19

JEAN-CLAUDE HUGGED ME in against his body. "I am sorry, ma petite."

Asher came and kissed me on die cheek. "I am not sorry he is gone."

"Be nice," I said.

He cuddled in against me, his arm going around Jean-Claude's shoulders. "We all behaved ourselves admirably and your Ulfric still leaves in a huff."

NatJianiel came to stand in front of me. He pushed a lock of my hair back from my face. "Honestly, Anita, I'm not sorry he's staying somewhere else for die night. I want to hold you tonight, and Richard wouldn't let me in the bed."

They were bodi right, so why did I feel like I should defend Richard's honor?

"Enough of tJiis," Jean-Claude said, "Ma petite is tired. We will leave her widi Micah and Nathaniel." He kissed my upturned face, gentiy, his face showing nodiing. There were nights when he asked not to be sent away, but tonight he didn't even try for it.

He let me go, and started for the door, Asher at his side.

"It seems wrong to keep kicking you out of your own bed," Micah said.

Jean-Claude turned back, and said, "Ma petite is not comfortable when I die at dawn. We will respect her sensibilities in this tonight. She has had enough shocks for one night."

Asher slipped his arm dirough Jean-Claude's. "We'll be in my room." I'd seen them arm in arm a hundred times. I'd sent them off to bunk in Asher's room dozens of times. But for die first time, I wondered what tiiey would do once tliey got there. Would tiiey have sex? Would diey do widi each otlier what Jean-Claude and I did widi Auggie? Did die tliought bodier me? I wasn't sure.

Micah looked at me. "Damian doesn't die at dawn if he's widi you. Shouldn't we find out if die same applies to Jean-Claude?"

"Don't push me, Micah." I felt almost frantic with the need for some kind of normality tonight. My voice didn't sound frantic, it sounded angry.