury on Kyros’s face melted away as he took in my seated position on the bed. He entered the room and his body coiled as he ambled toward me.
His jaw clenched. “You were testing the constraints to bring me here.”
I lifted a shoulder. “Don’t have your number.”
“Because your phone is archaic and always dead.”
Dead.
My face must have changed because Kyros bore down on me.
“What is it?” he asked, green eyes scanning me.
I tore my eyes from his face. “Nothing. We should get started on that second blood exchange.”
Kyros stilled, and I kept my eyes trained on his Freens.
“Miss Tetley, what has happened?”
Hardening my resolve, I tipped my head back to meet his gaze.