Free In the Dark by P.G. Forte Page B

could not help smiling as he thought about it. “Intriguing, is it not? The matter appears, somehow, to have escaped her attention. I’m thinking of keeping things that way for a while.”
    â€œIs that wise?”
    â€œI don’t know. But it’s what I want.”
    Armand shrugged. “ Tres bien .” He paused for a moment, then murmured hopefully, “She’s pretty, no?”
    Conrad sighed. Wrapping his arms around the other man, he pulled him close, his chest to Armand’s back. He leaned into the boy’s shoulder and whispered warningly, “I would hate for you to be unclear about my wishes in this matter, Armand. She’s pretty, yes. She’s also mine. All mine. Elle est la mienne. Comprenez-vous ?”
    â€œ Oui . Je comprends .”
    â€œGood.” Conrad kissed him on the cheek. “Make sure everyone else understands that as well, would you, dear?”
    Armand nodded, but his voice still sounded a trifle sulky as he muttered, “ D’accord .”
    Conrad sighed. “Oh. You’re disappointed.” Taking hold of Armand’s shoulders, he turned him so that they were face to face. He gazed at him thoughtfully. He was a beautiful boy, this newest of his children, but still very young in many ways. Young enough to be hurt by a pretty girl’s rejection? Perhaps. Young enough to be angered by another man’s succeeding where he had failed—or not even failed, but rather, been forced to give way? Definitely. It was, after all, only a dozen or so years since Conrad had sired him. He was still very human. “Perhaps I should make it up to you. You’d like that, yes?”
    Comprehension flooded Armand’s face with color. He nodded eagerly. “I would. I’d like that a lot.”
    Conrad smiled. He did so like to see that look. Almost nothing made him happier than an eager gleam in his lover’s eyes. And he was sure nothing would restore his depleted energy faster, or make him feel more like his usual self again, than the dark kiss of another vampire. “As will I, mon cher ,” he murmured as he drew Armand into his embrace. “I will like it very, very much.”

Chapter Five
    Present Day
    Despite having gotten a full day’s rest, Marc was still feeling sulky and out of sorts the next evening. “Why are we in here?” he demanded of Damian, gesturing at the suspiciously immaculate room in which they had gathered. “Why does Conrad even have a kitchen? Does anyone here ever actually use it for anything?”
    â€œNot very often,” Damian replied with insufferable calm. “Which is precisely why I chose it, Marc. I find it’s almost impossible to keep a subject secret for very long once you take to discussing it in the middle of crowded rooms.”
    â€œBesides.” Julie lifted the blood bag from which she’d been sipping, and waved it in his face. “News flash for ya, bro. Refrigerator? Hello?”
    Marc glared scornfully at his sister. “You don’t think there are people here to feed from?” He turned to Damian again. “You do have people here, don’t you?” He knew there were people in the house, damn it. He’d sensed them as soon as he woke up. He’d smelled them right through the walls. He could almost taste them now. It annoyed the shit out of him that that should be the case.
    Vampire .
    Damian sighed wearily. “We went through this with you when you were a teenager, Marc. Must we do so again? There are people here, yes. Housekeepers, gardeners—we have an entire staff, if you must know. They’re all very well paid for their services and generally not averse to taking on certain additional tasks, if one were to ask nicely.” He nodded at the bags piled on the table. “I just remembered these as being more to your liking. But perhaps your tastes have changed?”
    â€œIf they have, it’s just since we