First Drop of Crimson

gurgle. Denise forced herself to arrange the napkin neatly on her lap, pick up her silverware, and cut the contents of the next container—country fried steak and eggs, her favorite! — into small pieces before taking her next bite. By that time, the rumble in her stomach had increased to almost a roar. Spade continued to watch her, that half smile still curling his mouth.

“Always enjoy seeing a woman with a healthy appetite,” he said, amusement clear in his tone.

Denise quit the pretense and speared two chunks of fried steak at once, chewing them while giving Spade a glare that dared him to comment. So she was a little too hungry at the moment to eat like a bird, who cared? Maybe it had been longer than she realized since the last time she’d eaten.

“Do you have a plan for how we’re going to start looking for Nathanial?” she asked after she’d finished all the steak and eggs. Would it look too piggish to move on to the next shiny container? Screw it. Who knew when they’d break for another meal?

“I do,” Spade replied. “We’ll start with my line. Though I don’t have any blokes named Nathanial in it, who’s to say your ancestor didn’t change his name? You do remember what he looks like from what Raum showed you, yes?”

Denise shuddered. “Yes.” As if she could forget all the horrible images Raum had forced onto her mind.

“Good. I’ll hold an assembly and you can pick through my people’s property. See if you recognize any of them.”

“You know, it’s really rude how you keep referring to humans as property. I’m human, too, remember?”

Something glinted in his gaze. “I remember it well. Which is why I’ll be introducing you to my line as my newest piece of property.”

Her jaw dropped. “Oh no, you won’t.”

He waved an elegant hand. “You don’t want Crispin or Cat to find out what you’re up to, so this is best disguise. I don’t date humans; that’s common knowledge. But I do have other uses for them, and no one would question a vampire traveling with his property. We seldom go anywhere without one or two of them along, in fact.”

His expression practically dared her to argue with him. Denise paused. What if this was Spade’s way of trying to get out of helping her? If she refused to go along with this charade, he could abandon her without a second thought. Maybe he wasn’t as concerned about keeping Bones out of this as she’d bargained on.

“Fine,” Denise forced herself to say, thinking of her parents. A little embarrassment was nothing if it ended up saving them.

Spade seemed to be waiting for her to say something else. Denise picked up her fork and began to eat the fruit salad in the next container.

“Good,” he said at last. “We’ll be in St. Louis later today.”

Spade snapped his mobile shut. That was the last of the calls he needed to make. While it wasn’t common for him to gather his people to introduce a new human as property, he’d been traveling most of the past year, so several things had piled up that needed his attention.

Denise had been very quiet the past three days. He suspected it had to do with the call she’d placed to her family, telling them she was taking off to grieve for her cousin privately. From what Spade could hear, that hadn’t gone over well, though she couldn’t explain that she wasn’t abandoning them in their time of need, but trying to help them instead.

Still, her brooding had to stop. If Denise slipped up in her charade as his latest property in front of his people, Spade could contain the negative results. In front of another Master vampire, one who wasn’t an ally? That could be deadly.

You need to get your back up, Denise, he thought. And I know how to help.

Spade went down to the first floor, guessing that he’d find Denise in the kitchen. She’d proven to have a voracious appetite regardless of her mood. All his residences had a cook to make sure the human members of his line were well fed. Henry, the chef for his St. Louis home, had been even busier since Spade arrived with Denise.

“Sire,” Henry said to Spade.

It amused Spade to see Denise’s reaction. Her back was to him, but the tightening in her shoulders was unmistakable. His title among the members of his line made Denise uncomfortable. It didn’t bother Spade. After all, he’d been addressed far more formally back when he was human.

“Henry.” Spade nodded at the young man before taking the seat next to Denise at the kitchen table. From the looks of her plate, she’d been eating lasagna, heavy on the garlic.

He stifled a smile. Cat had told Denise a lot about vampires, but not everything. Spade plucked a sautéed clove off her plate and ate it, making sure to grunt in feigned bliss.

“Ah, Henry, delicious. I’ll take a plate myself.”

“Won’t that make you sick?” Denise asked in surprise.

He kept his expression blank. “I can eat solid food. I just don’t prefer to most of the time.”

“Not that.” Denise waved a hand. “Garlic. Doesn’t that make vampires sick?”

“Indeed not. That’s one of the reasons I so enjoy visiting Italy. Can’t swing a cat without hitting a vein seasoned full of that delicious flavor.”

Spade licked his lips. Denise saw it and blanched, pushing her plate back. It was all he could do to contain his laughter.

“I have a present for you,” he said, as if he hadn’t noticed her reaction.

Suspicion clouded her gaze. “Why?”

She really needed to work on her acting skills. No new human in his line would use such a tone with him, especially with others around.

He rose. “Come.”

“Sire, would you still like the food?” Henry asked.

Spade held out his hand to Denise. She paused. “Keep it warm for me,” he said to Henry, and hardened his gaze at Denise. Take it, he silently told her.

She slid her hand into his. Her flesh was warm, almost feverish, except there was no glaze to her eyes that spoke of illness. No, they were bright with irritation over his little power play. Spade ignored that, clasping her hand and pulling her out of her chair. He didn’t let go once she was on her feet, either, despite her tug.

“Let’s go to my room, darling,” he said, making sure his voice was loud and clear.

Her eyes widened. She’d slept in her own room since they arrived, because demons couldn’t enter private residences, even if Raum had managed to follow them across several states. But it didn’t do for there to be doubts among the people here as to her station with him.

To her credit, Denise didn’t sputter out an indignant refusal. She pressed her lips together and let him lead her up the stairs. If he didn’t know better, he’d think her temperature flared a degree in just the time it took them to get to his room.

Once inside, she shut the door and then pulled her hand away. “There are limits as to how far I’m willing to take this act.”

He didn’t show his irritation at her implication that he’d use the circumstances to coerce her into bed. “Name them.”

From the way her mouth opened and closed, she hadn’t expected that response. Finally she said, “It would take less time to list the things I would do.”

“So list that, and I’ll tell you if you need to add to it.”

That challenging look was back in her eye. Spade smiled inwardly. Anger was good for her spirit. It was bad for his plan if she couldn’t balance it with common sense, but time would prove if Denise was as smart as she was lovely.

“All right.” She squared her shoulders, her dark hair rustling with the movement. “Obviously I’m willing to bunk with you when the circumstances call for it. I can act subservient if necessary, but don’t expect it once we’re alone. I can act affectionate and even kiss you to make things look real. But it stops there, and I’m not letting you drink from me.”