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We seldom go anywhere without one or two of them along, in fact.”
    His expression practically dared her to argue with him. Denise paused. What if this was Spade’s way of trying to get out of helping her? If she refused to go along with this charade, he could abandon her without a second thought. Maybe he wasn’t as concerned about keeping Bones out of this as she’d bargained on.
    “Fine,” Denise forced herself to say, thinking of her parents. A little embarrassment was nothing if it ended up saving them.
    Spade seemed to be waiting for her to say something else. Denise picked up her fork and began to eat the fruit salad in the next container.
    “Good,” he said at last. “We’ll be in St. Louis later today.”
     

    Spade snapped his mobile shut. That was the last of the calls he needed to make. While it wasn’t common for him to gather his people to introduce a new human as property, he’d been traveling most of the past year, so several things had piled up that needed his attention.
    Denise had been very quiet the past three days. He suspected it had to do with the call she’d placed to her family, telling them she was taking off to grieve for her cousin privately. From what Spade could hear, that hadn’t gone over well, though she couldn’t explain that she wasn’t abandoning them in their time of need, but trying to help them instead.
    Still, her brooding had to stop. If Denise slipped up in her charade as his latest property in front of his people, Spade could contain the negative results. In front of another Master vampire, one who wasn’t an ally? That could be deadly.
    You need to get your back up, Denise , he thought. And I know how to help.
    Spade went down to the first floor, guessing that he’d find Denise in the kitchen. She’d proven to have a voracious appetite regardless of her mood. All his residences had a cook to make sure the human members of his line were well fed. Henry, the chef for his St. Louis home, had been even busier since Spade arrived with Denise.
    “Sire,” Henry said to Spade.
    It amused Spade to see Denise’s reaction. Her back was to him, but the tightening in her shoulders was unmistakable. His title among the members of his line made Denise uncomfortable. It didn’t bother Spade. After all, he’d been addressed far more formally back when he was human.
    “Henry.” Spade nodded at the young man before taking the seat next to Denise at the kitchen table. From the looks of her plate, she’d been eating lasagna, heavy on the garlic.
    He stifled a smile. Cat had told Denise a lot about vampires, but not everything. Spade plucked a sautéed clove off her plate and ate it, making sure to grunt in feigned bliss.
    “Ah, Henry, delicious. I’ll take a plate myself.”
    “Won’t that make you sick?” Denise asked in surprise.
    He kept his expression blank. “I can eat solid food. I just don’t prefer to most of the time.”
    “Not that.” Denise waved a hand. “Garlic. Doesn’t that make vampires sick?”
    “Indeed not. That’s one of the reasons I so enjoy visiting Italy. Can’t swing a cat without hitting a vein seasoned full of that delicious flavor.”
    Spade licked his lips. Denise saw it and blanched, pushing her plate back. It was all he could do to contain his laughter.
    “I have a present for you,” he said, as if he hadn’t noticed her reaction.
    Suspicion clouded her gaze. “Why?”
    She really needed to work on her acting skills. No new human in his line would use such a tone with him, especially with others around.
    He rose. “Come.”
    “Sire, would you still like the food?” Henry asked.
    Spade held out his hand to Denise. She paused. “Keep it warm for me,” he said to Henry, and hardened his gaze at Denise. Take it , he silently told her.
    She slid her hand into his. Her flesh was warm, almost feverish, except there was no glaze to her eyes that spoke of illness. No, they were bright with irritation over his little power play.