Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (The Three #1)(63)

He looked away, allowing his aversion to show.

Eager and willing were not what he wanted. Spirit, personality, passion, defiance, fear, challenge, those were what he wanted.

After centuries he finally had all of that, a great deal of it. It was just that he was finding it maddening to an extreme.

And excruciatingly frustrating.

Lucien attended Feasts often, even if he particularly liked the taste of his concubine and, it went without saying, he particularly liked the taste of Leah. He was a vampire with a healthy appetite and Feasts allowed him diversity in that appetite.

However, over the last several centuries, he’d grown weary of them.

All the mortals who attended Feasts were registered with The Council. They were safe, healthy, willing, well-bred, from well-to-do families and their time was limited. They had two years to attend Feasts, any Feast they wanted, as many as they could attend before they were retired.

Fallen concubines were a different story. They came to Feasts and, out of respect for their legacy families, they were reluctantly allowed to attend but they weren’t registered. However The Council tracked them and after a few years the fallen concubines were eventually banned.

There were times when vampires had a taste at A Feast that they exceptionally enjoyed, one they didn’t wish to share. If this was the case, they could petition The Council. If The Council found the mortal suitable, the family would be approached for recruitment. If accepted, that mortal could become the vampire’s concubine. But also that new concubine’s line would forever be in the life.

The mortal never refused. Every mortal there hoped to be claimed into the life, ensuring their own continued feeding and their line’s future.

It rarely happened that a vampire made this petition but it was encouraged by The Council. More choice at Selections meant happier vampires.

The concubine lines detested it when this happened, more choice meant less opportunity for their own line to be chosen.

Surveying the crush of bodies in the room, Lucien couldn’t imagine petitioning for such a mortal. Although he enjoyed Feasts on a variety of levels, most especially being with his brethren in a place where they could be who they were without hiding, without secrets, he didn’t enjoy the mortals they drew. They were, for all practical purposes, whores without any money changing hands. He fed from them, naturally, but he’d never chosen from a line recruited from A Feast. The very idea of entering an Arrangement with such a mortal was repugnant to Lucien.

This attitude, Stephanie told him, was alarmingly superior but he didn’t give a f**k.

To take his mind off the woman on the dance floor and his thoughts, he started to sip his martini and noticed the glass was drained. He turned away from his position facing the room to the bar, caught the bartender’s attention and jerked up his chin. The bartender acknowledged his order and started to work on another martini, leaving the drinks he was preparing sitting on the counter unfinished.

Lucien looked at the three women whose drinks had gone wanting. Mortals. All looking at him. All smiling at him. All smiling the same smile the blonde had tossed him.

His eyes raked over them in revulsion and their smiles wavered, one went pale and turned away. Lucien did as well.

And his thoughts went instantly to Leah.

It had been difficult to shut her from his mind but he had succeeded in doing so the last ten hours, mainly with work.

There were many vampires who amassed their fortunes and happily lived their eternities managing them and living off the interest.

Lucien was not such a vampire.

Unlike everything else in his life, his business never ceased to be a challenge. There was always a new mountain to be tried, tested and conquered. New inventions, new technologies, new strategies and more and more money to earn. If it hadn’t been for that, he would have gone mad ages ago.

The bartender served his martini. Lucien paid for it, turning back unseeing to the room and allowing his thoughts to travel to Leah.

His fury had cooled considerably since their confrontation. Although, the thought of her declaration of him “disgusting” her still made him clench his teeth.

However Lucien had to admit that she didn’t know male and female vampires were vastly different from her kind. Females were just as strong and skilled as males, many more so. For instance, Stephanie, who was known to be a fierce and cunning fighter.

He further had to admit there was no way for Leah to know the way of vampire mates. This would not even have been covered in Vampire Studies had she managed not to be expelled.

She had no way of knowing that, because of the matched strength and the way of their culture, vampires, especially mates, did not settle arguments by having heartfelt chats or seeking counseling.

They challenged then they battled physically with no rules and no holds barred.

This had the benefit of settling the order of vampires, who was strongest, quickest, sharpest and smartest.

In the case of mates, this had the additional benefit that, more often than not, physical duels led to something vastly more pleasurable.

He also had to admit that there was no way of Leah knowing his history with Katrina. Her frequent and misguided jealous rages. Her phone calls, sometimes a dozen a day. To check in, she said. To check up, she meant. Her constant suspicion, rifling through his things, listening into phone calls.

And then there were the times, infrequent though they were, they happened far too often for Lucien’s liking, when she would appear at A Feast that Lucien was attending. She’d done this twice. Then he’d had to break her of this habit which he’d done by more than bloodying her nose. He’d also broken her femur and five ribs, all of which healed within an hour and, obviously, it had not led to something more pleasurable. This happened after she’d entered his private chamber and appeared at his side when he was actually feeding. Suggesting, during those times, with false sensuality, that they share the mortal morsel. That such an activity would bring them closer together.