Page 7 of Brushed By Moonlight

Yes, I was ordering a vampire around. I didn’t normally flirt with death. I didn’t flirt, period, and certainly not with clients — especially this bunch. But if I didn’t grab the upper hand now…

Pinpoints of red lit Henrik’s eyes, but he glided silently over to stand between Roux and the couch, where Bene sat.

“And you…” I motioned to the guy at the window.

“Marius,” Bene provided when the guy didn’t.

“Would you join us, please?” My tone wasn’t as forgiving as my words.

The dragon shifter turned slowly, clearly annoyed. When his fiery eyes met mine, my stomach flipped. I’d gone from not even registering on his radar to being smack dab in his crosshairs.The vampire might be the obvious danger here, but this guy was downright lethal — and with a much, much shorter fuse.

Tread carefully, little lady,his burning eyes warned.

My knees wobbled, but I held my ground. If I caved now, I would never win their respect, and respect was the only route to keeping safe around this gang.

Finally, the floorboards creaked. Marius took one step forward, then another, exudingrebel with no goddamn need for a causevibes. Then he stopped and folded his arms.

Muscles bulged. Testosterone flared. A millisecond after he passed, his scent caught up, and oh, that scent! I nearly closed my eyes and savored the fresh, airy blend. A thousand hopes and dreams flooded my mind, and I nearly swayed on my feet.

Then I caught myself and launched into a much-less-friendly version of the speech I’d rehearsed over the past week.

“So, welcome to Château Nocturne. This is my home, and I expect you to treat it as such.”

I was way off script, which had called for something likeMi casa es su casa.But that would be courting disaster, and I knew it.

“In a moment, I’ll show you to your quarters in the west wing. I’m sure you’ll find them comfortable.”

Well, I was only somewhat sure, and I really, really hoped the mild weather would hold, because the heating didn’t work. But no need to mention that now, right?

“The rest of the house is off-limits, except the dining room directly below us.” I pointed. “Madame Picard will serve lunch and dinner there at one and seven p.m.”

Henrik’s eyes drifted to my neck at the mention of meals. I glared at him and went on. “I’ll set out breakfast at six-thirty and a midmorning snack at ten.”

Bene chuckled. “Just like preschool.”

“Yes. Very much like that,” I said in a flat tone.

Henrik raised one thin eyebrow, while Roux’s weary expression said he could relate. As their leader, he knew all about herding cats, I supposed. Very big, very dangerous cats, not to mention vampires and dragons.

“Can we use this space?” Bene asked. “It’s, like, the only half-decent room in the house.”

Ha.Wait till you see your bedrooms,I nearly said. I’d done my best to spruce them up, but I hadn’t had time to deal with peeling wallpaper and paint.

Bene stuck up his hands. “No offense.”

I pursed my lips.

Roux shot a pointed look at Bene’s dirty boots. “Looks like it’s off-limits.”

“No, but it will be if I find bootprints anywhere but in the entry hall,” I snipped.

Bene winced and leaned forward, brushing dirt off the tea table. He looked up, all sunny, like that would surely make up for it.

It didn’t, as my expression made clear.

He frowned, then started picking dirt from the rug. “Sorry.”

“In terms of…um, exploring in your free time…” I continued, aiming for a delicate way to sayshifting into wild beasts, “You can use the surrounding fields and woods. No hunting permitted except in the woods within this property. The farmer’s fields and the village are strictly no-go zones as far as such activities are concerned.” I paused for emphasis, and also because I needed a nice way of saying,Don’t let anyone catch you in animal form. I finally settled on, “I expect the highest discretion from each of you.”