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H arlow held Foxx while the man stood there silently crying. Right next to them, with his arms crossed, was Gavin, tears streaming down his face. They couldn’t really do much except listen to what was happening in the background of the video call.

No one was actually talking to them, or on screen, because the video of Iggy that had already ended remained up. Harlow could tell that the paramedics were there, and that Tony was alive, but…that was it.

He…had always joked about the man’s blood pressure, but…

Fucking hell, what was Tony’s connection to Iggy?! This wasn’t the normal reaction of a boss towards an employee…

And how the fuck was he supposed to react to this? He knew he should be reacting, but he felt…empty? Empty didn’t sound right. Harlow felt off, a bit shaky actually…but not angry. Yet that didn’t make sense to him as anger was sort of his go to. But he felt nervous… Was it nerves he was feeling? Well, he was, at the very least, definitely fucking confused.

Harlow looked down when Foxx turned in his arms, blinking as the vampire gently cupped one side of his face.

“Are you okay?” Foxx whispered while he caressed his cheek.

“I’m…” He frowned. “Fine?”

“I can hear your echoed heartbeat, and it’s beating faster than it should. You are also a bit clammy and pale. ”

“I… I don’t know how to react to this.”

“Reacting isn’t something one knows how to do, it’s something you just do. But I think you are worried, and a bit shocked, just like we all are.”

“Maybe.” Harlow swallowed.

“Want me…to hack into his medical records and see…how bad it is?” Gavin asked hesitantly.

Harlow looked over at the dragon, his brow pulling as he thought it over, before finally saying, “Later.”

They all looked back to the screen at the sound of a throat clearing. They could see the room again and Santiago was now in frame, his face fully visible.

“Tony is on his way to the hospital, Oceana went with him. He seems to be out of the woods for now though.”

“He…” Foxx took a deep breath. “Just to be clear, he had a heart attack, right?”

“Yes,” Santiago said slowly. “Where are you two…three?” The man frowned as he obviously caught sight of Gavin, who had remained off screen when they’d first connected the call.

Harlow pointed toward the man. “The dragon from before.”

The man’s brow rose at that. “I see. Where are you, and…what have you been up to?”

“Are you sure about Iggy? I heard you say…” Foxx cut in, without answering the question.

“I can’t explain why, but I know he is alive. And if he is alive, he was changed, because he wouldn’t have survived that otherwise. Which brings me back to my question…what have you three been doing this last month and a half? It hasn’t escaped my notice that you all have been persistently absent while the Guild worked towards rebuilding.”

“Do you even need to ask?” Harlow drawled slowly.

“I’m alone in here, and no one is within hearing range. Spell it out for me.”

He smirked, feeling more ‘normal’ by the second. “We’ve been hunting down the son of a bitch who’s responsible for blowing up our damn Guild, while slaughtering each and every fucking human we tracked down that was part of his group. ”

Santiago nodded. “That explains the increase in explosions lately.”

“How sure are you that he was changed?” Foxx asked.

“Ninety-nine percent sure.”

The vampire looked back at Harlow. “If he was changed, would Maverick let him live long enough to make it through it? Also, why would the wolf change him? Unless he was under Maverick’s control somehow…”

“He might let him live, if it served his purpose. From the little I gathered from the video, it sounds like Maverick was oddly obsessed with Iggy, for some reason. As for the wolf, that I can’t answer.”

“I might be able to,” Santiago drawled. “While it’s possible the wolf was controlled, it’s also entirely possible they are working on pure instinct. Werewolves are heavily pack orientated, and the need for one when they are alone can override every other instinct we have. Even starved, one of my kind may choose to change what could be food, in order to finally have a connection in place.”

Foxx sighed. “I’ve heard that before.”

“How close are you to finding Maverick?” the wolf asked. “I can’t say if he will survive the change, or what they will do to him after, but I can say that if you allow me to go with you, I can ensure that if Iggy is alive, he will be brought back home in one piece.”

The sound he heard earlier, what he knew had been Tony crying, drifted through his head, and he found himself saying, “We are either mere hours or a few days away from finding him. Fly to Lyndfell, Oregon, but make it quick, we won’t wait.”

Even as he said that, Harlow knew he was lying. They’d wait…even if it was only so he’d never have to hear Tony cry like that again. The man was…his friend… He just hadn’t realized he’d feel as helpless as he did with Foxx when he cried.

No…sobbed… The man had been sobbing, not crying. He’d seen Tony cry before, but this was… This had been different.

“I’ll catch the first flight I can, private or otherwise, and I'll let you know when I’m set to land.” The video call disconnected, and the screen went dark.

“Do you think he’s right? That Iggy is alive? ”

Harlow pulled Foxx closer with a sigh. “Never thought I’d say this, but fuck, I hope so.”

Foxx arched up, kissing him lightly on the lips. “Tony is going to be okay.”

He grunted in response, and just took a deep breath, trying to get his heartbeat and the rest of himself back under control.