He put his hand into her hair and it felt the same as it had before. Her nonexistent body registered the sensations exactly as it had before.
He frowned, then looked downright angry. "She said it required a sacrifice. To bring someone back. What did you give her? What did you bargain with?"
"How do you mean?"
"She doesn't give things away without demanding something in return. What did she take from you?"
"Nothing. She never asked me for anything."
He shook his head and seemed like he was going to speak. But then he wrapped his heavy arms around her and held her against his trembling, glowing body. Unlike the other times when she had to concentrate to find solidity, with V it just happened. Against him, she was corporal with no effort on her part.
She could tell he was crying by the way he breathed and the fact that he leaned on her, but she knew that if she made any mention of it, or tried to soothe him with words, he would stop on a dime. So she just held him and let him go.
Then again, she was kind of busy holding herself together.
"I thought I would never get to do this again," he said in a voice that cracked.
Jane closed her eyes and squeezed him, thinking about that moment in the fog when she'd let him go. If she hadn't done that, they wouldn't be here, would they?
Fuck free will, she thought. She'd rely on destiny, no matter how much it hurt in the short run. Because love in its many forms always endured. It was the infinite. The eternal. That which sustained. She had no idea who or what the Scribe Virgin was. Had no idea where she herself had been or how she had come back. But she was sure of one thing.
"You were right," she said against V's chest.
"About what?"#p#分页标题#e#
"I do believe in God."
* * *
Chapter Fifty-three
The following evening John didn't have class, so he sat down for First Meal with the brothers and the females. The mood in the house was considerably lighter than it had been for weeks. But sure as shit, he didn't share in the levity.
"So anyway," Phury was saying, "I went to the Scribe Virgin and told her about the bullet."
"Jesus Christ. The Directrix." Vishous leaned forward, taking Jane's hand with him. "I'd assumed it was a lesser."
V hadn't let go of his doctor since they'd sat down together, as if he were afraid she'd disappear. Which was kind of understandable. John tried not to stare at her, but it was hard not to. She was wearing one of V's shirts and a pair of blue jeans and filling them out as normal. But what was in them was… well, a ghost, he supposed.
"Of course you did," Phury said as he turned to Bella and offered her the butter plate. "We all did. But that female had one hell of a motive. She wanted to stay in charge, and yeah, with a Primale on the scene, that just wasn't going to happen. Classic power-play scenario."
John glanced at the silent blond female who sat on Phury's other side. Boy, the Chosen was beautiful… beautiful in the ethereal way of angels, with an unearthly glow emanating from her. But she wasn't happy. She picked at her food and kept her eyes down.
Well, except for when she glanced at Phury. Which was usually when he spoke to or looked at Bella.
Wrath's voice was hard from the head of the table. "The Directrix has to die."
Phury cleared his throat as he took the butter plate back from Bella. "You can consider that… taken care of, my lord."
Holy shit. Had Phury—
"Good." Wrath nodded as if understanding perfectly and approving. "Who's going to replace her?"
"The Scribe Virgin asked who I wanted in the role. But I don't know any—"
"Amalya," the blond Chosen said.
All heads turned in her direction.
"I'm sorry?" Phury asked. "What did you say?"
As she spoke, the Chosen's voice was lovely in the manner of wind chimes, sweet and melodic. "If it would not offend, may I suggest the Chosen Amalya? She is warm and kind and of appropriate seniority."
Phury's yellow eyes went over the female, but his face was reserved, as if he wasn't sure what to say or do with her. "Then that's who I want. Thank you."
Her eyes lifted to his for a moment, a flush running pink in her cheeks. But then Phury looked away and so did she.
"All of us are taking the night off," Wrath said abruptly. "We need some regroup time."
Rhage snorted from across the table. "You're not going to make us play Monopoly again, are you?"
"Yup." A collective groan rose up from the Brotherhood, one that Wrath ignored. "Right after dinner."
"I have something I have do," V said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."