fic: Madame Paris 3/?
Title: Madame Paris 3/?
Author: writteninhaste
Rating: R
Pairing: Pairings referenced
Warnings: graphic violence, sexual content
Spoilers: references up to an including Narcissus In Chains
Summary: A new woman is in St. Louis. One who sought Jean-Claude out long ago, and now, has done so again. Ostensibly harmless, Anita is not so sure. What is the difference between human and humane? And what has she brought with her to St. Louis?
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any aspect of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. The series and all its associated materials are the property of Laurel K Hamilton and her associates. This piece was written purely for enjoyment. No money was made from the production of this literature and no copyright infringement was intended.
X-posted to: Pommedesang.com
Madame Paris
The sky was clear and birds were singing in the trees as I pulled up outside the address Jean-Claude had given me. I’d grabbed a few hours sleep in the arms of my men before setting off to see Analise. Jason had offered to ride shotgun but I’d declined. I wanted to speak with her alone. I hopped out of the car and swung the door shut behind me, before hurrying up the gravel drive. The house was large; too big for one person, but then so was mine.
It was a brilliant, almost shining white, lying sprawled before me, nestled in a group of trees, which hid it from sight on either side. The grass was lush and green and looked as though it had been recently laid. The door was dark, polished wood. Everywhere I looked spoke of sophistication and refinery - it reminded me vaguely of Jean-Claude.
I rang the bell and stood back, waiting for an answer. Within moments the door swung open revealing Analise. Her eyes widened at the sight of me for a moment before her face schooled itself to blankness. She stepped aside, gesturing for me to come in. She turned away from me then, walking across the entrance hall. I followed.
“What can I do for you Ms Blake?”. She entered the kitchen and motioned, for me to sit at the large oak table. “Tea, Coffee?”
I sat down on the very edge of my chair, the one closest the door. “Coffee please,” I rested my arms on the table. “I came to ask you a few questions if that’s all right?”
Her hands stilled from fixing the coffee and she turned to me. Eyes locking onto mine. “You may ask your questions, Ms Blake, but I cannot guarantee I shall answer them.”
I huffed slightly, and crossed my arms over my chest in frustration. For someone who claimed to still be mostly human, she spoke a lot like some of the master vampires I’d met. French accent and all. She walked over and with one hand, set a steaming mug of coffee down in front of my, on her other she balanced a delicate silver tray with cream and sugar resting on it. She placed this on the table as well and then took the seat opposite to me, settling back into it, her wrists resting on the arm of the chair. She watched as I made my coffee up the way I like it and waited for me to have taken a sip before speaking again.
“Go ahead and ask your questions Ms Blake. I will answer as best I am able.” Her hand rose to her throat to play with the silver chain she was wearing. Her eyes held mine. The longer I looked the darker her eyes became. Until their colour, had almost bled from green to black. She blinked and they were back to their original colour - the deep, true green of a Christmas tree. But there was something cold and calculating in her eyes, which sparkled and fractured like broken glass. She raised one delicately defined eyebrow and I realised I had been staring at her for too long.
I fixed my gaze on the silver tray, unwilling to look into her eyes again. “Why are you here in St Louis? What do you want?” I had meant to come across as authoritative and demanding. Me heap big necromancer. But her gaze was draining and I came across more as a child asking if mommy really had to leave town for a while.
She smiled then, a thin twist of the lips but there was no humour in it. “I have come here Ms Blake, because I believe that in St Louis. I shall find what I seek.” She turned her gaze away from me and I felt the self-assurance which had left me earlier return.
I was about to ask what it was she was looking for, but she seemed to read my mind and spoke anyway. “I come here looking for knowledge Ms Blake, knowledge of how to correct a mistake.”
“What mistake was that?”
“Non, mon enfant it is not for you to know the mistakes a star can make.” The words seemed familiar somehow but I couldn’t place them, and my anger at her condescending tone was rapidly dispelling any attempt to try.
I glared at her, “I am not your anything. So, don’t call me that. And don’t try to pull that crap on me. I’ve dealt with enough master vampires to know cryptic bullshit when I see it, and I’m not buying it. I want to know why you are here and I want to know now.” At the back of my mind I knew that I had no right to be this angry, but something in way she had used French and condescended me almost as if she were trying to emulate Jean-Claude pissed me off. “And what’s with the quoting C.S. Lewis anyway.” I had finally remembered where I’d heard those words before.
Throughout my tirade she had regarded me with a stillness void of all emotion, that last line however seemed to startle her. She blinked twice in rapid succession and frowned prettily. “Whatever do you mean, Ms Blake?”
I scowled, her feigned innocence wasn’t endearing her to me. “That whole thing about your mistakes, it was a quote from the Tales of Narnia.”
She smiled then, a bright flash of teeth and nearly sincere joy. When she spoke, her tone was light and airy, as if she were talking about a birthday present. “Oh you recognised it, how delightful.”
“Can the crap, Analise. Tell me what I want to know.”
The laughed dropped away like a mask and I felt her anger flare out into the room like a lick of flame, she stood so fast that I almost missed it.
“Non.” She hissed at me.
The chair fell she had been sitting on fell back, finally reacting to her movement. She stalked around the table until she was standing before me. Barefoot she was half a foot taller than I was and her body radiated a tension to rival my own.
She glared down at me, her eyes narrowing in fury. “You believe you are so smart, do you not Ms Blake? You come here demanding answers as though they were sweets I could given to any child who asked.” Her hands were clenched so tightly into fists I thought I would hear her bones creak. “Has it ever occurred to you necromancer that the answers to such questions would do you more harm than good? I do not plan to harm you or your Master. I did not come here to steal his land or claim that which is his own. I came here for knowledge only. Knowledge to rectify a mistake. If I cannot find what I seek, I shall leave and take my problems elsewhere. I came to Jean-Claude last night because as one of the most powerful vampires in all of the United States I believed he might know where I could procure my answers.” She took a step back, giving me room to breathe and once more averted her gaze. “Once, Jean-Claude granted me the gift of knowledge at the cost of no more than my name. I expected the price to be higher this time.” She sighed, “I did not expect him to refuse completely.”
I felt my eyebrows shoot up at that, “But Jean-Claude said he didn’t know what you wanted here in St Louis.”
Her gaze remained averted from mine; she brought her arms up to hug herself around the waist. “Did he now? Well that’s a lie.” Her voice held a mixture of sorrow and resignation that I wasn’t expecting. “He knows exactly why I am here. His second too for that matter.” She paused, “Though his wolf knows nothing.”
I stood and stared at her. Jean-Claude and Asher both knew the real reason why she was here but they had both pretended as if they knew nothing. They had lied to me.
I was startled from my revelation by Analise speaking again. “His second is a handsome man is he not Ms Blake? Such hair, such eyes, such a face - even with the scars.” She seemed to be speaking more to herself than to me. “And I did not even learn his name.” All at once, she turned sharply around and faced me. “And now I think it is time you left Ms Blake. Good-day.”
The dismissal was so sudden that I stood blinking for a few seconds before her words registered. Once they had, I stood and placed my barely touched coffee on the tray. “This isn’t the end you know.”
She smiled again that thin half twist of the lips and motioned to the door. I left. I didn’t bother looking back.
Chapter 4
Author: writteninhaste
Rating: R
Pairing: Pairings referenced
Warnings: graphic violence, sexual content
Spoilers: references up to an including Narcissus In Chains
Summary: A new woman is in St. Louis. One who sought Jean-Claude out long ago, and now, has done so again. Ostensibly harmless, Anita is not so sure. What is the difference between human and humane? And what has she brought with her to St. Louis?
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any aspect of the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. The series and all its associated materials are the property of Laurel K Hamilton and her associates. This piece was written purely for enjoyment. No money was made from the production of this literature and no copyright infringement was intended.
X-posted to: Pommedesang.com
Madame Paris
The sky was clear and birds were singing in the trees as I pulled up outside the address Jean-Claude had given me. I’d grabbed a few hours sleep in the arms of my men before setting off to see Analise. Jason had offered to ride shotgun but I’d declined. I wanted to speak with her alone. I hopped out of the car and swung the door shut behind me, before hurrying up the gravel drive. The house was large; too big for one person, but then so was mine.
It was a brilliant, almost shining white, lying sprawled before me, nestled in a group of trees, which hid it from sight on either side. The grass was lush and green and looked as though it had been recently laid. The door was dark, polished wood. Everywhere I looked spoke of sophistication and refinery - it reminded me vaguely of Jean-Claude.
I rang the bell and stood back, waiting for an answer. Within moments the door swung open revealing Analise. Her eyes widened at the sight of me for a moment before her face schooled itself to blankness. She stepped aside, gesturing for me to come in. She turned away from me then, walking across the entrance hall. I followed.
“What can I do for you Ms Blake?”. She entered the kitchen and motioned, for me to sit at the large oak table. “Tea, Coffee?”
I sat down on the very edge of my chair, the one closest the door. “Coffee please,” I rested my arms on the table. “I came to ask you a few questions if that’s all right?”
Her hands stilled from fixing the coffee and she turned to me. Eyes locking onto mine. “You may ask your questions, Ms Blake, but I cannot guarantee I shall answer them.”
I huffed slightly, and crossed my arms over my chest in frustration. For someone who claimed to still be mostly human, she spoke a lot like some of the master vampires I’d met. French accent and all. She walked over and with one hand, set a steaming mug of coffee down in front of my, on her other she balanced a delicate silver tray with cream and sugar resting on it. She placed this on the table as well and then took the seat opposite to me, settling back into it, her wrists resting on the arm of the chair. She watched as I made my coffee up the way I like it and waited for me to have taken a sip before speaking again.
“Go ahead and ask your questions Ms Blake. I will answer as best I am able.” Her hand rose to her throat to play with the silver chain she was wearing. Her eyes held mine. The longer I looked the darker her eyes became. Until their colour, had almost bled from green to black. She blinked and they were back to their original colour - the deep, true green of a Christmas tree. But there was something cold and calculating in her eyes, which sparkled and fractured like broken glass. She raised one delicately defined eyebrow and I realised I had been staring at her for too long.
I fixed my gaze on the silver tray, unwilling to look into her eyes again. “Why are you here in St Louis? What do you want?” I had meant to come across as authoritative and demanding. Me heap big necromancer. But her gaze was draining and I came across more as a child asking if mommy really had to leave town for a while.
She smiled then, a thin twist of the lips but there was no humour in it. “I have come here Ms Blake, because I believe that in St Louis. I shall find what I seek.” She turned her gaze away from me and I felt the self-assurance which had left me earlier return.
I was about to ask what it was she was looking for, but she seemed to read my mind and spoke anyway. “I come here looking for knowledge Ms Blake, knowledge of how to correct a mistake.”
“What mistake was that?”
“Non, mon enfant it is not for you to know the mistakes a star can make.” The words seemed familiar somehow but I couldn’t place them, and my anger at her condescending tone was rapidly dispelling any attempt to try.
I glared at her, “I am not your anything. So, don’t call me that. And don’t try to pull that crap on me. I’ve dealt with enough master vampires to know cryptic bullshit when I see it, and I’m not buying it. I want to know why you are here and I want to know now.” At the back of my mind I knew that I had no right to be this angry, but something in way she had used French and condescended me almost as if she were trying to emulate Jean-Claude pissed me off. “And what’s with the quoting C.S. Lewis anyway.” I had finally remembered where I’d heard those words before.
Throughout my tirade she had regarded me with a stillness void of all emotion, that last line however seemed to startle her. She blinked twice in rapid succession and frowned prettily. “Whatever do you mean, Ms Blake?”
I scowled, her feigned innocence wasn’t endearing her to me. “That whole thing about your mistakes, it was a quote from the Tales of Narnia.”
She smiled then, a bright flash of teeth and nearly sincere joy. When she spoke, her tone was light and airy, as if she were talking about a birthday present. “Oh you recognised it, how delightful.”
“Can the crap, Analise. Tell me what I want to know.”
The laughed dropped away like a mask and I felt her anger flare out into the room like a lick of flame, she stood so fast that I almost missed it.
“Non.” She hissed at me.
The chair fell she had been sitting on fell back, finally reacting to her movement. She stalked around the table until she was standing before me. Barefoot she was half a foot taller than I was and her body radiated a tension to rival my own.
She glared down at me, her eyes narrowing in fury. “You believe you are so smart, do you not Ms Blake? You come here demanding answers as though they were sweets I could given to any child who asked.” Her hands were clenched so tightly into fists I thought I would hear her bones creak. “Has it ever occurred to you necromancer that the answers to such questions would do you more harm than good? I do not plan to harm you or your Master. I did not come here to steal his land or claim that which is his own. I came here for knowledge only. Knowledge to rectify a mistake. If I cannot find what I seek, I shall leave and take my problems elsewhere. I came to Jean-Claude last night because as one of the most powerful vampires in all of the United States I believed he might know where I could procure my answers.” She took a step back, giving me room to breathe and once more averted her gaze. “Once, Jean-Claude granted me the gift of knowledge at the cost of no more than my name. I expected the price to be higher this time.” She sighed, “I did not expect him to refuse completely.”
I felt my eyebrows shoot up at that, “But Jean-Claude said he didn’t know what you wanted here in St Louis.”
Her gaze remained averted from mine; she brought her arms up to hug herself around the waist. “Did he now? Well that’s a lie.” Her voice held a mixture of sorrow and resignation that I wasn’t expecting. “He knows exactly why I am here. His second too for that matter.” She paused, “Though his wolf knows nothing.”
I stood and stared at her. Jean-Claude and Asher both knew the real reason why she was here but they had both pretended as if they knew nothing. They had lied to me.
I was startled from my revelation by Analise speaking again. “His second is a handsome man is he not Ms Blake? Such hair, such eyes, such a face - even with the scars.” She seemed to be speaking more to herself than to me. “And I did not even learn his name.” All at once, she turned sharply around and faced me. “And now I think it is time you left Ms Blake. Good-day.”
The dismissal was so sudden that I stood blinking for a few seconds before her words registered. Once they had, I stood and placed my barely touched coffee on the tray. “This isn’t the end you know.”
She smiled again that thin half twist of the lips and motioned to the door. I left. I didn’t bother looking back.
Chapter 4