Lover Eternal: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward Read Free Book Online

their world. "The female he's using tonight is a human."
     
"We'll take care of her memory."
     
"How do I get to you?"
     
"We will send a car for you. At nine o'clock."
     
"My address is—"
     
"We know where you live."
     
As the phone went dead, she shivered a little.
     
Okay . Now she just had to get John and Mary to agree to see the Brotherhood.
    When she got back to Mary's barn, John was sitting at the kitchen table while the female ate some soup. They both looked up as she approached, and she tried to be casual as she sat down. She waited a little bit before throwing the ball out.
    "So, John, I know some folks who are into the martial arts." Which wasn't exactly a lie. She'd heard the brothers were good at all kinds of fighting. "And I was wondering, would you have any interest in meeting them?"
John cocked his head and moved his hands around while looking at Mary.
     
"He wants to know why. For training?"
     
"Maybe."
     
John signed some more.
     
Mary wiped her mouth. "He says that he can't afford the cost of training. And that he's too small."
    "If it were free would he go?" God, what was she doing, promising things she couldn't deliver? Heaven knew what the Brotherhood would do with him. "Listen, Mary, I can take him to a place where he can meet… tell him it's a place where master fighters hang out. He could talk to them. Get to know them. He might like to—"
John tugged on Mary's sleeve, signed some, and men stared at Bella.
     
"He wants to remind you that he can hear perfectly well." Bella looked at John. "I'm sorry."
     
He nodded, accepting the apology.
     
"Just come meet them tomorrow," she said. "What do you have to lose?"
     
John shrugged and made a graceful movement with his hand.
     
Mary smiled. "He says okay."
     
"And you'll have to come, too. To translate."
     
Mary seemed taken aback, but then stared at the boy. "What timer'
     
"Nine o'clock," Bella replied.
     
"I'm sorry, I'll be working then." "At night. Nine o'clock at night."
Chapter Five
Butch walked into One Eye feeling like someone had pulled the stoppers out of a number of his internal organs. Marissa had refused to see him, and though he wasn't surprised, it still hurt like a bitch.
     
So it was time for some Scotch therapy.
    After sidestepping a drunken bouncer, a knot of floozies, and a pair of arm wrestlers, Butch found the troika's regular table. Rhage was in the far corner behind it, up against the wall with a brunette. V was nowhere in sight, but a glass filled with Grey Goose and a knotted drink stirrer were in front of a chair.
    Butch was two shots in and not feeling much better when Vishous came out from the back. His shirt was untucked and wrinkled at the bottom, and right on his heels was a black-haired woman. V waved her off when he saw Butch.
"Hey, cop," the brother said as he sat down.
     
Butch tipped his shot glass. "What's doing?"
     
"How—"
     
"No go."
     
"Aw, hell, man. I'm sorry." "Me, too."
     
V's phone went off and he cocked it open. The vampire said two words, put the thing back in his pocket, and reached for his coat.
     
"That was Wrath. We've got to be back at the house in a half hour."
     
Butch thought about sitting and drinking alone. That plan had bad idea written all over it. "You want to poof it or ride back with me?"
     
"We got time to drive."
     
Butch tossed the Escalade's keys across the table. "Bring the car around. I'll grabHollywood ."
     
He got up and headed for the dark corner. Rhage's trench coat was flared out around the brunette's body. God only knew how far things had gone underneath.
     
"Rhage, buddy. We gotta bounce."
     
The vampire lifted his head, all tight lips and narrowed eyes.
     
Butch held his hands up. "I'm not cock-blocking for kicks and giggles. The mother ship called."
     
With a curse, Rhage stepped back. The brunette's clothes were disarranged and she was panting, but they hadn't gotten to showtime yet.Hollywood 's leathers were all where they should be.
    As