Page 24 of Something Worth Keeping
Rook broke it first. “Thorn, that’s…”
“Logical.” Thorn didn’t look away from Cillian. “Vane is hunting someone who doesn’t exist in any official capacity. A nobody. Anarchivist with an absent family, no close friends, no one who would notice if he disappeared. We remove Julian cleanly, dispose of the body where Vane will find it, and the threat ends. Vane gets his closure, we maintain operational security, and you’ll find another mate eventually… maybe.”
Cillian moved. He crossed the distance between them in less than a heartbeat, shadows condensing into claws that went straight for Thorn’s throat. Only Rook’s intervention stopped him - the other guardian slammed into Cillian’s side, disrupting his form.
“Stand down!” Rook’s teeth were bared, his own darkness flaring. “Cillian, stand the fuck down!”
Silas appeared on Cillian’s other side, his energies lethally cold. Between them, they hauled Cillian back,pinning him against the wall with combined strength.
“Let. Me. Go.” Each word dripped with violence.
“Not until you’re thinking clearly.” Thorn hadn’t moved from his position, but his eyes had shifted to full black. “You just tried to kill me over a human you met barely a week ago.”
“He’s my mate.”
“He’s a liability and a threat to what we’re doing!”
“He’s MINE!” Cillian’s roar shook the building’s foundations. His form expanded, and shadows burst through the room, extinguishing every light source. In the sudden darkness, his voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere. “I have existed for four thousand years. I have consumed corruption in a thousand forms. I have never wanted anything. Never needed anything.And now I have found the one soul in all of existence that resonates with mine, and you suggest I kill him for convenience?”
“For survival,” Thorn corrected. “Yours and ours.”
“If Julian dies, survival becomes irrelevant.” Cillian’s form solidified again, but his edges remained unstable, flickering between states. “I will tear this city apart. I will consume everything in my path until nothing remains. And then I will come for you, brother, and I will make your death last centuries.”
Rook and Silas exchanged glances but didn’t release him.
“Cillian.” Silas’s voice was carefully neutral. “You’re experiencing mate-bond psychosis. Your threat assessment is compromised. We need you to…”
“I’m perfectly rational. You haven’t felt what I feel. Fuck it, Thorn, you gave me dating advice and told me to go slow. I promise you this, touch Julian and I will demonstrate exactly how rational I can be while devouring your organs.”
“Okay, everyone needs to calm down.” Rook’s grip didn’t loosen, but his tone gentled. “Thorn, that was a shit suggestion. You know how mate bonds work. You can’t seriously expect…”
“I expect us to prioritize the Order,” Thorn interrupted. “Our mission is to eliminate corruption while remaining hidden. This situation threatens both objectives.”
“Then we eliminate Vane.” Cillian’s voice was flat. “Problem solved.”
“Vane has obsidian chains. We can’t just walk into his operation and…”
“Watch me.”
“No.” Thorn crossed his arms. “We do this strategically. Vane has infrastructure, connections, and resources. If we move against him directly, we risk exposure. The human authorities are already investigating his syndicate. We need to be patient.”
“Julian doesn’t have time for patience.”
“Which is why…” Thorn paused, recalculating. “Which is why we bring him here.”
Cillian went still. “What?”
“Shadow House. He stays here until the Vane situation resolves. We protect him, keep him off Vane’s radar, and meanwhile, we dismantle Vane’s operation piece by piece until we can strike at him directly.” Thorn’s expression was unreadable. “That way, your mate survives, and we maintain operational security.”
“You want Julian here. In Shadow House.”
“It’s the logical solution. He’s already seen you in true form. He knows about guardians. And according to your report, he gave you disposal advice, which suggests an unusual psychology.” Thorn’s mouth twitched. “Rook wants to meet him anyway.”
“I really do,” Rook confirmed. “He sounds hilarious.”
Cillian’s shadows slowly retracted. “Julian doesn’t know about the threat yet.”
“Then tell him.” Silas released his grip. “Tomorrow. Give him the facts, explain the danger, and offer him sanctuary here.”
