Lust For Her Master's Blood [The Old World #1]

One month later...

The moon was full and bright as I worked half heartedly outside, sweeping up the dead leaves that had fallen from the old trees that lined the great raised patio.

Things had quietened and settled back down into the old ways since Morrigan’s death after a moment of insanity. Vince and Viorel appeared a day later while I still slept and had to take an account from the many observers who had been in the ball room at the time. The master had explained to me that Eva was covering our backs once I had woken and expecting some sort of interrogation from the Elders after a young Black Blood managed to slay an old and very powerful Ancient. Apparently she was fabricating some sort of tale, a tale no one would believe but as Eva was the one telling it no one dared to question her which I was thankful for. It meant I could stay alive a little longer.

The sweeping motion hesitated and a faint blush covered my scowl as I remembered the time the Master and I made love. It was so passionate and lustful, I never thought anyone would want me as much as he. He refused to let me leave the room for the first couple of days and when we weren’t dozing in each other’s arms, we were in the throes of pleasure. I liked it. In fact I loved it. He was such a passionate yet gentle lover, always expressing his love for me in his mind while his body demanded mine. I did not like him seeing what I thought of him though, how I felt. Having such a weakness was not like me but he had been confident around me, being open about his affection even in front of other servants and vampires. It unnerved me slightly. He had never been like it before or at least had some sort of restraint. Now he always had this urge to touch me, whether it was to hold me or kiss my forehead, and he often did. It embarrassed me about how much I realised I wanted that. I wanted to feel him close to me, in both mind and body. So I kept pushing him away and trying to hide my happiness and embarrassment through anger and coldness. Of course that failed. He always felt my real feelings and urges and saw it on my face. It always amused him that I tried to hide it which in turn irritated me. I didn’t like the fact he could see through my facade so easily. It didn’t help that now I was aware of what I felt it was growing increasingly difficult to hide it. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him but at the same time I didn’t. It wasn’t the fear of rejection but it was the fear of loving someone so completely. I had never loved someone this much in my life and I didn’t quite know how to deal with it.

My mind was distracted when a sharp throb of pain ripped at my face. Wincing, I lifted my hand and gently fingered the four stitches that ran down from my ear to my jaw. The savage wound Morrigan had inflicted on me. It was going to scar and probably quite badly even though Lucius got Vince, a surprisingly adept healer, to do the surgery. My face was apparently extremely damaged and messy and took a few hours to fix.

Sighing heavily and pushing all thoughts from my mind, I returned to my job, a job I was extremely insistent that I kept, until I heard loud footsteps approach me rapidly. I didn’t bother to move myself out of the way when Ella catapulted herself at my back and wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace.

“Susan!” She half sang. “I have been looking everywhere for you.”

Not bothering to keep the smile from my face, I continued to sweep. I was ecstatic when I heard the news of Ella’s return a couple of days after my waking however it also came with a sense of depression. Her return was not to be a happy one. Alphonse was unconscious and wounded to the point that Vince could not tell whether or not he was going to live. And low and behold, after Ella’s enthusiastic welcome she retreated to Al’s temporary room, only to be thrown into a pit of despair and sorrow. I helped her through the few weeks, making sure she was eating and watched over Al with Lucius while she slept. It wasn’t until the third week that Al woke, weary and in a lot of pain, but alive and apparently on the mend. When Lucius told him that I had killed Morrigan he had a happy yet grim expression which was twisted into shock when he heard of Arnold.

I coughed to clear my throat when it suddenly tightened. My mind was still struggling to come to terms with Arnold’s death. Mostly I tried to ignore it but sometimes I found it hard to.