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He pulled off his tank top without another word, kicked off his shoes, pulled off his socks, and began to unbraid his hair. I knew that would take a while, so I went into the bathroom while he finished. It had been a long time since I’d seen Jean-Claude’s bathroom, with its fancy black tub that was big enough for a small orgy. The silver swan that the water came out of always reminded me of a fountain. But no bath tonight. I just wanted to sleep and to forget. Forget everything.

Of course, I hadn’t come away with jammies, and the shirt that Nathaniel had picked for me, though attractive and comfortable, was not long enough to be a sleep shirt. I could not sleep in jeans; it just wasn’t comfortable. Damn, why should the small things be so important on a night when all the big things had gone to hell?

There was a knock on the bathroom door. “I’ll be out in a minute, Nathaniel.”

“It’s Jason.”

“What do you want?”

“Didn’t Jean-Claude tell you that I was bunking with you tonight?”

“He mentioned it.”

“He also sent me with pajamas for you. He figured you didn’t pack an overnight case.”

That got me to the door, and opening it. Jason stood there in a pair of blue silk boxers, baggy enough to be acceptable as sleepwear. Acceptable for him to wear while sharing a bed with me, I might add. Jason, left to his own devices, wore men’s bikini underwear—or less—to bed.

He held out a folded piece of red satin. I took it and let it spill through my hands. It was actually two pieces, a loose top with spaghetti straps and a pair of shorts. It was obviously meant to be lingerie.

“He said to tell you that, of anything he had that would fit you, it covered the most, end quote,” Jason said.

I sighed. “Thanks, Jason, I’ll be right out.” I closed the door without waiting for a reply. The top that had looked loose actually clung pretty tightly across my breasts. You’d certainly know whether I was cold or not. The shorts were cut so high on the sides that the legs almost met the waistband. It managed to cover everything and still not leave much to the imagination. Lingerie design at its best, I suppose.

I opened the door and turned off the bathroom light as I came out. Jason was already tucked into the covers on the right side of the bed. Nathaniel was still sitting on the other side. He got up as I came out, his unbound hair floating around him like a living curtain. “My turn,” he said softly, turning on the bathroom light and closing the door.

“You look wonderful,” Jason said.

“No compliments, Jason. I’m uncomfortable enough in the lingerie.”

“Then by all means take it off.”

I frowned at him.

He patted the bed beside him, grinning at me. “Come to bed.”

“Piss me off enough and I’ll send you back to your room.”

“Jean-Claude told me to stay here today.”

“I could insist.” I had my gun on top of my folded clothes, tucked under one arm.

“If you’d shoot me just for teasing you, I’d have been dead a long time ago.”

“Please, Jason, I have had a very hard night. Please, just behave yourself, just this once.”

He raised his hand in the Boy Scout salute. “I won’t bite, promise.”

That made me think of Micah and caused me to blush, which was embarrassing under the circumstances.

Jason’s eyes widened. “That’s a better reaction than I’ve ever gotten from you. I’ll have to remember the line.”

“You reminded me of something embarrassing, that’s all.”

The grin faded to a smile. “I knew it wasn’t because of me.”

“I am not going to baby-sit your ego, too, Jason. You’ll have to take care of it yourself.”

“Always do.” The smile had faded, leaving him serious. With his yellow hair and blue eyes, he looked somehow out of place against all the black silk, as if he needed a different color to frame him to best advantage. Of course, the bed wasn’t meant to frame him to best advantage, it was meant to frame Jean-Claude.

The thought was enough. I felt him in his coffin, felt him dead to the world, gone away wherever vampires go when the sun rises. The feel of him