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His pet had already been accused of murder once, and as far as the marquis was concerned, that would be the last time as well.

"If there is anything we could do to be of service, milord—-" Eleanor stopped speaking when she saw the glint in the marquis' eyes.

"Actually, milady...it is the opposite."

It was?

"With all that has happened, it has slipped my mind to inform you of my reason for coming."

Eleanor's eyes widened. Indeed, it was so!

"I believe you wrote to my office requesting for a guest lecturer for your newest course?"

"Yes, I did, milord, and—-" The viscountess' voice trailed off as understanding dawned, and for one moment all she could do was stare at the marquis in shock.

Did this mean...

"You have no objections to my qualifications to teach this, I hope?"

"Not at all, milord." Eleanor's voice was dazed, and she could barely remember what she said or did as she saw the marquis out of her office. Turning around, she stared blindly at the crackling fire, unable to believe her good fortune...or was it misfortune?

The Marquis of Sangre...a professor in her school?

While the viscountess was still mentally reeling at the prospect of having a powerful vampire join her school's faculty, the subject of her thoughts also had his own affairs to put into order. And the marquis' first stop: the south tower in the school's property, which would now serve as his temporary residence. He had never been the type to fuss about his living arrangements, but his pet had vehemently insisted on having the authority to oversee its preparations.

He knocked on the door, and almost at once Rhapsody herself appeared to welcome him, a vision in blue silk and with her dark hair twisted up in an elegant chignon.

"The matter has been taken care of," he said quietly. "You need not trouble yourself over it."

"I was never troubled," his pet said placidly. "You said you would take care of it, and you always keep your word, milord." She then stepped back and opened the door wide. Dark eyes looked up to him as her voice, prim and alluring all at the same time, played ever so softly into the air.

"Please come in now, Master."

Says a young, nubile Eve to her blood-drinking Adam,Mihail found himself thinking, and was all at once wary, discomfited, and extremely aroused.

Chapter Three

As it was obvious that Rhapsody felt the need to redeem herself, Mihail patiently indulged his pet's whims as she took him upon a tour of the south tower. He obediently lent his ear as she painstakingly described its most valuable artworks, and he obligingly made suitable sounds of approval when she enumerated the tower'sMost Esteemed Guests.

Afterwards - and only at his insistence - she led them back to the dining room in the second floor. The other room that Rhapsody preferred, albeit more formal, would also require them to sit twenty fucking feet away from each other. He was all for propriety, but until he had his fill of his pet, he needed her within reach.

A young footman brought in a trolley bearing dishes on silver platters, but seeing the way he looked upon the marquis' pet with admiring eyes, Mihail waited until the boy turned his way—-

Rhapsody shivered as the air inside the room suddenly turned chilly. A moment later, she heard a scrambling sound and turned in time to see the footman fall on his behind for no apparent reason. He also looked oddly frightened, and thinking it might be because the boy found the marquis' presence too awe-inspiring, she said kindly, "It's alright, Johnson. You may leave us."

Turning back to her Master as soon as the footman had taken his leave, Rhapsody was unaware of how her gown had slipped slightly down to reveal an extra creamy inch of her bosom, a factthat had the marquis cursing in his mind in an effort to control his lustful urges.

Rhapsody saw the marquis looking suddenly ravenous again.Oh dear.She quickly reached for the nearest dish to start serving her Master.

The marquis was distracted and then bemused when his pet started heaping food on his plate in seeming hurry. "Milady?"

And there it was again, Rhapsody thought with an inner shiver. It was that strange, velvety thickness in her Master's voice making her senses inexplicably tingle, and it had her clearing her throat before speaking. "I am so sorry, milord."

The marquis' puzzlement grew. What did his pet sound so dismayed and remorseful for?

"It was unforgivably remiss of me not to notice how hungry you were," Rhapsody felt the need to explain. "It was only when I saw how you were looking at me as if you were ready to eat me—-"

Mihail choked. So that was why she believed him to be starving.