Vampire Debt - Supernatural Battle (Vampire Towers #2) - Kelly St. Clare Page 0,84

thumb hovered over the Send button. Because really, this wasn’t a text I should send. As in, for my future survival, it was dumb. If my grandmother was here, she’d call me trashy. But the revenge I felt was strong. White-hot and ugly.

I sent the text to Gina.

We need to talk

I needed information on my grandmother. If Fernando was right about the rift between the Fyrlia siblings, then I might just be able to convince Gina to give some information up. Barring that, maybe her reaction would give me an idea.

My phone chimed. That was quick.

I read the message. It wasn’t from Gina.

I need a favour.

Lionel needed a favour? I wasn’t born yesterday. This was his turn.

I rolled my eyes, typing back.

I suppose this has nothing to do with me or Kyros.

I thought you were the nice one

He replied:

I am.

What I do to you depends on how many times you say no before you say yes.

I groaned and opened a second text.

I won’t bite :)

The damn vampire used emojis. How was I meant to resist that? I didn’t know Lionel all that well—I didn’t know any of the siblings that well, really. But Lionel was one of the brothers I thought might be trustworthy. I wasn’t getting out of this, we both knew it. And was I going to turn down time with the head of the agricultural industry? Not one bit.

When and where? And WHAT?

I scanned his reply not even three seconds later.

Pick you up in ten.

Wait, what? I didn’t agree to that. I fired back a round of texts, tapping my foot as I waited for the reply. Nothing.

That bastard! He wasn’t a nice one at all.

“Fred,” I called.

The butler materialised from wherever he stood to be at my beck and call. I had theories he could teleport. “Miss?”

“Please cancel my morning appointments.” I paused. “Better cancel my afternoon appointments too.”

Shit. I hated when emails backed up. My time was slim pickings lately.

“Right away, Miss Le Spyre.” He held a finger to his ear. “A car is at the front gates.”

“He said ten minutes,” I seethed, glancing down at my pyjamas. Of course the one morning I decided not to get dressed for breakfast, Lionel decided to do his stupid sibling thing.

Argh.

“Let him in, Fred.”

I wrapped my kimono tight around me and stomped to the front of the house, flinging back the doors to watch the nondescript black car rolling in.

Lionel slid out with unearthly grace. “Hey, Basilia.”

“Don’t you hey me, Lionel. I’ve changed my mind about you.”

Kelsea approached, standing at a respectful distance.

Blowing out a breath, I said to her, “I’m going out with Lionel for a while.”

She bowed. “We will follow close behind, Miss Le Spyre.”

Lionel held open the door, and I hopped in, pulling my seat belt on.

I turned to him when he slid in. “You’re not a secret psycho, are you?”

“Not at all,” he said, displaying two dimples that offset his shaved head. “I just have a job to do that I’ve put off for a month or two. I thought you could share the misery with me. This really is a favour.”

Sure. I folded my arms.

Pulling out of the driveway, he leaned forward and dangled a takeaway cup in front of me. I inhaled the rich aroma.

“I came bearing gifts,” Lionel said.

Snatching the coffee, I inhaled it again. “Now I’m really worried about what you want.”

Lionel dived into my kimono pocket and extracted my phone. “Need this for the day.”

“Hey!”

He shoved the phone in the glovebox and locked it, popping the key in his breast pocket.

The vampire slid me a look. “What are you thinking about?”

“Whether I should drink this coffee or dump it on your penis and balls.”

Lionel choked on a laugh. “You’re vicious for a human. Openly vicious, I should say.”

“Well, I did take a drill to a vampire,” I replied before I thought better of it. Nausea found me.

“That was survival. And ingenious,” he answered.

I scoffed. “A total fluke. I didn’t like killing Callum, and I don’t want to kill again.”

Lionel was taking us out to Agriculture on the opposite side of Bluff City. The houses of Orange, Red, and Pink whipped by. I twisted on the seat, spotting my usual black SUV close behind.

“Are you okay about it?” he said.

I frowned. “You’re the first person to ask me that.”

His words were careful. “If Kyros didn’t ask, it’s because he saw you were okay.”

Sometimes it was nice to be asked anyway. “The sound of the drill still bothers me. But