Niall did, throat working, and Evan touched it with lingering fingers. “You did beautifully.”

All servants learned that hazy place of patient endurance, where the body was malleable to almost anything. Niall had acquired it from diligent practice, not natural instinct, which made his threshold all the more amazing. Curving his fingers around his nape, Evan brought his lips to the man’s mouth for a heated kiss, playing with his tongue. When Niall groaned against the bite of that cock ring, Evan gave him a prick of his fangs. Niall let out a soft curse as blood bloomed on his gum. Blood Evan teased away with his tongue.

“I’m going to have a willing sub lubricate your fine ass,” Evan murmured against his mouth. “Then I’ll put your kilt back on you. When I finally release you from this cross, I’m going to put you down on the ground, push your kilt up to your waist like a girl’s skirt and take you hard and fast. You’ll spend yourself in the grass.”

You’re spoiling for a fight, then.

One you know I’ll win.

He would of course, but Niall would give the audience quite a show with his resistance, no matter how tired he was. After so many years, the Scot never stopped trying. It fascinated Evan.

That dragon gleaming on Niall’s abraded flesh would always be there because of Evan’s blood. He abandoned the banter, clasping Niall’s beautiful cock hard.

You’re mine, neshama. Every beautiful inch of you.

Through Niall’s eyes, Evan could see Alanna staring at that dragon as he finished the story. She’d been tracing it with more ice, but at some point, her hand had stilled. The two fingers holding the cube were stationary, but her other digits were doing curious little flutters around it. An involuntary tell, a burning desire to touch without the ice’s interference. Niall’s hand covered hers, brought it to his mouth. Taking the nearly melted ice cube into it, as well as her two cold fingers, he warmed them in the heat, pulling her over his chest so she was lying upon him. He cupped her head, fingers tangling in her hair, thumb passing over her mouth.

Her gaze darkened. Desire radiated from her. If she’d been wearing panties, they would have been soaked. As it was, her honey had made her inner thighs slippery. Her hard nipples pressed against Niall’s chest, but there was a dark gloom in the center of her mind, a place of uncertainty.

Evan held back the knowledge, not wanting to interrupt Niall’s forward progress. The Scot had excellent intuition. He didn’t kiss her . . . smart man. Instead he slid his other hand under her T-shirt in the back, released the clasp of the bra. She was still as a baby bird in his hands, staring at him, breath shallow.

He found her breast under the loosened undergarment, cupped the soft curve. As he let out a pleased sound, he investigated the weight and shape of her, his thumb passing over the nipple in a slow, easy stroke. Then a quick flick that made her jump, a tiny noise catching in her tight throat.

“Easy there, lass.” Sliding the hand back down her waist, he palmed her ass, and maneuvered her so her thighs were straddling one of his, her hip bone pressing into his cock. “Sit up and take the bra all the way off. Show me the way you look beneath the T-shirt without it.”

Good man. He’d commanded her. She complied, still moving in that trancelike way. Evan, lying in his bed beneath the earth, was tempted to order them to come below, but anticipating her reactions was worth denying himself. She was incredibly beautiful—Aphrodite-like in her perfection. The round set of her breasts, the nipples pushing against the cloth, made it impossible for them to be meant for anything other than a reverent yet demanding touch. Niall gave her that now, pushing them together, flicking both nipples through the cotton such that she arched toward him, her eyes closing. He brought her up his body, put his mouth on one over the shirt, dampening the cloth by suckling her. The noise of it, as well as the sensation itself, stimulated her more.

Yet that darkness was expanding. Evan saw the moment it took over and she switched gears. The part of her mind he most wanted engaged pulled away.

I am responding for Master’s pleasure. This is not for me, or for Niall.

Straightening to a full straddle, she removed the shirt, her hair sliding over her cream skin. She was well aware of her beauty, but not in the sense of owning it. It belonged to Evan, as it had belonged to Stephen before him. She was its caretaker, softening her skin with those fragrant lotions they’d both detected and enjoyed. Her hair was brushed often and well, treated with products to keep it to a lustrous shine. Everything about her said she was a polished gem, intended to be displayed as part of the wealth of a vampire Master.

She met Niall’s gaze before she swept her own down. “How may I please our Master with you, Niall?”

Niall caught both her hands. “Where did you go, lass?”

Her brow creased. “I don’t understand.”

“You were here, with me. And now you’ve taken your heart and soul away, only leaving your body.”

“If it is my Master’s wish for me to be more . . . emotionally engaged, then I will do so.”

“You’ll act like it, you mean.”

“No. My emotions are my Master’s to command. If he desires enthusiasm, or tears, or passion, then I provide that.”

Christ, Evan. She doesnae know the difference.

Evan considered the issue. Let her go, Niall. Tell her I have no further need of her today. Do not allow her to help you with anything. Let’s see what she does with that.

Niall’s reply to that was a continuation of last night’s what’s the point of all this disagreement. But Niall hadn’t liked where that argument had gone, and neither had Evan. So he was relieved when Niall suppressed it. Somewhat.

Fine.

Is that a woman’s “fine”? Meaning “not fine,” but you’ll do it, despite the fact that you think I’m wrong and you plan to brood about it? Or is it a man’s “fine”? Which, by the way, men don’t often use the word in either manner. It’s “okay,” “right,” or “piss on you.”

Piss on ye, then. That works.

Evan smiled tightly. Yes, it does. For now.

9

ALANNA was bewildered. Niall had retrieved her T-shirt and bra, pressed them into her hands as he set her aside. He’d told her he had some other things to do up the mountain, and that she was to spend the day as she liked.

She found him putting together a backpack in the kitchen. “I don’t understand. What should I do?”

Niall shrugged. “Ye have the books you bought. I’ll show you some easily marked trails that’ll take ye to pretty overlooks, but dinnae wander off them looking for plants or you’ll be lost. There’s plenty of food to make yourself something for lunch. I’ll nae be returning until early dinner.”

She trailed after him as he moved around the small cabin. When she would have helped him pack a sandwich or put water bottles in his pack, he firmly shouldered her aside. “I’ve been caring for myself for a while now,” he said. “No need for a woman’s help.”

“I wasn’t . . . I didn’t intend an insult.” She shouldn’t be hurt that he set her aside now, or even earlier. Perhaps the vampire had decided to sample her directly. But she didn’t like how this felt.

“I didnae take it as one. We do for ourselves, and when Evan has nothing for me, I pursue my own interests. You need to do the same. There’s no threat to him here, so no worries about leaving him on his own. He can call us if he needs us. Go exploring, read a book, bake yourself a cake and eat the whole thing yourself.” He flashed her a grin. “Soften up that pretty arse.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I am soft in all the proper ways.”

“A woman’s arse cannae ever be too soft. Makes it much nicer when skelping it. Or other activities.” Niall winked at her, shouldered the pack.

“I could help you do . . . whatever you’re doing.” She tried to keep the desperation from her voice.

“No. I’m checking some places Evan wants tae visit. I’ll be moving fast, so I can cover them by dusk. You can’t keep up. Enjoy your day, lass.”

Going to the doorway, she watched him take one of the deer trails, his long strides removing him from sight in a blink. The mountain view stretched out before her, magnificently indifferent to her dilemma. There was birdsong and insect life, a breeze, but also a complete stillness, an underlying lack of noise and activity she’d never experienced in her city life.

She sat down on the log bench, crossing her arms over her breasts. The contact immediately made her think of Niall touching her, two sets of eyes on her through his vivid gaze. She’d nearly lost herself in it, until she recalled her duty to be focused on their pleasure and desire. A moment later, things had changed. Cupping her breasts as Niall had, she closed her eyes, remembering his fingers rubbing over the nipples. She almost did it herself, but pulled herself up short. Self-pleasuring was forbidden.

It didn’t matter anyway. Her much smaller hands didn’t feel like his. The heat and solidity of him beneath her was missing, the pressure of his aroused cock between her thighs.

She rose, surveyed the yard. “No need for a woman’s help,” she mimicked. Well, he hadn’t turned down her breakfast, had he? She could cook up some more things, but making too much food would be wasteful. The cabin was clean and well-ordered, and of course the small outside area was well tended.

What do you want? Need? What can I do? Wandering back into the cabin, she moved to the trapdoor, squatted and laid her hand there. The vampires she knew didn’t sleep with their servants, and she supposed Evan was no different. She imagined him sleeping, though, wondered if he slept on his side or stomach. Niall sprawled out like a lazy bear, unafraid of anything. The few times she had to come into Stephen’s chamber during his sleep she found he kept his back to the wall, arms drawn up close as if protecting himself from attack.

She had an odd desire to simply lay down on the trapdoor, curl up there to be as close to her Master as was allowed. Like a pet shut out of the bedroom, knowing her proper place was at her Master’s feet, on his bed, where she could be near if he needed her. It was pathetic, she knew it was, but they hadn’t given her any boundaries, tasks, rules.