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I let the surprise show on my face.
«It's no reflection on my parents. They love me. Us. But Father is over a thousand years old, and Mother is older still. Arranged marriages don't seem strange to them, and they both would love to have one of us be as powerful as Mother. It would cement our power base along the entire eastern seaboard of this country. I understand all that, or I wouldn't be standing here.»
«But,» I said.
He smiled, and it was his father's smile. «But, I don't know you. The thought of being forced to have sex with anyone is just… wrong.»
I looked at the twins. «And you, Thomas and Cristos, right?»
They nodded.
«How do you feel about this?»
They looked at each other, then one blushed and the other didn't. The one who didn't blush said, «I'm Thomas, Tom, when Mom's not around to complain.» He gave her a smile out of his father's hazel eyes. «I saw pictures of you before we came. I knew you were pretty, and» — now he blushed, bit his lip, and tried again — «I would love to have an excuse to have sex with you. There, that's the truth.»
«How old are you?» I asked.
He glanced at his parents.
«Don't look at them, answer the question.»
Sampson answered it, «They're seventeen.»
«Seventeen,» I said. «Jesus, that's not legal.»
«It is legal in Missouri,» Thea said. «We did check your laws before we brought them here.»
I looked at her, and didn't know what my face showed, but it felt like nothing pleasant. «I don't do teenagers. Hell, I didn't do teenagers when I was one.»
«Then let my wife taste your power, Anita,» Samuel said. «It is likely that your power will not do what we need. Succubus is close to siren, but not the same creature. If your power does not recognize Thea's, then we will allow Sampson to go home with his morals intact. We will disappoint Thomas.»
That reminded me. «Cristos, you never said how you feel about all this.»
The one who had blushed raised his eyes to me. The look was enough — embarrassment, fear even, but under that was eagerness. The look just screamed virgin. I so was not going to be the one who took his virginity. So not doing that. The fact that his parents were encouraging it just made it creepier.
His voice was low, but deep enough. It was not the voice of a child, but the look was. «Cris, I'm Cris.»
I wanted to say out loud, Your first time should be with someone you care about. Your virginity should go to someone you love . But I didn't want to embarrass him more than he already was, so instead I said, «Fine.» I looked at Thea. «Thea can taste my power.» I did not add that I hoped she didn't like the power, because nothing was going to make me pick any of their sons.
Sons. Children. It made me remember why we had pregnancy tests in our overnight bag. Would I be bargaining for some sort of arranged shacking-up for my own child some day? I mean, no matter who the father was, none of us was exactly human, and most of us were scarily powerful. Shit. I wished I hadn't thought of that.
Thea was in front of me, her head to one side, studying my face. «You look worried, Anita, very worried, as if you've thought of something new to fret over.»
That was a little too perceptive. I was really going to have to work harder at hiding my facial expressions tonight. I tried for a little truth. «Samuel is only the second master vamp I've ever met with a grown child, or children. It's just… weird.»
Micah leaned more of himself against the arm he was holding. Nathaniel cuddled in tighter to my back, though the gun kept him from being as comforting as I wanted him to be. They knew what I'd thought of, or maybe they'd been thinking the same thing, or something close to it.
Thea turned her head to the other side, and it didn't remind me of anything aquatic. It reminded me of a bird of prey judging the distance to my eye.
I shivered. Please, God, don't let me be pregnant .
She touched my face with fingers that were still fever warm. «It is not I who put that frown between the dark beauty of your eyes.»
I drew my head back enough not to be touched. «Very poetic. Let's get this done, Thea. We're wasting moonlight.»
She gave a smile that reminded me of the one that Tom had used just before he blushed and bit his lip, and admitted wanting to have sex with me. The twins looked very much like her except for the eyes.
«Very well, but your men will have to step away. I do not know what the effect would be if they were touching you while I do this. It might raise the ardeur for certain, or…»
«Or what?» I asked.
«Or they might bolster your defenses and keep me from testing your power at all.» She gave a movement of pale shoulders that was almost a shrug, but not quite. «I will treat you as I treat Samuel. I will tell you the truth. I simply am not certain. If you were a vampire then I might know, but you are more, and less. You are not simply one thing or the other, but both, and many. I think it must change the rules of power and magic around you.»
I took in a deep breath, let it out slow, and nodded. I moved forward and Micah and Nathaniel moved back. They gave me the room we asked for. I'm not sure any of us were sure it was a good idea, but if she found me wanting then there were three very unpalatable pomme de sang candidates off the table. Yippee.
Thea took me in her arms again, and I didn't fight it. I even wrapped my arms around her. She didn't try to control my head this time. She trusted me to let her kiss me.
I actually went up on tiptoe for her, which meant she was closer to six feet than I'd thought. I found myself putting a hand along the edge of her face as if this were a kiss that I wanted. Sometimes I touched someone's face because it was intimate. Sometimes I touched them because a hand on the face helps you control the kiss more if things get out of hand. Two guesses which reason it was this time, and first guess doesn't count.