We’ll find out. And see who’s still standing when it’s all over.

  Comforting. To those who have a chance of surviving his wrath.

  Feeling fainthearted, Jacob? My servant usually has a foolish overabundance of courage.

  Pot calling the kettle black, my lady.

  As the Council and Lord Brian were seated, Lyssa touched her knife to her glass, the chime drawing their attention. She waited as they al stil ed, letting the significance of the moment sink in. “Each of you was chosen for this Council,” she said. “And that choice was made because it was believed—I think rightly—that you have the skil s and strength to protect our kind and make us better and stronger as a race. What has happened in the past is past, useful only for how it takes us into the future. What is not useful we discard and leave behind.” She met Belizar’s gaze. After another long moment, the Russian vampire lifted his glass, inclined his head. The look they exchanged reminded Jacob of what had transpired between them earlier, after the fight. From the other Council members, she’d taken the sire’s marking from the wrist, a functional exchange. But when she visited Belizar, in the room they’d intended for her, it had gone a little differently.

  The first thing she’d noticed was that the bed was too short for his large frame. She’d looked toward Vincent, standing next to it.

  “Vincent, there is a staff member outside the door.

  Please tel her to prepare accommodations more appropriate and comfortable for your Master. Jacob, please help him.”

  She wanted a little space around the bed, but more than that, Vincent looked like he needed help walking. Though the removal of the steel spike had al owed his spine to heal, Vincent was stil deathly pale. His vampire Master understandably needed to replenish first, and of course no vampire would al ow his servant to drink from another vampire because of the mind connection that might be established by accident or diabolical intent. So Vincent would wait for blood while Belizar’s strength built from the three donors who’d already visited and fed him.

  Jacob figured only his loyalty was keeping Vincent on his feet and wondered why Belizar hadn’t ordered the male to sit the hel down. Though in al fairness, the Council head looked as if he’d been poleaxed on a lot of levels today, and didn’t have any attention to spare beyond that.

  “I wil understand if your Mistress deems I should be executed for my part in today’s events,” the servant said as they approached the door. He spoke in a hushed murmur, but with great formality, giving Jacob a stiff bow. “However, while I have not been his ful servant very long, I humbly ask that she wait until my Master is at ful strength so the disruption of our link does not add to his current weakness.” Lyssa hadn’t spoken on this issue, but Jacob easily knew her mind on it. “We’re expected to serve our Master and Mistress before any other,” he returned. “You did what you were supposed to do. In your shoes, I would have done exactly the same. My lady has differences with Lord Belizar, but she wants him to remain on Council. She won’t be depriving him of a loyal servant.” Then, since both their vampires were occupied, Jacob added in a low tone, “We’re the one soul in their psychotic world they can trust, right?”

  Vincent’s gaze snapped up to Jacob. He cleared his throat. “Yes, sir. I expect you’re correct about that.

  Thank you. And if there’s anything you need to help understand the workings of the castle staff, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  It was the first time Jacob realized he was considered head honcho on the servant food chain now. A scary thought. When he returned to Lyssa, he stayed at a respectful distance, though he could hear the conversation.

  “You likely should have finished it, you know,” Belizar observed gruffly. “Show no mercy to an enemy.”

  “I think I made my point. And Barbra is far less useful to us than you.” Lyssa laid a hand on his thigh, a possessive, relaxed movement. “You’re stubborn, bigoted, inflexible. You’l be an aggravation to me, sure enough. But a great many of our born vampires are exactly like you. I have enough of those qualities myself to recognize I need that voice represented on the Council as wel . During changing times, you don’t do so wel in charge. But you’l be of great value as a Council member. Don’t worry. I’l make sure you don’t become a detriment again.”

  He gave a half chuckle at that, though his eyes were studied, measuring. It was enough to have Jacob stay on the alert, but he sensed the same level of watchfulness in his lady. She knew the animal she was dealing with.

  “I would sit up,” he said. “It feels . . . inappropriate for you to have to lean down, my lady.” She helped him, adjusting the pil ows behind his head in a way that had her leaning forward, her breasts close to his face, body in intimate proximity to him. It was a vulnerable pose, but Jacob expected it was deliberate. She’d defeated him soundly. Now she was proving she would trust him, if he proved himself worthy of trust.

  Belizar’s gaze flickered upward as she sat back.

  “You remember that night Rex, you and I were holed up in that sewer in Italy? We were taking back the Florence territory from Pietro and his fanged thugs.”

  “We weren’t taking it back that night,” she said dryly. “You were nearly decapitated, and Rex lost so much blood I was afraid the trail he left would betray us.”

  “Yet you wouldn’t abandon either of us. It was then I realized you were different from other vampires.

  You seduced a young woman, brought her to Rex and me to feed upon. When she lost consciousness, I remember you lifting her in your arms, tender as your own child, and carrying her up top to a safe place, back to her family home. When you came back, you knelt by Rex, stroked his brow, then came to me. I was wearing that fake beard to look like my countrymen. You tugged on it to tease me, even as I could see the strain in your eyes, the determination.” Belizar coughed, shifted. “The set of your delicate chin told me that before daylight, you would take Pietro down. And you did. Tore him to pieces, scared his thugs into a running retreat with your ferocity. And yet . . . you stroked my beard. You have always been a puzzle to me, Lady Lyssa. Perhaps that is why I often forget why you are a queen.”

  “I trust it wil be a while before you forget again,” she said lightly.

  “That is so.” He turned his head, closed his eyes.

  “Make your sire’s mark. I am yours, to do with as you wil .”

  Leaning forward now, she laid one hand on his abdomen, the other on his throat, fingers slim and petite compared to the massive bul neck. When she placed her mouth on his carotid, she tilted his head up. The way she did it to Jacob, increasing the sense of vulnerability and jolt of sexual awareness at once.

  This was his least favorite side of her, this ability to draw men into the sexual miasma that swirled around her like a djinn’s magic. It always made him want to pin her up against a wal and fuck her brains out to remind her of his presence.

  I am always aware of you, Sir Vagabond. And

  how you react to this, the fierceness of your want in my mind, makes me wet.

  Yeah, it might be his least favorite, but it was nowhere near her least irresistible side. She sank her fangs into Belizar’s throat as his fingers curled against the bed covers. His involuntary response was obvious beneath the bedcovers, because he was a wel -endowed male. When her fingers stroked his abdomen, he gave a slight jerk, registering the burn of the mark that would make his mind open to her whenever she wished it to be.

  Tension was in his face, in every line of his body, for vampires did not open their minds to other vampires wil ingly, particularly one Belizar’s age.

  There might not be another vampire alive who had the access to his mind she’d just taken.

  She gave him a thought to test that link, sharing it with Jacob. I will tell Brian to look into ways to give male vampires facial hair again. I’d like to see you with a beard, old warhorse.

  As she drew back, Belizar turned his head to look at her, his eyes faintly crimson, revealing the effort it had taken him to submit for her marking. Her hand closed on his forearm. “If you wil learn to trust me again, Belizar, as you trusted me that day in the sewer, one day this moment wil not be such a painful memory.”

  Glancing down then, a smile playing on her lips, she stroked high on his thigh, perilously close to the engorged appendage. “It looks like you might have need of Vincent. But give him blood first. He looks a little unsteady. He did his best to protect you, my lord. Though he lacks Malachi’s battle skil s, he is a good servant.”

  Belizar grunted at that, though the shadow that passed through his eyes said he stil missed the servant who’d been kil ed at the Council Gathering not too long ago.

  Rising, Lyssa moved to Jacob. She placed her hand on his arm, giving him her mesmerizing expression long enough to stroke his nerves before she slipped out, expecting him to fol ow. He did, conscious of Belizar’s eyes fol owing them both.

  So here they were at dinner, with Belizar answering her toast and the other dinner guests fol owing suit.

  As the first course was served, Jacob monitored the movement of staff in and out of the room, ensuring everyone was doing their job and the vampires’

  needs were being met. He caught Gideon making faces at him a couple of times, his brother mocking him acting the proper majordomo. Jacob resisted the urge to send a rude gesture his way. He’d pound him in a sparring match later.

  The Council servants were doing what servants did, measuring one another, knowing they might be on far closer terms later in the evening. Gideon, Jessica and he received the most attention, since they were the newest variables. Though Jacob knew some of them in passing, there was one very welcome and familiar face: Debra, Lord Brian’s servant. He’d sent her a warm nod when she took her place behind Brian’s chair. As usual, she looked too serious and thin, but she’d worn a blue evening gown tonight that accentuated her breasts and line of hip, her hair loose on her bare shoulders. An easier look to her eyes suggested her Master was taking the time to appreciate something other than her lab skil s these days. If not, he was a fucking wanker.

  He was sure the Aussie derogative had been influenced by his earlier cal to Dev. Dev’s response to the news of Lady Daniela’s promotion had been typical y laconic.

  “That’s going to send her into a blue, for sure. It’s near sheep shearing time.”

  Comparing the formality of this evening to Danny and Dev doing sheep shearing, imagining them sitting out on the station porch afterward to watch the starlight and share a cuppa, was the difference between the sun and moon. Lyssa had chosen wel .

  Daniela’s

  no-nonsense

  and

  straightforward

  personality would be a good element for the Council.

  Jacob shifted his gaze to his lady. She was alert and engaged with everyone at the table, missing nothing, not the slightest nuance in conversation or facial expression. In some ways, it was a new side of her for him as wel . When he’d met her, she’d been exhausted by everything about the vampire world.

  Even after the Delilah virus incident, she’d had bouts with that lack of interest and weariness. However, since her vampire powers had been restored, he’d felt that renewed resolve within her. If the turning had somehow contributed to this revitalized queen, he’d never regret the loss of his vampire strengths again.

  Kane hit his legs like a little cannonbal . Helga had been bouncing him on her lap, making comical voices and faces for him. While Kane had been vastly entertained by the unexpected side to the austere woman, once she put him down, he’d made a beeline for his father. Now the toddler clung to his slacks, swaying on his stil unsteady legs, and beamed up at him. “Da . . .”

  Jacob picked him up, settled him on his hip, and gave him a warm smile. “What’re you doing, troublemaker?”

  “Da-da-da-da . . .” He fingered the lapel of Jacob’s jacket, his feet kicking his waist. There was a suspicious stain at his mouth, chocolate that Helga had snuck him. He gave Lyssa a glance, and she rol ed her eyes indulgently. She’d pushed her chair back to see them, so he lowered their son into her lap. Kane kept hold of them both, rocking on Lyssa’s thighs, obviously delighted to have both of their undivided attention.

  It felt good to Jacob as wel . Then the toddler spotted the chocolate truffle at the edge of Lyssa’s plate and went for it like a striking snake. Jacob, anticipating the move, caught his wrist, gave it a little shake, drawing those green eyes up to his face. “No, sir. That’s your mother’s. And it’s bad for you.” Kane’s lips settled into a pout. Jacob knew the wheels turning in that smal mind, enough that he had to work not to let a grin escape past his stern expression. “Don’t think I won’t smack your ass here in front of al of them. Behave.”

  Since Jacob had been vampire ever since Kane’s birth, dealing with him as a human servant hadn’t been an issue. But it didn’t change anything. Even when Kane could outrun him and toss him like a footbal , or rip his throat out, he wasn’t going to be less of a parent. And it was a father’s job to teach his son respect.

  Kane subsided, recognizing he’d lost. Proving it, he instantly returned to smiling and chuckling at his mother. Straightening, Jacob stepped back to his place at the wal . He discovered a momentary silence had settled over the table, Council vampires and servants alike now staring at them in visible shock. And a lot of that attention appeared to be upon him.

  He hadn’t real y talked about it with his lady, thinking he knew her mind on it, but now he was forcibly reminded that most servants didn’t take on an active parent role. Particularly not in front of a vampire gathering like this.

  Well, they’d better get used to it. Lyssa didn’t look at him, but he felt the warmth in the declaration, her answer to the unasked question. It eased the coil of tension in his gut.

  Lord Brian cleared his throat. “My lady, this seems an excel ent time to offer the preliminary findings I discussed with you earlier. If you agree.”

  “I do.” When Kane wriggled, wanting down, she let him toddle around to his next target, the somber Uthe. The Council member’s eyes lit with a smile as he let Kane examine his cufflink, then clamber onto his knee to examine the Templar pendant he always wore. Mariela made a face at the child when Kane peered over his broad shoulder. Kane’s eyes got wide, then his mouth creased in a smile.

  Fearless. Jacob hoped he would always be. Do you want me to ask Lord Daegan to take him to bed, my lady?

  No. We’ll wait until after Lord Brian’s discussion, as long as he doesn’t get overly fussy. I think it could serve a strategic purpose, having him here for this.

  Brian rose, nodding to the assembled. “It’s a good night to have this discussion, since we have had a . .

  . perspective shift today. With respect”—he bowed toward Lord Belizar—“I think that shift wil be necessary to comprehend the significance of this report, and embrace what it suggests.” Translation—before the coup earlier in the day, Jacob suspected Brian had prepared a report with much more careful wording. It was evident in the easier set of his shoulders, the eagerness in his eyes, now unhampered by concerns about sharp repercussions.

  “As you know, one of the most important areas of my research is the low reproduction rate for born vampires. In the past couple centuries, it has dwindled to an alarming rate. At times, this led to various decisions to permit more made vampires, who come with their own problems. With no prejudices intended toward the made vampires who have proven themselves able to overcome these issues, born vampires are more stable, stronger physical stock for our race, and so their continued existence and births are essential for the overal future of our species.”

  His gaze strayed briefly to Kane as the child appeared at his knee, now trying that high wattage smile on the scientist. Lord Brian gave him a tender look, brushing his hair back from his forehead. When Jacob made a quiet noise that brought the boy back to him, he picked him up, settled him on his hip again.

  As he did, he noted Gideon had moved a step closer to Anwyn’s chair. Daegan had his arm stretched across the back of it, casual enough, but an obvious reinforcement. Anwyn’s expression was fixed and polite, but of course she was the only made vampire present—the other one having been kil ed by Lyssa earlier in the day. The fact Anwyn stil wrestled with unstable blood from her sire made the words

  more

  applicable

  than

  comfortable.

  Fortunately, the scientist moved away from the delicate topic.

  “Cultures with strong magical versus scientific paradigms, such as the Druids, believed that spiritualism was intimately tied to the practical way life was lived. The outcomes of crop production, fertility, et cetera, were al affected by magical forces or the relationship with the gods. These days, some might cal it karma. Whatever name or cause we give it, there does seem to be a correlation between the way we live our lives, and the consequences of those choices, with the expected exceptions. It is even possible that, since we are a very smal race, the spiritual forces in our lives are that much stronger to help us survive as a people, to shove us in the right direction, so to speak.

  “This is a very odd way to present scientific findings, Lord Brian,” Helga noted. “Particularly for you.”

  He nodded. “If you’l bear with me, my lady, my point wil be made clear shortly. So many times, bad outcomes with respect to crops and harsh winters were pinned on individuals, usual y community outsiders easy to blame. It is far easier to do that than to consider such difficulties as the result of the way our lives are being lived. Or even considering it a test of Fate, building our strength, helping our adaptability as time goes on.”

  He nodded toward Helga. “I am perhaps unique from others in my field in that I consider an amalgamation of esoteric factors along with the concrete ones, when the concrete ones reach their limit. When that occurs, testing variables becomes more chal enging, but I test al that are available and review experiential data. Let me give you an example.”