think you could—"
"I am capable of mating with a female." His lids dropped, and for a moment he looked frightening. "Under certain circumstances."
From out of nowhere, a shocking image shot into her brain: her naked on a bed with a sable blanket beneath her, Rehv naked and fully aroused, spreading her legs with his hips. On the inside of her thigh, she saw a bite mark, as if he'd fed from the vein there.
As she inhaled sharply and covered her eyes, the vision disappeared and he murmured, "My apologies, tahlly . I fear my fantasies are rather well developed. But don't worry, we can just keep them in my head."
"Dear God, Rehvenge, I never would have guessed. And maybe if things were different…"
"Fair enough." He stared into her face and then shook his head. "I really want to meet this male of yours."
"That's the problem. He's not mine."
"Then like I said, he's a fool." Rehv touched her hair. "And hungry as you are, we're going to have to do this another time, tahlly . That heart of yours isn't going to allow it tonight."
She pushed away from him and stood up, her eyes going to the windows and the glowing city. She wondered where Butch was and what he was doing, then looked back over at Rehv and wanted to know why in the hell she wasn't attracted to him. He was beautiful in the ways of a warrior—potent, thick-blooded, strong… especially now, with his massive body sprawled on the sable-covered couch, his legs spread in blatant sexual invitation.
"I wish I wanted you, Rehv."
He laughed dryly. "Funny, I know just what you mean."
V pushed out through the mansion's vestibule and stood in the courtyard. In the lee of the looming stone manse, he cast his mind out into the night, radar looking for a signal.
"You do not go in alone," Rhage snarled at his ear. "You find the place they're keeping him and you call us."
When V didn't reply, he was grabbed by the back of the neck and shaken like a rag doll. In spite of the fact that he was a jacked six-foot-six.
Rhage's face pushed into his, all no-fooling-around . "Vishous. You hear me?"
"Yeah, whatever." He shoved the male off him, only to become very aware that they were not alone. The rest of the Brotherhood was waiting, armed and angry, a cannon ready to be fired. Except… in the midst of all their aggression, they were looking over at him with worry. As the concern drove him nuts, he turned away.
V marshaled his mind and sifted through the night, trying to find the small echo of himself inside Butch. Penetrating the darkness, he searched across fields and mountains and frozen lakes and rushing streams… out… out… out—
Oh, God.
Butch was alive. Barely. And he was… north and east. Twelve, maybe fifteen miles away.
As V took out his Glock, an iron hand grabbed his arm. Rhage was back with a hard-on. "You do not take those lessers on alone."
"I got it."
"Swear to me," Rhage snapped. Like he knew damn well V was thinking of rushing whoever held Butch and only calling for cleanup.
Except this was personal, not just about the war between the vampires and the Lessening Society. Those undead bastards had taken his—well, he didn't know what Butch was to him specifically. But it ran deeper than anything he'd felt in a long time.
"Vishous—"
"I'll call you when I'm good and fucking ready." V dematerialized free of his brother's hold.
Traveling in a loose scramble of molecules, he misted out into Caldwell's rural farmland to a grove of woods beyond a pond that was still frozen. He triangulated his reappearance about a hundred yards away from the signal he got from Butch, coming together crouched and ready for a fight.
Which was a good plan because, holy hell, he could feel lessers everywhere—
V frowned and held his breath. Moving slowly, he turned in a semicircle, searching with his eyes and his ears, not his instincts. There were no slayers around. There was nothing around. Not even a shack or a hunting lodge—
Abruptly, he shuddered. No, there
"I am capable of mating with a female." His lids dropped, and for a moment he looked frightening. "Under certain circumstances."
From out of nowhere, a shocking image shot into her brain: her naked on a bed with a sable blanket beneath her, Rehv naked and fully aroused, spreading her legs with his hips. On the inside of her thigh, she saw a bite mark, as if he'd fed from the vein there.
As she inhaled sharply and covered her eyes, the vision disappeared and he murmured, "My apologies, tahlly . I fear my fantasies are rather well developed. But don't worry, we can just keep them in my head."
"Dear God, Rehvenge, I never would have guessed. And maybe if things were different…"
"Fair enough." He stared into her face and then shook his head. "I really want to meet this male of yours."
"That's the problem. He's not mine."
"Then like I said, he's a fool." Rehv touched her hair. "And hungry as you are, we're going to have to do this another time, tahlly . That heart of yours isn't going to allow it tonight."
She pushed away from him and stood up, her eyes going to the windows and the glowing city. She wondered where Butch was and what he was doing, then looked back over at Rehv and wanted to know why in the hell she wasn't attracted to him. He was beautiful in the ways of a warrior—potent, thick-blooded, strong… especially now, with his massive body sprawled on the sable-covered couch, his legs spread in blatant sexual invitation.
"I wish I wanted you, Rehv."
He laughed dryly. "Funny, I know just what you mean."
V pushed out through the mansion's vestibule and stood in the courtyard. In the lee of the looming stone manse, he cast his mind out into the night, radar looking for a signal.
"You do not go in alone," Rhage snarled at his ear. "You find the place they're keeping him and you call us."
When V didn't reply, he was grabbed by the back of the neck and shaken like a rag doll. In spite of the fact that he was a jacked six-foot-six.
Rhage's face pushed into his, all no-fooling-around . "Vishous. You hear me?"
"Yeah, whatever." He shoved the male off him, only to become very aware that they were not alone. The rest of the Brotherhood was waiting, armed and angry, a cannon ready to be fired. Except… in the midst of all their aggression, they were looking over at him with worry. As the concern drove him nuts, he turned away.
V marshaled his mind and sifted through the night, trying to find the small echo of himself inside Butch. Penetrating the darkness, he searched across fields and mountains and frozen lakes and rushing streams… out… out… out—
Oh, God.
Butch was alive. Barely. And he was… north and east. Twelve, maybe fifteen miles away.
As V took out his Glock, an iron hand grabbed his arm. Rhage was back with a hard-on. "You do not take those lessers on alone."
"I got it."
"Swear to me," Rhage snapped. Like he knew damn well V was thinking of rushing whoever held Butch and only calling for cleanup.
Except this was personal, not just about the war between the vampires and the Lessening Society. Those undead bastards had taken his—well, he didn't know what Butch was to him specifically. But it ran deeper than anything he'd felt in a long time.
"Vishous—"
"I'll call you when I'm good and fucking ready." V dematerialized free of his brother's hold.
Traveling in a loose scramble of molecules, he misted out into Caldwell's rural farmland to a grove of woods beyond a pond that was still frozen. He triangulated his reappearance about a hundred yards away from the signal he got from Butch, coming together crouched and ready for a fight.
Which was a good plan because, holy hell, he could feel lessers everywhere—
V frowned and held his breath. Moving slowly, he turned in a semicircle, searching with his eyes and his ears, not his instincts. There were no slayers around. There was nothing around. Not even a shack or a hunting lodge—
Abruptly, he shuddered. No, there
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