The tray at the far end of the table had caught his attention. As he shifted to stand before it, he fell silent, studying what was coming into form there. He braced his knuckles on the table and picked up another set of tongs, swishing the paper in the bath. When Alanna looked toward Niall, hoping for some cue, Niall put a finger to his lips, indicating she should wait. She could do that. She was exceptionally good at waiting.
“I’m charged to keep you on the outer fringes of Stephen’s radar, while the Council hunts that benzona.” Evan at last spoke, setting aside the tongs, though he kept his gaze on the picture. “While you are to behave as my servant, it’s a temporary situation. The place for your beauty and talents is not among the peasantry, but available to vampires far more ambitious than I. My job is to keep you safe until that happens.”
She was caught up in determining what a benzona was—from the slight edge in his voice, something not complimentary—and the flow of his voice. It reminded her of a classical guitar piece, the melody interspersed with deeper bass tones. However, his last sentence broke her out of the dangerous reverie. Surely he realized once Stephen was caught, he would be executed, and she would die with him? Lord Brian’s blocker didn’t change that. However, since her personal fate did not require mention, she remained silent.
“So here it is. I don’t require much. Help Niall with the tasks he performs for me, and let us know if you notice anything that indicates Stephen’s presence.” Evan turned, his piercing eyes suddenly upon her. “I do understand certain things about Inherited Servants, Alanna. As you regain your strength, your need to be of ultimate service will grow. Even if you think it will hasten Stephen’s capture to forgo it, you will take the blocking serum Lord Brian gave you. If you put yourself at that kind of risk, you are disobeying me, and I will not be pleasant about it.”
She nodded. “Yes, Mas— sir. Evan.” Damn it. A simple thing like a name shouldn’t be giving her this much trouble.
“If you have any questions, you can ask Niall or me, if I’m available to answer,” he continued. “They told you that I’ll be giving you the first and second marks?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Brian was certain they wouldn’t cause you ill effects, but we’ll do the first mark now, and the second one later tonight. I want some spacing to be sure it doesn’t upset your system.”
“I’m sure I can handle them both right now, sir, if it’s more convenient for you. I am quite recovered.”
“Well, just to be sure, we’re doing it my way.” Picking up a cloth, he wiped his hands on it, took a sniff at the results. “Oh, that’s terrible. Hold on.” Going to the sink, he washed them more thoroughly, using the soap there. Noticing the paper towels were at the end of the counter, she picked them up, brought them to Evan such that they were handy when he finished washing his hands. The soap had a fragrant citrus scent.
The vampire gave her a sweeping glance that held her in place and spread warmth over her skin. As he bent his head to pull a few towels off the roll, the straight strands of hair over his forehead caught her attention, the way the ends teased his slim black brows. “Thank you.”
A thank-you from a vampire? No vampire thanked a human. It didn’t matter what rank they possessed. Then she realized she’d committed a grave faux pas herself. She’d done something for Evan before looking for verbal cues from Niall, his fully marked servant.
Glancing quickly toward him, she was relieved to find the Scot unperturbed. However, there was a different quality to his regard. On the plane he’d been genial, attentive, but now she was aware of how alone she was with the two males.
It was a ridiculous thought, given that a vampire could do anything he wished to her, whether in the presence of his servant or the entire vampire populace. Her nervousness wasn’t fear, not exactly. She didn’t know how to classify the unfamiliar emotions coursing through her as Evan took the towel roll from her hands. The cellar seemed smaller, a dark, intimate den within the earth, far away from anything else.
The vampire surprised her by bending and sliding one arm behind her legs, the other around her back to lift her in his arms. Her arm landed on his neck, her hand on his shoulder. Though all vampires were stronger than humans, something about the angularity of his frame made the ease with which he lifted her unexpected.