Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,188

gaze, he reached out a hand. At least in this moment, there was nothing between them except her.

Niall proved it, coming to him without hesitation, so that they held Alanna between them. It was as if with the wall of their bodies, they could keep her from harm. Evan put his arms around both of them, while Niall gripped Evan’s side, strong fingers stroking his hip. It was a painful yet precious peace, holding his two servants to him.

Whether you wish to hear it or not, Niall, I feel very much as you do about her. Pressing his head against Niall’s jaw, he put his temple against Alanna’s silken hair. And losing you will tear the heart out of me. The curse of being a vampire is that we absorb the blows we wish would kill us.

His servant’s grip tightened. Niall might actually crack his pelvic bone, but Evan would bear any pain to absorb the emotion behind the gesture.

You need to make sure she stays yours, Evan. You need each other.

Evan lifted his head. The Scot’s tawny gaze was full of things Evan wanted to capture, and not only in a painting. If he could internalize every gesture, emotion and thought, Niall could never leave him. His muse would be part of his mind forever. His soul.

I need you, Niall. I always have.

The Scot looked as if he was going to respond to that, then his attention shifted, as did Alanna’s. In a heartbeat, both servants stepped away and turned toward the entrance of the gazebo, an automatic united front.

It’s Miah and Nerida. But even if they were enemies, the proper response is to step behind me, both of you.

Niall gave him his patented look that said he was wasting his breath. Though Alanna lowered her gaze and stepped into a proper position behind him, Evan wasn’t fooled. Not after what she’d pulled with the Trad. Servants. A blessed pain in his ass.

Niall shifted to his left, not as far behind him as Alanna, but enough to pass for proper etiquette, given that the vampires coming out of the shadows knew what kind of servant he was.

Oh, and Niall? As far as houghmagandie, it’s only Christians who think sex for pleasure is sinful. Jews think it’s just fine.

Aye? Well, ye also think eating a pig is wrong, and bacon is a God-given treasure.

Alanna choked on a snicker, looking mortified with herself, but sharing their conversation had achieved Evan’s desired result. Niall was grinning, and the seriousness of the moment had been eased. He turned his attention to the approaching vampires.

Miah and Nerida were mixed-blood, white and Aborigine. People often thought they were sisters, but the trauma of their making had made them kin, not blood. As he’d warned Alanna, Miah appeared to be an adolescent, Nerida no more than six, but their body language, the mature wisdom in their eyes, reflected their seventy-plus years. However, when needed for deception and survival, both could emulate children flawlessly.

Lord Mason had chosen a good place. Farida Sanctuary was a stimulating and stable environment for them. Nerida was a successful author, published under a pseudonym, and Miah was working on her second Masters in literature. With their shared love of stories, they were the bards of the sanctuary. They regularly offered bedtime stories in the communal pavilion to a rapt crowd. When needed, they made house calls to the cottages, soothing an anxious new arrival to sleep, whether woman or child, with their enchanting tales.

Nerida skipped up the stairs and jumped so Niall caught her in his arms and swung her around. “What’s this?” the Scot demanded. “A kitten with fangs and big brown eyes who can entice a lad to do anything.”

As she hugged him, Evan saw her check her fangs with her tongue, making sure Niall hadn’t remarked on them because they were showing. They weren’t able to retract them like mature vampires, but Lord Brian had taught them how to file them back.

She punched Niall’s shoulder, seeing from his dancing gaze he’d intended to make her self-conscious. “Not you. Head harder than rock.”

“In the Highlands, there are rocks that could knock some sense into me, sure enough. That’s why I left and never went back. A man with too much sense willnae get into trouble with the lasses, and what fun is that?”

Miah gave him and Evan both a hug. “Do you like where we put your paintings? Quite a few of our visiting artists use this space as a