Goddamn it, she was never going to know that he'd made it through his transition, or that he was a halfway decent fighter, or that he'd gotten mated. If he ever had a child of his own, she'd never hold it in her arms, or see a first birthday, or get to witness first steps or first words.
Her absence made his own life seem less full, and he had the awful feeling that that was always going to be true.
As Tohr bent his head, John went over and put his palm on the guy's heavy shoulder, reminding himself that however hard this was for him, what Tohr was going through was a thousand times worse. Shit, though, the Brother had been strong, making all those out and safe decisions about everything from pairs of jeans to pots and pans, working steadily in spite of the fact that he had to be raw on the inside.
If John hadn't respected the fuck out of the Brother before, he sure as hell did n
ow -
"Vishous?" came a female voice down the hall.
John wrenched around. Xhex was here?
Tohr cleared his throat and pulled the velvet bag back into place. "Thanks, V. For taking such good care of her. "
"V? You got a minute?" Xhex called out. "I need to - Oh, shit. "
As she stopped herself, like she'd tweaked to the vibe in the bedroom from where she was out in front, Tohr got to his feet and nodded at John with a smile too generous to comprehend. "You'd best go to your female, son. "
John hesitated, but then V stepped up and put his arms around his brother, whispering low words.
Giving the males some privacy, John went down to the living room.
Xhex was not surprised to see him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything. "
It's okay. His eyes went to the carrying case in her hand. What's that?
Even though he knew. . . Holy shit, had she gotten the -
"That's what we need to find out. "
In a sudden panic, he looked her over carefully, searching for signs of injury. There were none, though. She had gone in and come out in one piece.
John didn't mean to do it, but he lunged forward and grabbed her hard, holding her against his body. As she embraced him in return, he felt the rifle case press into his back, and he was just. . . really fucking glad she was alive. So fucking glad -
Shit, he was tearing up.
"Shh, John, it's okay. I'm safe. I'm all right. . . . "
While he shuddered, she held him with the strength and power in her body, keeping him together, blanketing him with exactly the kind of deep love that Tohr had lost.
Why some people were lucky and others were not seemed the cruelest kind of lottery.
When he finally pulled back, he mopped up his face and then signed, Will you come to Wellsie's Fade ceremony?
There was no hesitation. "Absolutely. "
Tohr says he would like the two of us to do it together.
"Good, that's good. "
At that moment, Vishous and Tohr came back out, and both Brothers immediately locked eyes on that case.
"You are fan-fucking-tastic," V said with a kind of awe.
"Hold your ass-kissing - I haven't opened it yet. " She held the thing out to the Brother. "Fingerprint lock. I need your help. "
V grinned in an evil way. "Far be it from me to not come to the aid of a lady. Let's do this. "