I gave a nervous laugh and shook my head. "Well, you know...if I ever wanted to die myself."
There was a long silence that made my heart race and my eyes dart to Marcus once more for help. The large man made no move to help. His nostrils flared and his jaw tightened, which was the only clear evidence that he was even paying attention.
"I do hope," Boris began again softly, his rough hands taking mine once more, "that if it ever comes to that, you will turn to me for aid and not take out one of my beloved boys. I would so much hate to lose them."
Licking my lips, I nodded. "Of course."
"Now." Boris stood, bringing me along with him whether I wanted to or not. "I think that's enough of a tour for one day. You'll have plenty of time to see the rest of the house over the course of the week. And if you ever get lost, please don't hesitate to call out." He tapped his long, pointed ear with a twinkle in those blood-red eyes. "Someone will hear you."
Resigned to never call out for help in this house, I followed Boris out of the library and down the hall, back the way we came, before he led me up the stairs and down a long corridor not unlike the one back at the House of Durand. Several doors lined the walls, each composed of a dark wood I couldn't identify. The floors were hardwood with a reddish-brown tint. A color I hoped was manufactured and not from a sloppy eater.
"You'll find that we have renovated the house to keep up with the times," Boris explained, gesturing around the hallway at the pane windows and light sockets, before leaning in to fake whisper, "No one wants to do their business in an outhouse, believe me. Some things even I wish I wasn’t alive for."
I laughed politely. Really, I was counting down the seconds until he would release me to my room. I wanted to scrub every inch of my body until I didn't feel his creepy hands on it anymore.
"And here is your room." Boris stopped before the third door and turned to me. Lifting my hand to his mouth, he hovered above, it inhaling my scent, before laying his mouth on the top of it. I held back my cringe as he straightened. "It was a pleasure to get to know you and I hope we have another chance for a one-on-one chat again soon. After all, we have forever."
I gave him a blinding smile, even as my stomach plummeted.
"Marcus." Boris inclined his head to the large vampire, before sauntering down the hallway to god knew where. I didn't give a shit as long as he was away from me.
When the master vampire was good and gone, I turned to Marcus and opened my mouth, but he pressed his finger to his lips, giving me a stern look. I clapped my mouth shut and turned back to my room. He was right. It wasn't safe to talk here. I wasn't even sure it would be safe to talk in the confines of my own bedroom. A bedroom that was already occupied.
I frowned at the door, listening for the voices I'd heard just a second ago. There it was again. Two sets. My brows furrowed as I turned to doorknob and pushed the door open.
The sight before me made my face heat. I averted my eyes. "W-What are you doing in my room?" I stuttered out, trying to look anywhere but at the two half naked men in my bed. It was obvious what Antoine and Darren had been doing with the former kneeling before the latter. Something I would definitely be putting away for later, but still, it was a bit disconcerting.
"Actually..." Antoine stood and approached me. My eyes darted to his bare chest beneath his unbuttoned shirt, trailing along the firm muscle and the house sigil tattooed over his heart just like the others. My gaze slid down his abs—yum—to the pale hair disappearing into his unbuttoned pants. Antoine made a sound in the back of his throat, a mix between a growl and a pained sound, before clearing his throat. "This is my room."
My eyes snapped back to his face. Any arousal I was feeling was shoved aside as confusion took its place. "Your room? Why would I be taken to..."
Antoine arched a perfectly pale brow at me.
My mouth dropped open as I let my eyes wander around the room to where my bag, and Darren's, sat next to Antoine's already unpacked one. The bed, a larger than king-sized bed, sat in the middle of the room, the sheets already rumpled. Darren busied himself by fixing it while I confronted Antoine.
Turning back to him, I closed my mouth with a snap before narrowing my eyes on my employer. "I'm not staying in here."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not." I twisted on my heel and marched toward the door, but Antoine grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. "Let go. I'm going to go talk to Boris. He must have been mistaken. I can't stay here with you." I shook my head over and over as Marcus and Darren looked on with neutral expressions.
"You can and you will," Antoine commanded me, the feel of his power brushed over my skin, but not like before when I learned of their true origins and he'd convinced me to stay. Convinced, as in used this vampire superpowers to 'persuade' me to do as he wished.
I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked at him. "Funny, I don't think I will." I cocked my head to the side and stared hard into those pale blue eyes. This asshole fucked me, bit me, and then left me alone to figure things out b myself. I wasn't about to make things easy for him now.
Antoine let out an exasperated growl and dragged a hand over his face. "Piper, you do not understand the predicament we are in. This isn't a game. You can't defy me just because you cannot have your way. We're in my master's house.Boris,as you call him, does not take defiance lightly."
"I'm not defying him. I'm simply demanding the same as any other human. Privacy. A place I can call my own. Now, is that so much to ask for?" I gave him a sickly-sweet smile, but if anything, it only made his face harden further.
"Yes." Antoine reached out and brushed my hair away from my neck, his fingers trailing over the scar there, and I shivered. "You bear my mark, which in the eyes of every vampire means you aremine." His eyes flashed with something dark and possessive before his lips tipped up at the edges as those pale orbs met mine. "That is what you wanted, right?"
I swallowed and nodded.
Antoine leaned in so our noses were inches apart. "Well, as they say...you should have read the fine print." Pulling away from me, Antoine moved back to his discarded shoes and sat down on the bed. Darren, without being asked, proceeded to help him put them on. "As you can see, being a human servant doesn't just come with perks. They come with conditions. Conditions that you will now have to abide by if you want to stay in my household and not join Valentine's," his jaw clenched as he said the vampire's name, "ranks."
Clearing my throat, I jerked my head toward the bed. "And part of those conditions is that we have to share a room?"
Antoine chuckled as he buttoned the cuffs of his shirt. "This ismyroom. You are merely here to serve me. In any way I require." His eyes were hot as they swept up and down my form.
I tightened my arms around myself, both liking and hating the way he looked at me right now. Knowing he could feel what I felt, I pushed my apprehension down and pulled on as much rage as I could manage. My days of being my own person were gone. Now, I would have to erect even more walls around myself. Ones that couldn't be torn down. Even by me.