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Rook’s chest tightened, and he had to physically stop himself from checking his heart rate because he seriously wondered if he was having the heart attack it wasn’t possible for guardians to have. His shadows didn’t have any issues though, responding to the emotion by covering Ethan entirely from his neck to his toes. “You are safe. Always.”

“Statistically, that’s an overstatement given our current situation, but I understand the sentiment.” Ethan’s hand covered Rook’s. “I trust you. That’s…new. And also empirically verifiable through my decreased cortisol response when you’re present.”

“You’re the only person who’d describe trust as ‘empirically verifiable.’”

“I think Julian would say something similar, but it’s an accurate assessment.”

Unable to resist, Rook pulled him closer, laptop and all. Ethan made a sound of protest, but his hands were already moving to Rook’s shoulders as Rook kissed him. By the time they finally broke apart, Ethan’s spreadsheet had gained three new typos.

“Your shadows are still holding my clothes hostage.”

“I’ll negotiate.” Rook addressed the nearest shadow. “Give him back his pants. He can wear those and nothing else. Compromise.”

The shadow considered this, then reluctantly deposited Ethan’s jeans on the bed.

Ethan pulled them on without comment, though Rook caught his small smile.

There was a cackling noise that made Ethan jump before Thorn’s voice boomed into the room. “Rook. Ethan. We have a situation.”

“Is that an intercom system?” Ethan whispered.

Rook shrugged. He didn’t remember anything like that being installed. But Thorn was still talking.

“Pope is ready to talk. But he’ll only speak to Ethan.”

Ethan looked at the ceiling and then at Rook. “That doesn’t make sense. It’s probably a trap.”

“And here we go again. Absolutely fucking not.” Rook was already off the bed, his shadows coiled and ready to battle if necessary. “Pope doesn’t get to demand anything. He’s one demand away from being dead, that’s what he is.”

“He says he has information about the seventeen marked victims,” Thorn continued. “And the information he’d gleaned about Ashford’s setup. He’ll only share it with ‘the beacon who broke his wards.’ His exact words.”

Ethan closed his laptop. “He still thinks he can get out of his current situation. If he can’t capture you, then he’ll gather as much information about beacons as possible in the meantime – information he could use if he ever escaped.”

“Which is why you’re not going anywhere near him.” Rook was getting tired of Ethan being used as a pawn in whatever game criminals were playing. Did Thorn forget that bit? Pope should’ve already been eaten by now.

Sighing, Ethan said slowly, “By saying that, you’re just playing into what he was talking to me about yesterday. He believes that guardians would act irrationally if their beacon were threatened in some way. This is a perfect excuse to prove him wrong and find out more about the other marked victims in the meantime.”

Ethan held out his hand for his shirt, and after a moment, the shadow holding it handed it back. “He does have time-sensitive information that could be useful.”

Rook’s anger flared. “Did you forget he nearly killed you yesterday?”

“Yesterday he had access to suppression technology, guards, and weapons. Today he’s in a reinforced cell with no equipment and four guardians monitoring his every move. The risk assessment has changed significantly.”

“The risk assessment is still ‘fuck no.’” Rook manifested his clothes, although he knew his human form was definitely wavering between the void and solid edges. Ethan didn’t seem worried about it, walking over and lacing their fingers together. He was calm - Rook could feel that through their bond - and worse, Rook could feel Ethan’s trust and determination.

“I’m sure you guys have got him well contained. You’ll be present and your shadows can stay wrapped around me the entire time if that makes you happy.” Ethan’s thumb brushed Rook’s knuckles. “If he tries anything at all, you’ll have approximately 0.3 seconds to turn him into a red smear, or whatever it is you do. I’m sure you can work with that.”

“This is a terrible idea.”

“There are other victims involved. Yes, Fiona was saved, but who else has been targeted? Who else might be sitting in a dark shipping container, terrified about what’s happening next?” Ethan’s grip tightened. “Come on, Rook. I need to do this.”

How does Cillian do this? Rook made a mental note to pull his brother aside and ask. He was helpless to stop Ethan from doing anything. He didn’t want to be “that guy” - like the unnamed ex, for example - but Ethan’s caring heart could really get him into trouble.

Pulling him closer, Rook wrapped his arms around his mate while his shadows wrapped around them both. “You don’t leave my sight. Not for a second.”

“I wasn’t planning to.”

“And if he so much as looks at you wrong, I’m ripping his spine out through his throat.”