Vampire Debt - Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,17
cost these women their lives.”
That made me jumping into the water pretty selfish and stupid. I could understand her reaction.
“Noted and absorbed,” I told her. “Thanks for explaining, and I’ll be more careful in the future.”
A small smile curved her lips.
“I’d love to help pay off everyone’s debt one day. If I got the money,” I added as an afterthought, aware that Laurel was the only vampire in the know.
I scanned the crew of female vampires, and my eyes widened. Holy shit, they were taking water fight to an entirely new level.
Was that blood?
“You’d do that for us?”
I tore my gaze from the water fight at her off tone. “Does that offend you?” She must know what my real name meant—that I was loaded.
“No, it’s just... for you to offer is—” She broke off, her chest rising.
Stretching out, I punched her shoulder.
Ouch!
I shook out my hand.
“Though your intention touches my heart,” Laurel said hoarsely, “our debt is not so simple. Our payment must be matched to a deed. Only a Vissimo can set the deed and pay the debt.”
Crap. “There’s no way around it?”
“They feared we would influence human benefactors to be free of our chains.”
That made sense.
Her eyes glittered, and I pounced. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Laurel shook her head.
“Whatever! You can’t hesitate and then not tell me.”
“If Laurel isn’t telling you something, it’s probably for your own good,” Jillian said, joining us on the beach.
Laurel’s lips quirked at my eye-roll as the others took seats around us.
“Fess up, Loz,” I pressed, folding my arms.
“You expect me to speak because you’re crossing your arms?” She arched a brow.
Kelsea cocked her head. “What about when she stomps her foot?”
“Or the hands on the hips,” Josie added.
My jaw dropped. “I hardly ever do those things.” Anymore.
Their silence didn’t inspire confidence that I’d successfully kicked the habits.
Laurel sighed. “Humans who’ve exchanged blood with a Vissimo six times are no longer classified as human. They’re well past the stage of being vulnerable to anyone’s compulsion but their mate’s. As such, they are able to hire Indebted of their own accord even though the mating bond is still incomplete until the seventh exchange.”
I stared at her.
Exchange blood with Kyros three more times?
When he mentioned the ability to read each other’s thoughts after the final swap, I’d assumed he meant the fourth exchange. There were seven of the fuckers?
Fuck me.
“Exactly,” Laurel said, standing. “Which is why I wasn’t going to tell you.”
“Yeah.” I drew out the word. “Sorry, ladies. I’d love to help out, but I can’t get any deeper into that craziness or I’ll never get out alive.”
Kelsea’s blue eyes didn’t hold their usual glimmer. “We understand. We’d never ask that of you.”
They’d never ask anything of anyone. That’s what broke my heart. Their shackles were too tight, they couldn’t remember a time when they hadn’t worn them.
Josie peered through the trees. “Humans are running toward us. ETA: three minutes.”
Ah, yes.
I cleared my throat, avoiding seven sets of blue eyes. “That would be Mr Lygon.”
Grinning at their sudden tension, I bellowed, “Run!”
“Miss Tetley?”
I stepped off the elevator on to Level 44 and peered at Angelica. Behind the reception desk, her gaze widened at my dripping state.
I wiggled my toes, noting the wet puddle forming around me.
“What happened to you?” she demanded.
“This and that,” I replied, waving my house files in the air. “Secured a property in Pink. Laid some foundations for the suburb when your clan next lands there too. Did you need something else?”
The Vissimo blinked. “Which property?”
“9C Joker’s End.” I thumbed through the files as I approached, sliding the respective paperwork onto the desk.
Her mouth was slightly ajar. “The hippy activists?”
“Strongly opinionated bohos? Yes.”
She shook her head, rifling through the papers.
I folded my arms, inadvertently squeezing a fresh torrent of water from my ruined bra. “We’ve established it’s because I’m human. This isn’t surprising.”
Angelica glanced up from the file. “That’s not all it is, and we both know it.”
A compliment? I remained mute, not willing to accept it from her. She liked to act first and ask for forgiveness. I wasn’t into that.
“He’s not mad, Miss Tetley—that you said no the other night.”
Uhm, subject change much? “Oh, goodie. The thought was keeping me up at night.”
Her nostrils flared, and I kept my innocent expression locked in place.
In my answering smile, I made sure to show all my teeth. “He accepted my answer awfully quick when I asked what he was hiding, Angie. If you’d like to tell me that, I’ll happily listen.”