My Blood To Give Read Online Free

mention that.”
    “I told you people competed for the right to serve us,” he reminded her.
    “You said they held competitions and fought to the death,” she said. “Is that what you want me to watch?”
    He chuckled. “Of course not. That would be barbaric. They race, and they throw the javelin, and they have wrestling matches. There are many other events, but the contestants don’t kill each other. Sanctuary is a civilized place. We wouldn’t allow our human companions to do anything to endanger themselves.”
    “You might not do it now,” she pointed out. “But you did it in the past.”
    Andrei shook his head. “Dara, dear Dara. When are you going to believe me? We didn’t make them fight to the death or war against each other. They did that in their own cities and nations. They never did it here in Sanctuary. We wouldn’t stand for it. We want happy, healthy, living companions. If humans want piles of rotting corpses, they can have that. We won’t have it here.”
    She sighed. “All right. So Madam Trendeaux and her daughter are competing in the games. Haven’t they just been bitten? They’ll be too weak to do much.”
    “That’s true,” he said. “I don’t expect they will win a very high position this time around. But by the next set of games, I’m sure they’ll do much better.”
    “Next set?”
    “We hold the games once a month. Any human can compete if they want a better place in our society.”
    “Will I have to compete?”
    Andrei laughed. “You’ve already attained the highest position a human can have. Others will compete for the honor to serve you.”
    “But Reeva is serving me,” she said
    “If someone challenges her, she will have to accept and defeat them, or they will exchange roles. But don’t worry, I’ve seen Reeva in the games; she’s very good.”
    That didn’t assure Dara quite as much as she would have liked.
    “And afterward, there are the children’s games,” Andrei said.
    “Children?” she gasped.
    Andrei smiled. “They aren’t really competing for places. It’s just for fun for them, so they feel like they’re a part of the entertainment.”
    “But they still become companions, don’t they?” Dara asked. “Reeva told me she became a companion when she was a young girl.”
    Andrei locked his eyes on her. “Every human being in Sanctuary becomes a companion. There are no exceptions.”
    “What about little babies?” she asked. “What happens when a baby is born here? Do you feed on them, too?”
    Andrei stood up. “Of course not. They usually start when they’re about six years old, when feeding wouldn’t cause them any discomfort or danger. Now come on. I don’t like to see you lying there moping.”
    She looked at her court gown. “Shouldn’t I change?”
    “If you like,” he told her. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
    She tilted her head to one side. “Outside? Why?”
    “You don’t want me watching you change your clothes, do you?” he asked.
    “Don’t you want to watch?” she asked.
    “Why would I want to do that?” he asked. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on your privacy.”
    She examined him. Then she turned away. “Suit yourself.”
    His voice took on a tone of concern. “What’s the matter?”
    “I just don’t understand all this,” she murmured. “It’s exactly opposite to what I expected.”
    “In what way?” he asked.
    Dara faced him. “You made all that fuss about bringing me here to be your consort. In the human world, that would mean being lovers and spouses, having children, sharing each other’s bodies and our lives. Now you won’t even stay in the same room while I change my clothes. It’s nothing like a human relationship at all.”
    “You’re right,” he replied. “It’s not a human relationship. We’ll be sharing each other’s bodies, but it won’t be in the usual human sexual way. Being consorts isn’t the same as being lovers or even companions. It’s much more.”
    “That’s