Page 25 of Smolder (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter 29)

Jean-Claude whispered, “I cannot wait to see you in your new dress and shoes tonight,ma petite.”

“I can’t wait to see what you’re wearing, or not wearing,” I said, and just by thinking of him out of his clothes I fell into his eyes again. If Dolph hadn’t been holding my arm I would have fallen for real, as if his eyes were a dark pool of water that I could drown in and I would enjoy every compromised breath until I died. That fear had been what helped me fight my attraction to Jean-Claude for so long. His own vampire marks combined with my natural ability with the dead should have kept me safer than this. What the hell was wrong?

“Ma petite, have I suddenly become irresistible?” I heard the smile in his voice; it helped me push back so that I could see his face and that smile most seductive. I could see all that exotic makeup again. He was breathtaking. My chest felt tight at the sight of him. I started to fall into his eyes again like I was iron and he was a magnet that I could not resist. When we’d first met I’d driven my fingernails into my hand so the pain would help me resist his charms, but I had other options now. I shoved power into that beautiful face, against that irresistible force, and Jean-Claude lashed back as if I’d tried to slice him with a blade and he’d had to use his own blade to keep me from drawing blood. I think it caught us both off guard and we just reacted. We both lashed out with near pure power. Jean-Claude cut our link so we couldn’t hurt each other anymore, but the rush was so powerful I damn near convulsed with Dolph’s hand on my arm. The movement was sudden enough that I jerked free of Dolph, then started to fall. Jean-Claude had tried to protect us both by shutting down the link, but it was McKinnon and Dolph who kept me from falling into the burned remains of our victim.

“What the hell was that?” McKinnon asked.

“I’ve never seen her like this,” Dolph said.

I stayed on all fours with my gloves and booties the only thingtouching the crime scene’s carpet. Maybe if the men’s knees hadn’t been in the way I would have knelt, but part of me remembered where I was, even if most of me didn’t. I’d never had a reaction to Jean-Claude like that, not just from mind-to-mind contact. I stayed down until I didn’t feel shaky anymore, then pushed myself upward with my fingertips and the balls of my feet. I had a moment where I just wanted to run from the crime scene to see Jean-Claude dance. The urge was so great that I started to turn toward the door and caught myself.

“I’ve never seen me like this,” I said.

“What did you say?” Dolph asked.

I repeated myself.

“Seriously?” McKinnon asked.

I nodded. “Very seriously. Jean-Claude and I will be having a little talk later.”

“You don’t sound happy,” McKinnon said.

I looked at him and it must have been a good look, because he held his hands up. “Sorry, Blake, just commenting.”

“Maybe you should hold the comments until later.”

Jean-Claude’s “voice” was in my head again. I started to slam all my shields in place, but he said, “It is not me.”

I hesitated, too stressed to form a silentwhatin my head, but Jean-Claude got the point, because he said, “Whatever lowered your resistance to me is not me, or you. It is something outside of us.”

“Shit,” I said with real feeling and a wash of fear that left my skin cold.

“What’s wrong?” Dolph asked.

“We’re under attack,” I said.

“Where?” Dolph said. “We’ll send backup.”

I promised I’d hug him later for that being his first thought. Right now, I shook my head. “Not that kind of attack, not physical, magical.”

“What do you mean?” McKinnon asked.

I shook my head again. “I mean that something or someone interfered with me when I contacted Jean-Claude right now. They messed with me bad. I was like mesmerized by him. I haven’t been like that in years; hell, no vampire has been able to roll me that badly in ages.”

“You’re sure it wasn’t Jean-Claude getting carried away?” McKinnon asked.

“No, one of the reasons it took so long for him to win me over was my fear of this kind of shit. He wouldn’t do it by accident, or casually, not with the wedding so close.”

“Wait,” McKinnon said, “are you saying this would be enough for you to call off the wedding?”

“Damn straight it would be; if he’s fucking with my head like this on purpose, then I want nothing to do with him. It’s like metaphysical rape, except it’s a real aphrodisiac that ignites real lust, and worse, love. If he did that to me like this from a distance I’d never want to be in the same room with him again. It would be too dangerous, which means no wedding.”

“Okay, but you’re not really calling off the wedding, right?” McKinnon said.

“No, but if it wasn’t Jean-Claude overstepping then it was another vampire or witch, something that was so freaking powerful it mind-fucked me without me knowing it, from a distance.” My stomach clenched tight with the thought. I reached for the chain around my neck and drew my cross into sight, so I could hold it in my hand. Usually I let it dangle around my neck when I wanted it in sight, but tonight I needed more reassurance.

“How powerful would someone have to be to roll you like this when they aren’t even in the room with you?” Dolph asked.

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