While she was sleeping, he’d spent time on this. Vampires did not go out of their way for their servants. Any servant that expected them to do so didn’t deserve the honor of being a servant. But this made her feel warm, good. And somehow her reaction seemed to feed his. It pleased Evan and Niall both to see her . . . happy.
The revelation was so far outside her milieu, she couldn’t take it any further than that, so she decided it was time to work on those cookies. While she waited on them to bake, she put together a short grocery list for the next time they went down the mountain, planning a few meals ahead.
It was somewhat pleasant, being in charge of a kitchen. She wondered if Niall would let her take the Rover down and do the shopping herself. She remembered the route and felt sure she could handle the vehicle. Then she recalled the reason she was supposed to remain close to them. It startled her that she’d forgotten. Her fetal-curled subconscious never let her forget what shadow loomed over her fate. Apparently, cocooned by the memories of last night, the two men curled around her, she’d been given a respite.
Was that another reason Evan had given her such an extensive to-do list? As Niall had said, most of the time Evan did for himself. Had he realized having too much idle time could make her feel like a victim on a chopping block, waiting for the fall of the axe?
Once again, vampires didn’t make such effort for servants. Except maybe one of them did. A vampire who not only provided her such a list, but illustrated it with cartoon characters of bears to make her smile.
She looked through his basket of unopened mail, tossed there by Niall when they’d brought it up from the mountain post office, which also happened to be Henry’s store. Finding a case knife to use as a letter opener, she went to work on Evan’s correspondence. Most were notices of automatic check deposits from a New York gallery, probably the art dealer Niall had mentioned. The surprisingly large amounts were signed in a bold hand by Marcus Stanton, a handwriting she matched to the Post-it note stuck on the latest one.
Cell phones were invented a decade ago. Heard of them? Use smoke signals, Morse Code or a damn medium, but send me info about next project. Have buyer on line, but wants to know what he’s buying. Such pesky details will keep you solvent! And—much more important—keep me in fucking Gucci.
She put that on top of the pile for Evan to see first, though the tone of exasperated affection in the note suggested it was a routine nudge. At the bottom of the basket, she discovered a wedding invitation that had been opened some time ago. Since she wasn’t sure if he’d responded to the RSVP, she added it to the top as well. She couldn’t imagine he planned to attend, but all his correspondence suggested he had far more human interaction than vampires she knew.
Seeing it was seven o’clock, she stopped to put together dinner. While she’d slept, Niall had added a pair of rabbits to the refrigerator. She appreciated that he’d already turned them into meat, not sure if she could handle soft fur and dead staring eyes. Finding a recipe that cooked the flesh in apple cider, she coated the parts in flour and got started. The recipe included a side dressing of apples and potatoes, as well as a cornstarch and spice gravy for the meat.
It was past dark when she finished, so she was listening for Evan’s footsteps, but he reached out to her with his mind first. I’m going to join Niall at the location he’s found. Pack up dinner and I’ll take it to him. It’s a bit remote, so I want you to stay here for now. And I want my cookie.
She was a little disappointed not to be going, but feeling that she was part of the household, rather than something they had to make plans around, helped soothe the feeling. That, and his amusing request for the cookie. She also put a bit of the rabbit dish in a separate container for him to sample. When he came up, he was in a hurry. He hadn’t even buttoned his shirt, had simply raked his fingers through his hair. Hatefully male, he merely looked sexier, reminding her of being in bed with him the previous night. He must have gotten caught up in something downstairs once he woke, and lost track of the time. Respecting his urgency, she gave him the container and managed a smile as he nodded absently, taking it from her and heading for the door.
She suppressed a sigh and turned to face the kitchen and the stack of dirty dishes there. She’d make herself a plate of the stew and eat at the counter, then start cleanup.
“Ah—” She let out a little gasp as Evan turned her toward him. She hadn’t even heard him return. His expression was still distracted, so she expected he’d forgotten something, but then he had her hauled up against his body and was kissing her with heat and need. He pushed her up against the counter so her legs locked around his hips. His fingers dove into her hair, freeing the clip and filling his palms with her tresses as he rubbed himself against her, earning a gasp from her lips against his.
“Behave,” he told her with a feral smile, and then he was gone. She had her feet on the ground but was holding on to the sink, the whole world tilting on its axis.
It took several heart-thumping moments to realize she had a smile on her face, her lips still tingling from the corners to the soft, fleshy center. It took her five whole minutes to pull together her distracted thoughts, during which time she gave serious thought to adding an intense masturbation session to her two-hour “task.”
Keep imagining that, yekirati. I will plague Niall with that vision, so that when we return to you, he will be like a bear tormented by the scent of fresh meat. Leave the actual pleasuring of your body for us. We are in a selfish mood.
She’d never heard happier news.
She returned to the slides. Since there were thousands, it was not a one-day task, but she made steady progress. Around one in the morning, she heard her Master’s voice in her head, a teasing, liquid sensation, much like the aftermath of that kiss.
Don’t forget your highest priority, Alanna. You do not wish to disappoint me.
No, Master. She tried to dispel her automatic reluctance to it. She’d approach it like any other assigned task, considering herself a third party her Master had asked her to entertain. That would work. But how was she going to entertain herself? Sighing, she rose from the table and stretched.
Sir, I’m making a sandwich for myself. Do you or Niall require anything?
Nothing for me. He sounded distracted now. Niall’s always hungry. We’re close now. Northwest, about a quarter mile. Take the trail behind the well.
Elation filled her. Making several sandwiches for Niall, she included chips, cookies and soda in a basket. She decided to bring the romance with her, as well as the plant book. Comparing the pictures to find edible plants was something she’d enjoy, so it would be useful to her two-hour task quota as well as her cooking. Women did multitask, after all.
They also rationalize.
She jumped at Evan’s reproof, but she picked up a warm chuckle. That’s fine, Alanna. As long as you are sincerely trying. I expect you to do a little better each day, though.
Yes, sir.
He’d given her a picture of their location in relation to the cabin. They were in a secluded glade. A small creek, probably the same one that wound alongside the cabin, formed a gurgling furrow in the earth, the glossy stones beneath the water causing spouts and waterfalls. Rock outcroppings thrust through long, silver-white grass, drawing the eye toward the dark shadows of the surrounding forest. Leaves released from the fall foliage were caught in the grasses, and though it was too dark to see the color on the trees, her flashlight moved over the tinges of red and orange, the curled dried edges of fallen leaves.
Once in the glade, she snapped off the flashlight. The second mark and the moonlight filtering through the trees gave her the ability to see the glade adequately without it, and she didn’t want to interfere with Evan’s view.
Evan had his camera set up, but he wasn’t using it now. Putting his fingers to his lips, he warned her to remain quiet, and he did so without taking his eyes off the trees on the other side of the glade. When he extended a hand, she put the basket down, came to him. Niall was stretched out on the grass to their left, his head propped on a rock. It had to be uncomfortable, but from the even rise and fall of his chest, he was asleep.
Closing his hand on hers, Evan moved her in front of him. He had his hips propped on one of those jutting rock clusters, so he could bring her back between his thighs. Sliding an arm around her waist, he brushed her ear with his lips.
Keep your gaze on the trees before you. It will take a while, but when you see something, tell me.
She nodded. The moment he touched her, everything in her became still, tranquil. Earlier, he’d taken her to a near-painful state of arousal with one kiss, but he could do this as well. She was comfortable in his arms, and she’d never applied that word to a vampire. When he was like this, he was relaxed, at all levels. It was a pervasive, unwavering calm, a dense energy like being near a warm fire, both attractive and unexpectedly vibrant, something that made her fingers curl over his on her waist. In response, he stroked her skin between the shirt and her jeans, inhaled her hair, nuzzled it with his lips. Enjoyed her as he watched and waited for her to see the world through his eyes.
She’d found it. A gray fox, sitting in the tree, studying them. She detected the gleam of his gaze, a stray bit of moonlight catching his silver pelt.
They climb trees quite well. But they’re used to hikers up here. We’re not why he’s in a tree.
Studying the animal, she watched to see who else he was monitoring. She found the young mountain lion in another tree, closer to the creek. His tail gave him away, the thick rope of it twitching, hanging down from his branch. At last deciding they weren’t close enough to be a threat, the cat leaped down, padding toward the creek. As he bent to drink from one of those shallow waterfalls, the spray made him lay back his ears and close his eyes.
Anticipating Evan, she adjusted so he could move to his camera. The mountain lion lifted his head, but then, after satisfying himself they weren’t a threat, he returned to drinking.
Alanna leaned against the rock, watching. She was entranced by the animal, but even more, she was entranced by Evan. He was on one knee, the tripod lowered to get the angle he desired. His shirt stretched over his shoulders, his short hair curving over the collar, tempting touch. His mouth was set in concentration, yet his eyes . . . there was magic happening in those eyes. He was seeing some form of ever-changing perfection, something he could capture. No, capture was the wrong word. He was seeking something to honor, as if his work was a praise to the gods.
