Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 11-15 - Laurell K. Hamilton [945]
“Anita”—Richard’s voice—“let me in.”
“Let him in, Remus,” I said.
Nathaniel rolled onto his back so that the covers pooled at his waist, and the expanse of his upper body was naked to the light that came in through the door as Richard came inside. He hesitated at the door, watching us in the rectangle of light from the hallway. His hair had finally grown out enough to go a little past his shoulders in heavy chestnut waves. His hair looked black with a nimbus of gold around it now, but his hair was brown with highlights of gold and copper when the light hit it just right. He was wearing jeans and a jean jacket with a heavy wool collar. He had a small suitcase in one hand. He set it down on the floor as he came through the door.
I caught a glimpse of the guards in the hallway as he shut the door. Claudia, wererat and one of the few other women who carried a gun besides me, looked a question at me. I shook my head. It was my way of saying, Let it go. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea, but I couldn’t figure out a way to refuse him access to the bedroom without starting a fight. I didn’t want to start the fight.
“May I turn on the light?” he asked, very polite.
I looked at the other two men. They nodded, and shrugged. “Sure,” I said.
I was left blinking into the sudden glare. It wasn’t that bright a light, but after almost complete darkness it seemed bright. When my eyes adjusted I could finally look at Richard. He was as he had always been: six feet one inch of handsome masculinity. Perfect cheekbones and a nearly permanent tan showed that somewhere back in all that Dutch blood was something darker and less European. I’d always bet on American Indian, but they actually didn’t know. He was almost heartrendingly handsome. So why hadn’t my new vampire powers made us the perfect couple, too? Because for my abilities to work you had to know what you wanted, what you really wanted. Richard didn’t know that. He was too conflicted, too full of self-loathing, to know what his heart’s desire was.
He looked at the coffin that sat near the far wall, closer to the door than to the bed. “Jean-Claude?” He made it a question.
“Damian,” I said.
He nodded. “So if you start draining him of life you’ll be able to check on him.” Richard had actually carried Damian’s nearly lifeless body to me once, so I could save the vampire.
“Yes.” I pulled up the sheet so that my breasts were more covered. It bared a little more of Micah’s chest, but that was okay. His body was already blocking all but the upper curve of my hip from Richard’s sight. Covered was better until I knew what Richard wanted.
“Where’s Jean-Claude sleeping?”
“Asher’s room,” I said.
He had left his suitcase by the door, but he was in the middle of the floor, halfway between the door and the bed. He licked his lips and wouldn’t quite look at us. He was nervous—why?
“Jason has his new girlfriend bunking with him.”
“Perdita, Perdy,” I said. She’d come to us from the master of Cape Cod. She was a mermaid. A real live mermaid. The first I’d ever met. Though I’d never seen her look anything but human. I was told she really could be part fish, but I’d never seen it.
Richard nodded.
Micah moved against me and let me know he’d thought of something. Oh. “Do you want to stay here with us?” Micah asked.
Richard closed those perfectly brown eyes, the color of milk chocolate. He took a deep breath, let it out slow, then nodded.
We all exchanged a look, which was almost finished by the time he opened those eyes. We must have looked surprised, though, because he said, “I’m a shapeshifter; we like big puppy piles for sleeping.”
“Most of you guys do,” I said, “but you’ve never willingly slept with me and any of the other guys.”
“This is who you are, Anita. This is who we both are.” He shoved his big hands into his jacket pockets and looked at the floor. “I was on a date when I got the call that some insanely powerful vampires are in town.