Indebted to the Vampires

I watched the slip of a girl walk, more like scurry, back into the kitchen. Tapping my finger against my lips, I hummed.

“Well, she’s far more delicious than any of the other maids we’ve had,” Draconius growled, his eyes lingering on the spot Piper Billings had been standing.

Leveling him with a stern glare, the side of my lip curls up in a snarl. “She is off limits.”

“But—”

“Do not make me repeat myself.” I picked up my wine glass and took a sip before sitting it back down. “We’ve gone through enough maids, we’re lucky the agency sent us any others. They told us this would be the last one.”

Wynn snorted, lounging like a lazy wild cat in his chair. “And you’re surprised?”

Moving my attention to him, I narrowed my gaze. “Do not pretend like you were not partially responsible for at least half of those maids leaving.”

“I said nothing of the sort.” Wynn gave me a lopsided grin. “I’m just implying that we probably shouldn’t be trying to keep human pets where there are no humans.”

“I agree with, Wynn.”

My eyes shot to Rayne who seemed far too annoyed at the maid already. “Using your gift, I see. What did you hear in that little head of hers?”

Rayne tousled his red hair and sniffed. “She’s already half in love with Wynn. It’s better to nip it in the bud before it bites us in the ass.”

The vampire in question shifted a shoulder up. “I cannot help it if women are naturally attracted to me.”

Glaring daggers at Wynn, Rayne growled, “They only want you because of your powers, not because you’re such a catch, you self-absorbed snob.”

Wynn didn’t bother to rebuke Rayne’s accusations, which he wouldn’t. A narcissist like him only loved one person: himself.

I had to agree with Rayne on this one. For all his immaturity in age, he did have a point. If Miss Billings was already well on her way to being in love with Wynn, then we had a problem. God, what I wouldn’t give for a nun right about now.

Except Wynn could charm the habit off even the most astute servant of God.

Coming to a decision, I lifted my glass in Wynn’s direction. “Wynn, you are forbidden to use your powers on this new maid.”

“Now hold on just a moment.” Wynn finally sat up in his seat, a bit of worry on his face. Good, he should be worried. “Why do you think my powers have anything to do with it? I can get a girl without resorting to magic.”

Draconius snorted. “Sure, you can.”

Wynn lifted a brow. “Is that a wager I hear in your voice?”

Allister, Draconius’s twin brother sighed and shook his head. “I think you rely far too much on your abilities to get a woman the old-fashioned way. It takes patience, something you lack greatly.”

“I have a far greater chance than you.” Wynn pointed a finger at Allister. “You with your smooth-talking ways. You are crippled by that silver tongue of yours. There’s no way you could get into a woman’s pants or heart without speaking.”

I stifled a groan. Once these idiots set their minds on something it was hard pressed to get them to change it.

“You want to bet?” Allister sneered.

Rayne slammed his hand on the table as he stood. “I thought the point of this meeting was to agree that we weren’t going to mess with the new maid, and here you three are, making bets on who could get into her pants the fastest without using your powers.”

Tired of listening to them squabble, I met Rayne’s gaze. “Too true. Thank you, Rayne.” Glancing around the table, I made sure they were all paying attention to me before I continued. “No one at this table will be trying to do anything with Miss Billings. If you want a woman, do it out of the house. I will not have this household go to shambles because you cannot keep it in your pants.”

Rayne sat back down and sighed. “Why can’t we just hire a cleaning service? They come in, clean, and leave. Why have a maid live on site at all?”

Giving Rayne a measured gaze, I tossed my hair over my shoulder. “Because we cannot have some outsider snooping around where their noses don’t belong. Eventually, we will gain Miss Billings’ trust and then we won’t have to tip toe around in our own home.”

Rayne let out a rude sound. “Fat chance that’s gonna happen. These three can’t stop thinking with their dicks long enough to get her to trust us.”

“That is why you will keep tabs on her.” I locked eyes with him, pushing my will into my words. “I want to know what she’s thinking at all times. If she finds out what we are and decides to run, I want to know.”

Inclining his head like the good, obedient brother, Rayne stood again and left us either to get his own meal or brood.

I wasn’t fooled. I knew Rayne hated his ability to see into the minds of humans, especially ones he cared about. If he was smart, he would keep his emotions close to the chest and not let them get in the way of what had to be done. I was tired of having to break someone new in. We had Darren, but there were simply too many of us for him to handle us and this big house.

“He’s going to hate you for this,” Wynn murmured, his eyes coming up off the table. “You know how he fee—”

“I know,” I intoned seriously.

Marcus, who hadn’t said a word during the whole exchange, shifted at my right. “It’s necessary.”

Wynn glared at the mountain of a man. “To who?”

“If you want Rayne to stop being an immature brat, then you need to stop treating him like a child,” I simply stated, turning my head as the front door opened.

I could hear Darren greet the guests as they came in. I could smell the heavy perfume of the donors before they even hit the dining room. Several women entered the room, each of them in skin-baring clothing. If anyone on the outside saw them, they would think they might be prostitutes, which they were in a way. They sold their bodies, yes, but not for sex.

No, sex was far easier to pay for than what we wanted, what we needed.

“Now this is more like it.” Draconius leered, licking his lips like a wolf about to devour his meal. He stood from the table and came up beside a voluptuous brunette. Slipping a hand behind her head, he tilted her head back. “Are you scared, my lovely?”

The woman gave Draconius a sultry smile. “Do you want me to be?”

I didn’t pay much more attention to him or my other brothers as they each picked their donor. In most households, the head of the house would pick first, but I’d never been one to care. Blood was blood, no matter the source. However, when the petite blonde came my way, I frowned. She reminded me far too much of the maid we had just been discussing.

Wearing a low-cut, revealing dress, she sauntered over to my side. Her fingers played along her neck line as her eyes devoured me. “Where would you like me, master?”

That one word made my groin harden, pressing up against the fabric of my slacks. I had control issues. I knew it. The others knew it. It was no doubt the reason I had the power to make someone do as I wanted, even against their will. I’d always been this way, even in life some hundred years ago. Now, even in my undead life, I craved it.

“Here,” I purred, moving back from the table so she could slide into my lap. Her arms wrapped around my shoulders, and she leaned in as if to kiss me. Not giving her the chance, I tangled my fingers in her hair and pulled her head to the side.

She gasped with a mixture of pain and pleasure. I could already smell her arousal and I’d barely touched her. Those who took this job weren’t in it just for the pay, though it was astronomical compared to paying for sexual favors. They wanted this every bit as much as we did.

I lifted my head briefly to see the others had already begun to feed. Wynn used his powers at the same time, causing the woman to orgasm while he tasted her. I would never bring someone to orgasm with just my touch. I could only command them to enjoy it, and they would. However, with this one, I thought as I adjusted my hold on the blonde, she would love it no matter what.

Without warning, I plunged my fangs into her neck and drank deeply. She cried out, her little hands gripping my shirt and no doubt wrinkling the fabric. I forced myself to stop thinking and to focus on the beat of her heart.

Thudump. Thudump. Thudump.

Though the woman in my arms was perfectly good and the blood sweeter than most I’d tasted, I couldn’t help but think of Miss Billings. Those big brown eyes and soft mouth. Her immediate arousal as she took in each and every one of us. Would our little maid’s heart beat quicken at my touch? Despite my warnings to my brothers, I couldn’t help but want to find out.