Deborah looked up from fiddling with her phone, her expression closed off and angry. She'd lost her patron recently when Thomas had reorganized his people. Her patron had been one of those reassigned to a different section of Thomas's territory.
I didn't know if Deborah had elected to remain behind or if the patron had chosen to leave her here, but she was obviously unhappy about it.
For a moment, I hesitated, waffling over my decision. I knew Deborah. More importantly, I'd taken blood from her in the past.
Unfortunately, Deborah wasn’t my biggest fan, which made getting blood from her awkward at best.
In the end, I chose a woman I only vaguely recognized.
I marched across the room, not letting my doubts get the best of me.
The woman didn't look up from the phone she was playing with as I stopped in front of her. "Choose someone else."
Shock rendered me mute. An uncomfortable feeling washed over the back of my neck as something like humiliation sank its ugly claws in my stomach.
I was conscious of us becoming the center of focus. The stranger I'd noticed looked on with something like shock. Deborah was harder to read. The last human fought to hide his amusement.
The woman, Ivy, I thought her name was, finally looked up from her phone. "Did you not hear? Choose someone else."
That same hot feeling from before flicked through me. I fought to hold my ground and not go running from the room like a naïve debutante.
Deborah started to stand.
"Do my ears deceive me? Are you really that stupid?" Anton drawled from the doorway.
I stepped away, unable to help feeling inferior and about an inch tall.
"My lord," the woman breathed, something like reverence in her expression.
My lord? Was she kidding me with this shit?
Anger finally pushed forward. I embraced its fire, using it to banish the unwelcome embarrassment. I was all kinds of awesome and if this idiot didn’t understand that, it was her problem. Not mine.
Ivy bowed her head, dropping into an awkward looking curtsy, missing the look of disgust he sent her.
"You're gone," he informed her.
Her head lifted with surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"Pack your things and get out." Anton prowled into the room, already dismissing her from his mind. "In case any of you are suffering from any misconceptions, let me make it clear. You have one function. Refuse and we have no need for you."
Ivy protested. "Wait, you can't do this."
Anton speared her with a look. "I can do anything I want."
"She's nothing," Ivy said. "It brings us no benefit to provide her blood."
Anton's gaze was derisive. "Sweetheart, you're nothing. She's a vampire. If she asks you to get on your knees and bark like a dog, you obey because you're hoping for what she already has."
He pinched her chin and stalked toward the couch, throwing himself on it as he spread his arms along its back.
Desperation twisted her pretty features as she struggled to save the situation. Ivy's gaze locked on me. "I'll feed you. I'll feed you right now."
I shook my head, bending away from the wrist she shoved in my face. Too late.
Ivy's arm dropped as she whirled on Anton. "You can't do this. I have a contract with the master."
Anton shrugged, uncaring. "Suit yourself. Stay, but no vampire will touch you after this." He winked at her. "Best to get out while you still have some of your looks."
