Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,214

did. Even paler than he should be. Glancing toward Niall, she saw the deep shadows beneath his eyes, the grooves alongside them. How much, or, rather, how little, had they slept? Fed properly?

“Niall, go with him,” she rasped. “Feed him and yourself. Take your rest.”

When Niall met Evan’s gaze, she saw a raw yearning in their gazes that stole her breath. They hadn’t . . . “Niall, who . . .” She coughed, and the pain of it pulled a tiny, screeching noise from her throat, drawing their attention instantly. Brian had quietly departed a few moments after Jacob, but Debra had remained. Now she came forward to hold Alanna’s shoulders as Niall put a large hand on her chest, giving her a needed pressure there as she strangled through the simple exercise of talking.

“Stop it, muirnín. Rest your voice for Council.”

But she knew what that look meant. At least she thought she did. She looked up at Debra, seeking help, and fortunately, Debra understood.

“Niall hasn’t been feeding Evan. They were switching shifts so that one of them was always here with you. Lady Lyssa ordered one of the new unassigned InhServs to give him blood.”

Niall shot her a quelling look, but Debra gave him an even stare right back. Her fingers flexed on Alanna’s shoulders as she bent to speak in her ear. “There was a concern that the stress of giving blood to his Master, and tending to you . . .”

That it would hasten the inevitable. If Evan had lost Niall during this . . .

“Lady Lyssa kens more than she lets on. That damn servant o’ hers is everywhere,” Niall grumbled.

Her gaze lifted back to her Master. She was sure he’d heard Debra, because his expression of reprobation was similar to Niall’s, but now she understood. Tending to her had worn them both down, but on top of that, Evan had known the high likelihood of Niall being overcome during this. She expected he’d tried to order Niall to step back from it, but they were too tightly intertwined now . . . all three of them. The worn edge of his comment about their stubbornness made even more sense. When he’d tried to order Niall away from this, the Scot had likely told him to go to hell, bugger off . . . whatever Scotsmen used for such an occasion.

She could talk if she whispered. “Feed him, Niall.”

If one of them had always been with her, it was likely no other needs had been met as well. She blocked the idea of what Evan might have done with the InhServ, because she had no right to want anything with respect to that, but Niall already anticipated her, catering to her petty foolishness.

“He only used her for blood, muirnín.”

She swallowed, trying not to shame herself by showing how much that meant to her, but Evan’s look of tender exasperation told her it hadn’t escaped his notice.

“Our possessive servant,” he observed. “No matter how docile she tries to appear.”

Our servant. How she wished that could be true, now and forever. “Debra is here. She will care for me. Please, Niall . . . care for him.” Care for yourself. Care for each other.

“I expect I have no vote in this,” Evan said lightly, but he seemed to understand how much effort she was expending toward this one thing, because he pressed her hand, nodded to Niall. “I understand your heart and can tend to myself. Be easy on that, man. Stay with her if you need that.”

Niall’s head lifted, and he met Alanna’s gaze. Since they weren’t in her mind—she felt that terrible pain again—she put all of it in her expression, everything she’d ever tried to communicate to him about why being a servant was a blood-deep commitment, beyond an oath of honor. It was a bond of unconditional love, a gritty, ugly, wondrous thing.

Debra had become her ally. “She won’t be left alone, Niall. I promise. She needs a bath, a full cleaning. She’d likely prefer that done by another woman. Tend to your Master.”

There were so many things in his eyes, torn between past and present, she couldn’t help but put her hand to his face, stroke there. I’m here. I love you.

The first time in her life she’d thought it, let alone said it. Her lips had formed the words, though no sound came out. His brown eyes closed, his head bowing. With the strength and aid of Debra’s hands, she put her