down,” Jean insisted. “Marcel was right to choose you
Perilous Partnership
57
as his successor. Dinner tonight proved that once again, if you needed more proof.”
“How so?” Raymond asked, surprised by the assertion.
“You talked about Alain and Thierry as part of the wider Milice when you talked about your detractors after you defected, but I was there too. I know they were your biggest detractors, or at least your highest placed ones,” Jean said.
“They worked with you when Marcel ordered, but they‟d have been just as happy to see you in hell as to have your help. Tonight they came to dinner at your invitation, sat and discussed plans for l‟Institut with you, drank your wine, and did all the things friends do. Not simply colleagues. Friends. You may not have been thinking in those terms when you invited them here instead of convening a meeting in your office, and they may not have been thinking that way when they accepted, but I‟ve had over a millennium to observe people.
Those were your friends—our friends—sitting around our table tonight, and they‟ll work all the harder on l‟Institut because of it.”
58
Ariel Tachna
Chapter 8
“SO where do you want me to start?” Thierry asked Raymond as soon as they arrived at Dommartin the next morning. Alain and Orlando had not arrived, but Thierry was not sure they would come out yet given Alain‟s complete lack of sensitivity where earth was concerned.
“The first concern is making sure the main building is sound,” Raymond said. “Even if we don‟t renovate all the rooms immediately, I need to know if any areas are dangerous.”
“I can do that. I‟ll reinforce anything I can, of course, but this isn‟t Notre-Dame. There isn‟t a source of magical power here to support my efforts like there was there.”
“Notre-Dame is unique in many ways,” Raymond agreed. “Information is enough for now. Even if we end up doing a portion of the repairs magically, we don‟t have to do it all at once.”
“I‟ll get started then,” Thierry said.
“I‟ll make sure you aren‟t disturbed in case you need Sebastien‟s help.”
Raymond had learned quickly how intimate an act vampires considered feeding. While that stricture had relaxed somewhat as vampires grew more accustomed to feeding from their partners during magical rituals, Raymond saw no reason to push their limits unnecessarily.
“As if I would let him try it without me,” Sebastien growled. “I‟m not taking any chances on losing him.”
“I told you—”
“And I told you,” Sebastien interrupted. “We‟ll mark anywhere that‟s unsafe.”
Raymond just shook his head and marveled again at the difference a year had made for all of them. Maybe Jean was right and they were even becoming friends. Certainly Thierry would never have carried on this kind of conversation in Raymond‟s hearing during the war.
Inside, Thierry turned on Sebastien. “That was one time, in the midst of a panicked situation.” He still shuddered a little to think how close he had come to losing himself in the earth as he searched for Orlando immediately after his
Perilous Partnership
59
capture. “It won‟t happen today because I‟m not as invested in getting immediate results, the risks be damned.”
“I‟m still going to bite you while you work,” Sebastien insisted. “If nothing else, it‟s a more efficient use of time and effort.”
Thierry could hardly argue with that, so he let it go. “I guess it‟s a good thing you weren‟t hungry last night.”
“I‟ll always be hungry for you,” Sebastien replied, moving to stand behind Thierry. The wizard reached out for the exterior wall of the main building and began chanting. As Sebastien felt the rising power, something he had been unable to do until after their experience at Notre-Dame, he slid his arms around Thierry‟s waist, letting his lover lean back against him, and pulled Thierry‟s scarf
Perilous Partnership
57
as his successor. Dinner tonight proved that once again, if you needed more proof.”
“How so?” Raymond asked, surprised by the assertion.
“You talked about Alain and Thierry as part of the wider Milice when you talked about your detractors after you defected, but I was there too. I know they were your biggest detractors, or at least your highest placed ones,” Jean said.
“They worked with you when Marcel ordered, but they‟d have been just as happy to see you in hell as to have your help. Tonight they came to dinner at your invitation, sat and discussed plans for l‟Institut with you, drank your wine, and did all the things friends do. Not simply colleagues. Friends. You may not have been thinking in those terms when you invited them here instead of convening a meeting in your office, and they may not have been thinking that way when they accepted, but I‟ve had over a millennium to observe people.
Those were your friends—our friends—sitting around our table tonight, and they‟ll work all the harder on l‟Institut because of it.”
58
Ariel Tachna
Chapter 8
“SO where do you want me to start?” Thierry asked Raymond as soon as they arrived at Dommartin the next morning. Alain and Orlando had not arrived, but Thierry was not sure they would come out yet given Alain‟s complete lack of sensitivity where earth was concerned.
“The first concern is making sure the main building is sound,” Raymond said. “Even if we don‟t renovate all the rooms immediately, I need to know if any areas are dangerous.”
“I can do that. I‟ll reinforce anything I can, of course, but this isn‟t Notre-Dame. There isn‟t a source of magical power here to support my efforts like there was there.”
“Notre-Dame is unique in many ways,” Raymond agreed. “Information is enough for now. Even if we end up doing a portion of the repairs magically, we don‟t have to do it all at once.”
“I‟ll get started then,” Thierry said.
“I‟ll make sure you aren‟t disturbed in case you need Sebastien‟s help.”
Raymond had learned quickly how intimate an act vampires considered feeding. While that stricture had relaxed somewhat as vampires grew more accustomed to feeding from their partners during magical rituals, Raymond saw no reason to push their limits unnecessarily.
“As if I would let him try it without me,” Sebastien growled. “I‟m not taking any chances on losing him.”
“I told you—”
“And I told you,” Sebastien interrupted. “We‟ll mark anywhere that‟s unsafe.”
Raymond just shook his head and marveled again at the difference a year had made for all of them. Maybe Jean was right and they were even becoming friends. Certainly Thierry would never have carried on this kind of conversation in Raymond‟s hearing during the war.
Inside, Thierry turned on Sebastien. “That was one time, in the midst of a panicked situation.” He still shuddered a little to think how close he had come to losing himself in the earth as he searched for Orlando immediately after his
Perilous Partnership
59
capture. “It won‟t happen today because I‟m not as invested in getting immediate results, the risks be damned.”
“I‟m still going to bite you while you work,” Sebastien insisted. “If nothing else, it‟s a more efficient use of time and effort.”
Thierry could hardly argue with that, so he let it go. “I guess it‟s a good thing you weren‟t hungry last night.”
“I‟ll always be hungry for you,” Sebastien replied, moving to stand behind Thierry. The wizard reached out for the exterior wall of the main building and began chanting. As Sebastien felt the rising power, something he had been unable to do until after their experience at Notre-Dame, he slid his arms around Thierry‟s waist, letting his lover lean back against him, and pulled Thierry‟s scarf
Similar Books
