Lover Mine (Black Dagger Brotherhood 8)

"No. . . " she whispered. "It's not that. "

"So why do you think there's a ghost. "

A knock on the door sounded out and Stan's voice was muffled. "Are you two fucking or can I go to bed now. "

Gregg frowned and whipped his head toward the window. That lone figure stepped out into the wash of moonlight. . . and disappeared right into thin air.

"Because I just had sex with him," Holly said. "I had sex with Eliahu Rathboone. "

Chapter Twenty-four

Outside in the basement hallway at Xhex's, John was wearing a path in the stone floor. Up and back. Up and back. While he heard absolutely nothing through the door to the bedroom.

Which he supposed was a good thing--no screaming or curses hopefully meant that Doc Jane's exam wasn't causing pain.

He'd texted Rehvenge and told the male that Xhex had been found and they were going to try to get her back to the compound. He didn't mention the basement place, however. Clearly she wanted to keep this private, because if Rehv had known about it, the guy would have insisted on coming here after she wasn't at the hunting cabin.

After checking his watch, John raked his hands through his hair again and wondered how bonded males like Wrath and Rhage and Z handled shit like this--Christ, Z had had to go through watching Bella give birth. How the hell did they--

The door opened and he wheeled around, his soles squeaking on the floor.

Doc Jane was grim. "She's agreed to go to the compound. V should be outside waiting in the Escalade--can you see if he's there?"

John signed, Is she okay?

"She's been through a lot. Go check if the car's there, will you? And you're going to have to carry her out, okay? I don't want her walking and I'm not using a stretcher because we don't need to cause a scene on the street. "

John didn't fuck around and bolted out of the basement. Right on the curb, with lights off but the engine running, was the SUV. Behind the wheel, there was a flare of orange as V took an inhale from his hand- rolled.

The Brother put his window down. "We taking her in?"

John nodded once and rushed back inside.

When he came up to the door of Xhex's room, it was closed, so he knocked softly.

"One minute," Doc Jane called out, her voice muffled. "Okay. "

He opened up and found Xhex still on her side. A towel had been wrapped around her and a fresh sheet draped her from head to foot.

Christ. . . he wished her skin offered a little more contrast to all that white shit.

John approached and thought it was odd. He'd never seen himself as taller than her before. Now he towered and not just because she was prone.

I'm going to pick you up now, he signed while mouthing the words.

Her eyes locked on his and then she nodded and tried to sit up. As she struggled, he bent down and scooped her into his arms.

She didn't weigh enough.

When he straightened, Doc Jane quickly flipped the covers on the bed into a fold and motioned toward the door.

The stiffness in Xhex's body was costing her energy and he wanted to tell her to relax, but even if he'd had a voice, that would have been a waste. She wasn't the kind to be carried under any circumstances, by anyone.

At least. . . normally.

The corridor seemed twelve miles long, and outside, the three yards that it took for him to cross the sidewalk to the SUV was twice that far.

V hopped out from behind the wheel and opened the rear door. "She can stretch out here. I put down blankets before I left. "