Cerulean Sins - Laurell K. Hamilton [50]
“Why is it,” I said, “that you never slide off the bed when you’re wearing silk?”
“Centuries of practice,” Jean-Claude said.
“I recall when you weren’t so practiced. Remember the Duchess Vicante?” said Asher.
Jean-Claude blushed, a faint hint of pink. I hadn’t even known he could blush. “What happened?” I asked.
“I fell,” he said, trying for dignity and failing, because he smiled.
“What he will not say is that he cut his chin on a silver mirror that he broke when he fell off the Duchess and her silk sheets. Blood everywhere, and the cuckold husband on the stairs.”
I looked at Jean-Claude. He nodded, shrugged.
“What happened?” I asked.
“The duchess cut herself on one of the shards of glass and told her husband it was her own blood. She was a very enterprising woman, was the Duchess Vicante.”
“So you both knew each other when you weren’t perfectly suave.”
Jean-Claude said, “No, Asher watched me learn my lessons, but he had five years with Belle before I came to court. If he had rough edges they were worn away by the time I arrived.”
“I had them, mon ami,” Asher said, and he smiled. I was overwhelmed with a flood of images of that smile. That smile when his hair was in long locks and the hat on his head graceful with feathers, that smile by candlelight, that smile while we played chess and Julianna sewed by the fire, that smile in a spill of clean sheets and Julianna’s laughter.
It had been a long time since we’d seen that smile. We drew him to the bed, and the smile vanished. Jean-Claude swept the bedspread aside to reveal sheets a little bluer than Asher’s eyes, blue as the daytime sky, cerulean blue. But Asher stayed on his knees, as if afraid to lay upon the bed. I could see his pulse thudding in his throat, and it had nothing to do with vampire or shape-shifter powers, only fear, I think.
Asher was afraid. I could taste his fear on the back of my tongue. I could swallow it, enjoy the bouquet of it, like a fine wine to whet the appetite.
The fear called to that piece of me that was Richard’s beast. It roiled inside me like a cat stretching, exploring the space it was trapped in. A thin growl trickled from my lips.
“Control, ma petite, do not lose it so soon.”
It was hard to think, let alone talk. I came to my knees and raised Asher’s shirt, my fingers playing along his skin. I wanted to rip his shirt off and put my mouth to that tender skin. But it wasn’t sex I was thinking of. Vampires may not feed off each other, but a werewolf will eat a vampire.
I closed my eyes, forced my hands away from his body. “I’m trying, but you know what happens if I push the ardeur off too long.”
“The other hungers rise, oui, ma petite. I have not forgotten.”
“You can’t help control Richard’s beast.” My voice sounded hoarse.
“Non.”
I looked into Asher’s wide blue eyes, so afraid, so very afraid, and not of my beast. It helped steady me, but I knew it wouldn’t last long, whatever we were going to do had to be done quickly.
“I want to see you nude for the first time without the ardeur riding me, Asher. But there isn’t much time.” I tried to draw him down onto the bed, but he wouldn’t come.
Jean-Claude propped himself up on the pillows and held out his arms, almost the way you’d reach for a baby. He spoke softly in French, but I couldn’t catch it all, most of it was a plea to hurry.
Asher crawled onto the bed completely, though every movement was slow, reluctant. He let himself be settled down against Jean-Claude’s body, but they were both fully clothed, and the way they were sitting, they could have been in any club. It wasn’t so much sexual as comforting.
I looked at the two of them and knew someone was going to have to take off some clothes. Fine. I stripped off my jacket and tossed it to the floor.
Jean-Claude raised eyebrows.
“If we keep going this carefully it’ll be dawn and nothing will have changed.” I had to slide off the bed to