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Plus, he couldn't deny those last two statements had called to mind one very troublesome yet undeniably Dominant Fae Lord. The desires of a Dominant lover can do that. Even if you don't call him Master.
His Order didn't approve uninhibited laughter, or joy except in the service of God, which was supposed to be sufficient. It truly always had been for him, until recently. A few hundred years was a good track record for self-discipline, but the problem was he couldn't relax that now. Not when he needed it now more than ever.
"I will dismiss you, Mariela, but only because I seek an audience with Lady Lyssa. At dawn, I expect to have your company in my bed, as we discussed." He rose, drawing her to her feet before him, and lifted her fingers to his mouth, pressing his lips there. "You are my servant tonight, Mariela, but your honesty tells me you will also ever be a worthy friend and ally. I thank you for that, and things too numerous to count."
Another little sob escaped her, and he folded her into his arms once more, giving her an admonishing squeeze. "None of that now," he said. "You will break my heart."
"I know. I'm sorry. But I will miss having you in my heart and mind, my lord. I will miss you greatly. You always made me feel...safe."
"You will always be safe." Her reaction sent a ripple of bloodlust through him, the weapon a vampire could call to hand so quickly when violence was needed. "You may not be my servant after today, but your wellbeing will always be mine to guard. While I'm away, if you have cause, go to Lady Lyssa. Do not hesitate, because I know you will not bother her for something minor. If you are harmed because of your unwillingness to protect yourself with the resources at your disposal, I will not be pleased."
"Yes, my lord." Her arms were around his back and waist, strong and sure. She would be all right. He knew she would be. She'd always been capable and independent. The perfect servant.
* * *
Uthe stepped into the Council meeting chambers. In Berlin, it had been an intimidating place, even without the world's most powerful vampires seated in it. The dark stone and torch lighting conveyed menace, as if the room had been a torture chamber before it had been converted to meeting space. Since the Berlin headquarters was an ancient castle, it wasn't entirely impossible.
The Council room at the Savannah estate had a high ceiling crisscrossed by decorative timbers. The timbers were wrapped up in night blooming jasmine vines that received sun from a circular sky light. When they met here at night, the skylight gave them a view of the moon and stars. One of Lyssa's many fountains gurgled in the corner, several koi swimming lazily amid the rocks. The tapestries on the wall, depictions of battles and histories of the vampire race, had come from Berlin, but here they seemed more heroic and praiseworthy, less sinister and monstrous.
Lyssa preferred torchlight in the wall sconces, the only similarity between the two chambers, though there was electricity if needed. Tonight, firelight flickered off the tapestries, making the images on them seem to move in small ways. It was as if the events depicted were happening somewhere else still, in another dimension, and he was looking at them through a window.
This chamber and the whole of the Savannah estate reflected the message of Lyssa's leadership. Respect and obedience to her rule, and that of the Council, weren't the result of trappings or surroundings. It was the fairness of the decisions they made, and the power they had to enforce them consistently. The strength and authority to rule a species as volatile as vampires rested inside the mettle of the Council members themselves.
In Berlin, the Council table and chairs had been placed on an elevated platform, so any petitioners were looking up at the Council when they came before them. Here the solid dark wood chairs, cushioned in rich gold velvet and carved with decorative engravings, were arrayed around a matching crescent-shaped table positioned on one level floor. At five feet, Lyssa was not a tall woman, but she had no need of height. One look into her jade green eyes, and any vampire with a scrap of sanity would recognize the ancient power there.
He'd seen her call it forth, when she wrested control of the Council from Belizar in one astonishingly brief fight. She could have staked him, but she was as much diplomat as warrior. She'd known Belizar almost as long as Uthe had, and understood the same thing Uthe did about the former Council head. Power and blood drove Belizar as it drove most vampires, but it wasn't true evil or maliciousness, like that which had infested Alanna's Master, Lord Stephen. Plus, Belizar had a keen intelligence and a brutal directness to him that were assets to the Council, as long as they weren't at the rudder. He was better at the prow, for when a battering ram was needed.
"You are much in your mind these days, Lord Uthe."
She'd come upon him unawares. Most vampires had a proximity alert to other vampires, knowing when one was within as much as a quarter mile of them. When many were staying in one house, awareness took a more practical form: a cognizance of movement, of scent, of a change in the air. He supposed he must trust Lyssa like no other vampire, because it seemed an unconscious choice to accept her approach without any awareness of it. He recalled Keldwyn had done the same earlier, though Uthe had attributed that to careless distraction.
"I am, my lady. I apologize if it has caused any dereliction of your needs."
"You think I would be circumspect in telling you so if it was?"
He smiled. "No, my lady. I always appreciate your directness."
As a result of Lyssa's wary relationship with her Fae half-sister, Uthe had already known Lord Reghan was Lady Lyssa's father, but until Queen Rhoswen touched Uthe's hand, Lord Reghan had only been a name to him. Now that he had more to go with it, the regal resemblance was unmistakable. Neither father nor daughter had minced words when it mattered, and both had that vivid jade coloring in their eyes.
"On that note..." She moved to the fountain, took a seat beside it and gestured him into a chair across from her. He realized he'd expected her to sit in her Council chair, with him before the table like a petitioner, but that wouldn't have made any sense to her. The formality was a reflection of his state of mind, not hers.
Jacob was with her, a quiet shadow along the wall. He was unobtrusive, but Uthe knew the servant wouldn't leave her alone in any vampire's presence unless she specifically ordered it. He approved of the servant's protectiveness. Now more than ever.
"Tell me what's been troubling you," Lyssa said. She was watching him with her jade eyes that saw so much. He couldn't get distracted by the possibilities of what she knew or didn't know.
"I must leave, my lady. I do not know for how long." He adjusted his slacks to cross his legs. A palm frond from a plant draping over the fountain teased the tips of his fingers as he rested them on the chair arm.
"Can you tell me why I must do without your company?" she said after a long moment.
"I wish I could tell you all
of it, my lady, but it is old business. Vital, but old."
"Does it have to do with what took place between you and Queen Rhoswen?"
"It was related to that, yes. But it is nothing that has an impact on the Council or the future of our species." No worse than it would impact any other living being on the planet if he failed.
"Is she aware of the nature of your business?"
"Somewhat, but not all, my lady. It was best that way."
Lyssa studied him. Uthe waited. She was considering the variables. She knew he wouldn't withhold information from her on a whim.
"Will you be taking Mariela with you?" she asked at last.
"No, my lady." He straightened and leaned forward, clasping his hands between spread knees. "With your permission, I will ask Lord Brian to separate us and free her to be assigned to another. Where I am going, she cannot follow, and there is grave risk to what I do. I would not have her lost to the Council. She has been an asset to me and the Council in her every action, so I would ask the favor of your personal involvement in her future, to make sure her next assignment is someone who will properly value and care for her."
Despite his earlier ambivalence, suddenly he wanted Mason's policy in place, so Mariela would have as much protection as possible. His judgment was obviously being impaired by his personal preferences, but it didn't stop him from adding, "Helga's servant has been her lover for some time, and I think their relationship has grown quite serious over the years. It would never interfere with their responsibilities as full servants, but if she can continue to have access to him, I think it will contribute to her happiness and soothe this decision."
"Torrence?"
Uthe gave her an amused look. "Lady Helga enjoys watching them together immensely. As to the other Council business under my auspices, I will make sure I tie up the loose ends before I go or assign them appropriately. May I offer you some parting advice about Belizar?"
