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Turning his attention to Lord Uthe, he executed another bow "Long ago, you asked me a question"
"If you could live forever, how far do you think you could go as an artist?" the stranger asked "Is lienius?"
Evan had just finished up one of his coughing fits The stranger had calmly held his frail body, blotted away the blood on his lips, and now handed hilass of water poured from the side table At one time, his mother had rushed up to his attic roo her exhaustion ed her to let him deal with it hie, hatever time he had left
"Since I can only speak from a position of limited mortality--extremely limited mortality," Evan replied, "I can’t say But I do know I can stare at the sa different in it every moment I don’t think it’s a matter of time; it’s a man’s relationship to tih, even in iinning of all things, and He never gets tired of ht?"
He supposed that bordered on blasphee ofthe deity in question, he expected God Himself would address his iive you the opportunity to test the theory"
"And say you can do this unlikely thing"--Evan’s brows rose--"ould you offer it to me?"
"Because I want to see what a true artist will do with forever"
"I see that sa the aze "It’s not in every man, the ithal to knohat to do with centuries, but there is a slow steadiness to hirowth of an oak over hundreds of years, where his imprint becomes a more vital part to the world around hiiven the saave me, for the same reason"
He paused "Whereas you turned s to canvas, Niall is the canvas, the painting that I want to endure until the end of ti as Fate permits it, he’s there for all of us to enjoy" To love
He didn’t add it, but he supposed it hung out there in the air, noticed but unspoken He thought of how Alanna had put it together so quickly A ree, Evan would have twoas they could put up with him He suppressed the smile, but it didn’t dispel the tension he concealed
"There’s soests his suitability," he added "He’s a sexual Dominant He submits to me, but in those we’ve shared, it quickly rises to the top Alanna responded to it al why she slipped and called both of you Master?"
The queen , God’s truth Next she’d ask if he’d catered to the notion, cultivated it in his servant, and that would be a can of wor at the truth "Yes I expect so Being a subood fit for Niall Because of that, as well as my travels, my art, we’ve had an unexpected relationship as vampire and servant He has been of course in a position of service to ard, we are cut from the same cloth"
"Very well We will have you step outside while we discuss and coree on all counts, I feel it would be appropriate for both of you to third-mark Alanna, to protect and facilitate her service Do you disagree?"
"Not at all," Evan said He would welcome it He was certain Alanna would as well She was intuitive that way
He’d rendered Niall speechless Probably realizing that reaction wasn’t an autoratulatory excla the Scot’s face as carefully as Evan
"Three hundred years ago, I refused to let you slip froers," Evan continued steadily "And now Alanna needs us both"
Niall’s gaze flickered, recognizing the manipulative tactic But a vampire was a vampire "I need you both," Evan admitted "But that said, it is fully your choice, Niall Neither Alanna nor I will try to force your decision You must come to this yourself But there’s more to it We would both mark you, Alanna You would have two Masters"
"I think you both already are," she said sih he’d expected that, Evan bit back a feeling of disappointment Instead he rose as well "It’s not an easy decision"
"Aye" Niall nodded toward Alanna "But don’t wait on me Go ahead and mark her as soon as we reach that seventy-two-hour th"