“And what of me?” asked Damian.
“You’re gonna try to take Jean-Claude’s place in the triumvirate.” He looked surprised but quickly let his face fall back into neutral lines. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was scared. My group of four headed toward an empty bedroom; any one would do. The room we picked didn’t match the décor of the place. It was plain, if not flat out boring. Fine. Making sure the door was locked, I turned to face the three men. This was gonna be fun.
“So do you actually have to fuck the vampire for this to work?” Richard hissed. It was one of the few times I’d heard him use that harsh of a curse. If he insisted on being an asshole, I’d find a way to do this without him. Micah’s power washed over me in a warm wave. He was, in his own way, trying to calm me down. My beast answered with its own brush of energy. I realized that I really didn’t need Richard to make this work.
I held my hand out to Micah, embraced him. Our power mingled in a warm rush. Damian took my other hand, his power cool in comparison. My breath caught in my throat. Although Damian had a few hundred years on Jean-Claude, he was still impressive in his own way. I concentrated, trying to open the marks between Jean-Claude and myself. Something blocked me; Belle Morte. It would take more that what we were doing to even put a dent in her influence. We needed stronger magic.
“Blood or sex,” I said. The wereleopard and the vampire exchanged glances. It looks like we’d have blood. Micah pushed his curls away from his neck, eyes closed in anticipation. With one hand caressing the smaller man’s hair, Damian lowered his mouth to Micah’s neck. Only a sharp intake of breath marked the fangs sinking in. The power around us intensified, raising gooseflesh on my arms. I tried again to call to Jean-Claude, and this time was rewarded with a glimpse of him. Belle invaded, pushing the other vampire down into his own subconscious. She smiled sweetly at me.
“We meet again, necromancer.” She sat at what appeared to be a makeup table. Her gaze burned into me through the mirror. “You are very clever to have realized that your beloved was not himself.” I didn’t know who she was referring to, but I let it go.
“With blood and magic, I cast you out,” I told her. I called upon the ability I had for the dead and I shoved her out of Jean-Claude. Belle shrieked at me, pushing back in a failed effort to retain control of her victims. I felt her presence leave Asher as well. I’d have to check on Edward to be sure he was alright. The raised power left the room in a hushed wind. Richard was standing in the far corner, arms crossed over his chest, eyes a bit wide. He hadn’t known that I could work without him either.
Beside me Micah collapsed with a contented sigh. Two minute puncture wounds bled slightly while Damian ran his tongue over a missed drop of blood on his lip. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. “Does anyone else realize what just happened?” After no one answered, I continued. “I think Micah, Damian and I have forged our own triumvirate.” They all looked at me. “Jean-Claude thinks the leopards are my animal to call. I accidentally made Damian a sort of vampire servant. The pieces finally fell into place when we cast Belle out. The Council,” I said, rolling my eyes, “is going to love this.”