"Merely curious," he says with a private smile. "Sleep well, ma petite. Je t'aime."

Jean-Claude hangs up the phone and sighs heavily, tiredly. It is still too early to call for Jason, and the club won't open for hours yet. His evening meal will simply have to wait. In the meantime, Jean-Claude returns to his bed, stretching out beside Asher again to conserve what energy he has until he is able to feed and start the night properly.