Night's Templar: A Vampire Queen Novel (Vampire Queen Series Book 13) by Joey W. Hill

that at all times. Still, Brian seemed to enjoy glancing her way more often than usual. His almost possessive regard showed blatant male appreciation for her slim form, clad in a sequined blue sheath that stopped at mid-thigh. Debra always wore classic fashions, less revealing than most servants, but ones which highlighted her attributes well.
    Uthe had noticed the change in their relationship soon after she and Brian had made the discovery there was an undeniable correlation between fertility rates and the closeness of the bond between vampire and servant. Though the more formal, traditional vampire-servant relationships like his and Mariela’s had resulted in pregnancies, Brian and Debra’s research had shown the birthrate was greater among vampires and servants like Lyssa and Jacob who shared a far deeper bond.
    Well, it would make sense that the scientist would act on his own research, though Uthe suspected if the feelings between Brian and his servant hadn’t already been there, dormant but waiting, they couldn’t have been acted upon so quickly.
    He didn’t indulge sentiment often, which made it strange that he was glad for the new bond between them, that closeness. He also experienced a yearning he couldn’t quite define, as if he were lonely for the same experience. Which brought a desire to see where Keldwyn was.
    He put that aside. Complicating the questions didn’t make the answer any less simple, or the consequences less severe. He brought himself back to why he’d approached Brian.
    “Lord Brian, I wish to break the third mark bond with my servant. As soon as possible.”
    Brian’s gaze snapped from his absorption with the Fae to Uthe’s face. “My lord? Are you unhappy with Mariela? She seems quite devoted to you and you have seemed content with her service.” He paused at Uthe’s expression. “My apologies. I know I have no standing to question you, and I certainly didn’t mean to pry. For…non-Council vampires, I am required to determine the reasons. You do not have to give me yours, but if you are willing to volunteer that information, it does help me hone my current efforts to develop compatibility guidelines between vampires and servants on the front end, so we have less reasons to use the separation serum.”
    Uthe respected the scientist’s thoroughness, so allowed his expression to relax. “I have been very happy with her service, Lord Brian. So much so, I would owe you a debt if you would share that with your servant when the time comes, so it may be spread throughout their ranks and Mariela suffers no censure for it. I must regretfully request the separation for personal reasons, which I must address with Lady Lyssa as soon as feasible. How quickly does it take effect?”
    “Once administered, it is a matter of minutes now, my lord. But it’s best to do it during the early afternoon hours, when the vampire is in his or her deepest sleep. It is less difficult on you both.”
    Uthe regretted hearing that. He would have preferred to be at Mariela’s side while it was done. As if detecting his concern about that, Brian continued with an assurance. “Debra is experienced with the process. You should have no lasting physical effects, but even without the memory wipe we do on Randoms, your servant will have a period of weakness and lethargy that lasts a few days. We will monitor and help her through the initial disorientation.”
    “Thank you for that. I’ve not yet spoken of this to Mariela, so I do not wish it shared with anyone else, until I indicate to you that it is all right to do so.”
    “Of course.” Brian glanced across the ballroom. Following his gaze, Uthe saw Mariela had been called upon to dance with Lord Belizar. While vampires had no reservations about orientation, such that it would not be unusual to see same-sex pairings on the ballroom floor, Belizar liked to dance with a woman when he wanted to dance. Uthe had suspected for some time that Belizar preferred male