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"It's still beating," Beth whispered.
"Here's what's going to happen," Vishous said, looking back and forth across Butch's body. "When Beth gives me the signal, I'm going to pop the table upright. While I work on Wrath, I want you two to seal up Butch's wrists. Seconds count. You need to close those wounds quick, we clear?"
They both nodded.
"Slower," Beth said. Her dark blue eyes narrowed on the clock and she lifted a hand to press one of the stethoscope's earpieces in tighter. "Slower..."
Seconds suddenly stretched out into infinity, and Marissa flipped into some kind of autopilot, her fear and panic buried under a powerful focus that came out of nowhere.
Beth frowned. Bent down closer, as if that would help. "Now!"
V set the table to level and Marissa ran around to one of Butch's wrists as Beth dropped to the other one. While they sucked the wounds closed, V shoved that thick needle right into the crook of Wrath's arm.
"Everyone back away," V barked when he withdrew it from the king's vein.
He shifted his grip on the syringe so he was holding it in his fist and leaned over Butch. With hurried movements, he felt around the sternum with his fingertips. Then he slammed that needle right into Butch's heart.
Marissa stumbled back as the plunger was depressed. Someone caught her. Wrath.
V extracted the syringe and tossed it on the table. Then he picked up the paddles of the crash cart and there was a juicing-up noise from the machine.
"Clear!" V shouted. And slapped the metal pads on Butch's chest.
Butch's torso jerked and V put his fingers to the male's jugular.
"Clear!" He hit Butch again.
Marissa sagged in Wrath's arms as Vishous threw the paddles onto the crash cart, pinched Butch's nostrils, and blew into his mouth twice. Then the Brother started chest compressions. As he performed CPR, he growled, his fangs bared as if he were pissed off at Butch.
Whose skin was now turning gray.
"... three... four... five..."
As V continued to count, Marissa struggled free. "Butch? Butch... don't leave... stay with us. Stay with me."
"... nine... ten." V pulled back, blew two breaths into Butch's mouth, then put his finger to the male's throat.
"Please, Butch," she begged.
V went for the stethoscope. Moved the disk around, searching. "Nothing. Fuck."
Chapter Thirty-eight
Two minutes later, Marissa grabbed V's shoulder when the Brother stopped CPR. "You can't give up!"
"I'm not. Give me your arm." When she did, Vishous cut through the skin of her wrist. "Over his mouth. Now."
Marissa rushed to Butch's head, pushed his lips and teeth apart and put the slice right to him as Vishous resumed chest compressions. She held her breath, praying that Butch would start to drink, hoping that some of her was getting into him and helping.
But, no... he was dead... Butch was dead... Butch was dead -
Someone was moaning. Her. Yes, she was making that noise.
Vishous paused and felt Butch's neck. Then fumbled for the stethoscope. He was putting the disk down when Marissa thought she saw Butch's chest move. Or maybe not.
"Butch?" she said.
"I got something." Vishous repositioned the disk. "Yeah... I got something - "
Butch's ribs expanded as he sucked a breath in through his nose. Then his mouth moved against her wrist.
She repositioned her arm so the wound fit better over his lips. "Butch?"
His chest inflated more deeply, his mouth backing off her vein as he drew air down into his lungs. There was a pause and then another breath. Deeper still...
"Butch? Can you - "
Butch's eyes popped open. And she went cold to the core.
The male she loved was not in that stare. There was nothing in it. Just blank hunger.
With a roar, he grabbed her arm, his grip so powerful she gasped. And there was no escape as he latched on with his mouth and started drinking in ferocious pulls. Twisting on the table, he savaged her wrist, his eyes fixated, animalistic as he breathed through his nose and swallowed in great yanks.
Through the pain, she felt total, abject fear.
Tell me you're still in there, she thought. Tell me you are still with us...
It wasn't long before she became light-headed.
"He's taking too much," Vishous said, all urgent.
Before she could respond, she became aware of a scent in the room, a dark... yes, a bonding scent. Wrath's. Except why would he feel the need to establish his mating territory here and now?
She swayed and Vishous's hard fingers grabbed her upper arm. "Marissa, you're done."
But Butch was starving, mad from hunger. "No! No - "
"Let me take over."
Marissa's eyes shot to Beth... then focused on Wrath. Standing at his shellan's side, Wrath's face was set in violent lines, his body coiled as if he were about to fight something.
"Marissa? Will you let me feed him?" Beth said.
Marissa looked at the queen. God, those words, those same words that had been spoken back in July... when Wrath's body had balanced on the edge of life and Marissa's vein had been what was needed.
"Will you, Marissa?"
As she nodded her head numbly, Wrath started to growl, his lips peeling off fangs that had elongated into white knives.
Oh, Lord, this was a very dangerous situation. Fully bonded males did not share. Ever. In fact, they would fight to the death before they let another male anywhere near their females when it came to feeding.
Beth looked up at her hellren. Before she said anything, Wrath bit out, "V, get your ass over here and hold me back."
As Vishous approached the king, he wished Rhage was with him.
Shit... this was a bad idea. A pure-blooded, bonded male vampire about to watch his shellan feed someone else. Holy hell, when the Scribe Virgin had suggested Beth come down, V had assumed it was for ceremonial purposes, not so she could be a vein. But what was the choice? Butch was going to suck Marissa dry and not have enough and there wasn't another female in the house who could do the job: Mary was still human and Bella was pregnant.
Besides, like dealing with Rhage or Z would be any easier? For the beast, they'd need a tranq gun the size of a cannon and Z... well, shit.
Beth reached up and stroked her hellren's face. "Maybe you shouldn't watch."
Wrath grabbed her by the throat and kissed her hard. Then he brought up her wrist and scored her flesh, opening her vein.
"Go to him. Now." He pushed her away, then slammed his body back against the wall. "Vishous, you better f**king hold me. Or this is going to get ugly."
Wrath's awesome body was trembling, his muscles tensed up, his skin breaking out in a sweat. From behind his wraparounds, his eyes glowed with a light so fierce you could see it plainly.
V hurled himself at his king and met instant, straining resistance. Dear God, this was going to be like holding back a bull.
"Why don't... you leave?" V grunted as he worked to keep Wrath's body in place.
"Would have to... get past them... to get to the door. No... way."
V twisted his head and looked at the table.
Man, Marissa was going to be on the floor if she didn't get free of Butch. And the cop was going to fight like hell if that source of blood left his mouth.
"Beth!" V shouted as he and Wrath struggled. "Pinch the cop's nostrils. Pinch them hard and hold his forehead down. That's the only way you'll get him to release her."
When Beth grabbed Butch's nose, the cop made an inhuman noise, as if he knew what was coming. And his body jackknifed on the table like he was prepared to fight whoever was going to take his food away.
Oh, Christ, please don't let him attack Beth, V thought. Wrath was so lit he was liable to break free and kill the guy. Please -
The females handled it beautifully. Marissa yanked her wrist away and nailed Butch in the shoulders, punching into him, holding him down as Beth brought her wrist to his mouth. As that fresh vein came to him, Butch took to the new blood like a babe and moaned at the taste.
Which naturally caused Wrath to go apeshit.
The king's body lurched toward the table, Vishous getting dragged along.
"Marissa!" V shifted his grip so he was around Wrath's waist like a sash. "I need help over here!"
She looked over at Wrath... and she was good - damn, the female was good.
She undoubtedly wanted to be by Butch's side. Instead, she flashed over and rammed her body against the Wrath tangle that was about to unravel. The king stumbled back under the force of impact and V repositioned himself, his head torqued at a bad angle but his arms right where they needed to be, one up Wrath's back and locked on his neck, one around the waist. For kicks and giggles, V wrapped a leg through Wrath's thighs so if the male lunged forward again he would trip first.
