Can you manage it?”
She didn’t lie about things that could inconvenience her Master, but she would have preferred to cut out her tongue rather than say it. “No, sir. But I can wait here until you return.”
“No. You’re only carrying the one mark right now. I won’t be able to hear you if there’s a problem.”
“You were going to take care of the second mark when you got up,” Niall reminded him. “You just pissed away your time as usual.”
“I didn’t forget,” Evan said, unconcerned. “Timing is important. I’d rather not treat her second mark like one of your beef jerky breaks.”
“Artists.” Niall rolled his eyes at Alanna. “Everything is a bloody production.”
“Whereas a practical Scot calls the Mona Lisa a homely lass with a dodgy smile.”
“I’m not wrong about that. I can carry her, if you can carry the gear. Or vice versa.”
Alanna was starting to digest the astounding fact that this was normal conversation between them. “That’s not necessary,” she interjected hastily. “Since you’ve given me the first mark, sir, I can sense where you are, if you’ll open your mind to allow that. I can follow and catch up to you both.”
“She weighs no more than a brace of quail,” Niall pointed out. He shot her a grin and spoke in broad Scots. “Guid things come in sma bulk.”
Evan shrugged. “Very well.” Taking the second pack from Niall, he shook his head at her. “It’s no inconvenience for him, Alanna. He’s very suited to being a beast of burden. I’m fairly certain he was an ox in a previous life.”
“I probably ended up jamming one of my horns up some vampire’s arse, too,” Niall replied. He dropped to a knee. “Jump on, muirnín. If you wrap your arms and legs around me, I’ll be able to ‘experience the journey’ all the better.”
Evan had shouldered the gear, was already proceeding up the trail. They’d completely ignored her opinion in the matter. She should be used to that, but it rankled all the same, given the circumstances. Regardless, she obeyed, bending to put her arms around Niall’s shoulders. As he rose to his feet, he gave her a hitch to secure her legs, crossing them over his abdomen and clasping her ankles. He also adjusted her arms so instead of pressing against his windpipe, her forearms crossed his sternum, her cheek pressed against the side of his head, his hair teasing her face.
“I willnae rattle your teeth, but let me know if ye get uncomfortable.”
She was as likely to do that as she was to saw off one of her fingers, but she merely nodded against his jaw. She felt the pull of a smile and then he was moving, his legs eating up the ground in a steady trot she never could have matched. Even as a third mark, she would have had to run to keep up. As the grade became steeper, his speed increased accordingly, the Scot not winded by the pace or terrain.
When they were cutting her loose from the vines, she’d resisted the desire to lean into Evan’s body. She didn’t have to resist this time. For one thing, Niall was a servant, but for another, the position required her to hold on tight, which pressed her breasts into his broad back, her inner thighs spread to accommodate his hips, her calves over his groin. His pace provided a stimulating friction that had her fantasizing about him putting her down on the forest floor, using those vines to secure her. The thorns would be a delicious prick of pain as he spread her for his Master, her thighs pushed down farther by their bodies as they each took their turn, lying upon her, naked, hard and wanting, her pussy wet and ready to serve them.
There had been times Stephen took her while feeding. Though it had been merely a functional release for him, she always responded with excitement and pleasure, even if her mind sometimes escaped, going to a place where he responded to her emotionally during the sex, in a way he never truly did. He didn’t mind her fantasizing in such a way, as long as the fantasy was about him and achieved the desired result.
She didn’t need the fantasy to be aroused now. The need for touch, connection, was sharp as a vampire’s fang. As she held on to Niall, she had to bite down on a moan as the impact of his swift pace and the rocky terrain created a