«Hold his pelvis in place.» The human hopped up onto the stainless-steel table at V’s legs, crouching down to avoid banging his head on the chandelier. «This is going to be a muscle job — there’s no other way to do it. I want you facing me, and I’ll show you where to put your hands.»
Butch got right with the program, sidling in close and reaching down. «Where?»
«Here.» V had some vague sensation of warm weight on both sides of his hips. «Little more to the outside — right. Good.»
Butch looked around his own shoulder at V. «You ready for this?»
Silly question. Like asking someone if they were prepared for a head-on collision.
«Stoked,» V muttered.
«Just focus on me.»
And V did. . seeing the flecks of green in the cop’s hazel eyes and the contours of that busted nose and the five-o’clock shadow.
When the human grabbed V’s lower thigh and started lifting, V jacked up against the table, his head kicking back, his jaw straining.
«Easy, there,» the cop said. «Focus on me.»
Uh-huh, right. There was pain, and then there was PAIN. This was PAIN.
Vishous labored for breath, his neural pathways crammed with signals, his body exploding even as his outer skin stayed intact.
«Tell him to breathe,» someone said. Probably the human.
Yeah, that was going to happen. Not.
«Okay, on three I’m going to force the joint back into place — you ready?»
V had no clue who the guy was talking to, but if it was him, there was no way to answer. His heart was jumping and his lungs were stone and his brain was Las Vegas at night and—
«Three!»
Vishous screamed.
The only thing that was louder was the pop as the hip was relocated, as it were. And the last thing he saw before he checked out of the Conscious Inn & Suites was Jane’s head whipping around in a panic. In her eyes was stark terror, as if the single worst thing that she could imagine was him in agony. .
And that was when he knew that he still loved her.
Up at the mansion, in Qhuinn’s bedroom, there was nothing but a whole lot of silence — which was typical when you dropped a bomb, be it real or metaphorical.
Jesus Christ, he couldn’t believe he’d said the words: Even though only he and Layla were in here, he felt like he’d gone to the top of a building in downtown Caldwell and bullhorned the announcement.
«Your friend,» Layla whispered. «Blaylock.»
Qhuinn’s heart froze. But after a moment, he forced himself to nod. «Yeah. It’s him.»
He waited for some kind of disgust or grimace or. . even shock. Coming from where he did, he was all too versed in homophobia — and Layla was a Chosen, for godsakes, which made that old-school-glymera bull crap look positively enlightened.
Her beautiful stare lingered on his face. «I think I knew. I saw the way he looked at you.»
Well, that was no more. And. . «It doesn’t bother you? That he’s another male?»
There was a slight pause. And then the answer she gave him transformed him in a curious way: «Not in the slightest. Why would it?»
Qhuinn had to look away. Because he worried about what was shining in his eyes. «Thank you.»
«Whatever for?»
All he could do was shrug.
Who’d have thought acceptance would be as curiously painful as all that rejection had always been.
«I think you’d better go,» he said roughly.
«Why?»
’Cause he was strongly considering a job as a lawn sprinkler, and he didn’t want to go all weeping-willow in front of anyone. Even her.
«Sire, it is all right.» Her voice was rock-solid serious. «I judge you not by the sex of whom you love. . but by how you love them.»
«Then you should hate me.» Christ, why the hell was his mouth still going? «Because I broke his fucking heart.»
«So. . he knows not how you feel?»
«Nope.» Qhuinn narrowed his eyes at her. «And he’s not going to, clear? No one knows.»
She inclined her head. «Your secret is safe with me. But I know well the way he regarded you. Mayhap you should tell him—»
«Let me save you from a lesson I learned the hard way. There are times when it is too late. He’s happy now — and he deserves that. Fuck it, I want him to have love, even if I’m just watching it from on the sidelines.»
«But what about you?»
«What about me.» He went to drag his fingers through his hair and realized he’d cut it all off. «Listen, enough with this. . I only told you because I need you to know that this shit between you and me isn’t about you not being good enough or attractive enough. Honestly? I’m done with being with other people sexually. I’m not doing that anymore. It gets me nowhere and. . yeah. I’m finished with all that.»
How ironic. Now that he wasn’t with Blay, he was being faithful to the fucker.
Layla came across to him and sat down on the bed, arranging her legs and smoothing her robe with her elegant, pale hands. «I am glad you told me.»
«You know. . so am I.» He reached out and took her palm. «And I’ve got an idea.»
«Indeed?»
«Friends. You and me. You come here, I’ll feed you, and we’ll hang together. As friends.»
Her smile was incredibly sad. «I must say. . I always knew you cared not for me in that special way. You touched me with great restraint and showed me things that enraptured me — but beneath the flush of passion that I felt, I knew. . »