She was more than up on her feet. She was engaging another one of the quarteteven though there was a growing red stain on the front of her chest, and her right arm was hanging loose.
John nearly lost his mind.
Leaping up, he threw his body between his mate and the enemy, and as he shoved her out of the way, he took a hit meant for hera solid swing with a baseball bat that rang his church bell and made him momentarily lose his balance.
Exactly the kind of thing that would have knocked her flat and put paid to her coffin.
With a quick shift, he reestablished equilibrium, and then caught the second try at turning him into a homer with both hands.
Quick punch forward and he slammed the lesser in the face with its own Louisville slugger, giving the undead a split second of show tunes in its head. Then it was domination time.
What the hell! Xhex hollered at him as he forced the slayer onto the ground.
No good way to communicate, considering his hands were locked on the lessers throat. Then again, it wasnt going to help them for her to know what was on his mind.
With a quick stab, John dispatched the slayer back to the Omega and got up. His left eye, the one that had gotten corked with the bat, was starting to swell, and he could feel his heartbeat in his face. Meanwhile, Xhex was still bleeding.
Dont you ever do that to me again, she hissed.
He wanted to jab his finger in her face, but if he did, he couldnt talk. Then dont fight when youre injury-injer-injured!
Christ, he couldnt even communicate, his fingers clogging up over words.
I was just fine!
Youre fucking bleeding
Its a flesh wound
Then why cant you lift up your arm!
The pair of them were closing in on each other, and not in a good way, their jaws jacked forward, their bodies hunched in aggression. And when she didnt counter him on his last potshot, he knew hed guessed rightknew, too, that she was hurting.
I take care of myself, John Matthew, she spat. I dont need you looking over my shoulder because Im a female.
I would have done the same for one of the Brothers. Well, mostly he would have. So dont push that feminist bullshit on me
Feminist bullshit?!
Youre the one making it about your sex, not me.
Her eyes narrowed. Oh, really. Funnily enough, Im not persuaded. And if you think my standing up for myself is a goddamn political statement, you mated the wrong goddamn female.
This is not about your being female!
The fuck it isnt!
On that note, she inhaled deep, as if to remind him that his bonding scent was so strong, it knocked out even the stench of all the lesser blood splattered around.
John bared his fangs and signed, Its about your stupidity creating a liability on the battlefield.
Xhexs mouth cranked openbut then, instead of countering, she just stared up at him.
Abruptly, she crossed her good arm over her chest and focused out over his left shoulder, slowly shaking her head back and forth.
Like she was regretting not just what had happened a moment ago, but maybe meeting him in the first place.
John cursed and went to pace around, only to find that everyone else in the alleywayand that would be Tohr, Qhuinn, Rhage, Blaylock, Zsadist, and Phurywas watching the show. And what do you know, each of the males wore an expression that suggested he was really, truly, completely, and utterly glad that Johns last statement hadnt come out of his piehole.
Do you mind, John signed with a glare.
On cue, the bunch of them started milling about, looking up at the dark sky, down at the pavement, across at the brick walls of the alley. Manly muttering floated over on the stinky breeze, as if they were a convention of movie critics discussing what had just been screened.
He didnt care what their opinions were.
And in this moment of anger, he didnt care what Xhexs was, either.
Back at the Brotherhood mansion, NoOne had her daughters mating dress in her armsand a doggen planted in front of her, thwarting her quest for directions to the second-story laundry room. The former was welcome; the latter was not.
No, she said again. I shall take care of this.
Mistress, please, it is a simple thing to
Then letting me tend to the gown will be no problem for you.
The doggens face fell so far, it was a wonder he didnt have to look up to meet her eyes. Perhaps I shall just check with Superior Perlmutter
And perhaps I shall tell him how helpful you were in showing me the cleaning suppliesand how much I appreciated your fine service unto me.
Even though her hood was up and shielding her face, the doggen seemed to gauge her intention clearly enough: She wasnt budging. Not to this member of the staff or any other. His only option was to throw her over his shoulder and carry her offand that would never happen.
I am
Just about to lead the way, arent you.
Ah yes, mistress.
She bowed her head. Thank you.
May I take the
Lead? Yes, please. Thank you.
He was not holding the dress for her. Or cleaning it. Or hanging it up. Or redelivering it.
This was between her and her daughter.
With dejection worthy of a castaway, the servant spun about and started walking, taking her down the long corridor that was marked by beautiful marble statuary of males in various positions. Then it was through a pair of swinging doors at the end, to the left, and through another set of doors.
At this point, everything changed. The runner on the hardwood flooring was no longer an Oriental, but a plain, well-vacuumed cream. There was no art on these pristine creamy walls, and the windows were covered not with great swaths of color with fringe and tassels, but heavy bolts of cotton in the same pale color.
They had entered the servant portion of the mansion.
The juxtaposition had been the same at her fathers manse: One standard for the family. One standard for the staff.
Or at least she had heard it was as such. She had never gone to the back side of the house when she had lived therein.
This should bethe doggen opened a pair of doorseverything you seek.
The room was the size of the suite she had had at her fathers estate, big and spacious. Except there were no windows. No grand bed with a matching set of handmade furniture. No needlepoint rugs in peaches and yellows and reds. No closets full of fashions from Paris or drawers of jewels or baskets of hair ribbons.
This was where she belonged now. Especially as the doggen described the sundry white contraptions as washing machines and dryers, and then detailed the operation of the ironing boards and irons.
Yes, the servants quarters rather than the guest accommodations were her home, and had been ever since she had found herself in a different place.
In fact, if she could convince someone, anyone, to let her have a room down in this part of the mansion, it would be preferable. Alas, however, as the mother of the mated shellan of one of the households prime fighters, she was accorded privilege that she did not deserve.
The doggen began to open cupboards and closets, showing her all manner of equipment and concoctions that were described variously as steamers and stain removers and pressers.
After the tour was completed, she went over and rose up awkwardly on her good foot to link the top of the gowns hanger upon a knob.
Are there any stains of which you are aware? the doggen asked as she flounced out the skirting.
NoOne proceeded to go over every square inch of the full bottom, the bodice, the capped sleeves. There is only this that I can see. She bent down carefully so as not to put a lot of weight on her weak leg. Here where the hem meets the floor.
The doggen did likewise and inspected the faint darkening on the fabric, his pale hands so sure, his frown one of concentration instead of confusion. Yes, the manual dry cleaner, I think.
He took her to the far side of the room and described a process that was easily going to fill hours. Perfect. And before she allowed him to depart, she insisted that he stay at her side for the first couple of treatments. As this made him feel more useful, it worked for the both of them.
I believe I am ready to continue on my own, she said eventually.
Very well, mistress. He bowed and smiled. I shall go down and endeavor to ready Last Meal. If you should need anything, please call me.
From what she had learned since her arrival, that required a telephone
Here, he said, over by the counters. Press star and one and ask for me, Greenly.
You have been most helpful.
She looked away quickly, not wanting to see him bow to her. And she didnt try for a deep breath until the door shut behind him.
Now alone, she put her hands on her hips and let her head hang for a moment, the pressure in her chest making it difficult to fill her lungs.
When she had come here, she expected to struggleand she was, just not with the things she had anticipated.
She hadnt considered how difficult it would be to exist in an aristocratic house. The home of the First Family, in fact. At least when she had been up with the Chosen, there had been other rhythms and rules, with no one below her. Here? The lofty position people forced upon her cut off her oxygen a lot of the time.
Dearest Virgin Scribe, mayhap she should have asked the servant to stay. At least the innate need for composure had given her a draw in her ribs. With no one to hide from, however, she fought for breath.
The robe was going to have to come off.
Limping over to the doors, she went to lock them, but found there was no bolting mechanism. Not what she was expecting.
Opening them a crack, she put her head out and double-checked the long hallway.
All the servants would be downstairs preparing food for the people of the house. Even more significant, there was no way anyone but doggen would be in this part of the mansion.
She was safe from other eyes.
Ducking back in, she loosened the tie around her waist, removed her hood from the crown of her head and then stripped herself of the weight she bore anytime she was in public. Ah, glorious relief. Reaching her arms up high, she stretched her shoulders and her back, then pulled her neck from side to side. Her last reclamation was to lift the heavy braid of her hair and put it over her shoulder, relieving some of the pull at her nape.
Save for that first night that she had come unto this house and confronted her daughteras well as the Brother who had tried to save her life so long agono one had seen her features. And no one would henceforth. Ever since that brief revelation, she had been eer covered, and she was going to stay that way.
Proof of identity had been a necessary evil.
As always, she wore beneath her robing a simple linen sheath she had made herself. She had a number of them, and when they grew too thin, she recycled them as towels to dry herself with. She wasnt sure where she would find the fabric for replacements here, but that was no problem. In order to refresh herself so that she did not need to feed, she went regularly to the Other Side, and she could get what she needed then.
So different the two places were. And yet in either, her hours were the same: infinite, solitary
No, not entirely solitary. She had come to this side to find her daughter, and now that she had, she was going to
Well, tonight, she was going to clean this gown.
Stroking the fine fabric, she couldnt stop the memories from bursting forth, a geyser, unwelcomed.
She had had gowns like this. Dozens of them. They had filled the closet of her nighttime quarters, those beautifully kitted-out rooms that had had the French doors.
Which had proved to be less than secure.
As her eyes misted over, she fought the pull of the past. Shed been through that black hole too many times to count
You should burn that robe.
NoOne wheeled around so fast, she nearly tore the dress off the worktable.
In the doorway was a massive male with blond-and-black hair. Verily, he was so big he filled the double-size jambs, but that was not the astonishing thing.
He appeared to gleam.
Then again, he was covered with gold, hoops and studs marking his ears, his eyebrows, his lips, his throat.
NoOne dived for what normally covered her, and he stood calmly as she girded herself with the robe.
Better? he said softly.
Who are you.
Her heart beat so fast that the three words came out in a rush. She wasnt good with males in enclosed spaces, and this was very enclosed, and he was very male.
Im a friend of yours.
Then why have I yet to make your acquaintance.
Some people would say youre lucky to have been spared, he muttered. And youve seen me at meals.
She supposed she had. She typically kept her head down and her eyes on her plate, but yes, in the periphery, he had been there.
Youre very beautiful, he said.
There were two things that kept her from completely panicking: First, there was no speculation in that deep voice of his, no masculine heat, nothing that made her feel preyed upon; and second, he had shifted his position so he was lounging back against the jambleaving her room to bolt out if she had to.
As if he knew what made her nervous.
Ive been giving you some time to settle in and get your bearings, he murmured.
Why would you have cause to do that.
Because youre here for a very important reason, and Im going to help you.
The males bright white, pupil-less eyes held hers, even though her face was in shadow as though he were not merely looking at her, but into her.
She took a step back. You do not know me.
At least that was a truth so solid she could plant her feet on it: Even if whoever this was was familiar with her parents, her family, her lineage, he did not know her. She was not who she had once been: the abduction, the birth, her death had wiped that slate clean.
Or had broken it to pieces, more accurately.
I know that you can help me, he said. How about that.
Are you looking for a maid?
Hard to imagine, given the number of staff in this householdbut that was beside the point. She didnt want to serve a male in any kind of intimate way.
No. Now he smiled, and she had to admit he looked a little kind. You know, your default doesnt have to be servile.
She kicked her chin up a notch. All work is honorable.
That was a fact that she had missed before everything had changed. Dearest Virgin Scribe, shed been a spoiled, overpampered, entitled brat. And the shedding of those ugly, jeweled robes of self-inflation had been the only good thing that had come out of it all.
Not maintaining to the contrary. He tilted his head, as if he were imagining her in a different place, with different clothes. Or maybe he just had a stiff neck; who knew. I understand youre Xhexs mom.
I am the female who birthed her, yes.
I heard that Darius and Tohr put her up for adoption after she was born.
They did. They sheltered me through my convalescence. She skipped the part about her taking the latters dagger and putting it to use upon her own flesh: she had already spoken oer much to this male.
You know, Tohrment, son of Hharm, spends a lot of time looking in your direction at meals.
NoOne recoiled. I am certain you are wrong.
My eyes work just fine. As do his, apparently.
Now she laughed, the hard, short burst breaking out of her throat. I can assure you, it is not because he fancies me.
The male shrugged Well, friends can disagree.
With all due respect, we are not friends. I do not know you
Abruptly, the room was infused with a golden glow, the light so buttery and delicious, she felt her skin prickle with warmth.
NoOne took a further step back as she realized it was not an optical illusion courtesy of all the jewelry he wore. The male was the source of the illumination, his body, his face, his aura like a banked fire.
As he smiled at her, his expression was that of a holy man. My names Lassiter, and Ill tell you all you need to know about me. Im an angel first and a sinner second, and Im not here for long. Ill never hurt you, but Im prepared to make you pretty goddamn uncomfortable if I have to, to get my job done. I like sunsets and long walks on the beach, but my perfect female no longer exists. Oh, and my favorite hobby is annoying the shit out of people. Guess Im just bred to want to get a rise out of folksprobably the whole resurrection thing.
NoOnes hand crept up and held her robe together in a tight grip. Why ever are you here?
If I told you now, youd just fight it tooth and nail, but lets just say I believe in full circlesI simply didnt see the one were in until you came along. He gave her a little bow. Take care of yourselfand that beautiful dress.
With that, he was gone, drifting away, taking the warmth and the light with him.
Slumping back against the counter, it took her a while to realize her hand hurt. Looking down, she observed it from a distance, seeing the white knuckles and the rigid flesh against the robes lapels as if it were someone elses appendage.
It was always thus when she regarded any part of her body.
But at least she could command her flesh: Her brain ordered the hand attached to the arm that plugged into the torso to release and relax.
As it obeyed, she glanced back over to where the male had stood. The doors were closed. Except he hadnt shut them, had he?
Had he even been here?
She rushed over and looked out into the hall. In all directions there was no one.
FIVE
After nearly two hundred years of having been mated, Tohr was pretty familiar with the way arguments between pigheaded fighters and hot-tempered females went. And how ridiculous was it to have a case of the nostalgias over the way John and Xhex were hairy-eyeballing each other.
God, he and his Wellsie had gone a few good rounds during their day.
Just one more thing to mourn.
Dragging his exhausted brain back on track, he stepped in between the pair, figuring the situation needed a reality injection. If it had been any other two, he wouldnt have wasted his breath. Romance was not his businesswhether it was going well or badlybut this was John. This was the son hed once hoped to have.
Time to go back to the compound, he said. You both need treatment.
Stay out of this
Stay out of this
Tohr reached over and clamped a hold on the nape of John Matthews neck, squeezing those tendons until the male was forced to look at him. Dont be an asshole about this.
Oh, sure, it was okay for you to be an asshole
You got it, kid. Thats the privilege of age. Now shut up and get in the fucking car.
John frowned as if hed just noticed Butch had rolled up in the Escalade.
And you, Tohr said in a softer tone. Do everyone a favor and get that shoulder dealt with. Afterward, you can call him a fuck-twit, an ass-hat, and any other thing that strikes youbut right now, that injury of yours is reknitting in three or four different bad ways. You need to see our surgeons fast, and as you are a reasonable female, I know you see the merits of what Im saying
Tohr took his forefinger and shoved it in Johns face. Shut. Up. And no, shes going to get herself back to the compound. Arent you, Xhex. Shes not getting in that SUV with you.
Johns hands started going, but they stopped when Xhex said, Okay. Ill head north now.
Good. Come on, son. Tohr shoved John in the direction of the SUV, prepared to pick him up by the short hairs if he had to. Time to have a little ride.
Man, John was so pissed off, you could have fried an egg on his forehead.
Tough. Shit. Tohr whipped open the passenger-side door and packed the fighter into the front seat like he would have an overnight duffel, or a set of golf clubs, or maybe a bag of groceries.
Can you do the seat belt yourself like a big boyor should I work it for you?
Johns lip curled up, his fangs making a reveal.
Tohr just shook his head and propped an arm on the SUVs black body paint. Man, he was fucking tired. Listen to meas a male whos been in your boots with this kind of thing a million times, you two have to have some space right now. Separate corners, a little calm-downthen you can talk shit through and His voice got gruff. Well, makeup sex is fantastic, if memory serves.
John Matthews mouth formed a couple variations on fuck. Then he slammed his head back against the rest. Twice.
Mental note: Have Fritz check for structural damage to the seat.
Trust me, son. The pair of you are going to do this from time to time, and you might as well start to deal with it rationally now. Took me a good fifty years of making shit worse till I figured out a better way to handle arguments. Learn from my mistakes.
Johns head cranked over, and he started to mouth, I love her so much. Id die if anything happened to h
When he stopped short, Tohr took a deep breath through the pain in his chest. I know. Trust me I know.
Shutting the door with a clap, he went around to Butchs side. When the window was put down, he said quietly, Drive slow and take the long route. Lets try to have her in and out of surgery before he gets there. Last thing we need is him riding Mannys ass in the OR.
The cop nodded. Hey, you want a ride back? You dont look so hot.
Im fine.
Are you sure you know what those two words mean?
Yup. Later.
When he turned away, he saw that Xhex was gone, and knew there was a good probability she had done what shed said she was going to. Even though she was as pissed off as John, it was doubtful shed be stupid about her health, or their future.
Females, after all, were not just the fairer sex, but the fairly reasonable one. Which was the only reason the race had survived this long.
As the Escalade eased off at a snails pace, Tohr anticipated all the fun Butch was going to have on the way home. Hard not to feel sorry for the poor bastard.
Annnnnnd then he faced off at his peanut galley. Looked like the cop from Boston wasnt the only one about to get an earful, and sure enough, each one of the males lobbed a sentence back at him:
Time to go back to the training center.
You need treatment.
You are a reasonable male, and I know you see the merits of what Im saying.
Dont be an asshole.
Rhage summed up the regurgitation with two words: Kettle. Black.
Fucking hell. Did you guys plan that out?
Yeah, and if you dont fight usHollywood bit down on his grape Tootsie Popwell do it againonly with the dance moves this time.
Spare me.
Fine. Unless you agree to home it, we will rock the dance moves. To prove the point, the moron linked his palms behind his head and started doing something obscene with his hips. Which was backed up by a series of, Uh-huh, uh-huh, ohhhh, yeeeeeeeaaaah, whos your daddy
The others looked at Rhage like hed grown a horn in the middle of his forehead. Nothing unusual there. And Tohr knew that, in spite of this ridiculous diversion, if he didnt cave, the lot of them would crawl so far up his ass, hed be coughing up shitkickers.
Also nothing unusual.
Rhage wheeled around, shoved out his butt, and started slapping his moneymaker like it was bread dough.
The only advantage? Whatever shit he was spouting was muffled.
For the love of the Virgin Scribe, Z muttered, put us out of this misery, and go the fuck home.
Someone else chimed in, You know, I never thought there were advantages to being blind.
Or deaf.
Or mute, somebody added.
Tohr looked around the periphery, hoping that something that smelled like three-day-old sandwich meat would jump out of the shadows.
No luck.
And next thing you knew, Rhage would break into the robot. Or the Cabbage Patch. Or go Twist and Shout on their asses.
His brothers would never forgive him.
An hour and a half
It took one hour and thirty cocksucking minutes to get back home.
As far as John could figure, the only way the trip could have taken longer was if Butch had detoured through Connecticut. Or maybe Maryland.
When they finally pulled in front of the great stone mansion, he didnt wait for the Escalade to get parkedor even slow down. He unlocked the door and leaped out while the SUV was still crusing. Landing in a flat-out run, he took the stone steps up to the front entrance in a single leap, and after ripping into the vestibule, shoved his face so tightly into the security camera, he almost broke the lens with his nose.
The massive bronze portal opened fairly quickly, but damned if he could have said who did the honors. And the incredible rainbow-colored foyer with its marble and malachite columns and its lofty painted ceiling made no impression at all. Neither did the mosaic tiles on the floor that he crossed at a dead run, or the calls of his name from who-the-fuck-knew.
Hitting the door that was tucked underneath the grand staircase, he plowed into the underground tunnel that connected to the training center, punching in pass codes so viciously it was a wonder he didnt break the keypads. Entering through the back of the offices supply closet, he vaulted around the desk, shot out through the glass door, and
Shes being operated on now, V announced from fifty yards away.
The Brother was standing outside the main examination rooms doorway, a hand-rolled between his teeth, a lighter in his gloved hand.
Itll be another twenty minutes or so.
As a shhhh-ch rose up, a little flame made an appearance, and V brought the heat to the tip of his cigarette. When he exhaled, the scent of Turkish tobacco wafted leisurely down the hall.
Rubbing his aching head, John felt like hed been put in a metaphorical time-out.
Shes going to be fine, V said on a stream of smoke.
No reason to rush now, and not just because she was on the table. It was pretty damn obvious that V had been put out in the hall as a living, breathing doorstop: John wasnt getting in that room until the Brother let him.
Probably smart. Given his mood, hed have been perfectly capable of breaking the door down cartoon-style, leaving nothing but the outline of his body in the paneland naturally, that was what you wanted in the middle of scalpel-palooza.
Robbed of a target, John dragged his sorry ass down to the Brother. They put you out here, didnt they.
Nah. Just a cigarette break.
Yeah, right.
Settling against the wall next to the male, John was tempted to give the back of his head a workout against the concrete, but he didnt want to risk making any noise.
It was too soon, he thought. Too soon for him to be locked out of yet another procedure of hers. Too soon for them to be fighting. Too soon for the tension and the anger.
Can I try one of those? he signed.
V cocked a brow, but didnt try to talk sense into him. The Brother just pulled out a pouch and some cigarette papers. You want to do the honors yourself?
John shook his head. For one thing, although hed watched Vs rolling procedure countless times, hed never tried anything like it before. For another, he didnt think his hands were steady enough.
V took care of things in the work of a moment, and as he gave the coffin nail over, he flicked his lighter.
They both leaned in. Just before John connected the cigarette to the flame, V said, Word of advice. These have a kick, so dont suck too hard
Holy hypoxia, Batman.
Johns lungs didnt just reject the onslaught; they had a seizure over it. And as he coughed his bronchial tubes up, V took the offending item from him. Helpfulmeant he could brace both palms on his thighs as he bent over and retched.
When the stars faded from his watering eyes, he looked over at V and felt his balls shrivel up and hibernate in his lower gut. The Brother had taken Johns hand-rolled and added it to his own, drawing on both of them at the same time.