“Giselle, show my new protégé to her room.”
He didn’t wait for an answer. He left the room talking into his cell, making apologies to the man on the phone. Through the doorway, Eleni watched him walk back in the direction of his office, leaving no doubt in her mind that he intended her to do as she was told.
“Never mind Julian,” Gisele said minutes later as she led Eleni upstairs. “He’s in rare form this evening. He usually doesn’t hold onto his anger for very long.”
“That’s good to know.”
“So, Julian told us you are from the United States. Is this your first time in France?”
Eleni shook her head. “I’ve been to Paris a few times—and Marseille. I’ve also vacationed in Nice.”
Gisele gave her an incredulous look. “Did you expect the chateau to be like Nice?”
The comment embarrassed Eleni a little bit, but she played it off with a shrug. “I didn’t know what to expect, honestly.” She curled her hand around the rail and eyed Gisele’s back. The woman reminded her of a young Bridget Bardot with her curves and long, golden hair. She seemed nice, but not especially friendly. Eleni tried not to read too much into it. She had traveled to many countries where curt indifference was simply a way of the culture, so she wasn’t quite sure what to think at this point.
“You will be bored here with us, just so you know. Julian rarely goes out. He is…how you say?” She thought for a moment. “Reclusive?” She tittered and waited for Eleni at the top of the stairs. They walked to the left of Saint Vincent’s window, away from the balcony, and down a long hallway lined with closed doors. “It’s a shame Julian doesn’t get out more. He could do whatever he wanted—have fun, travel. He has a house in Paris, you know? He allowed me to stay there while I went to university. Claudette tells me he uses it when he’s in the city on business, but I’ve never known him to go there. Like I said—a shame. He receives visitors here sometimes, but mostly he stays in his office and runs the vineyard behind closed doors. There is always the village, but not much goes on there. Certainly not like in the city.”
Eleni liked the idea of that, being bored, left to her own devices. Secretly, she’d been hoping he wouldn’t require her to attend social engagements, something she wasn’t yet ready to face again, even if it was part of her duty. It was too much pressure, being under that kind of scrutiny. She would find something to do with herself. Maybe pick up painting again, something she hadn’t had the chance to do since college. Or maybe she’d try a new hobby. If Julian worked the way Gisele let on, she probably wouldn’t see much of him, anyway.
The windowless hallway was dimly lit with sconces along the burgundy papered walls. It ran in a straight line past four pocket doors then turned a sharp left, creating an L shape. Along the attached wing, there were two more doors, and one at the very end, on the opposite side of the hallway. Gisele led her there.
“This is it,” Gisele said, and opened the door for her.
Eleni glanced into the suite and hesitated entering it. The room was elaborately appointed in the way of an elegant French home. There was a large bed, a dressing table and wardrobe, and a corner fireplace with gas logs. When at last she entered the room an onrush of anxiety curled through her. Clearly the suite had been designed for a premiere protégé. It dawned on her that the rooms around the corner and down the hall must be the interconnected suites designed to house a harem. It amazed her. She knew this was the traditional design of a vampire harem, but she had never actually lived in a house arranged this way. Only the premiere would have a disconnected room, such as this one.
Julian’s suite would be at the opposite end of the hallway, in the opposing wing. A knot hung in her throat when she thought about that. Without a doubt, he planned to keep the traditional role in his house, regardless of her true status.
She entered the suite, and noticed a private bathroom at the furthest end of the room. The door was open and she could see a claw foot tub with a gold spout, and a gold rimmed mirror hanging on the wall. She turned and noticed her cases had been set in front of a mirrored closet door.
“Everything is to your liking?”
“Yes,” she said, swallowing down the feeling of shock at being turned over to such an elegant room on her first day, and only moments after her first meeting with her new Biter. She trailed her hand over the bed drapes, cobalt blue velvet that hung like a sash from the wall behind the bed. Of course, it was not his fondness of her that made this happen. She knew better than that. She supposed it made sense he would put her here, since there were no other women in the house. She was his first, his premiere, by default.
“It’s a lovely room,
non
? Julian chose everything specifically for you.” While Eleni marveled over that interesting tidbit of information, Gisele swept her fingers over the top of the mahogany dresser and said, “I must admit it is exciting to have another woman in the house, someone my own age. It gets lonely here, you know? But now there is you.” She smiled a small smile at Eleni’s reflection in the dresser mirror. “I am sure we will become fast friends.”
The words set a tingling warning through her.
Stop it. You’re being paranoid.
“That would be nice,” Eleni lied. She remembered Sabilla saying very much the same thing to her when Rubio had introduced her into the house. Their friendship had started out normal enough—sharing clothes, eating meals together. What a ruse that had been. At the very first opportunity, Sabilla had stabbed her in the back. It was nothing personal against Gisele. After all, Eleni had no idea how much Julian had told her, or any of the other members of his household staff about her past, or her condition. The fact of the matter was simple. She never wanted to be close to anyone like that again—human or vampire.
Nevertheless, Gisele appeared pleased with her answer, and waited while Eleni explored the suite. The bedroom was large and open, with its own television tucked away in an entertainment armoire, and a small desk with an outlet to hook up her laptop computer. She walked toward the bathroom to peer inside. It was large, but not overwhelming. Her gaze skimmed over the vanity area with its bowl sink and a series of drawers for her cosmetics.
Looking back, Eleni had never met a more ruthless, driven Acolyte as Sabilla. It was unlikely Gisele could be as cold as that. Gisele was not even of the Acolyte class, so that alone meant their friendship could only extend so far. But Eleni had been burned once. She’d been a fool to trust Sabilla, and ultimately the woman’s bold quest for immortality at any cost had not only been Rubio’s downfall, but her own. She would never forget that.
Gisele waited patiently while Eleni inspected the room. Thinking about the past put her in a grim mood, when she should be counting herself lucky to have this second chance. Sabilla’s treachery had not only cost the woman her status. For orchestrating such a cruel bid for power against her housemates, her bloodline had been cut from the Book of Acolytes. Sabilla’s punishment might’ve seemed like poetic justice if not for the fact Eleni faced a similar sentence if she did not assimilate into Julian’s household. The possibility of losing her identity within vampire society haunted her.
Who would she be if not an Acolyte? She came from a long line of distinguished Audridovs. Unease washed over her, and she tried to tamp it down. It did very little good to dwell in the past. Still, it weighed on her mind. Sabilla had taken risky chances that lured her to her fate. A woman of the serving class, like Gisele, didn’t have so much to lose.
She went to the double closet doors and opened them. Inside, it was empty, except for a long fur coat. She ran her fingers through the thick gray fur, picked up the sleeve and nuzzled it against her cheek. Chinchilla. A gift from Julian? A frown etched her brow. It seemed strange that he’d leave her such an elaborate gift, when he seemed so resentful about take her in.
From the closet doorway, Gisele asked, “Would you like me to unpack your cases for you? If you like, I can—”
“No, thank you. I can unpack everything myself.”
Gisele seemed surprised. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m positive.” She forced a smile. “That way I will be able to find everything later without having to bother someone.”
Something flicked through the maid’s eyes, an emotion that passed too quickly for Eleni to read. She tossed back her honey blonde hair. “If that’s your wish.”
“Thank you,” Eleni said, not meaning to sound so dismissive, but she was ready to be alone, to get her bearings. Already, she was thinking about where she’d set up her laptop. She was eager to send an email to Anya, let her know that she had arrived and was now in Julian’s care.
She heard the door shut softly as Gisele left the room. Immediately, she felt as though a great weight had been lifted off of her. Alone, standing in the massive closet, Eleni let out a breath of relief. This would, more than likely, be one of those rare chances she would have to be alone. Since she was the only protégé in the house, Julian might want her near him most of the time. He seemed serious and curt, and while he was attractive, the idea of sitting underfoot seemed intimidating and stressful.
Not only that, but her next probationary hearing was only months away. The idea of someone like Julian testifying about her wellbeing before the vampire council made her very uneasy. Not only was he a skeptical man, he didn’t seem to like her very much. She drew a deep breath and left the closet, and began dragging her bags over to the bench at the foot of the bed. She had a feeling getting to know Julian would be a difficult task, but she had to make this arrangement work. Her future, and the future of the Audridov line, depended on it.
Chapter Four
Julian turned off his cell phone and dropped it onto his desk. Once again, his gaze strayed to the antique clock on the wall between the two book cases. It was nearly 3:00 AM. He’d spent most of the night working, sorting through figures, making phone calls until twenty minutes earlier, when he’d taken a break and had gone upstairs to shower and change in preparation for his appointment with Eleni. After his shower, he’d dressed in a black satin bathrobe, and returned to his office to wait for her. Now that the night’s work was finally behind him, he swiveled the chair away from his desk, and allowed himself a moment to relax.
His thoughts instantly drifted to his new protégé. It had been a very long time since a woman made him this restless. She’d walked into his office like a tall, blonde goddess, and his mouth had nearly dropped open. Her beauty had struck him like bolt of lightning. Wicked thoughts of taking her in all sorts of positions across his desk and in his bed had scattered his mind, and kept him distracted throughout the night. He should’ve shut down his computer and postponed all his calls until he’d had a chance to scratch his itch with her, but he had investors to think about. Business couldn’t wait. Still, all night he’d watched the clock, anticipating the hour when she would come to his office and he could sample her sweetness. It wouldn’t be long now, mere minutes.
When Dominic had asked him to take in an Acolyte fallen into disgrace, he had initially refused. He could only imagine what strife that would bring to his peaceful household. But, of all his relatives, Dominic was the one who stayed in touch with him the most and annoyed him the least. When his cousin had explained the young woman was his blood mate’s younger sister, Julian had reluctantly agreed to shelter her as a favor to both Dominic and his new vampiress.
Eleni was not at all what he expected. When she’d stepped into his office looking like a lost lamb, her pale blue eyes resting on his face, an instant heated attraction had soared through him. It had also angered him. Of course, the one Acolyte he’d agree to take into his home would have to be striking, with the features of a living Venus—her beauty incongruent to his monstrous scars.
Brooding over this, he went to the mini bar, and pulled out a chilled bottle of Sévigné wine. He shouldn’t have been so harsh with her. The deal had been made before her arrival. And he couldn’t say he was displeased with her. That was far from the truth. He had never seen a more attractive Acolyte. A tall, slender body to offer him pleasure, full lips for sucking him to ecstasy. If she had been born two hundred years ago, there would have been sonnets written in her honor of her ethereal beauty. Vampires would have lined up with trinkets to entice her into accepting their sponsorship. With the right selection, she would have been immortal not long after her debut into society. But that was not the case. She was a modern woman, and now, she was his. He fully intended to show her the pleasurable benefits of living under his roof.
Apparently, she was well aware of her poor state. He had not missed the sadness in her eyes, and something in that had touched him. He understood sadness. He’d lived through lifetimes of it. And he could not fathom how such a lovely creature could have been so ill used. The vampire who mistreated her was a fool.
He wanted to run his hands through her pale hair, feel the cool silk flow through his fingers. Her mouth was round and plump and completely fascinating. He wondered how it would look with her kneeling before him with his cock sliding between those cherry red lips. He intended to find out.
A light rap on the door, he looked up. Already his cock stirred to semi-hardness. “Enter,” he commanded, and settled back, expecting, anticipating Eleni. He didn’t realize how much he wanted to see her, to simply look at her again, attempt to unravel the mysteries of his new protégé, until the left side door opened, and Gisele stepped through. A wave of disappointment flowed through him when she entered the room and closed the door.
Her hands hidden behind her, she stood there wide-eyed, like a child with a secret. A thin smile curved his mouth as he reached beneath the bar for a corkscrew. “You helped my new protégé settle into her room?”
“I showed her the room. I assume she is still upstairs unpacking.”
He looked up, fixed his eyes piercingly on her face. “
She
is unpacking?”