“I’m stepping out for a few minutes,” Levi said. “If you need anything, use the buzzer just inside the front door and someone will come.”
In a moment he was gone. Trinity sat on the edge of the bed, repeating Elizabeth’s final words in her mind.
Make the most of it. Could that possibly be some kind of code, letting her know that Elizabeth suspected her true purpose here?
That, too, she would learn in time. She was just heading for the shower when a stunning young woman walked into the room.
She wore a deep red gown of a fabric that caught the corridor lights and accented every lush curve of her figure, the neckline plunging in folds that opened just above her nipples. Her face was striking, her blond hair falling in glorious waves around her shoulders.
“So you’re the new one,” the woman said, smiling as she draped herself against the doorframe. “Elizabeth tells me you’ve been a little sick. The Claiming can be difficult for novice serfs.”
“Thanks for your concern,” Trinity said, keeping her expression neutral. “I’m fine now.” She offered her hand. “You must be Cassandra.”
The other woman ignored Trinity’s friendly overture. “How did you know?” she asked.
“You’re too beautiful to be anyone else.”
Cassandra’s smile flickered as if she suspected Trinity of a backhanded compliment. “I’ve heard a great deal about you, too,” she said. “You’re as lovely as they said. Or you will be, once you’re cleaned up.”
“Thank you. I didn’t expect to be so...warmly welcomed.”
“We’re all family here,” Cassandra said, her body relaxing. “But your arrival has created quite a stir, what with Ares Challenging for you and all.”
“So I gathered,” Trinity muttered.
“Well, I’m sure everyone will get used to the change. You are fortunate to have been claimed by Ares, but here’s a friendly word of advice—don’t expect too much.”
“Why should I expect anything?” Trinity asked.
Cassandra tossed back her hair. “You tell me.”
“You were just with him, weren’t you?” Trinity asked, feigning naive curiosity. “Was he different than usual?”
Ares’s Favorite almost permitted a scowl to twist her full red lips, but she covered her anger quickly. “He was...very energetic, shall we say,” she said. “Hot-blooded, to use a human expression.”
“I always heard Nightsiders were insatiable,” Trinity said, swallowing nervously for effect.
“Ares is a good lover. Very considerate for an Opir. Enjoy it while you can.”
Elizabeth had said nearly the same thing earlier, but somehow Trinity didn’t think that Cassandra meant it in quite the same way.
“You mean he’ll get tired of me?” she asked.
“It depends on what he wants you for. I’ve been his Favorite for three years.” She smiled unpleasantly. “I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.”
“Then why are you worried about me?”
“Worried?” Cassandra stroked her long, graceful neck, running her perfectly manicured nails over a set of small red marks that had almost healed. “Did I give you that impression?”
Trinity knew she’d made a mistake in resorting to sarcasm. “No,” she said. “Not at all.”
“I’m sure things will settle down again very soon,” Cassandra said, favoring Trinity with another false smile, “and once Ares is done with you, you’ll be given some task in the Household that will make you content, like everyone else here.”
“I hope so,” Trinity said. She gazed up at Cassandra like a lost puppy. “Maybe you could show me around when you’re not busy.”
Cassandra yawned behind her hand. “I’d love to help you, Trinity, but I’m on call twenty-four hours a day. I doubt I’ll have the energy.”
In spite of herself, Trinity felt a little sorry for the woman. She suspected that Cassandra’s sense of self came entirely from being the Favorite of Ares’s Household.
But pity couldn’t distract Trinity from her mission, and she quickly brushed it aside. “I understand,” she mumbled, looking down at the floor.
Cassandra placed a slender hand on Trinity’s shoulder. “Just give yourself a little time to adjust, and don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“Thank you,” Trinity said, laying her hand on top of Cassandra’s. “I think I won’t find it quite as difficult now.”
“I’m glad my little visit was of some help to you.” Cassandra glided to the door and turned around again. “Just remember, Trinity...it’s very important to remember your place. It won’t be so easy if you make enemies of your fellow servants.”
“Yes,” Trinity said. “Elizabeth said—”
“Cassandra.”
The voice was unmistakably Ares’s, and he was standing somewhere very close to the door. Cassandra started, and her confident attitude changed to one of uncertainty and fear.
Not of Ares, Trinity was sure. It was the fear that came from being caught doing something forbidden.
“Why are you here?” Ares asked, still out of Trinity’s sight.
“I only came to welcome the new serf, my lord,” Cassandra said, moving from the doorway.
“She was to rest,” Ares said, a trace of anger in his voice. “Go to your room.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Trinity heard Cassandra’s soft footsteps retreating, and then Ares was filling the doorframe, a dark silhouette with eyes that seemed to pin Trinity to the spot. He wore a long, deep blue tunic, and his hair was loose around his broad shoulders.
He entered the room and strode to her side. “Are you well now?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, averting her gaze. “Much better. Thank you, my lord.”
He took her chin in his hand and drew her head up. “What is this new humility? It doesn’t suit you.”
Trinity shivered at the touch of his hand, the nearness of his body, the clear evidence that he was very much aroused. He’d just been “served” by Cassandra, but it was obvious that he was far from satisfied.
His desire still seemed at odds with his normally cool, controlled demeanor, but she’d seen just how much he could change from one moment to the next.
“Should I resist you, my lord?” she said, meeting his gaze. “Is that what you want me to do?”
He released her chin and stepped back. “When you have bathed and receive proper attire,” he said, “you will join me in my apartments. I shall see if you are worth the trouble it took to win you.”
Chapter 5
Trinity struggled to contain her sudden rush of desire, the moist heat between her thighs, the pounding of her heart.
She kept her face averted, praying Ares couldn’t detect her inner thoughts. It seemed impossible that she should welcome his touch, especially because such feelings on her part went well beyond the scope of her mission.
Still, she couldn’t keep pretending these feelings didn’t exist. Fighting them would only expend energy she couldn’t afford to waste.
And she needed him to trust her, to talk with her, to allow her freedom in the Household. When she “surrendered” to Ares,