Lover Eternal tbdb-2

by J. R. Ward

  Everyone was silent as V drove them behind the house and into the mountain's thick beard of pines and hemlocks. The road was a single dirt lane, crowded by the evergreen trees.

  As they shot along, Rhage couldn't stand the tense silence a minute longer.

  "Oh, for God's sake, my brothers. You're not going to kill me. Could we lighten up a little?"

  No one would look at him.

  "V, put on some Luda or Fifty, will ya? All this quiet is boring."

  Phury's laugh came out of the robe on the right. "Only you could try to turn this into a party."

  "Well, hell, you've all wanted to nail me a good one for some shit I've popped, right? This is your lucky day." He clapped Phury on the thigh. "I mean, come on, my brother, I've ridden you for years about the no females. And Wrath, a couple months ago I needled you until you stabbed a wall. V, just the other day you threatened to use that hand of yours on me. Remember? When I told you what I thought about that goatee monstrosity?"

  V chuckled. "I had to do something to shut you up. Every damn time I've run into you since I grew it, you ask me if I've French-kissed a tailpipe."

  "And I'm still convinced you're doing my GTO, you bastard."

  That got the ball rolling. Rhage stories started flying around until the voices were so loud, no one could hear anyone else.

  As his brothers blew off steam, Rhage settled back against the seat, looking out into the night. He hoped like hell the Scribe Virgin knew what she was doing, because if his beast got loose in the Tomb, his brothers were in deep shit. And they just might have to kill him after all.

  He frowned and looked around. He located Wrath behind him. Could tell who it was because the king's black diamond ring was on the male's middle finger.

  Rhage arched back and whispered, "My lord, I beg of a favor."

  Wrath leaned forward, his voice deep and even. "What do you need?"

  "If I don't… make it through this, for whatever reason, I beg of you to watch over Mary."

  The hood nodded. In the Old Language, the king said, "As you wish, so I am sworn. I shall look upon her as I would my own blooded sister and caretake her as I would any female of mine own family."

  Rhage exhaled. "That is good. That is… good."

  Soon enough, V parked the Escalade in a small clearing. They got out and stood around, listening, looking, sensing.

  All things considered it was a nice evening, and this was a serene place to be. The breeze winding its way through the countless branches and trunks of the forest carried a pleasing smell of earth and pine. Overhead, a fat moon glowed through milky clouds.

  When Wrath gave the signal, they walked a hundred yards over to a cave set into the mountain. The place looked like absolutely nothing special, even when you walked inside. You had to know what you were looking for to find the little seam in the wall in the back. If triggered correctly, a slab of stone slid open.

  As they filed inside the cave's inner belly, the wedge of rock closed behind them with a whisper. Torches mounted on the walls flickered gold as their flames breathed into the air, puffing and hissing.

  The walk into the earth was a slow, easy descent on a rock floor that was cold beneath the feet. When they got to the bottom they disrobed, and a pair of cast-iron doors opened. The hall ahead was about fifty feet long and twenty feet high and covered with shelves.

  On these racks, thousands of ceramic jars of various sizes and shapes reflected light. Each container held the heart of a lesser, the organ the Omega removed during the Society's induction ceremony. During a lesser's existence as a slayer, the jar was his only real personal possession, and if possible, the Brotherhood collected them after a kill.

  At the end of the hall, there was another set of double doors. These were already open.

  The Brotherhood's sanctum sanctorum had been carved out of bedrock and veneered in black marble back in the early 1700s when the first migration from Europe had come across the ocean. The room was good-sized and had a ceiling of white stalactites that hung down like daggers. Massive candles, as thick as a male's arm and as long as his leg, were plugged into black iron stations, their flames nearly as luminous as those of the torches.

  Down in front there was a raised platform, accessed by a series of shallow steps. The altar on top was made out of a slab of limestone that had been brought over from the Old Country, its great weight propped up horizontally by two rough-cut stone lintels. In the center of the thing was a skull.

  Behind the altar, a flat wall was etched with the names of every brother there had ever been, back to the very first one whose cranium was on the altar. The inscriptions ran in panels that covered every inch of the surface, save for an unmarked stretch in the middle. This smooth portion was about six feet wide and ran the whole vertical of the marble expanse. In the midst of it, about five feet up from the floor, two thick pegs jutted out, positioned so a male could grip them and hold himself in place.

  The air smelled so very familiar: damp earth and beeswax candles.

  "Greetings, Brotherhood."

  They all turned to the female voice.

  The Scribe Virgin was a tiny figure in the far corner, her black robes hovering above the floor. Nothing of her was visible, not even her face, but from underneath the draping black folds, light spilled out like water falling.

  She floated toward them, stopping in front of Wrath. "Warrior."

  He bowed low. "Scribe Virgin."

  She greeted each one in turn, saving Rhage for last. "Rhage, son of Tohrture."

  "Scribe Virgin." He inclined his head.

  "How fare you?"

  "I am well." Or he would be, as soon as this was over.

  "And you have been busy, have you not? Continuing to set new precedents, as is your affection. Pity they are not in laudable directions." She laughed with an edge. "Somehow, it is no surprise we ended up here with you. You are aware, are you not, that this is the first rythe ever to be exchanged within the Brotherhood?"

  Not exactly, he thought. Tohr had turned down one offered by Wrath back in July.

  But it wasn't like he was going to point that out to her.

  "Warrior, are you prepared to accept what you have offered?"

  "I am." He chose his next words very carefully, because you didn't pose a question to the Scribe Virgin. Not unless you wanted to eat your own ass. "I would beg of you that I do not hurt my brothers."

  Her voice grew hard. "You are perilously close to inquiry."

  "I mean no offense."

  That low, soft chuckle came again.

  Man, he bet she was enjoying the hell out this. She'd never liked him, although it wasn't as if he could blame her. He'd given her antipathy plenty of reasons to breed.

  "You mean no offense, warrior?" The robes moved as if she were shaking her head. "On the contrary, you never hesitate to offend to get what you wish, and that has always been your problem. It is also why we have been brought here together this night." She turned away. "You have the weapon?"

  Phury put down the duffel, unzipped it, and took out the tri-whip. The two-foot-long handle was made of wood and covered with brown leather that had been darkened by the sweat of many hands. Out of the rod's tip, three lengths of blackened steel chain swung in the air. At the end of each of them there was a spiked dangler, like a pinecone with barbs.

  The tri-whip was an ancient, vicious weapon, but Tohr had chosen wisely. In order for the ritual to be considered successful, the brothers could spare Rhage nothing either in the type of weapon they used or the way they put it to his skin. To give leniency would be to demean the integrity of the tradition, the regret he was offering, and the chance for a true cleansing.

  "So be it," she said. "Proceed to the wall, Rhage, son of Tohrture."

  He went forward, climbing the stairs two at a time. As he passed the altar, he gazed at the sacred skull, watching firelight lick over the eye sockets and the long fangs. Positioning himself against the black marble, he gripped the stone pegs and felt c
old smoothness on his back.

  The Scribe Virgin drifted up to him and lifted her arm. Her sleeve fell back, and a glow bright as a welder's arc was revealed, the stinging light vaguely shaped like a hand. A low-level electrical hum went through him, and he felt something shift inside his torso, as if his internal organs had been rearranged.

  "You may begin the ritual."

  The brothers lined up, their naked bodies gleaming with strength, their faces drawn into deep grooves. Wrath took the tri-whip from Phury and came forward first. As he moved, the weapon's links chimed with the sweetness of a bird's call.

  "Brother," the king said softly.

  "My lord."

  Rhage stared into those sunglasses as Wrath started swinging the whip in a wide circle to build momentum. A droning sound started low and crescendoed until the weapon came forward, slicing through the air. The chains hit Rhage's chest and then the barbs clawed into him, grabbing the air out of his lungs. As he bore down on the pegs, he kept his head up while his vision dimmed and then returned.

  Tohr was next, his blow knocking the wind out of Rhage so that his knees sagged before they accepted his weight again. Vishous and Phury followed.

  Each time, he met the pained eyes of his brothers in hopes of easing their anguish, but as Phury turned away, Rhage could no longer support his head. He let it fall on his shoulder and so caught sight of the blood running down his chest, over his thighs, and onto his feet. A pool was forming on the floor, reflecting the light of the candles, and staring at the red mess made him woozy. Determined to remain standing, he cocked his elbows so it was his joints and bones, not his muscles, that kept him in place.

  When there was a lull, he became dimly aware of some kind of argument. He blinked several times before his eyes were clear enough to see.

  Phury was holding out the whip and Zsadist was backing away from the thing in what seemed a lot like terror. Z's fisted hands were held up high and his nipple rings flashed in the firelight as he breathed far too heavily. The brother was the color of fog, his skin gray and unnaturally shiny.

  Phury spoke gently and tried to take Zsadist's arm. Z pivoted wildly, but Phury stayed with him. As they moved in a grim dance, the whip marks covering Z's back shifted with his muscles.

  This approach was going nowhere, Rhage thought. Zsadist was closing in on full panic, like a cornered animal. There had to be some other way to reach him.

  Rhage took a deep breath and opened his mouth. Nothing came out. He tried again.

  "Zsadist…" His reedy voice brought all eyes to the altar. "Finish it, Z… Can't… can't hold myself up much longer."

  "No—"

  Phury cut Zsadist off. "You have to—"

  "No! Get the fuck away from me."

  Z bolted for the door, but the Scribe Virgin got there first, forcing him to spin out to a stop so he didn't run her over. Trapped in front of the diminutive figure, his legs trembled and his shoulders shook. She talked to him quietly, the words not carrying far enough for Rhage to decipher through his haze of pain.

  Finally the Scribe Virgin motioned to Phury, who brought the weapon over to her. When she had it, she reached out, took Z's hand, and placed the leather-bound grip on his palm. She pointed to the altar and Zsadist dropped his head. A moment later he came up front with a lurching stride.

  When Rhage looked at the brother, he almost suggested someone else do the deed for Z. Those black eyes were cracked open so wide, there was white all around the irises. And Zsadist kept swallowing, his throat working like it was keeping a scream down in his chest.

  "S'okay, my brother," Rhage murmured. "But you need to finish. Now."

  Z panted and swayed, sweat rolling into his eyes and down the scar on his face.

  "Do it."

  "Brother," Z whispered, lifting the whip over his shoulder.

  He didn't swing it for momentum, probably couldn't have coordinated his arm that well at this point. But he was strong, and the weapon sang as it traveled through the air. The chains and danglers streaked across Rhage's stomach in a blaze of needles.

  Rhage's knees gave out and he tried to catch himself with his arms, only to find that they too refused to hold him. He fell to his knees, palms landing in his own blood.

  But at least it was over. He took long breaths, determined not to pass out.

  Abruptly a rushing sound cut through the sanctuary, something like metal against metal. He didn't think much about it. He was busy talking to his stomach, trying to convince it that dry heaves were in fact not a really good plan.

  When he was ready, he crawled on his hands and knees around the altar, taking a breather before he tackled the steps. As he glanced ahead, he saw that the brothers had lined up again. Rhage rubbed his eyes at what was before him, getting blood on his face.

  This was not part of the ritual, he thought.

  Each one of the brothers had a black dagger in his right hand. Wrath started the chant and the others carried it until their voices were loud shouts reverberating around the sanctorum. The buildup didn't stop until they were almost screaming, and then their voices cut off abruptly.

  As a unit, they slashed their daggers across their upper chests.

  Zsadist's cut was the deepest.

  CHAPTER 30

  Mary was downstairs in the billiard room, talking to Fritz about the history of the house, when the doggen's ears picked up a sound she hadn't heard.

  "That would be the sires returning."

  She went to one of the windows just as a pair of headlights swung around the courtyard.

  The Escalade came to a stop, its doors opened, and the men got out. With the hoods on their robes down, she recognized them from the first night she'd come to the mansion. The guy with the goatee and the tattoos at one of his temples. The man with the spectacular hair. The scarred terror and the military officer. The only one she hadn't seen before was a man with long black hair and sunglasses.

  God, their expressions were bleak. Maybe someone had been hurt.

  She searched for Rhage, trying not to panic.

  The group milled around and condensed at the back of the SUV just as someone came out of the gatehouse and held the door open. Mary recognized the guy between the jambs as the one who'd caught the football in the foyer.

  With all of the big male bodies crowded in a tight circle at the rear of the Escalade, it was hard to tell what they were doing. But it seemed like some kind of heavy weight was being shifted among them…

  A blond head of hair caught the light.

  Rhage. Unconscious. And his body was being carried toward that open door.

  Mary was out of the mansion before she realized she was running.

  "Rhage! Stop! Wait!" Cold air streaked into her lungs. "Rhage!"

  At the sound of her voice, he jerked and threw a limp hand out to her. The men stopped. A couple of them cursed.

  "Rhage!" She ground to a halt, kicking up pebbles. "What… oh… lord."

  There was blood on his face, and his eyes were unfocused from pain.

  "Rhage…"

  His mouth opened. Worked soundlessly.

  One of the men said, "Shit, we might as well take him to his room now."

  "Of course you'll take him there! Was he hurt fighting?"

  No one answered her. They just changed direction and muscled Rhage through the mansion's vestibule, across the foyer and up the stairs. After they'd laid him on his bed, the guy with the goatee and tattoos on his face smoothed Rhage's hair back.

  "Brother, maybe we could bring you something for the pain?"

  Rhage's voice was garbled. "Nothing. Better this way. You know rules. Mary… where's Mary?"

  She went to the bedside and took his slack hand. As she pressed her lips to his knuckles, she realized the robe was in perfect condition, with no rips or tears. Which meant he hadn't had the thing on when he'd been hurt. And someone had put it back on him.

  With a horrible intuition, she reached for the braided leather tie around his waist. Sh
e loosened it and pulled the edges or the robe open. From his collarbones to his hips he was covered with white bandages. And blood had welled through, a bright, shocking red.

  Afraid to look, needing to know, she gently untaped one corner and lifted.

  "Dear God." She swayed and one of the brothers caught her. "How did this happen?"

  When the group remained silent, she pushed whoever was holding her up away and looked at them all. They were unmoving, staring at Rhage…

  And in as much pain as he was. Sweet Jesus, they couldn't have…

  The goateed one met her eyes.

  They did.

  "You did this," she hissed. "You did this to him!"

  "Yes," said the one with the sunglasses. "And it's none of your business."

  "You bastards."

  Rhage made a sound and then cleared his throat. "Leave us."

  "We'll be back to check on you, Hollywood," said the guy with long multicolored hair. "Do you need anything?"

  "Other than a skin graft?" Rhage smiled a little and then winced as he shifted on the bed.

  While the men went out the door, she glared at their strong backs. Those goddamned… animals.

  "Mary?" Rhage murmured. "Mary."

  She tried to pull it together. Getting all worked up over those thugs wasn't going to help Rhage right now.

  She looked down at him, choked back her fury, and said, "Will you let me call that doctor you talked about? What was his name?"

  "No."

  She wanted to tell him to lose the tough-guy-bearing-pain-nobly crap. But she knew he'd fight her, and an argument was the last thing he needed.

  "Do you want the robe off or on?" she asked.

  "Off. If you can stand the sight of me."

  "Don't worry about that."

  She untied the leather belt and peeled the black silk off him, wanting to scream as he rolled back and forth to help her while grunting in pain. When they were finished getting the thing out from under him, blood seeped down his side.

  That beautiful duvet was going to be ruined, she thought, not giving a shit.

  "You've lost a lot of blood." She rolled up the heavy robe.