Jules pursed her lips. “He does, but he has requested you.”
A hand slid over my arm, squeezing gently. “Eamon is a good male, Adrienne. He will not take liberties.”
I appreciated Lilith’s reassurance, even if it wasn’t what I feared. Jules, however, watched me carefully and there was a bit of Solange in her expression.
“Do I have a choice?”
She blinked, rearing back as if I’d slapped her. “Of course you do, love. And Eamon would be displeased to know you came to him out of a sense of duty rather than desire.”
Desire. The desire she spoke of was one to provide sustenance to a vampire in exchange for payment. But there was too much peril tangled in that word. Last night, while Gerald had fed, my mind had wandered to places I could never put name to. My body had given in to those thoughts and he’d wrongly assumed that something had grown between us, when I had been imagining another male entirely. A single moment of weakness and now Lord Montag believed I desired him, believed there was some understanding growing between us.
“Please express my gratitude to the lord that he would be so kind as to offer a private session, but I must decline.” My voice slipped into that practiced tone my mother had taught from a young age, using the heightened language of the upper-class immortals of Oylen.
Jules tilted her head to the side, waiting a beat longer than perhaps was necessary. Her power was strong—in fact, the entire line of Searah witches was one of the strongest left within the city now that magic was slowly dying—but she never shared exactly how it manifested. Yet magic shimmered in the room, slipping across my skin like warm silk.
“I will send word as soon as the sun sets,” she replied with a nod, and there was no hint of disappointment in her voice.
However, it didn’t stop guilt from twisting my insides. Risqeuwas one of the oldest dens in the city, but after the Covenant had outlawed blood drinking, the Souzterain had been moved and turned into an illegal market. I knew the Searahs struggled to make ends meet. Denying a wealthy immortal more patronage was risky for a business that relied on each and every client.
Only last week had a similarly aged den closed down—or been shut down by the Covenant’s disciples. It was difficult to tell these days, especially when the den had “accidentally caught fire” during the day.
“Perhaps…” Istarted.
But Jules lifted a hand. “It’s fine, Adrienne. Your comfort is more important to me than Eamon’s coin is. Besides, he has been a loyal supporter of this family for longer than I’ve been alive, and so generous with us through my mother’s passing.” Her voice weakened on the last few words, glassy eyes slipping to the altar set beneath the west-facing windows. A shiny black bowl had been only recently laid out with fresh flowers for Solange.
Lilith’s hand on my arm tightened before it slipped away. “Maman…”
Jules sniffed heartily and rose to her feet, brushing off her dress. “I need to gather herbs from the rooftop for lunch.”
“I’ll set the table for four,” Noah called after her, rising from his chair.
Silence fell between us for a beat and I wrapped an arm around Lilith, tucked her into my side and rested my chin on top of her curls. Noah slipped into the space next to her and enfolded us both in his embrace with his long arms.
“Say something,” Lilith murmured, grief choking the words in her throat. “Anything.”
I ran a hand through her hair, exchanging a look with Noah. He propped his head on her shoulder, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Last night I opened the carriage right before Gerald Montag was about to kiss Adrienne.”
She wrenched herself upright with a gasp, almost headbutting Noah in the process. “What? Did you want him to? Would you have let him?”
I groaned, running a hand over my face. “No, of course not, he’s my client.”
Noah ran his tongue across his teeth. “Nice-looking client, even if he is a bit of a prat.”
“Is this why you won’t see Eamon…because Gerald has asked for exclusive feedings?” Lilith asked, brows raised.
“No, and I do not believe Lord Montag has asked for sucha thing,” I answered so firmly I knew it sounded anything but casual.
If only it was that simple. I played with the frayed edge of my cuff, noting that the lace had been repaired so much it was now more thread than fabric.
“Then why? Putting aside his wealth, Eamon is still the best male I know?—”
“Hey!” Noah protested and Lilith rolled her eyes.
“The bestvampiremale I know.” She placed her hand over mine. “I think, if you let him, you would grow to like him very much.”
I flipped my palm over to squeeze hers, nodding down at my knees and theserangunahnow cooled in the mug. “That is exactly what I am afraid of.”
Chapter Three
