When he leaned down, her eyes latched onto his lips and her breath got tight. He was going to kiss herdearest fate, he was going to
You wanted to know what coming was, he all but growled, their mouths merely inches apart. Why dont I show you what it is instead of tell you?
On that note, he flipped a switch and put out the lights, plunging the room into a dimness that was broken only by the light in the bathroom and the line at the base of the door into the hall.
Do you want me to show you? he said in a low voice.
At that moment, there was one and only one word in her vocabulary : Yes . . .
Except then he backed off.
Just as a protest was about to jump out of her throat, she realized hed stood in the line of illumination that streamed in from the bathroom.
Payne . . .
The sound of her name leaving his mouth had her struggling for air even more. Yes . . .
I want you . . . Reaching for the bottom of his loose shirt, he pulled it up slowly, exposing the carved muscles of his stomach. . . . to want me.
Oh, sweet destiny, she did.
And he meant what he said. The more she looked, the more those abdominals of his curled and released as if he were breathing hard as well.
His hand drifted down to his waist. See what you do to me. He smoothed the baggy fabric over his hips and . . .
You are phearsom, she breathed. Oh . . . fates, you are.
Tell me thats a good thing?
It is . . .
She stared at the rigid length that was confined and straining against the front of his no longer billowy slacks. So thick and smooth. So big. The mechanics of sex were not unknown to her, but up until now, she hadnt been able to fathom why they would appeal to a female. Looking at him now? Her heartbeat would cease and her blood would turn to stone if she didnt have him within her.
Do you want to touch me? he growled.
Please . . . She swallowed through a nearly closed throat. Oh, yes . . .
First, look at yourself, bambina. Lift your arm and look at yourself.
She glanced down just to humor him so they could get on with things
Her skin was aglow from the inside out, as if the heat and the sensations he called forth from her had manifested themselves in illumination. I know not . . . what this is. . . .
I think its the solution, actually. He sat down next to her feet. Tell me if you feel this. He gently touched her lower leg, laying his hand upon her calf
Warm, she choked out. Your touch is warm.
And here?
Yes . . . yes!
When he went to move it upward, onto her thigh, she furiously yanked the coverings off of herself so she would have no impediments. Her heart was thundering and
He laid his palm upon her other leg.
This time, she felt . . . nothing.
No, no . . . touch me, touch me again! The demand was harsh, her focus manic. Touch me
Hold on
Where did it godo it again! By all that is holy with your God, do it anew
Payne. He captured her frantic hands. Payne, look at yourself.
The glow was gone. Her skin, her flesh . . . was normal. Damn it all
Hey. Beautiful. Heylook at me. Somehow her eyes found his. Take a deep breath and just relax. . . . Come on, breathe with me. Thats it. Thats good. . . . Ill get it back for you. . . .
When he bent toward her, she felt the gentle stroke of his fingertips on her neck. You feel this?
Yes . . . Impatience warred with the effect of his deep voice and his slow, meandering touch.
Close your eyes
But
Close them for me.
When she did as she was told, the pads of his fingers disappeared . . . and were replaced by his mouth. His lips brushed her throat and then sucked at her skin, the subtle pull unleashing a welling heat between her legs.
Feel this? he said in a gravelly voice.
Fates . . . yes . . .
Then let me keep going. With subtle pressure, he urged her back against the pillows. Your skin is so smooth. . . .
As he nuzzled at her, the sound of his mouth made delicious clicking sounds below her ear, and those fingers of his traveled back and forth on her collarbone . . . then dipped down. In response, a curious, languid warmth boiled in her torso and tightened up her nipples, and she became aware of her whole body . . . every inch of herself. Even her legs.
See, bambina, its back. . . . Look.
Her lids were heavy as stones as she opened them, but when she glanced down, the glow was a huge reliefand made her hold on to the sensations he was calling out of her.
Give me your mouth, he said roughly. Let me in.
His voice was guttural, but his kiss was gentle and teasing, pulling at her lips and stroking, before he licked at her. And then she felt his hand on her outer leg.
I feel you, she said into his kiss, tears coming to her eyes. I feel you.
Im glad. He eased back a little, his face serious. I dont know what this isIm not going to lie. Jane isnt sure, either.
I do not care. I just want my legs back.
He had a moments pause. But then he nodded, as if he were taking a vow to her. And Im going to do whatever I can to give them to you.
His eyes drifted to her breasts, and the response was immediate with every breath she took, the fabric that covered her nipples seemed to stroke across her and make her even tighter.
Let me make you feel good, Payne. And well see where this takes you.
Yes. She lifted her hands to his face and pulled him to her mouth once more. Please.
Verily, as she would take nourishment from a vein, now she drew upon the warmth of his lips and the slick entrance of his tongue and the energy he called out of her.
Moaning into him, she was submersed in sensation, from the weight of her body on the bed, to the blood coursing throughout her, to the pulsing need between her legs and the delicious ache at her breasts.
Healer. She gasped as she felt her thigh get swept over by his palm.
He shifted back, and she was gratified that he was panting as well. Payne, I want to do something.
Anything.
He smiled. May I unbraid your hair?
For certain, her tresses were the last thing on her mind, but his expression was so rapt and intense, she could not deny him the requestor any part of herself. But of course.
His fingers trembled ever so slightly as he reached for the end of her braid. Ive wanted to do this since the moment I first saw you.
Gradually, inch by inch, he freed the heavy weight of the black waves she kept long for no other reason than she was too disinterested to tend to them. Given his profound regard for what he revealed, however, she began to wonder if mayhap shed far underestimated their significance.
When he was finished, he spread the lengths out oer the bed and just sat back. You are . . . indescribably beautiful.
Having never viewed herself as even feminine, much less beautiful, it was an astonishment to hear the reverence in not just his words, but his voice.
Indeed . . . you tie my tongue, she said once again to him.
Let me give you something else to do with it.
As he joined her on the bed and lay beside her, she turned into the cushion of his pectorals and the hard expanse of his stomach. She was big compared to other members of her sex, her body retaining the power that had come from her sires side to the point where she often felt ungainly in comparison to other females: No willowy grace as the Chosen Layla had for herin truth, she was built for fighting, not spiritual or sensual service.
Here with her healer, however, she felt rather perfectly proportioned. He had not the tremendous heft of her twin brother, but he was bigger and thicker than she was, in all the places a male should be: Lying with him in the dim room with their bodies so close together, and the temperature rising everywhere, she was not something that should not be, a malformation of girth and bulk, but an object of desire and passion.
Youre smiling, he whispered next to her mouth.
Am I?
Yeah. And I love it.
Over at her hip, his hands burrowed into her nightgown and she felt it all, from the light drift of his pinkie finger to the smooth skin of his palm to the hot trail his touch left behind as he slowly went upward. Closing her eyes, she arched into him, very aware that she was asking for something, yet unclear as to what exactly she was in search ofbut she knew he would give it to her.
Yes, her healer knew exactly what she needed: That hand of his went up her rib cage and paused beneath her heavy, tender breasts.
Is this okay? she heard him ask from a great distance.
Anything, she gasped. Anything to feel my legs.
Except even as the words left her, she sensed that what drove her was less her paralysis and more a greed for him and his sex
Healer!
The sensation of her breast being captured in a gentle caress was a wondrous shock, and she jerked up, her thighs spreading, her heels pressing into the mattress beneath them both. And then his thumb passed up and over her nipple, the stroke shooting a blast of fire to her core.
Her legs sawed on the bed, the tight coil in her sex driving them. Im moving, she said roughlyand almost as an afterthought. What seemed important now was joining with him and having him . . . come . . . inside of her.
I know, bambina, he avowed. And Im going to make sure you keep it up.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Downtown, Butch parked the Escalade in the underground parking garage of the Commodore and took the internal elevator all the way up the spine of the building. He had no fucking clue what he was going to walk into when he got to Vs place, but that was where the GPS signal was coming from, so that was where he was going.
In the pocket of his leather coat, he had all the keys to Vishouss private space: the plastic swipe card to get into the parking garage; the silver one you used in the elevator to punch the top button; the copper job that got you past the dead bolts on the doors.
His heart beat hard as a little ding sounded and the elevator opened silently. All-access was taking on a whole new meaning tonight, and as he stepped out into the hall, he wanted a drink. Badly.
At the door, he took out the copper key, but used his knuckles first. A couple of times.
It was a good minute later when it dawned on him that there was no answer.
Fuck the knuckles. He pounded with his fist.
Vishous, he barked. Answer the goddamn door or Im coming in.
One, Mississippi. Two, Mississippi
Fuck this. He shoved the key into the lock and cranked it before throwing his shoulder into the solid metal door and shoving it wide.
Bursting into the place, he heard the alarm beeping quietly. Which meant V couldnt be here. What the hell . . . ?
He put the code in, shut the thing off, and locked the dead bolt behind himself. No remnants of lit candlewicks . . . no scent of blood . . . nothing but cool, clean air.
He flipped on the light switch and blinked in the glare.
Yeah, wow . . . Lot of memories in here . . . him coming and crashing after the Omega had gotten into him and hed left quarantine . . . V losing his ever-loving mind and jumping off the damn terrace . . .
He went over to the wall of equipment. A fuckload of other things had happened here, too. Some of which he couldnt imagine.
As he went down the display of metal and leather, his shitkickers echoed up to the ceiling, and his mind all but bounced around his skull. Especially as he got to the far end: In the corner, a set of iron cuffs hung from the ceiling by thick chains.
You got someone on them, you could lift them up and dangle em like a side of beef.
Reaching out, he fingered one of them. No cushioning on the inside.
Spikes. Dull spikes that would grip the flesh like teeth.
Getting himself back with the program, he marched through the place, checking in all the nooks and crannies . . . and found a little tiny computer chip on the kitchen counter. It was the kind of thing that no one but V would know how to remove from a cell.
Son of a bitch.
So there was no way of knowing where
When his phone went off, he checked the screen. Thank God. Where the hell are you?
Vs voice was tight. I need you down here. Ninth and Broadway. Stat.
Fuck thatwhy is your GPS in your kitchen.
Because thats where I was when I took it out of my phone.
What the hell, V. Butch tightened his grip on his cell and wished there were an app that let you reach through a phone and bitch slap someone. You cant
Get your ass down here to Ninth and Broadwayweve got problems.
Youre kidding me, right? You go untraceable and
Someone else is killing lessers, cop. And if its who I think it is, weve got problems.
Pause. Big-time. Excuse me? he said slowly.
Ninth and Broadway. Now. And Im calling in the others.
Butch hung up and rushed for the door.
Leaving the SUV in the parking garage, he took a mere five minutes to run over to the correct coordinates on Caldwells street grid. And Butch knew when he was getting close because of the sickening scent in the air and the tingling resonance of the enemy deep inside of him.
As he rounded the corner of a short-and-squat, he hit a wall of mhis and penetrated the shit, coming out on the other side to a whiff of Turkish tobacco and a tiny orange flare in the way-back of the alley.
He jogged over to V, slowing only when he got to the first of the bodies. Or . . . part of the first. Hello, halvsies.
As Vishous came up and offed his glove, Butch got a quick impression of dead-meat legs and leaking innards. Yum.
Clean cut, V muttered. Real hot-knife-through-butter time.
The brother was too right. It was practically surgical.
Butch knelt down and shook his head. Cant be the result of Lessening Society politics. Theyd never leave the bodies out in the open like this.
God knew, the slayers regularly went through shifts in leadership, either because the Omega got bored, or because of internal power struggles. But the enemy was incented to keep their biz off the human radar screens as much as vampires wereso no way would they have abandoned this mess for the CPD to find.
As Butch sensed the arrival of the other brothers, he rose to his feet. Phury and Z came out of the ether first. Then it was Rhage and Tohr. And Blay. That was everyone for tonight: Rehvenge often fought with the Brotherhood, but this evening, he was up in the symphath colony playing King of the Damned, and it was Qhuinns, Xhexs, and John Matthews rotation off.
Tell me Im not seeing this, Rhage said grimly.
Your eyes are working just fine, true. V stabbed his hand-rolled out on the sole of his boot. I couldnt believe it, either.
I thought he was dead.
He? Butch asked, glancing at the pair. Whos he?
Where to start on that one, Hollywood muttered as he checked out another hunk of lesser. You know, if I had a stake, we could make lesser-kebabs.
Only you could think of food at a time like this, someone drawled.
Im just sayin.
If there was more conversation at that point, Butch didnt hear it because his internal alarm suddenly started to ring-a-ding-ding. Boys . . . were about to have company.
Pivoting around, he faced the alleys open end. The enemy was approaching. Fast.
How many? V asked as he came forward.
At least four, maybe more, Butch said, as he thought of the fact that there was no way out behind them. This may be a trap.
Back at the Brotherhoods training center, Manny was paying special attention to his patient.
As he worked Paynes breast with his hand, she writhed under him, her legs bicycling with impatience on the mattress, her head thrown back, her body glowing like the moon on a cloudless winter night.
Do not stop, healer, she moaned as he thumbed her nipple in circles. I feel . . . everything. . . .
You dont worry about my stopping.
Yeah, he was so not putting the brakes on this anytime soonnot that they were going to have sex. But still . . .
Healer . . . she said against his lips. More, please.
Licking his way into her mouth, he pinched her nipple ever so slightly. Let me get this off you, he said as he found the bottom of her johnny with his other hand. Im going to take care of you down below.
She worked with him as he stripped her bare and discreetly removed her equipment. When she was utterly and completely naked, he was momentarily dry mouthed and immobile at the sight of her. Her breasts were perfectly formed, with little pink nipples, and her long, flat stomach led down to a bare cleft that had his head pounding.
Healer . . . ?
When all he did was swallow hard, she reached for the sheet to pull it across and hide her body.
No . . . He stopped her. Sorry. I just need a minute.
To what?
Climax, in a word. Unlike her, he knew precisely what all this naked was heading towardin about a minute and a half, his mouth was going to be all over her. Youre incredible . . . and you have nothing to be shy about.
Her body was insane, all lean muscle and luscious, smooth skinas far as he was concerned, she was the perfect female, bar none. Christ, hed never been even half this desperate for those sticks-and-stones social X-rays, with their hard-as-nails boob jobs and their stringy arms.
Payne was powerful, and that was pure sex as far as he was concerned. But she was absolutely going to leave this experience with her virginity intact. Yeah, she wanted what he was giving her, but it wasnt fair, under these circumstances, to take something she was never getting back: In the quest to return her legs to some sort of functioning, she might well go farther than she would have if it was just sex for the enjoyment of it.
This shit between them was all about purpose.
And the fact that that left him a little hollow was nothing he wanted to look too closely at.
Manny leaned into her. Give me your mouth, bambina. Let me in.
As she did what he asked, he inched his hand back to her perfect breast.
Shh . . . easy, he told her as she nearly jacked off the bed.
Fucking hell, she was lightning in a bottle, and for a moment he imagined what it would be like to ride those rocking hips and take her hard.
Cut that shit right now, Manello, he told himself.
Disengaging from her mouth, he nuzzled his way down the side of her neck and briefly sank his teeth into her collarbonejust enough so that she felt it, not enough to hurt. And as her hands dug into his hair, he knew by the strength of her grip and the way she panted that she wanted him to go exactly where he was heading.
Palming the outside of her breast, he extended his tongue and dragged a slow trail down to that tight pink top. Circling her nipple, he watched her bite down on her lower lip, her fangs cutting into the flesh and drawing a sliver of bright red blood.
Without conscious thought, he surged up and captured what had been shed, lapping it and swallowing
His eyes slammed shut at the taste: rich and dark, thick and smooth on the back of his throat. His mouth tingled . . . and then so did his gut.
No, she said in a guttural voice. You must not do that.
As he forced his lids open, he watched her own tongue come out and do away with what little was left.
Yes. I must, he heard himself say. He needed more. So much more
She put her fingertip on his lips and shook her head. No. You shall go mad from it.
He was going to go mad if he didnt have a whole mouthful; thats what he was going to do. Her blood was like cocaine and Scotch together on an intravenous drip: From that shallow swallow, his body had become Supermans, his chest pumped up, all the muscles in him swelling with power.
As if she were reading his mind, she grew firm. No, no . . . not safe.
She was probably righttake out the probably. But that didnt mean he wasnt going to try again, assuming he got another chance at it.
He went back to her nipple, sucking it in and flicking. When she arched again, he pushed his arm under her and lifted her up to him. All he could think about was getting in between her legs with his mouth . . . but he wasnt sure how that was going to go over. He needed to keep her in this sweet zone of arousalnot spook her with the kind of shit men liked to do to their women.
He settled for taking his hand where he wanted his lips to be, sweeping his palm slowly down her rib cage and to her stomach. Lower, to her hips. Lower, to her upper thighs.
Open for me, Payne, he told her, switching to her opposite nipple and working it with a suck. Open yourself so I can touch you.
She did just as he asked, her graceful legs parting.
Trust me, he said roughly. And she could. He already felt bad enough that all these firsts were happening with him. He was not going to violate the boundaries hed set for them.
I do, she moaned.
God save them both, he thought as his palm slipped into the juncture
Fuck . . . he groaned. Hot and slick, silky smooth. Undeniable.
His arm shot out, the sheets went flying, and his eyes whipped down to lock on the sight of his hand nestled in close to the core of her. As her body arched up, one of her legs fell to the side.
Healer . . . she groaned. Please . . . dont stop.
You dont know what I want to do to you, he said to himself.
I am in pain.
Manny gritted his teeth. Where.
Where you have touched me and gone no farther. Do not stop this, I beg you.
Mannys mouth opened and he breathed through it.
Do this thing you want to me, healer, she moaned. Whatever it is. I know you are holding back.
A growl came out of him and he moved so fast that the only thing that could have stopped him was her saying no. And that word was evidently not in her vocabulary.
In a flash, he was between her thighs, his hands spreading her wider, her sex laid open and weeping in the face of his male urge to dominate and mate.
He gave in. Fuck him, but he let himself go and kissed her core. And there was nothing gradual or gentle about it; he dived in with his mouth, sucking at her and tonguing her as she cried out and scratched at his forearms.
Manny came. Hard. In spite of the number of times hed orgasmed out there in the office. The tingling buzz in his blood and the sweet taste of her sex and the way she moved against his lips, rubbing herself, seeking even more . . . it was all too much.
Healer . . . I am . . . on the verge ofI know not what I
He licked his way up off the top of her sex and then returned to get serious in a slow, thorough way. Stay with me, he said against her. Im going to make you feel good.
Flicking his tongue lightly, he took one of his hands down and stroked her without entering her, giving her exactly what she wanted, just at a speed that made her struggle with impatience. But she was going to learn that this anticipation before the release was almost as good as the orgasm she was about to have.
God, she was incredible, that hard body of hers flexing, her muscles going tighter, her chin just visible on the far side of her perfect breasts as her head fell back and kicked the pillows off the bed.
He knew just when the snap in her sex happened. She gasped and grabbed the sheet that covered the mattress, ripping it with her nails as she stiffened from head to foot.
His tongue sneaked in.
He simply had to penetrate her a little . . . and those subtle pulses he felt left him dizzy.
When he was sure she had been finished properly, he pushed himself backand nearly bit his own lip in half. She was oh, so ready for him, glossy and glowing
Abruptly, he shoved himself from the bed and had to pace it off. His cock felt like it had swollen to Empire State Building dimensions, and his balls were July Fourth blueso desperate for a release they had their own marching band and fireworks brigade. But that wasnt all. Something in him was roaring at the fact that he wasnt inside of her . . . and the urge was about more than merely sex. He wanted to mark her in some waywhich made absolutely no sense.
Strung out, panting, on the edge, he ended up planting his hands on the jambs of the door to the hall and leaning in until his forehead was against the steel. In a way, he almost hoped someone barged in and knocked him the fuck out.
Healer . . . it persists. . . .
For a moment, he squeezed his eyes shut. He wasnt sure he could go through it again with her so soon. It was nearly killing him not to
Regard me, she said.
He forced his head up, looked over his shoulder . . . and realized that she wasnt talking about sex: She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her legs hanging off the side and inching toward the floor, her glow illuminating her from within. At first, all he could really see were her breasts, and the way they hung so full and rounded, the nipples tight from the cool air in the room. But then he realized she was rotating her ankles, one after the other.
Right, see . . . this was not about the sex, but her mobility.
Got that, asshole? he told himself. This was about her walking: sex as medicineand hed better not forget it. This was not about him or his cock.
Manny lurched over, hoping that she wouldnt notice the remnants of the release hed had. But he didnt have to worry. Her eyes were locked on her feet, her concentration fierce.
Here . . . He had to clear his throat. Let me help you stand.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Vishouss fangs elongated as a ring of slayers formed around the opening of the alley. These were old-school numbers, he thought. Half a dozen at leastand theyd clearly been given coordinates by their fellow slayers. Otherwise the mhis would have hidden the carnage from them.
Given his mood, all the hi-howre-ya should have been a great thing.
Problem: The alleys construction meant there was only one way outapart from rushing the enemys ranksand that was pulling a disappearing act. Ordinarily, that wouldnt have been an issue, as experienced fighters could, even in the heat of battle, calm themselves enough to focus and dematerializebut you had to be relatively uninjured, and you couldnt take any fallen-comrade types with you when you went.
So Butch was screwed if shit got out of hand. As a half-breed, that guy was grounded, literally incapable of scattering his molecules to safety.
V muttered under his breath, Dont be a hero, cop. Let us handle this.
Youre kidding me, right. The glare was immediate and steady. You worry about yourself.
Not possible. He wasnt losing the only two compass points he had on the same night.
Hey, boys, Hollywood called out to the enemy. You just going to stand there or are we gonna do this?
Annnnnnnnnnnd that was the ringside bell. The lessers streamed forward and met the Brotherhood face-to-face, fist-to-fist. To ensure they had the privacy they needed, V doubled up on his visual barrier, the buffering creating a mirage of nothing-doing in the event humans trolled on by.
As he started working out one of the enemy, he kept his eye on Butch. The fucker naturally got right in there, taking on a tall, lanky inductee with his bare hands. He loved to brawl, and heads were his favorite punching bagsbut Vishous really wished the bastard would take up fencing or, even better, get into rocket launchers. From the rooftop. So he wasnt anywhere near the fighting. He just hated that the cop got so close, because who the fuck knew what would come out of a pocket or how much damage could be done to the guy with a gun or a length of
The kick came out of nowhere, sailing through the air like an anvil, catching V right in the side of the torso. As he flew back and slammed into the alleys brick flank, he was reminded of what theyd taught their trainees when theyd had them: Rule number one of fighting? Pay the fuck attention to your damn opponent.
After all, you could have the best knife in the world, but if you were clueless? You ended up making like a Ping-Pong ball. Or worse.
V reinflated his lungs with a huge inhale and he used the oxygen rush to leap forward and catch the Rockettes second kick at the ankle with his hands. The lesser had spectacular skills, however, and spun a Matrix move, using Vs hold as an anchor to twist around in midair. The combat boot nailed V right in the ear, his head snapping to the side as all kinds of tendons and muscles were yanked to hell and gone.