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“What do you meansomeone?”Jack said. With disgust he added, “It was obviously the imperator.”

“Can you get it back up?” Darien asked.

Tanner sighed again. “That’s…a big ask.”

“I wouldn’t even know where to start,” Kylar said as he helped himself to a pinch of leftover shredded cheese. “Do you think it’s doable?” He tipped his head back, sprinkling the cheese into his mouth. He was Roman’s hacker, and while he was excellent at his job, there was only one Tanner Atlas.

“Yes. But…my main concern is time,” Atlas said, cupping his chin with one hand, the other scrolling. “We have less than three days until the military hits Yveswich, and I’m not sure I can get it back up that quickly.”

“Try,” Darien urged. “Do whatever you can, just— Try,” he repeated, breathing deeply as a Surge began to pound its fist on the door of his mind. He was about to pay for all the salt he’d snorted in the past hour. “Please,” he added.

“Starting now,” Tanner confirmed. He sat up straight, keys clacking.

Darien locked eyes with Loren. She stood by the table, her stack of plates forgotten.

She dropped her gaze and added another dirty plate to her stack.

“How are you feeling?” he asked her. Her tattoo was glowing, but it was a soft blend of blue and red. Red was the danger zone. Blue was relatively safe. And a blend of both was…well, not bad, but not great, either. It was better than solid red, though.

She pursed her beautiful lips in thought. “Worried,” she admitted in a quiet voice, her eyes downcast.

His brows pulled together. “Worried? About what, sweetheart?”

She tucked a curl of hair behind her ear. “About you.”

“Oh.” He checked on the tissues in his hand. The bleeding was slowing down. “This is nothing, baby. I’m fine.” Too much salt, that’s all it was. Plus some mental strain, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

“Take a break,” Ivy insisted before returning to the kitchen, where Jack was loading the dishwasher. “And eat something, for the gods’ sake.”

He was about to get up when he spotted Loren heading toward him. In her hands she carried a glass of water and a plate with four soft tacos dressed up all beautifully. The sound of the ice clacking against the glass reminded him of a certain Hob he hadn’t stopped thinking about—and still had to figure out how to find.

“I hope you like all the toppings,” she said as she carefully set the plate and glass on the coffee table before him. “I tried asking you what you wanted on them, but you didn’t hear me.”

“I love all of them. Looks perfect, baby. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She bent down to kiss the top of his head.

He got up and went to the kitchen to chuck out the tissues and wash the dried blood off his hands and face before diving into his food, enjoying the tacos more than he would have if he’dmade them himself. Everything always tasted better when Loren made it.

“Does anyone have any questions about what we discussed?” he asked the group, twisting around on the couch to see everyone.

“Yeah, I got one,” Jack said.

Darien sensed a joke coming, but he decided to humor his goof of a brother-in-law and prompted, “Shoot.”

“Why does Atlas always get to stay home while the rest of us bust our asses in the streets?” He kept his head down as he loaded the dishwasher—fighting a smile, no doubt. Darien could hear it in his voice.

Tanner took the bait. “Are you serious?” he asked, glaring over his shoulder.

“It’s Jack, he’s never serious,” Lace said.

“You wouldn’t last one day in my position.”

“I’m just twisting your nipples, Atlas,” Jack said. “Relax.”

Darien said, “All right, anyseriousquestions?” When Jack raised his hand, a very non-serious smile curving his lips up, Darien said, “No more, Jacky.”

“It’s a good one, though.”