Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 11-15 - Laurell K. Hamilton [712]
He tried to lift her out of his lap, but she clung to him, playing the child for all she was worth. “Don’t you like me, Sampson?”
He shook his head. “No,” he said, “I do not like you.”
She pouted at him, even managing to feign tears, as if he’d hurt her feelings. Maybe he had. Valentina was hard to figure.
He drew her away from his body, and set her firmly on the ground. “You will not be able to trick me again, for I felt your mind. You are not a child, Valentina. You do not think as a child.” He shivered, rubbing his hands up and down his arms as if to cleanse them from the feel of holding her. “I saw what you wanted to do to me. What you tried to persuade me I wanted to do.” He shivered again. “Your mind has begun to want things beyond your body’s years. Pain is your substitute for sex.”
She put her hands on her hips, and stomped her little foot. “I don’t know what you are talking about. Perhaps it is you that desires such things.” Then she turned to Jean-Claude. “Master, can you not find one among all the visitors who would let me hurt him? I miss it.” She said it as if there were no contradiction in telling Sampson he was the pervert, and then asking to do what he’d accused her of wanting to do.
Jean-Claude sighed. “Asher, if you would take her back to Bartolome.”
Asher pushed himself up from the chair where he’d gone nearly motionless during all the hoopla. But Nathaniel said, “I’ll take her.”
We all looked at him.
He smiled. “You need to talk vampire business with Samuel. Asher will be more useful for that than I will.” He walked toward us to say good night, and Micah moved out of the way, so he could lean in toward me. Richard’s arm was still holding me close to his body. He tensed, and moved as if he’d take me out of Nathaniel’s reach.
Nathaniel touched his arm, and Richard froze. His power lashed out like lightning scoring along my skin.
“Ouch, Richard, that fucking hurt.”
Nathaniel shivered. “That really did hurt.” But his voice didn’t sound like a complaint.
“Back up,” Richard said, his voice holding an edge of growl. He was controlling his power enough so it didn’t actively hurt me, but it was like cuddling next to a stove that you just knew was going to get too hot to touch soon.
Nathaniel smiled and pushed in against us both, pressing his chest against Richard’s arm. Richard moved away, but he tried to take me with him, and frankly, I just didn’t want to be in the middle of it. So I stopped moving, but Nathaniel was so close I couldn’t step forward either. Richard had choices: pick me up, or hurt me to move me, or let me go, or move away without me, or stay where he was, with Nathaniel touching him.
Richard tried to move back, while I tried not to move, and Nathaniel just watched us, from an inch away. Richard wasn’t willing to move without me, or leave me alone with Nathaniel. The symbolism was too raw for words.
Nathaniel spoke low and soft, his lavender eyes raised to the taller man’s face, his chest almost pinning Richard’s arm between us. “You’re like a dog marking your territory. Maybe you should piss on her, so we’ll all know she’s yours.”
I froze between them, because this was going to be bad.
Richard growled low and deep, the sound of it vibrating over my skin, and into Nathaniel’s body. We both shivered, but I don’t think it was for the same reasons.
“Stop it, both of you,” I said.
“She’s not a bone, that only one of us can have,” Nathaniel said.
Richard growled again and this time Richard’s power rippled along my skin like little slaps of electricity. Nathaniel and I spoke at the same time. I said, “That hurts” Nathaniel said, “Yummy.”
“You are such a freak,” Richard said, almost a yell.
“Maybe, but this freak is willing to do for the woman he loves and his baby what you won’t do.”
Richard jerked away so suddenly, it made me stumble. Nathaniel caught me. But Richard backed up. Nathaniel backed him down not with power, but with truth.
Nathaniel