Lucien’s eyes cut to Jordan. “Janette’s at the feeding. If I’m remembering correctly, she’s your taste.”
“I’ve had her,” Jordan returned.
“Have her again,” Lucien clipped back.
Another macho vampire staring contest ensued and this one was far, far, far more dangerous and definitely scarier than the first.
“Um…” I butted in proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was indeed deranged as all eyes swung to me and all six of them (including Lucien’s) were incredulous. “Can I just say,” my gaze went to Cecile, I swallowed and sallied forth. “You’re beautiful. Gorgeous. Change can suck. Trust me, I know. But, honest to God, you’ll find someone the minute you start looking. All you’ll have to do is snap your fingers. Sure, he won’t be able to move at the speed of light and he won’t feed on human blood but there are always problems in a relationship. Am I right?”
For a second there was complete and total silence and I thought maybe I might have stepped over a line I should never, ever, ever, ever have crossed.
I really should have paid attention in Vampire Studies. I was seeing the error of my ways now.
Then I was curled forcefully into Lucien’s body, his hand in my hair shoving my face in his chest, a chest that was moving, rocking deeply, weirdly, until I figured it out. And I figured it out right before he let out a shout of amused laughter.
I relaxed into him and peeked over my shoulder at Cecile and Jordan.
Cecile had lost her haughty disdain and was watching me with a look that was astonished at the same time it was sad and confused.
Jordan was watching me too, a grin playing on his lips and also, to my shock, he looked amused.
Cecile turned to Jordan and asked quietly, “Will you be angry if I go home?”
Jordan sighed. “It’ll be a loss, dearest, but by all means, scurry home and save your reputation.”
Her look became grateful. It swung to Lucien then even to me before she turned and swanned down the hall.
My eyes moved to Jordan when he spoke and I realized he was speaking to me.
“I hope to see you at another Feast. The next time, heading in the other direction.”
“I wouldn’t hold your breath,” Lucien remarked dryly.
Jordan didn’t take his eyes from me when he asked, “She didn’t fancy it?”
“Not even a little bit,” Lucien answered.
“Shame,” Jordan muttered. I shivered, Lucien’s arm tightened and Jordan lifted a hand and then he was gone.
Just like that.
Whoosh.
One second there, the next second he disappeared.
Lucien uncurled me from his body and walked me down the hall. This time he didn’t take my hand but kept his arm around my shoulders.
At the top of the stairs when Breed opened the door for us, Lucien slipped him a bill. I tried to see what it was but didn’t succeed.
Wats was standing sentry by the car right where we left it.
“Everything’s fine, Master, no one even looked at it,” he panted, bowing and holding the keys out to Lucien who held his hand up and Wats dropped the keys in.
Lucien held the door for me and Wats scampered out of the way for him to do so.
After Lucien closed my door, I spied the one hundred dollar bill Lucien slid into Wats’s waiting hand. I also saw the shiver of excitement that shook Wats’s body and I had the feeling it had nothing to do with the fact that Lucien just made him the highest paid car watcher in history but because Lucien had almost, but not quite, touched him.
We were well away, Lucien’s hand back on my thigh after he’d pulled the material away, but this time no stroking, just proprietary resting.
After a while, I couldn’t help myself, I requested, “May I ask a question?”
“Of course,” Lucien replied instantly.
I pulled in a breath and before I could lose my courage, I asked, “You said to Cecile you’d take it away from her. What would you take away?”
Again he answered without hesitation. “Her house, her car, her money, everything I give her to keep her. Everything I’ll keep giving her until she dies. If she falls, which, you should know Leah, any concubine does if they attend A Feast after they’re released, I’m within my rights to cease her keeping.”
“You’d do that?” I whispered.
“In a second,” he answered. “My concubines, current or past, don’t participate in Feasts.”
I was confused. “But you took me to A Feast.”
His hand squeezed my thigh. “To see, to watch, to experience, to be with me amongst my own, not to participate.”
My head turned to look at him. “You were never going to feed?”
He glanced at me briefly then back to the road before he stated implacably, “Never.”
This caused me to feel an extreme sense of relief.
Then I felt an extreme sense of fear that I felt so relieved.
Then I felt the extreme desire to cover his hand with mine.
Then I mentally kicked myself.
Shortly after, the sleek, high-performance sports car eating the miles serenely beneath me, I fell asleep.
Chapter Nine
The Lesson
I woke for the first time since I’d been in my new bedroom knowing exactly where I was.
But something wasn’t right.
I opened my eyes and saw the big, wide bed empty in front of me.
Lucien wasn’t there.
Elation and disappointment crashed against each other and they caused a very strange sensation that I didn’t like one bit.
Then my mind traveled back to the night before.
I thought about The Feast and all I’d seen.
Then I thought about Lucien’s behavior and the conflicting emotions it made me feel. Most specifically that I liked being out with him. It wasn’t what I’d call a fun date but it was interesting and being on his arm was weirdly thrilling. He acted a complete gentleman (well, mostly) and I hadn’t had that in a long time (as in, never). Not to mention his possessive-protective streak, which made me feel safe and if that wasn’t enough to screw with my head, nothing was.
Lastly, I thought about falling asleep in the car after Lucien assured me he was the kind of vamp who didn’t…
I went solid and then whipped up the bedclothes and stared at my semi-naked body before pulling the covers back down.
I was wearing nothing but a pair of black, lace panties. I fell asleep in the car and that damn vampire carried me upstairs, took off my clothes and put me to bed.
In all that he’d done, and there was a lot that he’d done, taking off my clothes while I was asleep seemed like the worst (well, at that moment it did).