AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"And you are serving him and Niall well?"
Her gaze swept down. "That is for my Masters to say, my lord. But I do my very best to care for them."
"I suspect that is far more than they deserve."
"No doubt, my lord," Niall said with amusement. "But best no' give her too many airs. She already thinks she runs things around here."
Uthe touched her face to draw her attention back up to him. Only a handful of months ago, Niall's joke would have discomfited her greatly, Alanna interpreting it literally as a black mark against her InhServ training. Now he saw humor dancing in her once far-too-serious eyes.
"If I was putting my money on which of them gets above their station," said a new voice, "it would be the newly turned vampire who likes to show off his fangs at every opportunity."
Evan was windblown enough to suggest he'd made haste, remedying any lack of perceived courtesy at his delay. The genuine pleasure in his face had a peculiar effect on Uthe. He'd always been very fond of the younger vampire, but Evan's obvious eagerness to see his sire flooded Uthe with sentiment. Vampires downplayed connections to other vampires; however, the young artist Uthe had turned on his deathbed was the closest thing Uthe had to a son. And this might be the last time he'd see him.
Even though he'd been frail as a human, Evan had been a handsome male, and the strong sculpted features of his Jewish heritage were only enhanced by his vampire conversion. He had thick dark hair he kept cut to his nape and gray deep set eyes that examined everything around him with an artist's eye. His shoulders were broad though he was rangy, muscles lean and knotted.
"Better one who likes tae show his fangs than one who's always showing his arse," Niall returned. At Evan's arched brow and what Uthe expected was a mind-to-mind reminder of the rank of their company, Niall cleared his throat. "My apologies again, my lords. 'Tis rough living out here."
"You had three hundred years to learn manners around vampires," Uthe said, rising to hold out a hand in greeting to Evan. "Though I expect you're less used to exercising them here, it's important to have them ready to hand. You don't want to offend the wrong vampire, Niall."
Niall wasn't as bad as Gideon, but the reminder was needed, especially now that he was a vampire. A fledgling would be broken faster than even a servant if he got above himself.
"Thanks, my lord. He never listens to me."
Then, undermining the point irreparably, Evan bypassed Uthe's outstretched hand and gave him an exuberant hug. Uthe returned the gesture, though, keeping the admonishment to himself.
As Evan drew back, his eyes narrowed on Uthe's face. "You need to feed, my lord. You are exceptionally pale." His gaze shifted to Keldwyn, then back to Uthe. "What's going on? Why are you here?"
Uthe had somehow been maneuvered back down onto the bench. It was disconcerting to be handled, or maybe he'd sat back down himself. Cosseted or forgetful. He wasn't sure which explanation made him less comfortable. Evan sat down next to him. "What may I do for you, my lord? Anything I can provide is yours."
Uthe nodded. But rather than speaking immediately of his need for blood, he looked around at the house built into the hill, the beauty and solitude of the place. "You have my envy, Evan. This is a very good spot to create, and to love and live."
Evan was self-confident in ways that much more physically powerful vampires lacked, because he was exceptionally intelligent and used to relying on his wits instead of brawn. Uthe approved of that, for it boded well for his longevity. That, as well as the Scottish vampire who loved him and would in time be able to crush any physical force that could not be dissuaded by Evan's considerable intellect.
"Yes, it is." Evan swept a pleased gaze around them, but Uthe noted it lingered on Alanna and Niall, revealing they were the vital piece of wherever he called home. "I don't think I could live the life you live, my lord. I'm grateful you've given me the opportunity to live outside the structure of the vampire world."
Once Uthe was gone, that patronage might dry up. Why had he not asked Lyssa to watch after Evan? Because he needed to trust Evan was capable of his own care, he told himself. Niall was now a vampire, and Evan had an InhServ at the top of her class at his side. There were no better allies he could have, once Uthe was gone.
"What is going on, my lord?" Evan repeated. "What brings you here, with Lord Keldwyn?"
"Let him feed first," Keldwyn said firmly. "Then he will tell you what he wishes to share."
It was a clear command. Uthe registered Evan's curiosity about that, about his own passivity in the face of Keldwyn taking charge. He cleared his throat, straightened.
"I need a sustenance feeding. Where we are going, I may not have access to blood for several days. You may have heard I released Mariela from my service. I would prefer to draw blood from a servant rather than an unsuspecting human whose blood origins I do not know."
Though he certainly could have done that. It was Keldwyn who'd suggested Evan. He wondered now if the Fae had proposed it because it gave Uthe a chance to see Evan, Niall and Alanna once more before entering the Shattered World.
He kept assigning motives to Keldwyn that were entirely sentimental. Perhaps his judgment was already more impaired than he realized.
"Certainly, my lord," Alanna said immediately. Niall shot her a look.
"Might hold off offering what's your Masters' right tae give away, muirnin," he chided her. Alanna bit her lip, her gaze cutting to Evan. Evan rose and went to Niall, putting a hand on his suddenly stiff shoulder. "She didn't act inappropriately," he explained. "A Council member can demand blood from any vampire's servant, except one belonging to another Council member. It is his right."
"That is true," Uthe said. "But I am not demanding it, Evan. I assume I do not need to do so, son of my blood."
It was an old term, not much in use any more. Evan looked toward him, his hand still on Niall. His gray eyes flickered and he inclined his head. "You are correct, my lord."
At Evan's gesture, Alanna came to Uthe and knelt in front of him. Her training reminded him so much of Mariela, his heart dipped in nostalgia, hoping she was doing well. He really was getting to be a sentimental old man. Until recently, he'd never felt old. Vampires didn't experience that. Physically, he didn't look older than a human in his thirties, and age only brought more strength and speed, unless a factor like the Ennui intervened. That was probably why he suddenly felt...ancient.
"I know you have resumed contact with other InhServs. Have you heard anything of Mariela recently?"
A shadow crossed Alanna's gaze, and he touched her chin. "Do not lie to me to spare my feelings," he said.
"She grieves, my lord. It is difficult for any of us to be reassigned, especially after serving a Master such as yourself, who is the epitome of what our service is about. But our purpose is to serve to the best of our ability, and she will. Mariela will never fail in her duty as an InhServ. Yet she has a high regard for you, my lord."
Her matter-of-fact praise of him was unexpected, though he hurt for Mariela. "I would consider it a special favor for you to convey that no matter her regard for me, mine is without limitations for her. I send prayers for her wellbeing daily."
"Consider it done, my lord."
He said nothing for a few moments, thinking. He wasn't even aware of the passage of time, or that his mind had wandered, until Keldwyn leaned forward and touched his shoulder. "My lord," he said. "It is time for you to feed."
He focused. Alanna's gaze was on him, open, caring, and probably all too understanding. He saw shadows in her lovely brown eyes, only now they were for him. There was little that InhServs missed.
"Your wrist, Alanna. That is my preference."
"Of course." Rising on her knees, moving between his, she lifted her right arm for him to grasp, her left hand resting on his knee. She had two rings on it, one a pewter band with Celtic-looking scrollwork, and the other antique gold. He expected both had inscriptions on the inside from the men who'd given them to her.
