A Blood Seduction (Vamp City #1)(49)

"Is this where the slaves work?" she asked Arturo.

"And live. We call it the food compound." His mouth twisted ruefully. "Perhaps not the best name."

Definitely not.

She caught sight of a couple of women hanging wet clothes on a long clothesline. The sun certainly wouldn't dry them, but perhaps the warm air would.

"Do the Slavas do normal slave work along with the . . . banquets?"

"Yes - laundry, sewing, mending, blacksmithing, construction, cooking, cleaning. Everything necessary to run the castle."

"The vampires aren't big into work, are they?"

Arturo snorted. "We are not the most industrious lot, no. Most cannot be bothered even to run their own households."

"Where do the humans sleep, then? Out here, or in the slave wing where you put me?"

"Out here. The servants' wing - where your room is - was intended for some of the key Slavas - better living conditions than the food compound. But the Slavas were unhappy there. They were far too accessible to the vampires. While they fear Kassius, they know he protects them well."

She frowned. "He seemed pretty decent to me."

"He is. He would never hurt them, but he possesses the gift of fear."

"Which means?"

"Humans feel afraid of him the moment they are near him. Without justification. Without reason.

"That must be awful for him."

Arturo looked at her thoughtfully. "Vampires always say, 'How wonderful'. But you're right. He hates it. Fortunately, those humans who've been around him long enough eventually lose their fear of him. Unfortunately, it often takes decades. He's the one who clears their minds of the abuse and guides them toward the work for which they are best suited. Susie is with me because of Kassius."

"Why? What happened?"

"She was a pretty little thing and timid as a mouse when she was first captured. Though Kassius tried to steer her toward the kitchen work, the moment she was out of his sight, she was set upon, raped, terrorized until Kassius feared her mind would break. Removing the memories isn't always enough. Sometimes the damage goes too deep when the slaves are fresh."

"Cristoff let her go?"

"I bought her from the kovena. Kassius made the sale, as was his right."

"No wonder Susie adores you."

"I am no saint, cara. She has been one of my blood-and-sex slaves ever since, but I seduce and cajole. I never harm one of my own. And I never take."

"And you never make her fear you."

He glanced at her, a look of gratitude passing through his eyes. "No. Never. I prefer a calm household."

"You're no saint, but you're not a monster."

Arturo shrugged. "My conscience, while not my guiding force by any means, is still intact. I can still feel empathy when I choose. Most of the time, I do not choose. There is no changing us, Quinn. It is important that you understand that. We are what we are. We feed or we die."

He tugged on her hand, pulling her along toward the women hanging the laundry.

"Good day, ladies."

"Hi, Arturo!" one of them called. All three laughed as if this were Little House on the Prairie and he a dashing and unmarried male. Which she supposed he was, in a warped kind of way.

"They like you," she said quietly, not quite hiding her surprise.

The look he gave her was a little affronted. "Should they not?" He turned back to the women. "My new slave is in need of a towel for the shower."

The women's gazes all shifted to her, curious, maybe even a little jealous. They really did like this vampire.

One of the women stepped forward, a winning smile on her face. "I'll fetch it, Master."

"Bring it to the shower." As the woman hurried off, Arturo ushered Quinn the other way, stopping in front of a wooden shed at the far end of the compound. He grabbed the lantern hanging on the hook beside the door and lit it, then opened the door, waiting for her to precede him in.

The lamplight flickered eerily over the shadowed interior - a simple stall with wooden benches on either side. Deeper in hung a partial door that reached from her chin to her knees. Over the door, she saw an old, rusted showerhead.

"How do you have plumbing in this place?"

Arturo hung the lamp from a hook on the ceiling. "We may not have much in the way of infrastructure here, but we understand the concepts. The plumbing is very rudimentary, but it works. The water is warm."

"How? Magic?"

He grinned. "The water in the tank is heated by a wood fire."

"Not constantly."

"No. Only on banquet days."

The thought of all those naked Slavas . . . "I'm wasting their water."

"It will have reheated by the time they've recovered and returned."

He reached over the door and turned on the spray, then turned her to face him and grabbed the hem of her shirt.

Startled, she pushed his hands away. "Whoa, what are you doing?"

"Undressing you."

"Obviously," she replied with exasperation. "I can undress myself, thank you."

"No, tessoro, you will not." His eyes turned hot, making her shiver, though whether with desire or dread, she wasn't sure. He reached into the stall and turned off the water again. "If you want the shower, you will pay the price."