Lover Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood #8)(57)

As he drove away, he hated the idea of returning to that f*cking ranch.

But at the moment, he was out of options--and had other things to f*cking worry about rather than where he stayed.

He needed to find Xhex. If she'd been on her own, there was no way

she could have gone far. She'd been too weak. So the Brotherhood had to have her.

Jesus Christ . . . with his father showing up at one a.m. for the

induction, he had to get her back fast. Either that or find someone he could make do with.

The knock that woke John up was a real knuckle-bouncer, loud as a

gun.

The instant he heard it, he was totally upright. As he rubbed his eyes, he whistled a "come in" and prayed it was nothing but Qhuinn with a tray of First Meal.

The door wasn't opened.

John frowned and dropped his hands.

Shifting to his feet, he grabbed a pair of jeans and pulled them up to his hips, then went over and . . . Wrath was standing in the doorway with George by his side, and he was not alone. The boys and Rehvenge were with him, as were all of the other Brothers, including Tohr.

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Oh . . . God . . . no.

His hands signed fast even as his heart stopped dead. Where was the body found?

"She's alive," Rehvenge answered as he held out a phone. "I just got the message. Hit four."

John took a second to internalize the information. Then he snapped

the cell out of the male's hand and punched the key. There was a beep and then . . .

Holy shit . . . her voice. Her voice.

"Rehv . . . I'm out. I got out." There was a low, deep sigh. "I'm okay.

I'm intact. I'm out." Long pause. To the point that John was about to check to see if the--"I need some time. I'm safe . . . but I'm not coming back for a little while. I need some time. Tell everyone . . . tell . . . everyone. I'll be in touch." Another pause and then her voice grew strong to the point of anger.

"As soon as I can . . . Lash is mine. Do you understand me? No one takes him out but me."

The message ended.

John hit four again and listened.

After the second time, he handed the thing back to Rehv and met

those amethyst eyes head-on. He was well aware Rehv had been around

Xhex for years and years. Knew the guy shared not just experience with her but the symphath blood that in many ways changed everything. Knew that the male was older and wiser and all that shit.

But the bonded male in John put them on equal footing when it came

to her.

And then some.

Where would she go? he signed.

After Qhuinn translated, Rehv nodded. "She's got a hunting cabin about fifteen miles north of here. On the Hudson River. I'm thinking that's where she is. She'd have access to a phone there and it's safe. I'm going up at nightfall alone. Unless you join me."

No one seemed surprised by the exchange . . . but then John realized

his secret had to be out. After the way he'd behaved up in that bedroom at the brownstone--to say nothing of how he'd torn into that lesser, they all knew how he felt about Xhex.

That was the reason the group had come. They were recognizing his

status, paying it due. The rights and boundaries of bonded males were respected when it came to their females.

John glanced at Qhuinn and signed, Tell him I'll go.

After his boy translated, Rehv nodded and then turned to Wrath. "I go 152

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with him and him alone. He can't bring Qhuinn. We're going to have enough trouble with her if the pair of us show up unannounced."

Wrath frowned. "Damn it, Rehv--"

"She's a flight risk. I've been through this once before with her.

Anyone else shows, she's going to bolt and she's not going to call again.

Besides, John here . . . he'll follow me anyway, won't you, son. You'll ditch Qhuinn and follow me anyway."

John didn't hesitate to nod.

As Qhuinn cursed like a motherf*cker, Wrath shook his head. "Why in the hell I gave you him as an ahstrux . . ."

There was a period of tense silence, during which the king measured

both John and Rehv. Then he said, "Oh, for f*ck's sake, fine--I'll let you go without your guard this one time, but you do not engage the enemy. You go to that cabin, and only there, and then you come back and get Qhuinn before you head out into the field. We clear?"

John nodded and turned away to hit the bathroom.

"Ten minutes," Rehv said. "You got ten minutes and we're driving out."

John was ready in four and downstairs pacing the foyer in six. He was fully weaponized, as was protocol, and covered in protective leather. More to the point, he was alive to the point of mania, his blood humming at a tornadic pitch.

As he paced, he felt eyes on him. From the billiard room. From the

dining room. From up above on the second floor's balcony. Silent mouths, but eyes that missed nothing.

The Brotherhood and the other members of the house were clearly

reeling from the Xhex connection and he supposed he could understand.

Surprise! He'd bonded with a symphath.

But you couldn't help who you fell in love with--or change the

feelings of someone who didn't love you back.