Anita Blake 15 - The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton Page B
Authors: Laurell K. Hamilton
Tags: Fantasy
Ads: Link
turned our gifts against us so that the blade bit deep, and we bled for them."
"They didn't torment Elinore and Roderick," Byron said from the couch.
The three of us looked at him, still clinging to each other.
"Not true. She was bothered at first like all of us. So smitten with Roderick she couldn't do her job."
"But, how did you say it, when the madness overcame us, they were spared," Byron said. There was a tone to his voice that held anger, or something close to it.
Jean-Claude hugged us both, and Nathaniel hugged back until it was hard to breathe, not from some vampire trick, but from the strength in their bodies. Jean-Claude eased away, and Nathaniel did the same. Jean-Claude moved us to the desk edge. He leaned upon it, drawing my back in against his body. He held a hand out to Nathaniel and drew him to the desk. Nathaniel sat on the desk, his feet dangling in the air. But he kept his hand in the vampire's, as if afraid to let go. I guess we all were.
"What do you mean, madness?" I asked.
"We fucked our brains out, dearie."
I tried to think of a polite way to say it.
Byron laughed. "The look on your face, Anita. Yes, sex is our coin, and we did a lot of it, but you want to have a choice, don't you?" He looked past us to Requiem. "You don't like having your choices taken away, do you, lover?"
Requiem gave him a look that should have stopped his heart, let alone his words, but Byron was already dead, and the dead are made of stouter stuff than the living. Or maybe Byron just didn't care anymore. "Requiem found that men were on the menu, didn't you, lover?" There was a purring insolence in his voice, bordering on hatred.
I got the implications; they'd become lovers after the Harlequin messed with them all badly enough. Requiem didn't do men, period. Belle had punished him over the centuries for refusing to bed men. To refuse Belle Morte anything was never a good idea, so he'd been serious about saying no. Someone on the Harlequin's team was very good at manipulating emotions. Scary good.
I hugged Jean-Claude's arm tight to me and reached out to Nathaniel. I ended up touching his hip, just running my hand lightly along it. Shapeshifters were always touching each other, and I'd begun to pick up the habit. Tonight I didn't fight it.
"You are never to speak of it," Requiem said, his voice low and very serious.
"How much does it bother you to know that I've had sex with Anita, too?"
Requiem stood in one swift motion, the black cloak swinging out, revealing that he wasn't wearing much under the cloak.
"Stop," Jean-Claude said.
Requiem froze, his eyes blazing with blue-green light. His shoulders rose and fell with his breathing, as if he'd been running.
"I believe that lust is not the only emotion the Harlequin can incite," Jean-Claude said.
It took Requiem a moment, and then he frowned and turned those sparkling eyes to us. "Our anger."
Jean-Claude nodded.
The light began to fade, like light moving away through water. "What are we to do, Jean-Claude? If they do not even observe their own rules, we are doomed."
"I will ask for a meeting with them," he said.
"You'll what?" Byron said, his voice squeaking just a little.
"I will ask for a meeting between them and us."
"You do not seek the Harlequin out, Jean-Claude," Requiem said. "You hide, cowering in the grass, praying that they pass you by. You do not invite them closer."
"The Harlequin are honorable. What is happening is not honorable behavior."
"You are mad," Byron said.
"You think one of them is disobeying the rules," I said, quietly.
"I hope so," Jean-Claude said.
"Why hope so?" I asked.
"Because if what is happening is being done with the full weight and approval of the Harlequin behind it, then Requiem is correct, we are doomed. They will play with us, then destroy us."
"I don't do doomed," I said.
He kissed the top of my head. "I know,
ma petite
, but you do not understand what force is against us."
"Explain it to me."
"I have told you,
"They didn't torment Elinore and Roderick," Byron said from the couch.
The three of us looked at him, still clinging to each other.
"Not true. She was bothered at first like all of us. So smitten with Roderick she couldn't do her job."
"But, how did you say it, when the madness overcame us, they were spared," Byron said. There was a tone to his voice that held anger, or something close to it.
Jean-Claude hugged us both, and Nathaniel hugged back until it was hard to breathe, not from some vampire trick, but from the strength in their bodies. Jean-Claude eased away, and Nathaniel did the same. Jean-Claude moved us to the desk edge. He leaned upon it, drawing my back in against his body. He held a hand out to Nathaniel and drew him to the desk. Nathaniel sat on the desk, his feet dangling in the air. But he kept his hand in the vampire's, as if afraid to let go. I guess we all were.
"What do you mean, madness?" I asked.
"We fucked our brains out, dearie."
I tried to think of a polite way to say it.
Byron laughed. "The look on your face, Anita. Yes, sex is our coin, and we did a lot of it, but you want to have a choice, don't you?" He looked past us to Requiem. "You don't like having your choices taken away, do you, lover?"
Requiem gave him a look that should have stopped his heart, let alone his words, but Byron was already dead, and the dead are made of stouter stuff than the living. Or maybe Byron just didn't care anymore. "Requiem found that men were on the menu, didn't you, lover?" There was a purring insolence in his voice, bordering on hatred.
I got the implications; they'd become lovers after the Harlequin messed with them all badly enough. Requiem didn't do men, period. Belle had punished him over the centuries for refusing to bed men. To refuse Belle Morte anything was never a good idea, so he'd been serious about saying no. Someone on the Harlequin's team was very good at manipulating emotions. Scary good.
I hugged Jean-Claude's arm tight to me and reached out to Nathaniel. I ended up touching his hip, just running my hand lightly along it. Shapeshifters were always touching each other, and I'd begun to pick up the habit. Tonight I didn't fight it.
"You are never to speak of it," Requiem said, his voice low and very serious.
"How much does it bother you to know that I've had sex with Anita, too?"
Requiem stood in one swift motion, the black cloak swinging out, revealing that he wasn't wearing much under the cloak.
"Stop," Jean-Claude said.
Requiem froze, his eyes blazing with blue-green light. His shoulders rose and fell with his breathing, as if he'd been running.
"I believe that lust is not the only emotion the Harlequin can incite," Jean-Claude said.
It took Requiem a moment, and then he frowned and turned those sparkling eyes to us. "Our anger."
Jean-Claude nodded.
The light began to fade, like light moving away through water. "What are we to do, Jean-Claude? If they do not even observe their own rules, we are doomed."
"I will ask for a meeting with them," he said.
"You'll what?" Byron said, his voice squeaking just a little.
"I will ask for a meeting between them and us."
"You do not seek the Harlequin out, Jean-Claude," Requiem said. "You hide, cowering in the grass, praying that they pass you by. You do not invite them closer."
"The Harlequin are honorable. What is happening is not honorable behavior."
"You are mad," Byron said.
"You think one of them is disobeying the rules," I said, quietly.
"I hope so," Jean-Claude said.
"Why hope so?" I asked.
"Because if what is happening is being done with the full weight and approval of the Harlequin behind it, then Requiem is correct, we are doomed. They will play with us, then destroy us."
"I don't do doomed," I said.
He kissed the top of my head. "I know,
ma petite
, but you do not understand what force is against us."
"Explain it to me."
"I have told you,
Similar Books
