We shook our heads in unison.
"Cassandra, Anita. My newest wolf, meet the light of my life. Cassandra is one of your guards for the night."
"You're very good. I wouldn't have picked up on it."
Her smile widened. "Richard said you didn't know he was a werewolf at first, either."
Instantly, a little spark of jealousy flared. Of course, if she were a werewolf and with Jean-Claude, then she was one of Richard's followers. "You weren't at the meeting."
"Jean-Claude needed me here. He couldn't do without both Jason and me."
I looked at Jean-Claude. I knew what Jason did for him. He bled Jason when he woke, and sucking blood was damn close to sex for a vampire. "Really," I said.
"Don't worry, ma petite. Cassandra won't share blood with me, either. She and Richard have many similarities. I believe that Richard chose her for me because she bears a certain resemblance to you, not just physically, but a certain je ne sais quoi."
"Je ne sais quoiis French for nothing," I said.
"It means an indefinable something that is difficult to put into words, ma petite. A quality that transcends vocabulary."
"He does talk pretty, doesn't he?" Cassandra said.
"He has his moments," I said. "You can't be draining Jason every morning. Even a werewolf needs a little recoup time."
"Stephen is a willing donor."
"Why wasn't Stephen with you last night?" I asked.
"Is that an accusation?" Jean-Claude asked.
"Just answer the question."
"He had requested an evening off to spend time with his brother. Who am I to stand in the way of familial obligations?" He stared at me while he answered like he wasn't completely happy with the conversation. Tough. Neither was I.
Stephen's own brother had betrayed him, acted as bait for the trap. Damn. "Where is Stephen?"
"He's in the back room," Cassandra said. "He helped me get into this thing. I couldn't reach all the straps." She dropped the coat off her shoulders and turned so I could see her back. The straps formed a tight web, most of them in places you couldn't have fastened without help. She slipped the coat back on and turned, looking at me. "You're taking this alpha female thing seriously, aren't you?"
I shrugged. "I'm serious about Stephen's safety."
Cassandra nodded, face solemn, thoughtful. "I like that. Sometimes alpha female is just a token position. Just a word for the pack leader's lover. Most of them aren't as active as Raina." She made a face when she said the name, like she'd tasted something bitter.
Jean-Claude interrupted. "I will leave you two girls to your conversation. I have things to attend to before the club opens." He kissed the back of my hand and was gone, leaving us standing in the middle of the club, alone. Damian had gone at his heels as if he'd been asked.
For a moment, I was nervous. Cassandra and I were very much in the open. "Let's go over there." I motioned to the steps that led to the next level. We sat down on them, me having to smooth my skirts down. Even that didn't help. I had to keep my feet and knees together or I would have flashed the room. Sigh.
"Let me guess," I said. "Raina wanted you for her movies."
"She wants everyone that is remotely attractive for her movies. Though sometimes sharing her bed for a tryout can get you out of it. She offered me to Gabriel for my tryout. That damn leopard is not even a pack member."
"If he were, she'd make him pack leader," I said.
Cassandra shook her head. "Gabriel couldn't defeat Marcus, let alone Richard. He's the leader of the wereleopards only because there's no one stronger. He's an alpha, but he's flawed. It makes him weak."
"Sexual perversion doesn't always mean you'll lose a fight," I said.
"It's not that," Cassandra said. "He's into dangerous sex. Lycanthropes can take a lot of damage." She shivered. "The things he wanted to do to me." She looked at me, and the fear showed in her eyes. "He says you nearly gutted him once while he had you pinned to the ground."
I looked away. "Yeah."