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Authors: Ariel Tachna
Tags: Romance
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support you in any way I could before I knew what Marcel had in store for me. That promise still holds, except it‟s even more vital now that I have a public role as well. I don‟t want to do anything through ignorance that would make life more difficult for you.”
Jean nodded. “And I appreciate that, but it‟s a moot point now even if he agrees to have anything to do with us.”
“Jean.”
“Raymond.”
Jean‟s tone mimicked Raymond‟s exasperation so perfectly that the wizard laughed. “All right, I won‟t pressure you to tell me, but promise me you will tell me if it becomes relevant again. I meant what I said about not wanting to cause you to lose face.”
“I know, and I appreciate it,” Jean said. “Now, you should get some sleep.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. We have to start figuring out what repairs need to be done to the abbey and how soon we can make it habitable. We don‟t have to have everything finished before we start, but we‟ll need the basics covered.”
Raymond smiled and kissed Jean lightly. “I think you‟re more excited about this than I am.”
Jean chuckled. “It‟s been a long time since I‟ve had a project of this scope to oversee. And don‟t tell me you aren‟t interested in the results of the research we‟ll be able to do. I know you‟re as fascinated by how and why the partnership bonds work as I am.”
Raymond could hardly deny it when that had been one of the major reasons for establishing l‟Institut in the first place. “There will be more than enough work for both of us, I‟m sure.”
Perilous Partnership
35
Chapter 5
“YOU‟RE late.”
Raymond met Jean‟s eyes with a smothered grin. The wizard they had arranged to meet was as stunningly beautiful and as caustically impatient as ever. “We had an emergency come up at the last minute, and even though we delegated it to someone else, we still had to decide who to call on.”
Jean nudged Raymond‟s side as he walked past him, approaching Adèle with a smile and a courtly bow over her hand. Her current garb, heavy hiking boots, jeans, a fisherman‟s sweater, and a heavy coat, might bear no resemblance to the chic attire she had worn when they first met in Paris and he had imagined she might be the partner for him, but if anything, she was even more attractive this way for being more genuine than she had been then.
“Forgive our tardiness?”
Adèle rolled her eyes, having been on the receiving end of Jean‟s suave charm more than once. She was woman enough to appreciate it even as she reminded herself that Jean and Raymond were far more than colleagues. The fading bite marks she could see above Raymond‟s collar proclaimed them to be paired, and while Adèle knew her experience with her own partner was atypical, she also knew how hard the bond between a pair drove them toward each other. She would bet a year‟s salary they were lovers. She felt a pang for what might have been if her blood had been compatible with some other vampire instead of her antiquated, self-important bastard of a partner. “Marcel had no idea what he was doing, putting you two in charge. You‟re a potent team.”
Jean chuckled. “That‟s exactly why he did it, my dear. Because nobody can resist us both at once.”
And that was God‟s own truth as far as Adèle could see. She had sworn to stay as far away from l‟ANS and politics as possible after she returned to le Morvan at the end of the war, her temporary assignment with the Gendarmerie Nationale to gather up any remaining agents notwithstanding, and she had kept that promise for eleven months. It had only taken one phone call from Raymond to make her break it. Granted, the request required her to drive all of
36
Ariel Tachna
fifteen minutes from her sleepy village of Château-Chinon, but that was not the point. “So what do you need me to do? You weren‟t very clear on the phone.”
“You‟re standing outside the gate to the newly
Jean nodded. “And I appreciate that, but it‟s a moot point now even if he agrees to have anything to do with us.”
“Jean.”
“Raymond.”
Jean‟s tone mimicked Raymond‟s exasperation so perfectly that the wizard laughed. “All right, I won‟t pressure you to tell me, but promise me you will tell me if it becomes relevant again. I meant what I said about not wanting to cause you to lose face.”
“I know, and I appreciate it,” Jean said. “Now, you should get some sleep.
Tomorrow will be a busy day. We have to start figuring out what repairs need to be done to the abbey and how soon we can make it habitable. We don‟t have to have everything finished before we start, but we‟ll need the basics covered.”
Raymond smiled and kissed Jean lightly. “I think you‟re more excited about this than I am.”
Jean chuckled. “It‟s been a long time since I‟ve had a project of this scope to oversee. And don‟t tell me you aren‟t interested in the results of the research we‟ll be able to do. I know you‟re as fascinated by how and why the partnership bonds work as I am.”
Raymond could hardly deny it when that had been one of the major reasons for establishing l‟Institut in the first place. “There will be more than enough work for both of us, I‟m sure.”
Perilous Partnership
35
Chapter 5
“YOU‟RE late.”
Raymond met Jean‟s eyes with a smothered grin. The wizard they had arranged to meet was as stunningly beautiful and as caustically impatient as ever. “We had an emergency come up at the last minute, and even though we delegated it to someone else, we still had to decide who to call on.”
Jean nudged Raymond‟s side as he walked past him, approaching Adèle with a smile and a courtly bow over her hand. Her current garb, heavy hiking boots, jeans, a fisherman‟s sweater, and a heavy coat, might bear no resemblance to the chic attire she had worn when they first met in Paris and he had imagined she might be the partner for him, but if anything, she was even more attractive this way for being more genuine than she had been then.
“Forgive our tardiness?”
Adèle rolled her eyes, having been on the receiving end of Jean‟s suave charm more than once. She was woman enough to appreciate it even as she reminded herself that Jean and Raymond were far more than colleagues. The fading bite marks she could see above Raymond‟s collar proclaimed them to be paired, and while Adèle knew her experience with her own partner was atypical, she also knew how hard the bond between a pair drove them toward each other. She would bet a year‟s salary they were lovers. She felt a pang for what might have been if her blood had been compatible with some other vampire instead of her antiquated, self-important bastard of a partner. “Marcel had no idea what he was doing, putting you two in charge. You‟re a potent team.”
Jean chuckled. “That‟s exactly why he did it, my dear. Because nobody can resist us both at once.”
And that was God‟s own truth as far as Adèle could see. She had sworn to stay as far away from l‟ANS and politics as possible after she returned to le Morvan at the end of the war, her temporary assignment with the Gendarmerie Nationale to gather up any remaining agents notwithstanding, and she had kept that promise for eleven months. It had only taken one phone call from Raymond to make her break it. Granted, the request required her to drive all of
36
Ariel Tachna
fifteen minutes from her sleepy village of Château-Chinon, but that was not the point. “So what do you need me to do? You weren‟t very clear on the phone.”
“You‟re standing outside the gate to the newly
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