Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,225

to that seventy-two-hour mark. Whatever Fate decides, you’ll ease our minds, and it will give ye the strength tae serve one or both of us. Ye mind me?”

Her eyes closed tight, her hand clutched on his. “Yes, Master.”

The Scot needed out of here, needed room to breathe. Evan could see it. Letting him walk out without giving his answer was as hard for him as he was sure it was for Alanna. But the vampire understood how it must be.

I’ll watch over her, Niall.

Niall acknowledged the thought with a slight nod, then rose, holding on to her hand. “Remember ye only have the one job ’til you’re marked. Keep your arse in this bed and save your strength.”

She tilted her head, a wicked spark in her brown eyes. “You can’t order me around if you’re not a vampire.”

“That order came direct from Lady Lyssa,” he reminded her. But he brought her hand down to his belt, made her close slim fingers on it. Though he was as likely to use it on her in her current state as he would on a newborn, his severe look almost made Evan believe otherwise. Yes, the Scot would do just fine as a vampire. If he agreed to it.

“I can order you whether I’m human, servant or vampire, lass. If you think I willnae turn your skinny body over my knee and whale on ye until you mind, think again.” But he caressed her face. “Care for yourself, muirnín. You nearly killed us with worry.”

Her gaze sobered. Dipping her head, she put her lips to his knuckles. “I will. I promise.”

Niall stroked her sensitive scalp, but raised an eyebrow at Evan. “Either she’s promising to worry us to death or obey, I’m nae certain which.”

With a wink and a smile, he stepped back. But when he turned and strode for the door, they saw the tension return to his shoulders. It was clear the smile had only been to soothe her.

“You’re in his mind, Master,” Alanna murmured. “What do you think he will choose?”

Evan shook his head. “Some decisions can’t be predicted, even if you’re in a man’s mind.”

“Will you go to him?”

“No. But if he desires to come to me, I will be available. It’s his decision, Alanna. I must honor him enough to give him the room to make it.”

“Men put such store by honor.” She shook her head, frustration obvious on her features. “Women value love. Does he know how you feel?”

Evan cocked a brow at her. “A fairly insolent question for a servant to ask.”

She pressed her lips together. “It may help him make his decision, Master.”

“He knows how I feel. It is how he feels that is the question.”

The exertion of the conversation sent Alanna back to sleep soon after that. At Evan’s request, Debra left a trusted member of the estate staff at her bedside. He was only going as far as the gardens right outside her window, could even see her, but he wanted to know immediately if she experienced any distress. He wouldn’t have left her at all except he needed some air himself, a chance to evaluate the events of the day, as well as how it might end. The past three weeks had depleted him and Niall both, on many levels, and some wretchedly insecure part of him wondered if he should have waited to tell Niall when he was more rested, more optimistic.

When he could manipulate the decision. He and Alanna both had that quality, the inability to lie to themselves. She’d been trained to evaluate herself ruthlessly to prohibit any mental dissembling. He’d learned from the need to survive. A vampire “runt”—Niall’s pseudo-affectionate term—who lied to himself didn’t last long.

As he stood out there, studying the flowers, the dark sky and pattern of stars across it, he kept his mind intentionally blank, letting it fuel from the silence, the realization there was nothing to do now but wait and see how things unfolded.

Tracking the movement of a moth, he centered his mind, watching everything slow down. He followed the insect’s passage across a solar light, the way a petal quivered as she landed on it, then took off again. Closing his eyes, he saw Alanna at the cabin. Then at the art colony . . . then in Stephen’s hands.

Niall had leaped into that fight like an enraged grizzly. He’d be a formidable vampire in truth. However, should he decide in favor of that, Evan didn’t intend the Scot to feel