“You can tell me why you were taking wolfsbane in the first place.”
She blushed but said nothing.
“Marie?”
“Jack, it’s … it’s embarrassing.”
“Tell me anyway,” I said.
“I’m trying to keep up with you.”
“Keep up with me? Keep up with me how?”
She lay her head against my chest, her cheeks flaming.
“God, Jack, do I have to spell it out for you?”
“I think you’d better,” I said.
“In bed, Jack. No, please don’t get mad. I love you and I love sex with you. It’s wonderful, but you want it all the time.”
I was thunderstruck. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. She took a deep breath and went on.
“Wolfsbane is supposed to … boost a werewolf’s sex drive. Make sex better. I took too much.”
“You’re trying to keep up with me?” I said, unable to believe it.
“You’re wearing me out, Jack!” she said, her voice almost a wail.
“You’re trying to keep up with me?” I repeated, unable to swallow the idea.
“Stop saying it like that!”
“It’s just so hard to believe, honey,” I said.
“Why? Why is it so hard to believe? It’s every time we’re alone! Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I love that you want me. I love that you want me. I love that you find me attractive. I love that.”
“But I’ve been trying to keep up with you!” I said.
There was an awkward silence. Then, softly at first, she started to laugh.
“Oh wow,” she said, giggling. “Are we perfect for each other or what?”
“Oh yeah,” I said.
“Oh, Jack,” she said, snuggling close. “I want you. I want to be in your life. I want to be in your bed. I want you to look at me with that look in your eye like—what’s that wonderful phrase Bill used to use?—‘I wouldn’t mind a piece of that’?”
I laughed at the memory. Bill had an eye for the ladies, it’s true. He never strayed from his wife, was never anything other than absolutely faithful, but he did like to look.
“I like that, Jack. I like the way you growl at me. I like the way you make me feel like the sexiest woman on Earth.”
“But you want us to calm down a little bit?”
“No, well, yes, but not in the way you mean.”
“Okay, so how do you mean?”
“I love the way you fuck, Jack,” she shivered against me, suddenly breathless. “I love the way you throw me on the bed and leap on me like some crazed animal. I love that. I love that you lose control around me.”
She swallowed and took a deep breath.
“But I also love the way you make love to me. I love it when you’re slow, when you’re gentle.”
“I thought you could take anything I could dish out?” I said.
“So did I, Jack. I’m not asking you to stop, I just need …”
“A little less of the sweaty, steaming beast and a little more of the gentle, considerate lover?” I finished.
“Thank you, Jack,” she whispered.
“Oh, good. That’s good to hear.”
She laughed and looked up at me.
“There’s times that I need the beast, Jack. Times that I need the pounding, the screaming, the difficulty walking the next day. But I also need the kissing and cuddling, okay?”
“Okay,” I said. “And no more wolfsbane, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And the next time you have a problem, talk to me first, okay?”
“Jack, I’m not supposed to, I mean, you’re the male—”
“Marie,” I said, cutting her off. “I’ve tried my best to adapt to some of these wolf things, but now I need you to accept this as a human thing. I’m not a mind reader. If there’s a problem, I need to know about it. Okay?”
She nodded slowly.
“And I think I owe Cam an apology. Maybe. I’m not sure.”
“Why?”
I showed her my knuckles.
“I punched him in the face last night when I found out where you’d gotten the drug from,” I said.
“Uh-oh.”
“Um, yeah,” I said, smiling sheepishly.
“Did you punch him as my boss or my mate?”
“A little of both.”
“Okay then, to be on the safe side you’d better not apologize. In fact, he owes me an apology for getting you mad.”
“Is this one of those wolf things?”
“Yeah, really,” she replied. “I'll trade you this wolf thing for that human thing, okay?”
“Okay, you know best about that. Meanwhile, I need to get some sleep.”
“Did you really stay up all night?” she asked.
“Yeah, yeah I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I was worried about you. I thought you were going to choke on your own vomit or something.”
“Okay, that’s sweet and kinda gross at the same time.”
“Yeah, I thought so.”
I scrubbed my face with my hands, fighting fatigue.
“Okay, I need to sleep if I’m going to be any good at that club tonight.”
“Okay, honey,” she said, kissing me lightly on the lips. “I’m really sorry about what happened, love. Really.”
“It’s okay, just another step along the road,” I replied.
She smiled and kissed me again.
“One thing, though,” I said.
“What’s that?”
“I’ve stood against some of the most powerful vampires in the world without flinching, so how come you can scare the crap out of me?”
“Because I’m a woman, Jack,” she replied with a cute smile. “Women are far more dangerous than vampires. Vamps only suck blood. We women go for the heart.”
“So bloody true.”
CHAPTER
27
I lay in bed for a while, looking at the ceiling. Last night had been a textbook example of why Marie and I shouldn’t be together. As her boss I needed a clear head. I needed emotional distance. As her mate I needed to be close. I could be hurting my team if I let my emotions cloud my judgment.
Anna and John were a special case, because she needed him to live, but emotional attachments in combat situations rarely work out well.
I turned over the possible answers in my head. One or the other of us could quit the Ministry. But that was stupid. The Ministry wasn’t about to let me walk away so long as the vamps held the North. And Marie was just too good a hunter to lose. We could break up, but just the thought of that sent a bolt of pain through my stomach and made me want to curl up into a ball.
The solution, when it came, was so simple and stupid that I actually laughed out loud. All we had to do was win. If the vampires were kicked out of the North and England was safe again, our relationship wouldn’t be a problem. There, it was simple when you really thought about it.
I rolled over and wrapped my arms around the pillow. See? Problem solved, now I could sleep.
And I did.
Marie woke me up a little later with a cup of tea and a soft kiss on the cheek.
“Hey Jack, there’s a guy here to see you,” she said.
The guy turned out to be Neil. Neil was gayer than a Pink Power parade, loud, funny, and a great guy. He’d moved to France from the USA and worked in a lovely little exclusive boutique on the Champs Elysees. He sold clothes and accessories to the fashionable corpsebait crowd. What was useful was that he often picked up little tidbits of information that he passed on to the Ministry. When a vamp suddenly started flashing money around, holding big expensive parties and playing the big man about town, it almost always meant that the vamp in question was rising through the ranks of his clan. And we liked to know things like that. It helped to know who to watch.
“Hello Sir John!” boomed Neil in his usual greeting when I emerged from the bedroom.
“Hello Neil!” I boomed back
in a passable imitation.
“How're you doing?” he said in his normal voice.
“Not so bad, you?”
“Keeping busy. I understand you need an outfit for a little soiree tonight.”
“Yeah, got to dress appropriately,” I said.
“Well, I have some outfits that’ll just look spiffy on you,” he said, waving one hand at a pile of garment bags on the table.
“Okay, we’ll go in here,” I said, indicating the bedroom.
We gathered everything up and Neil, Marie and I went back into the bedroom.
“Well now,” said Neil as Marie closed the door. “This is the pretty lady I’ve been hearing so much about.”
“Is everybody talking about us?” said Marie.
“Well, everybody who is in the know,” said Neil, winking at me. “Around here that’s a very select group if you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, okay, what’ve you got for me?”
“Honey,” he said, giving me a look, “what I’d like to give you would make your eyes cross.”
Marie gasped, her eyes wide.
“Oh, sweetie, it’s okay. Me an’ Jack are old friends. He knows I’m only kidding. He’s not my type.”
Marie smiled a little hesitantly.
“Okie dokie,” he said, unzipping the first garment bag. “These are all the rage in the bloodlover’s circle.”
He handed me a pair of black leather trousers.
“Really?” I said, dryly.
“Yes, Jack, really,” he replied. “Just try them on and stop being a pain in the ass about it.”
He turned to Marie and rolled his eyes theatrically.
“Honestly, men!”
Marie giggled and winked at me.
I pulled off my trousers and struggled into the leather.
“Shit, Neil, you couldn’t have found a tighter pair?”
Neil and Marie were trying not to laugh as I sucked in my stomach and tried to button the fly.
“Now, when you wear them for real you’ll want to leave the underwear off,” said Neil professionally. “Otherwise it’ll spoil the lines.”
“You kidding me?” I said, turning to look at myself in the mirror. “I’m getting a decent sweat on already.”
“They do show off what you’ve got, Jack,” said Marie with a little grin.
“They’re showing off things I didn’t know I had!” I replied.
“No, you’re right Jack,” said Neil, looking at me critically. “They look stupid on you. You don’t have the right legs to carry them off.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
I peeled the leather back down my legs as he opened the next bag.
“Okay, try these.”
I pulled on the next pair. They were deep black denim jeans, cut a little tighter than I liked, and accented with little glittering gems where ordinary jeans just had the rivets.
“I kinda like those,” said Marie.
“Yep, those are definitely your look.”
“You sure?” I asked doubtfully.
“Trust me, Jack,” he said. “Guys can sparkle these days, too.”
“Okay.”
“And the legs are a little flared for these,” he said, producing a box.
He took the top off to reveal a pair of black leather cowboy boots complete with little fake spurs.
“Really?” I asked again.
“Sure! Cowboy boots are big at the moment. Try them on.”
I sat down and pulled the boots on. When I stood up and walked around the spurs jingled.
“Mmm,” I said. “That’s not going to get annoying at all, is it?”
“Oh hush, Jack,” said Neil. “You look good and you sound good. The silver spurs are a little courtesy warning to vampires. It says you don’t belong to one and you’re not looking to belong to one.”
“If you say so,” I said with a shrug.
“Now, shirt,” he said, eying my bare chest. “Dear lady, what do you think? Shall we look at showing off his chest?”
“Sure, why not?” Marie replied, ignoring my glare.
Neil produced a leather waistcoat.
“Not if you held a gun to my head,” I said firmly.
“Okay,” said Neil, laughing. “Just thought I’d ask.”
The next item was a flouncy white linen shirt with big cuffs and wooden toggles instead of buttons.
I shook my head as I pulled it on and tucked it in. I studied myself in the mirror. The shirt was loose and gaped open, showing off my chest and a lot of my stomach. My big scar stood out like a red flag and I was having trouble seeing my hands under the lacy cuffs.
“I look,” I said quietly, “like a confused fucking pirate.”
“I don’t know,” said Neil, standing back and looking at the effect. “I kinda like it. It looks a little dangerous on you.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “I don’t think so at all.”
I yanked the flouncy shirt off over my head.
“What else you got?” I asked.
“Well, I do have this,” he said, opening another bag.
It was a plain black shirt, but the stitching was all done in silver thread. I thought it looked pretty cool once I’d got it on. I turned and looked in the mirror, actually admiring myself.
“I have to admit,” said Neil to Marie, “he does look pretty yummy.”
“Yeah, he does,” said Marie, an intense look on her face.
“Okay, put the tongues away,” I said. “Is this the one that we’re going with?”
“Yes, definitely,” said Marie.
“And I have the perfect jacket for you with that,” said Neil.
He opened another bag and handed me a jacket. It was a deep black frock coat, severely tailored and generously cut around the shoulders.
“Yeah, there’s this stupid fashion in Paris for cell phone and wallet holders that you wear like shoulder holsters, so, of course, there’s a fashion for jackets that can conceal them.”
“Useful,” I said.
I turned and looked at myself. All in black, so that wasn’t too bad. Just ostentatious enough to look rich, subdued enough to look tasteful. Kind of a dangerous playboy look. Would Sir John dress like this? Yes, I decided. Sir John would like the image.
“Okay, that’s me then?” I said. “I look like Satan’s pimp.”
“I don’t know,” said Marie. “You look good.”
“Oh, I didn’t say I didn’t like it, I just said I looked like the kind of guy who would bitch-slap Satan and send him out on the game.”
Marie giggled and Neil gave me an admiring look.
“You’re still not my type but I know a couple of cute little guys who would just fall at your feet if you ever decided to switch sides,” he said.
“Piss off,” I said. “I’m taken.”
“Yes he is,” said Marie proudly.
“Okay, what about your outfit?” I said.
“Oh, Anna picked mine out,” she said.
“Cool, where is it?”
“I’ll put it on as soon as you guys leave and send Anna in.”
“Okay, let’s give the lady some privacy,” said Neil, gathering up his bags.
I grabbed my weapons bag. I wanted to make sure everything I had would be concealable. I kissed Marie on the cheek and we left.
“Wow boss,” said Anna. “You look like …”
“Satan’s pimp?” I suggested.
“Funny,” she said.
“Marie’s ready for you.”
“Okay.”
Once she left I stripped off the coat and pulled on my shoulder rig. My SIG went into the holster under my left arm. Two spare magazines and my commando knife went under my right. I hesitated for a second then slid my smaller back-up SIG into its slim holster and tucked it into the jeans at the small of my back.
“Okay,” I said once I’d put the jacket back on. “Concealed?”
John gave me a critical look.
“Yeah, that coat’s nic
ely cut,” he said. “You can barely see a thing.”
“Got enough weapons, Jack?” said Eva slyly.
“Never enough firepower,” said John, quoting my favorite truism.
“Spot on,” I said.
Cam came out of his room through the connecting door. He was back in his bodyguard outfit. Now, though, he was wearing his MP7 on his thigh.
“Neil, what’s the law on automatic weapons here in France?”
“Well, the law is pretty clear. Just owning that thing is a crime. And carrying around that arsenal violates about nine different laws. Keep but not bear arms is the way the law reads at the moment.”
“Okay, so what happens when we go to the club?” I asked.
He shrugged.
“Sir John isn’t likely to care much, is he?” he asked.
“Actually,” said Jeurgen thoughtfully. “Technically you’re pursuing criminals on behalf of the Pontifical Swiss Guard. That means you’re working for Interpol in a roundabout way. Going armed is barely legal, but legal nonetheless.”
“The Swiss Guard’s part of Interpol?” asked John.
“Yep, for a couple of years now,” said Eva.
“Okay, so, technically, if we get arrested we can walk?” I asked.
She shrugged.
“I wouldn’t like to test it, but yes, essentially that is true.”
“Okay, something to think about, I suppose.”
At that point Anna came out of the bedroom.
“She’s ready,” she said.
“She is?”
“And she’s waiting for you. You have to help her finish the outfit.”
“Okay,” I said, confused.
CHAPTER
28
I walked into the bedroom and closed the door behind me. The sight that greeted me made me catch my breath.
Marie was kneeling on the floor, her paws on her thighs, her lupine head slightly lowered, her eyes fixed on mine. She was practically naked. She was wearing what looked like a black leather bikini. A brassiere lifted her breasts into a beautiful cleavage and a tiny leather thong was almost invisible between her thighs. I walked slowly around her. From behind the thong was a series of straps that went around her tail and disappeared between her buttocks. Studded leather cuffs encircled her wrists and ankles and a pair of gold hoop earrings glinted in her ears.
Crusader (MPRD Book 2) Page 14
