Page 54 of Death Game: Supernatural Battle

“Hold on, I never—”

The line cut off, and my phone beeped.

I opened the waving kitten GIF. “Bastard.”

Laurel cleared her throat, and I jumped.

“You forgot I was here.” She quirked a brow.

I spluttered. “No.”

The vampire leaned forward and plucked my phone from my grip. She stared at the kitten GIF and tossed the phone back on my lap.

Explanations died on my tongue. There was no good way to explain a kitten GIF from an alpha vampire prince. In my limited experience of them. I lowered the car screen. “Fred, take me to Lyall Bay, please.” I rattled off the address.

He glanced at me in the rear-view mirror. “Yes, miss.”

“How’s that going?” Laurel asked when I raised the screen again.

That?“What do you mean?” I mumbled.

“Don’t be obtuse. The blood bond with Kyros.”

I glared at her, but she didn’t back down. With what she stood to lose, I couldn’t blame her.

“Balancing is difficult. I will still do right by my grandmother. As promised,” I said carefully. The Vissimo with me were aware I was doing things I shouldn’t be, but they didn’t know everything. Neither did Laurel. Neither did my oldies or any of my teams. Only I knew all the various parts.

She scanned me. Was she judging whether Kyros had rendered me to a pile of goo?

“I’d let you know if that ever changed,” I said as Fred drove us over the crest of the gorge. Bluff City glittered below.

“Willit change?”

Would I spit on my grandmother’s memory, her friends, and people like Rhys and Sandra? “It will not.”

Laurel blinked, and I was finally released from her attention.

“Anything good happen at the club after I left?” I asked in the lull after.

Her brows shot up. “Music and alcohol mixed with a race inclined to have as much sex as they can? No. Nothing.”

I laughed and settled in as she rehashed the night. Vampires were worse than horny teenagers. Except they actually wanted babies out of the union and couldn’t get STDs.

Laurel trailed off as we drew closer to Kyros’s place. I took a steadying breath. Why did coming back here feel so normal? The tower and lair never felt that way, but this house did. I was happy to be here. What I felt was above and beyond the usual relief to be within touching distance of Kyros.

Fred stopped in front of the house. Kyros was waiting outside.

My heart thumped at the sight of him standing there waiting for me.

“Laters,” I said to Laurel.

“See you later, Miss Le Spyre,” she said.

I pulled a face, and her lips twitched.

Play it cool, Basi.

Fred was watching. And Laurel.

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