by ERIN BEDFORD
Antoine snapped his finger, knocking Darren out of Allister’s trance before shooting us a glare. Sliding into his chair at the head of the dining room table, he sighed. “Perhaps she has found a reason to stay and the only way she can think to make sure she won’t be fired is to owe us more?”
I snorted.
“You find this funny?” Antoine angled his head toward me.
Flopping down in my chair a few seats away from him, I shrugged. “I just think you give Piper too much credit.”
“Miss Billings,” he corrected me.
Waving him off, I leaned forward and cupped my hands in front of me. “It’s less likely that she actually thinks that and more likely that she’s a klutz. She almost killed herself in the library a few minutes ago getting a book.”
Antoine’s brow shot up to his hair line and then turned his gaze to Allister. “Is this true?”
Allister sat next to me, his shoulders stiff. He didn’t put the books on the table but sat them on the floor next to him. “I caught her.”
“Hmm.” Antoine watched us for a moment before moving his gaze to Darren. “Which do you think it is? An unfortunate mishap or a calculated move?”
Darren let out a rude sound. “If you spent more than five minutes in a room with Miss Billings, you’ll know she doesn’t have a calculating bone in her body. No, if anything, she broke it simply to spite me than to stay here longer. I actually have the feeling she’d rather get a different job but is unable to for some reason.”
The butler’s assessment made me frown. That couldn’t be right. She was a gorgeous woman with plenty of going for her. There’s no way she has to be a maid. I guess if she didn’t have any other skills to fall back on, that would be a problem, but if I were her, I’d have found me a rich husband and never work a day in my life.
Women these days.
“Any other comments?” Antoine asked Darren and then glanced back my way.
I grinned and shifted in my seat. “Yeah, she’s giving me a perpetual case of blue balls. Can we do something about that?”
Antoine’s lip curled up in disgust. “Yes, be an adult and go take care of it yourself.”
“What? You’re not offering up your servant for the job?” I let my eyes linger on Darren who had an unreadable expression on his face.
It wasn’t a secret the two of them dallied with each other from time to time. I didn’t know if they actually cared for one another or it if was simply because their blood bond required it. Either way, it gave me great pleasure to poke at the otherwise serious pair.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” Antoine calmly stated, tapping his finger on the top of the table. “Now, Darren, what’s for dinner?”
The butler’s shoulders sagged. The movement was so slight if you hadn’t been looking for it, you wouldn’t have noticed. I was watching and I did notice. I repressed a grin.
Another point for me.
Chapter 23
Piper
“Oh, my god.” I closed my eyes and moaned around the mouthful of chicken overtaking my mouth. “Dear Lord, Gretchen you've outdone yourself this time.”
The older woman chuckled, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Why thank you, Piper, but honestly, it's the same old chicken I always make. The masters don't really seem to want much variety in my dishes.” She and Darren, who sat next to me at the countertop, exchanged a look.
I shook my head and cut a larger piece of the succulent meat. “I'm telling you, I've had your chicken before, and this is so much better.” I popped the piece I'd cut into my mouth, rolling it around as I chewed. The juice and seasoning filled every inch of my mouth. “It's like an explosion of flavor.”
The two of them watched me with growing interest, but I ignored them and continued eating. Who cared if they stared? I liked food. Good food. And I've never tasted anything so good as the chicken before me. Maybe because it was the first real thing I'd eaten since waking up from my nap. Strangely enough, I hadn't been hungry after drinking Wynn's blood, a concept that still weirded me out.
“You seem in better spirits today, all things considering.” The caution in Darren's voice made me pause. Was he afraid I'd run screaming into the night?
I lifted a shoulder and dropped it, tucking into the roasted potatoes next. “I don't know what you expect really. As long as they keep their fangs to themselves and aren't killing anyone, it's not really any different than the rest of the weirdos out there.”
Gretchen laughed, a full belly laugh. Rubbing her eyes with the back if her hand, she bobbed her head. “I'm glad you feel that way. We've lost plenty of good maids because of the masters' peculiarities,” she drew out with a wink.
Darren snorted. “More like had to get rid of them. Either they were too terrified to stay, or they wanted to be one of them. I blame the media. Too many glittery vampires and angsty teenager books and movies. Takes the real fear out of what they should be wary of.” He gave me a pointed look.
I swallowed the potato in my mouth and picked up my glass of water. “Believe me, I'm wary, far more than you know.” My eyes brows rose, and my eyes rolled, remembering my few encounters with the masters. I'd have to be stupid not to keep in mind what they were or take the chance of turning into someone's chew toy.
“It's not just their teeth you have to be aware of,” Darren started but then clipped his mouth shut. He spun around in his chair and greeted Rayne as he walked into the kitchen. “Can I get you anything?”
How he knew Rayne was coming before he even appeared, I chalked up to having something to do with that blood bond keeping him young and healthy. However, the total disregard Rayne had for Darren pissed me off. The redhead moved into the kitchen, his eyes flickering to me for a millisecond, the heat in them scorching me to the bone. He stopped in front of the fridge and jerked the door open. Rayne stared in there for way longer than needed before grabbing his usual silver container.
The rest of us were quiet all the while, watching him and waiting to see if he would deem us worthy of his notice.
Gretchen smiled at him as he turned around and offered him a plate. “Would you like some chicken to go with your drink?”
Twisting the cap off, Rayne ignored her and met my gaze, leaning against the counter as he chugged the liquid.
Not wanting him to know he affected me, I returned his glare with a quirk of my lips and an arched brow. To my delight, his eyes narrowed, and he lowered the container, dark red dripping from the side of his mouth.
“You have some...” I pointed at the side of my mouth. “Right there.” Having a death wish, I picked up my napkin and threw it at him. His hand shot up and caught it in a tight grip, probably imagining my head was the napkin.
Wiping his mouth quickly, he slammed the container on the counter which made Gretchen jump, her brows furrowing and a deep frown on her lips. Darren stiffened beside me as Rayne stomped over to the island.
“Your hand.” He stared down at the hand I had thrown the napkin with, the one with the wrap around it even though I didn't need it.
The one he had broken.
“What about it?” I stabbed a potato and popped it into my mouth, the edges of my eyes crinkling.
Those amber eyes zeroed in on it, and before I could register it, he had moved. Rayne had my hand in his grasp and jerked me half way across the table, my plate getting shoved to the side.
“Hey, let go!”
Rayne ignored me and turned my hand this way and that as if it were some kind of medical wonder. “Why isn't it still broken?”
Gretchen made a small sound in between a gasp and a cry, her eyes darting to me. I shook my head as if to tell her I'd talk to her about it later. I didn't want her to get in trouble with the dick head, not because of me.
“Wynn took care of it, no thanks to you.” I jerked my hand out of his partially, surprised he let me, and sat back in my seat. My lips twisted into a grimace at the mess my shirt had turned into.
Rayne stare
d at me for a moment, not understanding what I meant until his brows shot to his hairline and he snarled. “He gave you his blood.”
It wasn't a question, so I didn't answer it, focusing on cleaning myself off the best I could.
When he appeared at my elbow, I didn't have the chance to argue. His hand clamped down on my arm and pulled me once again out of my seat, except this time, he practically dragged me across the kitchen and into the dining room where the other brothers sat at the table.
The room went deathly quiet. Rayne threw me forward, and if I hadn't been expecting him to be an ass, I'd have severely injured myself on the table's edge.
“Tell him what you did.” I thought Rayne was talking to me, but his eyes were on Wynn, not me.
I glanced up from where I laid halfway across the table, my hands curled over the edges of the wood. Antoine's pale eyes watched me with a bland expression, not giving away what he was thinking while the twins had matching amused grins. Marcus... well, who knew what Marcus was thinking half the time?
“I don't know what you are talking about.” Wynn swirled the dark liquid in his wine glass. This time it seemed to be actual wine and not blood. Guess the twins were telling the truth, they did eat other things.
Rayne growled behind me, but this time, I was ready for him. I ducked out of his grasp and moved away from him, shifting closer to where Wynn sat. “Don't touch me.”
Antoine's cultured voice rang out through the dining room, jerking Rayne's attention from me to his older brother. “What is the meaning of this?”
Snapping his teeth, Rayne threw a hand in my direction before crossing his arms over his chest. “Wynn gave her some of his blood.”
I felt more than saw the masters' eyes move to me. Wynn was the only one not looking at me, still staring at his glass a nonchalant kind of way.
“Wynn?” Antoine clipped, those eyes finally moving off me and onto his brother. “Is this true?”
Wynn sighed. “Yes. I did. Now if we're tattling,” Drake snickered at his brother’s words, “why don't you tell them why I had to give Piper my blood, little brother?”
Rayne froze.
I chewed on my lower lip, fidgeting in place. I wasn't sure why Wynn giving me his blood was a big deal, but I knew the fact that Rayne had hurt me wasn’t a good thing. Or at least I hoped so. Wynn had seemed to be on my side, but I didn't know the rest of them well enough to confidently say one way or the other if they cared if I were hurt.
“Rayne. I'm waiting.”
The redhead scoffed and turned his head away from Antoine's piercing gaze.
“Perhaps Miss Billings would be so kind as to illuminate to us what our dear brother has done? Did he hurt you?”
“Uh... not exactly.” I twisted my hands in front of me. I didn't really want to get into it. If I told them about how I broke my hand, then they'll want to know why and then Rayne would tell them about my dream.
Rayne still didn't answer his brother. Probably didn't want to get hit again. Not that I blamed him.
“Rayne, do not make me ask again. What happened?” Antoine laced his fingers in front of him on the table, his eyes locked onto us.
The redhead vampire clenched his jaw and bit out. “She broke her hand.”
“And how did she do that?” Wynn prompted, a hint of a smile on his lips.
Scowling at him, Rayne jerked his head to the side and muttered, “Punching my face.”
Drake and Allister busted out laughing, banging on the table hard enough to make me jump in place. Marcus even lowered his guard enough to show amusement in his eyes.
Antoine cocked a brow at me, a smile teasing his lips. “Miss Billings, what was Rayne doing to cause this need for violence?”
“Me?” Rayne snapped. “What makes you think I did anything?”
Antoine's eyes zeroed in onto Rayne. “One hundred and fifty years of experience.” His gaze softened as he moved his gaze back to me, gesturing with a hand for me to continue. “Miss Billings?”
I licked my lips, my eyes darting to Rayne who glowered at me and then to Wynn who gave me a small, encouraging incline of his head. “I was taking a nap and forgot to lock my door.” I paused at the hum that released from Antoine's throat. I could feel my face heating up as I fumbled through the rest of my explanation. “Uh...” I cleared my throat and shifted from side to side. “I... uh...”
“Just spit it out already,” Rayne griped. “I came onto her, and she punched me. That's it, okay?” He moved his eyes to Antoine and Wynn, then the rest of his brothers before nodding his head with a firm jerk. “Fine. It's over. Now you can't tell me that's worse than giving a complete stranger some of our blood?”
The question was for Antoine, and it wasn't taken lightly.
It was really a peculiar thing, how still he became. If I hadn't been looking at him, I wouldn't have even known he was there. His face looked like the granite Rayne's had felt like when I broke my hand. I did not envy whoever that look was for.
“While I don't approve of Rayne's actions, as deplorable as they are,” those liquid steel eyes zipped to Rayne who had the decency to duck his head in shame, “Miss Billings has only been part of this household for less than two weeks. Wynn, what made you think it would be acceptable to share something so important with someone who doesn't know our ways?”
Wynn lifted an elegant shoulder and then his lips curled up in a lopsided grin. “Perhaps I saw something in Piper worth the risk.”
“You think this is funny?” Rayne slammed his hands on the table. “Do you want another human leashed to us for eternity?”
For a moment, I wondered who Rayne was talking about, but the only one I could think of was Darren. Would I be like him now? My eyes widened, and I whipped around to gap at Wynn.
“That's not one of those side effects you were warning me about?”
However, it wasn't Wynn who answered but Drake. “Well, that depends.”
“On what?”
“How much of his blood did you drink?”
I lifted my fingers up making my thumb and forefinger the size of the vial about two inches.
“Barely a swallow.” Wynn waved his hand languidly.
Drake blew a long breath out, rolling his eyes. “Hardly worth the argument.”
I let out a sigh. Obviously, I wasn't in any threat of becoming immortal from the tiny amount I had, but still, I worried about the side effects. “What kind of things could happen?”
Allister tapped his fingers on the table. “Increased senses, including sensitivity to light.”
“Food tastes better,” Drake added.
Ah. That made sense. No wonder Darren and Gretchen looked at me like I was a psycho.
Antoine made a sound in his throat and for a second seemed uncomfortable with the conversation. “You may find yourself attracted to Wynn as well as having a generally heightened libido.”
I almost laughed out loud, like I could be any more into him than I already felt. If my naughty dreams lately were any indication of being a sex deprived deviant, I couldn't imagine it getting any worse.
Getting out of my own thoughts, I noticed the room had grown quiet. Tense. All eyes were on me.
My pulse flared, and I suddenly felt naked in the middle of a room full of hungry vampires. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to calm down. Chill out. They don't know what you're thinking if you don't let your body give it away.
Licking my lips, I laced my fingers behind my back and started to back out of the room. “If you don't need anything else, I'm just going to...”
“Miss Billings.”
Fuck.
“Yes, Master Durand?” I avoided his gaze at all costs staring hard at the hardwood floor.
“We're having another get together this next weekend.”
Fuck, another one? “I'll be sure to be more prepared this time.” Meaning I'd stay in my room with doors locked and crosses at the ready.
“Actually, we would like you to help Darren serve the
room if you think you're up for it.” My head jerked up and my eyes locked with Antoine's.
After a second, I picked my jaw up off the floor and nodded my head rapidly. “Yes, of course. I'd be happy to.”
Picking up his wine glass, he released my gaze to take a sip. I assumed that meant I was dismissed and took the chance to dash out of there.
Darren and Gretchen waited in the kitchen, not bothering to be stealthy about their eavesdropping.
Clasping my hands on my cheeks, I shook my head from side to side. “What the hell just happened?”
Chapter 24
Antoine
A burning rage filled me. It flowed through my blood as I clenched my jaw tight. I was the master of my own actions. I would not succumb to the violence within me.
“Do you think what you did was wise?” I bit out as Rayne sat down in his chair at the end of the table. “We are trying to gain her trust, not destroy it in a single instance.”
I couldn’t help the sharpness to my tone as my anger started to get out of control. Sucking in a breath, I steeled myself, finding the center of perfect balance. He was just a child playing at being a full-grown man, let alone a mature vampire.
Sometimes I wondered what our sire was thinking when he made this lot.
Actually, I knew what he had been thinking. Nothing. Like he did with all his creations. He simply found someone interesting or attractive and changed them, with or without their permission.
I’d learned that the hard way when he took me under his wing. Then I spent every day of my undead life fighting to get out from under it and run things my own way. Now that I finally had my own house, I wasn’t about to ruin it by letting my brothers in blood get out of control.
“She pisses me off.” Rayne pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.
I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, I couldn’t read minds. How was I to know what he’d been seeing inside that woman’s head? However, a point had to be made.