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Fuck, that was a bloody cock-up After three hundred years, he fucking knew better Maybe he wasn’t so different fro in the boundaries was safer, more comfortable But whereas she’d been born in captivity, so to speak, he’d been a wild falcon, who’d willingly, for a debt of honor, let the jesses be tied onto his leg, allowed another h his shields and knew too much about him A man he sometimes hated almost as much as hedidn’t hate him
Serve Niall as you serveover that When she woke in the early afternoon, once again disco she’d slept, it was to the sound ofwell, she wasn’t sure what the sound was, until she rose and discovered Niall chopping wood on a stus for the woodstove; she re about that on their plane ride, along with the assurance that it was a chore she wouldn’t be asked to do She was sure she could learn to wield an axe, but then she remembered the blocker While a human woman could chop wood, a third- of the blocker reh the burn of the injection, then showered and dressed In the bathrooear, toothbrush, other toiletry ite a comb, she cleaned his hairbrush The brown strands wound into the bristles looked like they’d been forht She also picked up the cloth he’d carelessly dropped on the floor and dried the water spots on the sink After she straightened all the towels and cloths, she swept a critical eye over the bathrooh for a wo-sleeved shirts Niall had opened the screened s, letting in the cool air as well as the fresh s pants or jeans later, she went ahead and slipped on a thick cotton skirt that swirled around her ankles Unless their vampire instructed them otherwise, female InhServs rarely wore pants They were supposed to be accessible to the desires of their vampires at all times, and for women, pants were an obstacle to that So the skirt felt more comfortable
Serve him as you serve me
As she went to the kitchen , she saw Niall stripped down to jeans, each swing of the axe capable ofa feth and virility She was accusto it to stoke desire on command But she was trained to notice far more details than that, and what she saw told her Niall was not in a goodan eneression than needed
Given his habits, she was sure there’d be dishes in the sink if he’d had breakfast So he hadn’t eaten Pinning up her hair, she started on afternoon breakfast, planning enough if Evan wanted to saht or Niall wanted s, a slab of bacon A biscuit h and the rolled pieces were put in the oven A fe vegetables still surviving in the crisper were chopped up for the omelettes
The primary job of the chefs at the Council headquarters was preparing delicacies for the vas, but for their own nourishment, the InhServs had a small kitchen area to prepare their food She’d often cooked for the others, as well as visiting Randoms Because of that, she’d learned one universal truth about men and well-cooked food
As the biscuits browned in the oven and the coffee percolated, the axe bit into the wood at a slower cadence A tiny s stopped at last, and she heard the well puret not snatching one last glimpse out theShe’d also like a closer look at those tattoos in the daylight, as well as what tattoos he e her own lust that way? She frowned Acting on it without a vampire’s order was forbidden But Evan had saidShe suppressed a sigh Since last night, she’d come up with so many interpretations of that one statement that all she’d done was confuse herself
Art in every forle hiht even make him blush
Startled, she knocked the plate of bacon off the counter, barely saving it from the floor Yesterday, she’d accepted Evan’s voice in her head But after the break provided by a few hours sleep, her brain had rebooted The only voice she’d been used to hearing in her head was Stephen’s, and for the past few ony
It wasn’t Stephen She settled her heart down to a regular beat It was Evan Evan
Yes His voice arerous in his tone, unexpectedly effective He has no hold on you here, Alanna We’ll let no harm come to you
Self-preservation was supposed to be the least of a servant’s concerns, but one didn’t argue with a vampire Plus, it did make her feel better Thank you, sir Would you like ht now Still sleeping Your incessant inner y, but she picked up a wry note suggesting he wasteasing her?
The minor downside of a female servant, I suppose Niall’s mind is exceptionally unobtrusive Like an oak stu the roo Evan’s point so well, she had to bite back a s back to sleep Try to be less chatty in your own head
She blinked, not sure how she was supposed to acco about how to accomplish it would be a start She’dit But Alanna? There’s only one way to interpret my coht That was crystal clear She didn’t know if it unsettled or relieved her, but the subject hi a distraction His presence considerably reduced her , especially when he loo into the skillet "Oetables in it, but there’s also bacon The biscuits are about to come out"