“I know he can take blood without messing with my head; any vampire can.”
“But then it is just pain,” Jean-Claude said.
“I’m okay with that,” Sin said.
“I am not.”
Sin looked at the vampire then. “What do you mean?”
“I have worked long and hard to bring myself to a point where I have so many people in my life that I care for who willingly give their life’s blood to me. I do not have to take blood where I can find it, Sin, but where I want it.”
“I want to be seriously considered for the commitment ceremony.”
“We are aware of that, neveu.”
“I kept asking why I wasn’t being seriously considered, and finally someone told me it was because you saw me as a beloved nephew and you don’t marry your nephew.”
Jean-Claude gave that wonderful Gallic shrug, though it’s more graceful than that sounds. It was a gesture that meant everything and nothing, but he looked good doing it. It seemed a very French gesture.
“It’s not just Jean-Claude, Sin,” I said. “Micah doesn’t know what to do with you either.”
“But he sleeps in the bed with you, Nathaniel, and me. We’ve all had sex with you in bed at the same time.”
“That’s true, but he still doesn’t call you a brother-husband.”
“I asked Micah before he left town, and he said if everyone else agreed, he wouldn’t fight it.”
“You have been a busy bee, haven’t you?” I said, and again the crankiness was back. I tried not to have issues with Sin, but I did.
“I am sorry, neveu, but I will not agree to putting a ring on your finger. That is not the relationship we have, or want.”
“Nicky donates blood to you and he’s not your lover.”
“That is true, but you have already heard him accuse me of attempting to seduce him when I have not tried. I am of a line of vampires that takes power from sensual things, sexual things, and the emotions that such things engender in people. I am proud of you as an uncle or even a father might be. I cannot think of you as that and then hold you in my arms while I sink fangs into your flesh and suck a little piece of your life away.”
A moment of doubt crossed Sin’s face, but he shook his head. “I value our relationship, Jean-Claude. I like being the young prince to your king, but I don’t want to lose my place with Anita and the others.”
“Nothing is threatening your place with us,” I said.
He shook his head again. “You’ve already cut some of your other tigers out of your life as lovers and food for the ardeur, Anita.”
“If I tried to sleep regularly with everyone I was connected to metaphysically, the people at the core of my life wouldn’t see much of me.”
“Am I a part of that core, Anita?”
I took a breath and wanted to say something else, but I said the truth. “Yes.”
“Then why do you keep pulling away from me?”
“We talked about this, Sin.”
“I can’t change the fact that I’m only nineteen, or that you’re twelve years older than I am.”
“I know that,” I said.
“Do you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then why do you punish me for it?”
“I don’t punish you for it.”
“Even I’m going to agree with the kid on this one, Anita,” Nicky said.
I glared at him. “I thought you were designed to keep me happy, especially with you. Just so we’re clear, this is not me being happy with you.”
He looked at me. “I’m supposed to help keep you happy.”
“That would be my point.”
“When you’re not all weird about Sin, he’s part of what keeps you happy. Do you know why he was with me when they gave me Jean-Claude’s message?”
It felt like Nicky had changed topics, but I said, “Of course I don’t know that. Are you changing topics?”
“Sin and I were talking about what he’ll be making for dinner since Nathaniel will be in Ireland tonight and he’s the main cook for our poly group. Sin thought that through and came to me with a plan.”
I looked from one to the other of them. “That’s great,” I said.
“Sin and I sous chef for Nathaniel most of the time, or cook some of the dishes.”
“I know that.”
“Then why do you seem so surprised that we’re talking about meal planning while Nathaniel is out of town?”
“I guess we’re taking most of the people you cook for.”
“It’s our night at the Jefferson County house with Zeke, Gina, and Chance. They’ll be expecting us and we always cook when we’re there.”
I was embarrassed to have forgotten all about the little family that was now spending more time in my house than I was. “I wouldn’t have even thought to phone them. I’m sorry.”
“We have it covered, Anita, but we have it covered because I’m getting on the plane along with Nathaniel.”
“I’m sorry, Sin. I didn’t even think about the fact that Nathaniel does most of the cooking and meal planning.”
“Nathaniel and Nicky both told me as soon as they found out so I could start planning. Nathaniel seems a little caught up with Damian, so Nicky’s been helping me plan.”
“But I didn’t tell you, which was shitty of me.”