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“I’ll do my best. But I’m not explaining to Valk why I put you in so much danger.”
I frowned, not caring what Valk might whinge about now. “If Valen has a problem with it, he’ll have me to contend with.”
“A year ago, missus,” he started slowly, “that wouldn’t have been nearly as terrifying as it is now.”
I chose to take that as compliment. “Thank you, Fender.”
“An Angel swears fealty to his God,” he said in answer. “An obligation. My loyalty to you is a choice.”
Chapter Seventeen
This time, I wouldn’t be sent to my room while Marco was seen for wounds that he wouldn’t have had if not for me.
But I did send Florence to hers with Fender as protection, promising I wouldn’t leave Marco’s side until he was given the all-clear. After a few stitches and a couple of bags of blood, hewasgiven the all-clear, but I still wouldn’t leave until he woke up, and I refused any medical care until he did.
Which is why Apollo and Valen ran into the infirmary the next morning to find me bruised and finally being stitched myself.
“Babe,” Apollo breathed as he took my hand.
“Give her some space, Mr Callahan,” the doctor said. “You can paw at her once I finally get these seen to.”
“How long have they been here?” he asked her.
“All night. But Miss Vanguard refused treatment until now.”
“What?” Valen roared, and I didn’t care for his audacity.
“I would have done something about it, but I was otherwise indisposed,” Marco said sardonically from the bed behind me.
“I will deal with your fucking useless arse later,” Valen snarled at him.
I frowned at Valen, heedless of the needle still attaching my shoulder to the doctor. “You can calm down or fuck off,” I told Valen sternly. “You don’t get to blame Marco for this.”
“No?” Valen asked. “And whodoI get to blame? You?”
“Yes.”
“My fucking pleasure.”
“Why don’t we talk to Marco about what happened and leave the good doctor to finish up with Harlow?” Apollo suggested, throwing his authority into the mix of mine and Valen’s swirling around the room.
Valen’s lip rippled, but he let himself be led over to Marco.
The doctor sighed as she finished up with my stitches. “They pay obscenely well for my services, but they don’t make it easy to do my job.”
I didn’t doubt that. “I’m sorry.”
She smiled at me softly. “It’s not the way of the women-folk to make excuses for the men,” she said softly.
My eyes widened. “You’re one of us?”
“Some of us,” she explained, “make the money and the deals. Some of us make alliances. Some of us make the next generation. Some of us bleed for our betters. My family puts those who can be back together again as best we can. We all have our parts to play in the great machine that is the Nameless.”
I frowned. “I keep hearing that. Who are they?”
She looked over to the men deep in conversation. I saw Valen and Marco keep sneaking looks to each other like they were hiding something from Apollo. I’d caught something about ‘black blood’, but the doctor distracted me.
“It’s not my place to speak of them. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She put a final bandage over my stitches and stepped away from me. “If you need anything more, I’ll be in my rooms.”
