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Chapter 426  Him

*****

~ ZEV ~

Zev smiled and Nick made a small whimper in his throat as Ernie clicked his two front spider-legs together, smiling wildly so that he looked like a cartoon supervillain.

"No, Ernie," Sasha said breathlessly from behind him. Zev whirled. Why would she stop anything that tormented Nick? "This is a private conversation," she said, her voice trembling.

Zev\'s anger did battle with his love for his mate in that moment. He knew Sasha didn\'t want any of them to know—though they were going to have to tell the people, he knew. He hadn\'t thought about how, or when, but if they were going to save their son, they had to do it before they went to the safe place. Which meant that they would be split up from everyone else. They were going to have to tell them why.

Ernie looked back and forth between Zev and Sasha, uncertain of the etiquette.

"I said, no, Ernie," Sasha snapped, stepping forward to Zev\'s side. "I appreciate your willingness to help, and I would like you to stay nearby in case Nick tries to run. If you see him outside the confines of the village without guards or one of us, you have my permission to… do whatever you wish?"

Ernie\'s eyebrows rose, then he turned to smile at Nick, whose eyes went wide.

"Did you know he can make webs, Nick? Big ones. You can\'t really see them, but they\'ll hold you faster than any jail cell."

"I\'d…" Nick cleared his throat. "I\'d heard."

Ernie huffed a laugh, but Zev just stared at the man he\'d called father for so long.

"Screw Ernie. I want you dead. At my hands," he snarled.

Nick\'s face fell, and if Zev hadn\'t reached the point where he didn\'t believe a single thing Nick did or said, he would have thought he\'d hurt him.

As Sasha arranged for Ernie to patrol the trail towards the cave, then sent him off into the trees, Zev and Nick locked eyes. Nick had gotten to his feet, hands at the ready to defend, and the light in his eyes that Zev knew well from their training.

"I don\'t want to fight you, Zev," Nick said, that steely resolve in his voice that usually made Zev\'s stomach drop.

Not today, Satan.

"Well, I do." Zev smiled the smile he saved for prey, dropped his chin, and rushed forward—but Nick danced out of the way, his hands up to protect his face and chest, so they were left circling, trying to find an opening.

"Yhet, please!" Sasha begged. "Stop them before they hurt each other."

As Zev and Nick both circled each other, each waiting for the other to strike, Yhet shook his head. "Sorry, Sasha-don. Zev is Second and he sees an enemy. Only you can stop him."

"That\'s my boy, Yhet," Zev growled.

"If I can order Zev, I can order you!" Sasha insisted.

But Yhet just shook his head again. "Not when battle is imminent, Sasha. Interfering with a warrior in a fight is a good way to get that warrior killed."

Nick narrowed his eyes.

"Oh for the love of—" Sasha made a noise that was half-growl, half sob. Then, just as Zev circled and could see her face again, she fixed him with piercing eyes. "I vowed to keep him safe. And I don\'t know what the humans will do if I don\'t," she growled. "I also believe he has information that we need—"

Nick\'s eyes slipped to Sasha for a split second, and Zev took his shot—a jab to those sore ribs, then a knee into his kidney, and Nick was down.

Zev, who\'d scrambled back after his attack in case there was retaliation, leaped forward again, but Nick, down on all fours on the ground, his shoulders heaving, was bellowing.

"I was going to tell you when I knew for sure the kid lived and was safe! There was no point if they killed it because it was already done when I found out. It wouldn\'t have changed anything if it hadn\'t lived. I didn\'t want you to know because I didn\'t want you to grieve!"

Sasha and Zev both froze.

*****

~ SASHA ~

"What?" Sasha snapped.

Nick, panting and grimacing against pain, forced himself to his feet and turned to face them both. "I was going to tell you," he growled. "Both of you. I was checking on him when I went back. Making sure he was alive and well cared for. I\'ve been protecting him!"

Zev gaped at him. "You? Protect? Him? Like you protected me? Are you fucking kidding me, Nick?"

"You can say what you want now, Zev, but I\'m the only reason both of you are still here, and you know it," Nick snapped. "And your child is going to be alive for you thanks to me, because they wanted to do genetic tests even while… even while he was so small. They weren\'t even going to tell you about him, just raise him as their own if he was healthy. They take risks, always risks. And I stopped them!"

"If he\'s… healthy?" Sasha stunned. "And if he\'s not?"

Nick didn\'t respond.

Zev shot forward, snapping his teeth, the unholy growl of an Alpha wolf on the edge of his leash erupting from his throat. Nick froze, his eyes locked on Zev\'s.

"You answer her," Zev snarled.

Nick raised his hands and dropped his chin, shaking his head. But he didn\'t answer.

"I\'m going to fucking kill you!"

Zev launched at him, Sasha gasping for him to stop, but it was Nick\'s voice that echoed around the clearing. As Zev took hold of him, Nick fought, scrambling to keep Zev at arm\'s length and screaming.

"You need me! You need me because I can get you to him! I can show you how to reach him!"

Zev slid to a halt, Sasha gaping at his side.

Nick kept his hands up, his shoulders forward, chin down. He made the picture of a submitted male. Zev\'s throat bobbed.

"I can help you get to the right lab," Nick muttered. "To him. I can get you in."