The main hall was a picture of controlled chaos when Nadya stepped through the door. Long tables and benches provided seating for at least a hundred, yet her eyes immediately sought and found Rem. She gasped at her first sight of him clean and groomed. Gone was the shaggy beard and coarsely gnarled hair. He had washed his hair to reveal it was a gleaming shade of black that appeared almost blue under the light of the candelabra ablaze with candles. His facial hair was now neatly trimmed to a short goatee and thin mustache. The dark hair around his mouth emphasized the thickness of his lips, and she shivered, imagining those lips moving over her body. In an effort to escape those thoughts, she examined the rest of his face, finding his features smooth and pleasing. He was completely transformed.
Her eyes narrowed with displeasure when she realized there were no free seats near Rem. In her mind, she’d imagined he would make her sit with him. In reality, the seat beside him already had an occupant. She was a buxom redhead with breasts threatening to spill from the bodice of her gray dress. The woman was leaning against Rem, whispering something into his ear. He must have enjoyed whatever she said, because he nodded and exchanged a heated glance with her.
“Nadya?”
She jumped at the sound of her name and tore her gaze from Rem to look at his mother. “Yes?”
“I saved a seat for you at the table.” She turned back toward the tables, clearly assuming Nadya would follow.
With no other option, she did so, taking a seat at one of the long benches between Loretta and a chubby older man who nodded briefly to her before resuming his conversation with the man beside him.
“I took the liberty of making you a plate. Around here, if you wait too long, there will be nothing left.” Loretta smiled as she indicated the plate waiting for Nadya.
“Thank you.” Nadya had been hungry until the sight of Rem and his whore turned her stomach. She picked at the stew cautiously, not certain what to expect. To her surprise, it was hearty and tasty, making her appetite return. She ate as Loretta chatted with her, occasionally answering, but mostly remaining silent. What did the other woman think of her son installing one woman in his room while pawing another at the dinner table?
Constantly, her gaze returned to Rem and the redhead. Each time, she found them cozily arranged, speaking to each other in what might have been sensuous whispers. They could have been shouting for all she could make out over the ambient noise in the hall, but their posture suggested they were speaking much more intimately.
Nadya was halfway through the stew, with Loretta’s words flowing dimly through her ears without really registering, when Rem suddenly moved closer to the woman. She dropped her fork, shocked when he began feeding from the redhead, clearly to the other woman’s delight. Abruptly, she stood. “Excuse me. I need some air.” She didn’t wait for Loretta’s response as she hurried from the hall and made her way through a maze of hallways, finally emerging through a door into an unkempt garden.
Nadya leaned against the wall, drawing in deep drafts of air in an attempt to calm herself. She didn’t need to question her reaction to what she’d witnessed. Much as she didn’t want to, she desired Rem. The idea of sharing him sickened her, and she recognized the hypocrisy. After all, Jalen remained in her thoughts even as she longed for Rem’s touch. She’d wanted him since Jalen made his enemy feed from Nadya, and it was pointless to deny that. It didn’t mean she was going to offer herself to Rem. After seeing the way he’d acted with that redhead, she wouldn’t let him put a hand on her.
“You left in a hurry.”
Once again caught unawares, Nadya jumped. This time, her startled eyes turned to Rem, and heat suffused her face. She didn’t answer, not sure what to say, or even if she could speak right then.
Rem rested his shoulder against the wall, much too close for her comfort. “Any particular reason why?”
Nadya shrugged. “I felt sick.” He lifted a brow, and for a second, she frowned. A flicker of something flashed across her mind, but winked out when his expression changed to one of indifference.
“Sorry if the food isn’t up to your standards. This ain’t no palace.” His eyes narrowed. “Then again, there aren’t so many strings attached to your staying here either.”
Nadya sniffed.
Rem frowned. “You know, you could be a little grateful to me for saving you.”
She turned fully to face him. “Was that what you planned to say if I refused to accept your strings?”
His frown deepened. “I didn’t ask you to do anything the others don’t do. Most are glad to pitch in.”
Anger had her stamping her foot, regardless of how childish the action was. “You make everyone share your room, and they don’t mind? I’m supposed to believe every woman in this compound has shared your bed? Or every person?” She raked her gaze over him dismissively. “You think they’re really happy to be there, do you?”
Rem’s mouth dropped open and then closed with a click. A laugh bubbled from him, rumbling his chest. Amusement tinged his words when he spoke. “I was referring to everyone having a job or helping out in some way. There are people who cook, others who watch children or educate, field hands for crops, soldiers—everyone does their part.”
“So my part is to sleep with you? I’m supposed to just happily pitch in?” She curled her lip, hoping she appeared disgusted rather than embarrassed by her assumption.
“Honey, I don’t know where you got the idea that I expect you to sleep with me, but I’ll demand nothing from you.” He lowered his voice, leaning closer. “I have plenty of women who would be happy to fill that role. I’ve never had to force one yet.”
His breath on her bare arm made her shiver, and she took a step back. “Why am I in your room if you don’t expect anything?”
Rem’s expression was serious when he said, “Because we had nowhere else to put you, and I thought you’d appreciate a space to yourself until we find your own home. I thought I was being nice by offering up my room, since I can sleep anywhere.”
“I saw.” Her words oozed contempt.
He inclined his head slightly. “Mary was happy to see me, Nadya. She’s always happy to see me, and I like her. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship, but certainly nothing to be jealous about.”
She barely cut off a screech of outrage. “I am not jealous.”
“Yeah?” He leaned closer yet, until their mouths were a whisper apart. This time, Nadya didn’t back away. “Because you want nothing to do with me, right?”
She nodded, though she didn’t think she successfully hid the confusion welling in her. Just when she thought she had everything sorted out, her body contradicted her brain. Without thought, she licked her lower lip, grazing his mouth in the process.
Rem groaned, but didn’t kiss her. Instead, he lifted his head. “That’s okay, honey. You’re safe from me. I’ve never had anything else my brother had, and I won’t start with his woman.”
Nadya sat in the garden on the overgrown grass for hours, wavering between believing what Rem had said and rejecting his words. How could Jalen be his brother? It made no sense. Rem had only been a vampire for a few years. Vampires didn’t have human children… unless they had a human partner. Had Loretta been Lorne’s lover? Had she been an innocent tribute, or had she been his mistress? Had Lorne known Rem was his son? Surely not. He either would have taken the boy and raised him in his proper place or destroyed him. Certainly, Lorne had never shown mercy to Rem when facing him across a battlefield.
Rem couldn’t be Jalen’s brother. She shook her head, refusing to believe. He had been the one to strike Lorne down in battle. Rem wouldn’t have killed his own father. Would he?
But if he was Jalen’s brother, surely that meant he was telling the truth about having left her lover alive. It made sense and explained why he wouldn’t have killed his enemy when he’d had the chance. Yet, he’d killed the man he claimed was his father, so why would he hesitate to strike down his brother?
Mind awhirl with confusion, Nadya eventually left the garden. On autopilot, she made her way through Rem’s house, losing her way only once. She found herself in front of Rem’s door a few minutes later and took a deep breath before entering. She expected to find him in his room, despite his assertion that he was loaning it to her, but the space was empty. She checked the primitive water closet after finding the bedroom vacant, but found it unoccupied.
Finally, Nadya sat on the bed, trying to pick through her thoughts. Though she tried to deny his words, it was proving impossible. For one thing, she’d realized what her mind had touched upon briefly before. When Rem had arched his brow, his expression had been so similar to Jalen’s, despite the differences in their coloring. She’d unconsciously recognized it then. Now, she deliberately compared Rem’s face to Jalen’s, concluding they had the same mouth and eye shape, though different colors. Their hands were identical too, though Rem’s were rough from hard work, while Jalen’s were smooth as silk.
It certainly explained her attraction to Rem, to her relief. Her body was simply confused, having recognized the similarities before her brain. When she desired Rem, it was really just a natural response to her missing and needing Jalen. “Liar,” she whispered in the lightening room as dawn approached. There was probably a hint of truth in that thought, but she couldn’t pretend that she wanted Rem only because Jalen was his brother. She wanted Rem in a way that was different from how she felt for Jalen.
As the sun rose, Nadya lay back on the bed, trying to clear her thoughts. Sleep eluded her for a time, but slowly encroached, making her eyes heavy and thoughts sluggish. All that remained with her as she slipped into slumber was the conviction that Jalen needed to know Rem was his brother. Maybe there could be peace between them if he found out the truth.