Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 11-15 - Laurell K. Hamilton [703]
“It is by no means certain that sex with ma petite will do for your sons what you wish.”
I opened my mouth to protest that I hadn’t agreed to sex with any of them, but he squeezed my hand, as if, wait.
“Perhaps not, but I believe that I could convince Thea that if Anita could not make them full sirens, none could, not even Thea herself. If Anita tries and fails, then I believe that Thea would accept that they are not sirens.”
Jean-Claude looked at me, then. “If you have questions, ma petite, Richard, now is the time for them.”
Richard said, “Did you say seventeen?”
Samuel nodded.
Richard looked at me, and the look was eloquent.
“I’ve already turned them down as too young, Richard. You don’t need the look, thanks.” I took my hand out of his, because I hadn’t deserved the look he gave me.
“But you’ll fuck Sampson.”
I stood up, letting go of both of them, and stared down at him. “Apologize to me, Richard. Apologize to me, now.”
Embarrassment was on his face, but so was anger. “I shouldn’t have said it, and I’m sorry I said it, but don’t expect me to be happy that you’re adding another man to your list of lovers. I’m not going to be happy about it, Anita, I’m just not.”
“Do I ask how many women you’ve slept with this week?”
“No, but you don’t have to meet them, either.”
I couldn’t argue that. “Fine, you’re right. It would probably bug me to meet your dates.” I threw my hands up in the air. “Damn it, Richard, do you have an opinion on this that isn’t based on jealousy?”
He looked down, then got up from the couch, and paced away to the edge of the carpet. “All I can see when I look at Sampson is that he’s not bad looking, and he’s about my height, and…I don’t want you fucking him. But then I don’t want you fucking anyone but me, so—” He spread his hands wide, and shrugged.
“Have I raised a sore point?” Samuel asked.
“An ongoing disagreement,” Jean-Claude said.
“If this is a problem,” Sampson said, “then forget it. We were under the impression that everyone was okay with Anita adding to her list of men.”
Richard crossed his arms across his chest, and said, “And if we don’t do this, because I’m not happy about it, and your mother…” He closed his eyes, his face struggling with so many emotions. “God help me, but you and your brothers are actually in a more perverted sexual mess than we are. If I say no, and the worst happens…” He paced the edge of the white carpet as if the walls were still there. “I don’t want to watch, but it has to be Anita’s call. I won’t say no. Neither of us is monogamous, so why should I bitch?” He stood there arms crossed, shoulders hunched as if something hurt.
“Anita,” Samuel said.
I looked at him, still standing. I sighed. “I’d rather not add to my list of men either, truthfully, but as Jean-Claude has explained to me, I need a new pomme de sang sooner rather than later. I’m not promising, but I’ll agree to try.” I couldn’t look at anyone when I said it, because it felt squeechy. To agree to try to take another lover, in front of three men I was already sleeping with.
“Good,” Samuel said, and there was such relief in that one word that I looked at him. He was smiling, his eyes sparkling with happiness, and tears. Unshed tears glittered in his eyes. In that moment I realized that he had accepted that his wife would seduce one of their sons, and he would kill her, and the son would be mad, and he would have to kill him, and…too Oedipal for words. Samuel had accepted that someday the worst would happen, and suddenly he was saved. He looked like a man who had thought the executioner was coming, and the governor called instead.
I still wasn’t sure how I felt about adding to my men, but it was nice, for a change, to be someone’s salvation instead of their doom. Yeah, being the savior instead of the executioner, that sounded pretty damn good.
14
SAMUEL SMILED AT Jean-Claude,