“Ah, of course. Forgive me, Mr. Reed, but didn’t you toss him out of your little—” Alden broke off with the sound of what Nate could only assume was choking.
“Pixel told me what he is,” Reed said. “So I’ll ask you again. Where is he?”
“Reed!” That was Pixel’s voice, small and scared. “Don’t hurt him!”
Panic flared, stealing Nate’s breath. He wasn’t afraid of Reed—he could never be afraid of him—but this couldn’t be. Nate’d lied for so long. He’d fed Alden and lied and put them all in danger. If Reed knew, he’d be tangled up with all of it too.
Nate’s vision fuzzed over as he struggled to sit up, his arms trembling. Each breath caught in a high-pitched wheeze. Gods, he was going to pass out before Reed found him.
The bedroom door opened, startling Nate into losing his balance and landing face-first in the cushions. Panic took over, amplified by the way his breath caught in his throat. By the time Reed and Alden turned him over, Nate was fighting, kicking and clawing for his life.
“Nate! Nate, stop! It’s me, Nate. Nate, stop! I’m trying to help you.” Reed grasped for Nate’s thrashing arms. “What did you give him?” he snarled at Alden.
“This isn’t my doing,” Alden said acidly. He slipped behind Nate and propped him up into Reed’s arms. “You must stop fighting, Natey,” he said at Nate’s ear. “You need to breathe.”
The words sank in distantly, but Nate’s instincts told him to fight, to get away from the grip at his throat. He struggled, but his strength gave out long before his will. He gasped and choked against Reed, with Alden pounding on his back, telling him to breathe, please breathe.
Nate sobbed, spent. It hurt to be held, but he was too tired and weak to get away from them.
“Pix.” He gasped. “Pixel.”
“She’s with Alden’s grandmother.” Reed smoothed Nate’s hair away from his teary face. “She’s fine.”
“You sound bad, honey,” Alden said, gentle with him, pulling Nate back against his chest and resting his sharp chin against Nate’s shoulder. It forced Nate to look at Reed, who gripped Nate’s shirt and crouched in front of him, green eyes wide and unsure.
Nate’s thoughts unraveled. He couldn’t remember what he’d done wrong, how it had all started. “I’m sorry,” he said, choking.
“No, don’t say that.” Reed reached to wipe a trickling tear from Nate’s jawline.
“I couldn’t—”
Alden tapped Nate’s mouth gently. “No. Stop talking and keep breathing.”
“Pixel wasn’t right after you left,” Reed said. Alden snorted, and Reed’s gaze flickered to him briefly. “After Imade you leave. She wouldn’t talk to anyone and started having nightmares again. I took her on a walk this morning, and she cried and told me everything.”
“Be more precise, Mr. Reed,” Alden said.
Reed glanced at Nate, wary. “Can I?”
“Alden knows me best,” Nate said.
A flash of pain crossed Reed’s features. “I know that you’re. . .that you’re a GEM.”
Nate tensed. “That’s all?”
Reed’s brow creased with a confused frown. “Is there more?”
Alden made an exasperated sound at Nate’s ear. “The girl is too. Pixel.”
“Pixel. . .” Reed blinked.
“I know.” Alden shook his head, his chin pivoting against Nate’s shoulder. “The percentage of GEMs in your little gang is alarmingly high.”
Nate hiccoughed. Everything was changing too quickly. “Reed—you can’t—”
“She’s safe with me, Nate.”
“Until the winter comes and the Breakers’ bounty looks a little sweeter?” Alden asked.
