Smolder (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #29)(83)

“What has changed, mon lionne?”

I put my face against Nicky’s and it was like something tight and angry inside me loosened and just floated away. God, it felt good to have him near me.

The male lion inside me faded away, and the lioness flopped down on her side on the path and gazed at me with big amber eyes. The expression in those eyes had completely changed. She rolled over, exposing her snowy white belly like a cat trying to lure you in for a belly rub so they could sink claws into you. She looked utterly relaxed as she flopped onto her other side and blinked those big golden eyes at me again. Her eyes were soft, and I’d never noticed before how thick and black her

eyelashes were, framing the rich amber of her eyes. If she’d been human I’d have said she was batting her eyes at me. No, not at me.

“Anita’s lioness is in heat,” Nicky said. His face still pressed against mine, so it was the most natural thing in the world for him to kiss the side of my neck. I turned my head, exposing more of my neck to his kisses. I remembered that Nicky and his old Rex had told me my lioness was in heat when we met, but it had never happened again.

Jean-Claude’s lips brushed the knuckles of the hand he was holding. “Make love, not war,” he said, and his voice glided over my body so that I shivered more from his words than any touch.

Wicked poked his head back in the car. “We must get you inside in a secure location before you do anything else.”

Nicky drew back from nuzzling my neck and said, “Wicked is right, safety has to come first.” He drew back again enough for me to see his face. His one eye changed from yellow to blue as I watched, and I realized that I couldn’t see my lioness in my head anymore. I was alone for the moment.

“Let’s get inside while the getting is good,” I said.

Jean-Claude’s hand was more solid on mine. “Oui, there is much to be done before dawn.”

Somehow I didn’t think he was talking about romance, more’s the pity, but if we could figure out what the hell was up with my lion so she didn’t try to tear me apart again, the romance could wait.





35

I LOOKED FOR NATHANIEL in the mass of bodyguards as we crammed through the back door of the Circus of the Damned. Jean-Claude and I ended up shoved against the stacked boxes on the far side of the room. Jean-Claude squeezed my hand, which made me look up at him. “Nathaniel is not here.”

“Was I thinking that loudly?”

“Yes,” Richard and Nicky both answered from closer to the outer door. I looked toward them, but it was just a sea of bodyguards with Ethan’s back my closest view. Wicked and Truth were on either side of Jean-Claude. I realized it was Jake still in his exercise clothes standing beside him. I’d expected him to stay near Richard, being a werewolf and all. I wasn’t complaining, just noticing.

Jean-Claude put his arm over my shoulder, drawing me into the circle of his body and making us take up less room in the crush of people. “Oui, ma petite, but I believe he has gone ahead to prepare food for you and Richard, since I have taken so much energy from you both.”

I wrapped my arms around him, enjoying the feel of him underneath the silk of the robe. I laid my head against his chest, and his heart beat against me. It was slower than any human could survive, slow and thick like it had to wake up to beat, but it was there. I’d gotten so used to his heart not beating that this was startling, the way it had been at the beginning when I realized I missed the beat of his heart.

Wicked yelled, “Whoever is nearer the door, open it so we can move our principals downstairs.”

“We don’t take orders from any vampire but Jean-Claude.” It was the Demolition Man again, sounding sullen and unhelpful.

“Do as you are told,” Jean-Claude said.

“I’ll do what you tell me to do, not Wicked.”

“Are you seriously going to make Jean-Claude repeat what Wicked said, because you have some kind of beef with him?” I asked.

“Who’s next to the door besides Demo?” Jake didn’t yell, but his voice had that tone that didn’t need to yell to tell someone they were in trouble. I didn’t recognize the man’s voice that said, “I am, sir.”

“Then open the door so we can move to a more secure location,” Jake said, still in that unfriendly, not-yelling voice.

“I can open it,” Demo said.

“You had your chance,” Jake said.

The door opened and the nearest guards began to filter through while Demo tried to argue with someone near him. Jean-Claude and I kept our arms around each other as we moved with Wicked in front of us, Ethan beside us, and Jake and Truth behind us. The only thing that would have made me feel safer was if Nicky could have been beside us. I took one arm from around Jean-Claude’s waist, so I’d have one empty hand as we passed through the door. As we got closer I could see Demo beside the door. He was waiting to cause more trouble, like I’d half expected. I moved my arms so I wasn’t hugging Jean-Claude and he didn’t argue. He could read my thoughts, so he knew. I was being overly cautious since Demo would have to get through Wicked and Ethan to get to us, which wasn’t happening, but I never like to rely entirely on anyone else when it comes to personal safety. It was part of what I’d hated about the shoes tonight; they’d practically crippled me from running or fighting.