Dumb Furball

Chapter 1

Micah dragged me towards the shower. “You need to wash off,” he said.

“And who’s fault is that?” I angrily retorted. He chuckled. It had none of the textured
qualities Jean-Claude’s laugh had. I fought the urge to growl at Micah, but I didn’t think it would
be a good idea. The kitty cat might think it was foreplay.

I contacted Jean-Claude through the marks. I let him see what was happening to me
through my eyes. I could feel a wash of desire take me over, but I didn’t really want it. It wasn’t
me. “Jean-Claude, what is happening to me?!”

“It is the fire, ma petite. I desire you more than you will ever desire the man in your arms.
How I have wanted to take you in the way only I can take you. To feed form you, not from the
vein, but from the sex. This is what is happening to you.”

“Help me, Jean-Claude! I don’t want to sleep with Micah.”

“I cannot, ma petite. Your leopard is there with you, and I am not. I fear if I stay with you
in you mind much longer it will be my undoing.”

I felt Jean-Claude begin to pull back, and I screamed his name in my head. “Don’t leave
me, Jean-Claude! I love you, I want you, not this stranger. Help me!”

“I cannot. If you can get away from him you may be able to save yourself, ma petite. It is
the only way.”

He began to pull away again. “Jean-Claude!”

“Ma petite, I will lobe you, even if you give in to Micah. You will not loose me, if that is
what you fear.”

That was in there, but most of it was I just plain ol’ didn’t want to have sex with Micah.

“Je t’aime, ma petite.” He left me to face the were-leopard alone.

Micah had been kissing my neck. He cupped one of my breasts in his hand. A sick feeling
forced the ardeur away, my will power, not wanting to be touched like that by him. I straight
armed him, pushing him away. I quickly rinsed off, grabbed another towel, and headed for the
door. Micah was there suddenly, blocking my way.

“I am your nimir-raj, Anita. I wont just let you leave.”

I walked up to Micah. “Get out of my way,” I said angrily, in a tone that was known to
make vampires run screaming at 10 paces.

“No.” He took my hands in a hard grip. Shit. I had no weapons, and I didn’t think I could
out muscle Micah. I pulled on my hands, and he didn’t let go. He only tightened his grip, letting
me feel the bone-crushing strength. I wanted to kill him, because no one forces me to do
anything. “Let go of me! You flea bag cat nip chewing bastard!”

“No,” was his simple answer.

“I’ll scream. I’ll call my pard.”

“I’ll call mine. Yours can’t outmuscle mine. Don’t turn this into a blood bath.” He began to
pull me to the shower. I planted my feet, struggling, but it didn’t help.

“So you’re going to rape me?”

Micah frowned. “It wont be rape, once you let me show you. Just let me inside you, Anita,
and I will show you what it’s like for a nimir-raj and a nimir-ra to make love.”

“It wont be making love, dammit!”

I jerked on my hands, with all my strength. I couldn’t even move his arms enough to use a
self defense technique. We were almost to the shower. Not good. A frustrated sound, almost a
sob/growl, escaped my lips. I tried to tap the mark with Richard. He had it sealed tight.

I tugged again, pulling with all of my strength. I did nothing. Suddenly, I felt something
tapped inside of me, and an unimaginable feeling of power filled my arms. I slammed my hands
together, cracking Micah’s hands together, causing him to loose his grip. Then my knowledge
took over. I twisted away, the way they taught us in TKD. I strained Micah’s ligaments in his
wrists, and front kicked him away, landing him in the wall. He slid to the floor, looking up at me.

“Your eyes are dark glowing blue,” he whispered.

I smiled, it was more of a sneer. “If you ever touch me like that again, I will kill you. Infact,
if I had a gun tight now, I would blow your fucking head off!”

Micah licked his lips. “I am your nimir-raj. Denying it wont make it untrue.”

“And you think repeating it will? Keep saying it, Micah, maybe the Easter bunny will bring
you a nimir-ra in a goody basket. But its not me! Understand?”

“It is true,” he simply said, standing up. I turned around to leave. Jean-Claude was still with
me, and without him I never would have been able to react in time. Micah rushed towards me,
and I dropped down, sticking out my leg. He tripped, just like he was supposed to, and crashed
into the wall. His body lay sill next to the wall. I took a pulse, he wasn’t dead. Pity.

“Jean-Claude?”

“Oui?”

“I’ll be at the prison to pick you up in an hour.”

“Very well.”

“And Jean-Claude?”

“Oui, ma petite?”

“Merci, et je t’aime.”

“Derien, ma petite. Je t’adore.”

I took one last glance at Micah before I walked out of the shower. “Dumb furball,” I
muttered under my breath.

Chapter 2

I buckled my seat belt, still under the comfort of Jean-Claude’s arm. I snuggled into his
body, letting him hold me. “I almost slept with Micah,” I whispered, freaked out.

Jean-Claude looked at me with an amused glint in his eyes. I looked away, but he stroked
my jaw with a finger lightly, turning my attention back up to him. He smiled, and I was confused.
“You aren’t angry at all?”

He kissed me lightly. “Non, ma petite. I am thrilled.”

“Thrilled? I almost slept with a total stranger. What the hell is a matter with me?”

“It is called the arduer. The fire. I am sorry, ma petite. I would never wish it upon you, but
I fear you have inherited it from me, through the marks. But it can be controlled, as you have
proved.”

“So I’m not going to turn into slut-girl?”

“Even if our busy were-leopard had won, you still would not have turned into slut girl.”

“I’m scared.”

“I can taste your fear, Anita. You are coming to the circus with me. I want you to stay for a
few nights, until I can teach you to control the arduer by feeding from a distance. This usually isn’t
possible until after a few weeks, but I think you are ready.”

“Richard broke up with me. Its just me and you now.”

Jean-Claude smiled devilishly. “I am sorry, ma petite.”

“Try not to smile when you say that. Why?”

“I know how much Monsieur Zeeman means to you, ma petite.”

I shrugged. “We both saw it coming. We’re just…too different.”

“Are you saying that all the time we have spent struggling for you was a waste of time?”

I shook my head. “If you hadn’t interfered he and I probably would have gotten married,
and found out that we were too different to stand each other with a child on our hands, in a
free-fire zone. I think everything turned out for the best.”

Jean-Claude smiled. “I am not sure if I know how to have you all to myself, ma petite, it
has been such a long time.” He grinned wickedly, flashing fangs. “We might have to bring in
Asher.”

I sighed and leaned against him, tired. “Not a bad idea.”

He seemed surprised. I knew he had only been half teasing, but I wasn’t. Jean-Claude let it
go, and Nathaniel drove us to the circus in silence.

Chapter 3

I sat in the armchair looking up at Jean-Claude in his living room. He knelt before me,
putting a hand on each knee. He pushed my legs apart and leaned into me, brushing my lips with
a slow lingering kiss. He suddenly moved down and kissed my knee, running lips up my inner
thigh with quick flicks of his tongue. The slit in the skirt Nathanial had given me to change into
seemed to be placed just perfectly for it. I tried to cross my legs, and scoot back, but
Jean-Claude made a low sound in his throat, almost a whine, and gripped my knees harder,
pulling me forward. He was a vampire, no matter how many inner thigh presses I did, I could not
compete in strength. My heart pounded in my chest involuntarily, the increased blood flow to my
femoral artery excited Jean-Claude. “Jean-Claude, I am sore, and mentally deranged, and do not
want to do the wicked dance right now.”

He looked up at me, resting his head on the top of my thigh. “Am I not always gentle, ma
petite?”

“Most of the time, but I am aching incredibly,” I said.

“I certainly hope you are not sore there.” He put suspicion in his voice, rolling his eyes up
to me.

I didn’t know what that was about. He knew I didn’t sleep with Micah. “Well, not there in
particular, but everywhere in general.”

“You are still healing.”

“Somewhat. All the major stuff is taken care of.”

Jean-Claude sighed, and it raised goose bumps all over my body, tightening my nipples and
other places. His voice can be more intrusive than anything else.

“Then let us speak of something else. What does Asher mean to you, Anita?”

“I love Asher too, you know. I think that to hold him in the circle of our arms would be
more healing than anything else we could do for him.”

Jean-Claude smiled, truly smiled. He pulled me forward with hands behind my knees. It
made my skirt ride up, flashing my black panties. Jean-Claude smiled, flashing a surprised
whiteness of fangs. He pulled me against him totally so our bodies were one line. “I think Asher
and I will both hold you to that.” He pressed his lips against mine, softly, running his hands up my
thighs. He reached the tops of my thighs, where my legs met my hips. He hooked his thumbs in
the straps of my panties on either side and snapped the elastic. I gasped. I tried to find my voice
twice before I could speak. “I’m suddenly not as sore as I thought I was.”

Jean-Claude laughed, full heartedly. “I did not think you would be, ma petite.”

The bubbles foamed around me. A soft knock on the door caught my attention. “Who is
it?”

“It is Asher, ma cherie. I have towels for you.”

“Ok.”

Asher walked in. His upper body was bare, the scars shaped one half on his body in dark
runnels. The arduer flared inside of me, I had a sudden urge to run my hands over his chest, both
sides, to enjoy the contrast. Asher looked at me, as if he had felt the arduer flare. He smiled,
sardonically, and it made my heart sad. Suddenly Jean-Claude walked in to join us. He also was
not wearing a shirt. They were contrasts in themselves. Asher the golden brightness, Jean-Claude
the dark angel of death. Jean-Claude sat down on the edge of the orgy sized tub, and picked up
a cluster of bubbles. He blew them at me, and I laughed. I looked at Asher. A haunted look
crossed his face. He swallowed hard, it sounded painful. “I will leave you to yourselves,” he said
sadly.

A look of almost panic crossed Jean-Claude’s face as he looked at me. Asher turned his
back to us and began to walk from the room. Jean-Claude gestured towards Asher with his
head, his eyes frantic, not wanting to let the opportunity pass. “Asher,” I softly called.

Asher stopped and froze. He sank into that stillness, giving no hint of life. “Oui, ma cherie?”

“Don’t go.”

His shoulders seemed to stiffen. “Why, ma cherie?” His voice was very careful, as if every
word out of everyone’s mouth was just another game to hurt him.

“Stay with me, stay with us tonight.”

He turned around, and covered the scars with his hair with a toss of his head. “You do not
want a scarred thing as myself with you tonight. You should enjoy your evening with your lover,
cherie, without my interference.”

I drew my legs up and hugged myself. “You are beautiful, Asher, and I love you. Spend the
night with us, mon amour, let us touch you.”

Asher glanced at Jean-Claude, curious if he felt the same. Jean-Claude rose from the side
of the tub and walked to Asher, putting a seductive sway to his walk. I knew that Jean-Claude
had the same effect on Asher as he had on me. Jean-Claude took Asher’s hands and planted a
gentle kiss on each. He leaned his face on the scarred side of Asher’s chest, rubbing his cheek
along the scars like a cat. Asher let out a sigh, and reached up to stroke Jean-Claude’s hair.
Jean-Claude glanced up at the taller vampire. Jean-Claude whispered, “Mon chardonneret, look
at her. We gaze upon her beauty, the water curls around her body, and she looks absolutely
delicious, non?”

“Oui, mon ami. Indeed, she is enticing.”

“I see Anita, as I know you do. She can be our link, once again, as we had with HER.” I
knew HER was Julianna.

Asher looked down at Jean-Claude. With pain in his eyes, he sighed. Jean-Claude kissed
Asher, a light brush of lips. The pain in Asher’s eyes was suddenly replaced with desire. With
Jean-Claude in his arms, he gazed at me, and I shuddered. I gave him my sexiest smile, you
know, the one we all practice in the mirror, saving it for just the right occasion. I had had a lot of
time for that for the past 6 months. I sat up more, exposing most of the tops of my breasts. Asher
caught his breath in his throat, and smiled at me, wickedly. I knew we had him now, and my
heart was glad. Jean-Claude ran a finger down Asher’s chest, bringing Asher’s attention back to
him. Jean-Claude traced the waistband of Asher’s pants, and Asher sighed. It was kind of
strange seeing the two guys touching each other like that, but with them it seemed right.
Strangely, it didn’t bother me. Then they both turned to me. I had been smiling gently at them, but
the looks of hunger in their eyes made me catch my breath. It made things low on my body
clench, and my nipples harden, replacing the smile on my face with a gaping jaw.

Jean-Claude reached over to the light switch in the bathroom and flipped it, making things
completely dark. Then two candles on the sink lit, illuminating the room with a soft orange glow.
Jean-Claude and Asher exchanged meaningful glances, and began to walk towards the tub in
perfect unison. Between there and the tub they lost their pants. I didn’t notice when. They both
slipped into the tub on either side of me, perfectly mimicking each other.

My back was to Asher, he ran his hands over my back, making me sit up straight. The air
was cold against my bare breasts. Jean-Claude cupped them in his hands, gently kneading. I
kissed him gently, and turned back around to face Asher. I put hands on his shoulders and
straddled him. I kissed him, probing with my tongue, but careful of the fangs. I kissed the scarred
side of his chest all the way up the clear flesh of his neck, and kissed his cheek. I ran my hands
down his body, under the water, and cupped him in my hands. Half of him was smooth
perfection, the other half scarred. With a caress on the scarred side, I ran my tongue over the
runnels in his chest. I glanced up at Asher, he had thrown his head back, eyes closed. I was
probably the first person in years to touch him. Asher ran his hands over my breasts, and
cupped them in his hands, in almost the identical way Jean-Claude had. I sighed and shuddered.
The look in Asher’s eyes was so haunting, such a raw look of need, of desire for both
Jean-Claude and I.

Jean-Claude had been watching us until then, slowly teasing lines up and down my back
with his hands. He scooted in so I was sandwiched between them. Both of their arms wrapped
around me, holding each other as well as me in the middle. They both bent down to my neck,
rolling the pulse on their tongues. Two things happened at once. Asher and Jean-Claude struck
fangs into my neck, one on either side, and they pushed inside of me at the same time. I let out a
sound like a shriek, but it didn’t hurt. I didn’t think it would be possible, because neither of them
are that small. My hands scrambled for something to hold onto, and Jean-Claude’s hands were
there, entwining his fingers in mine. Asher’s strong hands kneaded into my sides, pulling me
against him. As they teased the wounds they had caused with their tongues they moved inside of
me. It was intoxicating, a spear of pleasure ran through me in almost a straight line up. I moaned,
and they pulled away from my neck. With the both of them working together they could have
easily drained me if they weren’t careful. But I trusted them.

As the both of them pushed in and out within me, they took every space inside of me. They
both moved faster inside of me, responding to my quickening pulse I knew they could hear, taste
in their mouths. Asher was the closest to me, and his pelvic thrust found me in that spot that could
get me every time. Jean-Claude knew where that spot was, but tonight was for Asher. The
climax struck all three of us in a blinding rush. We all cried out, and sent out a shockwave of
power, I didn’t know what it was exactly, but every supernatural thing under the circus knew
what was going on.

Jean-Claude slipped out of me, then Asher. I collapsed in Asher’s arms, let him hold me,
and held him. Asher leaned back against the edge of the tub, and Jean-Claude pushed over to sit
next to him. Asher and Jean-Claude’s legs entwined, and Asher let me spill out onto
Jean-Claude’s lap as well. Jean-Claude leaned his head on Asher’s shoulder, holding me.
Asher’s hands smoothed up and down my thigh in teasing lines. We sat like this in the warm
water for some time. When the effects had half worn off I realized I was going to be very sore,
and I didn’t care. “C’etait magnifique, non?” Jean-Claude said, eyes heavily lidded.

“Naturellement.” Asher planted a light kiss on the top of my head, and I smiled.

“That was one of the best baths I’ve ever taken, but ouch afterwards.”

Jean-Claude and Asher both laughed full heartedly at this. “It can be, ma petite.”

Chapter 4

Jean-Claude and I gazed at each other from across Asher’s chest. We both rested our heads on
Asher’s chest, holding him between us. Jean-Claude’s bed was soft beneath us, we sank into the
fluffy mattress. Asher had an arm around both of us. Jean-Claude reached out and took his hand
that rested on my side. I took Asher’s other hand that rested on Jean-Claude’s shoulder, lacing
our fingers together. Our other free hands stroked Asher’s golden hair. He emitted a sound very
close to purring.

Jean-Claude smiled at me from across the way. He was pleased. Glad to hold Asher once
again, glad to heal him, and delighted that I fit into the mix. “Vraiment, mon amour, tu es beau,” I
said to Asher. He planted a kiss on the top of my head.

“Et toi aussi, ma cherie.”

I closed my eyes and sleep pulled at the world. I fell asleep, knowing we had healed Asher
tonight.

“Sweet dreams, ma petite,” was the last thing I heard.

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I awoke still in the boy’s arms. It was daylight outside, because they were dead to the
world. Literally. I stayed where I was though. I wanted them to wake with all three of us still
together.

About an hour later Jean-Claude woke, being the more powerful of the two. He smiled at
me, lacing our fingers together. “Thank you, for last night, ma petite. We have given Asher
something beautiful he has not had in centuries.”

“I know, and my heart is glad we were the one to give it to him. Do you think we’ve cured
him of his mean streaks?”

“Perhaps not quite yet, but there are many night ahead of us.”

I nodded and sat up on my elbows partially. I rotated my neck, making it crack. “You can
get up, ma petite. I will stay with him until he rises.”

I shook my head no and settled back down. “No, I want him to wake up in both of our
arms.”

Jean-Claude smiled. “You are wonderful, ma petite.”

“I know,” I joked.

Jean-Claude ran a hand down the runnels of Asher’s chest, pain in his eyes. But I could
also feel his satisfaction through the marks. He had wanted to hold Asher for so long, but was
afraid of what I would think. A few years ago I might have wigged out, but if I saw Jean-Claude
and Asher holding hands I didn’t really think it would bother me.

Then something occurred to me. I smiled at Jean-Claude’s deviousness. “You set this
whole thing up, didn’t you? You sent Asher in with my towels, after making sure there were none
for me in the bathroom Then you walked in.”

Jean-Claude smiled devilishly, and I laughed. “You are a devious SOB, you know that?”

He laughed. “I have heard that before.”

Asher woke up, I felt the life fill his body. He was cold, but not a corpse any more. “Bon
soir, mes cheries,” he said with a smile.

Jean-Claude stroked his hair, running the gold strands of hair through his fingers. “Bon
soir,” he answered.