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“No,” Edward said, “the violence was incidental to what he fed on—fear—and making more vampires of his bloodline and raising zombies empowered him.”
“Think if he had found Anita and she had been amenable to joining him. They could have drowned the world in zombies.”
“I would never have joined with him.”
“The Dragon would have been a better match for you, but she is far too removed from the world.”
“I’ve never met her.”
“But Primo, a descendant of the Dragon, visited you.”
I didn’t ask how he knew the Dragon had sent Primo to test the waters. The Harlequin knew a lot of shit about a lot of people, spies and all. “Yeah, Primo visited a few years back.”
“What gained him power?”
“I’m beginning to feel like you’re quizzing me, but Primo gained power through violence. The more the security at Guilty Pleasures fought him, the more powerful he became, like he fed on violence and harm but not death. A dead body can’t fight back.”
“If the Dragon could have turned you, think of the power you could have raised fighting the world at her side,” Kaazim said.
“Is there a point to all this?” I asked.
“Only this: I know that you suffer damage to your reputation among your fellow police and your family from being polyamorous and having many lovers, but think of the damage you could have caused if the Dragon, or the Lover of Death, or the original head of the bloodline that Wicked and Truth are now the only descendants of were your master. Logically you would have made a better warrior or necromancer in their army than a lover for Jean-Claude.”
Edward said, “I don’t remember you babbling like this in Ireland.”
“Anita will be having lunch with her family tomorrow to introduce them to Micah and Nathaniel, and her father will not like them either, but I wanted Anita to think how much better this is than all the other bloodlines that could have found her, only Jean-Claude, not even Belle Morte herself, would have helped Anita create a life full of love and friendship. Let that stand firm against all slings and arrows from wherever they are flung.”
“If you weren’t sitting in the front seat I’d hug you,” I said.
He smiled. “You may hug me later if you wish, but I for one am very happy that Jean-Claude and no one else found you first.”
20
Ethan had troublefinding a parking space at the hospital, so Edward and I had time to finish debating on adding Olaf to our information pool. “Bernardo has done more work in Central and South America than I have, and Olaf has done more of Asia than I have.”
“I told you, I’m fine with Bernardo, but I don’t like asking Olaf for help,” I said.
“He’s just looking at pictures, that’s it.”
“What could Olaf know that you and Bernardo combined don’t?”
“Olaf has traveled in countries that Bernardo and I haven’t. He’s hunted things we haven’t.”
“Show them to Bernardo; if he doesn’t know what it could be, then contact Olaf.”
“And if this thing eats someone else, when Olaf could have helped prevent it?”
“Damn it, Edward, I do not want him here.”
“I don’t want him anywhere near you.”
“Then why consult him?”
“Because I’ve never hunted monsters in China, and he’s seen most or all of what used to be the old Soviet Union, and I’ve barely hunted in that area of the world.”
“My family is in town to meet Jean-Claude for the first time. I do not need my serial killer boyfriend lurking around on top of that.”
“Olaf has no interest in your family, Anita.”
