Jacob found it hard to turn his back on the animal. When he returned to the car, he nodded, made the all-clear ges- ture. The door opened and Carnal stepped out, his expression irri- tated. "A servant who cannot control a simple mongrel doesn't seem much of a boon to my lady Lyssa. " Bran's bloodline was far purer than anything Carnal could ever hope to have, but Jacob curbed the barb. Not so much for diplomacy, but because he'd also known a lot of mixed-breed dogs with far more integrity and value than the piece of garbage fouling Lyssa's drive- way with his presence. "I didn't see you jumping out of the car to take him on, and last time I checked, you're an all-powerful vampire. " Jacob locked gazes with the vamp, just as he'd done the night they'd first met, even when his Mistress had ordered him to lower his eyes. He'd earned her wrath for the defiance, but he hadn't regretted it, particularly later when he'd found out what Carnal had done to Lyssa. Carnal's lips drew back. "You haven't learned manners yet. I shall speak to your Mistress about that. " Jacob ignored him, circled to the other side of the car and opened the driver's side door, finding he had to do so gently, for Carnal's servant had a death grip on the handle. "It's okay; I put them up, " he said reassuringly. When the girl looked up into his face, he bit back an oath, suddenly remembering Gideon's warning. She wasn't even eighteen years old. Perhaps barely past fifteen. Nevertheless, he offered her a hand out of the car, mak- ing it clear he had manners aplenty for those deserving of it. "Melinda, stop being a sniveling coward and come here. " She withdrew her hand from Jacob's and went around the back of the car to walk obediently behind Carnal as Jacob led them to the door. Seven girls . . . Young women he seduces, then traps . . . Sixteen- year-old runaway . . . She was a beautiful creature with pale white-gold hair, green eyes and a body far too lush and tempting for a minor, all full breasts and curvy hips.
Long legs. Wearing a pair of tight hip-hugger leatherlike pants and a snug silken shirt under which she wore no bra, she ex- uded sexual provocation, a heady mixture with her obvious inno- cence. A temptation to a man with a conscience, an open invitation to one without one. That night at the mall, Carnal had referred to his "new" ser- vant, which told Jacob she was just as young as she appeared. He was agreeing with Bran's assessment more and more, and feeling uncomfortable to boot with the inability to do anything for the girl. If it wasn't her, it would be another. The Council set an age mini- mum of twelve on human servants, and even that was a struggle. There was a curious deadness to his lady's comment, injected into the boiling cauldron of his thoughts. Bring them to the hallway, Ja- cob. I will deal with this and then we can be rid of them. He could think of more effective methods to be rid of at least one of them. However, keeping what he hoped was an impassive expres- sion, he opened the door, gestured. Carnal strode past him with barely a glance. Melinda followed, her throat working ner vously, lips pursed together as she attempted to saunter in a way Jacob was sure Carnal had taught her, trying to emulate the sexual confidence of a much older woman. "My lady will meet with you in her main hall. " He indicated the direction. Carnal flicked a look at him. "Fine. I know the way. You can go back to your duties. " You wish, you prick. "My lady has requested my attendance. " Not exactly true, but she'd indicated he should make sure brandy and wine were there, after all. Carnal's eyes glittered, his lip curling. With a jerk he turned on his heel,headed for the hall. Apparently he wanted to make it clear he didn't care for being shepherded in like a supplicant, instead of being met by Lyssa herself as an honored guest would have been. Lyssa's visitor had an inflated sense of his own importance. Lyssa had never encouraged it, Jacob was sure, so he knew it must have come from Rex. It was possible Thomas hadn't known all that had transpired to make Carnal so much more significant after Thomas's exile.
During Jacob's training, Thomas had only mentioned in pass- ing the tall, dark-haired vampire who strode ahead with such hostil- ity emanating from him. No. Not hostility. Meanness. Violence. Everything that com- pelled his brother to hunt vampires practically vibrated off Carnal. A barely restrained bloodlust, a low trigger point. Jacob knew the only thing that stopped Carnal from attacking him was the fact he was here for other reasons, and Jacob was under Lady Lyssa's protec- tion. Vampires like Carnal were usually the easiest to kill, relatively speaking, because of their absolute conviction of their own superior- ity. It made them careless, easy to set up. Get him, Gideon. Almost as soon as he had the thought, he withdrew it. He didn't want his brother near Carnal without him to watch his back. Never underestimate Carnal . . . His lady's advice echoed in his mind. Melinda moved quietly behind him, but she glanced at Jacob sev- eral times. Giving him a shy smile, she pushed her hair over her shoulder, the move of a high school girl attracting a boy's attention. Her smile faltered as he drew closer, keeping pace with her, his size and obvious maturity apparently a little intimidating to her. Even so, she surprised him when she slid her hand into the crook of his elbow, her fingers tracing a light pattern on his biceps. He had to suppress the urge to remove her touch. Perhaps the kindness he'd shown her at the car was the first she'd experienced at someone's hands for a while. He didn't want to imagine the type of groups Car- nal ran with. He certainly didn't want his head assaulted with such images that included Melinda. The fingers that held on to his arm had nails embellished with tiny flower stickers. He felt sick. "You'll come to no harm in my lady's house. " They'd reached the main hall, so he gave her hand a light pat before he extricated him- self, not unkindly, to go to the wine rack and uncork Lyssa's favorite to breathe. He lifted the brandy snifter from the side bar. "My lord? A drink for you and your servant?" "She requires nothing. " Carnal watched his servant with a gleam in his dark eyes. Oddly, Melinda had followed Jacob and now stood as close as possible without hampering his elbow while Carnal stood across the hallway. She reached out again, her fingertips whispering against the side of Jacob's body, along the line of his hip. "Except perhaps you. She's an erotic little creature. She'll fuck any man if he stands still long enough. Very malleable. She can pretend to be even younger. Suck on your cock as if she's a babe with a thumb in her mouth. " Jacob set the brandy snifter down harder on the side bar than he'd intended. Melinda jumped, her fingers trembling, even as she struggled to maintain a come-hither expression. Trying to feign what could not be feigned. She managed only to look frightened when Jacob sent her a quelling look. However, she held her stance. Probably because she knew there was a greater threat to her in the room than Jacob's annoyance. He had no idea what the hell was going on here. If Carnal thought he could get his child servant to distract him enough to leave him alone with his Mistress, the ploy was pitiful, transparent. And re- volting. "I'll pour my own brandy, " Carnal said abruptly. That was fine by Jacob, for he had no desire to wait on the crea- ture. He moved away from the bar. Melinda thankfully stayed, wait- ing for her Master. "She seems young to have such advanced appetites. " Jacob paced off several feet and crossed his arms, keeping Carnal under close scrutiny as he examined the brandy choices. Carnal cast Jacob a disparaging glance. "A teenager's sex drive is far closer to a vampire's appetite than an adult's. I can fuck a woman in her thirties to death in no time. While the innocence of the young is often tedious, it can also be very . . . Intriguing. Teaching them about unnatural desires. " He lifted a bottle, uncorked and opened it to sniff. "Their hormones are too strong to allow their morality or narrow upbringing to hold out against the craving for long. Melinda is special in those areas. You've not lived until you've watched her tears fall in delicious shame as she's writhing, her legs spread, her body on the brink of an orgasm I'll make her wait hours to have. " He was just going to have to kill him. It was as simple a thing as knowing that the dogs would need dinner in an hour. Kill visiting vampire, dispose of body--preferably by burning--then feed the dogs.