Page 42 of Wanted By the Cartel

The next twelve hours were chaos. While Mae worked to stabilize Lyrian, I directed our forces in what became the bloodiest gang war in recent memory. The Rivera lieutenant's betrayal, just as Lyrian had predicted, sparked a chain reaction that left the city's underworld in flames. And, in turn, we attracted more attention to us than most were comfortable with.

But we were ready. Thanks to him, we'd been ready for everything and anything.

When I finally returned to our quarters, exhausted and blood-stained, Mae was waiting. "He's stable," she said before I could ask. "The twins too. But Zoren..." She hesitated. "This kind of strain, this late in the pregnancy—it can't happen again. Not ever again. I don't care what you have to do; if you need to fight again, just make sure he doesn't feel the need to get involved."

My protective instincts surged. "It won't," I said firmly, already planning increased security measures, restricted access, anything to keep him safe. Not to mention, I also needed to talk to him about his excessive involvement.

I knew he wasn't going to like it, but it didn’t matter. It was the pregnancy that was making him easily annoyed. He needed to realize that our children were more important.

Mae's sharp look stopped me. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. You can't just lock him away again. Not after everything."

She was right. We'd been down that road, and it had nearly cost me everything. "Then what do I do?" I asked, feeling lost. "I can't watch him hurt himself trying to help."

"Talk to him," she suggested. "He's awake, and asking for updates."

Of course he was. Even now, he was thinking about the cartel, about our people. That was just who he was—who I'd fallen in love with. He was constantly worried about me and the people that cared about me.

People were sacrificing themselves for his sake, so of course he was going to be concerned for their well-being.

I found him propped up in bed, surrounded by tablets and phones. The monitoring equipment Mae insisted on beeped steadily, showing both his and the twins' vital signs. All stable, thank god.

"Santos?" He asked immediately. He didn’t even consider waiting to discuss something else first; he just jumped right into the thick of things.

"Safe," I confirmed, sitting beside him. "Thanks to you. The whole operation was a success, actually. The Rivera lieutenant's betrayal backfired when we exposed it. Most of the smaller gangs are surrendering. You don't have anything to worry about."

He nodded, satisfied, then caught my expression. "You're worried."

"Terrified," I admitted. No point hiding it—he'd sense it anyway. "When you collapsed... Lyrian, I can't lose you. Any of you. It would destroy me."

"You won't." He took my hand, placing it on his stomach where our children moved restlessly. "But you can't stop me from using my abilities either. They're part of who I am, just like your strength is part of you."

I closed my eyes, feeling the twins kick against my palm. "Mae says the strain is dangerous. That it can't happen again. She is worried."

"Then we find a better way," he said as though it was a simple solution, but he knew it wasn't.

That caught my attention. No argument, no defensive stance. Just... partnership. I thought that he was going to get angry at me again. I was glad that didn't happen.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"We establish protocols. Safe ways for me to use my abilities without overextending. Mae can monitor my vitals in real time, and set hard limits. And you..." He squeezed my hand. "You trust me to know when to stop."

It wasn't perfect. The protective part of me still wanted to wrap him in security and never let go. But this... this was something I could work with. It was better than what we were doing, no doubt.

"I do trust you," I said slowly. "I trust your judgment, your abilities, your strength. I just..."

"Fear losing me," he finished, reading my mind again and sensing my current feelings. "I know. Just like I fear being caged, being less than I could be. But Zoren, look what we accomplished today because we worked together. Your strength, my abilities—we're unstoppable when we trust each other."

The twins kicked again, as if emphasizing his point. I couldn't help but smile. Our children were always right. I trusted their judgment about this.

"They're going to be as stubborn as you, aren't they?"

"As both of us," he corrected, then winced slightly. "Though maybe with less tendency to overdo things."

My heart clenched at his obvious discomfort, but I forced myself to stay calm. It was the best thing I could do at the moment.

This was the test, wasn't it? Learning to balance protection with trust. It was difficult, but I was doing my best.

"What do you need?" I asked instead of giving orders. "How can I help?"

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