The Vampire’s Servant
Chapter 35

[Victor]

I laid with Echo until long after she'd fallen asleep. Her breath would catch in her sleep. I hadn't realized that leaving before she was in bed would cause her such distress. I would go back to waiting until she was asleep before I left. The tear droplets of tears on her sooty lashes shone like diamonds in the lamp light. Somehow, she was more innocent looking than she normally was. Her creamy skin was tinged lightly pink and her lips were soft looking in her sleep. How had I not seen how beautiful she was before? The raw vulnerability of her trust in me while she slept added to the sweet, gentle, prettiness of her face. She was a porcelain angel.

I shook my head. I couldn't have thoughts like that about Echo. She was my servant. My friend. My charge. Nothing more.

Reluctantly, I pulled her off of me and tucked her into her bed. Tucking her glossy, ebony, hair behind her ear, I felt a stirring in my chest. She shifted and the movement bared her swanlike neck. I licked my lips, remembering the taste of her blood. It was sweet, tangy, and powerful. I craved it almost daily, ever since the test. Her sister and brother's blood had been a shadow of Echo's. That made it even worse.

I turned off the lamp and left her room. I needed to get my clothing gathered and cleaned. I'd been doing a small load of laundry almost every night so she wouldn't have to deal with all that blood.

The house was much quieter than it had been with just the addition of Rosy. I hoped she was getting the issues in her territory in order. I wouldn't call, because it was morning there. She'd probably only had a couple hours to work before she needed to sleep. With the laundry started, I went to my office and began the paperwork. Only a couple of the vampires I'd met with tonight had issues that needed me to deal with them physically. Vampire politics could be very bloody, even deadly to some.

In the back of my mind, I was processing this strange attraction I was feeling for Echo. Every time she said she loved me, it felt like my heart soared. I kept pushing it away, she was a child. She needed me not to be someone who used her.

The hug she gave me was still on my mind. She was always good about keeping her physical needs in check, but it was like she couldn't help herself once she knew I was working to take care of her.

My jealousy flared when she held Gray's hands. I knew I shouldn't be jealous. He wasn't going to steal my Echo from me. She said she didn't feel anything for him. She was just being nice by being his friend.

I needed to get her sealed as my servant as soon as she turned eighteen. Then, even if he did manage to woo her, she would still always be mine. There was no other way.

The only way I could see to abate my possessiveness over her was to have her bound to me. We'd already been planning it before this started. It was already something she was expecting.

That didn't stop the guilt that ate at me when those thoughts started rambling around in my head. Echo wasn't a possession. She was a person. A sweet, caring, hardworking, angelic, beautiful, delicate, delicious, person.

I got up and went to warm some of the blood in the fridge. My fangs had come out. I must not have realized how hungry I was.

The O negative I drank felt flat. It didn't have the light zing that Echo's blood had. I sighed. I wouldn't drink from her. She was too traumatized.

The next time I knew I would definitely taste her blood was when I bound her to me as my servant. I could wait. In a couple months, she would be much better. She was already feeling comfortable enough to talk about feeding me.

At least, she would never have to worry about Helen again. I'd taken care of her myself. It turned out that her boyfriend had been one of the hunters. He'd been dating her to get the locations of vampires since the wolves had started hunting the hunters.

She told him where I'd lived. She'd endangered my Echo. I couldn't believe that she actually thought apologizing would save her. You can't send murderers to someone's house and expect 'sorry' to save your life.

I rinsed the cup I'd used and headed back to my office. Dawn was peeking through the covered windows. Echo would be up soon. I would make her breakfast again, but I was due to call Marius in ten minutes. With luck, his negotiation last night was successful. Back in my office, I finished the last of my documentation. I looked at the time and picked up my phone. Before I could pull up my contacts list, the phone started ringing. It was Marius. "Hello, sir. I was just about to call you." I said as I answered.

"No matter. I called so I could finish getting this settled. My negotiation was successful. I need you to secure an alliance to complete it. I want you to call that Alpha and get the ball rolling so I can get the trainers on their way to you." He told me. "What am I proposing?" I asked.

"An alliance with the Eaten Heart Collective. Their queen will come and train Echo for a while. She'll be bringing Talia and two pack wolves who will continue the training once she has to return to her collective. She will create a training regimen for Echo and they will follow it. You'll only need three bedrooms for them, though. The two wolves are mated." Marius informed me.

"I'll contact Silence and make sure we have donors that Talia will like."

I remembered her type. She didn't care about blood types. Only that her preference was young, strong, and attractive.

"No need. She will feed off the wolves that are coming. She's grown quite fond of wolf blood in the last few months." He said with distain.

"I'll make sure Echo knows and has everything set up. We'll get more food bought to feed them. I know werewolves eat more than normal humans."

"Good. This rogue queen is important. She's a member of the Werewolf Association. Our relationship with them is fragile still. Creating and keeping this bond will serve the Vampire Council well in the future." Marius warned.

"I'll make sure to treat them with the utmost respect and dignity, sir. Echo will be on her best behavior. As long as they're friendly, she will definitely be as well." I smiled.

There was one thing I knew for sure about my Echo, and that was how much she wanted friends. If these wolves were willing to be friendly, then she would accept them easily. My Echo was a sweet girl, no matter the circumstances.

"I'll let you get to your arrangements. Contact me after you've heard back from the Alpha. Don't let me down Victor, or I'll take Echo to my home to be trained. I'll not have her unprotected." He growled and hung up.

My heart climbed into my throat. I couldn't let that happen. He couldn't take my Echo away from me.

I dialed Trent's number. It took a few rings before he picked up. I was a little worried that it was too early to reach him. "Hello?" He answered.

"Alpha Trent. I'm sorry about the early hour. Did I wake you?" I asked.

"No. I was just getting in after training. Valor joined us this morning. He's already showing some promise as a warrior."

"Male dhampyrs excel in battle. That is why they are sought after. Have you gotten Harmony into some form of training?"

"She was training with the teens, but we may need to move her up to the warriors. The report I got from the trainer there was that she is too fast for the ones without wolves. There isn't anyone in that level who can spar with her." Trent chuckled. "Good to hear. I have something I needed to ask. I hope you'll bear with me. I don't know how open to this you'll be. For now, I just want you to think about it and we can talk about it more when I'm up for the night." I began.

"This alliance is important to me and my people. How can I assist you, Master Nightshade?" He asked.

"Have you heard of the Eaten Heart Collective?"

The line was silent for a while. I could hear him breathing, so I knew he was there.

"I can't help you if you've made an enemy of that collective. I'm sorry, Victor. The queen there is deadly and her collective has the backing of all three of the most powerful packs in the region." Trent said tersely.

"I wasn't aware of that. I haven't made an enemy of them. I was actually wondering if you would be interested in allying with them." I offered.

"You can secure an alliance with the queen of the Eaten Heart?" He pressed.

"The queen is coming to see me and I understand that she is interested in an alliance with you."

"Absolutely. Allying with her is allying with Lune Rouge. They're the most powerful pack in the region. It would be in the best interest of our pack to accept an alliance. We're far enough out that most of the pack Alphas ignore our existence. This is precisely the sort of inroads we need to securing our safety. Thank you for bringing this to me. Let her know we'll accept." Trent sounded like he was smiling.

"I'm glad that this will work out for your pack. I'll let you know when the projected arrival date is for the queen. Any tips on dealing with her?" I asked.

"Don't become her enemy. I heard she's tiny, but terrifying." He warned.

That sounded like Talia. It would make sense that she made friends with someone who was like her. And now I would have two of them in my house. I nearly sighed.

"Thank you for that warning, Alpha Padua. I'll let you get on with your day." I told him.

"Goddess watch over you, Master Nightshade. Have a good rest." He said and hung up.

I called Master Marius and let him know that Trent had been eager for the alliance. It would mean one less thing for me to do when I got up. He was pleased. Thank goodness. I needed things to go my way.

After I hung up, I looked at the time. It was still early enough that I could see Echo off to school. I put the phone on the charger and headed to the kitchen.

Echo was rinsing her dishes from breakfast and loading them in the dishwasher. She went to the fridge and pulled out her lunch before turning to the doorway and smiling at me. Her smile made me smile. "Thank you for staying with me last night." She said softly.

"Of course, princess. I wanted to say goodbye and wish you a good day at school." I told her.

"I hope you have a good rest. I'll be home on time. I'm taking the bus home today."

She walked over to me and I hugged her, kissing her on top of her head. She smelled so sweet. I had to resist sniffing her like some wolf.

"Go on, sweetheart. I'll see you when I get up."

Echo let me go and headed out the front door. I locked the door behind her. I would miss her. This was the right decision, though. Echo wasn't properly socialized. She needed to learn how to be around people.

I wandered around the house and found myself in the library. I'd pick out a book to eat up time until I had to rest. It would be a good way to pass the time.

In my room, I turned on the heated blanket and got in bed. It had been years since I just laid in bed and read. When I felt the sun tugging at my consciousness, I marked my page and got into a comfortable position. When I woke up, Echo would be home. I couldn't wait to see her again. Maybe we could play one of her games and have milkshakes. That would be perfect.