"i think niall worries more about that kind of thing than evan does." it was new to alanna, speculating on the type of master she had, but it seemed all right in this context, as long as she chose her words carefully. "evan's focus is different. being a master is part of his blood, almost an afterthought. so he doesn't pay much attention to it. it just is. the art . . . that's what drives him first and foremost."

chloe nodded. "yes, that's exactly it." slipping her hand around brendan's calf, she slid down farther against his body so she could lean her head against his knee. he stroked her head, his expression absorbed, quiet. familiar with the state of mind, she could tell he was taking in not only their conversation, but everything else happening. he was tuned in, ready to anticipate chloe's needs, but also easy, content with it. it was how she'd felt earlier in the evening, sated by both men, dozing in between them. she wondered if evan or niall experienced a contentment like that. she'd like to give that to them, but sometimes it was difficult to know what would bring a master ease.

"if you'd rather follow niall, go be with him and evan, that's fine." chloe touched her arm. "i can tell you want to."

"niall said i should wait here."

"i don't think they mind if you disobey a little. that's part of the fun, right?"

perhaps in the human world. but niall had particular reasons for wanting to keep her where he knew where she was. but there was no danger here, and evan knew where she was at all times. still, she waffled. she listened to the conversations, participating when invited to do so, but she had an increasing sense of needing to go to evan, needing to go now.

when she rose at last, her mind made up, brendan squeezed chloe's shoulder, rose as well. "i'll go with you, make sure you find them."

safely hung in the air. it seemed absurd, since tyler's staff were everywhere, and they were in a rural environment well off the main roads, but her uneasy feeling was growing. perhaps brendan had picked up on it. she thought about speaking directly to evan in her mind, but he was in a meeting. there was no concrete evidence that she should disrupt him.

"thank you. i'm sure that's unnecessary, but . . ."

"not at all." exchanging a look with chloe that showed the couple were in agreement on it, he offered his arm to alanna. as he guided her away from their group, he put a warm hand over hers in the crook of his elbow. "i recognize when a master has a specific concern with respect to his property. niall had that concern."

niall had said he wasn't her master, but her mind wasn't concerned with correcting semantics. as brendan skirted past the pool house, and took the winding path by the river that led up to the west gardens, her heart started to beat more rapidly, her pulse rate increasing.

she stopped, scanning the darkness. "we need to go back toward the pool house, brendan," she said, low. "please. right now. but . . . don't look like you're hurrying."

nodding, he took a more secure hold of her hand, his other one moving to her waist, altering their direction but maintaining a casual pace, taking them toward where the swimmers were. "who is it?" he murmured.

"i'm not sure, but . . . it's best to be where more people are."

"i'll let tyler know once we get-"

"no." she caught hold of his arm, squeezed hard enough to earn a startled glance from those vivid hazel eyes. "it doesn't concern tyler or . . . any of you. i'm seeing shadows. i'm on some medication that makes me a little more . . . nervous. it's nothing. i just need to find evan."

sub or not, this male had a broad protective streak, just as chloe had intimated. it was obvious from his expression he didn't believe her. he was going to let tyler know, putting all the human guests, including himself, at risk.

evan? master, forgive my interruption, but there is a vampire close by. it's not stephen. he's detected your presence and is investigating. i don't know how bold he will become.

most vampires avoided human gatherings like this, but the very fact that a vampire not normally part of this territory had been detected had brought him closer. he also might call a few other vampires to help him investigate. like niall, she knew there were vampires far less civilized about council directives on territory crossings.

understood. stay where you are. i'm coming.

she realized then brendan had slipped away from her. he was a few yards away, talking to tyler, who'd come out of the pool house. damn it. though the men's backs were to her, tyler's posture changed to one she recognized very well, a male preparing to defend his territory and what was his within it. why couldn't she have acted less concerned, so as not to tip brendan off? she was so rarely around humans uninitiated into this world, she had no skills in that regard.

tyler might be a dangerous human to cross, but he'd have no chance against a vampire. chloe would be widowed before she finished her honeymoon, tyler torn apart. she imagined marguerite standing over his body, that austere demeanor forever shattered. no matter her strength as a mistress, the unique submission marguerite gave tyler suggested he was her foundation, the strength that helped her with everything else.

inhserv training had always been that for alanna. her fail-safe. she realized it was also what could save their lives now.

master, the men are thinking of confronting the vampire. i will stall him, but they must be dissuaded or they will come to harm.

alanna, no. stay with tyler and brendan. that's a command.

please protect them, master. i know i will be all right.

18

she slipped away into the darkness, hoping tyler and brendan would assume she'd gone to find evan. she had to walk carefully in the stilettos toward the forest edge. she wished she could remove them, but even without the locks on them, she knew it was better to remain in the full trappings of a submissive. when the feeling was too strong to be anything else but close proximity to the vampire, she made a formal curtsy that became a full kneel.

"sir, are you here to speak to my master?"

she waited, head bowed. even though she heard nothing, she knew when he was there, standing before her. his hiking shoes were crusted with marsh mud. did he live in one of the secluded cabins out in the marshlands, taking his blood from boating tourists?

alanna.

evan's tense voice in her head was welcome, even as she registered his vast displeasure with her decision.

"who is your master, fair one?"

the voice was even and reasonable, but she wasn't fooled. she kept her eyes lowered, her posture open in all ways. "evan miller, sir. he travels throughout all territories freely with the sponsorship of lord uthe of the vampire council."

"that does not excuse him from coming to the overlord for a token marking before traveling through his territory. i don't scent lord richard's marking on him."

"yes, sir. lord richard was appointed by lady lyssa. lady lyssa has sanctioned my master's travel as well."

a hand with long, sharp nails closed over her throat, lifting her to her feet. raising her gaze, she saw the vampire holding her had snarled dark hair and a red bloodlust coloring his eyes. he was hunting, had not yet fed. that meant he had no servant. that, combined with his remote location and rough, feral appearance, told her he was a traditionalist. her blood ran cold.

the trads were a more radical splinter of the vampire world, though there was a certain romanticized regard for them, like the human view of pirates or jesse james. many vampires, while enjoying the comforts the human world provided, respected the trads' purity of intent, their commitment to viewing humans only as prey, no more willing to live in their world than humans were to dwell in a field of cows.

considering they were a sect of the vampire world who kept human kills only to the level that would escape council attention, she'd been correct to draw him away from the humans. killing brendan or tyler would be no more to him than snapping off a branch. if called to task for it by council, he would assert he was protecting the secret of vampire existence from the unmarked human world. easy to substantiate, since he made no attempt to disguise what he was.

"why does your master insult me, sending a servant to explain his presence? he needs a reminder that powerful friends do not excuse him from courtesy to his superiors."

"i can assure you, sir, my master meant you no insult. he has to excuse himself from the humans' presence without causing curiosity. he was protecting your privacy. he says"-she kept her voice steady while telling the lie-"you may sate your hunger upon me, to appease any unintended offense. you may do with me as you wish."

"that is true, regardless of his will." his grip eased, though he didn't release her. stroking a long-nailed hand over her breast, he sniffed her throat. his breath smelled of stale blood, for trads shunned what they considered human hygiene. she thought of niall making out a grocery list that first day, patiently explaining to evan that "henry's out of aquafresh. you'll have tae put on your big-boy knickers and make do with colgate."

the comfort of the memory vanished as the vampire's touch dropped. his jagged nail caught the edge of the thong, dipped beneath to scrape her clit roughly. when she stole a quick glance at him from beneath her lashes, he was emotionless. it sent a chill up her spine.

"you are lovely. quite . . . cultured. why are you with a master below your station, inhserv?"

damn it, he'd recognized the inhserv tattoo. "i serve at the council's choosing, sir. rank is unimportant. only service matters."

"i've no patience for a servant. i couldn't tolerate even that much of a human around me. but one trained from birth to serve is . . . intriguing. taking you from your master will teach him a needed lesson."

when he closed his hand on her shoulder, his grip made her collarbone protest. he could break it, but he was giving her a direction, pressing her knees deeper into the ground. "you'll suck me off with those pretty cultured lips while i feed from your wrist. once your master arrives, we'll settle the issue. you might last a few hours in my service, but it will be memorable. a true test of your training."