Reluctant Partnerships

by Ariel Tachna

  He walked around the bed, checking Martin’s vitals on the equipment. “Everything looks good here. How long have you been awake?”

  “Maybe ten minutes,” Martin replied. “A nurse came in and said I could have some water, and then we’ve been talking for a bit.”

  Dr. Périssé nodded and looked at the chart again. “Constance says you’re partners?”

  “Yes,” Denis replied, Martin’s approval giving him the courage to claim the relationship for the first time.

  “Her notes say she wants you to try feeding lightly to see if it will speed Martin’s recovery,” the doctor went on.

  “She mentioned that, but she didn’t say when or give me any other directions,” Denis replied, “and I didn’t want to set back Martin’s recovery by feeding too soon or anything.”

  Dr. Périssé consulted his notes. “She has it scheduled for nine o’clock this morning unless other complications arise. She’s the expert on the medical side of partnerships, so I’m not going to argue with her. I don’t see any complications now, so I’ll be back in three hours to make sure everything is still stable and to give you the green light.”

  Chapter 23

  “It’s over,” Adèle said reassuringly as the officers dragged Renaud back into the cell. Not caring who might see, she wrapped her arms around her partner, drawing the slim woman against her and resting her cheek on the blonde head. She noticed a couple of surprised looks at her method of consoling a witness, but she ignored them. Pascale’s state of mind was far more important. “You don’t ever have to fear him again.”

  “He’s insane, isn’t he?” Pascale asked, her voice muffled against Adèle’s breasts.

  “Probably,” Adèle said, “but that’s not our concern. He’s off the streets, locked up where he can’t hurt anyone. I’ll have to interview Martin at some point, but they rushed him to the hospital for a transfusion, so I don’t have to go right away. He won’t be able to talk to me at the moment. Let me take you home.”

  Pascale nodded, pulling away slightly, though she did not protest when Adèle threaded their fingers together. “Do you have time to stay with me for a few minutes?”

  “For as long as you need me to,” Adèle promised. “They’ll charge Renaud with turning you now, and we can add charges for his attack on Martin later, after I’ve interviewed him. There’s no immediate urgency, since we can hold him because of his attack on you.”

  They drove the few minutes to Pascale’s house in silence, Pascale’s hand resting on Adèle’s thigh the whole way. When they went inside, Pascale pressed close against Adèle with a shuddering breath. “I swore I wouldn’t let this upset me,” she muttered even as she clung to Adèle. “I swore he had hurt me for the last time.”

  “Shhh,” Adèle soothed. “Facing an attacker later is never easy. You did far better than a lot of our witnesses.”

  Pascale took another deep breath, the motion stirring air across Adèle’s skin above the neckline of her shirt. Even knowing Pascale intended nothing by it, Adèle felt arousal skitter along her nerves at the thought of Pascale’s mouth, Pascale’s fangs, so close to her breasts. Then Pascale lifted her head, and Adèle revised her opinion of her partner’s intentions. Flipping open the top two buttons of her blouse, she drew the fabric aside in silent offer, the marks already decorating her pale skin proof, if Pascale needed it, of her own eager desire.

  “Martin, good to see you awake,” Adèle said as she came into the hospital room, followed by Jean and Raymond. “How are you feeling?”

  “A little wrung out still,” Martin said, “but I ate breakfast, which they said was a good sign. If I understand correctly, I’m mostly here for observation until they’re sure I’m not going to have some terrible reaction to the blood transfusion.”

  “Do you feel up to telling me what happened?” Adèle asked. “I have Raymond’s and Jean’s accounts, but since you were the one actually attacked, I do need to hear what happened from your perspective as well.”

  “I can talk,” Martin said. “I don’t know that they’ll let me do much else, but I can certainly answer some questions.”

  “So you went to see Denis last night,” Adèle prompted.

  Martin nodded. “We hadn’t seen each other in a few days, and we had things we needed to discuss. I decided it was time, but I didn’t feel right just appearing in his apartment without asking, so I cast a displacement spell to the courtyard instead. I didn’t see anyone when I arrived, but I wasn’t really looking either. I was thinking about what I wanted to say to Denis, how to convince him to give our partnership a try. I’d almost reached the door when someone grabbed me. I tried to fight, but he was too strong, and I’d already put my wand away. I felt fangs and then nothing until I woke up here.”

  “I heard a noise,” Denis went on, picking up the tale. “I almost ignored it, thinking it was somebody’s dog in the trash, until I heard Martin cry out. As soon as I saw them, I knew what was happening. I don’t know if Renaud was targeting Martin or me or simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he had attacked my partner. I managed to get him off Martin, but it was a choice between letting him get away and letting Martin die from blood loss.”

  “Jean and Raymond told me how you tracked him down,” Adèle said. “You made the right choice.”

  “So what will happen to him now?” Martin asked.

  “He’ll stand trial,” Adèle replied. “Pascale was with me when Raymond’s call came in, so she went with me and immediately identified his voice. That’s an eye witness for the attack on her and an eye witness for the attack on Martin. Even if we can’t prove he turned Pierre, we’ve got him cold on an involuntary turning and an attempted involuntary turning. He’s going away for a long time.”

  “Which is a problem by itself,” Raymond said with a sigh, “because how do we feed him for that time, but that isn’t your concern. Your concern is getting well.”

  “And my concern, if you’ll excuse me,” Adèle interrupted, “is to take this information back to the station so the attorneys can make their prosecutorial decisions. Martin, I hope you recover quickly.” She disappeared before Martin could reply.

  “Was she less prickly than usual, or was I imagining things?” Martin asked.

  “From the bite marks on her neck that she didn’t always manage to hide, I’d say she has a new partner and is happy with the situation,” Raymond said with a smile. “I told her she would be, if she’d just relax and let it happen.”

  “And judging from the way Pascale hovered the entire time they were at the station, I’d say the feeling is mutual,” Jean added. “What did the doctors have to say about your prognosis?”

  “They seem optimistic,” Martin said. “They want to keep me for a few days to make sure I don’t have complications, but that seems to be a precaution rather than a real fear.”

  “Feed as often as they’ll let you,” Jean told Denis. “As backward as it still seems, it helps.”

  “The doctor wrote it into her orders,” Denis said with a chuckle. “Bitten by partner at nine o’clock.”

  “That’s an improvement over a year ago,” Raymond said, smiling at Jean. “A year ago, Jean had to fight to get near me when I was injured.”

  “Constance has learned a few things since then,” Jean reminded him, “and you’re the one who suggested it.”

  “It’s still nice to know things are getting better.”

  “Speaking of things changing,” Denis said slowly, “is it possible for someone to be a wizard and not ever know it?”

  “It’s pretty rare these days with all the outreach campaigns we do to help people understand the signs of their abilities manifesting,” Raymond replied. “Do you know someone you think might be a wizard?”

  “Not now,” Denis said, “but feeding from Martin, the little bit I did, felt like feeding from Noël,” Denis explained. “I wondered if he might have been a wizard.”

  “Fifty years ago, it probably happene
d more often than we realize even now,” Raymond replied. “If the person learned to suppress their abilities without knowing what they were doing, they might never have realized they were a wizard. What makes you think he was a wizard?”

  “The way his blood tasted,” Denis replied. “I always thought the difference was because I loved him and didn’t love any of the people I fed from after he died, but when I fed from Martin, it was the same instantaneous connection I felt the first time I fed from Noël.”

  “The same connection Alain and Orlando felt,” Jean mused aloud.

  “And the one we didn’t,” Raymond said, “not the first time. It’s possible, given when you were turned and when you met him, that Noël was a wizard and didn’t know it.”

  “I don’t suppose it really matters,” Denis replied. “It’s not like it can change anything about our time together.”

  “It matters in the sense that your finding Martin lets us know it’s possible for vampires to find another partner if their current one dies,” Raymond said, “which is a reality most of them will eventually face, unless they end up in an unfortunate accident like Jude did. It’s a little more hope for the ones left behind.”

  Jean wanted to argue, but Martin’s hospital room was not the place for that conversation. He settled for sending a wave of displeasure through the bond between them. “We should let Martin rest,” he said. “What time is Anne-Marie expecting us?”

  “We’re supposed to be at l’ANS at nine,” Raymond said. “We should probably go so we aren’t late. Call us if either of you need anything. A change of clothes, Denis?”

  “That would be wonderful, but no rush,” Denis replied. “After your meeting. I don’t want to make you late.”

  “If you use Martin’s shower, his magic will work on your clothes,” Jean offered as they headed toward the door. “It won’t work while you’re wearing them, but it will if they’re sitting in a pile.”

  Raymond pulled Jean out the door before Martin or Denis could reply.

  “I think they’re playing matchmaker,” Martin said when they were alone.

  “I think they don’t need to bother,” Denis replied, slipping his hand back into Martin’s. “When I saw Renaud attacking you, all I could think about was him getting to taste what I’d been too stupid to take when you offered it to me. I won’t make the same mistake twice.”

  “Do we have to wait for the doctor to come back before you bite me?” Martin asked, his voice husky. “You aren’t newly turned. You know how to control yourself.”

  Before Denis could answer, before he could decide on an answer, Dr. Périssé came back into the room. “Has anything changed that I need to know about before we follow Constance’s orders?”

  “Not a thing,” Martin said. “I’ve slept a little, but just a light doze. Honestly I feel pretty good, other than being tired.”

  “That’s a good sign,” Dr. Périssé said. “Not being tired, but that you don’t feel bad other than that. Our bodies are usually pretty good at telling us when we have a problem if we slow down enough to listen. So I’m going to step outside, then, and give you some privacy. Monsieur Langlois, was it?” Denis nodded. “Only a few swallows. Since blood loss was our problem here, we don’t want to aggravate it. We just want to give your bond a chance to kick in and work its magic.”

  Denis knew a few swallows would not be enough, but he would hold back and give Martin what he needed for now. The rest could come later, when Martin had been released from the hospital and they were alone in one apartment or the other.

  Dr. Périssé withdrew, leaving them alone. Denis lowered his head, licking across the skin of Martin’s wrist. Martin made a sound of protest, but Denis soothed him. “All I can take is a few swallows. It will be hard enough to control myself drinking from your wrist. If I bit your neck, I’d undo all of Constance’s good work, because I wouldn’t be able to stop.”

  “Then I guess we’ll do it this way for now,” Martin agreed, “but as soon as it’s safe, I want it all.”

  “As soon as it’s safe, I’ll give it to you,” Denis promised, licking Martin’s skin one more time before letting his fangs slip beneath the surface. He swallowed the first mouthful, forcing himself not to suck deeply. He wanted to savor the first moment of communion, of Martin’s awareness matching his own as he joined with his partner in the most intimate way he could.

  “Go on,” Martin urged. “We’ll have other chances to draw it out later. I need to feel you moving in me.”

  Denis gave in, sucking hard on Martin’s skin as he drove his fangs as deep as they would go. Another hot rush of blood filled his mouth, sending spikes of need through him along with the awareness of Martin that could only come when feeding from another person. He tasted an answering need in Martin’s blood along with such determination that he finally set all his doubts aside. Whatever the future held, Martin was as committed to it as Denis was.

  Taking one more swallow, he forced himself to withdraw, his pupils dilated and his face flushed. “We need to get you out of here,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t know how often I can do that without losing control.”

  “I don’t know how often you can do that without me losing control,” Martin agreed. “If you can’t feed from me, you at least need to come here and kiss me.”

  Denis doubted that was any more conducive to staying in control than feeding was, but he was as helpless to resist this plea as he had been to resist the lure of Martin’s blood. Their mouths lingered, sharing breath as before they had shared blood until a discreet cough at the door broke them apart.

  Dr. Périssé did not comment on their embrace as he came in and recorded details on Martin’s chart. “Everything looks normal,” he declared. “If nothing happens to change that, I think you should be able to go home tomorrow.”

  “That’s good news,” Martin said. “Not that I don’t appreciate your care, but I’d rather be elsewhere.”

  Dr. Périssé smiled. “I’d rather all my patients were well enough to be elsewhere. Dr. Alard will be back on duty this afternoon, but in case she doesn’t get here right away, the next note she left is for you to try biting your partner again at three o’clock. I’ll be off service by then, but as long as nothing has changed in how you’re feeling, Martin, I would say you don’t need to wait for her. Just don’t take more than you did a moment ago, Denis.”

  “Thank you, Doctor,” Martin said.

  When he had left again, Martin reached for Denis’s hand. “I don’t want you to think I’m trying to take Noël’s place. If you want to talk about him or have pictures of him around or anything like that, I’m fine with it.”

  “That’s hardly fair to you,” Denis said.

  “But you hadn’t decided on a partnership,” Martin reminded him. “You got dragged into one trying to save me. I know we were messing around before, but everything is different now that you’ve bitten me. If you don’t want to—”

  “Stop being silly,” Denis interrupted. “Yes, I fed from you to save you and without discussing all the choices we’ll have to make, but I wasn’t forced into it. I knew what I was doing when I bit you the first time, and I did it knowing what the repercussions would be. I didn’t realize Noël was my partner in the magical sense until I recognized the sensation of feeding from you as the same sensation I used to get feeding from him, but that doesn’t change my mind. All we have to figure out now is where you’re going when you leave the hospital and how we’re going to deal with the distance from here to Canada when it comes time for you to go home.”

  Martin slowly followed Denis into his apartment. “You’re sure you won’t mind me being here? I can go back to l’Institut.”

  Denis hushed him with a soft kiss. “I certainly won’t keep you here if you’d rather be there,” he said, “but if you’re asking my preference, then yes, I’m sure I don’t mind.”

  Martin smiled, setting down the small bag of things Raymond had brought for him while he was in the hospital. It had on
ly been two days, but it was nice to have his own clothes, his own toothbrush, his own pajamas to sleep in. Not that he really expected Denis to let him put them on tonight. The hospital had not provided the privacy to truly consummate their partnership, leaving them both on edge and painfully aware of all that had—and had not—passed between them since their first meeting.

  Now that they were truly alone at last, Martin doubted either of them would be able to hold back much longer. The short therapeutic feedings in the hospital had left both of them desperate for a true union. Only the thought of Denis’s previous partner held Martin back. “I’m not trying to take his place,” he blurted out.