“Us,” she said from behind him. “They want us.”
He lifted her hand, drew her around to face him. “You don’t know that, Emily. Just because you’re a shadow—” He stopped at the pained look that crossed her face, and pulled her onto his lap. “It doesn’t matter what any of them wants. Whatever this is, whatever plans they’ve laid in place, we will fight it.” He slid a hand to the side of her neck, urging her to meet his gaze. “We.”
She nodded, pressing her lips together. She hated the waiting. Felt helpless at the unknown. And he knew it not only from his heart, but through the bond.
“Does it feel different to you?” he asked.
Her fingers twisted into the hem of his shirt. “Like I can sense you, where you’re standing when you’re behind me,” she said. Her eyes darkened. “When you want me to move closer.”
He smiled, testing it, and she leaned in, lips hovering inches from his. “Like that?” he whispered.
“Like that,” she said.
“You try. Think about sending me something you want me to know. Or a feeling.”
She closed her eyes, and he was tempted to move the last inch to touch her lips. “I don’t know how to use it,” she said. “Didn’t Brianna say we’d know how things worked?”
“With the power,” he answered. “I mean, you knew exactly when it was there and how to use it with Morgan. But maybe the bond is different. Maybe it doesn’t operate the same way.”
She concentrated, unable to produce anything but frustration, and then opened her eyes. “Or maybe it’s you.” He kept trying and her gaze flicked to his mouth, feeling the instinct. “Maybe you’re the one doing it. Like with Ellin,” she said. “The way you knew what she was trying to tell us. The way you let her believe she was safe.”
“She is safe,” he said.
Emily shook her head. “I mean, she believed you. She was on a crash cart, for heaven’s sake. And when you said everything was okay, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.” His mouth twisted. “Maybe you didn’t even realize,” Emily offered. “You just wanted her to feel better and knew she would heal faster with rest.”
“Maybe,” he said. He narrowed his gaze and could tell Emily felt the pull, harder this time.
“I can’t be swayed,” she reminded him. And then she leaned forward, closing the distance. “But I can sense what you want me to do.” She smiled, the barest of space between them, her breath teasing his lips. “Even if I don’t have to comply.”
He laughed, no more than a breath of air, and leaned forward for the kiss. It was soft, but in earnest, and when he drew back, he whispered, “Then you’re stronger than me.”
She smirked. “Wait ’til my sister gets done with me.”
He sighed, glancing at the clock. “Speaking of …” It was time, and all of the playfulness dropped from Emily’s face. She didn’t want the change, didn’t want to be any more of a shadow than she already was.
But she would do it, for the same reason as Aern. She stepped back and he stood, wrapping his arms around her for a long moment before finally letting go. She wore a plain white Henley and her favorite sneakers; the overstocked closets of their Council rooms hadn’t changed her a bit. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, tucking a loose wave that had escaped her ponytail behind an ear. “We’ll get through this,” he said. “And then I’ll work on your resistance.”
She laughed, eyes going to his lips despite the challenge, and then caught herself, slipping free of his grasp to head for the door. When her hand touched the lever, she stopped, and he could tell she could feel him there, was aware that he hadn’t moved since she’d stepped away from him. He was watching her, she could sense it. And she could sense something else: contentment, a fierce loyalty. The way he felt about her. She looked back, smiling over her shoulder. “I think I like this, Mr. Archer.”
He grinned. “I think I like it too.”
They walked the halls to Brianna’s room, warm and wide, the exact shade of pale paint, trimmed in dark wood, from when he was a boy. Despite the fact that he’d never wanted to lead Council, Aern realized he was glad to be home again; glad everything with Morgan was in the past. He glanced at the same ancient artwork posted in the same location; the only thing changed the Council security and its staff. His pace slowed when they reached the corridor outside of Brianna’s room, because it was empty of either. There was no trace of Logan’s men.
“Emily,” he whispered as she reached toward the handle, but she’d already paused, noticing their absence herself or taking Aern’s cue, he didn’t know.