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“That makes no sense. If Rafael isn’t wrong, then he has to be right.” Richard turned his body so he was facing me, and blocked my view of Jean-Claude—those broad shoulders of his getting in the way.

“He’s right that our lovers are safer. He’s wrong if he thinks we’d leave the rats out to dry if someone threatened them.”

“You are tied to us only by money and contracts,” Rafael said. “I would feel better if you were tied with more intimate things.”

“You have our word that we will honor our treaty with you,” Jean-Claude said.

“But you have a treaty with the hyenas, as well, and I do not believe that Asher will keep refusing the bounty that Narcissus is shoving at him.”

“Do not make the mistake of thinking Asher is weak. He is not,” Jean-Claude said.

“You are in love with him; you do not see him clearly.”

“I could say to you that you are not in love with him, and you do not see him clearly because of it.”

“Order him not to be intimate with the hyenas and I will be content with it.”

“I would rather not give such an order,” Jean-Claude said.

“You have no right to ask that of Jean-Claude, or Asher,” Micah said.

“What would you do if you were me, Nimir-Raj?”

“I would have offered myself less confrontationally. If refused, I’d have offered others of my people until some became food and hopefully one, or more, would catch someone’s eye for sex.”

“Am I going about this wrong?”

“Yes.”

“It is an area of politics I am unprepared for,” Rafael said. “Teach me, Micah. Help me.”

Micah sighed. He scooted to the edge of the couch and looked past Richard to Jean-Claude. “What do you want me to do?”

“Help him, if you can.”

Micah leaned back and looked at me. He just looked at me, and the look was enough between us. I shrugged and said, “Help him, I guess.”

Micah settled back against the couch and put an arm across my shoulders, which made Richard move a little farther away. I don’t think Micah meant to make Richard move. I think he wanted to touch me, and after last night there’d been the possibility that Richard wouldn’t mind an accidental touch. But apparently Rafael’s issues had raised some of Richard’s own. Hell, it had raised some of mine. I just wasn’t sure which ones yet.

“Blood donors would be welcome,” Micah said, “and some of your rats have already offered to feed the ardeur for Anita.”

“But she has touched none of them,” Rafael said.

“You haven’t sent her anyone she likes enough, yet.”

“Help me pick them.”

“Guys,” I said, “guys, I am still sitting right here, okay? Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”

“Then you pick,” he said.

I slumped and let my hair hide my face. Shit. “That isn’t what I meant.”

“She likes pretty men,” Richard said, “and that’s not what you hire for.”

I looked up at him, sitting right beside me, talking about what kind of man I liked. “I thought you’d be having a fit about this,” I said.

He frowned, but said, “I don’t like it, but Rafael is right, about us keeping our lovers closer and safer.”

“If you care for someone enough to have sex with them, then you’re supposed to take care of them,” I said.

“Exactly,” Richard said. “It’s how you feel about it.”

“And what’s wrong with the way I feel about it?”

“Nothing,” he said, “but it means Rafael is right. You do take care of your lovers. You just do.”

“Don’t you?” I asked.

He looked surprised for a second, then gave a smile that left his eyes tired and more cynical than I’d ever seen him. “No, sometimes it’s just about fucking.”

I gave him wide eyes.

“I’d love it to always be hearts and flowers, but the one woman I love more than any other doesn’t want me, so what am I supposed to do while you sleep with six or seven other guys? Wait my turn? Watch?”

We had company, or I might have pointed out to him that he had watched before, and he had waited his turn, and he’d even helped Jean-Claude make love to me. But we had company, and I didn’t want to fight with him.

“So you don’t take care of everyone that comes to your bed?”

“I take care of my wolves, but if they aren