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The ivory cameo had a pain-in-the-ass clasp, so Brand came around and helped me with it.
Carefully, he pressed it over my shoulder. “Fucking dumb-ass,” he said.
I tried to bat Brand away and climb to my feet, but he wouldn’t let go of me. My eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment.
“Bullshit,” I said. “You put your socks and underwear in it again, didn’t you?” “The washing machine is broken,” he said defensively.
I saw that Brand was staring at my ass. I decided to feel flattered. He said, “I know you’ve been bitching about your weight gain, but, honestly, I wondered where it was all going. Now I see. That is one magnificent ass. But maybe you should start jogging with me.”
“Oh, I’m plenty annoying.” “You are,” Brand said.
“I’ll put a fucking bell around your neck. See if I don’t.”
I’d once gotten drunk and kissed Brand, the day after my thirteenth birthday. He’d kissed me back, shoved me into the swimming pool, and never spoke of it again.
“Don’t even!” he snapped back, because he was my Companion, and he’d let the entire building fall around our ears as long as he could keep me safe.
My arm dropped, useless, as Brand pulled me to the ground and covered me with his body.
“Ladies and gentlemen: Rune, the other white meat.”
“Ah, like magic!” Ciaran said in delight, just as I felt the warm, familiar presence of my Companion at my shoulder. “Speak his name, and he appears! And how are you, better half?”
Why don’t you go dance? Go dance and be merry.”
Ciaran said, with petty relish, “Every time. Quinn says that if Brand comes with you, he dies every time.”
His eyes were closed in something not unlike rapture, as his head swung in and out of rays of colored gel lights. He danced like he was under attack—like the world was coming at him from all sides.
“You will not step through that door, because if you do, I might as well follow. You’re not saving me from anything by dying.”
I went over, reached up, put my palms on either side of his face. It wasn’t exactly a touch or a sign of affection—it was just shy a headlock. I said, “Promise, no matter what happens, that you won’t go in after me. You promise me.” Even in shadow, he had the bluest eyes in the world. Then he closed them against me and said, miserably, “I promise.”
“We’re about to go into a tunnel. Are you there? Brand?” “Fucking try me,” he said. “Go ahead.” I slid my finger off the end button.
“She fooled us all, like Russian dolls inside Russian dolls inside Russian dolls. The canny bitch!”
“Shit. You’re behind me, aren’t you?” I swiveled around.
“He’s the Tower, that’s why,” I said. “I’m going to get a coffee. I love coffee. I miss coffee.”
Even I jumped a little. Brand gave me an angry look. “That’s right, you didn’t fucking see me. Coffee isn’t sleep, Rune.”
Brand’s hand grabbed mine,
Brand unsnapped the button over one of his shirt’s ammo pockets. He pulled out a square of paper and handed it to me. It was a napkin, not a bandage. I unfolded it and saw an oatmeal raisin cookie.
Lord Tower raised both eyebrows when Mayan plucked a listening device off Lord Tower’s back. Lord Tower cut his eyes to Brand. Brand pretended to be looking at the view outside the window, all but whistling. My fucking Brand.
“I stay behind when you go into Farstryke, and now I stay behind when you go into the Westlands. How am I supposed to react? What do you want from me, Rune?”
He grabbed me in a wet hug. Into my hair he said, “You hate when I say that, I’m sorry. The last thing I want is for you to be distracted, to be worried about my shit. So, okay, I’m not mad.
My breath caught. I let him hold me for a while.
“You did no such fucking thing and do not get me started. But I know you don’t like thinking about it. I’m sorry I brought it up.”
When I walked in on Addam earlier, he complained that I only looked at the scissors he was holding and not him being naked. I was vigilant.”
I punched at his shoulder, and promptly slipped on the wet floor. He ended up catching me, like he always did.
if you or your people ever leave Brand outside that protection again like you did downstairs—when it would have been so easy to save him as well—I swear, on my name, by binding oath, that we are done.” The temperature in the room jumped with the force of the vow.
Rune, I cannot promise to extend the same protection to Brandon as I would to you, not if it comes to a choice between you. I think you know Brandon would insist on that as well. But in situations where I can protect him, I will. I will do that for you.”
“You better come back to me,”
“At the very least, please, please watch over him if I don’t make it back. Keep him from . . . following me.”
I had the clearest sense of him grabbing his door handle so hard that he nearly tore a ligament in his hand.
He sighed. “I’m doing an awful job trying to get into your pants.”
“Did I mention he was bossy? It’s not even worth arguing the point with him, either. It’ll be all blah-blah lung capacity, blah-blah fighting for your life.”
“So,” Addam murmured. “Do you want children?” “What an awful pickup line.” “And what are your views on group marriage?”
“I don’t think it will be easy at all, Hero. I think what would be easy for anyone else is a very great challenge for you; just like I think you routinely do things that would be impossible for others.
“Oh, you do, and that’s not what a shower is for at all. I need to go now and dream about battery acid. Feh!”
“That would never have occurred to me. I’d actually been planning on keeping Lord Tower in the dark. I hear he appreciates that sort of thing.”
Brand—my Brand—was lying on the other side of the swimming hole, his rifle on a bipod in front of him. He caught my eyes. We had a moment.
I stared at him until he held out a hand and pulled me out. I got my footing and hugged him as hard as I’ve ever hugged anyone in my life.
Brand took off his coat and gave it to me. My smile was filled with pure, stupid pride. “Let’s play a game. Raise your hand if your name begins with a B and you killed a lich today.”
I realized, then, that Quinn couldn’t have come to Brand in a dream, because Brand hadn’t slept at all since I left. He had dark bags under both eyes.
Rune, you better fucking not be thanking me. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.” “Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, you are.” I smiled at him.
“Shall we share the shower?” Addam asked me. Only he said it like he was saying, Shall we share a shower AGAIN, which had Brand’s head snapping up. I hid a flush by pulling my soiled shirt over my head.
He’d once spent six weeks training with a professional massage therapist as a birthday gift for me.
Emotion lodged in my throat. All of his worst injuries had been because of me. Brand turned around quick enough to catch my expression. “Stop with the look,”
