smell. Lies smell bitter on your skin.”
“You are only guessing that I was one of the Harlequin.”
“You keep almost calling Anita your queen. Only the bodyguards of the old queen of vampires would do that.”
“And if I was one of them, then I would be a spy and assassin extraordinaire. I would hunt monsters with you, Olaf, and I would have far fewer morals about it than Anita does.”
“I think if you got me alone, you would try to kill me. You would say later that I had attacked you, and you were forced to defend yourself. How brave of you, how tragic for me.”
“I admit that was the original plan, but as Angel says, you are attractive and far more compelling than I expected.”
“You seek to distract me, but I am not that easily put aside from my goals.” He turned back to Edward as if the women had ceased to exist. “Have you slept with Anita and any of her girlfriends?”
“No.”
“I will not ask the other. It is insulting.”
“It’s not insulting. It’s just a question,” Edward said.
“Are you saying you have shared her with another man at the same time?”
“We usually have sex when we’re in the field away from home, which means it’s usually not an issue.”
It was everything I could do to keep my face blank and not give away how big a lie he’d just told. I wished I still had my sunglasses on so my eyes wouldn’t give it away, but luckily for us, Olaf’s attention was all on Edward.
“So she is your work wife?” Olaf asked.
“She’s my partner. Donna is my wife.”
“I meant no insult to either woman. I am just trying to understand.”
“It’s not my relationship with Anita you need to understand. It’s her relationship to the others that’s important for you.”
“Why is that more important?” Olaf asked.
“Because you and I will never be comfortable sharing Anita in a bed together, but I think for her safety, you will need to find men that you would be willing to do that with.”
“I do not understand.”
“The only way I would trust you with Anita romantically is if there were men in the room that I thought could win against you or at least fight you long enough for Anita to escape.”
“I still do not understand.”
I was beginning to, and it was both brilliant and frightening, but then it was Edward, and that was how his mind worked. “He means that I would never feel safe one-on-one with you, but with some of my other lovers with us, I’d have a fighting chance if things went wrong.”
Olaf was disgusted and didn’t try to hide his reaction. “The only thing I have ever enjoyed doing with other men is torturing them or winning against them. I enjoy causing anyone pain. It is simply better if it is a woman.”
“The only other option I’ve come up with is if you allowed yourself to be chained down while Anita topped you,” Edward said.
“No, I will not submit to anyone.”
“Then how do we keep Anita safe?”
“My word is not enough for you?”
“Not on this, Olaf. I knew this day was coming, and I have been trying to think of ways that your needs can be met at least partway without risking Anita’s life.”
He was lying again, and Olaf didn’t call him on it. Either Edward’s body gave nothing away for the werelion to sense, or Olaf was so upset that he couldn’t sense it. It might have been a bit of both.
“What of the ardeur? What of Anita’s ability to feed through lust?” Olaf asked.
“What about it?” I asked.
“If she fed on me, would I be able to harm her while she did it?”
“I thought you told me that you weren’t food, not for anyone,” I said.
“It is merely a question, Anita. I am trying to understand what options are open to us.”
“I can answer this one,” Nicky said. “Once the ardeur is released, then all inhibitions go. For Anita it means she can take even rougher sex than without it.”
“I asked in the car when the three of us were alone if you and Anita did bondage together. You avoided answering the question.”
“I was embarrassed, okay?” I said. “I’m still embarrassed, but if we’re really going to answer the question, then yes, we do bondage together.”
“Do you dominate him?”
“No, he’s my top.”
“He is your dominant?”
I shook my head. “I’m a switch, which means I like to go both ways in the dungeon. I can bottom, but I