Blood Trial Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #1) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,135
I silently told him about visiting Rhys, about how he’d appeared… what his skin felt like. I described the visit past the estate, about Fred and my grandmother. I moved on to my trip down to the Indebted—about the awful news I heard there. Then about how afraid I was all the time—for myself and for the few people I had left to me. Staring at Kyros, I told him what it was to lose my parents and how deathly, deathly afraid I was that I may lose someone else.
I cleared my throat. “It’s the right choice. You were right. We should swap blood without delay if you have the safety measures in place.”
He said nothing.
Stiff from sitting so long, I stood, sidestepping him. “Do you need to make a call or anything?”
Kyros’s eyes tracked me.
“Where would you like to do it?” I pressed, a bite entering my voice.
He crossed the room, and I realised how hard I was breathing. With one finger under my chin, he forced me to meet his piercing gaze.
I closed my eyes, his gentle hold preventing me from turning my face away.
“Someone has hurt you, my beauty,” he said softly. “Tell me who it was.”
No. I couldn’t do softness right now. I wanted hard anger. I wanted a fight. “No one,” I hissed. “You’re wasting time. If we do it now, the thrall will be over this time in three days.”
He pulled me to the bed again as I babbled, forcing me to sit.
Sitting next to me, he was silent for a time before asking, “Why?”
Irritation bloomed. “What are you waiting for? You wanted this.”
“I do want this.” Kyros rested his elbows on his knees. “But something has happened that I’m not aware of.”
“Welcome to the club,” I snapped. He blinked and I burst to my feet, whirling away. “That was rude. I’m just tense about this. I don’t know if I’m making the right choice. There’s no way to know for sure?”
He wasn’t going to agree to this if he felt suspicious.
“No. But you’re lying to me. Should I call Laurel or will you tell me?”
There was a lot Laurel could say. I didn’t think she’d mention our drive past the estates or the cryptic conversation we had about the exchange, but I’d rather not put her in an awkward position.
“Rhys died tonight,” I said flatly. “That’s not why I’m doing this.”
It was.
A shadow flittered across his face. “Come here, Basilia.”
“Don’t call me that,” I screamed.
I was shoved against the wall in an instant, Kyros’s blazing eyes trained on me. I was past worrying about irking his alpha. I shoved at him as hard as I could.
It felt good.
I did it again and again, desperate cries leaving my lips with each one.
When the anger faded from his eyes and his fangs receded, I spun to face the wall rather than see his pity.
My arms wrapped around my body, I ignored my harsh breaths. “That’s not why I’m doing this. It is why I’m upset. Rhys’s death is neither here nor there for what we need to do. I’m not going to keep justifying my decision to you. If you’ve changed your mind, this conversation is at an end.”
His hands appeared on the wall either side of me, his body hovering close to my back. “Whatever’s on your mind, you feel unable to confide in me. All I ask is that when—if—you can confide in me, you do.”
Confide in him. Was he fucking kidding me? Hell would freeze over before that happened.
“Sure,” I said, hanging onto the detached calm I felt in the wake of my outburst.
“… Then come.” He pushed off the wall and took my hand, tugging me to the door.
His focus didn’t err from me, but I kept my eyes downcast, unsure if he’d change his mind.
Kyros walked at my pace, and we rode up to Level 65. He entered his long-ass password on the panel, and I moved up the stairs to the lair ahead of him. I’d cottoned on that Kyros walking behind was an alpha thing. Placing my back to him put me at a disadvantage, I assumed.
Because otherwise, I’d have him beat.
Mere hours had passed since I was last in his lair.
I felt so different.
I beelined for the circle sofa, shuffling to the back. Hugging my knees to my chest, I piled the few cushions around me in a wall. Kyros raised his phone to his ear, striding past to the kitchen.