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25

"Did you hear me, ma petite? I could kill your Richard" He pulled the screen back into place The coffin and its terrible contents gone just like that

"You don&039;t want to do that"

"Oh, but I do, ma petite I would love to tear out his heart and watch him die" He walked pasthis stomach as he oing tohih?"

"No, ma petite You love him I can sht With all your doubts, you have held him close"

"Hurt him and I&039;ll kill you, simple as that" My voice was very matter-of-fact

"You would try to kill me, but I aain, shirt spreading out around hi most of his upper body exposed The cross-shaped burn scar was a shiny imperfection on his flawless skin

I stayed standing He hadn&039;t offered me a seat anyway "Maybe we&039;d kill each other It&039;s your choice of music, Jean-Claude, but once we start this dance, it doesn&039;t stop until one of us is dead"

"I am not allowed to harm Richard Is he allowed to harm me?"

Good question "I don&039;t think it&039;ll come up"

"You have dated him for months, and I have said little Before you marry him, I want equal time"

I looked at him "What do you ive me a chance to woo you"

"Woo me?"

"Yes," he said

I just stared at hi to avoid you for ive in now"

"Then I will start the music, and ill dance Even if I die, and you die Richard will die first, that I can pro me is not a fate worse than that"

He had a point, and yet "I don&039;t give in to threats"

"Then I appeal to your sense of fair play, ma petite You have allowed Richard to win your heart If you had dated me first, would it be ht our iven Richard a second glance?"

I couldn&039;t say yes, and be honest I wasn&039;t sure I had refused Jean-Claude because he wasn&039;t human He was a ht I&039;d had a gliht be I&039;d felt a power that rivaled Jean-Claude&039;s creep alongharder to tell the hu to wonder about myself There are more roads to monsterdom than most people realize

"I don&039;t believe in casual sex I haven&039;t slept with Richard, either"

"I aet equal tiree, then what?"

"Why, I pick you up on Friday night"

"Like a date-date?"

He nodded "Wemy eyes with impunity"

"Let&039;s just stick to as normal a date as we can"

"As you like"

I stared at him He looked at me He would pick me up on Friday We had a date I wondered how Richard would feel about that

"I can&039;t date both of you indefinitely"

"Allow iven Richard If I cannot win you from him, then I will retire from the field"

"You&039;ll leave me alone and you won&039;t harive me your word?"

"My word of honor"

I took it It was the best offer I was going to get I wasn&039;t sure how ave us ti else out I didn&039;t knohat else, but there had to be so Master of the City

26

There was a knock on the door It opened without Jean-Claude&039;s giving perh the door Pushy was one word for it

She earing a rust-collared trench coat with the belt tied very tight at her waist The buckle flopped loosely as she glided into the room She undid a multicolored scarf and shook her auburn hair It shiht

Gabriel followed at her back in a black trench coat His-and-her outfits His hair and strange grey eyes looked as good with his coat as Raina&039;s did with hers Earrings glittered from the earlobe to the curl at the top of his ear Every piece of metal was silver

Kaspar Gunderson followed at their heels He earing a pale tweed coat and one of those hats with a little feather in the band He looked like an elegant version of everybody&039;s 1950s dream dad He didn&039;t look happy to be here

Robert stood sort of hovering in the doorway "I told them you were busy, Jean-Claude I told them you didn&039;t want to be disturbed" He was practically wringing his hands with anxiety After what I&039;d seen done to Gretchen I didn&039;t bla afraid

"Come in, Robert, and close the door behind you," Jean-Claude said

"I really need to oversee the next act I"

"Come in and close the door, Robert"

The century-old vaainst it, one hand on the doorknob as if that would keep hiht sleeve of his white shirt was sliced up, and blood trickled out of fresh claw marks His throat showed more blood, as if a clawed hand had lifted him by the throat Like Jean-Claude had done to Gretchen, but with talons

"I told you ould happen if you failed e or small" Jean-Claude&039;s voice was a whisper that filled the room like wind

Robert dropped to his knees on the white carpet "Please, master, please" He extended his hands towards Jean-Claude A thick drop of blood plopped froainst the white, white carpet

Raina s I knehose clawKaspar went to sit on the couch, distancing hi atblack trench coats Great "Thanks," I said

He grinned flashing, pointy teeth

I wanted to ask hi noise, and I turned back to the main show

"Come to h to scald

Robert went nearly prone on the carpet, abasing himself "Please, master Please don&039;t"

Jean-Claude stalked towards hi behind hiainst the black cloth He stopped beside the cowering vampire Jean-Claude&039;s shirt swirled around the suddenly quiet body Jean-Claude stood utterly still The cloth had more life to it than he did

Jesus "He tried, Jean-Claude," I said "Leave him alone"

Jean-Claude stared at me, his eyes a bottomless blue I looked away froaze with iain He was always full of surprises

"I was under the impression, ma petite, that you did not like Robert"

"I don&039;t, but I&039;ve seen enough punishht They bloodied him just because he wouldn&039;t let them in your office a few minutes early Why aren&039;t you mad about that?"

Raina walked over to Jean-Claude The spiked heels of her metallic copper pumps made indents in the carpet A trail of stab wounds

Jean-Claude watched her co about the way he held himself Was he afraid of her? Maybe But there was a wariness to his body as she moved closer He wasn&039;t happy More and more curious

"We had an appoints to be turned away at the door" She stepped over Robert, flashing a lot of leg I wasn&039;t sure she earing anything under the trench coat Robert did not try to sneak a peek He froze, flinching as her coat brushed his back

Raina stood with her shapely calves, nearly touching Robert He didn&039;t move away from her He seemed to just freeze as if he could pretend he wasn&039;t there and everyone would forget about hi so close to Jean-Claude that the length of their bodies touched She was sort of wedged between the two vaive her a little rooers under his shirt, laying her hands on either side of his naked waist Her lipsticked mouth parted and she leaned into him She kissed him, and he stood like a statue under her hands But he didn&039;t tell her to go to hell

What the hell was going on?

Raina raised her face enough to speak "Jean-Claude doesn&039;t wish to offend Marcus He needs the pack&039;s backing to hold the city Don&039;t you, love?"

He put his hands on her slender waist and stepped back Her hands trailed along his skin until he was completely out of reach She watched hiry You didn&039;t have to be a va it kindly

"Marcus and I have an arrangeement?" I asked

"Why do you care,Monsieur Zeeman Aamy and you have turned ht about it It did botherthat bothers me, Jean-Claude"

Raina walked up behind hi up his chest until her chin rested on his shoulder Jean-Claude relaxed in her arainst her, pale hands caressing her arms He stared at me while he did it

"What does bother you, ma petite?"

"Your choice of playmates"

"Jealous?" Raina asked

"No"

"Liar," she said

What was I supposed to say? That it botheredall over hi hi how far you&039;ll go to secure the pack&039;s favor"

"Oh, all the way," Raina said She moved around to stand in front of hi to come play with me" She kissed him, one quickupward

Jean-Claude stroked her hair His pale graceful hands raising her face upward He bent towards her as if to kiss her, but he stared atfor me to say, no, don&039;t? He&039;d seemed almost afraid of her at first Noas utterly co to