Death Game: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #3) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,54
on the catwalk in the beginning. Before that woman.” A menacing growl filled the vehicle.
“I was, actually.” Francesca shoved a bag into my hand before I left too. “It wasn’t all bad at the end. Tommy came back.”
Kyros was quiet.
“You can tell me how that came to happen any time you’d like.” I arched my brows. “I saw the weird looks between you two.”
He directed us onto the freeway. “Two days ago, I went to the hostel where she and her father were staying. I spoke with her and explained the situation with Theodore.”
I stiffened. “That’s all you did?”
“I didn’t compel her,” he growled.
Consider me surprised that hadn’t even crossed my mind. “I meant that Tommy was inconsolable two weeks ago. How the hell did you convince her?”
He pressed his lips together. “I showed her the video.”
I gasped. “The video of me killing Theodore?”
Kyros clenched his jaw.
“How could you do that?” I demanded, twisting to stare at him. “She loved him.”
“She loved what he made her love. Your friend didn’t love Theodore Tonyi. When she saw what he did to you in the video, Tommy understood the distinction. Just as she understood what you’d done for her and what you went through. I went back to the hostel this morning and asked her to attend the fashion show.”
I was appalled he’d shown her the video.
I’d shrivel up and die inside if I had to watch Tommy go through that.
“Please delete the video,” I murmured, crossing my arms.
“I’d like nothing more,” Kyros said. “My father has ordered me to watch your ordeal until I can control my reaction to it.”
Shock hit me. “That’s sick.”
“It’s working,” Kyros disagreed. “At first it took me hours to calm down. Now I can get through the video without breaking too many things.”
“How have I not noticed that?” A wrinkle formed between my brows.
“I wait until you’re asleep. At the start, I’d return to find you strangling the pillows.”
I’d sleep-reacted to his anger? “I wish you wouldn’t do that to yourself. I don’t want you to see me that way.”
“To see a courageous woman fighting off a man who has every advantage to save the person she loves?”
I fell silent.
When he pulled into the garage of Kyros Sky, my nerves returned full force. Neither of us spoke until we entered the elevator.
“Thank you for letting me handle what happened today,” I said, studying my appearance in the mirror. I couldn’t wait to wash the make-up off my face. “That meant a lot.”
Kyros’s gaze landed heavy on me. “I couldn’t trust my reaction. My eyes were too bright.”
Oh.
“That’s something you value, I take? Your ability to handle situations like today?” He pressed.
Today was a craziness of its own. “I value your confidence in me, yes. You can physically handle nearly anything, and you have so much experience. I find it empowering when you trust me to protect myself.”
He was quiet on the walk to his lair.
I could feel him mulling over what I’d said, so I entered the bathroom without disturbing his reverie and stripped out of the shirt and royal-blue underwear.
The water hit the long scratches down my chest and stung like shit, but I twisted my hair into a knot and scrubbed the stress of the show away, cleaning the layers of make-up off my face.
Sighing happily, I dried off and wrapped the towel around me.
A quick peek in the bag Francesca gave me revealed the white negligee I wore earlier. With the nail marks, it wouldn’t look as cute.
Clad in the towel, I entered the room.
Kyros had removed his red blazer and shoes and sat on the round sofa with his legs outstretched. I perched on the edge, staring around his lair and wondering how many walls would remain in three days.
“Are there a lot of other Vissimo who do multiple exchanges with humans?” I asked.
“The term is mate, Basilia. Not multiple exchanges,” Kyros said, tipping his head back against the sofa to meet my gaze. Toffee strands splayed over his face.
He was so fucking handsome.
Reaching over, I brushed them back into place. “I know.”
His gaze softened, and he caught my hand, kissing the back before releasing it.
“Yes, a few. One clan in particular, Koani, have a history of relationships with humans—not necessarily with their permission. That’s where I discovered information about how long it would take you to adjust after the fourth exchange.”
“How long will it take this time?”
“Not as difficult. You’ll need to minimise exertion for everything, but these changes aren’t as