Taken by a Vampire (Vampire Queen) - By Joey W. Hill Page 0,28

to touch in ways far more intimate. Evan hadn’t indicated whether he would enjoy performances by his two servants, the way it happened at vampire gatherings, but a servant must always be prepared. The idea made her feel unusually flustered. Perhaps it was the different surroundings, the situation. Plus, Niall’s regard could be . . . intense.

She made herself ignore it, creating a centerpiece with the silver plate and the stubby votives. When Niall went back to the stew, she slipped out the cabin door to hunt up some of the wildflowers she’d seen there. Retrieving a short blade from her pants pocket, since she’d changed into the clothes Niall said would be most suitable for hiking tonight, she flicked it open, cut the stems cleanly. She brought them in and arranged them in a couple of water glasses among the votives. It made an appropriate and attractive centerpiece for their mountain surroundings.

Finding matches, she lit the candles. As she did, Niall came to retrieve the cups. He moved back so she could pass between him and the table to reach the votives on the other side, but when she did, he put his hands lightly on her hips. She tensed, not sure of his intent, but it was a simple caress as he moved past.

The heat of his hands went right through her clothes. It made her think of that impending second mark, and how aroused the two men had been earlier in the evening. Her mind and body were anticipating, which she expected, but the butterflies were a surprise. Not unpleasant, but somewhat disconcerting.

Niall poured two cups of water, a glass of wine for her. “When I started out with him, I wasnae sure what he wanted, either. Beyond the obvious: blood and sex.”

It was as if he’d read her mind, but she took it in stride. “Blood and sex are primitive, essential needs,” she agreed, “but they’re the least important and easiest things we give to our Master. Vampires desire much more than that. A sense of the servant’s soul, resting fully in their hand, to do with as they will. The servant’s complete submission to that idea. Their unconditional devotion to the vampire’s care. That is what they seek.”

Niall raised a brow. “All that, then? Not every vampire is alike.”

“Not in the ways they approach it, perhaps. But that desire is what makes them vampire, and what draws us to them as servants. Weren’t you drawn to your Master?”

“It wasnae really like that for us. It was necessity. A debt owed.” He brought the wine and water to the table. While she’d been working on the wildflowers, she saw he’d made an attempt at the origami. As she lifted the mangled napkin, he snorted. “I’ve better luck with engines.”

“It’s like any new skill. Once you figure out the way of it, practice, it becomes easy. Or easier,” she amended, examining the results of his efforts. “If you sit down, I can show you how to do it again and guide your hands. It’s easier to learn that way.”

When he complied, she leaned over him with a new paper napkin, pressing close to guide his hands. However, his shoulders were too broad and arms too long for her to capably guide him. So she came around to his front, perched on his knee with a very practical air that made him smile, especially when she guided his arms around her and then aligned her own on the outside of them. “It starts with a skinny rectangle, then it’s just all about shapes and creases. And freeing the wings.”

Niall was sure she was right, that it was easy, but it was difficult to pay close attention with her sitting on his thigh. She’d already made it clear that everything she did was at Evan’s behest. However, her comfort with being so physically intimate with another servant—and so detached about it—was distracting. Especially when combined with how responsive she was to sexual stimulation. Whether a trained reaction or not, she became aroused at his and Evan’s touches as if she was meant to be theirs. It made him feel like a bear with a honeycomb held just out of reach.

However, even if he pushed that tree over to get the honey, she wasn’t his or anybody else’s to use, no matter that she seemed to think she was. Her attitude toward her family still had him reeling.

“Was it hard for your mother and father, to treat their wee bairn