Page 90 of Death Game: Supernatural Battle

I imagined gripping a stick and pulled again. The doors crashed against the walls either side.

“Oops,” I said as Tommy gasped.

I’ll work on that.

Clinging to the watery-mud sensation, I walked through the house beside a very quiet Tommy. As soon as we reached the office, she shut the door and ran for the noise-cancelling button.

She turned to me. “Holy fuck. You’re a vampire.”

I held my hands apart and wriggled the fingers of one. “Human.” Then I wriggled the fingers of my other hand before slicing through the middle.

“You’re somewhere between?” she said, circling me. “Faster and stronger. Anything else?”

I didn’t know how to tell her about the changes after the last thrall, so she had no idea my senses were better now, unless Kyros said something. Thinking of Dumbo, I touched my ears. Then thinking about when I’d next get to the spa for a facial, I touched my eyes, nose, mouth, and skin in turn. “Senses.”

“Is this normal?” Tommy asked in a strangled voice.

I dipped my head.

Her breath came fast. Giving her a moment, I walked to the desk at a hopefully normal pace and picked up each of the objects in turn, trying to find the right level for my strength.

Kyros would have some tips.

At the thought of him, my stomach swooped, and fierce longing swept through me. Lust was there, butthiswasn’t the same.

Where was he right now? What was he doing? A quick check told me he was asleep. I wanted to be next to him, hugging his back, breathing him in.

Which wasn’t good.At all.

What was I thinking? I should have spent the thrall with his sisters.

Shaking my head, I faced Tommy.

“You’ll be better able to protect yourself,” she whispered, and her face firmed. “Good.”

My confusion over her presence here was strong enough to edge between my longing and despair. “Tom, I love that you’re here again. And Kyros told me what he showed you. It’s just… I need you to explain what’s going on in your head because I never expected to see you again after our last conversation.”

I perched on the desk as she sprawled on the chaise.

“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath as she rolled onto her back. “Here’s the list. I loved Theodore—or the person I thought he was. I’ve never let myself feel that much for a person. Then once I had, he was gone and you were here. I couldn’t blame him, and I couldn’t accept he was a Vissimo or that he’d lied. My mind went into overload. I could see that you were having trouble telling me what you needed to, but I couldn’t listen to the words coming out of your mouth. I didn’t even blame you. I blamed Kyros. Through you, he’d killed Theodore.”

She swung up to sitting. “Kyros found me and showed me the video. He made me watch it three times. After that, I chose to watch it a fourth time so the truth sank in.” Tommy dropped her head into her hands. “Basi, how canyouforgivemeafter that? Kyros told me that you walked right into the hands of the triplets, making sure he couldn’t follow you. They placed a bomb around your neck. Fuck, you must have been terrified out of your mind.”

Lifting her head, she looked at me. “You did that to save my life. Then you came back to tell me my boyfriend was a psychopath so I could move on. And I slapped you around the face for it.”

“I deserved it, Tom,” I told her. “I failed to protect you when I brought you into this mess. You were depending on me, and I should have insisted on meeting Theodore. Looking back, it was so obvious. It’s just that he was in your life before I knew about any of this. Which is zero excuse, really.”

Her face slackened. “That’s ridiculous. That’s… no.”

Yes.

“How are you doing?” I asked softly. “He still broke your heart. You nearly died from whatever he gave you.”

Tommy peered up at the ceiling, blinking several times. “I’ve wondered whether it’s better or worse that Theodore wasn’t who or what I thought. He’d be dead now, but at least I’d be able to mourn the love we shared. I feel like because the person I loved was a lie, my grief is a lie too. Like I have no right to feel the way I do.”

I crossed at human pace to join her on the chaise, very carefully wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Can’t you grieve the lies though? Even if you find it hard to mourn the man you loved?”

She wiped her face, sniffing hard. “I’m not sure how I have tears left. I wish they’d stop. I’m so angry at him.”

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