Page 9 of Rafael (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 28)

I looked at Rafael. “You travel for the Coalition almost as much as Micah does now.”

“But I am still not the head of it, which has led to some saying I am his second-in-command. That Micah is becoming high king to all the beasts, as I became high king to all the wererats.”

“You run the wererats. Micah stays out of rodere business unless you ask for his help.”

“You know that and I know that, but the fearful amongmy people do not believe that, and my enemies actively tell the fearful that I am but a puppet for Micah and his lover Jean-Claude.”

“They are not lovers,” I said, automatically, but not like I expected anyone to believe it. You can’t prove someone didn’t do something, especially if it’s a really good rumor.

“Everyone standing here knows that,” Rafael said.

“It’s not if Micah is fucking Jean-Claude that is the problem, it is that our enemies say that Rafael is fucking him,” Benito said.

I stared up at him. “That’s a new rumor,” I said.

The three of them shook their heads.

“Okay, it’s new to me.”

“It reinforces the idea that if Rafael becomes even more closely bound to you and Jean-Claude, we will all be his for the taking,” Benito said.

“Jean-Claude isn’t into rape,” I said, and in my head I thought he’d suffered too much and too often at the hands of more powerful vampires over the centuries; it had left him with no taste for forcing himself where he wasn’t wanted, though admittedly he was around six hundred years old, so his idea of seduction was a little less than politically correct, but he did not do rape. Somewhere before the last deed was done the person had to say yes.

“Again, we have seen how fair Jean-Claude is, but our enemies have not,” Rafael said.

“Make Rafael yourmoitié bête, Anita. Give him enough power to defeat our shared enemies so decisively that they will fear to challenge him to the pits,” Benito said.

“You know why I haven’t.”

“Because Narcissus has sworn to kill Kane if you make me your rat to call before you make him your hyena to call,” Rafael said.

“Which risks killing Asher,” I said.

“I say again that Rafael is more important than the vampire,” Benito said.

“That is not your decision to make,” Rafael said.

“Wait, if I make Rafael my rat, won’t that just invite more challengers for the same reason as tonight’s fight? I mean he really will be more closely tied to Jean-Claude afterward.”

“They will challenge him afterward, but once they see what his new power level can do to an opponent, that will be the end of the duels,” Benito said.

“There is no way to know that for certain, Benito,” Rafael said.

“I am certain of it.”

“That whole Asher problem,” I said.

“Then make Narcissus your hyena to call and then Rafael your rat to call. You are not like most vampires, Anita, you can have as manymoitié bêtesas you have beasts inside you.”

I’d have liked to argue the whole vampire question, since I didn’t feed on blood, but I did have to feed on either anger or lust, or I stopped healing as well. I didn’t make the legal definition of vampire, but then no energy vampire met the legal criteria. “I don’t want to tie myself to Narcissus, he’s almost as crazy obsessive with Asher as Kane is, so no thanks. I don’t want that much drama llama tied to me for all eternity.”

“Then tell Narcissus that and seal your bargain with us, Anita,” Benito said.

“It’s not that simple, Benito.”

“Everything is simple if you do not complicate it,” he said.

I wasn’t sure what I would have said to that, because Rafael said, “I would take your kisses and more with me tonight. I do not want to argue away the time we might have.”

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