The more unsatisfied I could make a mark, the easier it was to make him fall.

Luckily for us, Kole much preferred being on his knees.

“You work so hard,” I murmured, stroking his arm as we lay on a fur rug by the fire in one of the less populated areas. Ogling vampires were shooed away by guards, understanding how important it was to keep Kole happy. “You deserve to indulge, to relax completely and let your Mistresses control your every thought.”

Kole nodded, exhaling deeply. He wanted freedom from an overworked mind. We’d artfully uncovered that he was tired of being mistreated by superiors in Ravenia, of feeling cast aside, unheard, and undervalued. It was how many men felt, when you really dug into their psyches. Thus, Rosalind and I became the easiest relief, both boosting his ego and supplying him with the right forms of domination and humiliation to cater to his sexual fantasies.

Somewhere in the distance, a violently loud orgy was occurring.

Rosalind suddenly gripped Kole’s chin and pushed my head down, so that my neck was under Kole’s face. She was gentle about it, but still I frowned at being used as blood bait.

“How good does her blood smell, darling?”

Rosalind stroked my neck, pushing my hair to the side to show off my jugular.

“It’s like no blood I’ve ever scented before,” Kole said, his voice strained and raspy. “Please, Mistress, may I drink from her?”

“Maybe if you continue to be a good boy for us,” Rosalind cooed.

I suppressed a burst of laughter. This was absolutely absurd.

“You know, I didn’t realize how much I’d been craving all of this… praise,” Kole said shyly as Rosalind slowly lifted me back up.

Our eyes locked across Kole’s form, and we teased him by leaning forward, as close to kissing as we could get without meeting all the way.

Rosalind smiled and slowly recoiled, looking back at Kole.

“Good boys get rewarded,” she said. “And you’ve been a very good boy.”

Kole’s lips tugged down. “I thought I wanted to spend time with Mistress Sadie after flying all the way here, and it had been so long,” he drunkenly slurred. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be good enough in her eyes. I’ll always be her disgusting little rat.”

Rosalind’s eyes widened, her cheeks puffing like she was as close to laughing as I was. The idea of an ancient born vampire going by disgusting little rat in the bedroom was peak comedy.

Somehow, we both managed to turn our heads and swallow down the fits of hysteria blooming. I, personally, did so by thinking of the slave with her mouth sewn shut.

That was more than enough to sober me.

“That’s enough thinking,” I snapped at him. Then, I softened my tone. “You’ve been such a good listener. Our perfect pet vampire.”

Kole batted his eyes at me, drinking up my approval as he let his mind finally rest. He glanced at a vampire getting shooed away from us by guards, and I could sense the bad kind of shame creeping around the outskirts of his mind.

We had him fully intoxicated, teased, and enamored with us. It was time to strike.

“Would you like to go somewhere more private?” I asked. “Your Mistresses demand you relax, allow yourself to become merely a vessel for ecstasy.”

Rosalind made a face that silently said, ooh that was good. I winked at her, an unspoken high-five.

Kole happily agreed.

He was barely able to walk in a straight line, leaning heavily on me and Rosalind as we climbed back up two flights of stairs and zigzagged through the palace. I wasn’t even sure he noticed the guards trailing us. Just as we reached his guest chambers, Brennan stopped us.

Brennan lifted a single brow, smirking at me. Though his eyes danced with humor, I could sense that he, too, was experiencing feelings of being overused and undervalued. His shoulders were tight and rigid, in need of a soothing, coaxing massage.

I grinned at him, showing him unhindered joy for the first time since I’d arrived in Hatham. The act took him by surprise, his delight flaring and bolstering his desire.

Look how free and sexy she is when she’s not with Durian, I whispered to his mind. He’s ruining her, and he’s too arrogant to see it. Just like he’s too arrogant to see your value, to see…

I paused, weighing where my threads were strongest, where Brennan’s mind was starting to become malleable. I decided to go for a bold move.