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The king bowed his head. "So be it."
The Scribe Virgin turned back to Butch. "Now, we shall see how strong you are."
"Wait," Butch said, thinking about the glymera. "Marissa's mated now, right? I mean, even if I die, she will have had a mate, right?"
"Death wish," V said under his breath. "Fucking Death Wish Boy we got over here."
The Scribe Virgin seemed flat-out amazed. "I should kill you now."
"I'm sorry, but this matters. I don't want her falling under that whole sehclusion thing. I want her to be my widow so she doesn't have to worry about anyone else leading her life."
"Human, you are astoundingly arrogant," the Scribe Virgin snapped. But then she smiled. "And totally unrepentant, aren't you."
"I don't mean to be rude, I swear. I just need to know she's taken care of."
"Have you had use of her body? Have you taken her as a male does?"
"Yeah." As Marissa turned bright pink, Butch tucked her face into his shoulder. "And it was... you know, with love."
As he whispered something soothing to Marissa, the Scribe Virgin seemed touched, her voice turning almost kind. "Then she shall be as you say, your widow, and not fall under any provisions affecting unmated females."
Butch sighed in relief and stroked Marissa's back. "Thank God."
"You know, human, if you learned some manners, you would fare well with me."
"If I promise to work at it, will you help me live through what's coming?"
The Scribe Virgin's head fell back as she laughed in a loud burst. "No, I will not help you. But I find myself wishing you very well, human. Very well indeed." Abruptly, she glared at Wrath, who was smiling and shaking his head. "Do not assume such leeway with etiquette applies to others who seek me out."
Wrath ditched the grin. "I am well aware of what is proper, as are my brothers."
"Good." The robes shifted back into place, lifting up and going over her head without the help of hands. Just before her face was covered, she said, "You will wish to bring the queen to this room before you commence."
And then the Scribe Virgin disappeared.
Vishous whistled between his teeth and wiped his brow with his forearm. "Butch, man, you are so lucky she liked you, true?"
Wrath flipped open his cell phone and started dialing. "Shit, I thought we were going to lose you before we even started - Beth? Hey, my leelan, could you come to the gym?"
Vishous grabbed a stainless-steel tray stand and wheeled it over to a cabinet. As he started putting things in sterile wraps on top, Butch shifted his legs around and stretched out on the gurney.
He stared up at Marissa. "Things don't work out, I'll wait for you in the Fade," he said, not because he believed it but because he wanted to reassure her.
She bent down and kissed him, then stayed with her cheek against his until V quietly cleared his throat. As Marissa stepped back, she began to speak in the Old Language, a soft rush of desperate words, a prayer that was more breath than voice.
V brought the tray stand up to the gurney, then went to Butch's feet. As the brother moved around, he had something in his hand, but he wasn't showing what it was, keeping his arm always out of sight. There was a metallic clank and the far end of the table tilted up. In the heat of the room, Butch felt the blood rush to his head.
"You ready?" V asked.
Butch stared at Marissa. "I feel like this is happening so fast, all of a sudden."
The door opened and Beth walked in. She said a soft hello and went to Wrath, who put his arms around her and drew her close.
Butch glanced back at Marissa, whose prayers had increased in speed until they were a blur of words. "I love you," he said. Then he looked at V. "Do it."
Vishous lifted his hand. There was a scalpel in it, and before Butch could track the movement, the blade cut into one of his wrists deeply. Twice. Blood welled, a bright, glistening red, and he grew nauseous as he watched it drip down his forearm.
An identical pair of burning cuts were made in his other wrist.
"Oh... Jesus." As his heart rate shot through the roof, the blood ran faster.
Fear came on him hard and he had to open his mouth so he could breathe.
Off in the distance, he heard voices, but he couldn't track them. And the room seemed to be receding. As reality warped and twisted, his eyes latched on to Marissa's face and pale blue eyes and white-blond hair.
He did his best to swallow the panic so he didn't scare her. "It's okay," he said. "It's okay... it's okay, I'm okay..."
Someone grabbed his ankles and he jerked in surprise... but it was just Wrath. And the king held him as V tilted the table even more so the blood ran out even faster. Then Vishous came around and gently eased Butch's arms off the table so they were hanging down. Closer to the drain.
"V?" Butch said. "Don't leave, okay?"
"Never." V brushed Butch's hair back with a gesture so tender it was out of place coming from a male.
Somehow everything got frightening. On some kind of survival reflex, Butch started to struggle, but V leaned on his shoulders, keeping him in place.
"Easy, cop. We're all right here with you. Just relax if you can..."
Time stretched out. Time... God, time was passing, wasn't it? People kept talking to him, but Marissa's uneven voice was all he really heard... though as she was praying, he didn't know what she was saying.
He lifted his head and looked down, but he couldn't see his wrists anymore to track what was -
All of a sudden he started to shiver uncontrollably. "I'm c-cold."
V nodded. "I know. Beth, turn the heat up some more, okay?"
Butch looked at Marissa, feeling helpless. "I'm getting c-colder."
Her prayers stopped. "Can you feel my hand on your arm?" He nodded. "You feel how warm it is? Good... imagine it all over your body. I'm holding you... I'm hugging you. You're against me. I'm against you."
He smiled. He liked that.
But then his eyes fluttered, the sight of her flickering like she was a movie on a screen, and the projector was broken.
"Cold... turn heat up." His skin prickled all over. His stomach felt like a lead balloon. His heart seemed to be twinkling in his chest, not beating anymore.
"Cold..." His teeth chattered, so very loud in his ears, but then he couldn't hear anything. "Love... you..."
Marissa watched as the pool of Butch's brilliant red blood grew bigger and bigger around the drain until she was standing in some of it. Oh, God... all his color had left him, his skin going paper white. He didn't seem to be breathing anymore.
V came forward with a stethoscope and put it on Butch's chest. "He's close now. Beth, get over here. I need you." He handed the stethoscope to the queen. "You listen to that heart of his. I want you to tell me when you don't hear anything for ten seconds or more." He pointed at the clock on the wall. "Track it by that third hand up there. Marissa, you come hold your boy's ankles, true? Wrath is about to get busy."
When she hesitated, V shook his head. "We need someone to keep him on the table and Wrath and I have to go to work. You're still going to be with him, you can talk to him from there."
She leaned down, kissed Butch's lips and told him she loved him. Then she replaced Wrath, taking over the job of keeping Butch's heavy body from sliding off the gurney onto the floor.
"Butch?" she said. "I'm right here, nallum. Can you feel me?" She squeezed the cold skin of his ankles. "I'm right here."
She kept talking to him calmly, though she was terrified about what was going to happen next. Especially when Vishous brought over the cardiac crash cart.
"You ready, Wrath?" the Brother asked.
"Where you want me?"
"Right here next to his chest." Vishous picked up a long, thin, sterile pack and ripped it open. The needle inside was about six inches in length and seemed thick as a pen. "How we doing with that heart rate, Beth?"
"Slowing down. God, it's so faint."
"Marissa? I'm going to ask you to get quiet so she can hear better, okay?"
Marissa shut her mouth and resumed praying in her head.
In the minutes that passed, they became a frozen tableau around Butch. The only thing that moved in the room was his blood as it dripped out of those deep wounds in his wrists and flowed down the drain. The soft glug, glug, glug in the floor made Marissa want to scream.
