Lover Eternal: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood
panicking, but she was knee-deep in self-pity. And the shit was like sludge, clingy and disgusting.
     
She clicked on the light and reached for Vanity Fair with grim resolve. Dominick Dunne, take me away , she thought.
Chapter Seven
    After Rhage fell asleep, Butch walked with V down the hall to Wrath's private study. Usually Butch didn't hang around for Brotherhood business, but Vishous was going to report on what they'd found on the way home, and Butch was the only one who'd gotten a look at the lesser in the tree.
    As he came through the door, he had the same reaction he always did to theVersailles decor: It just didn't fit. All the gold curlicue things on the walls and the paintings of little fat boys with wings on die ceiling and the flimsy, fancy furniture. The place looked like a hangout for those old-fashioned, powdered-wig French guys. Not a war room for a bunch of heavy-duty fighters.
    But whatever. The Brotherhood had moved into the mansion because it was convenient and secure, not because they liked the way it was tricked up.
He picked a chair with spindly legs and tried to sit down without letting all of his weight go. As he settled in, he shot a nod to Tohrment, who was on the silk-covered couch across the way. The vampire took up most of the piece of furniture, his big body sprawled across the powder-blue cushions. His military-cut black hair and his thick shoulders pronounced him a hard-ass, but that navy-blue gaze of his told another story.
    Underneath all the warrior tough stuff, Tohr was a really nice guy. And surprisingly empathic, considering he kicked around the undead for a living. He was the official leader of the Brotherhood since Wrath had ascended to the throne two months ago, and the only fighter who didn't live at the mansion. Tohr's shellan , Wellsie, was expecting their first child and not about to move in with a bunch of single guys. And who could blame her?
"So I guess you boys had some fun on the way home," Tohr said to Vishous.
     
"Yeah, Rhage really let loose," V replied as he poured himself a shot of vodka from the wet bar.
    Phury came in next and nodded hello. Butch liked the brother a lot, even though they didn't have much in common. Well, except for their wardrobe fetish, although even there they differed. Butch's clotheshorse routine was a fresh coat of paint on a cheap house. Phury's style and masculine elegance were down to the bone. He was lethal, there was no doubt about it, but he had a metrosexual vibe to him.
    The refined-gentleman impression wasn't just a result of his sharp duds, like the black cashmere sweater and fine twill slacks he was sporting right now. The brother had the most amazing head of hair Butch had ever seen. The long, thick waves of blond and red and brown were outrageously beautiful, even for a woman. And his odd yellow eyes, that shone bright as gold in the sunshine, added to his whole deal.
Why he was celibate was a total mystery.
    As Phury went over to the bar and poured himself a glass of port, his limp was barely noticeable. Butch had heard that the guy's lower leg had been lost somewhere along the line. He had an artificial limb now, and evidently it didn't hinder him on the battlefield in the slightest.
Butch glanced over as someone else came into the room.
     
Unfortunately, Phury's twin had decided to show up on time, but at least Zsadist went to the far comer and stayed away from everyone. This was just fine with Butch, because that bastard made him jumpy.
    Z's scarred face and glossy black eyes were just the tip of the iceberg for freakiness. The skull-trimmed hair, the tats around his neck and wrists, the piercings: He was a total package of menace and had the high-octane hatred to back up the impression he made. In law enforcement slang, he was a triple threat, that one. Stone cold. Mean as a snake. And unpredictable as hell.
    Apparently Zsadist had been abducted from his family as an infant and sold into some kind of slavery. The hundred or so

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