Crimson Death

“No,” Nicky said, “six times is impressive for any man, dead or alive, Anita.”

Dev joined in with “You get rubby spots after a while, if nothing else.”

“If Anita and I can’t donate, then who can?” Nathaniel asked.

Jean-Claude in my, our, head said, “Damian and I need to feed, whomever that may be with.”

Richard turned and glared at him. “I am going to donate blood to you this morning.”

Jean-Claude was finally angry. “I do not go where I am not wanted, and I do not beg for blood or sex.”

Richard’s anger flared to answer, but there was a knock on their door. “Who is it?” Jean-Claude snapped, his voice hot with anger.

“It’s Angel, Jean-Claude. I was told you might need me.”

The two men on the bed exchanged a look, and then Jean-Claude said, “Who told you that?”

“My brother.”

“Mephistopheles?” Jean-Claude made a question of the name.

“He’s the only brother I have,” she said through the door.

All of us in the van were looking at Dev. “They need someone to help them bridge their issues, and everyone else who could help is here in Ireland.” He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world to have texted his twin sister to get out of bed and show up at the door of two men she’d never slept with for morning sex and blood donation.

Jean-Claude said, “Mephistopheles, what have you done?”

“I told Anita that all the gold tigers were raised to meet the needs of the new Father of Tigers, whatever those needs might be.”

From the door, Angel said, “May I come in?”

“She’s your sister,” Richard said, and since he had one of his own, the comment held the confusion and creep factor of it.

“Enter,” Jean-Claude said.

The door to the room opened, and Angel walked in barefoot, a short black robe showing off miles of long, bare legs. She was only four inches shorter than her brother, and five-eleven was plenty tall enough to give you legs. I’d forgotten that she cut her hair so short. It was almost shaved on the sides, where it still showed the black dye, but the roots growing in at the top of her hair were yellow blond. It would take months for her natural color to grow back out. The shorter hair made her face look more square, more like Dev’s face. Until she’d cut her hair, I hadn’t thought they looked that much alike, but nothing made her any less feminine. She’d been the Goth girl for years, thus the hair, but the mix of hair color seemed to play to the fact that her eyes were a mix of blue and brown just like Dev’s, except his was a pale blue with a line of pale tan/gold and Angel’s eyes were a brighter blue with a brown that looked black from where the men watched her from the bed. The black hair helped the illusion of the eyes, which was probably one of the reasons she’d done it. The robe was open just enough to show a glimpse of breasts that moved under the silk of her robe as she strode toward the bed.

I felt Richard’s reaction to her, so tight and hard that it made me gasp. It fed into Damian’s blood hunger and hit the ardeur like an appetizer before the meal. “Shit,” I said out loud.

“Lovely as always, Angel, but why are you here?” Jean-Claude asked.

“I heard that you were one girl short this morning.”

“If Devereux can’t hear me, Anita, tell him that brothers don’t send their sisters to other men for fucking,” Richard said, and he meant it, even with his body telling all of us just how much he enjoyed seeing her. Richard would stand on his principles over his desires almost every time, which was admirable but not helpful.

Angel and Dev started talking at the same time, and they were almost word for word, one in the bedroom in St. Louis and the other in the van in Dublin. “We used to go out clubbing together in our teens. We’re both tall, and that makes people think you’re older. We would pick out couples to see if we could seduce both of them or take turns picking out a woman or a man to take home or at least to a motel. We got so many people to do their first girl on girl, or boy on boy, or threesome.”

“He’s your brother,” Richard said. “How could you have sex in the same room with him?”

“We were the only two bisexual people we knew,” Angel said. “It was just sort of part of who we were as twins.”

Richard was shaking his head.

“Until Angel decided she didn’t want to be part of the grand plan to be the perfect golden tiger for the next Father of Tigers she was my best friend. We did almost everything together. I went shopping with her so much that some of her friends thought I was gay, until they found out I wasn’t.” Dev grinned as he said the last. Words like incorrigible came to mind.

Angel went to Jean-Claude, untying her robe so that it hung open as she came to the edge of the bed. “When they first demanded I give up my life and come serve you, I was so angry, and I still resent that, but I’ve watched you, both of you, and I’m intrigued. I’d like a chance to find out if you’re as good as you look.”

Jean-Claude smiled. “A charming offer.” He held his reaction in utter control, as if afraid to react even in the depths of his head, because I was there listening. I decided to help, by letting him know that I wasn’t bothered by it.

“Let her be the bridge you and Richard need.”

“How can you be okay with this, Anita?” Richard asked.