The growl that percolated up from the doorway was the countdown to an ass-kicking if hed ever heard it. Except as he glanced over at Goatee, he felt like snarling right back at the son of a bitch. Which, yet again, made no sense.
Still holding his patients hand, he barked at Jane, Get that miserable bastard out of my operating room. And I want to see the goddamn scans and X-rays. Now.
He was going to save this woman even if it killed him.
And as Goatees eyes flashed with pure hatred, Manny thought, Well, shit, it might just come down to that. . . .
SIX
Qhuinn was out alone in Caldwell.
For the first time in his frickin life.
Which, when he thought about it, was nearly a statistical impossibility. Hed spent so many nights fighting and drinking and having sex in and around the clubs downtown that surely one or two had to have been solo flights. But nope. As he walked into the Iron Mask, he was without his two wingmen for the very first time.
Things were different now, however. Times had changed. People, too.
John Matthew was now happily mated, so when he had a shift off, like this evening, he was staying home with his shellan, Xhex, and giving their bed one hell of a workout. And yeah, sure, Qhuinn was the guys ahstrux nohtrum and all, but Xhex was a symphath assassin more than capable of watching out for her male, and the Black Dagger Brotherhoods compound was a fortress not even a SWAT team could break into. So he and John had come to an agreementand kept it quiet.
And as for Blay . . .
Qhuinn wasnt going to think about his best friend. Nope. Not at all.
Scanning the inside of the club, he put his fuck filter on and began weeding through the women and the men and the couples. There was one and only one reason hed come here, and it was the same for the other Goths in the place.
This was not for a relationship. This was not even for companionship. This was all about the in and out, and when that was over, it would be a case of, Thank you, maamor sir, depending on his moodIm ghost. Because he was going to need someone else. Or someones else.
No way this was going to be a one-shot deal tonight. He felt like peeling his own skin off, his body all but chattering from the need to release. Man, hed always liked the fucking, but in the last couple of days, his libido had gone Godzilla on him
Was Blay even his best friend anymore?
Qhuinn paused and briefly looked for a plate-glass window to put his head through: For fucks sake, he wasnt five years old. Grown males didnt have best friends. Didnt need them.
Especially if said male was banging someone else. All day long. Every single day.
Qhuinn marched over to the bar. Herradura. Double. And make it the Selección Suprema.
The womans eyes heated up behind her heavy liner and fake lashes. You starting a tab?
Yeah. And going by the way she ran her hand down her tight stomach and over her hip, clearly he could have ordered a shot of her as well.
When he held out his black AmEx, she breast-iculated wildly to accept the damn thing, bending over so far she might as well have been trying to pick a swizzle stick off the floor with her nipples.
Ill be right back with your drink.
What a surprise. Great.
As she hipped her way off, she was so wasting her time: not at all what he was looking for tonightnot even close. Wrong sex, for one thing. And he wasnt going for anything dark haired. Matter of fact, he couldnt believe what he wanted.
Being color-blind had its limitations, but when you only wore black and worked at night, it wasnt a big deal most of the time. Besides, his mismatched eyes were so acute and sensitive to variants of gray that he actually perceived colorsit was all about the gradient. For example, he knew who the blondes in the club were. Knew the difference between the brunettes and the black-hairs. And yeah, he might misread it if one of the fidiots had gotten a whacked-out dye job, but even then, he could usually tell something was up because the skin tone never looked right.
Here you go, the bartender said.
Qhuinn reached over, picked up the shot glass, downed the tequila, and put the empty back on the bar. Lets try that a couple more times.
Right away. She flashed her double-Ds again, no doubt hoping hed do a grab. Youre my number one customer. Cuz clearly you can handle the juice.
Uh-huh. Right. Like the ability to gullet up four ounces of liquor on a oner was a BFD. God, the idea someone with that value system was allowed to vote made him want to look for that sheet of glass again.
Humans were pathetic.
Although, as he turned back to look at the crowd, he thought maybe dialing down the attitude might be a good call. He was pretty fucking pathetic himself tonight. Especially as he caught sight of two men off in a corner, the pair of them separated only by the leathers they were wearing. Naturally, one was blond. Just like his cousin was. So naturally, hypotheticals of Blay with Saxton played through his inner polo field, marking up his proverbial grass with hoofprints and horseshit.
Except they werent hypotheticals, were they: At the end of every night, as the table at the Brotherhoods mansion broke up after Last Meal and people went off to do their thing, Blay and Saxton always discreetly headed for the grand staircase and disappeared down the upstairs hall to their bedrooms.
They never held hands. Never kissed in front of anyone. And there were no covert hot glances, either. But then again, Blay was a gentleman. And Saxton the Classy Slut put on a good show.
His cousin was a straight-up whore
No, he is not, a small voice pointed out. You just hate him because hes balling your boy.
He is not my boy.
What did you say?
Qhuinn shot a glare at the kibitzerand then pulled back on the hard-ass. Bingo, he thought.
Standing next to him was a human male, about six feet-ish tall with great hair, a good face, and very nice lips. Clothes were not totally Gothed out, but he had some chains on his hip and a couple of hoops in one of his ears. But it was the hair color that really did it.
I was talking to myself, Qhuinn murmured.
Ah. I do that a lot. The smile was brief and then the guy went back to nursing his . . .
What are you drinking? Qhuinn asked.
A half-empty glass was held up. Vodka-n-tonic. I cant stand the fruity shit.
Neither can I. Im tequila. Straight up.
Patrón?
Never. Im HD.
Ah. The guy pivoted around and stared ahead at the crowd. You like the real stuff.
Yup.
Qhuinn wanted to ask whether Mr. V&T was checking out the guys or the chicks, but he kept that one on ice. Man, that hair was amazing. Thick. Curled at the ends.
You looking for someone in particular? Qhuinn said in a low voice.
Maybe. You?
Definitely.
The guy laughed. Lot of hot women here. You can have your pick.
Mother. Fucker. Just his luck: a hetero. Then again, maybe they could share something and take things from there.
The man leaned in and offered his palm. Im . . .
As the two looked at each other full-on, the guy let the sentence trail off, but that didnt matter. Qhuinn didnt give a shit what the name was.
Are your eyes different colors? the man asked softly.
Yup.
Thats really . . . cool.
Well, yeah. Unless you were a vampire born into the glymera. Then it was a physical defect that meant you were genetically broken and therefore an embarrassment to your bloodline and utterly unmate-able.
Thanks, Qhuinn said. What color are yours?
You cant tell?
Qhuinn tapped the tattooed tear underneath his eye. Color-blind.
Ah. Mine are blue.
And youre a redhead, arent you.
How do you know that?
Your skin tone. Plus youre pale and have freckles.
Thats amazing. The guy glanced around. Its dark in hereI wouldnt think you could tell.
Guess I can. To himself, he added, And how about I show you some of my other tricks.
Qhuinns new buddy smiled a little and went back to checking out the crowd. After a minute, he said, Whyre you looking at me like that.
Because I want to fuck you. You remind me of someone.
Who?
Someone I lost.
Oh, shit, sorry.
Its okay. It was my fault.
Little pause. So youre gay, huh.
No.
The guy laughed. Sorry. I just figured . . . Guess it was a good friend, then.
No comment. Im about to get a refill. Why dont I hook you up, too.
Thanks, man.
Qhuinn turned around and signaled the bartender. As he waited for her to hopscotch over, he planned out his approach. Little more liquor. Then add some females to the mix. Step three was to go back into one of the bathrooms and fuck the girl(s).
Then . . . more eye contact. Preferably when one or both of them were inside a woman. Because as much as this redhead with the great hair appeared to be into chicks, the SOB had felt the connection when the two of them had looked at each otherand hetero was a relative term.
Kind of like virgin.
Which made two of them, didnt it. After all, Qhuinn never, ever nailed redheads.
But tonight was going to be an exception.
SEVEN
As Payne lay on her metal slab beneath the odd chandelier of illumination, she couldnt believe her healer was a human.
Do you understand what Im saying? His voice was quite deep and his accent was strange to her, but not one she hadnt heard before: Her twins mate had the same intonation and inflection. Im going to go in and . . .
While he spoke to her, he leaned down into her field of vision, and she liked when he did that. His eyes were a brown color, but not that of oak bark or old leather or the coat of a stag. They were a lovely reddish shade, like mahogany that had been polishedand just as luminous, she would venture to say.
There had been such a flurry of activity since his arrival, and one thing had become clear: He was well versed in the giving of orders and very confident in his job. Actually, there was something else, too. . . . He didnt care that her brother had taken an instant hatred to him.
If Vishouss bonding scent got any stronger, it would be visible upon the air.
Do you understand?
Her ears are just fucking fine.
Payne glanced over as far as she could toward the doorway. Vishous had returned and was baring his fangs like he was of half a mind to attack. Fortunately, by his side, a male stood tight upon him, rather like a leash with stout legs: If her twin were to lunge for it, that male with the dark hair was obviously poised to encompass Vishous bodily and drag him from the room.
This was good.
Payne refocused on her healer. I understand.
The humans eyes narrowed. Then tell me what I said.
Whatever for?
This is your body. I want to make sure you know what Im going to do to it, and Im concerned about a language barrier.
She knows what the fuck youre say
Her healer glared over his shoulder. Are you still here?
The dark-haired male beside her twin locked an arm around Vishouss chest and muttered something on a hiss. Then he addressed her healer, speaking with a slightly different accent. You need to chill, my man. Or Im going to let him turn you into beef jerky for taking that tone. Capisce?
She had to approve of the way her healer met the aggression head-on: You want me to operate, its on my terms and in my way. So hes out in the hall or youre getting yourself another scalpel. Whats it gonna be.
There was a lot of consternated arguing at that point, with Jane rushing over from where she had been at a window that played pictures upon its pane. She spoke softly at first until finally her voice was as loud as the rest of theirs were.
Payne cleared her throat. Vishous. Vishous. Vishous!
Getting nowhere, she put her two lips together and whistled loud enough to shatter glass.
As a flame would be snuffed out, so too were the lot of them, although the angry energy lingered about in the air like smoke from atop a wick.
He shall treat me now, she said weakly, the tension in the room a form of fever that took oer her body, making her even more lethargic. He shall . . . treat me. It is my wish. Her eyes went to her healer. You shall endeavor to rebreak my fused spinal vertebrae, as you call them, and it is your hope that my spinal cord is not severed but merely injured. You state further that you cannot predict the outcome, but that when you are in there, you may be able to assess the damage more clearly. Yes?
Her healer looked at her in a powerful way. Deeply. Gravely. With an edge that she was confused about . . . and yet not threatened by. Fates, hardly thatin fact, something in his eyes made her . . . uncurl on the inside.
Have I recalled it all correctly? she prompted him.
Her healer cleared his throat. Yes. You have.
Then operate . . . as you call it.
Over by the doorway, she heard the dark-haired man say something to her twin, and then Vishous lifted his arm and pointed his gloved finger at the human. You will not live through this if she does not.
Cursing, Payne closed her eyes and wished anew that what she had sought for so long had not been gained. Better to have gone unto the Fade than cause the death of some innocent human
Deal.
Paynes lids popped open. Her healer stood unbowed before her twins size and strength, accepting the burden laid upon his head.
But you leave, the human said. You need to get the fuck out of here and stay out. Im not going to be distracted by your shit.
Her twins massive body twitched in the shoulders and the chest, but then he inclined his head once. Deal.
And then she was alone with her healer, except for Jane and the other nurse.
One last test. Her healer leaned to the side and got a thin stick off one of the counters. Im going to run this pen up your foot. I want you to tell me if you feel anything.
When she nodded, he moved out of her range of sight and she closed her eyes to concentrate, straining for some kind of sensation to register. Anything.
Surely if there was a response, however dim, that was a good sign
I feel something, she said with a surge of energy. On my left side.
There was a pause. How about now.
She begged her legs for a similar reception and had to breathe deeply before she could answer. No. Nothing.
The sound of the soft sheets being repositioned was the only confirmation she got that she was covered once again. But at least she had felt something.
Except instead of addressing her, her healer and her twins mate conversed quietly, just out of earshot.
Verily, Payne said, mayhap you will include me in the discussion. The pair of them came over and it was curious that neither looked pleased. It is good that I felt aught, no?
Her healer came closer to her head, and she felt the warm strength of his palm take her own. As he stared at her, she was yet anew captivated : His lashes were very long. And across his strong jaw and his cheeks, a shadow of beard was showing. His thick, dark hair was shiny.
And she really liked the way he smelled.
But he hadnt replied to her, had he? Is it not, healer?
I wasnt touching you on your left foot at that time.
Payne blinked through an unexpected upset. And yet, after all this time being immobile, she should be prepared for information like that, shouldnt she.
So are you going to begin the now? she asked.
Not yet. Her healer glanced over at Jane, and then looked back. Were going to have to move you for the operation.
This hallway aint far enough away, buddy.
As Butchs reasonable voice registered, V wanted to bite the guys head off. And the urge got even stronger as the bastard continued. How bout heading over to the Pit?
Logical advice, true. And yet . . . Youre starting to piss me off, cop.
Like thats a news flash? And P.S., I dont care.
The door to the exam room opened and his Jane slipped out. As she looked at him, her forest green eyes were not happy.
Now what, he barked, unsure whether he could handle any more bad news.
He wants to move her.
After a moment of blinking like a cow, V shook his head, convinced hed gotten his languages confused. Excuse me?
To St. Francis.
No. Fucking. Way
Vishous
Thats a human hospital!
V
Have you lost your mind
At that moment, the godforsaken human surgeon came out, and to his credit, or his insanity, he got right up into Vs grille. I cant work on her here. You want me to try it and paralyze her for good myself? Use your goddamned headI need an MRI, microscopes, equipment, and staff you dont have here. Were out of time, and she cant be transported farbesides, if youre the U.S. government, you can bury her records and make sure this doesnt get picked up by the press, so the exposure will be minimal with my help.
U.S. government? What theYeah, whatever with that. Shes not going to a human hospital. Period.
The guy frowned over the human thing, but then seemed to shake it off. Then Im not operating
V launched himself at the man.
It was a total blink-of-the-eye kind of thing. One minute, he was planted in his shitkickers; the next he was all fly-be-freeat least until he slammed into the good doctor and velvet-Elvised the bastard onto the corridors concrete wall.
Get in there and start cutting, V growled.
The human could barely draw a breath, but hypoxia didnt stop him from manning up. He met V right in the eyeball. Unable to speak, he mouthed, Wont. Do. It.
Let him go, V. And let him take her where he needs to go.
As Wraths voice cut through the drama, the urge to go pyrotechnic became nearly irresistible. Like they needed another kibitzer? And fuck-that on the command.
V squeezed the surgeons collar trash-bag tight. You are not taking her anywhere
The hand on Vs shoulder was heavy, and Wraths voice had an edge like a dagger. And youre not in charge here. Shes my responsibility, not yours.
Wrong thing to say. On so many levels.
She is my blood, he snarled.
And Im the one who put her on that bed. Oh, and Im also your cocksucking king, so you will do as I command, Vishous.
Just as he was about to say and do something he would later regret, Janes sanity reached him. V, at this moment, you are the problem. Not your twins condition, or Mannys decision. You need to step back, get some clarity, and think, not react. I will be with her the whole time, and Butch will come with me, wont you.
Abso, the cop replied. And Ill get Rhage, too. She wont be left alone for an instant.
Dead silence. During which Vs rational side fought for his steering wheel . . . and that human refused to back down. In spite of the fact that he was one stab through the heart away from a coffin, that son of a bitch just kept glaring right back.
Christ, you could almost respect him for it.
Janes hand on Vs biceps was nothing like Wraths. Her touch was light, soothing, careful. I spent years in that hospital. Im familiar with all the rooms, all the people, all the equipment. There is not one square inch of that facility that I dont know like the back of my hand. Manny and I will work together and make sure that she gets in and gets out fastand that shes protected. Hes got ultimate power there as chief of surgery, and I will be with her every step of the way . . .
Jane continued talking but he heard nothing more, a sudden vision coming down through him like a signal received from some external transmitter: With crystal clarity, he saw his sister astride a horse, going at a gallop on the edge of a forest. There was no saddle, no bridle, and her hair was unfurled and streaming behind her in the moonlight.
She was laughing. With complete and utter joy.
She was free.
Throughout his life, he had always seen pictures of the futureso he knew this was not one of them. His visions were exclusively of deathsthose of his brothers and Wrath and their shellans and children. Knowing how those around him would pass was part of his reserve and all of his madness: He was privy only to the means, never the time, and therefore he couldnt save them.
So what he saw now was not the future. This was what he wanted for the twin he had found far too late and was in danger of losing far too early.
V, at this moment, you are the problem.
Not trusting himself to speak to any of them, he dropped the doc like a dime and pulled back. As the human caught his breath, V didnt look at anyone but Jane.
I cant lose her, he said in a weak voice, even though there were witnesses.
I know. Ill be with her every step of the way. Trust me.
V closed his eyes briefly. One of the things that he and his shellan had in common was that they were both very, very good at what they did. Devoted to their jobs, they existed in parallel universes of their own creation and focus: the fighting for him, the healing for her.
So this was the equivalent of him swearing he would kill someone for her.
Okay, he croaked. All right. Gimme a minute with her, though.
Pushing through the double doors, he approached his twins bed, and was very aware this could be the last time he spoke with her: Vampires, like humans, could die during operations. Did die.
She looked even worse than before, lying all too motionless, her eyes not just closed but squeezed shut as if she were in pain. Shit on a shingle, his shellan was right. He was the slow-up here. Not that fn surgeon.
Payne.
Her lids lifted slowly, like they weighed as much as I beams. Brother mine.
Youre going to a human hospital. Okay? As she nodded, he hated that her skin was the color of the white bedsheet. Hes going to operate on you there.
When she nodded again, her lips parted and her breath hitched like she was having trouble breathing. Tis for the best.
God . . . now what? Did he tell her he loved her? He guessed he did, in his own fucked-up way.
Listen . . . you take care, he mumbled.
Lame-ass. Fucking lame-ass little bitch. But it was all he could manage.
You . . . too, she groaned.
Of its own volition, his good hand reached out and slowly slid against hers. As he tightened his grip slightly, she didnt move or respond, and he had a sudden panic that hed missed his opportunity, that she was already gone.
Payne.
Her lids fluttered. Yes?
The door opened and Jane put her head in. We have to get going.
Yeah. Okay. V gave his sisters palm a final squeeze; then he left the room in a hurry.
When he got out into the hall, Rhage had arrived, and so had Phury and Z. Which was good. Phury was especially proficient at hypnotizing humansand hed done it at St. Francis before.
V went up to Wrath. Youre going to feed her, true. When she comes out of the operation, shes going to need to feed, and your bloods the strongest weve got.
As he put the demand on the table, it would have been great if hed given a shit that Beth, the queen, might have a problem with sharing her mate like that. But, selfish bastard that he was, he didnt care.
Except Wrath just nodded. My shellan was the one who suggested it first.
Vs eyes squeezed shut. Damn, that was a female of worth right there. Straight up.
Before he took off, he grabbed a last glance at his shellan. Jane was as steady as a house on solid ground, her face and her eyes strong and sure.
I have no words, he said hoarsely.
And I know exactly what youre telling me.
V stood three feet from her, stuck to the floor, wishing he were a different kind of male. Wishing . . . so much about everything was different.
Go, she whispered. Ive got this.
V took a last look over at Butch, and when the cop nodded once, the decision was final. Vishous nodded at his boy and then he strode off, out of the training center, into the underground tunnel, and up to the Pit.
Where he promptly realized that the physical distance didnt do shit for him. He still felt he was in the midst of all the drama . . . and didnt really trust himself not to end up back down there to help.
Out. He needed out and away from them all.
Breaking through the heavy front door, he marched into the courtyard . . . and ended up parked and going nowhere, just like the cars that were lined up side by side opposite the fountain.
As he stood like a planker, a strange, flicking noise got his attention. At first he couldnt place it, but then he looked down. His gloved hand was shaking and hitting his upper thigh.
From beneath the lead-lined leather, the glow was bright enough to leave him squinting.
Goddamn it. He was so close to the edge of losing it, he might as well have already been in midair.
With a curse, he dematerialized and headed for the place he always went when he got like this. He didnt want the destination or the drive that sent him into the night . . . but like Payne, his destiny was out of his hands.
EIGHT
OLD COUNTRY PRESENT
The dream was an old one. Centuries old. And yet its images were fresh and clear as the night all had changed so many aeons ago.
Deep within his sleep, Xcor saw before him the apparition of a female of rage, the mist swirling about her white robes and frothing them up into the chilly air. Upon her appearance, he knew immediately why she had come out of the thick forestbut her target was as yet unaware of her presence or her purpose.
His father was too busy riding his steed down upon a human woman.
Except then the Bloodletter saw the ghost.
Thereafter, the sequence of events was as set as the lines in Xcors brow: He yelled an alarm and spurred on his stallion whilst his sire dropped the human female he had caught and went gunning for the spirit. Xcor never made it in time. Always, he watched in horror as the female sprang up from the earth and took his father down.
And then the fire . . . the fire the female wrought upon the Bloodletters body was brilliant and white and instantaneous and it consumed Xcors sire within moments, the stench of burning flesh
Xcor bolted upright, his dagger hand gripping his chest, his lungs pumping and yet drawing no air.
Planting his palms onto his pallet of blankets, he propped himself up and was damned glad for being alone in his own quarters. No one needed to see him like this.
As he sought to come back unto reality, his breathing echoed and rebounded, the sounds bouncing off the barren walls and multiplying until they seemed like screams. In a rush, he willed the candle beside him on the floor to light. That was of aid. And then he got up to stretch his body, the process of pulling out his bones and muscles and resettling them into proper alignment helping his brain as well.
He needed food. And blood. And a fight.
Then he would be fully himself.
After dressing in well-worked leather, and putting a dagger into his belt, he went out of his room and into the drafty hallway. In the distance, deep voices and the clanking of pewter plates told him that First Meal had been served down below in the great hall.
The castle he and his band of bastards lived in was the one he had come upon that night his father had been killed, the one that overlooked the sleepy medieval hamlet that had matured into a preindustrial village and then grown in modern times into a small city of about fifty thousand humans.
Which, given the prevalence of Homo sapiens, was naught but a fern in a forest of oaks.
The stronghold suited him perfectlyand for the reasons that had first attracted him to the place. The stout walls of stone, and the moat with the bridge, were still very much in place, and they functioned well to keep people out. Added upon them were plenty of bloody fictions and full truths that cast a whispered pall over his lands and his home and his males. Indeed, for the last hundred years, he and his soldiers had done their duty to propagate the bullshit vampire myths by haunting the roads in the area from time to time.