«The blessing wears off?» I made it a question.
«If enough 'evil' «— and she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers — «happens in the carriage.»
«Like a cemetery that's been out of use for a while, or had black magic used in it too much,» I said. «You have to reconsecrate the ground.»
«The analogy will do,» she said.
I looked down at Requiem. «And when your master was dead, Belle could call you to her?»
«Yes,» he said, «and if Jean-Claude had not given me a home here, she would have done so again.»
«How did you get away from her the second time?»
«Jean-Claude has the right of it. Ligeia and I were sent far away to seduce some nobles Belle wished to control. We did her bidding, and they did what Belle wished, but Ligeia and I fell in love with each other. When we returned to Belle's court, I was no longer drawn to her.»
«Love,» Jean-Claude said, «love is the only cure.»
«You and Asher aren't besotted with me, not like this.»
«Jean-Claude is your master, and he holds the ardeur as well. As for Asher» — she looked at Jean-Claude — «I think love protects him.»
I looked at Jean-Claude, too, and he would not meet our gaze. I sort of assumed now that Jean-Claude and Asher were doing it like bunnies when I wasn't around, but I'd never asked. Don't ask, don't tell worked just fine for me. Last night, seeing him with Auggie, made me wonder if I needed to ask, or if it was confirmed. Too complicated for me.
I literally waved the thought away, and said, «I can't count on Requiem falling in love any time soon.»
«Non, ma petite.»
«What do I do?»
«Take him as your lover,» Elinore said.
«Easy for you to say; no one's making you share yourself with anyone but your knight.»
«And one of the reasons I came to Jean-Claude was that he would let me be with the man I love, and not force me into the beds of others. I am more grateful for that than I can ever say.» She turned those cold blue eyes on me. «But I do not carry the ardeur. I am not an addiction.»
«Ma petite, you must meet this obligation.»
I stared at him. «Obligation?»
«You have addicted him to you. Would you be as cruel as Belle Morte herself and cast him away, with this desire riding him?» He shuddered. «I have been as one addicted, and cast out for some minor infraction. I have felt my body ache for want of her, and no amount of sex with anyone else satisfied that need.» He moved so he could lay his hand over mine where I stroked Requiem's hair. «He is my third-in-command. He is a good and honorable man. You need more and more powerful food, ma petite. I think if you feed the ardeur well enough, it will quiet. But until you find food to its liking, it will seek its own.»
«You want me to sleep with Requiem?»
«I want you to feed the ardeur from him, oui.»
«I thought you weren't happy sharing me with so many men. I mean, you once threatened to kill Richard.»
«I did not understand the nature of our power together then. Perhaps there is more than one reason that Belle collected lovers. Perhaps it was not merely her appetite, but more practical.»
I stared at him, feeling the weight of his hand over mine, and Requiem gone very still under our hands. «I can't meet all his needs, Jean-Claude. I can't add another date to my card.»
«It is not a date he needs, ma petite. He needs to be your food. Food is for eating, not for dating.»
«Yeah, that's what I said about Nathaniel for months. It doesn't work like that, not for me.»
«What do you propose, ma petite? Until we know the extent of your power over other vampires, we must be very careful of our visitors. We must surround you with powerful enough food that the ardeur will not keep drawing more.»
«Why isn't your ardeur drawing in people?»
«You are his human servant,» Elinore said, «you're taking some of the edge off his power.»
«What does that mean?» I asked.
«If Jean-Claude didn't have you, then his ardeur would be doing this, and it would make it hard to run his territory. Your attracting people is less distracting to him.»
I looked at him. «Are you doing this on purpose?»
«I swear that I am not.»
«It's the nature of the power, Anita,» Elinore said. «Human servants, animals to call, pommes de sang, they are all instruments to help their masters grow in power and control. The power will find a place to go and feed that allows the Master of the City to rule better.»
«You make the power sound alive, like it can think for itself,» I said.
She shrugged. «Perhaps it can. I know that I have seen the power work like this with other masters. Not the ardeur, but other powers.»
I sighed. «Great, so I'm the ardeur's pinup girl because Jean-Claude would get too distracted if it were him.»
«Yes,» she said.
«Wait, Belle had the full ardeur, more full than we have now.»
«But she had no human servant, and no animal to call,» Elinore said.
I looked at Jean-Claude. «I thought every master called in help.»
«Belle does not share power,» Jean-Claude said, «not with anyone.»
«But you guys gain a lot of power from human servants and animals to call.»
«She has intimates of her animals to call, but she has not chosen among them. She makes no one special to her,» he said.
«I don't seem to be able to choose who I get as animal to call. I know you chose Richard, but I didn't exactly choose Nathaniel.»
«Nor Haven,» Jean-Claude said.
«Haven is not my animal to call,» I said.
«But some lion will be, and soon, I fear,» Jean-Claude said. «Joseph is bringing some of his lionmen around today so you will have more than our guests to choose from.»
«Choose for what?» and I sounded as suspicious as I felt.
«So you may bring their beasts, and hold off the change.»
That made sense. So many metaphysical problems that it was hard to keep track sometimes. But one problem at a time. I looked at the man in my lap.
«Fine, whatever. What am I going to do with you, Requiem?»
Jean-Claude and I moved our hands, and he raised his face, so he could look at me. «Make me your pomme de sang.»
«I think the pomme de sang needs to be someone who can feed me night or day,» I said.
His face filled with panic. «Please, Anita, do not cast me aside.»
I looked at Jean-Claude. «A little help here.»
«If you will not feed the ardeur from him then we must send him to another territory. He is powerful enough that many will want him as third, or even second.»
«Which will weaken your power base, because Elinore is only staying until we find her her own territory,» I said.
He gave a shrug that meant everything and nothing.
«I cannot believe that my» — and I hesitated because boyfriend seemed too junior high, lover not enough — «the man I love is encouraging me to take another lover.»
He smiled at me. «We know now that any who have tasted Belle's ardeur are susceptible to your ardeur. I think any of her line will be too risky to taste as pommes. Agree to feed the ardeur from Requiem, ma petite, that is all. Agree, because we have two more things to know before the party tonight.»
«What two things?»
«Will you draw and be drawn to all leopards, wolves, and lions? Do the ardeur's effects travel outside Belle's line?»
I looked at Jean-Claude, tried to read past his face. «You're still shielding so hard, I can't tell how you really feel about this. Let me see inside your shields.»
He shook his head. «I think it would be no help to you.»
«Why not?»
«Because part of me is happy our powers are growing, no matter what the cost. Part of me is frightened of what the council may do about it. Do I want you to take another lover? No, but do I prefer that it is you whom the ardeur hunts to this degree, and not me, yes. I am sorry, ma petite, but that is the truth.»
I thought about it, then nodded. «If you have a human servant who can't hold her shit together the other masters may forgive you. Like a bad marriage, not your fault. If you can't hold your shit together, they won't let that pass.»