Page 89 (1/2)
The Council was in charge of her fate Though she hoped with all her heart and soul they would let her stay with Niall and Evan, she was too politically aware to think that it was likely Unless no oneit was, she hoped the entire va," Niall round Debra will help et her bathed and ready"
Evan nodded When he rose, she realized she’d never seen a vampire look exhausted, depleted, but he did Even paler than he should be Glancing toward Niall, she saw the deep shadows beneath his eyes, the grooves alongside them How much, or, rather, how little, had they slept? Fed properly?
"Niall, go with him," she rasped "Feed hiaze, she saw a raw yearning in their gazes that stole her breath They hadn’t"Niall, who" She coughed, and the pain of it pulled a tiny, screeching noise fro their attention instantly Brian had quietly departed a few moments after Jacob, but Debra had remained Now she cae hand on her chest, giving her a needed pressure there as she strangled through the si
"Stop it, muirnín Rest your voice for Council"
But she knehat that look ht she did She looked up at Debra, seeking help, and fortunately, Debra understood
"Niall hasn’t been feeding Evan They were switching shifts so that one of them was always here with you Lady Lyssa ordered one of the new unassigned InhServs to give hiave hiers flexed on Alanna’s shoulders as she bent to speak in her ear "There was a concern that the stress of giving blood to his Master, and tending to you"
That it would hasten the inevitable If Evan had lost Niall during this
"Lady Lyssa kens more than she lets on That daaze lifted back to her Master She was sure he’d heard Debra, because his expression of reprobation was si to her had worn theh likelihood of Niall being overco this She expected he’d tried to order Niall to step back frohtly intertwined nowall three of thee of his comment about their stubbornness made even more sense When he’d tried to order Niall away froer offwhatever Scotsmen used for such an occasion
She could talk if she whispered "Feed him, Niall"
If one of them had always been with her, it was likely no other needs had been ht have done with the InhServ, because she had no right to want anything with respect to that, but Niall already anticipated her, catering to her petty foolishness
"He only used her for blood,not to sha how much that meant to her, but Evan’s look of tender exasperation told her it hadn’t escaped his notice
"Our possessive servant," he observed "No matter how docile she tries to appear"
Our servant How she wished that could be true, now and forever "Debra is here She will care for me Please, Niallcare for him" Care for yourself Care for each other
"I expect I have no vote in this," Evan said lightly, but he see toward this one thing, because he pressed her hand, nodded to Niall "I understand your heart and can tend to myself Be easy on that, man Stay with her if you need that"
Niall’s head lifted, and he aze Since they weren’t in her ain--she put all of it in her expression, everything she’d ever tried to co a servant was a blood-deep commitment, beyond an oath of honor It was a bond of unconditional love, a gritty, ugly, wondrous thing
Debra had become her ally "She won’t be left alone, Niall I pro She’d likely prefer that done by another wos in his eyes, torn between past and present, she couldn’t help but put her hand to his face, stroke there I’ht it, let alone said it Her lips had forh no sound ca With the strength and aid of Debra’s hands, she put her forehead to his, then tilted to brush her lips to it
"Go care for our Master Care for the man you love," she whispered
He squeezed her hands, hard enough to be painful Planting an abrupt kiss on her te toward the door, where Evan still waited for hiazes h her chest, in all her vitals She shouldn’t delay theht her to accept her desires?
"Master?"
Whatever he saw in her face, she didn’t need to explain Putting his hand on Niall’s chest, a brief caress, he strode back to her She ainst hiskiss He gripped her chin with firers