Longing for You, стр. 11

Alexis shook her head vigorously. “Have you forgotten what thatvampire has done? She turned me, she killed some of our staff twice, and theDreds murdered the woman I loved.”

“I understand, but we’re talking about finding her and talkingthings out, not forgiveness. Victorija will carry that guilt around until herlast breath. In the meantime I want you to put out feelers, send out a reconteam to find her.”

Byron had never seen Alexis angry before. She felt Amelia put herhand on her shoulder in support.

“This is a mistake. You can’t do this,” Alexis said.

Byron leaned forward in her seat. She understood Alexis’sobjections, but she had to obey her orders. She said firmly, “Do as I haveasked, Duca. I won’t ask again.”

Byron could see Alexis’s jaw flexing as she most likely was tryingto not lose her temper.

“Yes, Principe,” Alexis said. “Excuse me then. I will give out theorders.”

Then she stormed out the office door.

Amelia looked at Byron and raised an eyebrow. “That went well.”

* * *

Alexis was shaking with anger and a need for blood. How could thePrincipe ask this of her? She stopped dead outside the room where her Anna hadher throat ripped out, so many years ago.

She stood and closed her eyes. When she tried to picture her Annain her mind, her face was blurred, and then Katie’s face floated across hermind, and she could see every feature clearly.

Alexis’s hunger for blood soared, so she got out her phone andrequested a human staff member on the blood rota app.

She hurried down to the basement and cleared the security lock onthe blood room door. When she walked in, she found Katie unbuttoning the firstfew buttons on her blouse to feed a waiting male vampire.

The scene before her felt like a dagger to her chest. Katie lookedup with surprise. She clearly wasn’t expecting Alexis to be here. The male vampire,called Tobias, acknowledged her with a nod. “Duca.”

“Tobias.” She then turned her attention to Katie. “You’re notsupposed to be on the blood rota.”

“I had the rota changed. I don’t want to be treated differently.”

Alexis took a step closer and said, “You are different.”

“Why am I different? You tell me why, Duca?” Katie said angrily.

Tobias asked, “Shall I just go, Duca?”

Katie said firmly, “You stay where you are, Toby.”

Katie said again, “Why am I different?”

In her head Alexis knew clearly why she didn’t want Katie on therota—because she didn’t want to see or even contemplate another vampire feedingon her—but she couldn’t admit that out loud. So she said, “Katie, you are thehead housekeeper of the Debrek household, a high position that means you shouldnot be on the blood rota.”

Katie sighed. “Rubbish. I shouldn’t be treated any differently.The pact that the human members of the household have with the Debreks is thatwe offer our blood, and in return we get extremely well paid and looked after.I am no different.”

The door opened again, and Alexis’s human blood servant came in.“If that’s what you want, Katie. Then have at it. I don’t care,” Alexis said.

James was the human who had answered Alexis’s quest for blood. Hegot in position and unbuttoned his shirt. Alexis noticed that Katie hadn’ttaken her eyes from her. Tobias moved Katie’s blouse from her neck, and Alexiswas enraged watching him even touch her.

She could stop this right now, but then she would have to explainwhy, and she could never admit her feelings for Katie. It was hard to even saythat to herself, far less outside.

Tobias’s teeth entered Katie’s neck and she gasped. Alexisfollowed suit and felt James’s blood flow over her tongue.

After the feel-good chemicals took over, Katie opened her eyes andfound Alexis’s eyes staring at her as she fed on her host. Katie fixed her owneyes on Alexis. It was incredible. There was an energy pulling them together,and in her mind the two human hosts disappeared, and Alexis was feeding on her.

Katie’s heart pounded and her mind went back to when Alexis firstfed on her. She’d wanted Alexis that day, she would have given her anything.And now with every suck that Tobias took, in her mind, it was Alexis.

She was so turned on and everything inside her wanted to screamhow much she wanted Alexis, that she couldn’t stop her arm from rising,reaching out to make contact with Alexis.

Stop it. She doesn’t want you.

Then, remarkably, Alexis raised her hand to meet hers, but then atthe last moment closed her eyes, pulled away from her blood servant, and wipedthe blood from her mouth.

“Thank you for your service,” Alexis said to her blood servant andrushed out of the blood room again.

It was like cold water had been tipped on Katie. She was frustrated,angry, and annoyed.

Why couldn’t she just be honest?