Perilous Partnership Read Online Free PDF

serious he was. “I don‟t want to hide that you‟re my lover. I‟ve never wanted that, but when proclaiming it could hurt our political agenda and choosing to be discreet allows us to function effectively, the good outweighs the subterfuge. I choose not to volunteer information, and so far no one has dared to ask me outright.”
    “And if they did?” Jean asked, muscles tensing.
     
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    “I wouldn‟t deny it,” Raymond promised, kissing Jean heedless of the blood still staining his lips. “I‟m not ashamed of you or of us. I simply choose not to flaunt it.”
    “Usually.”
    Raymond lifted a hand to his neck, feeling the incisions left by Jean‟s fangs. “Usually,” he agreed. “You normally leave marks where no one else can see them, so it isn‟t an issue of hiding or flaunting anything.”
    Only because Raymond worried so about appearances and their impact on the political agenda of l‟ANS. Jean did not know if that kind of tension could break the partnership bond between them, but he knew enough of personal relationships to know that constant arguments would make their lives hell. It was a small enough concession to make when he got Raymond and his tireless hard work against discrimination in the bargain. Either way, discussing it further would only annoy him and probably Raymond as well.
    “What‟s on the agenda for the press conference tonight?” Jean asked, changing the subject.
    “Announcing the new responsibilities we‟ve delegated and unveiling the timeline for l‟Institut,” Raymond replied. “Nothing groundbreaking as far as I can foresee.”
    “Do you want me to be there?”
    Raymond shrugged. “Only if you want. I‟d think you could find some more enjoyable way to use your time.”
    He probably could, but that would mean letting Raymond out of his sight.
    The fresh bites made that marginally easier, but nothing made it easy. He made a mental note to ask one of the other paired vampires if he had the same problem. Not Orlando; the Aveu de Sang skewed everything about his relationship with Alain. Sebastien, perhaps, although Jean had still not completely assimilated the sudden cessation in tension between them after nearly four hundred years of misunderstanding. “I have a few things to take care of, but I‟ll see you before the conference starts.”
    Raymond smiled. He always offered to let Jean skip the tedious question-and-answer sessions. The vampire always refused. “Then I‟ll see you at seven.”
    Jean leaned in for one more quick kiss, his sensitive nose catching the smell of sex still surrounding Raymond. “Take a shower before then or everyone in the room will know I did more than bite you.”
    Raymond laughed and incanted a quick cleaning spell. “Better?”
    It was not better at all as far as Jean was concerned. He was tempted to start all over again so Raymond would stay covered in his scent, but he would have
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    to be satisfied with seeing the imprint of his fangs on Raymond‟s neck instead.
    “I think I like you the other way.”
    Raymond shook his head at Jean‟s grumbling. “Get out of here. Some of us have work to do.”
    Jean laughed as he left Raymond‟s office, but the questions raised by his sudden jealousy lingered. He wandered past the office Sebastien and Thierry shared, but the door was shut, and the light was off. He did not want to have this conversation over the phone, and he did not have time to take the train all the way out to Versailles and back before the press conference. His feet carried him out of l‟ANS headquarters and halfway to Sang Froid before he even realized where he was going. Once he did, he sped up, hoping Angelique would be in and have time to talk. She had been a friend for many long years, as in touch with her vampire nature as any vampire he had ever known. If anyone could help him make sense of his feelings, it would be Angelique.
    Arriving in Montmartre, he smiled to