Arrant Nonsense

Perez chose that moment to walk into the room again. His brows lowered thunderously when he saw where Ben was and he opened his mouth to say something. Before he could, Ben forestalled him. "If you wake her up, Perez, so help me god I will tear off your leg and choke you to death with it." His voice was utterly calm.

"I don't breathe."

"Trust me, I'll manage anyway." Ben bared a tooth.

"What's he doing off the table?" Perez asked Jensen tightly. "Bad enough to unstrap him…"

"He asked politely and she outranks me." Jensen shrugged. "He'll go back on before moonrise."

"Did you see what he did to Henderson?"

"He can't wolf and he's weak from wolfsbane and blood loss anyway. I think I can handle him, but thanks for your confidence in my abilities, I appreciate it."

"And thanks for talking about me like I'm not right here, again," Ben said. "You know how much I love that." Ange made a noise and shifted, and he tightened his arm around her. "Go away, Perez. You don't have to worry about me tearing shit up, and Ange needs her rest."

Perez exposed his fangs. "I can have you killed out of hand, you know."

"If it would shut you up, I wish you would." Ben closed his eyes. "God, you're annoying."

Ben was as peaceful as she'd ever seen, and it looked good on him. Angeline hoped the Nightmare Fairy would skip him for once, and she kissed his stubble before softly rising to grab a bottle of cow out of the fridge. Pulling a chair over to the bed, she shook the blood up and sipped from it cold, not wanting to awaken him with the noise from the microwave.

He'd been right about his blood. The hangover had left her. Her mouth twisted, and she wondered when he'd got so smart. The fact that he'd offered himself like that, so casually, so trusting--

Her heart lurched, and she set the bottle down quickly before she dropped it. She'd twisted him into new and different shapes just so he'd survive...but what if West had won their wager? What would have become of her puppy then? Bile rose in her throat at the thought. Assuming he lived through the first night off the table and then after, that biting sarcasm she enjoyed so much would have devolved into pessimistic cynicism. The tiny flame of hope he held of seeing Janni ever again would have died a violent and ugly death, and he would probably have goaded West into killing him by now. West was eminently goadable, and Ben was first-rate at pushing buttons.

The notion was excruciating, and something caught in her chest. A realization struck her. "Oh. Oh, good god, no."

When the hell had she fallen in love with the little wolf sleeping in front of her?

"After some study, I think I may be able to help you."

"Oh, god, Chambliss, haven't I been helped enough?" He set the water aside with a shaking hand. "Just let me go smash and be done with it."

"Every single person upstairs would object strenuously to that."

Ben put his face in his hands. "You would have to bring them into this. Unfair tactic, man."

Chambliss, as always, was unruffled by the accusation. "Was it efficacious?"

He took a couple of seconds to work out what that meant. Apparently he still had some scotch in his system, and it was making him slow. "Yes." Ben's voice was muffled by his hands. "But you gotta promise me, Chambliss--" His head came up. His eyes had turned amber, and for once, he knew it. "If it doesn't work, it's the end. No more." He dropped his head again. "Because I've had fucking all I can take."

"This will work."

That's what the goblins thought before they accidentally ripped out my soul, Ben didn't say.

"I'm tired, Chambliss. I'm so tired. And someone tried to kill me with a sword yesterday. Damned if I don't wish he'd succeeded."

"I know, Master Ben." Chambliss's voice was gentle. "Do you wish me to sit with you for awhile?"

Chambliss was one of the few people in his life who actually understood. "I'd like that. Very much. If you have time."

"My responsibilities are light at the moment." The couch moved as Chambliss had a seat. "Shall we trade war stories?"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Ben didn't like talking about the war. Any of his wars. "But if you've got some funny stories about Alex, I'd love to hear them."

"Master Alex is a colorful character, and I have a multitude of tales I could tell."

Ben didn't open his eyes. "Butler's choice; pick one."

A pause. "As you've no doubt become aware, Master Alex is something of an adrenaline enthusiast."

A smile curled Ben's lips. "Combined with how much he drinks, I've seen that make for some dangerous hijinks."

"A few years ago, he went to Pamplona…"

And Chambliss was off. Ben had heard this story before, from Megan, but Chambliss was an excellent raconteur with a few extra details that Megan hadn't supplied. Ben relaxed and let the tale wash over him. "And that's why Master Alex learned first aid for a sucking chest wound," Chambliss concluded.

Ben opened his eyes and found that he'd wolfed without realizing it. Chambliss's story hadn't even hitched--Ben wondered if anything could shake his composure and decided that he didn't want to see something that could.

"You want to chase me around the room, catch me, and hold me down while you bite me."

"Basically. But you're allowed to make it difficult." She tried a smile. It felt lopsided. "The longer the chase, the sweeter the blood."

He swallowed, and she wondered what was going through his mind. "It's what you need?"

"'Need' is a strong word." She gave a tiny shrug. "It's a way I have of dealing. It helps."

"Then yes," he said instantly. "Yes, to all of it."

She crushed him to her. "Are you sure?"

His answer was slightly strangled. "As long as you let me breathe, yeah. Are there rules?"

"Only the ones you impose on yourself."

"Well, then." He twisted out of her arms and rolled off the bed. "Catch me if you can."

She'd give him this much--he made her work for it. He was fast and agile and sneaky, slippery as a bloody weasel, and just when she thought she had him, he'd pull some move that let him slither loose. He wasn't afraid of her nails, either, which left long scratches on him more than once. He'd not forgotten his Army training, and working for a private detective had only honed his skills.

She was stronger and faster than he was, though, and she finally tossed him face-first onto the bed. Before he could use the momentum to get more than halfway up, she landed on his back and captured his wrists, pinning them to either side of his head with more force than was strictly necessary. "Gotcha," she breathed into his ear.