Blood Noir - Laurell K. Hamilton [52]
“Then maybe we should stop,” I said, moving so that I was sitting against the headboard.
He hid his face in a pillow and made a muffled scream of frustration. He came up for air, and said, “Maybe you’re right. We should probably call Irving first and give him the real story about this trip.”
“You agree we shouldn’t have sex right now?” I made it a question.
“Yeah, and maybe we should call Jean-Claude and get his approval on our plan. I guess the other masters are right. Your word is enough to get things done. I’m as bad as anyone else. We don’t always check with Jean-Claude or anyone else. You say jump, we jump. Richard really hates that about the wolves, by the way.”
“Does Jean-Claude hate it?”
“He hasn’t said so.”
I pulled a pillow into my lap and hugged it. “I’ll call Jean-Claude; you call Irving and tell him that the story doesn’t run unless Jean-Claude approves it.”
Jason nodded. “Good plan.” He used the landline, and I used my cell phone. I got Jean-Claude on the line while Jason was still trying to find Irving.
Jean-Claude’s voice was as neutral as I’d ever heard, empty. I knew that if I’d been standing beside him he would have held that stillness that the really old vampires could do, as if, if you looked away they would be invisible. “I wondered if you would call, ma petite.”
“I should have called earlier, but the reporters sort of threw us.”
“It was unexpected,” he said, still in that empty voice.
“Jean-Claude, Jason is trying to find Irving Griswold to give him the truth about why we’re down here. Do you think an exclusive will help?”
“You do not usually ask my opinion when you are far away, ma petite.”
“I guess I deserved that, but Jason explained some things to me, and I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry about, ma petite?”
“I’m sorry that my freedom has made you look bad in front of the other Masters of the City. I’m sorry that Asher and I having our little problem made you look weak in front of our guests. I’m sorry that I haven’t included you more in decisions that affect you.”
His voice held a hint of surprise. “Ma petite, is this truly you?”
“Fine, fine, make fun of me.”
He laughed then, that touchable, glide-down-your-skin laugh. “I am sorry, ma petite, but you have surprised me. Give me a moment to recover.”
“Am I really that big a pain in the ass? No wait, don’t answer that. I know the answer.”
He laughed again, and it made my body shiver. “Stop doing that, if you want Jason and me to concentrate on the problem at hand.”
“You have not had sex with our young werewolf yet?” He again let me hear surprise in his voice.
“We thought about it, but we thought we’d try to be good little servants before we got distracted.”
“I do not treat you as my servant,” he said.
“No, you don’t, and maybe I need to reward that by acting in public a little more like one.”
“What do you mean, ma petite?” His voice had gone cautious.
“First, can Jason give Irving the truth, and will it help?”
“He can, and it will, but won’t it ruin your cover story with his father?”
“I guess it will, but what else can we do? Jason says that this rumor is going to make you look weak to the other Masters of the City. We have to let them know it’s not true.”
“Yes, but what can Jason say to our reporter friend that will kill the rumor, but not spoil the reason you are both there?”
I glanced at Jason. He seemed to have Irving on the phone at last. “Hang on a minute,” I said to Jean-Claude. I got Jason’s attention.
He said, “Hang on a second, Irving.” He put his hand over the phone.
“Jean-Claude is curious what we can say to Irving that will fix the rumor but won’t ruin things with your folks?”
“You’ve met my folks now, Anita. I can’t please my father, not really, not in the time he’s got left anyway. My sister Roberta isn’t going to be won over either. It was a good try, Anita, but we’ve got to tell the truth. It’s more important that Jean-Claude be safe than that my family believe some lie.”
“It’s not a lie,” I said.
He shrugged. “What isn’t? We aren’t getting married. We aren’t leaving Jean-Claude. We didn