Lover at Last (Black Dagger Brotherhood #11)(141)
Author: J.R. Ward

Shifting his eyes back to the great outdoors, he knew the distortion wasn’t because a fog had rolled in. Not some weird-ass sleet thing, either. No, this shit was not the weather – it was something else entirely…as if dread had crystallized in the very particles of the air, and was causing the landscape to morph out of shape.

Niiiiiiiiiice protective cover, he thought.

And here he’d assumed he and his brother were the only ones with tricks up their sleeves.

"We’re close," he said.

"What is this stuff?" iAm murmured as he too looked out his window.

"I don’t know. But we need to get some of it."

Abruptly, the car went into an ascent, which, given the speed of Old Man Lead Foot, resembled the launch of a roller coaster. They didn’t crest and free-fall at the top, though: From out of nowhere, a massive stone mansion materialized, making such a quick appearance, Trez grabbed for the hand rest and braced himself.

But their chauffeur knew exactly where they were, and how much distance was required to bring the Benz to a halt. With the expertise of a Hollywood stunt driver, the butler wrenched the wheel and nailed the brakes, bringing them to a park between a GTO Trez had an immediate hard-on for…and a Hummer that looked like an abstract sculpture rather than anything that was drivable.

"Maybe he made his mistakes on that one," Trez said dryly.

As the locks were released, he and iAm got out at the same time.

Man. Get a loada the house, Trez thought as he tilted back his head and looked up, up, way up. In comparison to the giant pile of rock, he felt about the size of a thumb.

Like, a two-year-old’s thumb.

Looming high into the cold night, with gargoyles that watched from eaves, and a pair of sinister-looking, four-story wings that extended off on either side, the place appeared to be exactly like what you’d expect the king of the vampires to live in: spooky, creepy, threatening.

It was all that Halloween shit, except this was for real. The people in there did bite, and not just when they were asked to.

"Cool," Trez said, feeling instantly at home.

"Sires, why do you not proceed inside," the butler said cheerfully. "And I shall endeavor to get your bags."

"Nah," Trez countered as he headed over to the trunk. "We got a lot of shit – er, crap."

It was kind of hard to curse in front of a guy in tails.

iAm nodded. "We’ll take care of this for you."

The butler looked back and forth between them, smile still firmly in place. "Please do go in for the festivities, sires. We shall handle these mundane things."

"Oh, no, we can – "

"Yeah, I mean, it won’t take – "

Fritz looked confused, and then slightly panicked. "But please, sires, you must join the others. I shall take care of this. This is my position within the household."

The distress seemed so out of place, but it wasn’t as if it could be argued with without causing more upset: Clearly, the guy was going to throw a clot if they took their own luggage through that front door.

When in Rome…Trez thought. "Okay, yeah, thanks."

"Yes, thank you very much."

That endearing, wide-open grin immediately returned. "Very well, sires! Very well indeed."

As the butler indicated the way to the door, as if the purpose of that grand, cathedral-like entrance was a mystery, Trez shrugged and headed up the steps.

"Do you think he’ll let us wipe our own asses?" he said under his breath.

"Only if he doesn’t see us go to the loo."

Trez barked out a laugh and looked over. "Was that a joke, iAm? Huh? I think it was."

After elbowing his brother, and getting a growl in response, he reached out and grabbed the heavy portal’s handle. He was a little surprised to find that it wasn’t locked, but then again, with that…whatever it was…all around, why would you need the likes of anything Schlage-ish? No squeak when he opened the way in, and that wasn’t a surprise. The place was landscaped to within an inch of its life, everything fully shoveled, thoroughly salted, absolutely ordered.

Then again, with that butler in charge? One dust bunny was probably a national emergency.

Stepping out of the cold, he found himself in a small anteroom with a mosaic floor and a tall ceiling, facing a check-in station that included a camera lens. He knew what that was for – and he shoved his mug right into its field of vision.

Instantly, the inner door, which could have lapped a bank vault when it came to heft, was opened wide.

"Hello!" a female said. "You’re here."

Trez barely even noticed Ehlena as he took note of what was behind her. "Hey…how are you…"

He didn’t hear her response.

Oh…wow. Oh…what beautiful color.

Trez was unaware of walking forward, but he did…into the most incredible architectural wonder he had ever seen. Great columns of malachite and marble rose to a ceiling higher than the heavens. Crystal chandeliers and golden sconces twinkled. A bloodred staircase as big as a city park rose up from a mosaic floor that seemed to depict…an apple tree in full bloom.

As dour as the exterior was, the interior was absolutely resplendent.

"It rivals the palace," iAm said with wonder. "Oh, Ehlena, hey, girl."

Trez was dimly aware of his brother hugging Rehvenge’s shellan. And there were other people milling around, females, mostly, but he recognized Blay and a blond male, along with John Matthew, and, of course, Rehv, who was coming across the floor with the help of his cane.

"The party’s not for you two, but you can pretend it is."

iAm and Rehv embraced, but again Trez wasn’t paying any attention to them.

Matter of fact, the rainbow-colored oh-my-God had completely disappeared, too.

Standing in the archway of what appeared to be a formal dining room, the Chosen that he’d seen up at Rehv’s Great Camp was talking to someone else who was also in a white robe.

Trez’s vision went tunnel and then some, his eyes latching onto her, and staying put.

Look at me, he willed. Look at me.

At that moment, as if she felt the command, the Chosen glanced over.

Trez instantly hardened, his body swelling with the need to go over to the female, pick her up, and carry her to somewhere private.

Where he could mark her.

iAm’s voice was exactly, precisely, what he did not need to hear in his ear: "Still not for you, brother."

Fuck that for a laugh, Trez thought as his Chosen refocused on the female she had been talking with.

He was going to have her, even if it killed him.

And if it came down to that? Well, his life wasn’t really a party right now, was it.