Vampire Debt - Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,32

on speed-dial at least.

The phone rang three times.

What was the time? And the day. Was she at work?

“Basi?”

I blew out a long breath, shoving away my barely touched breakfast. “Tommy.”

“… Is everything alright?”

I cut her off. “Are you working today?”

“Yeah, I start in an hour.”

Dammit. “Can you come by the estate after? I have something to tell you. Finally.”

Her silence made my insides shrivel. What if things had gone too far to salvage? What if—

“I’ll pull a sickie.”

Hope swelled in my chest. “That’d be great. I can send Fred to pick you up.”

She grunted. “Thanks.”

“See you soon then?” I asked, beaming.

“I probably don’t need to tell you this, but whatever you tell me, better be really fucking good.”

Nerves twisted my gut. Revealing the truth to Tommy might be the most selfish thing I’d ever do.

I couldn’t live without her in this cold, empty world.

My lips didn’t so much as twitch. “Oh, it’s good, Tom. Whether or not you believe it is another thing.”

7

I clicked the stop button and looked at Tommy across the office. This room had the best soundproofing in the house because Grandmother had hated the slightest noise while poring over estate investments and accounts.

Tommy glanced up from her balled hands.

I remembered the feeling. Right now, she’d feel like Matt Damon in Martian when he was catapulting through space. “Tom…”

My friend stood, rubbing her mouth and nodding. “Vampires are real. Vissimo are real. You’re under a blood compulsion.” She stopped, shooting me a look. “You still can’t talk about any of this—even if I know?”

Was it worth possibly alerting Kyros by testing the boundaries? I could talk openly around Sundulus vampires unless a human was near. And I’d wager if I tried to repeat anything from personal conversations with Kyros to a random one of his minions, I’d fail. I could work around the restrictions by being vague. If there was another way, I was yet to figure it out.

I pursed my lips. “I’m not going to try. Because of consequences.” Now I’d let my friend in—and now my last family member was gone—protecting Tommy took first priority. Just not, apparently, from myself.

Tommy hummed. “Okay, still a lot I don’t know.”

I watched her pace between the chaise and the ceiling-to-floor bookcase.

She pivoted. Paced. Turned again.

“Tom?”

“This is better than I could have hoped.” She burst out, a beaming grin pushing her cheeks high. “You only ended our friendship because vampires existed and you literally couldn’t tell me anything because of the compulsion. Then, you couldn’t live without me so you figured out a way around it.”

More like Angelica took pity. “You’re taking this really well.”

Strangely well.

Crossing to the chaise, I perched on the armrest.

She rushed me, gripping my hands. “Not knowing was so much worse, Basil. Thinking you were being abused by a powerful new boyfriend. That you’d gotten into drugs or some kind of organised crime ring so big even your grandmother couldn’t do anything about it.”

I grimaced. “Yeah, I can imagine.”

“So this is great.” Her smile stretched wider. “Perfect, really.”

Tommy walked to the row of decanters by my grandmother’s business awards. She filled a snifter with brandy and tossed it back in four gulps, thumping her chest after.

“Just great.” She coughed.

I shot to my feet as she burst into tears.

“Oh my god!” Tommy gasped, reaching for the brandy with shaking hands.

She didn’t bother with the snifter this time.

I wrested for possession of the decanter. “Tom. Shit, give it—”

The bottle slid free.

“—here.”

Tommy clutched her oval face with both hands as I set the decanter down.

“Vampires exist,” she wheezed, hazel eyes huge. “Teeth. How is that possible? Wait, the lady said they don’t know. But they’ve been around a while. Fuck. Fuck! Does this mean werewolves are real? They’re like yin and yang, right? Corn cobs and butter. Teeth.”

I let her babble wash over me and tugged her to the chaise.

She sank onto the cushions without prompt.

“Shh,” I said, pulling her into my arms. “I’ve got you.”

She shook in my embrace, and guilt swarmed me. Did I do right by telling her? I knew exactly how adrift she felt right now.

Knowing all that, I’d still told her.

“It’ll be okay. I swear to you.” I hushed into her chestnut hair.

“You went through this alone.” Her voice cracked.

“Yeah, but I’ve got you now.”

She hiccupped, arms clamped around my waist. “Damn straight you have. W-We’ll get through it.”

It wasn’t a temporary thing, more like the rest of our lives. Tommy would have more freedom—not having a personal homing beacon in her blood