Dead Ice
Page 53
“Before dinner, Anita, Jean-Claude, and I need to talk with some of the weretigers.”
I glanced at him and so did Dev. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
Micah smiled. “No, Dev, you didn’t do anything wrong, but you are included in the talk.”
“Weretigers that are connected to us already, or new ones?” I asked.
“No new ones, not yet.”
“You have but to ask, mon chat,” Jean-Claude said.
Micah picked the tigers he wanted, and we all trusted him enough to believe he’d explain when we had some privacy. There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t have trusted anyone that much, but Micah had earned it from me, from Jean-Claude, from all of us. The fact that no one argued or even questioned the request proved that. We just all trooped off to his office here in the underground. It was newer than even the dining room remodel, but it was the only room that had a table with enough chairs for everyone, besides the dining rooms. Before the office was put in, most group meetings had been in Jean-Claude’s bedroom, and you sat either on the floor or on the bed once the two chairs by the fireplace were taken.
But now we all got to sit around the oval table in the conference room area off the office. It had a desk that Micah actually used sometimes, but I found him most often sitting at the far end of the big table with papers spread out in front of him, or with a bunch of other shapeshifters talking Coalition business. The desk was beautiful, but it was almost untouched. The table was the office for Micah.
Micah, Jean-Claude, and I ended up sitting at the far end of the oval with me in the middle so that I could lay a hand on Jean-Claude’s thigh and hold Micah’s hand. Jean-Claude’s arm was across my shoulders so that his hand rested on the back of Micah’s shoulders. Dev sat beside Micah, who he wasn’t that close to, but tonight he seemed to huddle near him, not touching, because Micah didn’t let just anyone touch him casually, unless they were part of our pard. Other flavors of animal had to earn the right to casual touching from Micah. Come to that, neither did Jean-Claude and I, but Dev was on my touching list. Domino and Crispin were on the side by Jean-Claude but had given themselves a seat between so they weren’t crowding him. Dev was as close to Micah as he could get and not touch him. He kept rubbing his hands on the tabletop as if trying to memorize the grain of the wood with his fingertips. I didn’t have to lower my metaphysical shields to know he was nervous. I didn’t think it was the fight with Thorn, or even the injury; they’d been raised together. Think about the fights you used to have with your siblings, now what if you could heal almost any injury; yeah, that kind of vicious squabbling had been pretty normal for them growing up. Dev even had a scar on his back from a silver knife used in practice with Thorn years before we met them. So what was wrong? My bet was it was something to do with Asher, Kane, and Dev’s dynamics, but matters of the heart were going to have to wait until later; right now it was metaphysics time.
“When Anita and I touched Dev together, you felt the power?” Micah asked.
Jean-Claude said, “Oui, it was like the first time you touched him together. I assume it isn’t always like that between the three of you.”
“I don’t know,” Micah said.
Jean-Claude frowned slightly. “How can you not know? If it happened every time you touched each other, I know you would have mentioned it to me. So it is a rare occurrence.”
“This is only the second time it’s happened,” I said.
“Very rare then,” he said.
Micah shook his head, his long ponytail catching slightly under Jean-Claude’s arm. “This is only the second time that Anita and I have touched Dev.”
Jean-Claude frowned a little more. “But I know Anita has had sex with Dev and you in the bed more than just that first night.”
“I’ve touched Anita while Dev has touched her, but tonight was only the second time she and I have touched Dev; do you see the difference?”
Jean-Claude did the long blink, his face pleasant and unreadable; it was his version of blank cop face. Even his leg had gone very still under my hand, as if he were holding more than just his breath. Older vampires could almost suspend movement, as if all the “being alive” could just stop.
He blinked again, and it was as if someone had hit the on switch. He took a breath and said, “Are you saying that you have never, even accidentally, touched Dev at the same time he was touching Anita, even during sex?”
“Yes.”
Jean-Claude looked at me; it was an eloquent look.
“Dev and I haven’t had sex that often. Asher is too insecure when his male lovers want to bed women, you know that.”
“He has been working that issue, but yes, he is more insecure around bisexual men. Heterosexuals he sees as a challenge to seduce, but with bisexuals he thinks he is simply not enough to keep them entertained.”
“Which is just weird, because he likes women, too,” I said.
“Emotional issues are seldom logical, ma petite.”
“You know, you’re all talking like Dev can’t hear you, and he’s right there,” Crispin said. It made me look from the tall, slender dancer to Dev, whose hands were still trying to rub a hole through the tabletop.
“I’m sorry, Dev,” I said.
“Thank you, Crispin,” Micah said, “you’re right.”
Dev didn’t look at anyone.
“Dev,” I said, “what’s wrong?”
He just shook his head.
“Kane has become even more possessive lately,” Jean-Claude said.
I glanced at him. “He has already forbidden Asher any women but me, and even then only when we were with you, Richard, or Nathaniel. What other restrictions did he put in place?”
“Kane says that I don’t meet any needs that he can’t meet for Asher. Nathaniel and you meet his need to dominate in the bedroom and dungeon. Richard meets his need to be dominated in the dungeon.” Dev looked up, and there was such raw pain on his face. “I know Kane tried to forbid Asher your bed, too, Jean-Claude.”
“I did not tolerate it. Kane needed to remember his place.”
Dev nodded a little too often and too quickly. “Yeah, you and Asher have been an item for a few hundred years, and you’re the king, so Kane had to eat that jealousy, but I’m new and I’m no one’s king.”
“Are you saying that Asher has allowed Kane to cast you out as his lover?”
“Almost.”
“What does ‘almost’ mean?” I asked.
“I’m getting less and less sex from Asher and every time we do, Kane throws a huge fit. I’m pretty sure that Asher loves me, but not enough to put up with the emotional . . .” Dev spread his big hands as if he couldn’t find the words.
“Over the centuries it has been Asher who made the emotional cost too high with others for me. I did not always give in, because I found that there would always be more jealousy, but now it seems Asher has found his match in Kane.”
“I was ready to marry Asher,” Dev said.
I reached across Micah and patted Dev’s hand. “I know, and I’m sorry he’s being a shit.”
“It’s not him, it’s Kane.”
I glanced at him and so did Dev. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
Micah smiled. “No, Dev, you didn’t do anything wrong, but you are included in the talk.”
“Weretigers that are connected to us already, or new ones?” I asked.
“No new ones, not yet.”
“You have but to ask, mon chat,” Jean-Claude said.
Micah picked the tigers he wanted, and we all trusted him enough to believe he’d explain when we had some privacy. There was a time in my life when I wouldn’t have trusted anyone that much, but Micah had earned it from me, from Jean-Claude, from all of us. The fact that no one argued or even questioned the request proved that. We just all trooped off to his office here in the underground. It was newer than even the dining room remodel, but it was the only room that had a table with enough chairs for everyone, besides the dining rooms. Before the office was put in, most group meetings had been in Jean-Claude’s bedroom, and you sat either on the floor or on the bed once the two chairs by the fireplace were taken.
But now we all got to sit around the oval table in the conference room area off the office. It had a desk that Micah actually used sometimes, but I found him most often sitting at the far end of the big table with papers spread out in front of him, or with a bunch of other shapeshifters talking Coalition business. The desk was beautiful, but it was almost untouched. The table was the office for Micah.
Micah, Jean-Claude, and I ended up sitting at the far end of the oval with me in the middle so that I could lay a hand on Jean-Claude’s thigh and hold Micah’s hand. Jean-Claude’s arm was across my shoulders so that his hand rested on the back of Micah’s shoulders. Dev sat beside Micah, who he wasn’t that close to, but tonight he seemed to huddle near him, not touching, because Micah didn’t let just anyone touch him casually, unless they were part of our pard. Other flavors of animal had to earn the right to casual touching from Micah. Come to that, neither did Jean-Claude and I, but Dev was on my touching list. Domino and Crispin were on the side by Jean-Claude but had given themselves a seat between so they weren’t crowding him. Dev was as close to Micah as he could get and not touch him. He kept rubbing his hands on the tabletop as if trying to memorize the grain of the wood with his fingertips. I didn’t have to lower my metaphysical shields to know he was nervous. I didn’t think it was the fight with Thorn, or even the injury; they’d been raised together. Think about the fights you used to have with your siblings, now what if you could heal almost any injury; yeah, that kind of vicious squabbling had been pretty normal for them growing up. Dev even had a scar on his back from a silver knife used in practice with Thorn years before we met them. So what was wrong? My bet was it was something to do with Asher, Kane, and Dev’s dynamics, but matters of the heart were going to have to wait until later; right now it was metaphysics time.
“When Anita and I touched Dev together, you felt the power?” Micah asked.
Jean-Claude said, “Oui, it was like the first time you touched him together. I assume it isn’t always like that between the three of you.”
“I don’t know,” Micah said.
Jean-Claude frowned slightly. “How can you not know? If it happened every time you touched each other, I know you would have mentioned it to me. So it is a rare occurrence.”
“This is only the second time it’s happened,” I said.
“Very rare then,” he said.
Micah shook his head, his long ponytail catching slightly under Jean-Claude’s arm. “This is only the second time that Anita and I have touched Dev.”
Jean-Claude frowned a little more. “But I know Anita has had sex with Dev and you in the bed more than just that first night.”
“I’ve touched Anita while Dev has touched her, but tonight was only the second time she and I have touched Dev; do you see the difference?”
Jean-Claude did the long blink, his face pleasant and unreadable; it was his version of blank cop face. Even his leg had gone very still under my hand, as if he were holding more than just his breath. Older vampires could almost suspend movement, as if all the “being alive” could just stop.
He blinked again, and it was as if someone had hit the on switch. He took a breath and said, “Are you saying that you have never, even accidentally, touched Dev at the same time he was touching Anita, even during sex?”
“Yes.”
Jean-Claude looked at me; it was an eloquent look.
“Dev and I haven’t had sex that often. Asher is too insecure when his male lovers want to bed women, you know that.”
“He has been working that issue, but yes, he is more insecure around bisexual men. Heterosexuals he sees as a challenge to seduce, but with bisexuals he thinks he is simply not enough to keep them entertained.”
“Which is just weird, because he likes women, too,” I said.
“Emotional issues are seldom logical, ma petite.”
“You know, you’re all talking like Dev can’t hear you, and he’s right there,” Crispin said. It made me look from the tall, slender dancer to Dev, whose hands were still trying to rub a hole through the tabletop.
“I’m sorry, Dev,” I said.
“Thank you, Crispin,” Micah said, “you’re right.”
Dev didn’t look at anyone.
“Dev,” I said, “what’s wrong?”
He just shook his head.
“Kane has become even more possessive lately,” Jean-Claude said.
I glanced at him. “He has already forbidden Asher any women but me, and even then only when we were with you, Richard, or Nathaniel. What other restrictions did he put in place?”
“Kane says that I don’t meet any needs that he can’t meet for Asher. Nathaniel and you meet his need to dominate in the bedroom and dungeon. Richard meets his need to be dominated in the dungeon.” Dev looked up, and there was such raw pain on his face. “I know Kane tried to forbid Asher your bed, too, Jean-Claude.”
“I did not tolerate it. Kane needed to remember his place.”
Dev nodded a little too often and too quickly. “Yeah, you and Asher have been an item for a few hundred years, and you’re the king, so Kane had to eat that jealousy, but I’m new and I’m no one’s king.”
“Are you saying that Asher has allowed Kane to cast you out as his lover?”
“Almost.”
“What does ‘almost’ mean?” I asked.
“I’m getting less and less sex from Asher and every time we do, Kane throws a huge fit. I’m pretty sure that Asher loves me, but not enough to put up with the emotional . . .” Dev spread his big hands as if he couldn’t find the words.
“Over the centuries it has been Asher who made the emotional cost too high with others for me. I did not always give in, because I found that there would always be more jealousy, but now it seems Asher has found his match in Kane.”
“I was ready to marry Asher,” Dev said.
I reached across Micah and patted Dev’s hand. “I know, and I’m sorry he’s being a shit.”
“It’s not him, it’s Kane.”
