The Scientific Method: A Vampire Queen Novel (Vampire Queen Series Book 10) (6 page)

When Jacob saw Brian, he offered a courteous nod. "Lord Brian."

He should have offered his usual distracted acknowledgement, but as Jacob passed him, Brian stopped. Not just because of his own feelings on things. The cut of Jacob's glance wasn't his usual pleasant manner, either.

"Jacob."

The servant came to a halt and turned, raised a brow. "My lord."

No mistaking the coldness that time. Brian set his tablet on a side table and stepped toward him. Interestingly, Jacob closed the distance. Even realizing his objectivity was not at its best level today, Brian found himself matching that aggressive stance toe to toe.

Jacob was an intelligent, loyal servant and an exceptional male, one whose courage, service and dedication to his lady had impressed Brian on numerous occasions. But right now he didn't care about that. He was remembering that scent on Debra's skin, the flush when he confronted her about it. She liked it when this male hugged her, paid attention to her.

"Is there a problem?" Brian ground out, aware that the tips of his fangs were showing. Jacob's gaze flickered over them, but it didn't modulate his attitude at all.

"Not with me, my lord. But perhaps if you add Debra to your task list on that little device of yours, you could manage a thought toward her wellbeing. Since she sacrifices all of herself to yours."

"Isn't that a servant's job?"

Jacob's lip curled. "Pompous asshole isn't a good look for you, Brian."

He wasn't one to act on physical impulses. Yet a blink later he had Jacob shoved up against the wall, so forcefully he heard the male's bones thud against the brick. Despite that, Jacob didn't submit. Instead, he swung up between Brian's arms and struck his chin with both fists, hard enough the vampire saw stars. Though Brian had him multiple times over on strength, Jacob was called to fight far more often than a research scientist. Brian tasted blood from his split lip and saw red. He was going to rip his fucking arms off.

He pulled Jacob off the wall, flung him toward the floor. Jacob rolled and was on his feet in an instant, squared off with him. The idiot servant wasn't backing down, his expression hard.

"You tread on dangerous ground, Jacob."

"I'm a vampire's servant, my lord. That goes without saying." Jacob cracked his neck, rotated his shoulders. "Want to try again? I'm sure I can get in a couple more punches. It'd be worth some broken bones to me."

Brian blinked. "It's an executable offense to attack a vampire."

"Only if I'm trying to kill you. I've no intention of that."

"No chance of that," Brian retorted.

Jacob grinned. It reminded Brian that more than once this man had been a vital ally, someone willing to protect Lyssa with his life and very soul if needed. Damn it, he liked the man. Biting back his irritation, he struggled to get his inexplicable caveman reaction under control.

"I know your lady's regard for you, Jacob, and I acknowledge your value as well, but on occasion you forget your place."

"Not on occasion." Jacob snorted. "Pretty much constantly, if you ask her."

"You will keep your hands off Debra except in the context of your Mistress's command," Brian snapped.

It startled Jacob as much as it had shocked Debra, Brian could tell. But Jacob rallied quickly, his brow creasing with concern, protective instincts kicking in. "If you think she's done anything inappropriate or disloyal to you, my lord, you really do have your head up your ass."

"I don't think that," Brian ground out. "Are you trying to get me to put your head through the wall?"

"She loves you with everything she is," Jacob said, blue eyes intent. "If that doesn't demand reciprocity in your version of the vampire-servant relationship, it at least deserves acknowledgement. Respect. Appreciation."

"She's brilliant. I tell her that often."

Jacob closed his eyes, astonishingly as if he was seeking patience with a particularly thick-headed child. Brian really was going to rip off his limbs. He'd figure out an explanation for Lyssa. Which would probably gain him an extra ten seconds before she separated him from
his
appendages.

Jacob opened his eyes, met Brian's gaze. "We give up everything for you. Willingly, because of what we receive in return. I know you think highly of her mind. Maybe you should pay closer attention to what's going through it. And her heart. If that doesn't matter to you, you haven't grown up as much as I thought you had, these past few years."

"I'm getting tired of insults."

"I'm not insulting you." Jacob sighed, ran a hand over his face. "You spoke to Council, explained why you think some vampires are more disposed to childbearing."

Brian nodded stiffly. "Yes."

"Then practice what you preach." Jacob's eyes sharpened and he stepped forward so he was once again close to Brian, but it was a different kind of confrontation now. "The bond I have with my lady? It's the very air I breathe, my lord. Knowing she has given me her heart, that she entrusts me with her love, it's indescribable. We can all talk about unconditional service until we're blue in the face, but reciprocity is what strengthens a relationship, makes it something we can't live without."

His visage darkened. "When a soul like Debra's has to live without it, it's a half-life. A very painful one. Yes, servants understand the nature of our relationship with vampires, but we also understand deeper things about that relationship that sometimes you all miss. When you deny us any part of your souls, you might as well tear our hearts out of our chests, because carrying them around becomes eternal torment."

Stepping back, he gave Lord Brian a short bow, then pivoted and headed down the hallway. "Don't tie up your hands in combat," he threw over his shoulder. "I could have staked you while you were trying to choke me."

Brian bared his fangs at that, but Jacob was already headed up the long corridor. He should ask Lyssa to have him publicly whipped. She might get some pleasure out of that, if done right. But he wouldn't ask, because Jacob was right. Brian didn't believe in pompous displays of vampire power over human servants.

The male should at least wear a shirt in the hallways, though.

Watching a pair of female staff staring after Lyssa's servant, seeing their obvious appreciation for the glistening broad shoulders and how denim cupped his ass, annoyed Brian greatly. It was distracting and...indecent.

When they turned and saw him, both servants gave a respectful bow and headed off to their duties. It only irritated him more.

His lack of control was intolerable. He knew Debra's mind, her devotion to him. If she accepted the platonic affection of a friend, it was nothing that interfered with her loyalty to him.

He and Debra worked well into the early evening hours with the other members of the research staff. They handled conference calls, sample processing, countless emails and write ups. He pushed all of them, wanting to immerse himself in the things he understood.

When he was finally forced to retire with the dawn, he knew there were about three more hours of samples to analyze. She assured him she and the staff would handle it. He studied her face, touched her mind, felt nothing but sincerity. Vaguely dissatisfied, he gave her a short nod and headed for his quarters below ground.

Once there, though, he found he couldn't sleep. He could push away his irrational reaction to Jacob. Pushing away his words wasn't as easy.

He had some time before the sunrise above ground would force him to sleep. He owed his father an email, but he didn't have the concentration for it. His quarters were well-appointed, with a small lab and office area, sitting room, comfortable bed, paintings and artifacts collected on his travels. Passing his fingers over a wood carving of a slender woman, a pleasing thing given to him by an overlord in Tunisia, he realized he didn't feel like doing any of the normal things he did to unwind, prepare for sleep. Perhaps he should have recommended the research facility be located in Alaska, where night held far greater dominion over the hours.

With a sigh, he stripped and lay down on the bed, cut the lights. Not entirely sure of his purpose, he nevertheless decided to enter Debra's mind and silently observe. Record, collect data, the way he might for an experiment. A very important one, where every detail was vital to reaching the proper conclusion.

She was still working. Since she was alone, he assumed the lab techs were busy in other wings, processing blood samples with electrophoresis and examining DNA segments with PCR. She was bent over her microscope, patiently examining slide after slide and making notes. She was so thorough, never rushing any process. But she did pause to rub her eyes, Picking up the bottle next to her, he saw it was a caffeine energy drink, something third marks didn't normally need. Carefully screwing the top back on after taking a draught, she rolled her head back on her shoulders. He could feel the knots in her muscles, the tension in her lower back.

When he heard Jacob's voice, he stiffened. However, as the male entered the lab, laid a hand on her shoulder, Brian could feel her response at every level. It truly was a strong friendship, one that brought her comfort and made Brian feel petty for resenting it. Jacob massaged her shoulder with that one hand, picking up on her discomfort. He could see the male servant's concern. So he wasn't the only one noticing how hard she was pushing herself. Though Jacob had been noticing far longer, perhaps explaining why he stopped by so frequently. And why he'd spoken to Brian the way he had.

When was the last time Brian had asked Debra how her day had gone? Of course, it wasn't required that he do so.

Pompous asshole
.

It wasn't Jacob's voice in his head that time, but his own. He'd taken the path never traveled by a vampire, into science and research. While his father had been disappointed that Brian's interests had lain in promoting the wellbeing of the race as a whole, which meant rubbing elbows with the least as well as the highest ranking of their kind, the credit he'd been given by Council in the past few years, including this research facility, had helped his father reconcile himself to his son's choice.

Not that that was much of an issue to Brian. He loved and respected his father, but his path had always been clear. He'd sought knowledge and scientific pursuit almost as soon as he was aware of his capacity to think.

So if he'd been that much of a maverick, why was he letting the protocols of a lifetime dictate to him, when it was clear things were changing for vampire-servant relationships?

If he viewed his servant as most vampires did, with fondness and appreciation for their value, but no untoward romantic feelings, it wouldn't be an issue. But he'd liked her from their first meeting. Had wanted her intensely only a blink later. So ever since the full marking, he'd dedicated himself to shutting down both their responses, making sure everything between them was within the appropriate boundaries.

He'd done the job all too well. Or had he? Did the same feelings seethe inside Debra that seemed to be struggling to break free inside him?

She was so formal with him. It hadn't always been that way. When they first met at the lab where she worked, before she'd known he was a vampire and even for a while afterwards, she'd laughed around him, blushed, tried flirting with him a little. Spoken her mind. She was well informed on almost everything, his Debra.

With the workload they now carried, there wasn't much time to socialize, but that didn't explain it. He thought of the bond shared by pairings like Lyssa and Jacob. As busy as Lyssa was with Council matters, Brian had no doubt she checked on Jacob's mental state throughout the day, doing what he was doing now, drifting in and out of his servant's mind to get an honest picture of how she was feeling, how much she was demanding of herself. Servants were notorious for always putting their vampires first, minimizing their own needs. It was part of being a servant and certainly added to their value, but there was a line. Jacob had implied...

No, not implied. He'd stated outright that Brian completely ignored that line.

It mattered to Brian that she was tired, that her back hurt. Yes, Debra was a competent, intelligent woman capable of taking care of herself. She was also a highly-driven, obsessive compulsive submissive to whom serving her Master, never failing his expectations, was paramount. Only since he wasn't telling her what those expectations were, she was setting them, and putting that bar up on the moon.

As Jacob took his leave and Brian continued to hover in her mind, he was reminded how enchanting it was to watch Debra work. While she studied slides containing thin-sliced tissue preps, she typed in data one-handed and carried on a running commentary with her mice about that data, peppered with affectionate comments about their behavior. As always when doing tissue work, the mice were in their cage and maze tubes, but he noticed they liked to stay near, listen to her voice. He found it pleasing as well.

All those years ago, after he'd given her the first mark, he'd taken a step prohibited by Council. He'd not only let her know what he was, he'd given her a detailed account of what a fully marked servant could expect in his world. The Council overlooked — reluctantly — letting a first mark go only if that person had the vaguest knowledge or none at all of the vampire world. But he'd trusted her. Her intellect was a match for his own, such that he felt like they already stood inside one another's minds. He wasn't going to pull her all the way into his world when she wasn't ready for what that meant.

Though he'd told her all the opportunities that awaited her as a scientist, he'd also drawn a highly accurate, graphic picture of the demands placed on a vampire's servant, as well as their lack of status in his society. When he was done, she'd been pale, her eyes wide, a slight tremor in her hands. He'd wanted to reassure her, but he'd forced himself to stay silent, wait for any questions she had.

"So I'd be yours, entirely." Her brown eyes fixed on his face.

Something primitive stirred in him at the way she said it. His attention locked on her soft lips, how she swallowed under his steady gaze.