"Do you really think I've kept count?" he said, somewhat rhetorically. "Human slaves were given by the gods to serve us, in body and in blood. If they are too fragile to withstand the demands of that service, it's not on my conscience. Any more than the meat from the lost lamb who falls prey to wolves is on the conscience of the pack."
He fixed her with his pale grey gaze. "And my memory may be unreliable, but I seem to remember more than few human throats bleeding out under your not-so-tender caresses." He could not help needling her a little further. "I enjoyed watching that. It was most invigorating."
Carrick fell silent for a moment, knowing that they had argued their way to an impasse - as they so often had during the 200 years they had spent together.
"Very well. I won't touch hm. You have my word. But you will make it clear to him that while he lives on my estate he will conduct himself in a manner that befits this house. And if you don;'t see to his discipline, then I will."