The King (Black Dagger Brotherhood #12) - J.R. Ward Page 0,134

The shutters were going down for the day, the panels locking into place at the sills.

So this had been going on for … eight hours? Nine?

There were no sounds from downstairs, but then the Brothers had probably all been affected by her hormones. The females as well.

Wrath lifted himself up, his muscles straining, his arms trembling. “How are you?”

Beth opened her mouth to answer, but only a croak came out.

“You’re going to want my vein still,” he said, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. “You need it.”

“What about—” As her voice cracked, she cleared her throat. “What about you?”

He looked gaunt, his cheeks hollowed out as if he’d lost twenty-five pounds—but he shook his head. “My only concern is you.”

The image of him grew wavy as tears speared.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “Oh, God … I’m so sorry.”

“About what?”

“This … whole thing.”

He shook his head. “This would have happened sooner or later.”

“But I—”

Wrath dropped his mouth to hers and kissed her softly. “No more of that. We go forward from tonight. Whatever happens … we fucking deal, okay?”

There was no time for her to reply. Abruptly, the needing geared up once again, that tide rising, the heat uncoiling in her sex and driving right into her heart.

“Oh, God,” she moaned, “I thought it was over.”

“Not yet.” He didn’t seem surprised at all. “We’re not finished…”

iAm was standing over the stove down in the kitchen when he sensed his brother’s appearance. He didn’t even need to turn around from the pot of stew he’d thrown together: the air in the room changed—and not in a good way.

Trez was also not alone. And he knew that not because he caught Selena’s scent … but because he caught his brother’s.

iAm cursed under his breath as he stirred. The motherfucker had bonded.

Fantastic.

Hell, iAm had had some hope that, with all the hormones flooding the household, whatever sex those two had gotten down with had been the result of someone else’s needing.

Great theory. Except Shadows were immune to that kind of shit.

“You weren’t supposed to be the one who serviced him,” iAm muttered as he put more sea salt into the mix.

“Watch your tone.”

iAm pivoted around and glared at the dumb-ass. “I have an idea. How about you—for once—make a good decision about a female. Then I won’t have to get pissy.”

The Chosen standing beside Trez kicked her chin up. “If you want to blame someone, do not address him. I chose to go unto him even though you asked for another.”

iAm turned back to his pot. “Great. Congratulations and welcome to the family.”

His brother materialized over to him, spun him around and grabbed him by the throat. “Apologize to her—”

iAm leaned into the iron grip, baring his fangs. “Fuck you, Trez.”

“You want a piece?” his brother growled. “You want a fucking—”

“Do it. I fucking dare you—”

“Don’t push me—”

“I’m trying to save your ass! You fucking—”

As the pair of them escalated toward an implosion to rival Wrath’s from the night before, the Chosen walked over and spoke evenly.

“He told me,” she cut in. “Everything. And it strikes me that the two of you are alone in this situation. So mayhap Last Meal instead of fisticuffs, shall we.”

iAm turned his head at the same time Trez did.

As the pair of them faced off at the totally calm and controlled Chosen, Trez did the unheard-of—and dropped his hand. Stepped off. Crossed his arms over his chest.

He was still furious to the core, but the call to heel was obeyed with such ease, you had to wonder if maybe the bonding bullshit might not be useful—to a point.

iAm glared at his brother. “I don’t know what to say to you.”

“Selena, will you give us a sec?”

The Chosen nodded. “Mayhap I’ll just return up north. And give you two plenty of space.”

Trez frowned. “You don’t have to go.”

Selena’s eyes went back and forth. “Actually, I think I do. You know where I’ll be—and please. Do not tear each other asunder. It will only make all of this worse.”

iAm braced himself for a gag-worthy display of good-byeing, but the female further impressed him by bowing slightly and taking off. No muss, no fuss.

Shit, he could almost like her. If he weren’t so angry at his idiot brother—

“I want to meet with s’Ex. Today.”

iAm crossed his own arms and leaned back against the stove. “Because you think you’re going to talk sense into him? I already got real with the bastard—and he’s more than ready to do his job.”

“Can