Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,26

ma’am?”

“Very well.” She stood up, rocking on her feet. She’d never worn such a shoe. Though heavy and clunky, it would obviously be useful for moving through heavy forest terrain.

“Add in some Band-Aids. The lass will have blisters, those first couple hikes.”

As Henry moved back toward his register, Niall pointed to a shelf stuffed full of books. “There’s a few left at the cabin, but ye might pick up a few of those as well. Nae always much to do ’til Evan’s up.”

“Does he like having books read to him?”

“He’s never asked me to do it, and he taught me to read far better than I kenned at the time. But I was thinking about your own leisure time.”

Alanna dismissed that idea, but she did check out the shelves. She found one on area plants, an old one about painting landscapes, and another about Scots history. When she brought them to the counter and placed them next to Niall’s purchases, he grunted. “Those dinnae look like pleasure reading.”

“These will expand my knowledge of the area and Evan’s paintings.”

He glanced at the book of Scots history. “At least that one’s a work of romantic fiction.”

Alanna had kept the shoes on, wanting to get used to their feel. Now she rocked back and forth on her toes and the balls of her feet again. Niall gave her an amused look, gaze sweeping over the contrast of the bulky shoes with the feminine sweater and snug skirt. Taking the supple brown dress boots from her, he had Henry pack those in the empty box for the hiking shoes. He’d also had her choose several pairs of cargo pants like his, shorts and some long-sleeved T-shirts. When she’d balked at the expense to her Master, he’d overruled her, sensibly pointing out that her few casual clothes were suited for in-house chores, not trekking up rocky mountainsides with swarms of bugs and jutting branches that could tear thin, loose clothing. After another glance at her pale skin, Niall also added in sunblock.

Henry made an approving noise. “You’ll think you don’t need it, miss, because of how cool it’ll get at night, but the sun still shines hot on some days.”

He handed her a Hershey bar from a big glass jar kept in front of a fan to keep it cool in the non-air-conditioned building. There was a big woodstove in the center suggesting he heated up the store as needed during the snowy months. “Don’t fret,” he added. “If Niall did kidnap you, I expect a whole troop of male relatives will be coming to string him up in no time. In the meantime, you need help, just let me know. He’s no worse than wrestling a bear barehanded, and I’ve done that plenty of times.”

Niall scoffed. “Aye. Yet mention his wife and he turns pale and runs like a long-eared coineanach.”

“Shows I’m a man with good sense.” Henry laughed. “Rather than a thickheaded Scot. You all have a good day, now.”

Niall took up their bags, Alanna managing to snag one to help. Outside the store, she noticed a row of carved bears like the ones next to the bookcase. “Does Henry make those?”

“Aye, he’s a chain saw carver. Loves it. I’ll run ye out to his place if we’ve enough time here. Eagles, life-sized elk, even dragons and people. Better than a museum. So, do you have male relatives?”

She’d like to see all those carvings, but wondered if she should assure him there was no need to take her places, entertain her. Instead, she answered his question. “I had siblings and biological parents, but when you enter into the InhServ program, they cease to exist. So I have no family. However, I expect they’re still living.”

“Biological parents?” Niall looked puzzled.

“Yes.” She was patient, knowing most servants knew little about InhServs. “I was not permitted to call my parents familiar names, like Mother or Father, or even John and Stella. They were sir or ma’am, Mistress or Master.”

Anticipating him, she reached the Rover first, opened her own door. “You don’t have to wait on me, Niall. I’m here to serve, not to be taken care of. It’s going to be dinnertime soon. Does Evan like to join us, or do we prepare food just for us?” While vampires couldn’t eat food in the same quantities as servants, most liked to sample for taste and texture, and she assumed Evan would be the same.

Niall shrugged. “I always make a little extra, but ye already saw it.