Smolder (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #29)(105)

She looked at him, up and down like she was considering every inch that she could see, and some she couldn’t. She met my eyes with a very serious face. “You know my taste in men, what do you think?”

“I think you’ll like each other, and this scenario will work for all of us.”

She smiled and it filled her eyes with that joyous mischief that she had so often when she wasn’t working. “Then yes, he’s invited.”

I heard Richard swallow behind me, either clearing his throat or just figuring out what to say. He settled for “Thank you, I look forward to accepting the invitation another night.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, and winked at me before she sashayed to Jean-Claude. “Your turn.”

“Let me officially introduce you to our third,” he said, and I would have watched Angel and Richard meet, but Dev was in front of me, handsome face so serious.

“Is it my turn?” he asked. The need in his eyes was raw, but it wasn’t lust, it was something more complicated than that. “Don’t try and read me right now, Anita, please.”

“Okay, then kiss me, you handsome devil.”

He smiled and leaned down to put his lips against mine.





39

DEV KISSED ME gently, his fingers tracing my bare shoulder in delicate, skin-tingling lines while his other hand cupped the side of my face until his fingers slid into my thick curls. He let out a sigh of contentment against my lips and as if that had been a key to the door; my mouth opened to him in invitation and he stepped gently through, teasing and exploring with his tongue, instead of the forced thrust he could have had. I was open to either, but a part of me relaxed into his kiss and into his hands as they caressed across my bare back until the dress’s rough beads got in the way and I wished it gone so I could feel his hands all over my bare skin.

He knew what I wanted, because without pausing the kiss, his hands slid to the hem of my dress and pulled it up and over my right arm, but he couldn’t finish without breaking the kiss or moving Jean-Claude’s hand from mine. Then I realized that Richard wasn’t touching me but the energy hadn’t gone down, and nothing was trying to intrude on our energy. I was so startled that I pulled back from the kiss and the energy fell like a bird whose wings had been clipped.

Dev touched my face and our energy soared again. Richard grabbed my arm but the energy had already stabilized. Dev stared down at me, his eyes a little wide. I realized that I was standing naked in the hallway with the dress bunched on the one arm that Jean-Claude was still holding, in my work boots. I had totally forgotten that there were people in the hallway who weren’t my lovers, or hell, that there were people in the hallway besides the five of us.

“What just happened?” Richard asked.

“Let go of ma petite, for a moment.”

“Which one?” I asked.

“Richard,” Jean-Claude said.

“You want me to let go of her?”

“Oui.”

“But . . .”

“Mon lupe, the night will fade, please do not make me ask twice.”

Richard looked from him to me. He widened his eyes and I knew the look meant was I okay with this. Not from our metaphysical connection, but because once upon a time I’d memorized most of his expressions, because we were in love and I’d thought he was the one.

I nodded.

He let go of my arm, and the energy just kept humming without him; interesting. I glanced over and realized that Angel and Jean-Claude were holding hands. “Did I miss you kissing each other?”

“Non, ma petite, the moment you touched our Devil the energy drew both Angel and me to pay attention to it.”

“Can you sense her golden tiger as you sensed lion earlier?” Jake asked.

“I can.”

“Let go and see what happens,” I said; Jean-Claude knew what I meant and simply dropped my hand. My energy stayed the same, but his didn’t. His legs buckled and Angel and Richard had to catch him to keep him standing. He reached his hand for me, and I took it. He stood and blinked at me.

“I do not understand,” he said.

“Anita has the fourth mark with Mephistopheles,” Jake said.

“Dev is a werelion and a weretiger, maybe you need both,” Nicky said.

“Come to me, my Devil, let us embrace.”

Dev kept one hand in mine but went to Jean-Claude. Angel moved so that Dev could wrap an arm around the vampire. Jean-Claude leaned his face toward him. “Richard, let go, please.”

Richard hesitated, but then stepped back so it was just the two of us with Dev. The energy did not fall. Jean-Claude asked the tall weretiger to kiss him. He leaned in and the moment of the kiss the power washed around us, playing in our hair. Dev was my gold tiger so it should have been my power, but it was Jean-Claude’s.

“Is it lion or tiger that calls to you, my king?” Jake asked.

Jean-Claude pulled back and said, “Gold, it is gold tiger.”

“I’ve given him the fourth mark, how is there any room for Jean-Claude?” I asked.

“You are not a vampire,” Jake said.

“It is as if Mephistopheles is waiting for me to finish . . . it,” Jean-Claude said, but not like he was sure.

“Nothing personal, but if we only have time to finish one fourth mark tonight, it’s me, us,” Richard said.