Page 8 of The Mistress, the Monster and the Marquess

The bastard had found Marie.

“I told you not to touch her,” she snarled. “I warned you to leave her alone.”

The man choked and spluttered, his shock and fear a horrible odor to her oversensitive senses.

Lina held him up in the air with one hand, squeezing gently. She could so easily kill him, and the world would be a better place without him, she was sure.

Marie—her dress ripped and her face swelling with a fresh, ugly bruise—put her hand gently on Lina’s shoulder.

Her presence was calming, giving Lina enough reason to remove some of the pressure on the disgusting man’s throat.

“Thank you, Lina, but I think this gentleman can leave, now. He won’t ever return.”

The man was almost white now, but he tried to nod to agree with what Marie was saying.

Repulsed, Lina dropped him. The thud of his body hitting the ground gave her some small satisfaction.

“Get out, and never come back. Or I will kill you.”

The fat man crawled to the door, pulling his pants up back over his swollen belly as he moved. He was a sickening sight.

Lina growled.

He stood up, staggering as fast as his fat legs could carry him out of the room.

She took a deep steadying breath in an attempt to calm her tangled nerves. Her body had never felt more replete, so fully healthy. When Benedict had offered her his blood every day she had shuddered, physically restraining herself from flying across the room to him. The idea of just tying him up indefinitely appealed to her far too much.

The sex had been unbelievable. She rarely fucked humans as they could neither please her, nor survive the domination she loved to practice. Only male vampires permitted her that freedom, then fucked her good afterward. Unlike humans, they never tired—but she couldn’t feed on them. So, the idea of having all that with a person she could feed on was enough to make her quiver right down to her now warm toes.

“Are you all right, Lina?”

She turned around to see Marie watching her, the beautiful whore who should have been a lady.

“Of course, Marie. How are you?”

The girl shrugged out of her ripped dress, standing in her chemise in the warm room. “I’m fine now. Thank you for rescuing me.”

Lina stroked the girl’s face gently and pulled her close for an embrace. “I will always come when you need me, Marie. Now, wash yourself and get some rest. We will repair your dress tomorrow.”

Marie looked up at her, her young face worried in the candlelight.

“But the night isn’t over, mistress. I can still earn some money.”

Lina hushed her and directed her over to the washstand. “There will be more men tomorrow, Marie. But for now, lock your door, recover, and I will see you tomorrow evening. Be sure to ask Lizzie about your dress come the morning.”

The beautiful girl nodded obediently and picked up the washcloth without another word, clearly quietly grateful for the night’s reprieve.

Lina walked out the door with a wistful sigh and made her way downstairs. Her blood was on fire. She could still feel Benedict inside her and on her skin. It was truly amazing. There were going to be a lot of long, lonely days and nights between now and when she saw him again. Oh, Benedict...

Chapter Five.

Another night, another tedious ball. Benedict stood to the side of Lady Montan’s ballroom and tried not to sigh out loud. How boring and extremely predictable his life had become. There were the beautiful young debutantes surrounded by the married matrons, like hens rounding up their little chicks. Every night it was the same music, the same food, the same people. He was sick of the monotony.

“Benedict.” Lady Clover approached him and curtseyed.

He clenched his teeth together and stifled a groan. With practiced grace he forced himself to bow to her, despite the fact that this woman didn’t deserve his manners. She was no lady by any stretch of the imagination. “Victoria,” he said. “How lovely it is to see you.”

She smiled and clasped his elbow, pressing herself closer than was socially appropriate.

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