Teddy couldn’t hide the humiliated flush on his neck, and Wren seethed. How dare he make Teddy feel like it was wrong, stripping away all his previous happiness so cruelly.
“We were working the case,” Teddy said, sounding like a robot.
“Were you? Because I haven’t heard a thing. In fact, I heard secondhand that your team nearly got arrested, of all things.”
“There was no point bothering you with nonevents.”
“Are you leading me to believe that this place is also a nonevent?” He waved a hand around.
“It’s a lead. We didn’t know if it would go anywhere.”
“And did it?”
Wren saw Teddy struggling to respond without giving any actual information, so he did the only thing he thought would work. He channeled his inner Hart and looked Kellan dead in the eye. “I suggest filing a proper request for case surveillance with Nexus,” he said. “As of right now, this is an active investigation under the jurisdiction of a licensed cursebreaker team with no complaints about their conduct that would warrant sharing information. Your involvement is completely unfounded and could be reported.”
“You little—”
Blu flew over in that moment to land on Wren’s shoulder and Kellan’s eyes snapped to him, filled with rage and barely concealed embarrassment. All of the hatred he couldn’t publicly unload on Wren was now trained on Blu, and Wren was getting ready to just scratch his eyes out.
“Curious how a bird with a life expectancy of around six years has lasted so long by your side.”
Fighting the urge to take Blu and put him in his pocket away from that hateful gaze, Wren kept his demeanor as neutral as he could muster. “Because it’s obviously not the same bird. I just like them.”
“Oh, of course. How could I be so dim?” Kellan spat. “I’m sure it bears no resemblance to the particular cursed wren that went missing from my class over a decade ago.”
“You had a bird?” Wren asked, ignoring his pounding heart. “I don’t remember. I slept a lot in your classes.”
Kellan stretched his lips into a perversion of a smile at his flippant response, reaching forward.
“Cursed birds of such quality are hard to come by. Frail little things often give out under the pressure, as you know. And this one. Cursed with a parrot’s characteristics, life expectancy, and vocalizations. Very rare indeed. I was quite put out when my prized possession went missing.”
“Maybe it flew away,” Wren said, stepping back so he couldn’t come close to touching Blu. “Did you make sure to lock the cage?”
Kellan lowered his hand, amused still. “Locks don’t stop delinquents, unfortunately.”
“Unfortunately.”
Kellan’s gaze moved over Blu once more. “A beautiful specimen.”
Wren flexed his jaw. “I believe we are done for the day. I will eagerly await that formal request.”
With that he turned his back on Kellan, hackles raised and every inch of him aware of just how dangerous that was. But he was sending a message. Proving a point. Whatever hold this man had on him, on those he loved, ended right now. Wren would see to it by whatever means he had to.
He could hear Kellan grumbling and Teddy responding quietly before he followed after Wren, steps slow and heavy.
He piled into the car, checking on the animals already situated in the back before putting his seat belt on and waiting for Teddy to join him.
He watched as Teddy slammed the door shut and sat in the driver’s seat, back straight and knuckles white on the steering wheel.
Wren wanted to reach out and reassure him so badly. He wanted to smash whatever hold Kellan had over him into tiny pieces until there was nothing left. He wanted to scream with how much he just wanted to make the world beautiful for Teddy to live in because he deserved it.
“Teddy…” he whispered but Teddy shook his head slowly and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Just…give me a moment,” he said. His voice was low, but it didn’t sound angry. It sounded…terrified. Cornered.
“I—”
“Little bird… Please.”
