Thierry hesitated. "No. He is still very much alive."
I shook my head. "So he's been standing around for a hundred years watching all the bad things happening and he hasn't raised a finger to do anything about it?"
"Certain events transpired in his life that made that choice inevitable. Some of his choices only led to more pain and torture for those of his kind."
"Excuses," I said, and shook my head.
His eyebrows raised. "Pardon me?"
"This guy, whoever he is, sounds like he wasn't right for the job in the first place. I don't know much about the Red Devil, but I do know one thing. Other vampires looked up to him like a symbol of hope. As long as he existed they had something to believe in other than worrying about hunters being around the next corner."
"It is not like that at all."
"He sounds like a self-involved jerk to me. And the difference with the guy who's impersonating him? He's actually doing something. He's trying to make a difference. Just the mere glimpse of him around town has got everybody all excited. That has to count for something."
Thierry glowered at me. He was actually glowering.
I blinked at him. "What?"
"He is dangerous and he must be exposed."
"Well, I think you should e-mail your old buddy and tell him to get back on the job and maybe other people won't have to take over for him." I shook my head. "I mean, seriously.
Especially with Gideon Chase dead and buried, this is the perfect time for vampires to rally themselves and start fighting back against the hunters in big numbers."
"Gideon's death will mean nothing to the hunters in the weeks to come. Another leader will be chosen and things will return to how they have always been."
"I disagree."
"This isn't surprising to me. Perhaps one day when years have passed and you have the luxury of looking back on history, you will see as I do. That people or their circumstances rarely change."
"That is such a defeatist point of view."
He gave me a smile. "I am pleased to see that your optimism has returned at its full strength."
I slid off from the edge of the desk and gave him a hug. "I don't want to fight with you.
Not tonight."
"Neither do I. I only wish for you to be safe, Sarah. I worry that your optimism and trust lead you to danger."
I leaned back. "You have to stop worrying so much. It causes wrinkles."
His smile widened slightly. "Can we speak of other things?"
I nodded. "Sure."
"I didn't mention how beautiful you look this evening." His gaze moved down the length of me.
"Oh, yeah?" I smiled back at him.
"And I'm very pleased that you are feeling better about your circumstances."
"Way better. Any trips to Alaska are officially on hold."
"Is this new?" He ran a finger down the strap of my bra.
I nodded. "I bought it during my post-apartment-explosion shopping spree. Do you like it?"
"Very much." He raised a dark eyebrow. "And suddenly thoughts of your mysterious Red
Devil benefactor seem rather inconsequential to me."
"I thought they might."
And as his lips met mine I found that I, too, forgot all about the Red… um… whatever his name was. I sank into the kiss, wrapping my arms around Thierry and holding on tight as he picked me up and carried me over to the sofa, where the kiss became deeper and more urgent. Urgent enough that I suddenly wondered if he'd happened to lock the door so nobody would walk in on us. My now regularly beating heart sped up as he ran his hands down my body.
How could somebody so opposite to me in nearly every way make me want him so much?
What was it about him that I fell in love with? He was like a strange recipe that had absolutely everything thrown into the mix. Things that didn't seem to go together at all or seem palatable. But mix it up, throw it into the oven, and an hour later out came the most delicious dish I'd ever tasted.
Yeah, that was Thierry.
Not to everyone's taste, but definitely on the menu for me. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a midnight snack.
I had once doubted his feelings for me, and even now I did at times. He was hard to read with that stony exterior of his. But I knew he loved me, even though he didn't exactly shout it from the rooftops. He proved it to me with his actions, his deeds, the unspoken things. And he murmured it to me when we made love.
He loved me. And I loved him. And nothing was going to come between us.
Did I want to bite anybody? Nope.
Was I feeling okay? Hell, yeah.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," a cool, female voice purred.
Thierry and I both turned toward the door to look. Veronique stood there, tapping her foot, with her arms crossed in front of her. She had an eyebrow raised.
Damn. Another couple of minutes and this would have been mortifying instead of just a really awkward and embarrassing situation as I made out with her husband on the sofa in his office.
And damned if she didn't look amused by the whole thing.
Reassessment.
Did I feel like biting anyone?
Yes please.