Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,145

you, ma’am. I hope I’ll be a credit to my Master, and an asset to the celebration.”

“I expect you never accept anything less than that from yourself, Alanna.”

Another squeeze and direct look—Marguerite really did remind her of Lady Lyssa, minus the sense that she could rip her throat out—and the woman was gone, following the trail of female laughter . . . giggles, even. Women bonding over a rite as old as time itself. It gave her an unexpected wistful twinge.

When she lifted her gaze, she saw Marguerite hadn’t gone after all, merely stopped in the doorway. “If your Master doesn’t require your attendance, Alanna, why don’t you join us? She’s been chirping like a nervous bird since seven this morning, and you can listen to her, keep her centered, while we’re getting her ready.”

Marguerite’s voice was full of affection for the young bride, but Alanna wondered what had motivated the invitation. She paused. Master?

When she sent a quick thought to relay the request, she received a wave of warm humor from Evan. Consider yourself at Marguerite’s disposal until she sends you back to me. Niall said he would appreciate any flashes of mostly naked bridesmaids, but I will try to curb his barbaric behavior. You can send those images to me, though.

She pressed her lips against a smile. I will do no such thing for either of you, Master, and you know it. That would be entirely dishonorable.

I didn’t think a servant’s job was to protect her Master’s moral character.

Perhaps she’s simply trying to make sure he has one.

She was teasing him. Her daring made her wonder at herself, but then she heard his laughter, the echo of Niall’s snort behind it.

I’ll deal with your disobedience later. Marguerite is waiting for your response.

In the vampire world, she was used to others waiting for a mental conference with her Master. At the reminder that this was not that world, she snapped out of it quickly. “My Master says that’s—I mean, I’m sure my Master is fine with that. He holds you in high esteem, ma’am.”

Marguerite arched a brow, cocked an ear toward the hallway. “You better follow me, then. They sound like a flock of disturbed pigeons. We’ve probably experienced another unthinkable horror, like a missing earring, or a run in Chloe’s stockings. They don’t realize we were lucky just to get her to wear shoes today . . . ”

For the next thirty minutes, she held Chloe’s hand, blotting the occasional tears carefully with a handkerchief so Gen wouldn’t murder her best friend for destroying her makeup work. She was told countless times how Brendan was the most wonderful man ever created.

She was barely older than Chloe, yet the girl acted as if Alanna was much older, and she expected in many ways she was. Still, she hoped Chloe wouldn’t ask a question about the nature of human marriage she couldn’t answer. Fortunately, there were others present who could help with that if she did.

Chloe’s mother and sister helped with the dress, snapped pictures, cried as well. When Chloe at last asked them to go check on some other wedding preparations, she leaned forward to speak to Alanna in a conspiratorial voice. “Okay, now it’s just those of us who are going to be at tomorrow night’s thing. We can’t talk about that in front of my mom. I mean, who could?”

When Alanna was ten, her mother told her why she must keep herself pure and untouched. At thirteen, there’d been a detailed discussion of what would be required of her sexually as a vampire’s servant. Being shared with other vampires and their servants, men or women, whatever her Master commanded. If she failed in maintaining the sanctity of her flesh for the InhServ training, the whole family would be dishonored and suffer.

She’d hungered and imagined what that training would be like, blowing it up in her mind the way only a hormonal teenager could. It had in fact been very physical, but that was all. There’d been no bond with the trainers or other servants with whom she learned foreplay, sexual positions and other practices she wouldn’t actually do until her virginity was taken by her assigned Master.

On the day of their departure for the InhServ program, her mother had sent Alanna into the plush interior of the limo with a brief straightening of her collar, a brush at her hair, and the firm admonishment to make them proud. Then she’d hung onto Adam and cried.

You were promised