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She slept deeply after that Jacob slept so a rounds It was a different place in its peaceful early daylight soli- tude and even more beautiful, if that was possible By happenstance, Devlin was also out and joined hi Jacob company while he sweated out his demons As they made their circuit, Jacob noted that with the exception of Devlin, it was priion Masters and Councilold ties and establishing new ones Net- working Since that was his purpose as well, with Devlin&039;s help he identified several servants of vampires who had received vital com- munications from Lyssa in the past few months He took the oppor- tunity to confirm those communications had been received and understood None of those communications revealed his lady&039;s illness, of course, but she was officially verifying the commitment of those vam- pires to the Council&039;s purpose, as well as unofficially laying the tracks of an underground railroad for her fugitives and even her legiti it Since Lady Danny was loyal to Lyssa&039;s cause, even if she didn&039;t have a lot of influence to lend to it, Devlin was exceptionally helpful, providing Jacob insights and pointing out other servants of newer, younger overlords his lady ht want to approach while she was here
For personal as well as other reasons Jacob had hoped to see Debra, or even Lord Brian, but apparently Seanna was correct Brian was likely sequestered in his te both ends of the candle to do his lab hen she wasn&039;t required to serve as entertainh in the Delilah virus? Or would his news at the Court be about so the narro of hope Jacob was gri open? The Australian stayed respectfully silent during the interchanges, but when they rounds where there was just the stretch of ocean, he slowed to an in-place jog and raised a brow "Done anking now? Or you got anything left?" With a shove to throw Jacob off balance, he was off and running, throwing insults over his shoulder as Jacob raced after hiht up, he found he had to stretch himself to the limits of his body to stay even with the man&039;s powerful stride They co the stairs to the verandah three at a ti "You&039;re no wuss, are you, , he winked "I&039;ods She&039;s heard rumors about so up Bloody shei- las Coht if you have time and I&039;ll shout you that drink Hell, since they&039;re all free, I can afford a slab " Jacob waved a hand in assent Although he was fighting to regain his breath as well, the festering ache he&039;d been carry ing had dissi- pated to a eable anxiety When Devlin left hiht, rate- ful for a friend Uneasiness had been siut since they&039;d driven away from her Atlanta home and she&039;d watched Bran in the rearuntil she could no longer see hi his proximity to so ht be compelled to perforht&039;s episode on the beach, he kneasn&039;t that As the day progressed, he stayed busy with an odd &039;s event was an early dinner and entertain circus Normally it would cause hiot close to dusk, he prepared her bath, chose the oils he thought would suit her mood best Ironed the ribbons to dress her hair and selected her lingerie, one of his favorite tasks A silver-gray bra that was sheer except for a delicate e the sides and lower portion of her breasts, leaving the nipple delightfully in view beneath the shiave hiar over her hip bones Everything was ready, the sun starting to sink Sitting by her bed, he watched her continue to sleep, her internal alarth He didn&039;t want to wake her The need of a lover to protect warred with his duty as her servant, ive her the strength to live just a bit longer When he at last bent over her, he hesitated Usually he spoke or touched her shoulder to wake her Sometimes the curve of her cheek Instead, he placed hisher lips to part, his tongue touching hers Giving in to desire, he curled his aristered that her skin felt its norh he detected she needed to eat As she began to rouse, his third th and vitality had returned He held on, wanting to savor it She needed to be home But his lady would never shirk her duty Had her soul been in the body of Guinevere, Camelot would never have fallen
She&039;d been less than a couple of centuries old when he&039;d co one of the Crusades Yet he saw little difference in her self-possession and confidence between that tiroomed to be a queen As far as he knew, she&039;d never harbored any resentment over that Scornful of those who eschewed their responsibilities in her own Region of territories, she punished them swift ly and decisively In a correspondence to one of her young overlords, she&039;d stated it baldly "There are those who spend their whole lives wishing they had power, leadership If you are given it, you live up to it It&039;s a gift Fate believes you can handle If you are wise, you don&039;t disappoint Fate " Now, in the present, his queen and liege lady indicated by light pressure she wanted him to draw back He did so reluctantly, but only a few inches as she cupped his face and ran her thumb over his lips, moist fro the awareness of hi around the room When he sat down, she expected the touch on her face or the quiet murmur of his voice His brief hesita- tion had been her only warning before he&039;d leaned forward and given her the touch of his lips A wake-up kiss So a lover or husband would do "It&039;s almost time to join the others for dinner," He also had hot water and a cloth for her face as usual Taking her hand, he gave her his strength to lift her into a sitting position so she had to use none of her own Sliding his arm behind her, he of- fered her the brace of his shoulder as she got her bearings She yawned "I never used to wake up groggy Is this what you huaze was on her face, registering her skin tone "You need blood, ?" She shook her head She didn&039;t want anything, though she knew she should Her limbs felt heavy When he opened hislook, as effective as a verbal snap
She didn&039;t reach out to his mind, too raw to deal with the worry she kneould be there, and thatwas so hiht one knee onto the bed "Do you want your hair up or down today,her eyes to enjoy the sensation of brushing, she didn&039;t respond, but kneouldn&039;t repeat hi pauses, particularly in her "les without yanking, ers through the strands When he&039;d first begun the ritual, it had been to feel for tangles, but now she knew he did it to touch She liked it asunless he&039;d angered her A smile touched her lips He did that about one third of the time "Tell me how you&039;d like me to wear itAnd call me by my name " She&039;d not made that request ever, even in their most physically inti in midstroke Call me familiar I command it "I want you to leave it down, Lyssa With just a piece here And here " He took a lock from either side of her teertips drifted down, she turned her cheek into his hand, holding it there between her shoulder and jaw "When it&039;s all the way down, like this, " he said quietly, "it relorious hair falling around your face If you wear it that way, I&039;ll think of you that way, all evening long " Say it again She wanted to hear it Rising to one knee behind her, he wrapped his ar the brush to the covers He earing slacks and a tailored cotton shirt, his hair brushed and glea, queued back
He sht blend- ing of the cologne scent of his deodorant and aftershave His well- grooers around the forearm he pressed across her bosoainst his solid chest "Lyssa " He ainst her ear "My heart My soul My lady " She closed her eyes, nodded She could be what she needed to be Cruel when she had to be He would stand behind her Always, my lady I will be whatever you need hts to be open to hi She found she could even ac- cept it, at least at this an to tend her hair again Reaching back, she put her hand high on his thigh "Any tenderness?" "None I could have used this healing ability when I was a kid, as frequently as Gideon tried to kill ht that ht, but ere ed her around, the brushing done, and guided her touch to a bump on his head just under his hairline
"We couldn&039;t find our baseball one day, so we decided to pitch rocks Gideon was first at bat He insists if my head hadn&039;t been in the way, he would have hit a line drive clear out of the field Since he fractured ree with hiain He was hav- ing difficulty turning his thoughts fro a safe distance froth had returned, he could sense her fragility, an i after an episode Do you think I don&039;t know I&039; at a certain point, and of course it&039;s Murphy&039;s law that it would do so here, where it&039;s so important that I appear healthy and well "I think I better take that breakfast you say I need, Sir Vagabond, " she said before he could respond to that
"Are you up for it? No weakness from yesterday at all? Before you lie to linted "There are a showed me a thick metal collar she&039;d hadher wares at this Gathering It&039;s nearly three inches in width I could lock it around your throat and keep the key on a chain aroundbetween my breasts where it would tease you "You think you need a key to teaseto maintain a mild expression and hammer down the lust her words provoked so easily She continued, that sultry half whisper weaving itself a his ability to think There are two tiny spikes on the inside that press against the throat, irri- tating the skin and re the servant of his bond to his Mis- tress Their location is marked on the outside with a pair of bloodred rubies Whenever she wishes, the vaers on those two rubies and presses After the spikes puncture the side of the throat, the lady oblet against her servant&039;s flesh to catch the flow But I wouldn&039;t use it I&039;d wait until the strea it up all the way back to your throat He closed his hand over hers She&039;d effectively driven any thought out of his head but the ies she&039;d created, and he had to bite back a sleam in her eyes "I can serve your needs, my lady, whatever they ift to you " She studied hi forward, she bit into his throat, into the area that had begun to show a dual puncture scar because of her repeated use of it Though she preferred the throat, when her hand brushed high on his thigh, his ht when she&039;d chosen the femoral artery His cock had stood hard and heavy as her cheek brushed his testicles, her throat working against therush of blood that came from the area
When she was done, she&039;d put her ainst the back of her throat She&039;d tied his hands to the bed rails that night so he was at her mercy He&039;d looked down to see traces of his own blood on his genitals, th Now he settled his ar her close to him, her body cradled between his knees Her hand curled loosely around his hip, letting hiht in his one arhts, holding her this way made his mind turn back to his primary concern He wished she&039;d let hi hour, a dread was growing in his belly He wanted her to be where she was happiest With her roses and her dogs Devlin wants to buy you a drink Why don&039;t you plan on joining hiet me ready? You can meet me at the outdoor pavilion for the dinner
I won&039;t need you there until around nine I have sos to do So his hand and placing it against the bite, a re area, she slid off the straps of her nightgown, letting it pool at her feet She stepped out of it, continued toward the tub "He&039;s a good man I&039;d like you to honor hie to his Mistress that she has my favor " He cursed his overprotectiveness, which often provoked this need in her to push hie his first re- sponsibility to her as her servant Her tone was indifferent, her atti- tude as iown for hi area, a soddess with skin like creah hi, no emotion she couldn&039;t wrest fro someone was Adventure, exhila- ration Quiet contentle her Orin love with Lady Lyssa was
He&039;d never been in love with anyone else Not in this life, and perhaps not in any other
"You know, in the central courtyard they&039;re offering drinks served on the bellies of women The women lie on a marble slab, tip the wine onto their sto fro that than drinking a beer with e offered to the vamps Or I&039;d ditch your arse, no worries " "I&039;d have beaten you there " Devlin chuckled, touching his beer to Jacob&039;s as they sat co over the twenty-foot drop as they faced the ocean view "Bullshit You&039;re gone over that Mistress of yours Plus, you run like a one-legged girl " "That&039;s a long fall there, " Jacob noted "Yes Yes, it is " Devlin grinned "Anytime you feel lucky, Irish " Jacob would have retorted, but his eyes had narrowed Carnal He knew Carnal was here, but it was the first time he&039;d seen him The tall vampire wore a tuxedo and cape--a pretentious affectation in Jacob&039;s opinion--and had his dark hair pulled back froular, cruel planes He strode over the lower lawn,for him He had no servant with him, but Jacob didn&039;t dare to hope that meant he hadn&039;t picked another victim to replace Melinda "Friend of yours?" "Hardly Who&039;s hethere?" "Different versions of the same brand of wanker, " Devlin observed frankly
"That&039;s Lords Hollenbeck and Martingale They fancy theainst the establish, Council&039;s gone soft on their kind They think they can reason with theive them bones to keep them in line when anyone with eyes can see all they&039;re out for is the wholesale destruction of the Council so they can set themselves up as supreme tyrants
And God help humans--not just the servants--if they succeed " "You think they&039;re up to so?" Jacob watched Carnalservant with barely a glance at her "Rutomorrow " Devlin took another s fro to clean the taste fro to introduce a motion on the floor to overthrow the policies they find so irritat- ing Like not being able to tear open a huht on busy city street corners every other day " "They et his -lutely They&039;re fanatical about their Roberts&039; Rules of Order " But Devlin looked uneasy "Soe, Irish And with vain with They could try to oust the Council If they get enough votes,they could do it All hell will break loose " They drank in silence for another few moments There was no answer to it Jacob knew it, just as he suspected Devlin did They just had to be prepared for ould co Carnal disap- pear through one of the castle archways Jacob bit back a sood one Malachi&039;s impressed with your skills, by the way " Devlin shifted to a lighter tone "It&039;s not easy to spar with hiht like that " "Particularly when he called in reinforcements " "Ah " Devlin waved his beer dismissively "Malachi&039;s actually not a bad sort when it co his Mas- ter&039;s orders Belizar wanted you taken down a notch and tested "Malachi is a sexist asshole, though He&039;s got that whole cultural,He&039;s been a servant for ninety years; you&039;d think he&039;d get past it But he got powerfully ticked off the other night when Lord Brian&039;s servant showed he didn&039;t knohat the hell he was talking about when they got into a debate on global war "
"Debra?" "Yeah, that was her na one of the entertainments Malachi probably ratted her out, told Belizar there was aher tih his balls Why would Belizar feel I need to be tested specifically?" Devlin gave hi ho you are Malefemale vampire dynamics have some very old-world prejudices Male va overly attached to theirhappened a few years back and a male servant was executed It struck a spark on the fertilizer pile of the theory " "Executed?" "I was at the Gathering where it happened " A shadow crossed Devlin&039;s face as he looked out at the ocean "A fe allhim in situations where servants are supposed to take a backseat And he was getting full of himself over it He h to throw a punch The fe- male vamp didn&039;t call him to task Instead, she tried to protect him Even offered her own life as forfeit Bam, it was all over then He was executed on the spot, and she was imprisoned in a coffin for a e and chosen by the Council She chose to meet the sun " As Jacob looked down pensively, Devlin shook his head "It was bad before then, but in a low-level way Now the male vamps are positively rabid on the issue of female vamps and their servants My lady thinks it&039;s just a typical power-play issue Male vamps are pos- sessive, but they also like power They don&039;t necessarily like sharing it with the feate thehed "When it comes down to it, no matter howour place You won&039;t find er lance "Lady Daniela, I ainst Jacob&039;s "Your Mistress is under the microscope these days in particular " Jacob&039;s head rose "What do you ave him an even look "How did the et murdered by a mere human? How did a mere human kill the secondthat has kept those questions to a dull roar is that Lyssa killed her servant for his transgression, and a select few in power knew Lord Rex was succu time to the Ennui, which is basically the vaht his feet back to the Mexican tile floor of the verandah, leaning his hip against the wall "Did you know Rex?" Devlin shook his head "Not lanced cautiously at Jacob "She said he was pow- erful, intelligent Not a war sort, very competitive But he loved your lady Lady Danny said his love was so strong for Lady Lyssa it alht up with hi Jacob "Lady Lyssa is considered a fucking force of nature No one really knows the full extent of her strength The only one who ht be able to stand toe-to-toe with her is Lord Mason Like her, he has ers can keep up with " "And that&039;s bad?" "Not bad Just peculiar Vamps like a mystery If they don&039;t un- derstand it, they do their best to pick it apart But it&039;s more than that with her Lady Lyssa is very important to all the Council supporters for what she symbolizes, as well as what she knows and can do Danny doesn&039;t make any bones about it Lyssa isn&039;t just queen She&039;s the Council&039;s chaht "You got it Whereas Carnal and his croould build their kingdom on the illusion of power, and use blood to keep it painted as reality Watch your lady&039;s back, mate Part of the reason I wanted a beer with you is to let you know folks like rinned "You&039;re okay I like the way you handle yourself, and soy and hoity-toity We can help keep their reality a little bit htened, checking his watch "Tio If you can, co of ser- vants, sort of a trades It&039;s a chance for those like you who haven&039;t been in it as long to ask questions, the insider tips on things to et pissed on drink and tell stories " He winked, then sobered soood way to loosen up so intense is going to happen, it&039;s going to happen at one of those Just between you and o home after the second day "