Page 42 of Seduction in Blood
She smiled. A feral image that intimidated people but wasn't meant to. Simone couldn't help that her natural smile came across like someone ready to take your head off, but it suited them both for her role. It wasn't her smile you had to worry about, it was when her fangs were fully exposed. By then it was too late to run. She carried incredible patience for idiocy, much more than Devon, but once someone stepped over that line, they deserved whatever action she took. And a break of trust—that didn't get past any leader.
She leaned over, her hand running over his. "The new butler seems to be judging my behavior."
Devon squeezed her hand and frowned. His original butler had been human and died peacefully in his sleep a few months earlier. "I thought Spencer would fit in. He's not normally one to judge." Spencer had been in his employ for several years and had been his valet when he traveled.
Simone frowned. "Really? He's always staring and seems to jump from the shadows."
Devon threw his head back and laughed, enjoying the first unencumbered discussion he'd had in weeks. "I think it's more infatuation." At Simone's scowl, he only laughed harder. "I'm sorry, ma chérie, but why is it you can't see your own beauty? When I walked in just now, I thought I must be meeting the Queen of Sheba herself."
"She was Ethiopian."
He shook his head, unaffected by her tart response. She'd had a horrible life as a child, and it was worse after she'd been turned. When Devon had found her in the employ of a miserly and spiteful vampire, he convinced the man to allow Simone to join his family. It took years for her to learn that not everyone was cruel. It was decades more before she found her footing. A century and a half later, she still didn't understand the power she held with her beauty alone. And maybe that was okay for now. But she would need to harness all of her assets before she found her true potential as the leader of a House.
Simone sat back and sipped her chilled vodka, her shoulders relaxing as she considered his words. "You're telling me he's following me around and staring because he's enthralled by me?"
He smiled and patted her hand. "I think you need to look in the mirror more frequently, but I'll have a talk with him."
"No." Her quick response brought a raised brow from Devon. "I must learn to handle these things myself." She gave him one of her seductively wicked smiles. "I'll be nice. I need to spend more time with him. Let him get to know me as a person and not the administrator."
"You're a wise woman, Simone, and you will rightly deserve your House." When he saw her eyes turn liquid, he stood, not wanting her to feel weak. "Let's finish our drinks in the study. Sergi should be here soon. Has everyone else arrived?"
"Everyone except Bella and Jacques. They should arrive shortly after midnight." Simone walked him by the bar to top off their glasses before continuing arm in arm down the long marble-floored hallway.
"Problems with their assignment?"
She shrugged. "A delay, but their information is better suited for your ears alone. Dinner is planned for ten in the banquet hall." The hall could fit two hundred, so there would be plenty of room for his small family of seventy-five.
He nodded. "Lucas won't be able to make it. I have him on another assignment."
"With your new Blood Ward?"
Devon grimaced. "I meant to discuss that with you before now, but I'll catch you up once Sergi arrives."
A young woman, no more than sixteen, all but ran to them. She bowed when she reached them, her eyes looking up through long raven bangs. "Sire, I was told to tell you Sergi was waiting for you in the study."
Devon lifted her chin. "Rise, child." He studied her. She looked familiar. He turned to Simone. "Lydia's girl?"
Simone smiled and gave a slight nod.
She was a Sangre Azul—a blue blood. True vampire. Not turned. They were precious and, over the last century, not as rare. No one knew why the natural procreation rate had improved, and while studies continued, most didn't want to question good fortune. "You're Tamara. I didn't recognize you. You've grown since I last saw you."
"Yes, sire. Maman says it has been a decade since you last visited us." She stood but continued to bow her head.
He lifted her chin again. "First, my name is Devon, not sire. You may call me Father in public and in private if you prefer. Second, no one bows in this House. You are all equal here. Some just have more privileges due to rank and seniority. Never lower your head to anyone in this household, even if being reprimanded for something. And never lower your head to anyone outside our House, including members or leaders of other Houses. If someone is your elder and deserves your respect, never look them in the eye unless directly spoken to, and always respond with reverence. But never lower your head again. Understand?"
She gazed up, her eyes filled with a mix of confusion and delight. "Yes…Father." Then she smiled.
"You have a beautiful smile, Tamara. Now, go get some rest. It will be a long night, and I'm sure you won't want to miss any of it."
"Yes, Father. I'm looking forward to it." She began to bow, remembered she shouldn't, gave him an apologetic grin, then raced off as quickly as she'd arrived.
"Lydia has made great progress with her." Simone took the lead, pulling Devon down the hall as he nodded greetings to others.
"Make sure she gets everything she needs to continue Tamara's education. I'd like to know if the child has revealed any special talents yet. If so, I want to see a quarterly report on the growth rate and potential. And, as always, I'll want your opinion included with each report. We must take good care of our Tamara."
"I'll see to it."
They turned into the study, this one twice as large and brighter than the one on the coast. Today the blinds had been darkened, the lamps and fireplace lit to provide a warm glow to the room. Sergi stretched out on a sofa next to the fireplace with three glasses, a bottle of scotch, and a bucket of ice that chilled the vodka. When he heard their approach, he filled the glasses and pushed them across the low table. He picked up his vodka, drank half, then refilled it before leaning back.
