Crimson Death by Laurell K. Hamilton

than you sleep with Richard now.”
    â€œLook, I’m sorry you’re hurting, or scared, or sick, or whatever, but it wasn’t just me that contributed to whatever is happening, or not happening, between us.”
    â€œI know that.”
    â€œDo you? Because you don’t sound like you do.”
    â€œI could say you’re my master, so responsibility ultimately lies with you, but that would piss you off and I don’t want to do that.”
    â€œYou’re doing a damn good job, if that’s not what you want, and Cardinale hates me. I don’t see her letting you and me get closer in any way.”
    â€œShe’s not happy about anyone being near me who isn’t her, but I can’t go on like this, Anita. You keep saying that vampires don’t sleep, or have nightmares, and you’re right, but vampires also don’t have human masters, not even necromancers. I believe that whatever is happening to me is tied to the triumvirate not working the way it should.”
    â€œHow do you envision it working?” I asked.
    â€œMore like the one that Jean-Claude has with you and Richard Zeeman, our local werewolf king.”
    â€œAnd that would mean what, exactly?”
    â€œDon’t be coy, Anita.”
    â€œI’m not being coy. I’m not good enough at it to try. I genuinely don’t know what you’re getting at, because Jean-Claude and I don’t see Richard much at all anymore. He’s dating other people, off trying to find someone to marry and do the white-picket-fence thing.”
    â€œYou see him at least once a month.”
    â€œFor sex and bondage, yes. Wait. Are you wanting to have sex with Nathaniel and me?”
    â€œThe look on your face, Anita. Is the thought of us being lovers again such a bad one?”
    This was the guy version of the girl trap: a question where there either is no winning answer or one where you have only one answer that won’t start a fight. This was one of those questions, but luckily I could answer truthfully and not hurt his feelings.
    â€œNo, it’s not a bad thought. You’re beautiful and you’re good in bed; it’s not that.”
    â€œThen what is it?”
    â€œIf you sleep with me, let alone with me and Nathaniel, it will cost you Cardinale, because she won’t stand for it.”
    He nodded one more time. “I know, but I need to figure out what’s happening to me, Anita, and for that I need you and Nathaniel to becloser to me. I need our triumvirate of power to work more like you, Jean-Claude, and Richard do.”
    â€œWe don’t always work that well,” I said.
    â€œYour triumvirate with them works better than the one you have with Nathaniel and me,” he said.
    I couldn’t really argue with that, so I didn’t try. “Okay, but before we do anything that would piss Cardinale off, we are going to talk to her first. If we can do this without it costing your relationship, then we will.”
    â€œWhy do you care so much about my relationship with her?”
    â€œI caught enough of your emotions to know you were in love with her; that’s important, and I don’t want to screw that up because the metaphysics between us has gotten weird.”
    â€œYou really do want everyone around you to be happy, don’t you?”
    â€œYeah, doesn’t everyone want that for their friends?”
    He smiled then, and shook his head. “No, Anita. No, they don’t.”
    â€œIf you really care for people, you want them to be happy, Damian; otherwise you don’t actually care for them.”
    â€œYou don’t think like any other woman I’ve ever met.”
    â€œOh, come on, in centuries of life you’ve never met another woman who thinks like I do?”
    â€œI swear to you, Anita, you are unique in a lot of ways.”
    â€œ
Unique
is usually a polite way of saying
weird
.”
    He grinned, gave a little laugh.