Such was a human servant's life. Dry cleaning, home repair, gar-dening. Arranging a table centerpiece and then replacing that cen- terpiece to perform as a sex slave in front of dinner guests. All in a day's work. "Are you doing well?" Seeing the trepidation in her face, his reas- suring tone was instinctive. Some of her apprehension appeared to recede. "Yes. Thank you. I . . . What are you doing here? Is Lady Lyssa displeased with my Master? Or is there something we may do for her? We leave tomor- row for Alabama, but I'm sure he'll be happy to--" Jacob shook his head. "I'm not here in an official capacity. I'm here for myself. Servant to servant. I was wondering if you could answer some questions I have. " He leaned forward, clasping his hands loosely between his splayed knees. "I hope I didn't hurt you the other night. I'm new to this, and . . . " "I've been Brian's servant for four years, " she admitted, dropping her gaze to worry the corner of the book with a short nail. "That was the first time . . . I'd heard of it, of course. It's considered standard practice to use human servants for that . . . But . . . I was Brian's lab assistant before I became his servant and he . . . I guess for the most part it's just the two of us and the research. Of course, he has . . . " The color deepened in her cheeks. "But nothing like that. I guess I'd rationalized it. You know, two lab partners blowing off stress at the end of a long research session, but of course, when it happens, it's nothing like that. I mean, he's utterly brilliant, but when that part of him rises, I mean, the vampire part . . . " Now she did flush all the way to her roots. Jacob bit back a grin. Beneath the pretty exterior, she was a stammering science geek. "He becomes something out of . . . Well . . . " She raised the romance novel. Registering his amusement, she shook her head. "I'm quite the unworldly fool, aren't I? My apologies. I wouldn't usually talk about this, but . . . Well, you're the first servant I've met that's newer to this than me. Most are so sophisticated and calm, they just look at me with this infuriating patronizing pity. Like Liam and Seanna, " she added, referring to the other two servants who had been at the party, servants of Lord Richard and Lady Tara, the Alabama territory overlords.
Jacob had been challenged--and commanded--to bring Seanna and Debra to climax at the same time. He'd succeeded, but like Debra it had been his first exercise in sating vampire lust in a group setting. Taking a deep breath, she laid the book flat on top of the note- book and folded her hands, smiling a little. "Of course I'll be happy to answer your questions, Jacob. Though I doubt I can answer any- thing that deals with vampire politics. As you can tell, I don't get out of the lab that much. " "It's your experience in the lab I'm seeking, " he assured her. Tak-ing his own deep breath, albeit a mental one so he didn't betray the urgent need he felt for answers, he met her gaze. "My lady won't tell me much about this Delilah virus, and I want to know more. " "If she's made a conscious decision to withhold the information from you, it's not my place to offer it. " Debra's direct answer told Ja- cob she was back on solid ground, but she tempered it with a quick touch on his arm. "Lady Lyssa is very powerful, and her patronage is vital to Brian. I can't do anything to offend her that might risk that. " Her eyes widened in sudden alarm. "Perhaps even this conversation is inappropriate, if she doesn't know you're here. She doesn't, does she?" "Hear me out. Please. " Jacob quelled the compulsion to try and block her way as she made to rise. While he couldn't appear desper- ate or overly determined, he wasn't leaving here without answers. "Lady Lyssa finds it amusing, my desire to protect her to the best of my ability. But I do consider that part of my responsibilities. I sup- pose most of us servants do, no matter how laughable our Masters and Mistresses find the idea. " That apparently hit a chord with her. She sank back down, her eyes intent behind her wire-framed glasses. At the dinner party, Brian had taken them carefully off her face and set them aside. But after that tender gesture, he'd returned to his chair, demonstrating his ruthless support of Lord Richard's command that she strip in front of the assembled guests and allow Jacob, a total stranger, to intimately fondle her body and bring her to climax before them all. He'd become part of a strange world. Innocence and dark carnality intertwined like a yin and yang DNA strand, creating an alternate reality with endlessly unpredictable twists and turns.
"I want to know how to protect her blood sources. The more I know about the virus, the more likely it is I can do that, right?" He kept his expression neutral, twisting the truth he had to safeguard. He was treading a very dangerous line. From his conversation with Lyssa last night, he knew if even a hint got out that the queen of the Far East Clan had the disease, all her work to protect her Region could topple. There could be other repercussions as well. Those who opposed the "civilized" structure of the current vampire society could erupt into bloody conflict with those who supported it, view- ing her imminent demise as a possibly correct sign that the Council had been severely weakened. "I give you my word, if Lyssa has any displeasure with our con- versation, she'll take it out on my hide. " In spades. "Not yours or Lord Brian's. I wouldn't speak to you, not another word, if I thought I was going to jeopardize your lord's standing with her. " That intent look again, telling him that while he was dealing with a woman with awkward social graces, her IQ was off the charts. "You have an honest face, " she said at last. "Very open. Most servants lose that quickly. You'd do well to do the same. Other vampires pick up cues from the expressions of servants, and they can use that against your Mistress. " Jacob inclined his head, despite the clutch of worry the admo- nition created inside him. In the past, his lady had intimated al- most the same thing about the ability to read his face. "I'll work on it, believe me. Tell me about the virus. How do I protect my lady from it?" "I find it hard to believe that Lady Lyssa needs any assistance in protecting herself, " she responded dubiously. She paused, then let out a sigh. "But I'll tell you what I can. " Taking her advice to heart, Jacob managed not to let out a victory yell of relief. Though he wanted to shout out questions that would tell him how best to help his Mistress's specific symptoms, he held his tongue. "The Delilah virus gets its name from Samson and Delilah, " Debra explained.