I do not own any part of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. All of that greatness is the work of the amazing J R Ward.
As of 5-22-12 the wonderful GothicBelle has beta'ed this for me. Hopefully this is now easier to read.
I hope everyone enjoys.
Chapter Three
Fritz was having a hard time adjusting to a few of his new duties as head of the Brotherhood's doggen. Thus far the hardest thing for him was the simply over see First Meal. He had very little to do except stand in a corner and observe all that was taking place, of course from time to time he would correct a doggen or slip from the room to give an order. He preferred to serve his Masters and their shellans himself, but his Majesty insisted he now had better things to do.
This evening for the first time Fritz actually found himself interested is the goings on of those dining. There was an odd tension at the table this evening. The addition of the civilian male Saxton had stirred something up.
He knew that Master Blaylock had brought the male to the mansion because he had been severely injured the previous night by human attackers. He also knew from the other doggen that Master Blaylock had stayed with Saxton in his room through the day. 'Good for Master Blaylock, Fritz thought, perhaps this male will help his obsession with Master Qhuinn.' Not that Fritz saw anything wrong with Master Qhuinn, but until the young male was willing to accept himself as the male of worth and stopped with the self-destructive behavior, he was a massive hazard to Master Blaylock's heart.
Fritz and the other doggen were well aware of the troubles of the young males, even if they, themselves, were not. The society they lived in was harsh for those who were different. Fritz had known many couples of the same gender in his society class, he preferred males himself, but the whole of the vampire society were not as accepting. They coveted pairings and matings that were traditional and Fritz understood. Procreation was hard for civilians and the glemera; mortality rates of infants and mothers were extremely high. Doggen did not have that problem, births where easy for their females.
Master Rhage and his lovely Mary where the first to the table as usual. They took their usual seats to the right. The Beast was always hungry and the kitchen doggen couldn't be more happy. Doggen lived to serve and Master Rhage's near constant hunger brought much fulfillment to them.
Next came Master Zsadist with his precious Nalla in his arms and Mistress Bella followed with the Chosen Cormia. Master Zsadist was looking quite well this evening. His brilliant yellow eyes focused on his young. The tiny female was exquisite; she was the perfect combination of all that was beautiful of her parents. The ladies separated as they rounded the table; these days they always made sure that their hellerns sat side by side. There was a wonderful contentment between the two these days. Fritz was very happy at the changes in them. The shellans of the Brotherhood were very good for their males.
His Majesty, King Wrath, was next with the Primale deep in conversation. Fritz had heard that a few of the Chosen were wanting to visit the mansion. Some of the ladies were wanting to find males to mate with and were sadly under the impression Blaylock and Qhuinn were available. Fritz had thought that the Chosen Layla would have warned the others.
Queen Beth entered next with Dr. Jane and Lady Marissa. The three looked as beautiful as ever. Still everyone looked a bit weary. The females took their seats.
Master John Matthew and Xhex entered hand in hand. Several of the others looked up and flashed them grins. The two were still radiating with love. The ceremony last night had been wonderful even without the Scribe Virgin. Master Tohrment had entered on their heels, most likely hoping no one would notice him that way. Five more and Fritz could ring the bell to start the servers. Tonight King Rehvenge and his shellan were eating out.
The Brothers Vishous and Butch came in a few minutes later, quickly followed by Saxton. Saxton paused in the doorway and waited, looking at the opened seats. Fritz noticed that Master Vishous had Dr. Jane move a chair down. This left a seat between him and Master Butch. The two always sat next to each other. The room became eerily quiet as the others also notice the empty seat. Master Butch looked Master Vishous, a silent question in his eyes. At the same time Master Vishous eyed Saxton and nodded to the chair.
Fritz had to keep himself from grinning. The Brother must be more aware of the younger generation's problems than the old doggen had thought. Though when one reflects, Master Vishous would be the Brother closest to understanding the situation. Masters Vishous and Butch had a unique relationship of their own that has not been fully resolved to Fritz's knowledge. The egg shells were really starting to pile up on the mansion floor, soon everyone would be tip toeing about.
Fritz watched as Saxton rounded the table and took the seat Master Vishous had chosen for him. He also caught the look the King gave the Brother, a questioning look. Master Vishous just nodded back with a little grunt that could mean anything. Fritz assumed that it would be discussed further at a later time.
Saxton seemed a bit nervous to Fritz. The male kept looking from his plate to the door. He kept quiet even when the volume of voices in the room rose to a dull roar again. Masters Phury and Zsadist played with Nalla as she sat in her father's lap. Most of the females were discussing the remodel on the second floor. Queen Beth and Mistress Bella were redoing a set of adjoining rooms for the new family. Mistress Mary joined in on the debate of colors and curtain fabrics.
Lady Marissa and Master Butch and Master Vishous and Dr. Jane went over their plans for their evening. Dr. Jane would be going to Safe House with Mistresses Marissa and Mary tonight. There was a new family coming in and they needed to be processed and placed quickly. The females liked getting the needy vampires settled as soon as possible. Fritz thought Safe Place was a true miracle and was thankful to his Majesty and the Lady Marissa everyday for this haven.
The Brothers Vishous and Butch were off duty tonight. They would do weapons inventory and paperwork down at the training center. Then spend the rest of the night at the Pit waiting on their shellans. The rest of the Brothers would receive their assignments later at the evening meeting in the King's parlor. Business as usual.
Fritz checked his watch; they were ten minutes behind schedule. He had given the two remaining warriors plenty of time. Just as he started ringing the diner bell Master Blaylock entered and quickly sat beside Mistress Mary, which left the chair between him and Master John Matthew for Master Qhuinn. Fritz watched as Master Blaylock glanced at the empty chair then met Master John Matthew's stare. There was far too much sadness in the young warrior's eyes.
Fritz knew first hand you didn't chose the one you loved and not having that individual could be heart wrenching. Fritz was lucky to have Tolliver, though they had been separated since Master Darius went into the Fade. Fritz came here to serve his new Master, the King and the Brothers, and Tolliver had gone to a safe house with their pregnant mistress. Fritz met with the lady's other doggen Eva once a month, but Tolliver had steadfastly refused to leave the female and her young unprotected and for safety reasons Fritz was not allowed to know their location. He deeply missed his lover, but Master Darius's orders were to be followed. And Eva generously passed letters between the two. Fritz was snapped out of his thoughts as the dining hall went silent; Master Qhuinn had entered. Fritz rang the bell.