The good news? Sleep or no sleep, they were both on the mend. One of the many advantages for vampires over humans was the healing. If they’d been among those rats without tails, they’d have been hung up recovering from their wounds for weeks.
Instead, they could probably go out into the field as they were. It wouldn’t be smart, but—
“We’re going to have to bring someone else in on this.” Shuli went back to looking at the TV, which dropped down out of the ceiling. “And shut up. We can’t go this alone, and you know it. We need one more person.”
When there was no reply, he rolled his eyes, figuring His Royal High Horse had devolved into his characteristicgrrrrrr. Except Shuli knew he was right. He was going to require some help in the field, especially if L.W.’s vision problems were worse than the guy was saying.
Or worse than he thought—
“Okay.”
Slowly turning his head again, Shuli cocked a brow. “I’m sorry—I didn’t hear you.”
The guy shrugged and glared at the TV.
Shuli cupped his ear. “Hello?”
“Fineyoureright. Now fuck off.”
He chuckled and took a long, deep, satisfying stretch. “You knowsomething, I don’t want to get kinky, but goddamn, that’s a real turn-on. You can whisper that in my ear anytime you want.”
“You are so fucking weird.”
“I’m good with that, too.” He got serious. “It can’t be Nate, though. He’s mated. I trust him with my life, but he has too much to lose now.”
There was only a heartbeat of silence:
“Rhamp.”
“Rhamp.”
Like there was any kind of question?
Shuli went for his phone to hit the guy up—and found that all kinds of texts had come in on all kinds of group chats. His heart dropped. Lots of notifications were never a good thing. Opening things up, he—
The scrolling was fast. The impact was a punch in the gut.
Lyric… had fed Allhan and seen him through his change.
“What is it?” L.W. demanded.
“Ah, nothing.” He tried to focus on the little screen. “Nothing—hey, Allhan’s through his transition safely. Good news, right?”
“Obviously,” L.W. said on a dry note. Then, with suspicion, “You okay over there?”
“Oh, yeah. I like the guy. Really glad Lyric could help him out. I mean, her blood’s so pure, and all. Would have been my choice—for him. For Allhan. To be given the best chance. So, yup. Rhamp.”
Right. What was the question—
He all-thumb’d his way through a text to the guy and then put the phone facedown between him and his partner in crime.
Immediately, he picked the thing back up. “You hungry?”
He didn’t wait for an affirmative, just started texting Willhis. One thing he did like about His Royal Disapproval was that the guy would eat anything. French fries. French cuisine. Sushi. Italian. Whatever was good.
“Yeah. Whatever you like.”
Bingo, Shuli thought as he kept going with the order. Just because it gave him something, anything, to focus on.
