Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter Colletion_ Books 11-15 - Laurell K. Hamilton [985]
“I’m not sure what he plans to say,” she said.
I looked at Sampson. “How do you know all this?”
“I was raised in what amounts to a royal court, Anita. You live and die on your intelligence information.”
“I’ve noticed that Sampson has an almost uncanny ability to elicit confidences,” Jean-Claude said.
“You rolling them with mermaid tricks?” I asked.
He shrugged and took another bite of croissant.
“Using mind tricks on people without their permission is punishable by law,” I said.
“The law actually states that it’s illegal to use vampire tricks, telepathy, or witchcraft to elicit information without permission. I’m not using any of the three.”
“I could make a court case that mermaid power is a form of telepathy.”
“But I’m not reading their minds; they’re volunteering information to me. That’s not telepathy at all. Besides, this isn’t a court case, this is about how to swim through the rocks in your path.”
“And you have a suggestion,” I said, and let it sound as suspicious as I wanted it to.
He laughed and wiped his hands on the white napkin in his lap. “You can avoid the sex question by saying that I’m the next candidate, which is true. I can simply not give up my place as next in your bed. Their king knows I am the eldest son of another Master of the City, and I have prior claim to your affections.”
“And it will get you in her bed sooner,” Richard said; he sounded suspicious, too.
Sampson gave him a patient look with just an edge of impatience. “I have been here for months and not pushed my claim. Partly because, until Anita tries to bring me into my siren abilities, my mother will leave my brothers alone. I’m not at all convinced that the ardeur is similiar enough to my mother’s powers that Anita can awaken me to that other power. If I sleep with Anita and it doesn’t work, then my family is back to the same problem.”
“Your mother promised that if I couldn’t bring you into your sirenhood, she’d accept that she was the last siren, and she’d leave you and your brothers alone.”
He laughed and shook his head. “She’s not human, Anita, or a vampire; her word doesn’t mean what you think it means. She wants us to be sirens, and I don’t believe she’ll accept your failure gracefully. But as long as I’m here trying, then she’ll wait.”
“And she’ll leave your little brothers alone,” I said.
He nodded. “But my mother won’t wait forever, Anita. One of the reasons she traded Perdita to you as a blood donor was so Perdy could keep an eye on me.”
“She’s a spy?” I made it a question.
“I know she’s enjoying dating your Jason, but yes, she’s a spy. My father will accept and encourage that I’ve been a gentleman about everything, but my mother will lose patience with it.”
“We can send Perdita back when you go,” Richard said.
“She’s spying on me, not on you.”
“Your mom doesn’t trust you not to fudge on this,” I said.
“No, she doesn’t. She knows how much I want to avoid her doing anything that will force my father to kill her. He adores her, but if she forces sex on me or my brothers he will do what he vowed. He will slay the woman he loves above all others. It would destroy him, and our family.”
“You have been most patient,” Jean-Claude said.
I wanted to argue, but couldn’t. I nodded. “You have been.”
“So just like that he gets to fuck you,” Richard said.
I sighed. “You’ve done so well today, Richard. Don’t spoil it.”
“And how would you feel if I picked one of the women here in the underground to have sex with while you fuck Sampson?”
I looked at him. I thought of several things to say, none of them helpful.
“You wouldn’t like it, would you?” he said.
“No,” I said, not sure what else to say.
“Then don’t expect me to enjoy sharing you.”
“I don’t expect you to like it, Richard. I don’t think Jean-Claude likes it either, or Micah.” I looked at Nathaniel. I both frowned and smiled.
“I