The Reluctant Vampire Page 0,28

as they were intelligence."

Harper chuckled at her snide words, and she smiled.

"I wasn't a gladiator long. It just wasn't very challenging. The mortal gladiators were slower, weaker, and easy for me to defeat. It felt like chea ng. I did try to avoid 'to the death' fights. That would have just been, well, like slaughtering sheep," she said with distaste.

Harper nodded with understanding, and then they both fell silent and sat back as their waiter returned with the bo le of wine Harper had ordered. The man opened and poured a small amount in Harper's glass for him to try, and when he nodded approval, quickly filled both glasses. He assured them their meal would follow directly, and then slipped away.

"So bea ng up mortal gladiators was no fun, and you gave it up to become . . ." He arched an eyebrow.

"A concubine, was it?"

Drina chuckled at his expression. "Well, not just like that. Some me passed." She paused to take a sip of wine, smiled as the smooth flavor filled her mouth, and then swallowed, and said, "In retrospect, I think the concubine gig was my rebellious stage. I did behave and live with my family, playing the du ful daughter for a while before that. But it was very hard. A er having tasted the freedom of living and ruling my own life, to suddenly be reduced to a dependent child was very frustra ng." She blew out an irritated breath at the memory.

"Ah," Harper nodded with understanding. "Yes, I suppose it would be."

"Perhaps, had I started out living in that sort of society and hadn't tasted freedom, I would have handled it be er," Drina said though ully. "But I wasn't, so I didn't take well to being ruled by a man. At least not with Stephano doing the bossing."

"Your father?" Harper asked.

"No, my eldest brother. He was named a er our father. Our parents died when the Romans first invaded, and Stephano then became the "head of the family." She grimaced. "He and I are like oil and water. Or we were. We get along well enough now, though." She grinned. "But boy did he pitch a fit over the concubine thing. He even called in Uncle Lucian to deal with me."

Harper's eyebrows rose. "I'm surprised Lucian bothered to intervene."

"Well, it wasn't just the concubine thing. I was a couple of centuries old by then, and I suppose my being a concubine wouldn't have bothered him if I hadn't stepped over the line." She hesitated, and then sighed and said, "As you probably have experienced, mortals become boring as lovers and partners a er a while."

He nodded solemnly. "Easily read and controlled, it's hard not to give in to the temptation to do so."

"Yes, well . . ." Drina grimaced. "I'm afraid while I was seen as a concubine, I was really playing puppet master with my lover and kind of ruling the country through him. At least un l Uncle Lucian caught wind of it and came to give me hell."

Harper started to laugh, and then asked, "Who was he?"

Drina shook her head at once. It was just too embarrassing to admit. She'd nearly caused a civil uprising with her messing about, which was why her uncle had intervened. "Perhaps I'll tell you one day, but not tonight."

"Hmm, I'll hold you to that," Harper assured her.

Drina shrugged.

"So, next was duchess, I believe?" he asked.

"Yes, that was some me later. I was suitably chastened a er the concubine business. Enough to behave for a while again. We moved to Spain in that me, and the Spanish were as bad as the Romans when it came to women's place in society. But eventually I grew weary of Stephano bossing me about again. And then I met a very handsome and charming duke, who quite swept me off my feet."

"You've had a life mate?" Harper asked with surprise.

Drina shook her head. "No. But unlike most people, his thoughts were as lovely and charming as his words. He was an honest man."

"A rarity," Harper murmured solemnly.

"Yes. I quite liked him, and he truly loved me and asked me to marry him, and I agreed, promising myself I wouldn't control him or do anything like I had with . . . er . . . when I was a concubine."

"And did you?" he asked curiously.

Drina delayed answering by taking another sip of wine, but when a knowing smile began to tug at his lips, she gave up trying to