Page 23 of Something Worth Keeping
“What the hell’s going on?”
Shadow House felt wrong the moment Cillian materialized in the central hall. The air crackled with tension - not a normal state in their living quarters. Rook stood near the entrance to the strategy room, his usually cheerful expression tight.
“You’re in deep shit,” Rook said. “Thorn’s been pacing for an hour.”
“Where are they?”
“Strategy room. Fair warning - he’s in a mood.”
Cillian moved past him. The strategy room occupied the heart of Shadow House, a cavernous space lined with maps, surveillance equipment, and artifacts from centuries of hunts. Thorn stood at the central table, arms crossed over his massive chest. Silas sat in the corner, pristine as always, examining something under a magnifying glass.
“Nice of you to join us,” Thorn said.
“I was occupied.”
“Yes. With the human.” Thorn’s expression was carved from stone. “While Marcus Vane has been tearing the city apart looking for a witness.”
Cillian went still. “What witness?”
“The one who saw his lieutenant get killed in an alley last week.” Thorn pulled up a surveillance photo on the screen behind him. Grainy, timestamped, showing a figure in a cardigan walking away from the alley where Cillian had encountered Julian. “This witness.”
“That’s Julian.” Cillian’s voice dropped to something subterranean. “How did Vane get this?”
“Traffic camera two blocks over. Vane has connections in the municipal surveillance office.” Silas set down his magnifying glass. “He’s been circulating the image through hisnetwork. He wants this person found.”
“For what purpose?”
“What do you think?” Thorn’s voice was granite. “Vane’s operation depends on fear and control. Someone witnessed his lieutenant die, and that someone walked away. He can’t allow that. He needs to make an example.”
Cillian’s shadows exploded outward, fracturing the light. “Julian didn’t witness anything. He arrived after.”
“The timestamp says otherwise.” Silas stood, pulling up a detailed timeline on a secondary screen. “Your kill time was 11:47 p.m.. The witness - Julian - entered the alley at 11:51 p.m. Four minutes. More than enough time to see something. Even if he only saw the aftermath, Vane doesn’t care about technicalities.”
“Julian is mine.” The words came out as a growl. “He’s my fated mate. He is under my protection.”
“Which is why we need to discuss this logically.” Thorn moved to the table’s edge. “Vane is escalating. He’s offering a fifty-thousand-dollar bounty for information on this witness. He’s pulled in outside contractors. And we believe he’s accessed some obsidian chains.”
Cillian’s entire form flickered. “He has suppression tech? Since when?”
“Recently acquired. Silas confirmed it yesterday.” Thorn’s expression was grim. “He can’t hurt us directly, but he can contain us long enough to be problematic. And if he finds Julian before we neutralize him…”
“He won’t.”
“Cillian.” Thorn’s voice sharpened. “Listen to what I’m saying. Vane is a threat. Not just to your mate, but toour entire operation. If he captures Julian, he’ll torture him for information. And Julian knows about you.”
“Julian won’t talk.”
“Everyone talks eventually.” Silas’s clinical tone cut through the tension. “Humans have physical limitations. Pain overrides loyalty. It’s biology.”
“Not Julian.” Cillian stalked forward. “My beacon is different.”
“Your beacon is still human.” Thorn straightened to his full height. “Which brings me to the solution.”
“What solution?”
“We eliminate the witness.”
Silence crashed through the room.
