Asher’s P.O.V
I walked out of the circus and closed the door behind me. I walked a little way away from the building and started walking along the pavement towards Soyeux Danse. That was where Anita and Jean-Claude were.
I needed to know that they were alright. Anita had told me nothing of her decision. I just hopped it was the one they both wanted. If Anita was going to leave us, I needed to be there for Jean-Claude. I would not let him be alone, the way I was after I lost my Julianna.
Jean-Claude had been through alot this past year, they both had, but he seemed to always come off the worst. Loosing his child and now his human servant at the hands of the same vampire.
If Jean-Claude lost Anita, I fear it would be the end of him. Jean-Claude wasn’t the suicidal type, and he was one of the best survivors I’d come across in many a years. Loosing Anita would be the death of him, and myself.
I felt the wind change as I passed an ally on my way to Soyeux Danse, and then I felt arm's around me. I struggled. but could not move. That is what frightened me the most. I was a vampire, and someone was holding me and I couldn’t move.
I was being dragged down the ally. I strained my neck to try to see who or what it was. I couldn’t, but the sight in front of me made me bare my teeth. I snarled and began fighting again.
“Asher, such rage. You should learn to control your temper”
Gretchen laughed in my face.
Now I knew who was holding me. There was only one species I knew of that would be able to hold a vampire immobile. A daemon. If I was right, then this particular daemon worked for Casspian and his name was Alexi.
Gretchen was still smiling at me. I gave up on trying to struggle as I knew it would be no good. Nothing could get free of a daemon once it had you in its grasp.
“Why are you doing this, Gretchen?”
Her face sobered completely. She looked down and walked up closer to me. She was now inches from my face.
“Why am I doing this to you, or why am I doing this altogether?”
“Both” I said.
She smiled and laughed.
“I want Jean-Claude. That petite batardé took Jean-Claude away from me and I want him back. But Casspian is gone. So I have had to cook up a new plan” She said and smiled.
“I will hold you for ransom. Alexi hear can have Anita and I will have Jean-Claude. Perfect”
I started to struggle again a and bare my fangs. She was such an idiot. She just couldn’t realise what love was. Alexi bent my shoulders and arms into a painful angel, but I was so angry, I could hardly feel the pain.
“When am I going to get my revenge?” Alexi’s thick German accent cut across my struggles.
“You will have it soon enough, just as soon as I have mine” Gretchen looked at me again.
I didn’t want to know what she was thinking. I was worried about Jean-Claude. I was only a middle part of this. I wasn’t important to her. Jean-Claude and Anita were.
Alexi took to the air with Gretchen following.
“If you try anything, I will show you but a taste of what I am going to do to the Necromancer, Mein erschrockener Vampir” He said.
I knew enough German to know he’d called me a scared vampire. I didn’t have the scars any more, but I would always be known as the scared one.
Of course, Alexi would want revenge. Casspian and Alexi had been like brothers since before any one could remember. Only Casspian had been able to control Alexi. Alexi was not the strongest of daemons, but he was tough and frightening enough. I was worried I was going to find out just how tough and frightening he would get.
Chapter 39
Jean-Claude’s P.O.V
Anita and I were sitting on the white couch in my office at Soyeux Danse. We had made up and said we were going to talk about things. So far all we had done was hug and kiss. Anita was leaning on me.
I sat with my back pressed against the arm of the couch. Anita was lying against my chest. I curled my fingers gently through her hair, as she played with my other hand. She brought my hand up to her moth and laid a gentle kiss on the palm. I kissed her hair and rested my check on her head.
I felt warm and happy. Anita was back in my arms and our threat had been eliminated. I felt like I had my life back. Edward had confirmed that it had been Casspian who had put out the‘ hit ’, as Edward says.
“Jean-Claude”
Anita’s voice pulled me back from my thoughts.
“Oui, Anita?”
I was worried about calling her ma petite too soon. I didn’t want to frighten her off, as she so easily was
She breathed deeply and turned slightly so that she could see into my face. I suddenly missed the feel of her curls on my chest.
“I have some news to tell you” She said, a smile forming slightly on her lips.
I cocked my head to one side and gave her a deep look of interest and a smile. Her face split into its beautiful grin. She was so beautiful, yet she couldn’t see it her self. I took her face in my hand, cupped her chin and said ;
“What is this riveting news, Anita, you know I like a surprise” I said grinning now myself.
Anita had given me alot of news in our time of knowing each other and being together. Some of it good, but not all of it.
“Lillian has had some tests results come through, about me and weather I can conceive or not ” She said slowly.
I stared. Anita had said good news. I looked at her and smiled again. Was she about to tell me what I thought she was about to tell me?
“ It was positive. I can still bare a child, Jean-Claude” She told me
I flung my head back a little and closed my eyes. It had killed us both to loose the last baby, thanks to my brother, Philippe. She had been having tests and scans since it had happened, in hope of still being able to conceive. I hugged her to me. She couldn't have given me better news
“Oh, Anita, that is fantastic news” I said.
But she wasn't mine any more. She was now free to leave me and be with another. It didn’t look like that, with the way she was acting now, but she might not want the marks placed back on her. The Arduer had left after she lost the last child, and she was happy about it. Would she want it all back? Would she want all the trouble?
She was questioning things before this had all even happened. Asking her self, and me, if all of what we’d been through together, all of what we still are going through, had it been worth it? Was it still worth it?
For me, the answer was yes, without any question or hesitation. Before all of this had happened, I would have probably said the same for her. But would it be the same for her now that it was over? That is a different story.
Anita was looking at me and seemed worried. I smiled and took her hand again, but I had ruined it. In my moment of thinking I had ruined things. She was still looking at me, but seemed uncomfortable, the way she went when.....when she wanted to tell me something....I narrowed my eyes at her and she sighed a little. I knew her all but too well.
“Jean-Claude, what would you say.....what would you do...if I said I wanted the marks back?”
That was one question I was not expecting. I looked at her, too late to control my face and hide my emotions. They were plain for all to see. Pure and utter shock. Anita looked up at me, an earnest face playing up on hers.
Had I known Anita alot less than I did, I would have put the marks back upon her body, without hesitation, and not questioned it.
But I did know Anita. I knew how much she had hated the marks. Was she just saying this because she wasn’t thinking clearly? Or did she actually want the marks? I looked at her and realised, I wasn’t sure. She was hard to figure out at the best of times, and she lied so easily, I just couldn’t tell.
I answered her as truthfully as possible.
“I do not know Anita, I do not know ”
Chapter 40
Anita’s P.O.V
I sat up and moved over to Jean-Claude and then stood up and sat on his lap. I straddled his legs and sat down. I placed my forehead to his.
I had thought about this. Over and over again. Did I want him back, when I could now go any where and start again. Could I start a new life away from all I’d come to know and accept? Did I want to stay with him? Yes.
I loved him. I loved Asher. I loved Micah. I had people to take care of, who in turn, took care of me when I needed it. They loved me and accepted me for what I was. I didn’t have to change who or what I was to please them. I had a family and I was not going to lose it.
Now that the marks had been wiped off, Jean-Claude could no longer tell what I was thinking, but he knew something from looking into my eyes. I put into my eyes all of the love I had for him, much the same way I showed people they were going to die with my eyes.
I closed my eyes, as I leaned my head against his forehead. I felt my chest and throat go tight. I had taught Jean-Claude to expect this from me, running away. Well I wasn’t running again.
“ I want the marks back, Jean-Claude, I want you back” I whispered, certain enough he would hear.
“I feel alone. Like there is a hole where something should be, Jean-Claude. Its a hole only you can fill”
Where that had come from I didn’t know, but I realised that it was true. There was something missing from me. I couldn’t place what it was at first, but it was Jean-Claude that was missing.
I asked him again. Maybe he didn’t hear me the first time, or maybe he was so shocked at my new behaviour, he’d had a heart attack. God I hoped not. I pulled my face back enough from his forehead so that I could see his face clearly. He looked at me with an almost lost look in those gorgeous midnight blue eyes. If it had been any one else, I would have said they were giving me the puppy dog eyes.
“I want the marks back, Jean-Claude, I want you” I said and kissed his lips.
The kiss was soft at first, just a mere, chaste touching of lips. Then Jean-Claude started to kiss me back. I opened my mouth to him and ran my tongue between his fangs, a delicate process, kissing a vampire. Like playing with a tame lion. They could still kill.
I felt a neck ruffling power spill, a second before I smelled flowers. It was a strong scent and I knew it was the first mark.
I pulled him to me and the kiss grew
The kiss grew and grew until I had to pull back to catch my breath. I threw my head back to get my hair out of my face. I felt hot and energised.
“The first two marks are in place ma petite, do you still wish me to carry on?”
“Yes”
And my beeper went of. It was in my back pocket of my jeans.
Oh great. I didn’t want to be interrupted, not now we’d got this far! What if I lost my nerve? I didn’t want to jeopardise mine and Jean-Claude’s relationship again. I was going to personally kill who ever had beeped me.
I purposely didn’t look at the screen as I leaned back further and placed it on Jean-Claude’s desk. I never ignored my beeper, unless Bert was calling me that is, because I knew I might be needed. But for this once, they would just damn well have to do without me.
I pulled back into my sitting position on Jean-Claude’s lap, then realised I hadn’t turned the beeper off. I leaned back over and turned it off. I heard a soft chuckling in front of me as I pulled back up again.
I couldn’t help but smile my self. Jean-Claude looked deep in my eyes and, as though by an invisible wire, he pulled me closer to him with his eyes.
“J'taime, ma petite” He whispered in to me, his lips almost touching mine as he spoke.
I smiled. Just hearing him call me ma petite again, made me feel better. I smiled and closed my eyes. I closed the space between our lips and we drained each other through out lips and mouths. And I didn’t give a damn, or feel guilty about my beeper. Things were looking up.
Chapter 41
Authors Note; Ive just realised that instead of putting Philippe down
as taking Anita in Soyeux Danse, Ive written Alejandro, Im such an idiot,
but please be kind and remember, as well as trying to remember all of the
characters from the actual series I also have to remember my own characters
names! Its a nightmare!
Jean-Claude’s P.O.V
After Anita had put the beeper on my desk, I decided to lock the door. We did not want any intrusions. It would upset her more than it would upset me. I phoned the bar and told them on no terms were we to be disturbed. I hope Willy got the message.
Anita was sitting on the couch. I could see her chest rising and falling hard in anticipation of what was to come next. I knew her mouth was dry and her heart was beating fast in her chest. I knew all of these things, not because of the marks, but because of how well I knew her.
I smiled and walked back over to the couch. I picked Anita up in my arms and held her to me. I had her ass resting in my arms and she had her arms around my neck. I kissed her and tried to crawl through her mouth, into her body while I did it.
I laid her on the desk, but there was so much paper and other things all overt the desk, it couldn’t have been comfortable for her. I took my arm away from her and just swiped everything off the desk on that side, then did the same with my other arm.
Anita was giggling, not laughing, giggling. I smiled. We hadn’t broken our kiss, it had just gotten more passionate. I pushed her further on to the desk and turned her so that she was lying the full length of the desk.
I climbed on top of her. She whispered into my moth
“I want this, Jean-Claude, I do” and then she kissed me again. If she had finally decided, I didn’t think I wanted to wait any longer. Being with out her for mere days had nearly tore me apart and broke me of everything I am.
I moved away from her mouth and made my lips travel down her chin, neck and collar bone. I mover her hair away from her pulse, which was racing, like a caged thing longing escape. She moved her hand to the back of my neck and pushed me closer to her neck.
I kissed her pulse. I whispered;
“I love you, ma petite, I truly do” and I bit down as softly as I could, wanting to cause as little pain as possible to her.
I started to swallow her sweet blood and I closed my eyes. I was about to get her back. She wanted me back. Nothing could have made me happier than this. I drew back, I only took what I needed.
I threw my hair over my right shoulder and drew my nail down my neck. I put my hand at the small of her back and lifted her gently towards the wound. I bent down to met her half way. I felt her kiss my the wound then lock her mouth over it. I felt blood being drawn out of my body and I said what I needed to say;
“Blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh,
Two minds with but one body, two souls wedded as one”
I felt the same sensation I had when I had given her the final mark in the dream I had sent her when my brother Philippe had taken her tried to claim my child and her as his own.
It felt so good to have the marks back, to have her by my side for all eternity. I reached out along the marks, Richards mark, too, but there seemed to be a problem with it. I didn’t understand, but right now, I didn’t care either. I had ma amour back.