5 minutes earlier....
The underground garage slowly emptied out as guards carried the last destroyed devices away, the smell of smoke and burnt electronics still hanging heavily in the air. Flames from Maggie's car had finally died down, leaving behind nothing but blackened metal and melted glass.
Lucas remained standing in front of the surveillance screens for a while longer, arms folded tightly across his chest while different camera feeds flickered across his face.
City roads.
Docks.
Office buildings.
University surroundings.
Every corner of the city felt alive beneath his eyes.
The same terrifying calmness Neo had started recognizing lately.
Lucas finally turned slightly. "Ethan."
Ethan looked up from where he sat lazily on the edge of the table scrolling through his phone. "Yeah?"
"Call Cealan. We have to discuss something."
The entire room went quiet for half a second.
Even Matteo stopped chewing whatever snack he had stolen from the kitchen.
Aiden blinked once slowly. "Wait."
Kellan frowned slightly too.
Lucas never involved Cealan unless things were becoming deeper than normal Familia matters.
Ethan however reacted faster than everybody else. He pushed himself off the table almost immediately, masking the brief flicker of concern in his eyes with a lazy shrug.
"Okay, I will," he answered casually before walking out before further questions could be thrown at him.
Matteo immediately pointed after him. "That was suspiciously fast."
"Very suspicious," Elijah added calmly.
Aiden narrowed his eyes dramatically. "Those two are hiding things from us."
Kellan snorted softly. "They've always hidden things from you."
"That hurts my feelings." "No one cares."
Neo barely paid attention to their banter. His eyes remained fixed on Lucas instead.
Watching him. Studying him.
Because once again Lucas had shifted into that version of himself that reminded Neo exactly why the entire underground feared him.
Cold.
Focused.
Dangerously composed.
Lucas turned back toward the screens nearby displaying different surveillance footage from around the city.
"He wanted psychological warfare," Lucas said smoothly.
A very faint smile appeared afterward.
"Fine."
Something about that smile unsettled even the people closest to him.
"We'll give him a war so exhausting that he won't know which side is manipulating the other anymore."
The room quieted slightly after that.
Then Lucas finally moved away from the screens and toward the large table in the center of the room where files and maps had already been spread out carefully.
"Sit."
Nobody wasted time obeying.
Neo and Aiden sat opposite Lucas while Kellan leaned back into the chair beside him, fingers tapping slowly against the armrest.
Matteo and Elijah settled nearby too.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
This wasn't casual anymore.
This was strategy.
Lucas rested both palms against the table before speaking again.
"D'uther isn't preparing for open violence yet."
Aiden frowned slightly. "Then what exactly is he doing?"
"He's destabilizing."
Lucas' eyes lifted calmly toward them. "People like him don't attack where your security is strongest. They attack where your emotions are weakest."
Neo felt those words settle heavily in his chest.
Because that was exactly what this felt like.
Not war. Pressure.
Psychological pressure.
Lucas continued calmly, "Sending those four into your school wasn't random. It was deliberate exposure. He wants familiarity. Emotional confusion. He wants both of you remembering pieces of your past faster than you can process them."
Kellan crossed his arms slowly. "And the more emotionally unstable they become, the easier they are to manipulate."
"Exactly."
Lucas looked toward Neo afterward.
"And he expected you to collapse faster."
Neo stayed quiet.
Because honestly?
That part was true.
If this had happened months ago, he probably would have.
Lucas' voice remained steady. "Which is why we maintain control of the narrative before he does."
Aiden leaned back slightly. "Okay that sounded terrifyingly smart."
"It is," Elijah answered immediately.
Neo however wasn't fully listening anymore.
Because another thought had quietly started creeping into his head while Lucas spoke.
A dangerous thought.
One he didn't particularly like.
D'uther manipulated people emotionally.
He shaped them psychologically.
He controlled situations before others realized they were already inside them.
But sitting here now, watching Lucas command the room so effortlessly.
Neo suddenly realized something uncomfortable.
Lucas did those same things too.
Not identically. Not cruelly.
But strategically.
Protecting him.
Training him.
Guiding him.
Keeping information from him when necessary.
Positioning him carefully like a chess piece during this entire war.
Neo's chest tightened slightly at the realization.
Because for the first time, he quietly wondered:
How different are Lucas and D'uther really?
The thought disturbed him immediately.
And maybe worse, he couldn't answer it properly.
Lucas suddenly looked directly at him. "Neo."
Neo blinked slightly. "Hm?"
"You drifted."
The room's attention shifted toward him immediately.
Neo straightened slightly. "Sorry."
Lucas studied him for a second longer than necessary before continuing.
"We maintain appearances publicly. At school you continue exactly what you started today."
Aiden groaned dramatically. "More emotional acting?"
Lucas looked toward him calmly. "You're naturally dramatic already. You'll survive."
Matteo burst out laughing instantly.
Aiden clutched his chest. "I'm being bullied in my own workplace."
Neo finally smiled faintly again.
Lucas noticed immediately.
Good.
That small reaction alone eased something inside him slightly.
Then suddenly, Kellan stood from his seat.
"Aiden."
Aiden blinked. "Yeah?"
"Come with me."
The room immediately reacted.
Matteo looked scandalized. "Oh?"
Elijah sighed tiredly already.
Aiden however stood immediately with exaggerated confidence. "Finally. Somebody appreciates me."
"You talk too much."
"Yet you're obsessed with me."
Kellan rolled his eyes but there was the faintest amusement hidden beneath it.
Neo watched both of them leave before Lucas finally dismissed the remaining meeting temporarily.
"Take thirty minutes. Then training downstairs."
Everybody slowly started dispersing afterward.
Matteo dragged Elijah toward the kitchen arguing loudly about food while Lucas remained behind near the surveillance table.
Neo stood too, intending to leave, until Lucas' voice stopped him.
"Neo."
He turned immediately.
Lucas motioned slightly toward the quieter hallway leading deeper into the mansion.
"Walk with me."
Neo hesitated only briefly before following.
The mansion felt quieter away from the others, their footsteps echoing softly against the polished floors while evening light poured through the massive windows lining the hallway.
For a while neither spoke.
Then Lucas finally said quietly, "You handled today well."
Neo looked ahead. "You already said that earlier."
"I'm saying it again."
Something about his tone made Neo glance toward him.
Lucas looked calmer away from the others.
Less like a boss.
More like, just Lucas.
Neo swallowed slightly before speaking carefully. "You think they believed me?"
Lucas' gaze stayed forward. "Parts of it."
Neo exhaled softly.
"The parts that mattered were real."
"I know."
That answer came too quickly.
Too naturally.
Neo's chest tightened slightly at that.
Because Lucas always understood more than he admitted.
They eventually stopped near one of the quieter balconies overlooking the estate gardens below.
The air outside felt cool against Neo's skin.
For a moment neither moved.
Then Lucas suddenly stepped closer.
Not enough to trap him.
Just enough to shift the atmosphere entirely.
Neo felt it immediately.
That tension again.
The dangerous kind that had existed between them ever since that night.
Lucas rested one hand slowly against the balcony rail beside Neo while lowering his voice slightly.
"You're overthinking."
Neo let out a quiet breath. "You say that like it's easy to stop."
Lucas studied him carefully. "You've been watching me differently since the meeting."
Neo froze slightly.
Of course he noticed.
Lucas noticed everything.
Neo looked away briefly. "You manipulate people too."
Silence.
Not angry silence.
Thinking silence.
Lucas finally answered honestly.
"Yes."
Neo looked back toward him.
Lucas' expression remained calm. "The difference is choice."
Neo frowned slightly.
Lucas stepped closer again this time, voice quieter now.
"D'uther breaks people until they become useful to him." His eyes stayed locked on Neo's. "I give people the choice to walk away before this world destroys them."
Neo's heartbeat slowed strangely at those words.
Because deep down, he knew Lucas was telling the truth.
Lucas could've rejected him from the beginning.
Could've pushed him away.
But he didn't.
Instead he protected him.
Trained him.
Stayed.
Lucas' fingers suddenly lifted slowly toward Neo's jaw, tilting his face upward slightly.
The touch was calm.
Gentle.
But it still sent heat crawling beneath Neo's skin immediately.
"You're thinking too loudly again," Lucas murmured softly.
Neo swallowed hard.
"That's not even a real sentence."
"It is now."
Neo huffed out the smallest laugh.
Lucas' thumb brushed lightly against his skin afterward and the softness of the gesture almost made Neo forget how to breathe for a second.
God.
This man was dangerous in ways completely unrelated to violence.
Lucas' eyes lowered briefly toward Neo's lips before lifting again.
"Tell me something honestly."
Neo's pulse jumped slightly. "What?"
"When you were talking earlier at school…" Lucas' voice softened barely. "Were you trying to convince them?"
Neo blinked slightly.
Then realized what Lucas actually meant.
Or yourself?
Neo looked away briefly before answering quietly.
"…Maybe both."
Something shifted in Lucas' expression then.
Not pity. Never pity.
Something deeper.
His hand moved slowly from Neo's jaw down toward the side of his neck, fingers resting there carefully while his gaze remained unbearably steady.
"You don't have to heal alone this time."
The words hit harder than Neo expected.
And suddenly, all the exhaustion he'd been carrying these past few days felt painfully visible.
Neo laughed quietly under his breath, though it sounded shaky. "You say things like that so casually."
Lucas leaned closer slightly.
"No," he murmured. "I say them carefully."
Neo's breath caught immediately.
The distance between them had disappeared almost completely now.
Close enough that Neo could feel warmth radiating from him.
Close enough that one small movement would ruin whatever restraint still existed between them.
And honestly?
Neo wasn't sure he wanted restraint anymore.And honestly?
The thought alone made heat rush straight to his face.
Lucas was still standing impossibly close, his hand resting against Neo's neck while the cool evening air brushed softly around them. Yet somehow Neo felt unbearably warm beneath his gaze.
Lucas noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
A very faint amusement appeared in his eyes as his thumb brushed lightly against Neo's skin again.
"There it is," he murmured quietly.
Neo blinked slightly. "What?"
"That look you get whenever you start overthinking and blushing at the same time."
Neo immediately looked offended. "I do not have a look."
Lucas' lips twitched slightly. "You absolutely do."
Neo opened his mouth to argue,
then immediately shut it again when Lucas leaned closer.
Not teasingly this time.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like he was giving Neo enough time to move away if he wanted to.
But Neo didn't move.
Couldn't move.
His heartbeat had already become a complete mess anyway.
Lucas' forehead brushed lightly against his for the briefest second before his lips finally touched Neo's.
Soft.
God.
So soft.
The kiss wasn't rushed at all.
It felt warm.
Patient.
Like Lucas was trying to quiet every loud thought inside Neo's head one by one without using words.
Neo melted embarrassingly fast.
His fingers instinctively curled slightly against Lucas' shirt while his eyes fluttered shut, the tension sitting in his chest slowly loosening beneath the gentleness of the kiss.
Lucas kissed like he did everything else.
Controlled.
Intentional.
Dangerously addictive.
Neo barely realized the small sound that escaped him until Lucas' hand slid from his neck down toward his waist, pulling him just slightly closer.
That tiny movement alone completely ruined Neo's remaining composure.
Heat crawled straight up his face instantly.
Lucas pulled back just enough to look at him afterward and the sight clearly amused him.
Neo looked absolutely destroyed from one kiss.
Pink ears.
Pink cheeks.
Breathing uneven.
Eyes avoiding direct contact now.
Lucas' expression softened in a way that almost never happened around anyone else.
"Cute," he murmured quietly.
Neo immediately buried his burning face into Lucas' collarbone. "Don't speak."
Lucas let out the quietest laugh against his hair.
Actually laughed.
The sound alone made Neo's stomach flip embarrassingly hard.
"This is your fault," Neo muttered against his chest, voice muffled.
"My fault?"
"Yes."
Lucas' hand rested calmly against the back of Neo's neck now, fingers sliding lightly through his hair in slow soothing motions.
"You're the one hiding in my shirt right now."
Neo groaned softly in embarrassment without lifting his head. "You make me nervous."
That answer seemed to genuinely catch Lucas off guard for half a second.
Neo felt it immediately in the way his fingers paused briefly against his hair.
Then Lucas sighed softly above him.
"Neo."
The way he said his name this time felt unfairly gentle.
Neo finally looked up slightly only to freeze again because Lucas was already watching him with that same steady gaze that always made his thoughts disappear.
"You don't have to get embarrassed every time I touch you."
Neo stared at him for a second before mumbling quietly, "That's easy for you to say when you look like this all the time."
Lucas blinked once slowly.
Then unexpectedly, he laughed again.
A real one this time.
Low.
Warm.
And honestly?
Neo thought that sound might actually kill him someday.
"You flirt very confidently for someone who can't even maintain eye contact afterward."
Neo immediately hid his face again.
"Okay now you're bullying me."
Lucas' hand tightened slightly against his waist, keeping him close.
"I'm serious though."
Neo sighed softly against his chest. "About what?"
"You don't always have to carry everything alone before coming to me."
The teasing had faded from his voice again.
Now he just sounded honest.
And somehow that always affected Neo the most.
Neo stayed quiet for a while before finally nodding slightly against him.
Lucas pressed one final kiss softly against his forehead afterward before reluctantly loosening his hold.
"Come on," he murmured. "If we disappear too long Aiden's going to start making conspiracy theories."
Neo snorted quietly before finally stepping back.
Still red.
Still avoiding eye contact.
Lucas noticed every second of it.
And honestly?
He liked this version of Neo far too much.
Ethan didn't stop walking until he reached the quieter side of the estate balcony overlooking the lower gardens.
The noise from the others faded behind him almost completely once the glass doors slid shut. Cool evening air brushed softly against his skin while city lights flickered far beyond the estate walls.
For the first few seconds, he simply stood there.
Thinking.
His fingers tapped unconsciously against his phone before finally unlocking it.
Truthfully?
He hated this feeling.
Not fear exactly.
Just that heavy instinct sitting at the back of his mind telling him something much bigger than usual was beginning to move.
And whenever Lucas personally involved Cealan.
things were never small.
Ethan sighed softly before scrolling toward the familiar contact.
Princess' Biggest Problem ❤️
A stupid smile almost pulled at his lips immediately despite the tension.
God.
He really needed to change that contact name.
But not today.
The phone rang twice before the other line picked up almost immediately.
"Well damn," Cealan's lazy voice drawled through the speaker smoothly. "You usually wait at least three hours before missing me."
Ethan rolled his eyes automatically though warmth still crept into his expression anyway.
"You're annoying."
"And yet you called."
In the background Ethan could hear movement, faint traffic noises, and the rustling sound of Cealan probably adjusting himself somewhere.
"Where are you?" Ethan asked quietly.
"Hotel balcony." Cealan yawned softly. "I just finished a meeting."
Ethan hummed absentmindedly.
Then silence.
Cealan noticed immediately.
The teasing faded from his tone almost at once.
"…What happened?"
Ethan leaned both arms against the balcony railing slowly. "Nothing happened."
"Ethan."
That voice.
That calm dangerous voice Cealan only used whenever he knew Ethan was lying.
Ethan clicked his tongue softly. "You're so dramatic."
"And you sound tense."
"I do not."
"You absolutely do."
Ethan exhaled slowly through his nose.
Damn him.
Cealan always noticed too quickly.
For a while Ethan stayed quiet again, eyes lowering toward the estate gardens below where guards continued rotating through patrol routes more heavily than usual.
Cealan waited patiently this time.
No teasing.
No jokes.
Just waiting.
Eventually Ethan spoke quietly.
"Lucas wants you here."
Silence.
Not confused silence.
Thinking silence.
Then Cealan spoke carefully.
"…Why?"
Ethan hesitated slightly.
Familia matters stayed inside Familia.
That rule existed for a reason.
But at the same time, Cealan wasn't exactly an outsider anymore either.
Not to him.
Not really.
"There's a problem," Ethan admitted finally.
Cealan's voice lowered slightly. "What kind of problem?"
Ethan rubbed slowly at the back of his neck. "The kind where Lucas stopped smiling."
"…Oh."
That response alone said enough.
Because everybody who knew Lucas properly understood one terrifying thing:
A calm Lucas was manageable.
A smiling Lucas was dangerous.
But a Lucas who stopped smiling entirely?
That version destroyed things.
Cealan exhaled quietly on the other side of the call. "This has to do with Neo and Aiden, doesn't it?"
Ethan blinked slightly. "How did you know that?"
"Because you care about them too much to sound this stressed over anything else."
That answer hit Ethan unexpectedly hard.
He looked away briefly toward the darkening sky.
"…D'uther resurfaced."
The line went completely silent afterward.
Even the faint background movement disappeared.
Ethan immediately straightened slightly.
Because Cealan never went silent like that unless something genuinely caught his attention.
When he finally spoke again, his voice sounded completely different now.
Serious.
"If Lucas is involving me directly," Cealan said quietly, "then the situation is already bigger than all of you are admitting."
Ethan swallowed slightly.
Because honestly?
That was exactly what scared him too.
Cealan continued carefully, "Tell me everything."
And this time,
Ethan did.
Not every hidden Familia detail.
Not the deepest secrets.
But enough.
Enough for Cealan to understand the shape of the storm building around them.
By the time Ethan finished explaining about the docks, the kidnapping, the four new figures, and the school infiltration, the playful warmth usually sitting in Cealan's voice had disappeared completely.
"That's not psychological pressure," Cealan muttered quietly after a long pause. "That's recruitment behavior."
Ethan frowned slightly. "What?"
"D'uther isn't just trying to break Neo and Aiden emotionally." Cealan's tone sharpened slightly. "He's trying to reconnect them to the environment that created them in the first place."
Ethan felt his stomach tighten slightly.
Because hearing it phrased like that made the situation feel far uglier.
"He wants familiarity," Cealan continued. "Shared trauma. Emotional recognition. Once people start feeling understood by others carrying the same scars…" He paused briefly. "They become easier to pull back in."
Ethan looked toward the dark estate silently.
Neo's speech from earlier suddenly replayed in his head.
The way those four actually listened to him.
The way the hostility softened slightly afterward.
Damn.
Cealan suddenly spoke again.
"Has Lucas noticed that yet?"
Ethan laughed quietly under his breath.
"You know Lucas notices everything."
"That's not an answer."
"No," Ethan admitted softly. "I think he noticed. I just don't think he's said it out loud yet."
Cealan hummed lowly.
Then silence settled briefly between them again.
Not uncomfortable.
Just heavy.
Eventually Ethan spoke quieter this time.
"…You'll come?"
The question slipped out softer than intended.
And immediately, Cealan noticed that too.
"You want me there?"
Ethan rolled his eyes instantly to hide the sudden embarrassment creeping up his neck. "Don't make this weird."
A low chuckle came through the phone.
God.
Even through calls Cealan still somehow sounded unfairly attractive.
"I'll be there tonight," Cealan answered gently.
Some of the tension in Ethan's chest loosened immediately at those words.
Too quickly.
Too naturally.
Cealan noticed that too of course.
"You trust me a lot," he murmured quietly.
Ethan stared silently at the city lights for a moment before answering honestly.
"…Yeah."
The line softened after that.
Not romantically.
Something quieter.
More intimate.
Like two people acknowledging something they both already knew but rarely said aloud.
Then Cealan sighed softly. "Eat something before you spiral yourself into a stress headache."
Ethan scoffed. "You sound old."
"And you sound emotionally constipated."
"That's actually offensive."
"You love me anyway."
Ethan froze for exactly half a second.
Just half.
Then immediately recovered.
"You're delusional."
Cealan laughed softly.
Warm.
Knowing.
"See you soon, princess."
The call ended before Ethan could insult him properly.
Which honestly?
Was probably intentional.
Ethan stared at his phone for several seconds afterward before muttering under his breath "…I hate him."
But the faint smile appearing on his face completely ruined the lie.
~
Kellan led Aiden toward the quieter side of the estate without saying much.
Not upstairs.
Not toward the main halls either.
Instead he took him through the private training corridor before finally stopping near one of the indoor lounges connected to the gym area.
The room was dimly lit, warm golden lights reflecting softly against the dark wooden walls while rain started tapping lightly against the massive glass windows outside.
Aiden immediately dropped dramatically onto the couch.
"I feel kidnapped."
"You complain too much to be kidnapped."
"That's profiling."
Kellan ignored him completely and walked toward the mini bar instead, pouring himself a drink before glancing over his shoulder.
"You want one?"
Aiden stretched lazily against the couch. "Only if you're trying to seduce me."
Kellan handed him the glass anyway.
"That obvious?"
Aiden grinned immediately while accepting it. "See this is why I like you."
Kellan sat opposite him afterward, one arm resting against the chair while he studied Aiden quietly for a moment.
And just like earlier, Aiden noticed it immediately.
"What?" he asked finally.
"You joke too much when you're worried."
Aiden's smile faltered slightly.
There it was.
Straight to the point.
Always.
Kellan never danced around things the way other people did.
For a moment Aiden stayed quiet, swirling the drink lazily inside his glass before speaking softer this time.
"You noticed?"
"I always notice."
God.
Sometimes Kellan said things so casually that they landed harder than intended.
Aiden looked away briefly toward the rain outside the windows.
The playful energy around him dimmed slowly.
Not disappearing completely, just softening.
"I'm not scared for myself," he admitted quietly after a while.
Kellan didn't interrupt.
Didn't rush him.
So Aiden continued.
"Neo acts strong most of the time because he thinks he has to." His fingers tightened slightly around the glass. "But I know him better than anybody else does. I know when he's pretending and when he's genuinely trying not to fall apart."
Kellan's expression softened almost invisibly.
Aiden let out a quiet laugh under his breath afterward though it sounded tired this time.
"And honestly? Seeing D'uther again messed me up too." He finally looked up. "But Neo…" He paused briefly. "Neo lived through that man differently than I did."
The rain outside grew heavier.
Soft.
Steady.
Kellan finally leaned forward slightly, elbows resting against his knees.
"Then we don't let him carry it alone this time."
Simple words.
But they settled heavily inside the room.
Aiden stared at him quietly afterward before smiling faintly.
"You know…" he muttered softly. "You're weirdly comforting for somebody that looks like they murders people recreationally."
Kellan deadpanned immediately. "I do murder people recreationally."
Aiden burst out laughing.
"There he is."
"What?"
"The emotionally unavailable psychopath I know and love."
Kellan rolled his eyes slightly but the corner of his mouth twitched upward anyway.
Silence settled between them again afterward.
Comfortable this time.
Aiden slowly relaxed deeper into the couch while watching Kellan over the rim of his glass.
God.
This man really was unfairly attractive.
It should genuinely be illegal.
Black shirt slightly rolled at the sleeves.
Calm expression.
Broad shoulders.
That annoyingly composed demeanor.
And the worst part?
Kellan had absolutely no idea what he did to people.
Aiden finally sighed dramatically. "You know if I die young it'll actually be your fault."
Kellan raised an eyebrow slightly. "How tragic."
"I'm serious. One day you're going to look at me too hard and my soul will physically leave my body."
That finally pulled a quiet laugh from Kellan.
Rare.
Low.
Dangerously attractive.
Aiden immediately pointed at him. "See? That. Stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Existing like a luxury problem."
Kellan stared at him for a second before shaking his head slowly.
"You flirt like breathing is a competitive sport."
"And yet you never stop me."
That answer lingered between them for a moment.
The air shifted slightly afterward.
Not sudden.
Not forced.
Just natural tension slowly settling into place.
Aiden noticed the exact second Kellan's gaze dropped briefly toward his lips.
Oh.
Interesting.
A slow grin immediately spread across Aiden's face.
"There you are," he murmured softly.
Kellan frowned slightly. "What?"
"That look."
"What look?"
"The one you get right before you pretend you're not thinking about kissing me."
Kellan leaned back slightly against the chair afterward, completely calm despite being exposed so easily.
"You're confident."
"I have reasons to be."
Aiden stood then.
Slowly.
No hesitation.
Unlike Neo, Aiden never retreated from tension.
He walked directly toward Kellan instead until he stood right between his knees, amusement still dancing in his eyes.
Kellan looked up at him quietly.
Still composed. Still controlled.
Aiden placed his glass aside before resting one hand lightly against Kellan's shoulder.
"You know," he said softly, "for somebody always acting emotionally constipated…"
Kellan's hand settled against his waist immediately.
"…you get clingy when you're worried."
Aiden smiled instantly.
Bullseye.
Kellan's grip tightened slightly, pulling him closer without effort.
"You talk too much."
"And you like it."
Kellan didn't deny it.
That alone made heat curl pleasantly in Aiden's stomach.
The tension between them stretched slowly until finally Aiden leaned down first and kissed him.
Unlike Neo and Lucas, there was nothing hesitant about it.
No shyness.
No uncertainty.
Aiden kissed like he lived.
Boldly.
Confidently.
Like he enjoyed pushing until somebody pushed back harder.
Kellan responded instantly.
One hand firm against Aiden's waist while the other slid upward along his back, pulling him impossibly closer until Aiden nearly lost balance against him.
The kiss deepened naturally after that.
Slow at first.
Then heavier.
Warmer.
Aiden smiled slightly against Kellan's mouth when he felt the control slipping little by little beneath the calm exterior.
"There you go," he murmured teasingly between kisses.
Kellan answered by kissing him harder.
Which honestly?
Proved Aiden's point beautifully.
Aiden shifted easily until he was half seated against Kellan now, fingers sliding into his dark hair while rain continued pouring heavily outside the windows.
Everything about the moment felt warm.
Needed.
Like both of them had been carrying tension all day and finally found somewhere safe to let pieces of it go.
Kellan's forehead rested briefly against Aiden's afterward while both of them caught their breath quietly.
"You're trouble," Kellan muttered lowly.
Aiden grinned immediately. "But I'm your trouble."
For the first time that evening,
Kellan's expression fully softened.
Not guarded.
Not cold.
Just real.
His fingers brushed lightly against Aiden's jaw before he pressed one slower kiss against his lips this time.
Gentler.
Intentional.
And somehow that affected Aiden far more than the heated kisses before it.
Because underneath all the teasing and tension, Kellan was careful with him.
Always.
Aiden finally relaxed fully against him afterward, head dropping lazily onto Kellan's shoulder while his fingers traced absent patterns against his chest.
"You know," he murmured softly, "I think we deserve a vacation after all this."
Kellan hummed quietly. "You'd get bored in two days."
"That's true."
Silence settled again afterward while rain tapped steadily against the windows.
Then quietly, almost too quietly.
Aiden admitted:
"I really don't want anything happening to Neo."
Kellan's hand moved slowly along his back soothingly.
"It won't."
Aiden closed his eyes briefly.
"You can't promise that."
"No," Kellan answered honestly. "But I can promise he won't face it alone."
And somehow, coming from Kellan
that felt close enough to certainty.
The city traffic was horrible by the time
~
Cealan finally got back to his apartment.
Rain had started falling heavily midway through the drive, turning the roads glossy beneath endless city lights while impatient drivers flooded every intersection with noise and frustration. By the time he stepped out of the elevator leading to his penthouse floor, he already felt drained enough to throw his phone across the room.
The moment he entered the apartment, silence welcomed him immediately.
Clean.
Cold.
Expensive.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glowing city beneath while soft jazz music still played quietly from where he'd forgotten to turn it off earlier that morning.
Cealan loosened the tie around his neck slowly as he walked deeper inside.
His meeting earlier had already exhausted him enough.
Then Ethan's call happened.
And somehow that conversation had unsettled him more than he wanted to admit.
The moment Lucas got involved personally
things became dangerous.
Not business dangerous.
War dangerous.
Cealan sighed softly before disappearing into the bathroom.
The hot shower helped slightly.
Not enough to clear his thoughts completely, but enough to loosen some of the tension sitting in his shoulders. Water rolled slowly down tattooed skin while steam clouded the mirrors around him.
Unfortunately, his brain refused to quiet down.
Neo.
Aiden.
D'uther.
Lucas.
Psychological warfare.
Recruitment behavior.
The more he thought about it, the uglier the situation became.
By the time he stepped out of the shower, changed into dark clothes, and fixed his watch back around his wrist, nearly forty minutes had passed already.
He was just grabbing his keys to leave for the Luther estate when,
Ding.
Cealan paused.
That sound.
Not his personal phone.
Not his regular business line either.
Slowly, his gaze shifted toward the second phone resting near the kitchen counter.
Black.
Unmarked.
Private.
Very few people had access to that number.
And whenever it rang, someone either wanted a problem removed…
or a person buried.
Cealan walked toward it calmly before picking it up.
The moment the call connected, the voice on the other side immediately spoke without greeting.
"We have another assignment for you."
Straight to the point.
Typical.
Cealan leaned casually against the counter. "That was fast. Thought you people would at least let me breathe for a day."
"You're expensive for a reason."
A faint smirk pulled at his lips.
Fair enough.
"What's the situation?"
"Two individuals. Surveillance first. Elimination pending depending on movement and affiliations."
Cealan's expression remained relaxed.
Normal.
Professional.
This wasn't unusual.
Half the wealthy people in the country secretly wanted somebody gone.
Politicians.
Business rivals.
Family inheritance problems.
Obsessed lovers.
Humans were honestly exhausting creatures.
"When do I get details?" he asked calmly.
"They're already being transferred."
Cealan hummed softly. "Payment?"
"Triple your normal rate if completed discreetly."
Now that finally caught his interest.
Triple?
Damn.
Whoever placed this request either had serious money, or serious fear.
Cealan straightened slightly before answering casually, "Fine. I'll take it."
"Good."
The call ended immediately afterward.
Just like always.
No extra words.
No wasted time.
A soft notification dinged almost instantly afterward.
Incoming File Received.
Cealan walked toward the couch before sitting down lazily, one ankle resting over his knee while opening the encrypted file.
A PDF loaded slowly onto the screen.
TARGET FILES.
He clicked it open absentmindedly.
And immediately, his entire body stilled.
For the first time that night.
Cealan's expression genuinely cracked.
His mouth parted slightly in disbelief as two pictures loaded clearly onto the screen.
Neo. Aiden.
The room went silent.
Completely silent.
Cealan stared at the screen for several long seconds, waiting for his brain to somehow rearrange the information into something that made more sense.
But it didn't.
The files remained there.
Cold.
Clear.
TARGET ONE: NEO XAVIER DEMI UTHER.
TARGET TWO: AIDEN VALERIO.
Below the names sat detailed surveillance notes.
University schedules.
Routes.
Known associates.
Recent behavioral observations.
And underneath it all, a red highlighted instruction:
OBSERVE FIRST. AWAIT FURTHER ELIMINATION CONFIRMATION.
Cealan's grip around the phone tightened slowly.
His eyes darkened immediately.
Because this wasn't random.
Not even close.
This was coordinated.
Deliberate.
And suddenly Ethan's earlier words replayed loudly inside his head again.
"He resurfaced."
D'uther.
It had to be.
Or somebody connected closely enough to the situation to know exactly which strings to pull.
Cealan leaned back slowly against the couch, one hand dragging across his jaw while he reread the files carefully.
His assassin instincts automatically began processing details despite the growing tension in his chest.
The files were recent.
Very recent.
Which meant whoever requested this had active eyes currently watching Neo and Aiden already.
That alone was dangerous.
But the part that truly bothered him?
The request specifically ordered surveillance before elimination.
Meaning the client wanted information first.
Patterns.
Weaknesses.
Behavior.
That wasn't emotional revenge.
That was tactical interest.
Cealan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then suddenly, he laughed once quietly under his breath.
Not because anything was funny.
But because the situation had just become unbelievably complicated.
"Jesus Christ…"
He looked back down toward Neo and Aiden's photos again.
Toward the boys currently sitting unknowingly in the middle of a psychological war between monsters.
And now somehow,he had just been dragged directly into the center of it too.