Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,22

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.

It was barely a step to Niall. Her quick look at him through lowered lashes must have conveyed her curiosity, because Evan looked quietly amused. “I wanted to see what kind of armful you are. As you can guess, I have little occasion or desire to scoop Niall up in my arms.”

When he put her down, she was so close to Niall she was leaning against him. The servant put an arm around her waist. With his hips propped on the ladder step, his legs stretched out on either side of her, she found his thigh the best resting place for her hand. Beneath the utilitarian cargo pants, he was hard muscle. On the plane, when he’d retaliated against her strike, he’d controlled her easily with that power, holding her like an egg inside a grip she couldn’t break.

Evan lifted her other hand, his thumb sweeping over her pulse, registering the increase in the beat. She was trained to respond sexually to a vampire’s touch, as long as it was her Master’s will. Yet it had been months since she’d been required to respond. Even after the blocker started working, she was in the monastic solitude of her