“Giving in to a shrill instinct, she ran around the side of the building. Butch was marching toward his car as if he were carrying an unstable load, and she rushed to catch up with them. “Wait. I need to ask him a question.” “You want to know his shoe size or something?” Butch snapped. “Fourteen,” Wrath drawled. “I’ll remember that at Christmas, asshole.”

“Butch, I got sick and needed some time to regroup. But I wanted to see you. That's why I asked you to come calling when I ran into you back in December. When you said no, I thought... well, you'd lost interest."She'd wanted to see him? Had she said that?"Butch, I wanted to see you."Yeah, she had. Twice.Well, now... didn't that perk a guy up.”

“With a deliberate shrug, he stepped free of the hold on his shoulder. “Tell me something, boys,” he drawled. “Do you wear that leather to turn each other on? I mean, is it a dick thing with you all?” Butch got slammed so hard against the door that his back teeth rattled. The model shoved his perfect face into Butch’s. “I’d watch your mouth, if I were you.” “Why bother, when you’re keeping an eye on it for me? You gonna kiss me now?” A growl like none Butch had ever heard came out of the guy. “Okay, okay.” The one who seemed the most normal came forward. “Back off, Rhage. Hey, come on. Let’s relax.” It took a minute before the model let go. “That’s right. We’re cool,” Mr. Normal muttered, clapping his buddy on the back before looking at Butch. “Do yourself a favor and shut the hell up.” Butch shrugged. “Blondie’s dying to get his hands on me. I can’t help it.” The guy launched back at Butch, and Mr. Normal rolled his eyes, letting his friend go this time. The fist that came sailing at jaw level snapped Butch’s head to one side. As the pain hit, Butch let his own rage fly. The fear for Beth, the pent-up hatred of these lowlifes, the frustration about his job, all of it came out of him. He tackled the bigger man, taking him down onto the floor. The guy was momentarily surprised, as if he hadn’t expected Butch’s speed or strength, and Butch took advantage of the hesitation. He clocked Blondie in the mouth as payback and then grabbed the guy’s throat. One second later, Butch was flat on his back with the man sitting on his chest like a parked car. The guy took Butch’s face into his hand and squeezed, crunching the features together. It was nearly impossible to breathe, and Butch panted shallowly. “Maybe I’ll find your wife,” the guy said, “and do her a couple of times. How’s that sound?"“Don’t have one.”“Then I’m coming after your girlfriend.”Butch dragged in some air. “Got no woman.”“So if the chicks won’t do you, what makes you think I’d want to?”“Was hoping to piss you off.”“Now why’d you want to do that?” Blondie asked.“If I attacked first”—Butch hauled more breath into his lungs—“your boys wouldn’t have let us fight. Would’ve killed me first. Before I had a chance at you.”Blondie loosened his grip a little and laughed as he stripped Butch of his wallet, keys, and cell phone.“You know, I kind of like this big dummy,” the guy drawled.Someone cleared a throat. Rather officiously.Blondie leaped to his feet, and Butch rolled over, gasping. When he looked up, he was convinced he was hallucinating. Standing in the hall was a little old man dressed in livery. Holding a silver tray. “Pardon me, gentlemen. Dinner will be served in about fifteen minutes.”“Hey, are those the spinach crepes I like so much?” Blondie said, going for the tray.“Yes, Sire.”“Hot damn.”The other men clustered around the butler, taking what he offered. Along with cocktail napkins. Like they didn’t want to drop anything on the floor. What the hell was this?“Might I ask a favor?” the butler said.Mr. Normal nodded with vigor. “Bring out another tray of these and we’ll kill anything you want for you.”Yeah, guess the guy wasn’t really normal. Just relatively so.The butler smiled as if touched. “If you’re going to bloody the human, would you be good enough to do it in the backyard?”“No problem.” Mr. Normal popped another crepe in his mouth. “Damn, Rhage, you’re right. These are awesome.”

“You know you were with the lessers, true?"Butch lifted one of his busted-up hands. "And here I thought I'd been to Elizabeth Arden.”

“As her eyes scanned his face, he feared that she saw everything, right down t the core of him. Where his obsession with her was the strongest.-Butch and Marissa”

“Tohrment spoke. "Bella's brother called. He's tabled the sehelusion request and asked that she stay here for a couple of days."Z jacked his head up. "Why?""He didn't give a reason-" Tohr's eye's narrowed on Z's face. "Oh... my God.""What the fuck are you looking at?"Phury pointed to the antique mirror hanging on the wall next to the double doors. "See for yourself."Zsadist marched across the room, ready to give them all hell. Bella was what mattered-His mouth went lax at his reflection. With a shaky hand he reached out to the eyes in the old-fashioned leaded glass. His irises were no longer black. They were yellow. Just like his twin's."Phury?" he said softly. "Phury... what happened to me?"As the male came up behind him, his brother's face appeared right beside Z's. And then Wrath's dark reflection showed up in the mirror, all long hair and sunglasses. Then Rhage's star-fallen beauty. And Vishous's Sox cap. And Tohrment's brush cut. And Butch's busted nose.One by one they reached out and touched him, their big hands gently on his shoulders."Welcome back, my brother," Phury whispered.Zsadist stared at the males who were behind him. And the oddest thought that if he were to let himself go limp and fall backward... they would catch him.”

“As he vomited, he felt, though did not see, V come over. Forcing his head up, Butch groaned, "Help me..."I'm going to, trahyner. Give me your hand." As Butch held his palm up in despair, Vishous whipped off his glove and grabbed on good and hard. V's energy, that beautiful, white light, poured down Butch's arm and ripped through him in a blast, cleansing, renewing.United by their clasped hands, they became again the two halves, the light and the dark. The Destroyer and the Savior. A whole.”