Page 41 of Wanted By the Cartel

I relayed the warning to Santos while Chen coordinated our other forces. Reports flooded in: attacks on multiple fronts, old alliances shattering, chaos spreading through the underworld.

"The Rivera lieutenant," Lyrian muttered, still deep in his empathic trance. "He's not... something's wrong with his emotional signature." His hand moved to his stomach, a flicker of pain crossing his face. "He's not following the plan. He's going to betray them too."

"Lyrian, stop." I could see the strain taking its toll. The twins were restless, I could sense it. "We have enough intel."

"Just... one more thing." He pressed deeper, sweat beading on his forehead. "They're planning to... to..."

He swayed suddenly, and I barely caught him before he collapsed. His skin was clammy, his pulse racing under my fingers. The twins kicked violently, responding to his distress. He really shouldn't be exerting himself so much. It was hurting him.

"Get Mae," I ordered Chen, who was already moving. "Now!"

"I'm fine," Lyrian protested weakly, but his face was ashen. "The Rivera lieutenant... we need to..."

"We need to take care of you," I cut him off, lifting him carefully. "The cartel can wait."

Mae arrived as I was laying him on our bed. She took one look at the monitors she'd insisted we keep in our quarters and started barking orders. "Blood pressure's through the roof. The twins are in distress."

My heart clenched. This was exactly what I'd feared—his dedication to helping putting him at risk again. But I couldn't blame him. Not when his intelligence had just saved Santos's team and probably several others.

Besides, we had already gone through that and reached an agreement. I didn't want to argue with him about the same issue again.

"Both of you, out," Mae commanded, hooking up an IV. "I need to stabilize him."

"Zoren," Lyrian caught my hand. "The Rivera lieutenant. He's going to turn on everyone. You need to..." Another wave of pain hit him, and he curled around his stomach.

"I'll handle it," I promised, squeezing his hand. "You focus on our children."

Mae practically shoved me out, but not before I heard Lyrian mumble, "Don't lock me out of this. We're partners, remember? You do more than just protect me. You also let me help you."

Even now, even in pain, he was thinking of our agreement. Of the trust we'd built. And he was right about that. As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was.

Outside, the chaos continued. Reports of gunfire and explosions echoed across the city. Our enemies had finally shown their hand, but thanks to Lyrian, we weren't caught off guard. His network had given us warning, and his abilities had saved lives.

But at what cost?

Chen appeared with fresh intel. "Santos's team is secure. They caught the ambush force by surprise instead of the other way around. And sir... the Rivera lieutenant was just spotted meeting with our old enemies."

Exactly as Lyrian had sensed. Even at the cost of his health, his intelligence was perfect.At the cost of his health.Just thinking about that, I wished our deal was different.

"Mobilize everything," I ordered. "But keep a core force here. No one gets near this wing."

"Yes, sir." Chen hesitated. "And Lyrian?"

"I don't know." I stared at our bedroom door, where Mae was working to stabilize my mate and our children. "But I can't... I can't lose them, Chen."

"You won't," she said firmly. "He's stronger than you think. And he has you."

Yes, he had me. But I had him too, and his strength had just saved us from disaster. I couldn't cage that strength, couldn't lock it away. But I also couldn't watch him destroy himself using it. Navigating this was one of the hardest things I'd done in my life.

Another explosion rocked the compound. The war was escalating, and I was needed. But part of me remained fixed on that closed door, torn between what I had to do and love.

"Sir?" Chen prompted. "Your orders?"

I took a deep breath. Lyrian would want me to handle this. Would trust me to protect our interests while Mae protected him. That was partnership, wasn't it? Each of us doing what we did best, trusting the other to do their part. I hoped it was going to work.

"Contact all our allies," I said. "Tell them exactly what Lyrian discovered. Then prepare for the counter-offensive. We end this tonight."

As Chen hurried away, I touched our bedroom door one last time. "I'll make this quick," I promised softly. "Just stay safe. All of you."

---