Death Game: Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #3) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,77

the pop in his ears and the loss of one of his biggest senses.

“More secrets,” he muttered.

I ignored the comment, checking my phone.

11:00 a.m.

He strode behind my desk, scanning the contents there before reading the computer screen.

“You about done?” I said, folding my arms.

The vampire didn’t answer, completing his circle around the room. The act was an almost exact replica of King Julius when he entered Kyros’s home for the first time. With the king, I’d seen it as a protective thing.

With Kyros, I got the vibe I was on trial.

He stopped by the low table and turned the two books over, reading the titles.

I waited for him to demand answers. When he didn’t, I couldn’t resist saying, “You know I won’t rest until I find a solution to this.”

Despite the menacing entrance, a quick check told me much of his bitterness was gone. Instead, the bone-deep weariness was in the driver’s seat once more. Then again, would I sleep if nine of my family members could be dead in six days?

Ten, I corrected myself, recalling Kearra.

“You expect to find an answer in a handful of days, three of which you’ll spend in a thrall?” His green eyes bore into mine.

He was so angry at me. So disappointed and heartsick.

A perverse part of me didn’t care because my vampire was standing before me. My mate. Maybe for tonight, he could pretend I hadn’t signed his family’s death warrants, and I could pretend he’d forgiven me.

I lowered my arms. “You’re here for the sixth exchange?”

“Why else would I be here?”

Swallowing hurt, I cleared my throat. “Okay, how’s it going to work?”

“My siblings are outside. Once I’ve bitten you, they’ll retrieve me. I’ve spoken with Laurel. She will confine you in your quarters until the end of the thrall.”

I deflated.

I’d expected to spend the thrall with him again. Which was stupid of me, really. He didn’t even want to be here, but I’d hoped he might be unable to stay away.

He watched me with cold green eyes, and I stared at his slim black tie, thinking over all the times I’d dreamed of loosening it.

“The date for end cascade negotiations is set for the seventh,” he told me in a low voice.

I glanced up. Five days from now.

Fuck.

I’d read through the end cascade chapter of the Ingenium rule book enough times to know what he referred to by negotiations. Though the end cascade would be triggered, Fyrlia could spend months or years buying up the entirety of Bluff City. The rule book stated that the losing clan could call a meeting when the end cascade—the point of no return—was triggered. In exchange for surrendering on the spot, Sundulus could attempt to barter for some of the lives of the royal family.

Negotiating with King Mikael seemed like a useless pursuit. I’d managed to do so, but only because I gave him what he valued most. He’d all but won Ingenium now; there was no need for him to compromise on anything else. He’d waited for this moment for one hundred and fifty years.

“I see,” I whispered. For all their sakes, I hope Kearra was allowed to live. Surely even Mikael couldn’t be so ruthless.

Kyros stepped closer, and my stomach churned as I held myself back from running at him.

Our separation after the fifth exchange made me feel physically sick.

A whimper slipped between my teeth, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

“After the negotiations, I won’t be allowed to contact you,” Kyros said, his voice straining. “This is the last time we will see each other.”

No.

My chest rose and fell with my shallow breaths. “Maybe in time…”

I trailed off because we both knew that wouldn’t happen.

King Julius had been convinced. Or at least, he recognised a losing battle. Mikael would keep Kyros from me no matter the cost.

His gaze darkened. “Mikael may allow me to complete the mating ritual with you if I can’t be controlled, but he’ll never permit you to become Vissimo. He’ll try to break me over the next five or six decades and wait until you die and I lose control. Then I’ll be his weapon across the ages.”

Bile threatened to make an appearance as his words hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. “That’s his plan?”

Kyros nodded. “He practiced on the triplets. He’ll do the same for me.”

My hands curled into tight fists. “You’ll never be like them.”

A wrinkle appeared between his brows. “I used to fear losing control. It’s the greatest fear of most alphas. But in five