Death Game: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #3) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,53
brow. “Now, if you’ll excuse us. My knees are bleeding, and I’m sure you can appreciate that Francesca will be in hot demand for the foreseeable future.”
They snapped pictures as I directed her back through the crowd.
She allowed me to for a full minute before snapping out of her funk.
“All that stuff you said,” she said, grabbing my forearm. “Did you mean it?”
“My family name is synonymous with ethical practices, Francesca. I researched Ornate as soon as the show was mentioned. If I’d found your label lacking in any way, I wouldn’t have walked, no matter the favour I owed Gerome.”
A small smile graced her face.
“You need to practice dealing with the media. Let me know if you want help. Or I suppose Rory is decent at it.”
“I may just take you up on that,” she said breezily, handing my phone over.
Tommy waved from the stage.
“Gotta get cleaned up.” I dialled Daniel as I strode toward Tommy.
“Miss Le Spyre.”
“Daniel, if there’s not already, half-naked pictures of me will be covering the internet.”
He cleared his throat. “Already on it, miss.”
“Thanks.”
“Harriet Gregorian did it?”
“Yep.”
“I’ll make sure the picture of her ass is the top search result.”
I snorted. “Thanks, Daniel.”
“All in a day’s work, Miss Le Spyre.”
I let Tommy direct me to a seat where she set to work on my knees.
I watched her work, shedding the armour I’d just donned to deal with the crisis outside. My hands shook as the impossibility of her presence hit me anew. I didn’t dare feel joy even with her tending my wounds.
“Will I live?” I asked in a trembling voice.
She stuck the final Band-Aid in place and scrubbed at the trails of blood down my shins with an alcohol wipe. “I prescribe you medicinal tequila shots for the next three days. With regular consumption, you should bounce back in no time.”
“You spear-tackled Harriet Gregorian off the stage,” I informed her gravely.
Tommy’s face was grim. “Yeah. I did.”
I cracked a grin.
Her chin wobbled.
We reached for each other, rolling on the floor as we hooted our damn heads off.
“What were you thinking?” I asked between gasps. “You’re the height of her legs.”
Tommy sucked in a breath. “I saw red when I realised she ripped your bra off. What kind of low-life trash does that?”
I wiped my eyes. “Daniel’s wiping everything, but I need a video of that. We’ll add it to our time capsule.”
“The one we dig up each year to add stuff to, but end up going through the contents because we can’t wait ten years?”
Yep.
A shadow fell over us.
Tommy tensed.
So did I.
“Basilia,” Kyros said. He studied my knees. “I see Tommy has taken care of you.”
I sat, and he gripped my arms, pulling me to my feet without effort.
“Uh, yeah. I’ll be ready to go soon.”
“There’s an afterparty.” He shot a look at Tommy, who was dusting off her hands and butt.
“No, thanks. Let’s just head to your place.” I hesitated, glancing at my friend. We had a lot to talk about if her change of heart wasn’t a moment of insanity.
Kyros smiled. “I can pick you up in a few hours if you prefer.”
He was smiling, but inside he was devastated.
Tommy grabbed my arm. “You have a date planned. Don’t worry about me. I’ll head back to my place and we can catch up another time.”
“Tom, please don’t go back to wherever you’re staying. Go to the estate.”
She peered up at me, her eyes filling.
“Your father too.”
Her throat worked as she swallowed, and I wrapped her in my arms. “I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll be away for a few days, but there’s an ice-cream musical marathon with our names on it when I get back.”
“Love you, Basil.” She sniffed hard.
A fierce protectiveness surged within me. I didn’t know why she was here, but I was determined to never let her go. “I love you more, Tom.”
14
“I know you like my house better, but I thought you might want a soundproof room for this thrall,” Kyros said. “I’d prefer guarding a space with only one entrance if truth be told.”
I nodded, nerves fluttering in my stomach as he navigated the car through Green. “What will happen?”
We’d been through four thralls but never spent one in the same room.
“Sex, Basilia. Lots of it. I won’t hurt you though, if that’s what worries you. My urge to protect you is greater than the urge to mate, as you know.”
I stared ahead, not really seeing anything. “Okay.”