Page 170 of Dance of Ruin

He rubs the back of his neck tiredly.

“But when they started moving into New York—when the orders started getting darker—I couldn’t stay away so much. Not with you in the city, too.”

He looks up again.

“I just wanted to keep you safe. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Val grins at his brother. Vaughn smiles back.

“So…” Naomi says, turning to her friend. “You’reValnow?”

Val lifts a shoulder, half-shrugging, half-wincing.

“I…guess so?” His lips twitch. “Never really felt like a Vaughn, to be honest.”

Vaughn snorts.

“You shouldn’t,” he grunts. “Vaughn can’t dance to save his goddamn life, trust me. But I hear you’re pretty decent.”

Val smiles, for real this time.

“Val,” he says slowly, testing it out. “I like it. Like Kilmer.” He smirks. “I’ll be your huckleberry,” he drawls in a not-so-terribleTombstoneimpression.

All of a sudden, Naomi’s face hardens. She turns back to Val, brows pinched.

“Are you going to tell me what the hell happened to your face, now?”

I brace myself when Val’s gaze flicks to me but he just sighs, glances back to her, and shrugs.

“Misunderstanding,” he mutters.

Naomi turns slowly toward me.

“Wait… Was thisyou!?”

Before I can say anything, Val slides off the counter with a grimace and walks over to me. “Nah.” He claps me on the jaw like an Italiannonnamight, half jokey, half a warning.

That’s fair. I deserve that.

“Not him,” Val grins. “Although this one cares a whole lot about you, baby girl.”

Naomi flushes, her lips parting like she’s going to say something, then picks up a roll of gauze.

“Well, let’s get you fixed up,” she says. “You really do look like a wreck.”

Vaughn taps my shoulder.

“Let’s chat over here?”

We leave the kitchen, step over one of the bodies, and move into the living room.

Vaughn leans against the back of the couch, arms folded, expression sharper again now that the warm, fuzzy personal shit’s out of the way.

“Just remember,” he murmurs. “You gave me yourwordon the Black Court.”

“We’re taking the Marquis into custody today or tomorrow. Trial’s tomorrow night. That fast enough for you?”

He nods.

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