Over my dead body.

“If Clan Sundulus wishes to accept these properties from the mate of Crown Prince Kyros, my clan must confer on the validity of this solution. If Miss Basilia Le Spyre is compelled in any way, the deal is illegal within the rules ofIngenium,” a woman from the impartial clan said mildly, looking up from a stack of papers before her as if our dispute was a garden bowl’s match.

Please tell me you took everything out, I whispered his way.

Kyros glanced at his father and nodded.

Are you kidding me? What does that mean?I silently hissed.

My mate fixed his gaze on me.It means that I freed you absolutely, Basilia.

Thank fuck.

“Confer and give us your ruling,” King Julius told the woman from the impartial clan.

Yeah.His wording didn’t fool anyone. He hadn’t decided to accept shit from me yet.

She bowed slightly and returned to the row of her clan members. “Will the human witness please come forward?”

I clenched my hands to fists, tense as Tommy shot me a veiled look and made her way around the table to approach the woman.

“Each of us will search your mind and vote upon the verdict of allowing your testimony regarding the removal of Miss Le Spyre’s compulsion,” she told my friend.

My mouth bobbed open.All of them!I quickly counted. There were ten.

Surely that—

Tread cautiously,Kyros’s thoughts invaded mine.

Tommy didn’t hesitate, leaving her bag next to Evie before striding to one end of the line. The male Vissimo locked eyes with her and my friend gasped. But within a minute, he’d released her.

“Next,” the woman called.

Blinking several times, Tommy shifted down the row. I swallowed, my hands slickening as she worked her way through the ten vampires.

If this failed, I had to think of something else, but I could only think of my oldies—who were long gone by now. There was Fred, but I just couldn’t do that to him.

I was cursing the weakness that made me agree to Tommy being here.

When the last Vissimo finished searching her mind, I met her halfway, steadying her as she wobbled back to where I stood.

“We are specifically interested in the witness’s memories pertaining to the difference of what Miss Le Spyre was able to divulge when first compelled in comparison to the last four days,” the female said.

Gina cut in. “That doesn’t prove there’snocompulsion on her. If there is any compulsion on their behalf, she is not allowed to deal with Sundulus. If they cannot prove she isn’t—”

Gerome cleared his throat. “Clan Sundulus keeps clear records of the compulsion parameters we place upon each human liaison. With my father’s permission, I would like to direct Clan Leith’s attention to page two thousand and fourteen of the document titledHuman Liaisons.”

Original.They should have titled itEnslavement of the Innocent Because Two People Couldn’t Agree.

A towering male next to the woman, who I assumed was the leader or nominated spokesperson, scrambled to find the document.

“Page one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight,” Kyros said quietly.

There was a page detailing the exact limitations Kyros placed on my mind. Yeah, if I lived through today, I was reading that fucker.

I have nothing to hide, he answered me, a slight nip entering his mental voice.

Consider me still weirded out that mental voices existed.