The Vampire Queen's Servant (42 page)

A shrewd mind as she'd said, and
no pushover. She considered him long enough that she saw him question the
wisdom of his conditioned response, but then his jaw firmed and he met her gaze
squarely. She smiled.

"Dr. Morris, I believe in
the quest for knowledge. I believe that in itself is the cure for Ennui. It
only requires the will of the vampire to take advantage of it."

"But all vampires are not
strong enough to do that," he argued.

"Then they have decided it
is their time to die," she said matter-of-factly. "A form of Tara's
Darwinism, I know, but one I believe to be appropriate. I respect that. I don't
fear death, and I don't feel my fellow vampires should either. Faith and
morality must be the foundation for the quest for knowledge, always governing
our actions with regard to it. If we don't disagree too stringently on that,
then no, I don't disagree with the work you've come here to do. You are most
welcome in my Region."

As she let him think that
through, Lyssa took a sip of her wine, tasting the metallic fragrance of
Jacob's blood mixed in with the fruits of the vintage. She typically had
limitless patience for these moments, but she hoped Brian would finish his
deliberations soon.

Since their mental altercation,
she could feel Jacob's restlessness increasing. For most of the evening he'd
remained virtually motionless when behind her chair, determined to live up to
her description of other servants. To a physically active man like him, being
compelled to stand still in an environment like this was probably akin to
torture. But his internal restlessness made her edgy as well. She could feel
the heat of his body. He'd gotten his hair cut, brushed it out so it was like
fine copper silk, the tips grazing the broad shoulders covered with the
midnight blue shirt. Thinking of his strong lean thighs planted and slightly
spread, his arms linked behind his back in a pose of waiting was more than
distracting, especially now that her guests' minds were turning to the same
type of thoughts.. But she was the hostess. She would exercise control.

Even if those black slacks did
mold his ass perfectly. When he'd moved out of the hallway to the kitchen, her
attention had lingered on his waist, the fit of the belt. Reminding her of the
other belt and the mark she'd put on his ass. It had taken several days to heal,
giving her the distinct pleasure of viewing where she'd landed the blow. The
second mark didn't give him the almost instantaneous healing powers of the
third, but the repair was exponentially more rapid than he experienced as a
human. There was no evidence of where she'd struck him in the face as well.
Even the bone in his forearm had knitted quickly, as she'd said it would, such
that he didn't even wear a wrist brace tonight. He was favoring it, but had
used the hand of that arm several times to lift plates without any obvious
discomfort.

"Then I am ready to accept
your mark, gracious lady." Brian inclined his head at last. "Though I
know it is a requirement of being in your Region, and I have a keen desire to
work at Techco, I want you to know I trust you as I do my father. I will be
honored by your mark."

"Well said," she
responded, impressed .despite herself. "Then come to me and prove it
so."

Carefully putting down his
napkin, Brian rose, walked to her and dropped to one knee. With courtly
formality, he raised his chin and turned his head away, exposing his throat to
her.

Lyssa put her hand on his
shoulder, brushing his ear with her fingertips to confirm those blond strands
were in fact almost as soft as a child's. But this was a grown man. She could
feel hunger rising around the table just from watching them. Putting her hand
to his jaw, she held him immobilized, letting him feel her strength as she
leaned forward and gently penetrated his neck with her fangs, tasting him. His
hand gripped her chair arm.

It was perhaps his first time
being marked. It was a significant act of trust from his father, to give her
the right to know his son's whereabouts in perpetuity. She knew Richard and
Tara would be highly cognizant of that honor from the British Region Master.
While Brian might be too young and too immersed in his quest for scientific
discovery to be aware of it, he was apparently digesting some of it from the
gravity of their audience and the surge of sensation accompanying the bite. She
deliberately used the pheromones this time to ease the pain, and to torment the
servant who had openly defied her.

Brian's other hand came to rest
on her knee. She could feel him fighting the impropriety of it, but he was
unable to deny the primal urge at such stimulation. Scientist he might be, but
he was a man and a vampire, and there were certain things difficult for him to
resist on either level. She knew Tara and Richard would expose him to it much
more brutally, amused by his innocence.

Good sense kept his hand where
it was, quivering on her leg as she took what she needed to claim him as hers
while in her Region, an aura others would know and respect.

There was a slow, sensual
pleasure to it, having a man on his knees to her, overwhelming him, feeling his
instinctive struggle with his surrender. It wasn't the battle of wills it was
with Jacob. Even when he surrendered, there was a defiance that fed her lust.
Brian's capitulation was intended, a well-defined ritual.

Knowing she was playing with
fire, something that would easily become a conflagration if she fed it fuel,
she nevertheless opened herself up to the kindling of what was going on in her
servant's mind.

Anger. Control. Discipline. A
white-hot desire to pull Brian away from her and break the fingers touching
her, even as his rational mind told him what she was doing was a planned part
of the dinner, the type of business she regularly conducted. Like finalizing a
contract.

But she's taking her bloody
fucking time signing the dotted line.

She let her amusement flood him.
Caught that, did you? Would you kiss the taste of his blood off my lips, my
obedient servant? He's fair close to exploding in his neatly pressed trousers.
As you well know, I can push him to it with barely a thought. What if I wrapped
my fist on his cock
—

Pray, cease, lady.

And let him dampen my hand?
What if I made you lick his essence off my palm? Prove your loyalty and
obedience?

Command me anything but
that, my lady.

Dark satisfaction swept her. She
looked toward Jacob as she lifted her mouth from Brian's neck, knew his blood
was on her lips as she delicately collected it off her bottom lip with her
tongue. Through some miracle of sheer will, Jacob was keeping his expression
impassive, but she felt as if the focused blue of those clear eyes could burn
her like lasers.

She leaned back from Brian,
supporting his jaw with her hand as his head stayed bowed in his obvious
struggle to master his body and mind's reaction.

"Is it… is it always like
that?" he managed, low. The scientist trying to find answers he could
grasp. Handle.

"No." It was Tara who
spoke, her voice thick. Her eyes met Lyssa's, reflecting her remembrance of
when Lyssa and Rex had marked her. They'd laid her down on this very table,
sweeping away glassware to let the marking ceremony become a far more sensual
experience. She'd climaxed again and again and Rex, unable to resist, had at
last fucked her while Lyssa stood at her head, her hair wrapped in one
restraining hand while she stroked her breasts with the other. As she lightly
scored Tara with her nails, Lyssa channeled the magical heat through all three
of them in a spiraling flow, increasing the intensity. That had been a small
bit of Fey magic, passing easily as a variant on compulsion.

"It's something different with
a vampire as ancient as Lady Lyssa, Dr. Morris. It's an honor to be in her
home, a privilege of the highest order to receive her mark and serve her."
Tara raised her cup. "To what we all aspire to be, but most of us never
will. Your secrets inspire us and comfort us as often as they bring us despair
at our failure to live up to them."

She must be getting far too old
and sentimental if a temporary flash of sincerity could move her. Lyssa kept
her expression impassive, but bowed in Tara's direction instead of nodding,
enough of a physical response to let the woman know she was pleased.

Brian took his hand from her
knee. With a glance for permission, he brushed a kiss on her hand resting on
that same knee, just above where his hand had been. "My thanks, Lady
Lyssa."

"The pleasure is mine. You
are a sweet, welcome addition to my world." She gave him a fond look as he
flushed. "You may return to your chair, Brian."

His hesitation told her they
were indeed dealing with an innocent on such matters. Perhaps because he was a
born vampire and his parents would be in charge of initiating such things, it
had been avoided. Or his research had kept him far removed from where he would
be initiated into this side of vampire life. As the other two recognized the
depth of his inexperience, it sharpened the hunger she felt in the air to a
razor's edge.

"Don't be embarrassed by
your arousal. Indulgence of sensual pleasure is one of the most important parts
of a vampire social occasion. In fact, I suspect even one such as I could not
get attendance to matters of business without it." She let a light,
practiced smile play over her face at Richard's chuckle, but the gesture showed
the tips of her fangs.

"I intend to ensure you are
all well-sated before the evening is over. You were the appetizer to get us
started. Now please take your seat, and take your time getting there. We'll all
enjoy the sight of your cock straining against your trousers, wanting
more."

As she purred the words, letting
the blatant sexual teasing stroke through the air of the room, she felt Jacob's
reaction roll over her. An equally blatant wanting
of her
, part
possession, part need. She wanted to feed on that wanting… wanted to feel it in
her blood.

I'll be more than happy to
show you how much I want you right here, my lady.

"Richard." She leaned
back in her chair. "You spoke of a challenge. I accept. Tell us your
desire."

His eyes glowed with calculated
pleasure. Lifting his wineglass, he rose as Brian took his seat, attempting to
assume the same nonchalant attitude as the other vampires at the table, leaning
back in his chair and making a discreet adjustment. Though Lyssa noted when he
laid his hand on the table his fingers curled tensely around the base of his
own glass, his eyes focused on Richard.