Full Circle

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                                                ~ Burnt Offerings ~

Asher stood before the fireplace mantle, staring up at the painting Belle Morte had sent with Musette as a gift to Jean-Claude. Not wanting to commit a social faux pas, it was hung above the mantle that night, replacing the one of Asher, Jean-Claude, and Julianna. Both portraits were painful for Asher, but this one humiliated him and mocked him, he decided.

The throaty groans coming from the other room were getting louder. Asher tried to ignore the sound.

After all, this painting displayed him naked and aroused, his coy lover poised just behind him. The depiction was entirely flattering, but knowing anyone happening by could look upon it--upon him--was intolerable. This living room certainly saw enough traffic. It wasn't right to hang such an intimate picture of him in such a prominent place.

Asher's keen ears now picked up a series of deep masculine gasps and sighs. Frowning, he glanced down the hall towards Jean-Claude's bedroom.

Maybe the painting wouldn't bother him quite so much if he still looked like that. Everyone who saw the portrait knew he didn't. And anyone who didn't, need only compare the beautiful sleeping man in the painting to the actual model--if he happened to be around at the time of the viewing, and then the truth would be known in the blink of an eye.

Then again, maybe it was the history behind the painting that rubbed Asher the wrong way. He and Jean-Claude had posed for numerous portraits together in the past, but none as provocative as this one. Clearly the painting was a depiction of two lovers, not just Cupid and Psyche. It was true, Asher and Jean-Claude were lovers then. You could see it in Jean-Claude's eyes. His expression as he gazed at the "sleeping" Asher was that precise mixture of love, lust, and awe.

Asher remembered the sitting for this painting too vividly, despite the centuries which had since passed. What he wouldn't give to have Jean-Claude gaze upon him like that once more. It was always these little things he recalled about his affair with Jean-Claude these days. The good things. Things Asher missed more and more lately.

It had taken weeks for the artist, as skilled as he was, to reach the point where his subjects were no longer needed in the flesh. For hours Jean-Claude and Asher posed, motionless for the most part--which was not too terribly difficult for a vampire to achieve, but the expression and the arousal needed to ultimately convey the painting's statement, they were not able to sustain. The artist's solution was to let the lovers at each other from time to time.

And have at each other they did. Over and over in the course of a night, making love on the silk draped pedestal before the painter as if they were in their own private bed. Once sated, the lovers would dutifully resume their poses with their skin a little more flushed and moist, their lips a little more fuller, and their bodies still ripe with their resulting passion. It was a perfect and most enjoyable ploy, Asher recollected, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He sighed wistfully.

What a couple they were, often acting like they were on a honeymoon--holding hands and stealing kisses in the moonlight. They were so in love with each other, and never passed an opportunity to show it. Jean-Claude was always openly affectionate with Asher. And Asher readily adored him. Ah, Jean-Claude. Beautiful and sensual and passionate. What a superlative lover he was.

The sounds from the bedroom reached an obvious crescendo, pulling Asher out of his reverie of the past and dumping him, unceremoniously, back into the present.

Finally, Asher thought. At least they were finished. Taking a deep breath and turning on his heel, Asher strode into the hallway and headed for Jean-Claude's bedroom. It was time to get this out in the open once and for all. Without knocking, he threw open the door and glided in.

Jean-Claude's mouth was still fastened to the Nimir-Raj's neck. His lips were tinted red and wet with Micah's blood. He raised his dark blue eyes to Asher as he approached the bed, his brow furrowing slightly.

Asher noted the way the wereleopard reclined in Jean-Claude's arms, his head lolling to the side against the vampire's shoulder. Like the vampire holding him, Micah was naked. His eyes were closed, his lips were parted, and he was clearly sapped from Jean-Claude's power over him just as Jean-Claude was clearly satiated from having just ingested a belly-full of the wereleopard's potent blood.

"I want to speak to you about something," Asher announced, putting his hands on his hips and trying to strike an indifferent pose.

His eyes locked on Asher's, Jean-Claude withdrew his fangs from Micah's neck and languidly passed his tongue over the seeping wounds a few times before replying.

"Now?"

Asher nodded determinedly, struggling a little with his affectation of apathy as he watched Jean-Claude stroke the wereleopard's chest with those large elegant hands of his.

"Yes now," Asher said, perhaps a little too harshly. "Since you've been in here all night with him, I wouldn't think demanding a moment of your time is too terribly audacious of me."

Jean-Claude's grip on the Nimir-Raj tightened, his eyes flashed, and he raised his head.

"Demand, mon ami?"

Losing his resolve, Asher dropped his eyes from Jean-Claude momentarily and swallowed hard. "It is but a simple request, really, Jean-Claude. A favor for me, from you."

Jean-Claude's expression softened, and he resumed licking Micah's wounds, dragging his tongue over the wereleopard's jaw to his ear.

Stirring, Micah opened his eyes and smiled drowsily up at Asher. He raised his hand and slowly, caressingly, dragged it through Jean-Claude's hair, in a sense, holding the vampire's face to his cheek.

Asher narrowed his eyes, his throat tightening.

Jean-Claude pressed a soft, deliberate kiss against Micah's ear.

"Merci," he whispered, then lightly kissed him again.

Turning away, Asher spied the Nimir-Raj's clothes draped over the chair to his left. Impulsively, he snatched them up, and reached out towards Micah, seizing his hand. All but hauling the wereleopard out of Jean-Claude's arms and off the bed, Asher shoved his clothes at him, and steered him towards the bedroom door.

"Yes, thank you," Asher stated, sounding less than gracious. "Could you excuse us now? There is a matter I wish to discuss with Jean-Claude in private, if you don't mind."

Micah grasped his head with one hand, wincing at the sudden forceful movements his blooded body was being subjected to.

"Have a care, Asher, my head," he murmured. "My head."

Asher released him. "Of course. Forgive me. Go...lie on the sofa in the living room awhile until you recuperate."

Dutifully, the Nimir-Raj pulled open the bedroom door, peering over his shoulder at the vampire reclining rather provocatively on the bed now. Micah smiled, and inclined his head at him, before disappearing into the hall.

Asher nearly slammed the door behind him. He whirled around to face Jean-Claude, unleashing on him, the full extent of his acute displeasure.

"Is Anita aware of the way you two frolic in her absence, and so blatantly in my presence?"

Jean-Claude sat up, facing Asher, his eyes darkening with anger. "Since when does my feeding provoke this kind of veiled accusation from you? Anita is fully aware that I take from the Nimir-Raj from time to time. I do not know what has gotten into you lately, mon ami, but you are not exactly endearing yourself to me tonight, considering you come seeking a favor."

Asher moved to the bed and tentatively sat down beside his friend and ex-lover. The lover he so desperately wanted back. He reached out and trailed his fingers softly along Jean-Claude's jaw, but the other vampire turned his face away from him. Asher let his hand fall heavily on the quilted comforter.

"I am sorry, Jean-Claude," Asher began humbly, letting his eyes flow over Jean-Claude's nude body in places his hands were forbidden. "It was wrong of me to insinuate such a thing." Then more quietly: "It is wrong for me to feel the way I do when you are with him. But I can't help it."

Jean-Claude sighed, slipping off the bed, and over to his robe which lay across the settee at the far side of the room. He pulled it on and belted it tightly before turning to face Asher, still sitting on the bed.

"I accept your apology," Jean-Claude muttered, somewhat tersely. "I am happy to hear you recognize your feelings are flawed. You've no reason, and no right, to be jealous."

Rising to his feet, Asher looked at Jean-Claude and shook his head. "My feelings may be flawed, but only because they make me miserable, and I should not have to be subjected to them. I do not like feeling this way, but it does not stop me from feeling it. And I never admitted to being jealous, mon ami," he continued quietly. "You are making assumptions."

Jean-Claude closed his eyes and took a deep breath, turning away from Asher to putter about the room. "Am I? Then what was this whole angry episode about, Asher, if not about you feeling slighted again?"

Stung by Jean-Claude's brusqueness, Asher stalked over to the other vampire and seized his upper arms, forcing him to look at him and forcing him against his body.

"And I have every right to feel slighted, mon ami!" Asher snapped. "I am forever being slighted, even by those closest to me. I am only allowed to taste what others consume--bear witness to a banquet of sensual feasts that I cannot partake in. Again and again I am denied. Deprived. It hurts, Jean-Claude. It breaks my heart."

Jean-Claude shook his head, his eyes widening as he tried to free himself from Asher's grasp. "And what is it you feel you are being so deprived of? What feasts have been placed before you which you cannot indulge in? I have given you everything, offered you everything I have. Is it my fault your own feelings of inadequacy prevent you from pursuing your needs? The very moment you allied yourself to me, I have withheld nothing from you. Nothing!"

Asher tightened his grip on Jean-Claude's arms. Slowly, he lowered his head to Jean-Claude's upturned face, his lips hovering just a hair's breadth over Jean-Claude's lips.

"I want you," Asher murmured and moved to capture Jean-Claude's mouth with his own.

But Jean-Claude jerked his head back before Asher could kiss him.

"No," the other vampire growled suddenly, so softly and deeply, the word was more a reverberating sensation than an audible denial. Asher froze. The air between the two vampires became charged with power, filling Jean-Claude's quiet voice when he spoke again with an effective deterring force. "Let go of me."

Asher immediately released Jean-Claude, having no choice but to comply. Stepping away from him, he peered at his friend through rapidly watering eyes.

"Jean, I love you--"

"You came in here to ask a favor," Jean-Claude reminded him, clearly declaring the previous subject closed to any further discussion. He pulled his robe tighter around him and clutched it to his body as if suddenly chilled. "What was it?"

Asher sighed and looked down at the floor in front of his feet, struggling with his composure. It wouldn't do any good to fall apart at this point.

"The painting above the mantle," Asher murmured. "Would you consider taking it down from there for me?" He paused and wet his lips with the tip of his tongue. "I...do not care to be on exhibit, so to speak." He blinked a few times before raising his eyes once more.

Jean-Claude was staring at him with an unreadable expression. For the longest time, he neither moved nor spoke. Finally he nodded, slowly and deliberately.

"Of course. You should have said something to me about it before." He stepped towards Asher and frowned. "Would you mind so much if I placed it in here? Anita is quite fond of it actually. I wouldn't want to put it away completely out of sight for that reason."

"And for that reason alone?" Asher whispered.

Now Jean-Claude bowed his head. "No. I like it too. It is a beautiful rendition of you and...it brings back memories."

"Happy memories? Or painful ones?"

"Both," Jean-Claude admitted. He sighed heavily and looked into Asher's eyes. "But then, having you so close to me, in the flesh, brings to mind more memories than any painting ever could."

Tentatively, Asher stretched out his hand and placed it on Jean-Claude's cheek and caressed him gently. Jean-Claude closed his eyes and leaned his face into Asher's hand momentarily before bowing his head and stepping back.

"And being close to you again is--" Bliss? Torture? Heaven? Hell? Asher paused and lowered his hand and then stepped farther away from Jean-Claude, not trusting himself to try to tempt fate once more. "You asked what has gotten into me lately," he went on. "Memories, Jean-Claude. Of how we used to be. Of how much I loved you, and how much you loved me."

"I still love you, Asher," Jean-Claude said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"As a friend," Asher added and tried to smile, but failed miserably. "And I should be grateful for at least having that kind of love from you. There were times I never thought to hear that sentiment cross your lips in reference to me again."

"Only because you did not want to hear it," the other vampire pointed out.

"And now, you say it freely, but without real feeling. Without any passion."

Jean-Claude looked away and placed his hands on his hips. "I cannot offer you my passion," he said simply, as if merely reminding Asher it was supposed to rain tonight. "I have explained this to you many times before. Anita has explained to you the reservations she has when it comes to us."

Asher shook his head. "But you and I both know, even if you were given Anita's permission to be with me again, you would not approach me in that manner, would you?"

Jean-Claude turned slightly to face Asher. "A lot has changed through the years, mon ami. To be frank, I just...don't know."

"Yes, you do," Asher countered, his temper rising at Jean-Claude's evasiveness. "Don't bother trying to spare my feelings. You cannot offer me passion because you have no passion for me anymore. You love me, but you are no longer in love with me."

"Ah," Jean-Claude exclaimed, flashing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Now who is making assumptions? Just because I am unable to offer you my passion, you accuse me of simply being without, and then you erroneously equate passion with love. Which now brings us to the very point of the matter." He let his hands fall from his hips and grasped fistfuls of his hair in a gesture of frustration. "Perhaps I'm not in love with you the way you want me to be, but that is hardly my fault, now is it? We spoke of memories earlier. Yes, some of them are very happy, very pleasurable to recall, but there are other memories, darker and painful, that hold my love for you at bay. I cannot forget the way you treated me, Asher. For centuries, your cruelty knew no bounds. Your hatred followed me everywhere I went. Now, you say you love me...but I have heard those words before from you."

Asher's jaw slackened and dropped in surprise and dismay. "You don't believe me?"

"It is not a question of belief, Asher. It is more a matter of trust."

"Trust?"

Jean-Claude looked towards the door suddenly, as if his eyes could see beyond its wooden structure. He took a deep cleansing breath.

"Anita will be here soon," he announced, readjusting and smoothing down his somewhat disheveled robe. "Let us greet her cheerfully, and not speak of these things anymore tonight. Please."

Asher was already moving towards the door, however. "As you wish, Jean-Claude. There will be no more talk of unrequited love. I promise."

Jean-Claude looked startled as Asher flung open the bedroom door. "Where are you going?"

Asher paused, spreading his arms to grasp the doorframe, needing to hold onto something solid. He did not turn to look at his friend, but studied the floor instead.

"Away. You don't really expect me to join you in your bed tonight after that little speech, do you?"

"Be angry with me," Jean-Claude declared hotly. "Fine. But don't take it out on Anita. She'll be disappointed if she does not get to see you tonight."

Swearing under his breath, Asher turned then, and faced Jean-Claude.

"Somehow, I doubt you'll disappoint her, mon ami. But if you feel peculiar going about it all alone again, invite the Nimir-Raj to join you." He gestured down the hall towards the living room where the wereleopard was more than likely asleep on the sofa. "Anita would not mind, considering he is her lover already, and come to think of it, from what you've told me tonight, you'd roll over for him sooner than you would for me, so why not make him a permanent replacement? Then everyone will be happy. Pleasures unlimited. Passions unbound."

Jean-Claude cleared his throat. "He is not my lover, Asher."

The other vampire shrugged. "Neither am I."

With that, he turned and walked out, leaving Jean-Claude to stare after him in a stunned silence.

********

Anita arrived twenty odd minutes later to find Jean-Claude lying across his bed, staring up at the now re-located Cupid and Psyche painting. She approached him, slipping out of her coat. She tossed it over a nearby chair on her way, smiling ear to ear.

"Well don't you look scrumptious?" she teased, her eyes gliding over her lover's prone, naked body, taking in his solid blue eyes, and deep labored breaths. "Looks like you started without me." She followed the direction of his gaze and saw the nude portrait of Asher. She laughed lightly, dropping onto the bed, and stretched out beside Jean-Claude. "Oh, that explains it."

Jean-Claude looked over at her somewhat coyly, his eyes bleeding back to normal. He summoned a tremulous smile.

"Ma petite," the vampire breathed and rolled towards her. "I was aware you were coming to me, and while waiting for you, I moved the painting in here. Looking upon it, I thought of Asher and me, of you, of the times we'd made love. It was all very arousing so I indulged myself for awhile." He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "But it was merely an appetizer."

"Uh huh," Anita replied dubiously. He was hugging her almost too tightly. She reached up to stroke the damp, twisted tendrils of hair fringing the side of his face. "What's wrong?"

Jean-Claude turned to look at her and laughed lightly. "Whatever gave you the idea that something is wrong? Everything is as right as rain."

Anita cracked a smile. "Is rain ever right?"

Now Jean-Claude smiled. "Normal, ma petite. I'm saying there is no need to be concerned. Everything is...normal."

Sighing, Anita leaned against Jean-Claude and wrapped her arms around his chest, settling her head on his shoulder.

"Then why are you clutching me like a kid's security blanket, why are you shielding from me, and where is Asher?"

"Asher will not be joining us this evening," he replied a little too quickly. "He...had other matters to attend to. He sends his regrets."

Anita pulled back from Jean-Claude far enough to look into his eyes. "Other matters?" She raised her brow suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me?"

In exasperation, Jean-Claude pushed Anita's arms off of him. "Believe me or not, ma petite. Either way, it does not matter to me. You can obviously see for yourself Asher is not here."

Sitting up, Anita narrowed her eyes at the perturbed vampire, and folded her suddenly empty arms across her chest.

"I never said I didn't believe you."

Jean-Claude stretched his arms out above his head, fixing his eyes on the ceiling. "I do not lie to you, ma petite. In fact, I take great pains to be excruciatingly honest with you now."

Anita cleared her throat. "Now," she agreed.

Turning slightly, Jean-Claude faced her and grinned, inclining his head in acquiescence.

"There is no need for you to worry," he went on, nonchalantly. "Asher simply wanted to be alone tonight." Quickly, the vampire turned away from Anita once more, and reschooled his expression, blanking out any hint of what he was actually feeling.

"Okay. He wanted to be alone. I understand." Anita laid down beside Jean-Claude again, and placed her hand on his chest. She traced the edges of his scar with her index finger and made little whorls in the fine black hairs around it.

Slowly, Jean-Claude lowered his arms around her, leaned over, and kissed the top of her head. He sighed heavily, holding her close.

"So it will be just you and me tonight," he continued. "You do not mind, do you?"

Anita shook her head. "No. Of course not," she replied, giving him a little encouraging hug. "But I still get the feeling something's got you spooked, or something's bothering you, and I wish you'd just tell me about it."

Jean-Claude frowned. "I am fine. I am enjoying just being with you. Sometimes it is just nice to be held, isn't it? But ma petite is growing impatient, I can tell." He peered down at her searchingly and then began dotting her cheek with feather-soft kisses. His hands skimmed the edges of her clothes suggestively. "Is this better?"

Anita frowned. "We don't have to make love tonight, you know. As a matter of fact, I think I'd rather talk."

"I'd rather make love," Jean-Claude countered and grasped her head in his hands, then covered her mouth with his in a devouring kiss.

Anita wiggled free of him and inhaled deeply. "I want you to talk to me first, Jean-Claude," she ordered him. "Start by telling me why Asher isn't here. What happened between you two?"

Jean-Claude pressed Anita back against the mattress and lay over her. "Ma petite," he whispered. "Just lie back and let me take care of you." He passed his hand over her eyes and delicately kissed her lashes. "Do not worry your pretty little head over another thing. I know how to make everything right."

"Right as rain," she commented somewhat breathlessly, noting Jean-Claude was turning up the seduction now, nibbling on her neck and squeezing her breast with slow, savoring caresses. He started unbuttoning her blouse, but Anita determinedly pushed his hands away. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to avoid answering my question."

"I don't want to talk about Asher," Jean-Claude confessed. "I want to dance with you." He kissed her again, banishing her interfering hands above her head, then finished unbuttoning her blouse. "Oh, you are so beautiful, ma petite. When you are close to me, I ache for you. I cannot help but desire you." His hand slid up her thigh, over her garter and under her skirt as he once more sunk his lips down on hers.

Feeling herself now relieved of her satin undergarment, Anita whimpered and tried to pry her jaw free, but Jean-Claude only deepened the kiss, penetrating her mouth with his tongue as his fingers penetrated her below. Anita squeaked, then moaned, and her eyes fluttered shut. All resistance slowly ebbed away.

Jean-Claude smiled at her knowingly. "Oui, ma amante," he encouraged her, stroking her insides with his hands and his voice. "See. I will take care of you."

Her questions momentarily forgotten, Anita drew Jean-Claude closer, kissing him back now with as much zeal as he had kissed her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and ran her hands fervently up and down his sides.

Readily, he took her, moving against her with a rarely displayed sense of urgency and need. Anita started crying out shrilly, and writhed beneath him so forcefully, he could not kiss or caress her any longer. Instead he focused on the friction, the rhythm, and the heat of his lover's body. It was all over in a matter of minutes. He collapsed in a satiated heap on top of her as she sprawled across the bed beneath him.

Anita groaned. "Oh...wow," she panted and reached up to bury her hands in Jean-Claude's hair. She pried his head up off her shoulder. "Are you going to start talking to me now?"

"Anything my heart desires," Jean-Claude murmured and captured her mouth in a lush, wet kiss as his hands worked to free her from the rest of her clothing. He was still inside her, still hard, and obviously willing and able to satisfy her all over again.

Lavishing her with a steady stream of breathy French endearments into her ear, the vampire pulled Anita up against him and peeled away her blouse, then dropped it over the side of the bed. He encircled her with his arms and snapped the clasp of her bra, pressing soft kisses over her décolletage and delving his tongue into her cleavage.

"That wasn't what I meant," Anita began rather thickly. "And you know it, damnit."

Jean-Claude laughed lightly, slipping the straps of her bra off her shoulders. "My lips cannot caress you and speak to you at the same time, ma petite," he duly informed her and demonstrated by covering her nipple with his mouth and drawing it in between his teeth.

Anita took a deep breath and quivered, but she grabbed fistfuls of the vampire's long hair and wrenched him away from her, determined not to let him seduce her again just yet.

"You know, the more you try to distract me, the more suspicious you're making me," she told him, looking him squarely in the eye.

Jean-Claude scowled back at her. "Since when is my lovemaking a distraction?" He released her and rose off of her to stand at the foot of the bed beside one of the large oak posts. He leaned against it with a heavy sigh.

Anita swore under her breath and clamored off the bed after him, wriggling out of her crushed, wrinkled skirt and throwing it forcefully aside..

"When you start using it as a distraction!" she scolded. "And since when are you so fucking sensitive? Don't tell me there's nothing wrong!"

"I am sensitive," the vampire shot back.

"You are not," Anita argued. "You have the thickest-skin of anybody I know."

"Only because I am so good at hiding what I feel," Jean-Claude replied, lowering his eyes. "But I am not immune to pain. I can still be hurt. I've been hurt many times before."

Hesitantly, Anita drew up beside Jean-Claude, and slowly turned his face to hers. She stretched up on her toes and kissed him tenderly.

"Asher hurt you tonight, didn't he?" she asked quietly, wrapping her arms around Jean-Claude's waist and snuggling her head against his chest.

He hugged her tightly. "I am afraid he will hurt me if I let him. He won't mean to, it will just be one of those things, but it seems inevitable. He pricks at my heart even now with his whispered promises and tokens of newfound love."

Anita blinked up at him. "But you've always known how he adores you. What's he done now?"

Jean-Claude licked his lips, unable to disguise his apprehension. "He tried to kiss me."

Anita didn't seem particularly surprised. "Well, you two have always been affectionate with each other. Hasn't he ever kissed you before?"

"No. Never. And definitely not the way he intended to tonight," Jean-Claude told her. "I think being with me when I am with you is making him feel nostalgic. He wants us to be lovers again. I could feel his desire tonight and it was consuming him. No doubt his kiss was meant to sweep me off my feet, and carry me away--to my bed." He paused, his expression hardening with anger. "He knows how you feel. He knows how I feel. Yet lately, he has become aggressive in his pursuit of me and his selfishness aggravates me to no end."

"Sssh," Anita soothed him, reaching up to stroke the side of his face. "It's all right, really. Don't be mad at him. He loves you so much. He can't help himself."

Jean-Claude shrugged. "That is what he said. He cannot help how he feels. But he needs to control himself. I won't have him jeopardizing my relationship with you. I will send him away if he does not behave himself."

Anita suddenly jerked away from Jean-Claude as if she'd just been shocked with electricity.

"You wouldn't dare!" she exclaimed, shaking her head vehemently. "That would kill him!"

Jean-Claude peered at her curiously. "It is your sensitivity I am trying to protect, ma petite. Yes, it would upset him, but he's threatened to leave us before. I hardly think banishing him would destroy him. Then again, I sincerely doubt it would even come to that. I need only threaten him with it and I believe he would quickly see the error of his ways."

"My sensitivity!" Anita shrieked. "I don't think it's my sensitivity at all! You're not pinning this decision on me! You send him away, it will be your own doing for your own reasons! How could you even consider such a thing! I love him, Jean-Claude. I thought you loved him too."

"I do love him!" Jean-Claude yelled back, startling Anita with the intensity of his anger and making her jump visibly. It shook the vampire enough to quash his rage and fill his eyes with unshed tears. He turned from her and sank slowly to the floor as if his legs would not hold him up anymore.

"I never thought it would be possible for me to love him again," he went on quietly. "But I love him madly. Stupidly, perhaps, because I entrusted my heart to him once, only to have him fling it back at me with such force, he shattered it. I needed his love desperately then, but he took everything I cherished away from me, and left me to die.

"For a long time, I hated him almost as much as he hated me. Now he says he loves me again. It troubles me because I know how vulnerable his love makes me, and I cannot afford that kind of vulnerability with someone like him anymore. I cannot offer him the kind of love he craves from me, and it is not just because of you. However, I'm worried he won't be content with anything less now. You know how emotional and erratic he is. I feel if I make one mistake with him, his love will turn again, and he and I will both be far worse off than we were the last time. Asher does not forgive mistakes lightly. Non. Loving him now could lead to permanent heartache. It is better if I just keep my distance from him. Maybe in time, this newfound infatuation of his will wane."

Wiping at her own misting eyes, Anita went to Jean-Claude and hugged him, burying her face in his hair.

"I understand," she whispered and kissed his cheek. "Once bitten, twice shy, huh?"

Jean-Claude laughed lightly, tears spilling from his eyes. "Oui. Something to that effect." He wrapped his arms around Anita's shoulders and leaned his head against hers, holding her close. For a long while, he pacified himself with her tender comforting, then he sniffed softly, straightened, and passed his hand over his cheeks, wiping away the drying remnants of his tears.

"You okay?" Anita whispered.

He nodded. "I love you, ma petite. I have made many mistakes with you in the past, but I have learned from those mistakes. Please know I would never intentionally do anything to risk losing your love."

"Oh, trust me, I know," Anita stated, frowning deeply. She sighed heavily and stroked Jean-Claude's back. "You're right. You are very, very good at hiding your feelings. I had no idea of the magnitude of what was going on between you and Asher. I knew it got a little tense at times, but that was understandable considering your past with him." She paused and kissed his forehead. "I'm so sorry, Jean-Claude. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Jean-Claude pulled away from her, his brow furrowing in confusion. "You're sorry? Ma petite, whatever for?"

Anita started nibbling on the vampire's ear, caressing his chest before slithering her hand between his legs.

Jean-Claude closed his eyes and groaned softly as she stroked him. "Ma petite, if I did not know any better, I would say you were trying to distract me." He leaned back against the bedpost and pulled Anita into his lap.

"Would I do that?" she breathed seductively, then moaned with pleasure as she settled herself over him.

Jean-Claude gasped and grinned, taking hold of her hips and rocking her forward. "What are you sorry for? Just answer me that."

Anita encircled his neck with her arms and leaned forward to kiss him hungrily before replying. "Relax. I'm going to take care of you. I'm going to make everything right."

Jean-Claude laughed. "Then by all means. You have my blessings."

Anita grinned. He had her blessings too, he just didn't know it yet.

********

Damian pulled a black cable-knit sweater over his head and peered at Anita from across the room.

"It will take longer to get there by car," the vampire pointed out. "Allowing for traffic, I would guess he's about an hour away. Across the river." He reached down and lifted a pair of black leather pants from the floor of his room and stepped into them.

"Yeah, I know where it is. I've been there before," Anita said, trying unsuccessfully to avert her eyes as her servant zipped up his pants. "I owe you big time for this, Damian. We could have never found Asher without your help. We would have never thought to look there for him, of all places."

Damian shook his head, his long red hair spilling over his shoulders. "Your gratitude is appreciated, but not necessary. You know I would do anything for you, Anita. And it was no trouble to find him, really. He hasn't exactly been inconspicuous while in Narcissus' company."

Anita sighed. "Well, are you ready?"

The vampire nodded. "Yes. Are you? You look a little...uptight, if you don't mind my saying."

Closing her eyes, Anita groaned. "Oh, just the thought of going back into that club and seeing that...creature again makes my skin crawl," she confessed. She opened her eyes to find Damian standing directly in front of her. She gasped.

"Calm down," Damian admonished her. "There's no need to worry. I'll be right beside you. I won't let anything happen to you. I swear it. They'll have to kill me if they want to harm you. And I promise I'll kill the lot of them before they do."

Anita smiled. It sounded as if Damian were merely spouting off, but deep down, Anita knew the vampire meant every word. She leaned forward and lightly touched his lips with hers.

"I know," she breathed. "And don't you worry. I'll kill anybody who tries to hurt you too." She drew her Browning, spun it a couple of times in her hand and reholstered it.

Damian grinned. "No doubt loaded with silver bullets. The bane of shapeshifters near and far. Between you and me, they don't stand a fucking chance."

"And Jason and Zane and Bobby Lee," Anita added. "Don't forget. They're going to meet us there." She took a deep breath and turned around. "All right. Let's do this. Let's go get Asher."

********

Anita's gut seized as she pulled into the lot of the infamous bondage club called Narcissus In Chains. The place still gave her the creeps. Too many bad memories. Maybe the fact she'd nearly been killed here once had something to do with it. Damn Asher. Out of all the places for him to go, why did he have to come here? Anita thought, parking the car and peering out the window in disgust.

She shouldn't be feeling so anxious about this little transaction she was about to undertake. Things would be different this time. The werehyenas were now in her debt. They had no cause or desire to harm her. Then, Narcissus was more than aware of the power Jean-Claude wielded now, and had been threatened by the master vampire within every molecule of the werehyena's duel-sexed, shapeshifting body should anything happen to Anita while she was here.

Evidently, Narcissus wisely took the vampire at his word and was standing at the door of his club waiting to personally escort Anita into his humble abode. It soothed Anita's apprehension even more seeing Jason with Bobby Lee and Zane just behind him.

Damian dutifully followed Anita to the entrance and slipped his hand into hers when they came up before Narcissus. He knew his touch helped calm her and was given permission--by Jean-Claude no less--to utilize this aspect of their peculiar relationship whenever he deemed it necessary. Tonight, Anita was grateful for his power, and squeezed his hand tightly, drawing him closer.

"Ah, the beautiful and powerful Anita Blake," Narcissus greeted dramatically. "I am truly honored to be graced by your presence here this evening." He curtsied before her with all the grace and allure of a practiced courtier, sweeping aside his long black skirts rather elegantly.

Jason moved to stand beside Anita and leaned over to peck her lightly on the cheek. "Hiya gorgeous," he whispered, slipping his arm around her waist.

Anita smiled at him, nodding at Bobby Lee and Zane graciously, before turning her attention on the master werehyena at the door.

"Don't bother asking for my weapons tonight, Narcissus," she told him outright. "I'm not stepping foot inside your club without the hardware." She smiled at him condescendingly.

Narcissus looked anything but pleased. "Rules are rules, Anita dear, and unfortunately we all must abide by them." He glanced at the men surrounding her, his resolve wavering somewhat. "I don't think I can persuade Asher to come out here. Please try to understand my position. I cannot allow firearms in my club." His heavily made-up eyes settled back on Anita and he frowned deeply. "Is it not enough that I, personally, have sworn to protect you? Then you have your quite capable entourage to accompany you and my hyenas' utter devotion. You'll be more than fine, Ms. Blake."

Anita made a face at him. "Oh fuck it," she muttered and handed over her Browning, then started stripping off her knives. "Bobby Lee, hand it over."

The wererat frowned and shook his head, but surrendered his single gun to the waiting bodyguard at Narcissus' side. "This is not a good idea, ma'am," he pointed out needlessly.

Anita looked up at him. "It'll be all right. We're only going in here to talk to Asher. We're not looking for a fight and we're not going to step on any toes, got it?" She glanced over at Zane, who merely shrugged, and then at Jason.

The young werewolf turned his attention on Narcissus. "Okay, but it's your head on the line, Narcissus," he said in a strangely pleasant tone and smiled. "I have Jean-Claude's permission to bring it to him on a platter if things go badly tonight. You might want to keep that in mind."

Narcissus sneered at him. "Jean-Claude is pushing the limits of my good-will and affection for him with these threats. If he wants a war on his hands he shall have one."

Anita stepped forward, raising her hands. "Look, we're willing to trust you!" she spat. "I gave you my gun. Now take me to Asher before I rip this fucking place apart! And if I find you've done anything to him--and I mean anything, I will personally drag you out into the street and beat the tar out of you before blowing you away. Now that's my threat, Narcissus, not Jean-Claude's."

"Oh!" the werehyena snarled in exasperation, turning on his heel to go back into the club. "Uncouth creatures, every last one of you! No regard for protocol or respect. This is my domain! You're here on my good faith! Try to remember that!"

Anita and Jason turned to look at one another and smiled. Damian took up a position on the other side of Anita while Zane and Bobby Lee brought up the rear. Together, they followed the master hyena deep into the bowels of his exclusive home.

********

Narcissus led Anita to one of the back bedrooms through a twisting maze of dim hallways. Zane and Bobby Lee agreed to wait outside the door for Anita since Jason and Damian were accompanying her inside.

Knocking softly, Narcissus waited until he was given Asher's consent before entering.

"Someone is here to see you, Asher, my love," Narcissus hailed sweeping into the room and gathering up his long skirts.

Asher was sitting at the head of a large bed, his knees drawn up to his chest encircled with his arms. He was wearing a pair of ratty-looking gray sweat pants and nothing else. His long blonde hair fell in soft waves down his back and over his sinewy shoulders. His eyes were red-rimmed and dull, and his fair complexion was beyond pale. Looking up as Narcissus entered, he scowled at him fiercely.

"I told you I wished to be left alone," Asher growled. His expression changed when he spied Anita however. He rose from the bed and went to her, catching her up into his arms and crushing her small body to his.

"Asher, honey, I can't breathe," Anita gasped, but hugged him back as tightly as she could. "Let me--"

Asher suddenly kissed her, long and hard, taking away what little breath she had left inside her.

When Asher finally released her, Anita all but swooned, and not entirely from a lack of oxygen. She grasped his forearms and slumped against his chest, her whole body tingling.

"I'm so happy to see you," Asher told her, running his hands up and down her back. "You don't know how much I've longed to be with you these past few nights. I missed you. I have been so lonesome here."

"There was no need for that, my dear," Narcissus spoke up. Everyone turned to face him as if they'd forgotten he was even in the room. "I told you I would send you anyone you wished. I even generously offered myself, if you recall." Here he paused and made a point of looking directly at Anita. "He turned me down. I never touched him. I swear."

Anita focused back on Asher and shook her head. "What are you doing in this hell hole?"

Clearly taking offense, the master werehyena narrowed his eyes, and put his hands on his slim hips. Anita ignored him.

Asher sighed heavily and guided Anita over to the bed, motioning for her to sit down. Damian and Jason stood together at the door.

"I wanted to piss off Jean-Claude," the vampire explained. "I wanted to make him jealous like the last time, so he'd appreciate me more." Asher frowned and bowed his head. "But my heart wasn't in it. I couldn't go through with it." His eyes sought out the werehyena now sitting at the foot of the bed on the opposite side. "So instead I asked Narcissus to allow me to stay here a little while and he graciously complied."

Anita faced the shapeshifter. "Thanks, I guess. For not being nefarious and taking advantage of Asher in this whole sordid mess."

Narcissus inclined his head. "I accept your words of gratitude, my dear," he began, "but I don't suppose you'd care to offer me a small token of your affection for my troubles?" His eyes drifted from Anita to Damian, then Jason. "If not you, perhaps one of your servants?"

Anita shot to her feet. "No fucking way!" Asher tried to grab hold of her, but she twisted away from him. "You know, normal people just say things like, 'oh, you're quite welcome, it was no trouble at all', but you've got to milk every goddamned favor for what it's worth. Do you even have to be in here? Don't you have somebody to go torture?"

Narcissus rose fluidly to his feet and turned away from Anita to face Asher. "Talk to her, lover. Explain to her how these things are done. I understand she is young, but certainly old enough to know some manners." He turned then and glared at Anita.

Jason covered up a laugh by pretending to cough. Damian came forward and pulled Anita into his arms, pressing her back tightly to his chest.

Clearly intrigued, the werehyena peered over at the red-headed vampire and raised his brow. "This one should do nicely."

Damian shook his head and tightened his grip on Anita. "Sorry. I don't swing that way."

Narcissus reached up and trailed his finger over Damian's cheek, ignoring Anita's heated gaze. "Doesn't matter which way you swing with me, my friend."

Anita slapped Narcissus' hand away. "No you don't! You didn't trouble yourself enough for Asher to deserve the likes of him!" She gestured at the blonde vampire still sitting on the edge of the bed. "In case you haven't noticed, Narcissus, Asher looks like shit."

"Well, he won't eat," Narcissus announced suddenly. "As far as I know, he hasn't eaten the entire time he's been here. Believe me, we all tried to entice him. We all wanted to experience that notorious bite of his, but he wouldn't touch us. He wouldn't touch anybody. He'd cruise the club every night, but he didn't want company. He wouldn't even come out tonight. He just stayed in here all alone in the darkness. It wasn't my fault."

Wiggling free of Damian's grasp, Anita went back to Asher and sat beside him. She reached up and brushed the ever-present hair from the right side of his face.

"Why are you doing this?" she whispered. "What are you trying to prove?"

Asher took hold of her hand and squeezed it. "Nothing. I just needed time to think and decide what to do."

"Come home, Asher," Anita insisted. "Please. Come home tonight."

Asher shook his head. "I can't, cherie. I can never go back."

Struck by the gravity of his words, Anita froze beside him. The thought of never seeing him again--of losing him as a lover now as well as a friend--was almost too much to bear.

"Why not?" she asked in a small, squeaky voice, her throat tightening uncomfortably. "I love you so much. Don't leave, please."

Asher took a deep breath. "I don't want to leave, ma cherie, but I cannot stay with Jean-Claude any longer knowing how he truly feels about me. Knowing he has never forgiven me. And that he does not love me."

"He does love you!" Anita shouted, seizing his arms and shaking him as if trying to instill some sense into him. "I know he loves you!"

Asher's icy blue eyes flashed. "But he won't tolerate my affection," the vampire growled. "Do you call that love? No. That is not love." Asher paused and clenched his fists to his chest. "There is only so much I can endure, Anita. Only so much my heart can take. When I am close to him, I yearn with need for him. You cannot ask me to share his bed with you night after night when I am not even allowed to caress him, never mind the fact that, what I really want to do, is make love to him. Sweet, passionate love.

"Put yourself in my place, cherie. It should be easy for you since you love him the way I do. Picture him, lying there. Naked and beautiful, his eyes smoldering with passion, his sex swollen with the anticipation of love. Now, imagine watching him surrender his body to another while you lie beside him. Feel his movements as he loves the person positioned between you. Hear him whisper her name with desire and not yours. See him satisfy her over and over again, and then...when you reach out to touch him, watch him pull away from you."

The room had grown very quiet and very still during Asher's explicit comparison. When it became apparent, everyone suddenly sprung into action, averting their eyes rather conspicuously from Anita and Asher. Jason cleared his throat and pretended to study some chains arranged decoratively on the wall. Damian glided to the foot of the bed and brushed determinedly at some imaginary lint on the black spread. Narcissus gaped openly at Asher and fanned himself with his hand.

Trying desperately not to blush, Anita leaned away from Asher slightly. "I know," she said evenly. "But don't you see, he's afraid to let you too close. He's trying to abide by my wishes. It's hard on him too."

"Do not kid yourself, ma cherie," Asher said quietly. "His devotion to you is simply a convenient excuse he uses. He is not in love with me anymore. He does not want me."

"Well, what do you expect, Asher?" Anita protested, recalling her poignant conversation with Jean-Claude the night Asher had left. "He's scared. Scared of losing me by letting you love him, and scared of the consequences he might suffer if he lets himself love you back." She paused, gnawing her lower lip fitfully, debating on how much of what she knew she should tell him. Finally, she took a deep breath. "He still loves you. He says he doesn't want to, but he can't help it. What you need to do is convince him what you feel for him is real, and not just some flighty infatuation. Let him know it is all right to love you again."

Asher got to his feet and stalked to the other side of the room, turning his back on Anita and the others.

"If he loves me so much, then why isn't he here? Why didn't he come to beg me back home?" He turned suddenly and pointed at Anita. "You're here. That tells me everything I need to know."

"Oh Asher!" Anita hissed, slamming her fists ineffectively on the bed mattress. "You're so fucking stubborn! You're so fucking thick-headed and fucking cowardly sometimes--"

Damian quickly dropped onto the bed and seized Anita's arms. She struggled against him, but he pulled her to him and hugged her. He looked up at Asher over Anita's head and frowned.

"Sorry. I didn't see that one coming. She's just upset over your decision to leave. We all are. She didn't mean that."

"Oh yes I did!" Anita stated, fighting to free herself of Damian's grasp. Finally, she faced him and looked him directly in the eyes. "Back off. Now."

Damian took a deep breath and let his arms slide off her, rising to his feet as if pulled up by strings. He shot Asher another apologetic look, and stepped away from the bed.

Anita climbed less than gracefully to her feet. "Jean-Claude didn't come here because I wouldn't let him." She flung her arm back, gesturing at the werehyena who had resumed his place at the foot of the bed. "I couldn't handle Narcissus making passes at him all night, and then, I didn't think you were ready to talk to him yet." She paused and looked over at Jason, who nodded at her encouragingly. "Besides, I wanted to talk to you alone first. There's something we need to discuss."

"There is nothing to discuss, ma cherie," Asher said and sighed. "I have already made up my mind."

Anita went to him and put her hands on his hips, turning him around to face her fully. "What if I gave you my blessings to be with Jean-Claude," she began slowly and deliberately. "What if I said there was a way you could win his heart again and that I wanted you to go after him with everything you've got?"

Asher stared down at Anita barely daring to breathe. For a long time, he said nothing and did not move. Anita rubbed her palms over his taut hips as if trying to warm her hands on his cold, cold skin.

"Asher, answer me," she whispered. "Don't go all spooky on me now."

As if emerging from a trance, Asher shook himself slightly and blinked several times. "Are you sure, cherie? You must be absolutely sure, because if he senses the slightest hesitation in your conviction, he'll put a stop to it once and for all. He won't risk losing you."

Again, Anita locked eyes with Jason. "Well, I've talked this over with a friend of mine, and he seems to think if I don't stop enforcing this decree, I run the risk of losing something precious to me. I'm already at risk of losing you because of it. At first the idea didn't sit well with me, but the more I think about it, the more I'm comfortable with it. I know you're in love with each other. And I know without a doubt, both of you love me. So, no more decree. I want him to be happy. I want you to be happy."

Asher placed his hands on Anita's shoulders and cast a rather dubious expression her way. "What did Jean-Claude say when you told him about this?"

Anita cleared her throat. "Actually, I haven't said anything to him yet. I've been kind of waiting for the right time and it hasn't exactly come yet."

Asher shook his head. "Anita, I don't believe you are one hundred percent sure about this, but I do believe you mean well. Then, it isn't simply your lack of consent that keeps Jean-Claude's heart out of my reach, and under lock and key. Because of that, I'm afraid this noble gesture of yours isn't going to work. You said it yourself, I treated him like shit the last time he loved me. And now...he doesn't want to love me. Even with your consent, he's going to fight me every step of the way."

"Then fight him back, Asher," Anita told him. "Make him fall in love with you again. I know you can do it, 'cause you won his heart before."

Jason dragged his hand through his short, spiky hair thoughtfully, and faced Asher. "Anita's right. Just go after him again the same way. Make him re-live his happier memories of the two of you falling in love. It'll be romantic."

Anita nodded. "How did you get him to fall in love with you the first time?" She smiled up at him, but it seemed to her that Asher actually blushed just then. A fairly impressive trick for a vampire. Anita raised her brow in intrigue. "Well?"

"I fucked him," Asher confessed, fighting hard not to smile. "He followed me around like a puppy after that."

"...Oh. Okay." Anita lowered her eyes and cleared her throat.

Narcissus stood up, his eyes flickering in Asher's direction. "It may have won him before, but it sounds to me like you'd have to rape him to get him to sleep with you now, Asher, my sweet," the werehyena offered. "I'll admit, I don't know very much about love, but I do know about fear, and if he won't love you because he's afraid of you, the best thing to do is pretend you're not after him at all."

All eyes turned to the werehyena.

"Have you ever watched a cat kill a mouse?" Narcissus continued. "They play with it first. It's fascinating to see. They will capture the little mouse and torture it until it all but seizes with fear, then they'll go off and leave it alone for a time. Eventually it starts moving again because it will start to feel safe. It moves, and the cat pounces on it! This goes on until the poor little mouse is dead of course, but the point I'm trying to make is this: you don't want to spook your mouse to the point of unresponsiveness. So back up a little. Give him some space to breathe through his fear. He already knows you're interested in him, so he'll keep his eye on you. But you let him make the first move, and he will when he believes he's safe, then you pounce."

Now the room's occupants exchanged wary glances.

"That was very philosophic in a dark and bizarre sort of way," Damian spoke up, then addressed Anita. "What's worse is I think he's right. Asher needs to take it slow. He needs to focus on reassuring Jean-Claude of the sincerity of his love, and not concentrate so much on seduction."

Wrapping her arms around Asher's waist, Anita looked up at him hopefully. "What do you say? Are you willing to give it a try?" She inclined her head at Damian and Jason. "We'll help you anyway we can. Just come home, Asher. Please, come home."

Asher cupped Anita's face in his large hands. "May I go with you and Damian for now? You're right. I'm not ready to face Jean-Claude again just yet. Then, I don't exactly look my best at the moment, and I'd like a chance to think this whole thing through."

Anita let her eyes flow over Asher's half-naked body from the top of his head all the way down to his bare toes. The thin, fraying sweat pants he was wearing hardly concealed what he looked like underneath and Anita caught herself licking her lips.

"Oh I don't know. You look pretty damn hot to me," she said with a crooked grin, fixing her eyes on his face once more. "But if it makes you feel more comfortable, you can come home with me for now. However, I want you to go talk to Jean-Claude tomorrow night. Just to let him know you're all right. He's been worried sick about you."

Asher bent down and pressed a soft kiss to Anita's lips. "Merci, ma cherie," he breathed and then kissed her again. "I don't know what I would do without you. I love you so very much."

Anita smiled. "I love you too, Asher." She took hold of his hands and stepped back.

Asher peered over at Jason. "I don't mean to impose on you, mon ami," he began hesitantly. "But I have not fed in the past forty-eight hours going on seventy-two. I'm a little shaky and very hungry."

Jason held up his hands. "Say no more." He glanced at Anita and started unbuttoning his shirt. "It will only take a few minutes, you don't mind do you?"

Anita shook her head. "No, of course not," she said softly, watching Jason undress. "Um...do you want us to leave you alone?"

"Non," Asher said, coming to stand behind Jason, his eyes already bleeding out into a solid pale blue. "Unless my taking him will make you uncomfortable." He wrapped his arm around his chest and grasped his forehead, tilting his head to the side.

Anita looked around and spied a solitary chair over by the door. "I'll just...ah...have a seat here until you two finish." She hurried over to the chair and dropped into it, motioning Damian to her and glaring over at Narcissus as she did. "I know you're a bit of a voyeur. Would letting you watch Asher with Jason be thanks enough for his room and board these past few nights?"

Narcissus grinned broadly, and stretched out on the bed to make himself more comfortable.

"Absolutely," he purred, fixing his eyes on the two entwined men. "How thoughtful of you to even consider offering such a thing."

Anita scowled back at him. "Well, since Asher and Jason don't seem to mind, it's all right by me, and I know from experience, you're about to get quite a show." Damian drew up beside her and she immediately seized hold of his hand. Then she looked up at Asher and waved him on. "Go on. I'll be fine. Then let's just get out of here, huh? This place makes my skin crawl."

Asher sighed deeply, knowingly. He tightened his grip on Jason, unleashing his power over him, and bit down on the thick muscle on the side of his neck. Jason groaned. Narcissus leered. Anita winced.

********

"Why won't you let me talk to him?" Jean-Claude grumbled over the phone. "I simply want to know he is well."

"He's fine," Anita told him, lowering her voice. "He's in the shower now."

Jean-Claude sighed heavily. "Did he say anything to you?"

"Not really. Look, you'll get to see him tomorrow night. You can ask him whatever you want then."

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Jean-Claude spoke.

"Very well," he conceded. "Just tell him I'm pleased to hear he is well, I hope he is not still angry with me, and tell him...I miss him."

Anita smiled. "I will. I promise." She took a deep breath. "I love you, Jean-Claude. Don't worry. Everything's going to be all right."

"Je t'aime, ma petite. I look forward to seeing you and Asher both, tomorrow evening."

"We'll be there," Anita stated firmly. "Good-night, Jean-Claude."

"Good-night to you, ma petite. You sound tired. Try to sleep a little tonight," Jean-Claude replied knowingly, as if suggesting sleeping for her might prove difficult with Asher around.

Grinning, Anita shook her head, knowing the vampire could not see her. "I will," she lied, and hung up the phone. Loosening the belt on her robe, she headed for the bathroom.

********

Micah was with Jean-Claude at the Circus. Nathaniel was working. Damian had gone out for the night. It was just Anita and Asher alone for a change, and Anita was determined to make the most out of it.

She pushed on the ajar bathroom door, and was immediately enveloped in a cloud of steam. Smiling, she slipped out of her robe, letting it fall to the floor, and padded over to the shower stall, her eyes drinking in the shimmery figure of the tall blonde vampire behind the glass doors, the image of him softly muted from the water's spray.

Facing away from her, Asher had his head completely under the pulsing spray, letting the hot soapy water flow over his waist-length hair and stream in rivulets down his back, his hips, and his long, shapely thighs. He did not turn around to look at her, but naturally, he was more than aware she was there.

"Have you come to join me, ma cherie?" he asked, his deep, cultured voice ringing out like a bell in the acoustical bathroom.

Anita smiled wider, stepping forward. She opened the shower door and stepped inside. "How'd you guess?"

Asher turned to face her then, and gave her a long, savory look before stretching out his hand towards her. She took his hand, and he guided her up to him underneath the water's spray.

"You are so very lovely, Anita," he breathed, nuzzling her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her up effortlessly and held her against his chest, then sank his mouth down on hers in a soft, sultry kiss.

Anita wrapped her legs around his waist, encircling his neck with her hands to steady herself. "God, I missed you," she said and kissed him back, hard. "Don't run away anymore, do you understand?"

"But cherie," Asher whispered, pressing her back against the warm tiled wall. "It is so very nice to come home again." He lowered his head and traced the bridge of her nose with his tongue, catching the stream of water running down the middle of her face, then lapped it off her brow, and kissed it from her eyes.

Anita pushed her hips against him anxiously and delved her fingers into his long wet tresses. Asher continued covering her face with kisses until Anita was certain he hadn't missed one spot, then he dragged his lips down her neck and nibbled delicately at her throat. The man knew how to use his mouth to his advantage, and he was slowly, but surely, driving her insane with desire. She could feel the hardening length of him along her thigh and it made her body fairly ache with need.

"Stop dilly dallying around already," she growled in his ear, then bit it. "You're dealing with a woman on the edge here."

Asher laughed lightly and stopped kissing her long enough to adjust her position against the wall and ease himself into her. Once he was completely inside her, his mouth captured hers again in a deep, succulent kiss. He ground his hips against her once, making her moan loudly down his throat.

"Ah, your body is ambrosia, ma cherie," Asher gasped and thrust into her again. "I could never leave you for long. Your passion calls to me. It makes you my own."

Closing her eyes, Anita buried her face against his shoulder and clamped her teeth down on his wet skin as the electrical impulses in her brain began shorting out with lust. Water ran around her lips and skimmed the outline of their joined bodies with a hot, tickling sensation. She wrapped her arm tightly around his neck and let her free hand slither down his back, reveling in the rippling movement of the finely toned muscles beneath her palm.

How could Jean-Claude not want this? Anita thought to herself, feeling Asher's body quiver with pleasure as he pressed his hips against her. Asher was so damned sexy, and he was so very, very...good.

"I wonder if HE is feeling this," Asher said suddenly, surprising Anita. She knew who he was referring to.

"I'm sure he can...through me," she panted in reply, knowing their marks were wide open now. She opened her eyes and drew her head back far enough to look into Asher's face.

"I think he knew you and I would make love tonight," Anita continued. "You know he feeds off lust, and is empowered whenever I have sex, so he doesn't discourage me too often, even though he does like to pick and choose exactly who I have sex with." She suddenly noticed Asher had stopped moving. "What's wrong?"

The vampire shook his head forcefully, sending droplets of water flying off the ends of his hair. "I don't understand it. He'll indulge in me through you, but not directly. I've almost a mind to walk away right now and leave him frustrated," Asher muttered. "It's not fair."

"But don't you see, it's the one way he can experience your passion without offending me."

"Mmm. Perhaps he's not as repulsed by the idea as I first believed him to be," Asher replied thoughtfully.

Asher's choice of words made Anita recall the first time she'd made love to Jean-Claude. Minutes before she was pushing him away. Minutes later, she was all over him.

"Of course he's not!" she proclaimed. "More than once, I've caught him watching your ass when you walk away from him."

Asher thought about that, then a small smile turned up the corners of his mouth. "Oh, I know sometimes I entice him. I just don't know how to approach him to convince him my intentions are true."

"You know, maybe Narcissus is right. I don't think aggression is the way to go this time around. He's too cool about things. But let me tell you, nothing piqued Jean-Claude's interest in me more than my resistance to him. He knew I loved him, and he knew I wanted him and played that card for all it was worth. So he kept after me constantly until it got to the point I was beginning to hate him. Finally, one night, he backed off when I really needed him to, and at that time, his love for me seemed so much more sincere. It was like he was saying, see how much I love you? I'm leaving you alone. I gave into him that night and well, now I buy lingerie to match the color of his eyes."

Asher grinned. "I always wondered how someone like him managed to snag someone like you."

"Oh, I didn't make it easy. But he didn't give up. He stuck by me no matter what."

Asher made a face. "But that worked with you, cherie. I don't believe the same tactics will work on him."

Anita shook her head. "You may be surprised. He's not the same man you knew hundreds of years ago, Asher. A lot of things have changed for him since then. He's his own master now. A sourdre de sang. Look, I'll talk to him tomorrow and explain everything. When I do, just give him a chance to get used to the idea. Let him know you're interested, but don't push him. Okay?"

Asher sighed heavily. "Okay."

Leaning forward, Anita kissed him tenderly. "Take heart, Asher. Remember, love conquers all."

"Do you really believe he loves me, ma cherie?" Asher asked, raising his brow dubiously.

Anita nodded. "Without a doubt. He just doesn't want to. I felt the same way about him at first. After all, I'm the dreaded executioner. There was no way in hell I was about to make it with a master vampire."

"Ah, and now you 'make it' with two of them," Asher pointed out and playfully pinched her nipple between his knuckles.

"Umm, speaking of, Mr. Master Vampire," Anita began. "I'm still waiting." She wiggled her hips encouragingly. "Asher, please. Don't stop," she protested. "It felt so good. You can't leave me literally hanging like this! It's cruel."

His mood brightening more, Asher grinned, and reached up to stroke back Anita's wet bangs from her forehead.

"Not to worry, cherie," he cooed at her, teasing her mouth with soft brushes of his lips. "It was just a thought. I'm too much of a gentleman to leave a lady unfulfilled." He kissed her then, slipping his tongue between her teeth, and entwining it with hers. With his hands on Anita's waist, the vampire began rocking his body once more, flexing his hips, and alternately bumping and rubbing himself against her.

Anita dragged her heels over his butt and groaned happily, leaning against Asher's body once more. In this particular position, with her weight supported mainly on Asher's loins, Anita couldn't exactly move with him so she focused on caressing him instead. She trailed kisses across his chest, up his neck, and over his perfectly chiseled jaw line, running her hands over his well-muscled arms, while squeezing him with her thighs.

Soon, all Anita could do was cling tightly to him as he ground himself faster and harder into her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the waves of liquid gold falling over his shoulders and twisting her fingers in the thick locks spilling down his back.

Asher came first, his entire body tensing, then shuddering in release as he groaned deeply in her ear. He kept thrusting into her until he tipped her over the edge and she climaxed almost violently, pinned crushingly against the wall of the shower stall and Asher's body the way she was. Throwing her head back, she smacked it soundly against the tile, adding stars to the lights already flashing behind her eyes.

"Ow, goddamnit!" Anita swore hotly as soon as she was capable of wrapping her mind around the simple motor function of speaking again. She rubbed the back of her head with her hand as Asher pulled her away from the wall and eased her down his torso to the floor.

He didn't seem concerned in the least. In fact he was laughing at her, and turned her around to examine the injury more closely.

"Move your hands so I can see," he told her.

"No, ow, don't touch it!" Anita commanded him, trying to pull away from him. "Stop laughing you son of a bitch, that hurt!"

Asher wrapped his arms around her shoulders, imprisoning her hands at her sides. He leaned forward and kissed her head tenderly, then moved his mouth lower and began nuzzling her ear.

"Please be more careful, cherie," he whispered and traced the curve of her ear with the tip of his tongue. "Jean-Claude would never forgive me if I return you to him even slightly damaged."

Anita leaned back and turned her head. "Well, this time, I think you should be the one against the wall." She grasped his arms and steered him around her, pushing him over to the tiled wall beneath the shower spray, then reached up and adjusted the position of its head so the water hit Asher mid-chest.

The vampire obligingly pressed his back to the wall, raising his brow with intrigue. "This should prove interesting," he pointed out, clueless as to what Anita had in mind.

Anita smiled lasciviously, and sunk to her knees in front of him, keeping her eyes fixed on his. "I hope it will prove more than just interesting," she declared seductively. "Let's see you keep from smacking your head into the wall."

Asher's chuckle morphed into a throaty groan as Anita took him in her mouth. He reached down and cradled her head in his hands as her small warm hands roved his abdomen, her fingertips tracing the tracks of his scars on one side while the other hand skimmed the smoothly defined muscles on the other.

"Oh, ma cherie, you are too good to me," the vampire exclaimed breathily. A thought occurred to him, and he suddenly flashed a rather toothy smile, closed his eyes, and whispered, "Eat your heart out, Jean-Claude."

********

Anita's bedroom had been modified slightly to accommodate Jean-Claude's presence should he ever get caught there too close to dawn to make it back to the Circus of the Damned safely. Her windows were boarded up both inside and out and heavy dark draperies covered the blackened boards making the room pitch black, morning, noon, and night. But whenever Anita entertained Jean-Claude at her house, he was always careful to leave her well before sunrise, knowing she was not exactly thrilled with the idea of waking up next to a corpse, no matter who he was.

For some reason, Anita was thinking it wasn't so bad waking up curled around Asher, even though his beautiful, luscious body was now very still and very cold to the touch. Anita reached over and turned on the small bedside lamp, to see what time it was, then settled back into the bed with a contented sigh.

She still felt as if she was basking in the afterglow of Asher's lovemaking. They had stayed in the shower for over and hour and when the hot water had started to run out, they had washed each other off, and had then retreated into the bedroom where they had spent the remainder of the night getting all messed up again.

Smiling drowsily in recollection, Anita studied the vampire beside her with an appreciative eye. Lying on his side, Asher looked as if he was only sleeping, and even so, he looked spectacular. His hair was dry now, but wildly tousled and spilled over the pillows beneath his head in gleaming golden waves. One arm was folded under his head, the other was draped across his stomach turning his large, elegant hand in such a way it appeared to be holding out an offering of some kind. Anita leaned closer and peered into his face, noting the way his long lashes fringed his tightly closed eyes and the way his full, curvy lips were parted ever so slightly as if he were about to bestow a soft and tender kiss on some lucky recipient.

With a wistful sigh, Anita rolled away from Asher and was surprised to roll right into Nathaniel, who was dozing on the other side of her. He must have come in sometime after dawn, and after Anita had fallen asleep. He was so used to sleeping with Anita, he must not have even cared that Asher was with her.

The wereleopard stirred and opened his violet eyes to peer into Anita's face. He offered her a slow, sexy smile and leaned towards her to press a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning, Anita," he whispered, unnecessarily.

"It's not morning, it's nearly half past four in the afternoon," Anita corrected him in a normal voice level.

Nathaniel raised his head slightly to peer over Anita's shoulder at the "slumbering" vampire.

"Asher," he commented, his expression clearly exhibiting his surprise.

Anita grinned. "Yep."

"Good for you," Nathaniel teased.

"Say, I don't think I'm going to be needing you tonight," Anita began, switching gears. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in feeding him when he wakes up, would you?  See to his needs while I take a shower and get dressed. We're supposed to go talk to Jean-Claude tonight."

The wereleopard nodded readily. "I'd love to," Nathaniel told her. "I adore Asher. In fact, I'll stay right here until he wakes. I could go for a few more hours of shut-eye anyway, if you don't mind."

Anita noticed Nathaniel was back to whispering again. She smiled. "That'd be super," she told him, whispering back. "Now be quiet so you don't wake him."

Nathaniel grinned and snuggled back under the covers. Anita kissed his cheek and slid off the bed, reaching for her robe as she did. She pulled it on and belted it, peering over her shoulder at her lover and her pomme de sang one last time before leaving the room.

********

After seeing Damian off to work, Anita looked out the window at the already dark sky and took another sip of coffee. Between daylight savings time and the encroaching winter months just ahead, the days were getting shorter and shorter, but that was fine with her.

"I might as well be a vampire," she grumbled to herself, thinking on the screwy way her system functioned anymore.

She was always wider awake at night now, always more alert, faster and stronger, it seemed, than during the day. Anymore, trying to exist during the day was a real chore.

Had to be Jean-Claude's influence somehow, Anita mused. Maybe through his mark on her. It had changed way more about her than what he had initially disclosed. If she had a dime for everytime he began a sentence with, oh, by the way...or better yet, ma petite, I had no idea...she'd be rolling in the dough.

"And speak of the devil," Anita pronounced, spying a black stretch limousine pulling up to the curb in front of her house. Her eyes widened and she swore under her breath as Jean-Claude stepped out of the back of the car and strode towards her door.

She hadn't even had the time to shower and get dressed yet. Damn him! She was sure her hair was a disaster, and she smelled of sweat and sex and yesterday's coffee grounds, which she had accidentally spilled onto her robe. Asher wasn't even up yet, or at least she didn't think he was. No one had come shuffling out of the bedroom yet. Then, even if he was awake, he was feeding.

Jean-Claude rapped lightly on the front door. Anita stared at it, debating whether to just answer it, or make a mad dash for the bathroom. Finally, after he had knocked a few more times, Anita calmly set her coffee cup down and went to the door, throwing it open and stepping aside.

Looking and moving like a shadow across her threshold, Jean-Claude glided into Anita's living room in a swirl of black. The long waistcoat he was wearing was black, his pants were black, his vest, and even his lacy shirt was black. He was dressed rather formally, but for an occasion from the past. He looked like he had just stepped off a period piece movie set.

"Bonsoir, ma petite," Jean-Claude greeted, turning on his heel to face Anita. "Where is he?"

Shaking her head and stepping towards him, Anita answered him with a question of her own.

"What are you doing here, Jean-Claude?"

His beautiful face was a perfect portrait of passivity, but Anita could feel the tempest of power storming around him and knew he was royally pissed about something. He raised his chin slightly and stood before Anita tall and straight, and entirely unyielding.

"Why, I've come to collect Asher from you," he said, a little too evenly. "Let me ask you again, where is he?"

Anita held up her hand. "Now, just hold on a minute," she began. "I told you we'd come to the Circus tonight to talk things over. Why are you jumping the gun and showing up at my doorstep before I've even had a chance to brush my teeth?"

Jean-Claude slowly looked Anita up and down as if really seeing her for the first time. He frowned ever so slightly and put his hands on his black clad hips.

"My apologies, ma petite," he offered. "I did not intend to intrude upon your privacy." He glanced around the room and gestured at a chair. "May I sit down? I'll be happy to wait until you feel you've made yourself suitably presentable. Or we can make this short and sweet if you only send Asher to me. Then we will be away and 'out of your hair'." He smiled, but it was a forced, and rather condescending gesture.

Now Anita was getting pissed. "Oh, you want me to just drag Asher out of my bed and hand him over to you in the mood you're in? Not bloody likely."

Jean-Claude's eyes flicked towards Anita's bedroom, but he quickly adopted the most innocent expression. "Mood? I am in no 'mood', ma petite. You are mistaken," the vampire said quietly.

"Mistaken, my ass," Anita rumbled and all but jumped in front of him, obstructing the path to the bedroom. "Just chill, okay. He's probably feeding. I left Nathaniel in there with him." She paused and gestured at the sofa. "Sit down."

Jean-Claude inclined his head at her graciously and sat down in the middle of the sofa, crossing his legs and stretching his arms out along the back of the cushions, arranging himself to appear perfectly at ease. He looked up at Anita and smiled again, but it gave Anita chills.

"You can cut the bullshit, Jean-Claude," she said sharply. "You're fit to be tied and I want to know why."

Jean-Claude fixed his eyes on hers, his face losing all expression once more. "I am here to speak with Asher. That is all. I am anxious to resolve this...misunderstanding." He glanced in the direction of Anita's bedroom once more. "After all, we did have an 'understanding' between us."

A light of realization dawned in Anita's eyes. She stared back at Jean-Claude for a long time, unable to move or say anything. Finally, he looked away from her, releasing her in a sense. Anita went to him and sat down beside him.

"Oh, Jean-Claude, please don't be jealous," she whispered, tentatively reaching out to touch his hair.

Jean-Claude grasped her hand and drew her closer. Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he leaned forward, and buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply.

"Your skin bears his scent," he breathed into her ear then unexpectedly kissed her, roughly prying her lips apart with his jaw and filling her mouth with his tongue. Before Anita could protest, he pulled away from her and sat back abruptly. "You taste like him too."

Anita edged to the end of the sofa, eyeing him warily. "Yeah, well, the kind of sex we had last night was that old-fashioned sweaty, sticky, slippery kind. But since when does that put you off? He's made love to me before. He's made love to me in your bed while you made love to me too. Don't act like you just realized Asher and I are lovers. And don't make it sound like we're conspiring against you."

Jean-Claude's dark blue eyes flashed. "He is my lover as well. Perhaps not physically, but supernaturally. I thought it would be enough, but he wants something more tangible between us. Something, I told you, I am unwilling to offer him. But by spurning him, I sent him fleeing back into the arms of the only other lover he's had beside you these past few years. The only lover besides you willing to give him the kind of sex he craves with me. It is starting already. Asher only went to Narcissus to hurt and punish me. Just like before."

Anita shook her head. "He admitted as much," she agreed. "But nothing happened between them. They both gave me their word."

Looking up, a shadow of surprise passed over the vampire's face. "Without a doubt, that is good to know, however, he now resides with you, and you as well, give him what I cannot. It appears as though our menage a trois is no more." He paused and closed his eyes momentarily, shaking his head. "'Three' seems to be a very unlucky number for me."

Anita sighed. "Oh stop. You know very well Asher and I have no intention of carrying on without you."

With a slightly dubious expression, Jean-Claude raised his brow. "Non? You were to bring him back to me tonight, but I know he would have kept you here--enticed you to linger with him in bed. If I had not come here, you would be with him now, and the night would have spent itself out, without either of you even sparing a thought for me."

Outraged, Anita shot to her feet, shaking her head vehemently. "Uh uh, he's not staying here! Don't you worry! And don't you go accusing me of betraying you with him! Yeah, last night was hot, but damn it all, Jean-Claude, give me a little more credit than that!"

The vampire rose to his feet as well. "I accuse you of nothing!" he countered. "I am merely relaying the conclusions I have come to, based on the circumstances being what they are, as I know them."

"Funny, sounds to me like you don't want him to stop chasing you, even though you say you do," Anita commented. "A week ago, you were ready to banish him. Well, it's true what they say, you always want what you can't have. And now you're all bent out of shape because he spent one night with me. You're afraid he might think I'm such a good fuck, he won't bother with you anymore!"

Jean-Claude winced visibly. "Must you be so crude?"

Anita rolled her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. "All right. Let's just both calm down before we start saying things we're going to regret later."

"Fine," the vampire said curtly.

Dragging her hand through her hair, Anita found she suddenly did not know what to say next. She spied her coffee cup sitting forlornly on the side table and picked it up.

"I'll be right back," she murmured and headed into the kitchen for a reprieve. She dumped the cold remains of her cup into the sink and rinsed it, then turned to the coffee maker and poured out a fresh cup. She took one sip and sighed heavily, closing her eyes in a caffeinated bliss.

A sudden commotion coming from down the hall made them snap back open and caused her heart to skip a beat. Slamming the cup down on the countertop, Anita knowingly turned and darted towards the bedroom.

She almost crashed into Jean-Claude as he stood in the doorway, facing into the room. Shoving him aside, she ducked in and stopped short, her eyes growing wide.

"You see, ma petite," Jean-Claude began quietly, his voice filling the now still room. "Why would he come back to me when he can partake of such bounty here?"

Anita glanced back at him over her shoulder and stalked towards the bed where Asher and Nathaniel lay entwined together in a motionless heap. Both were breathing rather erratically, and despite the sheets which covered the lower half of their bodies, it was more than evident what they had been doing--what Jean-Claude's untimely entrance had apparently interrupted.

Glaring heatedly at Nathaniel, Anita walked right up to the head of the bed and seized a handful of the wereleopard's long hair, yanking his head back.

"I told you to feed him, not seduce him!"

"You said to see to his needs," the wereleopard countered.  "I was only doing what you asked."

"Anita, calm down," Asher murmured, looking past her to Jean-Claude. He disentangled himself from the shapeshifter and rolled to the side of the bed. "It was a misunderstanding, that is all.  Please, forgive me.  I got a little carried away.  It is not every night I wake up in the arms of such ethereal loveliness. What did you expect? I was not about to...mmm, how do they say it? Look a gift horse in the mouth?"

Anita all but dragged Nathaniel off the bed. "Why don't you go jump in the shower?" she suggested.

Nathaniel nodded readily, his eyes drifting from hers to Jean-Claude's to Asher's. "I think I will," he stated and made a hasty exit into the bathroom.

Jean-Claude suddenly swept into the room, glaring at the vampire on the bed. "You profess to love me," he began seethingly. "You claim I have once again captured your heart and you simply cannot grasp why I do not believe you." He paused and gestured in the direction Nathaniel had gone. "Because you do things like this. You knew very well I was here. Just on the other side of that door, yet you chose not to greet me."

Looking somewhat chagrined, Asher sat up, drawing his knees to his chest and encircling them with his arms. "I told you, the young leopard's charm proved to be most distracting. I simply could not help myself when he started coming on to me."

Jean-Claude crossed his arms over his chest. "And he was willing. Like Narcissus was willing, and Anita. You've done well for yourself, mon ami. I can understand why you would rather not come back to me. After all, what have I to offer you?"

Asher locked his eyes on Jean-Claude's and threw off the sheets. He slid off the bed and approached him.

"I know what you are thinking, and you are wrong," Asher began softly. "You have more to offer than you know. That is why I want to come back to you. You cannot believe I would prefer the pleasures of the flesh over the possession of my true love's heart." He leaned towards Jean-Claude and reached up to run the back of his hand down the side of his face.

Jean-Claude blinked up at him with wide, uncertain eyes.

"Don't," he breathed, glancing nervously towards Anita, and then quickly turned his face away from Asher's trespassing hand.

Asher slipped his fingers deep into the other vampire's hair and tilted his head back, raising Jean-Claude's face to him once more.

"Give me time. I will earn your trust again," Asher whispered, turning his head and lowering his face over Jean-Claude's. "I will make you believe, and I will have your heart once more, cheri. But for now, kiss me. Just because we can, and just because I love you." Asher leaned forward and touched his lips to Jean-Claude's.

Jean-Claude seemed too shocked at first to move, then he slapped his hands flat against Asher's chest and shoved him hard enough to send him slamming into a chest of drawers.

Flashes of emotions flickered across Asher's face, but confusion seemed to overshadow them all. He glanced at Anita.

"I expected some reluctance, maybe a little resistance to the idea, but not outright violence. What did he say to you about this when you told him?"

Bristling at Asher's audacity, Jean-Claude turned to face Anita as well.

She stood beside the bed, shaking her head, and covering her eyes with her hand as if this whole awkward episode was too much to bear witness to. In the ensuing stillness, she looked up, her wide eyes fixed on Asher. Then, sensing Jean-Claude's eyes on her, Anita glanced over at him, and sighed heavily. Determinedly, she re-focused her attention back on Asher and pushed herself away from the headboard, stepping towards him.

"Ah, I hate to break this to you, but I haven't exactly had the chance to tell him yet," Anita began in a low voice.

Asher stared back at her with an incredulous look. "Well, thank you for letting me just make a complete fool of myself."

"I told you to play it cool," Anita grumbled. "Even if I had gotten the chance to tell him, you shouldn't have tried to kiss him!"

"Well, perhaps if you had told him like you were supposed to, he would have let me kiss him!" Asher shot back. "If you don't mind my asking, what have you been doing out there with him all this time?"

Anita narrowed her eyes. "Trying to calm him down," she growled. "He came here acting like the proverbial cuckold husband! Don't imply you were merely biding your time in here so I could break it to him gently."

"Tell me what?" Jean-Claude rumbled.

"I was biding my time," Asher answered Anita, lowering his voice. "I wanted to give you the chance to explain your decision to him before we saw each other. But I was getting restless waiting for you, and your little cat wanted to play." He noticed the look of contempt Anita was giving him. "He thought you wanted him to keep me entertained and when he told me as much, I wasn't about to say no.  Such invitations are few and far between for me these days.  You should have been more careful with your instructions to him.  And what did you expect me to do, really? I am a man, after all."

"You're a lech," Anita said through her teeth. "Couldn't you have shown a little more self-control? Now is not a good time for you to get promiscuous, Asher. We're not off to a very good start here!"

Asher growled. "Oh, forgive me. I forgot I'm talking to Saint Therese de Lisieux here."

"What are you talking about?" Jean-Claude said, raising his voice enough to show he was anything but pleased at the moment and he would not stand to be ignored another second.

Asher and Anita both turned to face him.

Anita gestured at the bed. "Maybe you had better sit down for this," she offered.

Keeping his eyes locked on hers, Jean-Claude moved to the foot of the bed and slowly sat down.

Anita frowned. "I think you may already have an idea of what's going on since Asher went and jumped the gun."

"Only because I believed she had already told you," Asher defended himself. "I thought when you came in here, it was because you knew."

Jean-Claude shook his head. "I have no idea what any of this is about, but let me tell you something. I am not particularly happy with either one of you at the moment, and the fact you have obviously conspired to something concerning me, behind my back, will not fair well for the two of you."

Anita and Asher exchanged glances. Asher slunk to the other side of the room, retrieved the tattered gray sweat pants he had been wearing the night before and pulled them on. Anita faced Jean-Claude again and reached down to take his hand in both of hers.

"Don't be mad," she began, entreatingly. "I had actually been considering this for awhile. The other night--the night Asher left, you broke down and said some things to me that really hit home. But even before that, just watching you two together--the obvious affection you have for one another. It kind of thawed out my heart and pushed away the reservations I had been hoarding when it came to letting you and Asher be lovers again." She paused momentarily and licked her suddenly very dry lips, studying Jean-Claude's expression closely. "So I decided to back off. Give you back to Asher and let come what may."

Jean-Claude's hand tightened around Anita's almost imperceptibly. His face was perfectly blank, but his eyes held a glimmer of full blown panic. His voice when he spoke was soft and even.

"Ma petite," he breathed, then suddenly seemed as if he could not find any more words and visibly struggled for awhile. Finally, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and started over. "Ma petite, does this mean...you are leaving me?"

"Oh!" Anita exclaimed with a start, realizing her mistake. "No, no, no! I'm not leaving you!" She raised his hand and covered it with kisses, squeezing it hard. "I love you, Jean-Claude! What I'm trying to say is this. I want you to be with Asher again. I'm giving you my blessings. I gave him my blessings. I love you both and I want you to be happy." Anita rubbed his knuckles against her cheek. "He wants to love you, Jean-Claude. He wants to express his love for you. Now you're free to accept that expression and love him in return."

Jean-Claude slowly turned his eyes on Asher who was standing on the far side of the room in a corner, his arms crossed over his chest as if he were cold. His eyes were fixed on the floor and his long hair had spilled forward, obstructing the ravaged half of his face as it had been trained to do over the past three centuries. Jean-Claude's eyes narrowed as he drew them back to Anita's face. Rising to his feet, he pulled his hand from hers.

"I was happy," he rumbled. "I was more than content with the status quo. Our little menage a trois works well the way it is. Everyone is loved, everyone is satisfied, and more importantly, it keeps everyone safe."

Anita frowned. "Asher wasn't satisfied," she pointed out.

"And when is Asher ever satisfied with anything?" Jean-Claude hissed. "Did either of you even think to consult me before reaching this monumental decision? After all, I am at its very core."

Putting her hands on her hips, Anita stared back at Jean-Claude with unconcealed irritation. "I consulted myself! It was my decision to make."

Jean-Claude gestured at Asher, flinging out his hand in his direction. "So you simply unleash him on me and expect me to surrender myself to him just like that? How could you do this to me after I confided in you? I don't care if he says he loves me. I don't want to love him! I will not...lower myself to that degree again."

Asher's head snapped up. His pale blue eyes sparked with undisclosed pain and a simmering fury. Crossing the room to the door in three long strides, he passed Jean-Claude, brusquely colliding with his shoulder as he did.

"Bastard," Asher growled at him and continued out of the bedroom.

Anita started after him, calling his name, but