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that bloodlust problem of mine too much around Mason.”
    She let out a ladylike snort. “Males are so predictable.”
    “Perhaps, but not as much as women like to think we are.” Mason emerged from the darkness. As Jacob had sensed, Jessica was with him. Her gaze flickered over Jacob carefully, but despite what he’d said, he knew she was gauging things other than his half-dressed state. The scent of blood and violent sex lingered in the area, and both of those things would make her wary. Though she’d been around Jacob enough to be more at ease with him, Mason’s human servant was always wary around vampires other than her Master.
    It was understandable, since she’d spent five years as the second-marked servant of a vampire who’d tortured her in ways that should have destroyed her mind, and nearly did. Only Mason’s third-marking of her, and the bond that had formed between them, had salvaged what was left. It hadn’t taken Jacob long to understand the vampire’s devotion to his fragile servant. She had the courage and endurance of a whole Spartan legion, and the fact that she depended on Mason’s strength and love to manage in the vampire world didn’t diminish that accomplishment one bit. If anything, it just made the powerful vampire all the more dedicated to her.
    It was like that with a remarkable woman. Jacob glanced at Lyssa. Sometimes a man would destroy the universe to win one smile from her. Fortunately, tonight such drastic measures weren’t needed. The third member of Jess and Mason’s party was more than capable of winning smiles, and making Jess a little more relaxed. Having an armful of toddler could do that.
    Kane had a passion for female hair. Jessica had been growing hers out, to Mason’s immense pleasure, and the chestnut brown locks were past her shoulders, long enough for Kane to secure an iron grip. He looked cranky, which didn’t bode well for the universe after all. The second he registered Lyssa’s presence, his piercing wail split the air, loud enough to spook Mason’s horses on the other side of the estate.
    Hungry,
Jessica mouthed with a half smile.
    “Tyrant,” Jacob informed his son. He took the child from Jessica to pass him to Lyssa since his lady, even without her full vampire powers, still made Jess more uneasy than Jacob. Kane flailed, screwing up his face to scream some more. “Yeah, yeah, I know.
    I’m not the one you want right now. Little Judas.”
    “He’s gnawed on me a couple times, but I’m obviously not to his liking,” Jessica said with a half smile. “He didn’t want more of the blood mix, so I figured he was ready for a meal fresh from his mother.”
    Lyssa nodded. They’d moved out of the maze but there were several benches placed among the landscaping. Sinking down on one of them, she turned away, enough to cloak herself in the shadows as she slipped off the blouse and removed the bra again. Usually she wore darker colors, since she’d learned that wearing pale colors when nursing a child on blood was inadvisable.
    With Lyssa being Fae and a vampire of reduced capacity, they hadn’t been sure if her blood could nourish Kane. Often a vampire child with a non-vampire mother had to be nursed on a mix of the father’s blood with human formula, so Lord Brian had shown them how to measure that out, reinforced with a vitamin elixir. Fortunately, it appeared both her blood and the blood mix were acceptable to Kane.
    However, as he’d just demonstrated, his preference could vary, but the baby was thriving, the most important thing to all of them. When possible, born vampires were nursed far beyond their human counterparts, until they reached the age of three. It seemed to help their mental and physical development.
    Jacob placed the child in her arms so Kane could sink his tiny, kitten-like fangs into the curve just above the nipple, drawing on the veins there. After Lyssa settled him, she made sure her pale skin was still mostly in shadow. Despite