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away from his chest to look at him, to make him promise. “When we find where they have Brendan, we have to go to him ourselves. It has to be us.”
    He nodded, smoothing her hair away from her face. “Whatever you need, Brianna. Whatever it takes.”

 
    Chapter Nine
    Aern
     
    Aern sat staring at the maps and photographs on his desk, all too aware that they’d lost their best chance to find Brendan. He’d sent two more teams out, scouring the area for any sign of the men who had burned the warehouse. It was a risk, but it didn’t matter. Everything they did now was a risk.
    Emily stopped her pacing behind him to lay a hand on his shoulder, and he leaned back, grasping it with his own. He’d not wanted to admit how seeing Ellin had affected him, but there was no question it had. It had affected all of them. These men were not simply a danger, not the type of threat that Morgan had been. They were something else, something that was beyond their understanding. They were something that scared even Brianna.
    “What if she’s right?” Emily said. “What if they’re just waiting for something to happen?”
    Aern breathed deep; whatever was going to happen was out of their control if they couldn’t figure out what exactly it was. “There has to be more,” he answered. “If they’re keeping Brendan for leverage, there has to be something else. Something they want.”
    “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.