“I ordered a meal for you,” I told him quietly as I organized the stack of books I wanted to review for the day. He jolted, his ocean blue eyes widening as they met mine, his dark brows sharply arched. “It’s imperative that you take proper care of your health. That means eating properly, as well as exercising and resting. I assume I won’t need to spell those areas out, but if you need specific directions, I am happy to provide it. After feedings, sugar and protein will return your health the quickest.”
“Thank you, mistress.” His words were softly wary, though if I wasn’t mistaken, a touch of his bitterness had disappeared from his tone. A knock sounded on the door, and he hurried to answer it, taking the tray from the same male servant I had seen before. I didn’t even have to open my mouth to direct him when he pulled a chair away from the table and settled the tray on his lap away from the precious and fragile books. The fare the servant had found was simple—juice, bread, baked rabbit—but it should replenish him.
“While you eat, I’ll go over a little of what I’m looking for here. Your comments were well thought out, your writing clear. I will still keep your books to the side at first for my own review, but if, in the future, you prove you can research seamlessly, that precaution will no longer be necessary.” I tapped my pencil against my lips as I considered him. The bond was fully formed now, he wouldn’t be sharing my secrets, but it didn’t mean I wanted him to know everything about my research, at least not yet. “I’m looking for any historical information about the formation of the vampire species. Anything regarding the rise to power, vampires and plagues, and even generalized observations,” I hedged.
He squinted slightly as he took another bite of his food. “Wouldn’t you know some of this already? I mean, it is your own history. Added to that, many of these books were written by humans or witches, I’m not sure they would provide information a vampire would need.” He was intelligent, and I knew keeping the truth of my research to myself wouldn’t be something I could do for long. Not when he would begin to understand it himself, especially if he came across what I needed—salvation for my people.
I tugged another pad of paper toward myself as I began noting titles I wanted him to review. “I’m hoping to find other accounts of my history to ensure what I am working with is fact rather than the diluted version oral recitations can cause. Humans and witches may not know the truth of my history, but it does not mean they haven’t observed—or even hunted—vampires and do not have information to add. Some of these aren’t in the common tongue,” I warned him, adding another book to his list. The language we spoke now had evolved around the time of the plagues when the population had been decimated. Vampires, humans, and witches from all across the world had needed a way to communicate effectively, so the common tongue had been born and refined over the years, the original languages of different countries all but forgotten. “Don’t be afraid to set them aside, but many have sketches inside, so they at least need reviewed and noted so they can be translated later.”
He hesitated, drinking deeply to finish the juice, the muscles in his throat working hard before he set the glass aside. “I can read and write in six languages besides the common tongue, mistress.”
“Well now,” I murmured, stacking yet another book on the pile for him, “it seems I’ve chosen well. I speak five, myself, so between us I think we should have a fair grasp. Make sure you mark anything you can’t translate accurately. I don’t want to miss anything due to pride.” I arched a brow, making sure he understood the seriousness of my demand. The littlest thing could determine my people’s future, and I wasn’t going to let anything stop the vampires from thriving.
Sebastian finished the last of his meat, setting the tray aside before heading to wash his hands. I began my own pile of books, including the diary I hadn’t had a chance to finish the night before. Having Sebastian help me would slow me down slightly in the beginning, but if he proved to be as useful as I thought—especially if he had more surprises in store for me—then my task might come to an end far sooner than I could have ever hoped to accomplish on my own. A knock on the door had Sebastian frowning before he approached. It was fascinating to watch his faithful, competent servant’s mask slide onto his expressive face.
I bit off a groan when the door swung open to reveal Draven and Crowe. While they had promised to return in the morning, I was truly surprised no one had managed to eat Draven. Maybe Sebastian would know more about the twin witches, and I could pump him for information when the pair left. I was far from social, so my not knowing them hadn’t surprised me, but with Draven’s mouth he had to be a recent addition to our ranks or damn lucky to have survived as long as he had. Or powerful. The thought flitted through my mind as I studied the pair. They matched again today, their black shirts and pants hugging their muscular frames in perfect unison, down to the smallest stretch of abdomen that was visible over the engraved silver buckles of their belts.
“So you’ve returned.” I arched a brow as they stepped inside, letting Sebastian latch the door. I could practically hear Draven grinding his teeth as the pair nodded. “Well, come get to work then.”
“Thank you.” Crowe inclined his head, towing his brother toward the stack of books they had left the day before. Sebastian settled into his seat beside mine, watching the pair across from us. Draven pulled a small knife from his hip, flipping it idly between his fingers. He didn’t even appear to notice he was doing it, the gesture so smoothly practiced it was clear this was a common habit. I waited for a moment, expecting Draven to devolve into the banter he’d tried last night, but it seemed his brother had impressed upon him the importance of staying alive. Pity. I still wanted to bite him.
Chapter Six
Elsie
The four of us managed to perform our research silently over the course of the next several hours. The only sounds were the turning of pages, the scribble of pencils on paper, and the occasional thunk of Draven’s blade against the table. I set aside the book I’d been reading with a growl for its uselessness and tugged out the next from my pile. I’d need to break soon, I knew, if for nothing else than to ensure Sebastian was fed. Humans took quite a bit of care…
“What exactly should we call you?” Draven drawled, interrupting the silence that had been the room’s constant companion.
I snapped my head up, my lip curling back in a snarl, before I caught the direction of his stare. He wasn’t focused on me as I had expected, instead his gaze was trained on Sebastian who had removed another book from the stack I’d set aside for him. He was keeping a good pace—I’d need to switch over to reviewing his choices soon. “I assume your name isn’t actually ‘pet,’ of course.”
Sebastian froze, his head cocking to the side, making the rainbow of brown and blond locks fall across his forehead. I watched quietly, wondering if he’d take the initiative and answer Draven’s question or if he’d turn to me for permission first. A smile wanted to tug at my lips when he shifted to meet Draven’s stare head-on. My pet was not one to cower. My tongue came out to wet my lips when I saw his shoulders straighten, putting pressure on the seams of his white shirt. “Ash,” he replied smoothly, startling me. Well now, my pet had surprised me again, giving out a nickname rather than his true name.