She blinked, looked up at his face... and screamed.
Chapter Twelve
"You want something to eat, my man?" Phury said to John as they walked into the mansion. The kid looked worn-out, but then anyone would. Getting poked and prodded at was hard work. Phury was a little wiped himself.
As John shook his head and the vestibule's door clamped shut, Tohr came jogging down the staircase looking very much like a nervous father. And this was in spite of the fact that Phury had called in a report on the way home.
The visit to Havers's had been all good, for the most part. Seizure notwithstanding, John was healthy, and the results on his bloodline test would be available soon. With luck, they would get a bead on his ancestry, and that would help John find his kin. So there was no cause for worry.
Still, Tohr put his arm around the boy's shoulders and the kid sagged. Some kind of wordless, eyeball-to-eyeball communication took place, and the brother said, "I think I'll take you home."
John nodded and signed something. Tohr looked up. "He says he forgot to ask you how your leg is."
Phury brought up his knee and knocked on his calf. "Better, thanks. You take care, John, okay?"
He watched as the two of them disappeared through the door under the stairwell.
What a good kid, he thought, And thank God they'd found him before his transition-Page 72
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A female scream ripped into the lobby, as if the sound were alive and had taken a nosedive off the balcony.
Phury's spine turned to ice. Bella.
He bolted up to the second floor and pounded down the hall of statues. When he threw open Zsadist's door, light spilled into the room and the scene was instantly carved into memory: Bella on the bed, cowering against the headboard, sheets clenched to her throat. Z crouched in front of her, hands up, naked from the waist down.
Phury lost it and launched himself at Zsadist, grabbing his twin by the throat and throwing him against the wall.
"What is wrong with you!" he yelled as he crashed Z into the plaster. "You fucking animal!"
Z didn't fight back as he was slammed again. And all he said was, "Take her away. Take her somewhere else."
Rhage and Wrath burst into the room. Both started talking, but Phury couldn't hear anything for the roar between his ears. He'd never hated Z before. Had cut his twin slack for all he'd endured. But going after Bella...
"You sick fuck," Phury hissed. He nailed that hard body to the wail once more. "You sick fuck... God, you disgust me."
Z merely stared back, his black eyes like asphalt, opaque and flat.
Suddenly Rhage's massive arms clamped around them, gathering them up into a bone-crushing bear hug. In a whisper, the brother said, "Bella doesn't need this right now, boys."
Phury dropped his hold and pushed himself free. Yanking his coat back into place, he snapped, "Get him out of here until we move her."
God, he was shaking so badly he was almost hyperventilating. And the anger wouldn't quit, even as Z left voluntarily, with Rhage tight on his heels.
Phury cleared his throat and glanced at Wrath. "My lord, will you give me leave to attend to her in private?"
"Yeah, I will." Wrath's voice was a nasty growl as he headed for the door. "And we'll make sure Z doesn't come back for a while."
Phury looked over at Bella. She was trembling as she blinked and wiped at her eyes. When he approached her, she shrank back against the pillows.
"Bella, it's Phury."
Her body relaxed a little. "Phury?"
"Yeah, it's me."
"I can't see." Her voice quavered like hell. "I can't..."
"I know, it's just the medicine. Let me get something to clean it off."
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He went into the bathroom and came back with a damp cloth, figuring she needed to get a look at her surroundings more than she had to have the ointment.
She flinched as he took her chin in his palm.
"Easy, Bella..." When he put the cloth up to her eyes, she struggled, then clawed at him. "No, no... put your hands down. I'll get it off."
"Phury?" she said hoarsely. "Is it really you?"
"Yes, it's me." He sat down on the edge of the bed. "You're at the Brotherhood's compound. You were brought here about seven hours ago. Your family's been notified that you're safe, and as soon as you want to, you can call them."