“V? Answer the question or so help me God I'll beat it out of you.""I just know how to find him.""What are you hiding?"V went over to the bar, poured himself a couple of fingers of GreyGoose, and hammered the shot. He swallowed a number of times and thenlet the words fly."I fed him."A chorus of inhales floated a...round the room. As Wrath rose in disbelief, V poured himself another hit of Goose."You did what?" The last word was bellowed."I had him drink some of me.""Vishous..." Wrath stalked around the desk, shitkickers hitting thefloor like boulders. The king got face-to-face close. "He's a male. He's human. What the fuck were you thinking?"More vodka. Definitely time for more Goose.”

“How did Terrible Teddy’s face get like that?”“Me.”“You hit him?”“He touched you, you said it hurt. I found him and beat the shit out of him.”Oh… my… God.”

“I'm going to stay here and see if he comes back," Wrath said as the double doors opened and V strode in. "I want the rest of you out searching for him in the city, but before you go, first let's get an update from our very own Katie Couric." He nodded at Vishous. "Katie?"V's glare was the ocular version of a fully extended middle finger”

“I followed him through the halls of the enormous church until we got to the staff's kitchen. He went to the fridge, opened it, and came out with a bottle of bourbon. He poured some into a coffee cup, drank it down, and poured some more. He offered me the bottle.No, thanks. Aren't you supposed to drink vodka?Aren't you supposed to wear a pointy hat and ride on a flying broomstick?Touche, I said.”

“He looked at her. 'In order to finish, I'll have to have defeated six Infected, Dusk, and Vengeous himself.'Yeah. So?'The Infected I can manage.'She frowned. 'And Vengeous? I mean, you can beat him, right?'Well,' he said, "I can certainly try. And trying is half the battle.'What's the other half?'He shrugged. 'Hitting him more times than he hits me.”

“Let him go, V. And let him take her where he needs to go."As Wrath's voice cut through the drama, the urge to go pyrotechnic became nearly irresistible. Like they needed another kibitzer? And fuck-that on the command.V squeezed the surgeon's collar trash-bag tight. "You are not taking her anywhere--"The hand on V's shoulder was heavy, and Wrath's voice had an edge like a dagger. "And you're not in charge here. She's my responsibility, not yours."Wrong thing to say. On so many levels."She is my blood," he snarled."And I'm the one who put her on that bed. Oh, and I'm also your cocksucking king, so you will do as I command, Vishous.”