Lover Eternal: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward Page B

chest.
     
God, that felt fantastic. He craned his head back, letting the soap and water wash away the remnants of the beast's doing.
     
Too soon the shower was off. A towel was wrapped around his hips while another one dried him off. "There anything else we can do for you before you get horizontal?" Butch asked.
     
"Alka-Seltzer. Cabinet."
     
"V, fire up some of that shit, would you?" Butch's arm came around Rhage's waist. "Lean on me, buddy. Yeah, that's right— whoa . Damn, we've got to stop feeding you."
     
Rhage let himself be led across the marble floor and onto the carpet in the bedroom.
     
"All right, big guy, down you go."
     
Oh, yeah . Bed. Bed was good.
     
"And look who's here. It's Nurse Vishous."
     
Rhage felt his head get tilted up and then a glass was put to his lips. When he'd taken all he could, he collapsed against the pillows. He was about to pass out again when he heard Butch's hushed voice.
     
"At least the bullet went through him clean. But, man, he doesn't look good."
     
V answered quietly. "He'll be all right in a day or so. He recovers quickly from anything, but it's still tough."
     
"That creature was something else."
    "He worries a lot about it coming out." There was the rasp of a lighter and then a fresh waft of that wonderful tobacco. "He tries not to show how afraid of it he is. Gotta keep up that glossy front and all. But he's terrified of hurting someone."
"First question he asked when he came back was whether you and I were okay."
     
Rhage tried to force himself to sleep. The black void was a hell of a lot better than listening to his friends pity him.
     
Ninety-one years, eight months, four days. And then he would be free.
     
Mary was desperate to get to sleep. She closed her eyes. Did the deep breathing thing. Relaxed her toes one by one. Ran through all the telephone numbers she knew. None of it worked.
     
She rolled over and stared at the ceiling. When her mind kicked up an image of John, she was grateful. The boy was better than so many other subjects she could dwell on.
     
She couldn't believe he was twenty-three, although the more she thought about him, it did seem possible. Matrix fixation aside, he was incredibly mature. Old, really.
    When it had come time for him to go, she'd insisted on driving him back to his apartment. Bella had asked to come, too, so the three of them had gone downtown with his bike sticking out of the back of the Civic. Leaving the boy in front of that miserable apartment building had been hard. She'd almost begged him to come home with her.
    But at least he'd agreed to be at Bella's tomorrow night. And maybe the martial-arts academy would open some doors for him. She had a feeling he didn't have many friends, and thought Bella was sweet to make the effort on his behalf.
    With a little grin, Mary pictured the way John had looked at the other woman. Such shy admiration. And Bella handled the attention gracefully, though she was no doubt used to those kind of stares. Probably got them all the time.
For a moment Mary indulged herself and imagined looking out at the world through Bella's flawless eyes. And walking on Bella's flawless legs. And swinging Bella's flawless hair over a shoulder.
    The fantasizing was a good diversion. She decided she'd go toNew York City and strut downFifth Avenue wearing something fabulous. No, the beach. She'd head for the beach in a black bikini. Hell, maybe a black bikini with a thong .
Okay, this was getting a little creepy.
     
Still, it would have been great, just once, to have a man stare at her with total adoration. To have him be… enthralled . Yes, that was the word. She would have loved for a man to be enthralled by her.
    Except it was never going to happen. That time in her life, of youth and beauty and dewy sexuality, had passed. Had never been, actually. And now she was a nothing-special thirty-one-year-old who'd led a very hard life, thanks to the cancer.
Mary groaned. Oh, this was great. She wasn't