Page 110 of Vampire's Choice
“He says Kohana taught him that grunt, and it’s contagious.” Elisa tapped Ruth’s knee again. “The vampire-servant bond. Plenty of vampires think it can be defined, and every pairing will fit inside those boundaries. I admit, those boundaries, that definition, has worked reasonably well for the survival of the vampire world, and for many vampire-servant relationships. But there’s no one set definition for it.”
Elisa shrugged. “Lord Mason proposed a document on servants’ rights, not only because of what his servant Jessica went through before she became his, but because of what he himself knows about it, how deep that relationship can go and what it affects.”
“How do you feel about it, Etsi? Do you think it should be passed?” It was the first time she’d ever asked her mother the question. With a spurt of shame, Ruth realized she’d never considered a human servant’s input about it relevant. And most of the vampire world held the same opinion.
Elisa’s expression became pensive. She pulled over a jar on the counter and lifted the lid. “Biscuit?”
Oatmeal raisin, one of her mother’s specialties. Since it fell in the category of Kohana’s cornbread, something she wanted far more of than she could have, Ruth shook her head. But that wasn’t the only reason she refused it. She leaned forward, putting her hand over her mother’s. “I’ve upset you, Mum. I’m sorry.”
Elisa gave her a sad smile. “No, you haven’t, love. You know, Adan calls me Elisa most of the time now. You remember to do it when we’re around the vampire visitors who expect you to view me as a human servant more than as a mother. However, when we’re alone, you always call me Mum or Etsi. You’re protective in different ways. Adan is protecting my physical wellbeing; you’re protecting my feelings.”
“Etsi…”
Elisa shook her head, squeezed her hand. “Your father made sure you two always saw me as your mother first, his servant second. There are other human servant parents who aren’t as fortunate. They’re sent away soon after the babe is born, because it’s the vampire parent’s blood the newborn most needs. They aren’t brought back until the child is fully bonded with the vampire parent, to ensure the human servant is always viewed the ‘proper’ way.”
“Oh, Mum. Da would never. Not in a million years.”
“I know.” Elisa’s expression reflected the love and trust she had in her vampire Master. “When you’re first together, learning one another, you have more fears and insecurities. It’s a terrible thing, knowing your fate rests entirely in the hands of another, Ruth. Being a servant is an unimaginable act of faith in the vampire who binds you. Because only time will give you that knowledge of one another.”
Ruth remembered when they'd learned the news about Lady Lyssa declaring her love for Jacob. They’d been visiting Lord Marshall. Elisa had risen from the floor where she’d been sitting, playing a game of chess with Matthew. She’d gone to Mal and done something peculiar. She’d knelt, kissed Mal’s hand and rested her face against it. He’d bent over her and murmured something that had her fingers tightening around his calf. Words of reassurance…flavored with a sliver of hope.
“When I’ve thought about it, and I have, a great deal, I’ve realized I can’t speak decisively on whether it should be passed or not. I made the decision I made, the leap of faith, for Mal. For my vampire, because that’s the core of what makes the vampire-servant bond so strong.”
Elisa shifted their grips, her hand tight on Ruth’s. “I stood before him and said ‘I will belong to you’ in every conceivable and inconceivable way, in a world many think makes it impossible for love to thrive between vampire and servant. But power inequities don’t kill love. They might make them harder to understand for those who only focus on the inequity, but a flower can grow out of a crack in the sidewalk. Why wouldn’t love exist in environments equally as challenging? Love doesn’t fit in any box, or single way of thinking.”
Her gaze had taken on an intensity Ruth had rarely seen, and she wondered if, wherever her father was, he’d stopped to give his servant’s words his full attention. Elisa said them with such conviction, it was as if she was etching them on his heart, one letter at a time.
“Love has no boundaries, Ruth. None. No matter what laws are passed, for or against servants, no matter if no one ever says it out loud, the vampire world survives with the vital help of that vampire-servant bond, the strength, protection and connection it provides the vampire.”
Nodding, the matter settled for herself, Elisa took a bite of her cookie. “When it’s finally voted upon, it might well be a fine thing. I hope so. But for me, it will have no relevance. I have what I need. Now I just want you and Adan to find that kind of happiness. I think your brother has, with Catriona.”
“I do, too. Though they’re kind of sickening to watch together.” Which wasn’t at all true, but she had to be a sister first and foremost, rather than a female who adored seeing the tender bond between her brother and his delicate dryad. “Oh, and Etsi? Whatever Adan calls you when he’s around you, when he talks about you to me, or in his head, it’s always Mum or Etsi.”
Elisa smiled and handed Ruth a piece of the cookie. “Eat a bit. Just because you can’t have everything you wish of it, don’t deny yourself something you want. Find a different way to appreciate it.”
Ruth gave in, putting the piece of heaven in her mouth, flavored with brown sugar and cinnamon. As they chewed companionably together, she had another question for her mother. “What did it feel like? The third mark? I’ve asked Adan a lot of questions about his side of it. I could talk to Catriona, but Da is always saying you and I have a lot in common. So I thought, even though you’re human…”
“My experience would be somewhat relevant.” Elisa chuckled at Ruth’s obvious discomfort. “Vampire superiority over humans is embedded in you, but I appreciate the efforts you and your brother have made to recognize it, even if you don’t always resist it.”
Before Ruth could object to that—or acknowledge it—Elisa’s gaze turned thoughtful again. “Once it happened…I was never alone again. But it’s terrifying, Ruth, because with the wrong Master, loneliness can take on a depth and pain even Hell cannot match. Be very sure before you take that step. But over the years, as I’ve watched vampires make right choices, wrong choices, I’ve decided it’s like love itself. You take the leap and see where it takes you.”
Elisa stroked Ruth’s hair from her brow. “But no matter where that leap takes you, a chuisle mo chroí, remember we’re here. You have a family. We’re the net at the bottom. Always.”
Merc noted that Mal seemed distracted as he went through the rehab wellness checks, though he answered whatever casual questions Merc posed about the fascinating process. Merc had cloaked his wings, deciding it was easier to present himself as a visitor of indeterminate origins. Even so, the other staff members maintained a wide berth. He wondered if Mal had requested that, or if it was the vibe he put off. He’d meant to tone it down around her parents, but something about meeting her father had made him…he was not going to use the word nervous, but the end result was he’d stuck with what he knew. Being intimidating.
He could have saved himself the effort, since the male was obviously Ruth’s father. He didn’t intimidate. And while Merc would have to be tortured to admit it, Mal could be pretty damn intimidating himself, with that steady stare and expressionless face.
It didn’t stop Merc from asking the question he’d wanted to ask for a while. Having the staff members at a safe distance helped make that happen. “Why is she weaker than other vampires? She sleeps more often, and goes to bed earlier, gets up later, than the ones I know.”
The male vampire turned to lock gazes with him. "You’ve done nothing to earn my trust, and yet you ask me questions like that."
Merc inclined his head. “My apologies. I intended no offense. I sought information because…I want to know more about her.”
“Then you should ask her.”
“It’s a question that might hurt her, or make her uncomfortable. I prefer to avoid that.”
That dark gaze could have shaved rock. Merc held fast against it, though not without unexpected effort. At length, the vampire male grunted and moved to the next enclosure. Pointedly without giving him an answer.