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Chapter One

"Your tithe is late And you have no valid excuse for it"

"With respect, my lady, I told you why it was late We've had trouble this quarter"

"That is a lie" Kaela folded her hands on her desk and uest chair with a casual sprawl, stretching out his legs and hooking his ankles, as if the chance to study his powerful, handsoht only for her It didn't i could end with her tearing his heart out of his broad chest and spattering blood over every square inch of her hoe with its built-in drain, but that likely would have aroused his suspicions

"You think I' You want to test the female va you, worthy of your obedience" She let the tips of her fangs show "You will provide the funds you owe before you leave my property You will also pay n of respect Once you make your payment, I want you out of my home and headed back to yours"

Her gaze flicked to the clock, e of fifty instinctively knew the ti over a hundred and seventy-five years now Young for an overlord, but female vampires tended to mature faster A necessary survival trait

"It's three hours to dawn, and you live two hours and forty-five u a terrible sunburn"

She was gratified to see hi While she didn't shift by an inch, she was coiled to strike, ready for this to turn into a fight She shut down any fear, any reaction other than what she'd been charged by Lady Lyssa to do

Serve me well, Lady Kaela That is what I require

She'd done so, and would continue to do so Until another vampire was able to kill her

Everyone knew Lady Lyssa had appointed her That would give any vampire pause, because the head of the Va Further, Lady Lyssa didn't ht have the that Kaela was Lady Lyssa's friend, under her particular protection, the latter would have theht appear

Neither of those statements had been true when she'd become overlord, but Kaela had learned how to do what needed to be done so now the latter was true Lyssa had said the ical words, hadn't she? Words that, if she'd known the impact they had on Kaela, would have ironically kept her fro considered for the post, and she would be dead by now Or worse

Greg held her gaze Kaela didn't twitch, holding that lock If he attacked, he would coht should do it, an attack to the left, because he was right-handed She would go for the throat, take out the , crippling As he writhed on the carpet, she could decide whether to stake him or let hiin, but e, no different from most species It merely meant a female had to plan her attack more carefully

Soon after Kaela had accepted Lady Lyssa's appointment, she'd killed five of the vampires in her territory, with the full support of the Council The California territory had been rife with corruption and illegal behavior, thanks to the previous overlord thinking he was too far froathered a group of stronger vampires around him, cronies he allowed to terrorize the weaker

va exposure to the human world with their bloodlust She knew about it firsthand, because she'd been part of that territory, doing whatever she could to protect the weaker vaa of personal security coave her eyes and ears in key places

Not bad for a made vampire who'd once been a Confederate spy

Greg shifted, and averted his eyes It was a point for her, but she didn't relax her guard, because it could be a ploy before an attack

"Will you take a check?" he asked

"A wire transfer Fran is outside and you can give her the information You may do that now and leave as soon as she verifies it"

He rose with a stiff nod "My lady" This time he meant it

She waited until he'd reached the door "Greg?"

He turned to face her again, not giving her his back "Yes, my lady?"

"I will not forgive this type of behavior twice This is your only warning You can benefit fro in my territory, profit from my leadership I a as you follow the rules If you do not, this was your last chance at leniency"

He gave her a short bow of acquiescence, and sheher measure, with more uncertainty and nascent respect At her dis the door behind him

She took a breath, one that went all the way down to the soles of her feet, and let it out A tre in her stomach She let the reaction have her for about thirty seconds before reining it back in again Everything had its proper time, and she kept it all on a strict schedule

She'd accepted the need to embrace a persona that really wasn't her own, but despite her hope that assuer part of her ee in a rich, solitary fantasy life in the short period before dawn claiht when she first woke It was like one of those fairy tale curses, where she could go where she wished only in her dreams

But she wasn't co She was here to serve Whether she realized it or not, Lyssa had given Kaela the one outlet in her real life that helped her balance the denial of the rest Serve me well

Less than five ranted entrance "That was the fastest wire transfer I've ever done," Fran said, a twinkle in her somber brown eyes "He's paid in full, with one quarter in advance, my lady"

"Good Do you have ements in order?"

At that, the twinkle disappeared "Everything's in your carry-on Front pocket has all the paperwork" Fran took a breath and stared a hole into the surface of the desk "I also packed in case you changed youryou"