Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 16)

The entire thought of it all had made me so uncomfortable that Id dreaded the night. The idea was that I could simply dance with each candidate, turn them down as not my cup of tea, and be done with it. That way I didnt have to be alone with any candidate, and I could politely refuse them all. It had seemed like a good plan until my version of the ardeur had shown itself so unpredictable.

We decided I was too dangerous to taste the candidates. I would have been introduced to everyone, but that would have been it.

But you never even got to be introduced, did you?

You know I didnt. I sounded sullen even to myself.

Jason went down on his knees in front of me. Dont be mad, but dont you see how it made things look for Jean-Claude? He had commanded his servant to do something and she didnt. You didnt even bother to make the grand entrance with him.

I was a little busy, I said.

I know you and Asher were confronting some very bad vampiresthe leaders of the vampire dance troupe that had damn near rolled every Master of the City in that audience. Jean-Claude and you, and Auggie, saved the day, kept them from eating us all. He put his hands over mine.

Asher and I were negotiating with the leaders.

Yes, and the other masters were okay with that. Jean-Claude did it deliberately to show how much he trusted Ashers powers.

I widened my eyes at him.

Asher is seen as weak, Anita. A very weak second-in-command, there only by the grace of love and centuries of friendship.

My hands were still under his. He was touching me, but I wasnt touching him back. I didnt like this conversation and I really didnt like that Jason was beating around the bush. He was leading up to something. The more careful he was, the more I was certain I wouldnt like it.

Asher proved himself when Jean-Claude nearly died in December.

Jason nodded and squeezed my hands; when I still didnt respond he dropped his hands away from me, and just stayed kneeling. He was ruthless and effective, and he surprised a lot of people.

Not me, I said. I knew he was tougher than everyone thought.

So tough he nearly killed you.

I stood up and walked a little distance away from him. Jean-Claude told me to feed and go meet the other masters.

Asher was food, I know that. But food doesnt usually bite back.

Youre creeping up on some idea here, Jason. Its not like you to play twenty questions so gently. You usually go straight for the meat of the problem.

He stood up. Okay, if you dont like the gentle approach, we can skip to the point.

I wish you would.

He gave me a look. Liar.

All right, I dont want to hear your point, because I think I wont like it, but Id rather just hear it and get it over with than have this long lead-up.

Jason made his point, holding up a finger for each part of it. You have more freedom than any human servant is ever allowed. You dissed the other masters when you didnt appear for the party, especially when they knew you were having sex with Asher. You bailed on your master to fuck one of his underlings.

It wasnt like that, I said, but felt myself beginning to blush anyway.

Im telling you how it seemed to them.

Jean-Claude never mentioned thaTHE was having a problem with the other masters because of it.

And if he had, it wouldnt have made any difference. You are who you are, he accepts that. Jason sat on the edge of the bed closest to me. He loves you, Anita. Hell, in his own way, he loves us both, buTHE cannot let this story stand, Anita. He cannot be perceived as so weak thaTHE cant even control his woman, and his food.

But its not true, Jason. We havent run off together. We arent getting married.

But its a really good rumor, Anita. Everyone loves a good rumor, even master vampires.

Has Jean-Claude been having trouble with rumors like this before? I asked. I got up and moved to the middle of the room toward the door. I was pretty sure Jason wasnt done with his revelations, and being closer to the door made me feel better. I always feel better when I know where the exit is.

Anita, some of it isnt rumors, its fact.

What do you mean?

He does let you sleep with men other than him, while he isnt allowed the same privilege with other women.

I stared at him. So if I let Jean-Claude sleep around, his reputation would be better among the other masters?

Maybe.

I shook my head. If you have a point, youd best be getting to it.

If you and Jean-Claude were simply not monogamous, then the other vampires could understand it. You have no idea the world-class talent Jean-Claude has turned down lately.

I dont know what youre talking about.

The other masters keep trying to send him gifts.

What kind of gifts?

You know what kind.

I havent noticed a bevy of strange women at the Circus lately.

They start with pictures on the computer or home movies. Theyve decided that if he could see them in action and pick the ones he likes best, he might take some of them into his group.

He never mentioned any of this to me.

Why should he? He knows you would never share him with another woman. He waits a polite amount of time, then turns them down.

Does he watch thestuff?

Sometimes, enough so he can answer questions when they call and ask him how he liked what she did in this or that scene.

Scene?

Vampire porn is a growing business, Anita.

I shivered. I wasnt aware of that.

Auggies been branching out into it, as a legitimate business.

Legitimate. I made it sound like I felt.

Legal, then. Jason seemed tired.

I had a thought, and I let it go all the way through. Does Jean-Claude want to sleep with other women?

Hes never mentioned it to me, Jason said.

Then why are you mentioning it to me?

Because this story is going to need some punishment.

What, the lies about us?

Jason nodded.

What do you mean, punishment?

Jean-Claude is going to have to be seen as regaining control of you and me, Anita.

Thats insane. We arent out of control.

Arent we? Youre here alone with me. We are lovers. Youre meeting my family. Most people will consider all that pretty serious.

Are you saying that Jean-Claude will have to appear to punish us for something we havent done?

Jason nodded, and he was way too serious about it.

Thats crazy. Jean-Claude wont punish us for something we havent done.

No, he wont, Jason said, voice soft.

I came to stand in front of him, arms crossed over my chest, then had to shift my arms. Standing like that works so much better without breasts. Then what the hell are you talking about?

Im saying that we need to come up with punishments for him to use on us.

I shook my head. You are making no sense at all.

Im making a lot of sense. You have no idea how badly your behavior at the party affected your masters standing among the rest of the vampires.

I didnt mean for

You didnt mean to have sex with Asher?

No, I mean, yes. I sat down on the bed beside him. I dont know what I mean. Neither Asher nor I meant for things to go so wrong. It got out of hand.

Which is why you and he arent allowed to be alone together anymore. The other masters saw that as fitting punishment, but expected more severe punishment for Asher. That made Jean-Claude look weak, too.

How serious is this, Jason?

Jean-Claude has to be seen as bringing his house back to order. He must do things that make him look strong to the others.

Are you seriously saying that some other master might challenge Jean-Claude for his territory, just because of this rumor?

Remember, Anita, most of these guys come from a time when if a man couldnt control his wife, he was seen as less than a man. There are vampires out there who are beginning to think that its not his power, but yours that makes him strong.

Im his human servant, Jason.

Yes, a human servant with her own vampire servant, and her own animal to call. An animal to call that is a different animal from her masters.

It gives Jean-Claude a hold on the leopards, too.

No, it doesnt. Micah and his leopards answer to Jean-Claude out of courtesy and Micah knowing a good thing when he sees it, buTHE is not drawn to Jean-Claude. Hes drawn to you, just like all the other big cats. Thats your energy, not Jean-Claudes.

But Im drawn to the wolves.

Youre metaphysically tied to Richard, our Ulfric, our wolf king, too. So whos to say that its your tie to Jean-Claude that gives you wolf or your tie to Richard?

Im still missing something, arent I?

Jean-Claude heard a whisper, not even a rumor yet, that some of the masters are speculating that if you were their human servant they could be as powerful as Jean-Claude, but they would be strong enough to keep you in line.

They would, would they? I said.

This isnt funny, Anita.

It wasnt like Jason to discourage any attempt at humor on my part. Things were bad, maybe much worse than I knew. Im sorry, Jason.

He smiled at me. Its okay, you cant know what you arent told.

Why would Jean-Claude not tell me?

Because you arent going to change. He doesnt even want you to change, really, but we have to find a way to change the perceptions of what is happening in St. Louis.

How?

Stop discouraging the rumors that have Jean-Claude making love to all your men. If you shared them with him, then it would explain his patience.

But its not true.

He gave me a look.

A master vamp can smell a lie on me, if theyre powerful enough. I can control my face, my eyes, my body, my voice, but Jason, I dont know how to control the scent of my skin, or the speed of my pulse. Im not that good at lying.

Almost no one is, he said.

Then how do we lie to a bunch of Masters of the City?

Dont lie, Jason said.

What does that mean?

Let Jean-Claude share the men, or let him sleep with others.

I stared at him, openmouthed, and finally recovered enough to say, You volunteering?

He laughed then, and let himself fall back on the bed with his legs dangling off it. Ive told you before, Anita, I asked and he turned me down. He turned me down because he thought you wouldnt approve.

But you dont like men, I said.

Not generally, but Jean-Claude just gets past all the exceptions for me. Maybe its being his pomme de sang, but youd have to be a lot more purely heterosexual than I am not to think about it.

I remembered Jason telling me this, but I had put it in that box with all the other thoughts I didnt want to think.

I thought you told me you experimented with some other guy, and it wasnt your cup of tea.

Lets just say I like giving more than receiving.

I must have looked puzzled, because he sat up and kissed me on the forehead. You are terribly cute for someone who is the first living succubus in recorded history.

I am not cute.

You are, you just dont like that you are.

I dont know what I would have said to that, because there was another knock on the door. This time it was food. I wasnt sure I was really hungry anymore, but I was grateful for anything that stopped this conversation. Id had about as much honesty for one day as I could handle. I hoped Jason felt the same, but doubted it. When Jason got an idea into his head, he saw it through. Even if you didnt want to hear it.