AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After a moment, Lannan looked directly at me. I struggled to keep my composure and realized that if I looked away, they'd say no.
"You seek to up the ante, then you'll up the service to blood."
I started to protest but Lannan held up his hand.
"Once per month, I drink from you," he said. "I won't force you to drink from me, and I promise to avoid enthralling you, at least on a permanent basis. I won't make you my bloodwhore, although I think I'd fancy that. Yes, I would. But you will remember who your master is. You may be of the magic-born, but you are still but a step away from human and we have not been anything near to human for thousands of years."
Shit. If Grieve smelled Lannan's scent on me, he'd freak. "Won't that tip off Grieve that I'm hanging out with you?" Anything, anything to stave off being a living juice box.
"That remains your problem to deal with as you see fit." Lannan shrugged. He waited, tapping his foot lightly on the floor.
Watching my future narrow bleakly, I shrugged. What choice did I have at this point? And if it helped save Heather and Peyton . . .
"I'll do it," I said grimly. "Just make sure you don't take enough to leave me weak, nor turn me into a bloodwhore. If you'll honor bind yourself to that, we have a deal."
"You know, we don't have to offer you any of this," Geoffrey said. "But we do so out of our respect for your aunt, and for Marta, who we firmly believe was killed by the Indigo Court. That's another possibility . . ."
"What?"
"Perhaps we should have you check in to her death. The police certainly won't. And Anadey has her hands full. You might be able to confirm what we know. Truly, it remains easier to attract flies to honey instead of vinegar."
"And I'm your honey," I whispered, as Lannan took the contracts out of the room to be changed.
Regina smiled and walked over to me. I was still standing, so preoccupied in thought that I didn't even think to curtsey. She stepped so close that I could feel the crackle of energy sparkling around her.
"My brother enjoys his toys. He may play with you all he likes, and I grant you permission to enjoy it--he's a very good playmate. But remember: You are never, ever to believe that you can lure him away from me. We are a mated pair. You will not interfere or attempt to play one of us off the other. On the other hand, if you choose to play with both of us . . . I won't object in the least."
And then, she leaned forward and gave me a long kiss on the lips, and her taste and smell were so intoxicating that I didn't even flinch.
Chapter 12
With Regina's words echoing through my head, I stumbled back. She winked at me but the effect creeped me out--with her haunting obsidian eyes.
"Trust me, I have no intention of coming between the two of you, and I don't have any designs on your brother," I said, my knees buckling. Fucking hell, I'd agreed to give it up to her brother once a month, and I wasn't talking sex. Even that would have been better than bloodletting, I thought. Then again, remembering his reputation, maybe not.
"Good. Then as soon as you sign the contracts, you'll be free to leave. You're welcome to stay and join the party, if you think you can stomach it." Her voice was cool and I couldn't help it: I locked her gaze.
A challenge. She was issuing me a challenge. Seeing if I had the guts to deal with their world. I turned to Leo and Rhiannon, forcing myself to steady my voice. "You can go home, but I'll stay for a while."
I didn't dare show fear, even if they could smell it on me. Vampires were predators, they'd respect me if I held my ground. Well, as much as they'd respect anyone who wasn't part of their world.
"We'll stay with you," Leo said, crossing his arms.
"Healer, it may require a stronger stomach than you have." Regina sauntered over to him and placed one stiletto nail of hers under his chin. "Are you sure you're up to it?"
"He'll manage," Geoffrey said. "He's my day runner. To turn tail would tell me he's the wrong mortal for the job. Isn't that right, Leo?" He gave Leo a look that could only have one answer.
"Of course, Lord Geoffrey." Leo smiled, but I could sense the tension behind his words.
Regina let out a low chuckle. "I promise you safety. With Cicely working for us, and this young lion working for Geoffrey, we will do what we can to ensure you remain untargeted by any member of the Vampire Nation who lives in this area." She paused, then added with a silken smile, "Unless, of course, you issue an invitation."
At that, Lannan reentered the room and Regina was back to business. She held out the contracts to me and I glanced over them again, making sure they hadn't changed anything else without me noticing. But everything looked on the up and up, although I lingered over the promise to give Lannan my blood once a month in return for their help with Heather.
"Pen?" I said.
"Here, consider this the first of many gifts," Lannan said, his fingers lingering on mine as I accepted the Mont Blanc he offered me.
I stared at the pen. Probably worth a good grand, and here he was handing it over to me like it was a stick pen. Slowly, I pulled off the cap. A fountain pen. The contracts were on the coffee table and the dotted line loomed like a demarcation line.
