Blood Paladin

Nainee pressed close to Haig as she walked beside the Lemyari, demon-vampire, with her son on her hip. She tried to present a serene front for the rest of the nibari, who followed them in an uncertain and anxious queue. Vampires who were not of the Borealysyn philosophy often slaughtered their entire herds rather than allow them to fall into the hands of true humans or sylvans. The existence of the nibari had been a closely kept secret for centuries, but word of them had been steadily leaking out since the Sharani overran Waejontor. Nibari were the cattle of the hemovores, such as the vampires and the sa'necari, genetically alteredand bred for docility over tens of centuries. Bonded to their owners, they could not actively resist a master's demands, evenknowing that their deaths awaited them. However, although all masters could demand their utter obedience, few could command their complete devotion. Haig had the devotion of his and they would rise from their ingrained docility in his defense. He owned nine females, a sterile male, and a fertile male that he had ordered not to breed with his females.

Haig's herd kept their children close to them, carrying the littlest ones on their hips. The males helped. The steward settled them into suites with intervening doors, all adjacent to Haig's own.

Haig shared his bedroom with Nainee, who supervised his herd as lead nibari. It did not bother her that when he slept he looked dead. A maid found a cradle for her child and she got him settled there. Cradles would be the main problem, as the nibari required nine. The steward had promised to request more of them.

He stared down for a moment at the child in the cradle, wiggling his finger in front of the infant's face and smiling when thesmall hands closed on the thick digit. "He's going to be a strong one, Nainee," Haig said. "He'll make a fine studfor my herd when he's old enough."

The infant started to pull Haig's finger into his mouth and Haig freed his finger.

"No, little one, you don't want to bite me. You wouldn't like what that could do to you." Haig experienced a flash of memory, reliving what it had felt like to be taken captive by the vampires he had been hunting and forcibly turned. An old friend, Dane Jayce, was all that kept Haig from losing his mind over the transformation. Dane Jayce, who turned out to be a vampire himself, of the Borealysyn persuasion that did not believe in taking lives out of appetite or for the simple pleasure of the kill.

Haig left the infant and sat on the bed where Nainee joined him.

"What are they going to do with us, Haig?" Nainee laid her head on her master's shoulder.

"I don't know. But I have a feeling they've bitten off more than they can chew." Haig flexed his extended hand and allowed his claws to emerge from beneath his primary nails, venom dripping from the sharp points. "They are underestimating Nans and Anksha, as well as Isranon. Especially Isranon. You haven't seen what I have of his powers. He's gotten strong, Nainee. His body may still be weaker than it was, but his magic is far stronger."

Nainee sighed. She climbed onto her knees on the bed, opened her blouse, and assumed first position before him with her head tilted, her neck arched to expose the favored vein, and her wrists crossed behind her. "I am afraid."

Haig sheathed his claws and kissed her hair. "Don't be."

Then he bit into her and began to suck. The wondrous languor that swept into her eased her fears and worries, and her body roused to his desires as her blood slipped down his throat. This was the way it should always be, the total union of nibari and master. She sighed softly and Haig stroked her back.

GODWAR CENTRAL

Blood Paladin