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The two of us stood side by side, facing away. Amber’s little quip still hung between us

“Yep,” I mumbled. “That was something.” What was she expecting? How was I supposed to even answer something like that?

“Are you going to go with him?”

The question was enough to bring my thoughts grinding to a halt. I glanced her way - and found her staring back, her hazel eyes unflinching.

“I don’t know,” I said, lifting my chin towards the stars again. “Maybe.”

“It’d be a damn stupid decision.”

My eyes snapped back to her.

She shrugged, unrepentant. “Well, it would.”

“I know that.”

“You’ve gone and kicked the hornet’s nest. The last thing you need to be doing is running around, putting yourself into other crews’ territories ass-first.”

“Amber, I know that.”

“Especially with someone who can’t do jack to actually help you. What’s he going to do, aggressively die at them?”

I caught myself in time - and settled for glaring at her, tight-lipped. “I’m not an idiot, you know,” I said at last, once I was sure I could say it without spitting. “I’m aware of how bad an idea it is.”

She made an irritated noise in the back of her throat, folding her arms across her chest. The railing groaned its complaint. “But you’re still considering it.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Why the fuck are you-”

“Because if we don’t find a healer soon Greyson is going to die.”

Amber stopped, coming up short. The iron in her expression faltered, splintering long enough for me to see the twinge of regret that hid underneath. “Ah.”

I shook my head again, dropping my face into my hand. My temples ached, the latest symptom of my lack of sleep. “We’ve got magic, yeah, but it’s not enough. If we want to get him back, him, more than just his body….we need to hurry.”

“And you think some random-ass crew is going to just lend you theirs.”

“Carl did.”

“Carl gave you his trainee,” Amber retorted. “They’re only interested in themselves, Jon. The primes, the hunters, all of them. Unless you have something to offer then, a sob story doesn’t mean anything.”

“Then I’ll have to find something they actually want.”

“What?”

My response was cut off by the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow. We turned as one, snapping to face the woods alongside the house. I didn’t miss the way her hand plunged into her jacket, grabbing hold at something hidden under the fabric. Of course, I’d grabbed the knife slipped into my jeans pocket too, but that was completely irrelevant.

“It’s just us. We’re good,” a familiar voice said, approaching from the treeline. A shadowed figure drifted closer - two figures, in fact, revealed as Tyler and his younger brother by the dim light off the porch’s single, run-down lamp. He waved towards us, his head tilting to one side. “Ah...evening, Jon. Amber.”

Amber inclined her had in a nod, not saying a word. I returned the wave. “Hey. Don’t go sneaking up on us, and all that.”

“We weren’t sneaking,” Kai muttered. He was the picture of unhappiness, with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and his shoulders up. He stalked along behind Tyler. Well, as much as someone could stalk in six inches of snow.

I shrugged. “Anyway.”

“Is something up?” Tyler said, looking between Amber and I. “Did something happen?”

“Besides you burning my couch?” I said dryly, glancing sidelong at Kai.

He had the decency to look away, scrunching his shoulders up higher. “It was an accident, okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Tyler,” I said, taking pity on the two of them. The man just looked so uncomfortable, his golden-brown hair in disarray and his skin pale.

“Aedan wants to take a road trip with Jon,” Amber said, sliding into the conversational gap without a moment’s hesitation. The corners of her lips twitched, curling up. “Boy time, he said.”

Tyler’s gaze slid to her - and then dropped to the ground. He shifted from foot to foot, making a face. “A-Ah. Gotcha. I guess.”

“Can I come?” Kai said. It was like magic - the teenager had been sullen and downtrodden just a few seconds earlier, but after hearing we might be leaving, he couldn’t even sit still. His fingers drummed against the sides of his legs.

“No,” Tyler snapped. It might have been my imagination, but the ends of his ears went white.

Kai twisted, his eyes flashing dangerously, but I held a hand up. “Let’s just call it a night, shall we?” I said weakly. The last thing we needed was Kai getting out of control and lighting the side of the house on fire.

Kai didn’t say a word. He strode to the door, turning away from me in a burst of movement, and pulled it open hard enough I’d have suspected the door had personally offended him.

Tyler didn’t move. He watched the door slam shut behind his little brother, a bit of the strength leaving his shoulders, but made no indication he was going to follow. Again and again, his eyes flicked to me - and then to Amber.

I was about to tell him to spit out whatever he was holding onto when Amber tapped her boot against the railing, knocking off a bit of snow. “It’s late,” she said, her gravelly voice low. “Guess I should turn in. Don’t stay up too late now, kiddos.”

My brow furrowed, confusion rising to overcome my irritation. We hadn’t finished, and it wasn’t like her to run away from an argument. I’d expected her to sit there on the porch with me until we were both half-frozen, trading quips and snipes until one of of us gave way.

But she was gone before I could collect myself, leaving Tyler and I alone in the cold. And unlike Amber, he wasn’t making any move to go inside.

“Trouble?” I said at last, unable to put up with the awkward silence that dragged on between us.

He winced, his shoulders slumping further. “You think?”

“I’m not angry about the couch.”

“I know,” Tyler mumbled.

“Well. Much.”

“Something’s changed.”

I stopped. Tyler had taken up perch opposite of where Amber had been moments before, leaning against a pillar. He stared out into the trees, right back towards where they’d been.

“What do you mean by that?” I said carefully.

“Kai. He was always...reckless.”

“He just set my couch on fire. I’m thinking that’s still a fair descriptor.”

Tyler chuckled. There wasn’t even an ounce of mirth in the sound. “I mean, yeah. But we’ve been more careful.” His gaze slipped up to hold mine. “I….you probably haven’t seen it all.”

“Again. Couch.”

“He….I don’t know,” Tyler mumbled, letting the words fall away. “I worry about him, that’s all. After the fight.”

“Coming up against someone with the same powers is a lot,” I said, picking my words more carefully. Humor was fine and good, but there was something in Tyler’s posture that said he wasn’t up for anything heavier by way of ribbing. “Maybe he’s just a bit shook up. He did get burned.” I shrugged, offering him a tiny grin. “Both actually and metaphorically.”

“I guess.”

I eyed him, chewing on my lip. “You could let Amber help him.”

His head snapped up. “What?”

“She’s got that barrier. She could keep him from burning everything down. And her power’s kind of like an explosion, in its own way. She could show him how she controls her energy. Something like that, maybe?”

“I’m not leaving him alone with her.”

The words I’d been about to say died, own away by the vehemence in his voice. “I just thought-”

“We’ll figure it out,” he said, the words short and sharp. “I’ve got a relic of my own, you know. I can help him.”

“I know,” I said, feeling completely out of my depth. Tyler had always been nothing but respectful. Of course, he wasn’t being rude, but I’d never heard him actually sound angry at someone other than Kai.

He seemed to recognize that too. His shoulders deflated, falling to something more like his normal self. “S-Sorry.”

“Is something wrong?” I said instead. Christ, all I wanted to do was sleep. I hadn’t been there yet when Aedan had stormed back to his room, and I knew that if I went to lay down I’d stare at the ceiling for at least an hour, but I hadn’t bargained on everyone falling to pieces, either. People needed to pull their shit together.

Tyler shook his head, a bit of the color returning to his cheeks. “No. No, you’re fine. I’m just- tired.”

“Tell me about it.”

“You’re leaving with Aedan?” Tyler said, switching topics so abruptly I nearly slipped. “That’s what- what Amber said, right? You two were going somewhere?”

I gathered myself as quickly as I could, shaking my head. “N-No. I mean, maybe. He wants to visit some other crews, it sounds like. Or other rogues. I don’t know. But with everything going on, Anke and Noah and everything-”

“You should go.”

His words brought me grinding to a halt. I gaped, one eye twitching. “What, now?”

“I’ll go with you two. It’ll be safer, in a group.”

“Why do you actually want me to go?” I interrupted, holding a hand up. “No one else seemed happy about the matter.”

His eyes flicked to the side, still fixed on the trees. “Well….we’re a prime crew now, right?”

I groaned. I couldn’t stop myself. “No.”

“Really?” he said, a bit of humor returning to his voice.

I drooped. “I don’t know.”

“Well. Let’s just assume we are,” Tyler said, rolling his eyes. “It doesn’t really mean anything if no one knows, does it?”

He shifted, rubbing his boot against the floorboards to knock a bit of ice loose. “I was thinking about it earlier. About our whole situation. I was thinking, the more connections we can make, the more likely it is Noah leaves us alone.”

“I think that’s a pretty long shot in general,” I said, feeling the need to point it out.

“Well, yeah. I guess. But if we’re a prime, we might as well start acting like one.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I think we could all use a bit of stability, and being accepted by the other crews would be a good first step.

I nodded slowly, pursing my lips.

“You don’t agree?” I heard him say.

“I think you’ve got a point,” I said, fighting to keep from fidgeting. “I do. I just...I didn’t think anyone would be hot on the idea, really.”

“Oh.”

“But...it’s a valid take on it.”

“I just think we should establish ourselves a little,” Tyler said, shooting me a look filled with all the anxiety he was keeping in. “If we act like we’re scared, we’ll look scared.”

“You know a lot about this,” I murmured.

Tyler flinched. “N-Not really. Not like some of the others, I’m sure. I never...I stayed out of it, mostly.”

That’s what he’d said, the story he’d told back when he’d joined. He’d told me all about how he’d fled when eyes turned to him, when demis came sniffing around their home. Of course, he’d gotten his relic fromsomewhere, even if it’d run in the family. And he’d known enough to be watching for trouble coming.

I shook my head, shivering gently in the cold. Whatever. Maybe Tyler was just exceptionally aware of his surroundings - which would be a reasonable take, certainly, given the precarious position he’d been in. Or maybe there was more to the story. If I asked, he’d probably just give a half-truth or argue it was none of my business. Considering he’d passed every test we’d put him to, and that he’d fought for us, I was inclined to agree.

“Maybe,” I mumbled, kicking at a pile of snow that had fallen along the edge of the porch. “But after Noah...I just don’t like the idea of leaving everyone alone.” My chin dropped further, settling against my chest. “And….well, there are just a lot of ways it could go wrong.”

“You’re scared.”

I stiffened, my eyes snapping to his. Tyler flinched, waving his hands hurriedly. “No, no. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean it like that. I think that’s probably smart.”

I exhaled, letting my shoulders settle back down the few inches they’d risen. “Can you blame me?” I said at last, once I could trust myself to speak. Glenn had come for me, damn it. Whatever was between Aedan and Anke, I didn’t want to get caught up in it. And I remembered all too clearly how vicious Matt had been. The very last thing I wanted to do was go running off into the thick of it.

“Like I said. I could come with you two.”

Tyler’s expression was entirely serious when I looked to him, taken aback. He shrugged. “I’m not helpless. And I might not have the destructive capability Kai does...or will...but it’s probably more than yours. Definitely more than Aedan’s got going for him.”

I gaped for a moment, feeling my relic warm against my chest. Tyler was serious. It was a genuine offer - to leave Kai at the house, to leave the safety I knew he enjoyed so much. Any suspicions I might have been harboring melted away at that.

“No,” I said, locking eyes with him. “I appreciate it, Tyler. I do. But I couldn’t ask that. And, uh.” I glanced back through the window of the house, seeing the bedroom hallway from the corner of my eye. “I don’t think Aedan really wants company for a trip like this. Besides. If we’re going into other crews’ territories, it’s probably best for us to keep a low profile.”

“Three demis isn’t much worse than two.”

“Do you really want to leave Kai alone here?” I said dryly.

Tyler winced. “Uh.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about it, Tyler. Let’s just see how things go.” As the last words slipped out, I straightened, pushing myself away from the railing.

Tyler perked up too. “Leaving?”

“It’s late. I think we’ve all got plenty to think about.”

“Yeah. Probably,” Tyler said. He didn’t look entirely satisfied still, like he wanted to make another argument for his side of things - but when I reached for the worn brass handle to the front door, he didn’t stand in my way.

I pulled it open, hesitating as the first tendrils of warm air from inside washed over me. “Coming?”

He waved a hand. “I’m going to hang out for a few, I think. Settle down a little.”

I smiled, watching him settle against the railing like he’d never move again. “Got it. Good night, then.”

Nox had vanished somewhere along the line. Probably hiding out wherever Amber was, I thought sourly. The living room was empty when I slipped back through. The lights were off, leaving me to pick my way through the mess of furniture by feel.

The click of my door shutting behind me was more of a relief than I would have thought. I sagged, feeling as though a wall had been closed off between myself and the crazy, chaotic mess that everything was turning into. I hadn’t gotten stuck with a roommate, at least - one of the perks of leadership. Nox and Brendon had both given that idea a big, fat no, and Tyler and Kai were too much for my poor, tiny nook.

It left me blissfully alone as I collapsed face-down onto my bed, letting my limbs drape across the mattress. Slowly, feeling every muscle in my body ache, I rolled over, staring up at the grunge-coated ceiling.

The minutes dragged on, slowly changing into hours as I searched for sleep that was nowhere to be found.

Sun streamed in through the slits in my curtain, bright and insistent and completely unwelcome. I made a face at the window as I pulled a t-shirt over my head, slipping out into the rest of the house.

The living room wasn’t empty anymore. Keira sat at the counter, staring with blind fixation at the coffeepot as it brewed. Brendon and Loren sat on the couch, talking quietly. She paused, flashing me a quick, sidelong grin and raising her hand in a wave. “Morning, Jon.”

I bobbed my head in a quick nod, trying to blink away the bleary sleepiness. It wasn’t working. I had places to be, I knew - a job expecting me to actually show up. Adult responsibilities.

Despite all that, I walked straight past the couch the pair had taken over, leaving Brendon and Loren where they sat. They fell quiet, giving up on the whole idea of ‘conversation’. I pushed on, coming to a stop beside the overstuffed chair that had been strategically angled towards the TV.

Aedan looked up at me, scowling. His hair was still mussed and awry from the night’s sleep, with snarls of red sticking out in every direction. “You’re in the way.”

I ignored what I knew all too well to be bait, inching to the side just far enough for him to see past. He leaned back, crossing his arms and fixing his gaze resolutely on the TV.

“So,” I said. “What exactly would this plan of yours entail?”

That was enough to make Aedan pause, blinking once. His face turned towards mine, away from whatever horrible mid-morning programming was on.

And then he smiled.