Romulus walked up to the bar where Leonardo's replacement was filling orders. "Carl, when you get a minute, tell the chef to send dinner up to Lyra." The man nodded.
"Will do. Leonardo was looking for you by the way. He's in the containment room." He set the drink in front of the customer and looked over. "He said it was important."
Romulus ran a frustrated hand through his hair, looking back towards their loft. He tested the private connection cautiously. It had been ages since Antares and he had seriously fought and there was an unspoken agreement to give each other space afterwards. Yet now, there was no time for their usual make up rules. He prayed silently that Antares would answer as he nudged the link. It opened slowly.
"I'm sorry, Antares."
"I'm not the one you need to apologize to."
"I know. Her apology I'm waiting to give until I am in front of her. There's a possible security breach so I won't be up as quickly as I'd like. Get her to eat? Dinner will be up shortly." There was a pause and he could feel Antares struggle to hold onto the anger. "I deserve that anger. I let my temper loose and shouldn't have. Reassure her that her sister and I have made our peace. There will not be a repeat."
"Good." The tone was still harsh for Antares but was relenting. Relief flooded Romulus. "I'll let you tell her."
"Is she still crying?" the hesitancy in the question brushed the rest of the anger away. Antares sighed heavily. He was too tired to stay angry in the face of his lover's uncertainty.
"A bit, but she starting to settle. Come up when you can. We have much to discuss. Family business and this mess."
"I will."
Romulus took a moment to clear his head with a deep breath then went walking towards the containment area. He saw Pan starting to go backstage and halted him. "How is Dionysus?" he asked. Pan sighed, the usual twinkle in his black eyes dimming.
"He's grieving. It has become a process, but your Antares was right. The wings are helping."
Romulus nodded and started to turn. "Rome? I'm sorry."
"For what?" Romulus asked, head cocked slightly in confusion.
"For my part in your addiction. I didn't force you to but I did enable you while ignoring the signs of the spiral down. I know that look better than any."
"It is fine..."
"No. It isn't. But it won't happen again. Thank Antares for telling me, will you?"
Romulus laughed ruefully. "I think I'll hold off on that right now but I will once things settle. Now there's a security issue I have to deal with. Enjoy the performance." Pan nodded and watched Romulus walk away. His eyes drifted down and the scent wafted towards Romulus. "Not happening, Pan." Romulus tossed over his shoulder. Pan smiled and went to the stage. Couldn't blame a guy for trying.
Romulus saw Leonardo come out of the room alone with a thoughtful look on his face.
"Leonardo, you wanted to see me?"
Leonardo smiled as he tuned back in to his surroundings. "Yes, I did. We have a young gentleman in there saying that word on the street is that Rose is dead and we are recruiting."
Romulus frowned. "I don't remember putting the word out on either front. Is he here to volunteer?"
Leonardo nodded. "He is volunteering as well as offering the information network among the street gangs. The ones that many orphaned and stranded children joined after the Awakening."
"I've heard of them. Even the Shielders steer clear and some of their older members come to our doors for food at times. Did he sneak in?"
Leonardo shook his head. "No. He came in through the front door. It was his method of payment that had Stan flagging me down." He handed a cloth-wrapped package to Romulus.
He opened it up to see a gleaming fragment of a very familiar shield. "How the hell did a street kid get his hands on a piece of the Aegis?"
"He also wears the tear of a mermaid on a charm around his neck. He says he will explain it only to you or Antares because those are the ones he remembers from the last time he was here."
Understanding dawned on Romulus. "He was here during the chaos of the Awakening." He frowned. "Did you say a mermaid's tear? Those vanished millenia ago. I know because I tried to locate a pair for Antares and I."
Leonardo nodded. "See why I thought you should talk to him yourself?"
Romulus sighed. It was going to be a lot longer than he cared for before he had a chance to talk to Lyra. "I do." He opened the door and waved impatiently to the disreputable-looking young man sprawled in their containment room. "Get up and come on. You want to talk and I'm not sitting in a room that stinks of that UnSeelie." He turned and started walking towards the stairs leading to VIP. The man straightened and looked at Leonardo, baffled. Leonardo laughed.
"You heard him. Go."
Romulus was halfway up the stairs before the man caught up. He led the way to his office and sat down in his chair.
"Have a seat." He gestured to the chair in front of it and the younger man cautiously sank into it. "Hungry? Thirsty?" When the man just shook his head, Romulus sighed. "Ok, do you have a name?"
"Erick." the man said after a moment of Romulus waiting. "My name is Erick. I'm sorry for interrupting whatever it was that had you looking so frustrated but I don't trust many people."
"And you trust me? Why?"
The man shrugged. "I know your code and that you stick to your word."
There was something about the man that kept tugging at Romulus' memory but his face revealed only mild curiosity. "You know this how?"
"I was here. During the Awakening. You and Antares saved me. You were saving so many that I probably just became a face among hundreds..."
Romulus smiled a little. "That may be exaggerating."
The man shook his head. "No. It isn't. You saved me from what other people call heroes. They were trying to kill me because I took their bag." His tone was slightly bitter but the detail clicked with Romulus. "I didn't know it had relics from their time. I thought food maybe and it had been a while since I'd eaten. Anyway, I needed to talk to someone I knew."
Relaxing a bit, Romulus leaned back in his chair. "Tell me the story and why you've returned."
"I came back because Rose was killed. Word is that the council of vampires and the Shielders have a truce going on..."
Romulus sat up. "Where did you hear this?"
"Just around. They're the ones that attacked her and another vampire out on the street. They don't want you or your brother taking over the city."
"You're just volunteering this information? Why?"
"Let me tell you the story and maybe you'll understand. I'll keep it short." The man shifted to lean forward. "I was around 11 or 12 at the time. I was running through the streets, trying not to get eaten or stepped on during that insanity. I saw the bag and something just told me that I should take it. I did and they started chasing me."
"You didn't think to just drop the bag?"
Erick grinned ruefully, dimples flashing. "Nope. Not once. I came hurtling down the street and apparently in the middle of a battle in front of this place."
"It was a sanctuary even then and so it was a target for those looking for easy prey or to desecrate it." Romulus nodded in acknowledgment. Erick relaxed a little.
"I remember seeing you fight five guys at once, keeping them from rushing the door. Somehow, you snagged me by the arm as I was going past you and tossed me behind you, telling me to go inside. I couldn't though. I was exhausted and weak from hunger. My legs just wouldn't. Once you realized this, you stood over me, defending me. When my pursuers caught up, you had turned to check on me. You took a sword across the back but turned back to the fight. That's when Antares and Rose came out. He picked me up and she stood with you. They backed off and left. I'm giving you this because you made an enemy that day and I am the reason. I'm the reason they killed her and I'm the reason they want you gone."
Romulus' eyes went hard. "The blame for killing Rose lies with those that did it. Not you. So you think yourself indebted to me? Do you think I want that kind of loyalty?"
"Want it or not, it is yours. The gang is cool and I appreciate being taken in but you shed blood for me, your own and others. No one had ever done anything remotely like that. Antares took care of me, made sure I ate and rested from my injuries. The two of you are incredible. And Rose deserved better."
Romulus looked at him thoughtfully for a moment.
"I have a question for you, Erick. Where did you hear that we were in need of recruits?"
"A vampire contact that has eyes and ears in the council hall came up to our leader. They thought I should come to you since I had.."
"A way in?" Romulus asked dryly. Erick laughed.
"That was their way of thinking. But I genuinely do want to help. I even brought the bag, in case you needed something from it."
"Keep it for now. Would you be interested in staying here? There are rules and spies are not dealt with gently." He warned.
"Understood. I'll tell you straight out that if it comes down to choosing between you or the gang, I'm with you."
The sincerity in his voice had Romulus coming to a decision. One he might regret but it was a chance worth taking.
"I have a job for you if you're interested. It isn't glamorous and it will most likely give you a headache."
"Anything."
Romulus stood. "Let's go back downstairs. I'll get you set up and then when your shift ends, someone will show you to a room where you can stay." An hour later, he walked back up the stairs with Stan's curses still ringing in his ears.
"I don't need a damn babysitter,...sir." Stan tried one last time mentally. Romulus grinned to himself. Stan was pissed.
"I recall telling you to take it easy, which meant not working the door. You brought this on yourself. Keep an eye on him. He's new." Stan's anger calmed down some.
"So I'm babysitting him as much as he is me. I can live with that."
He walked into their bedroom and stopped at the sight that greeted him. Antares was laying in bed, a mostly empty tray of food on the bedside table. The rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was sleeping deeply. Lyra lay curled up on his chest. Her eyes were closed as well, but he could tell that she was awake. He sat on the side of the bed and brushed her hair back, wincing at the tear tracks down her face. He had helped put those there. An unforgivable act.
"I'm sorry," he said simply. "I shouldn't have done that, knowing how tenuous that connection still is for you. There is no excuse."
Lyra's eyes opened and she let out a shaky breath. "What happened after we left?" she asked in a small voice.
"I ate her of course." Romulus teased gently. Her eyes flew to his and saw that he was smiling. She let herself relax again after poking his leg. "I apologized and she did the same. We came to an understanding and while we may never be a fan of the other, we will not put you in the middle ever again. You have my word and she gave me hers'."
"The security issue?" She asked after a moment. "We didn't compromise our security because of me, did we?"
Romulus shook his head. "No." He angled his head slightly as she let out a relieved breath. "Is that what you thought? I apologize again then. It was a former resident coming to give me some information he thought we might need. It is someone who will cheer Antares up some as well." He shifted to reach over and Lyra caught his arm.
"Could we let him sleep a little longer?"
Frowning, Romulus eased back down. "Why? Is he alright?"
"No. He isn't. He's hurting. Seeing the misery in his eyes is what helped me calm down. He hated doing what he did today." Lyra said in a forceful whisper. Guilty anger churned in Romulus and her both when their eyes met.
"He isn't built for this." Romulus agreed. "War games and strategies are not something he enjoys."
"It hurts him. How soon can we finish this?"
"Not soon enough to suit me. Machiavelli needs more time with them or so I'm told. He's dancing dangerously close as it is. Assuming he doesn't have a change of heart of course. I also have to get the charm from the witches..."
Lyra closed her eyes as a wave of exhaustion washed over her.
"That's enough." the weary tone tugged at his heart. He reached out to brush her hair back with a tender touch.
"We have to talk about it at some point." he reminded her gently. She sighed, her eyes sliding closed.
"I know. Can it wait until we wake up? It has been a long day."
"Over breakfast." he agreed and started to stand. Her eyes opened.
"You're coming to bed, right?"
He thought of the mountain of work on his desk. "Yes. Soon."
"I want to feel you both with me. If I'm not keeping you from anything important," she asked. The work immediately became insignificant.
"More important than my family? There is nothing that important," he assured her and began stripping down. Once his clothes hit the floor, he slid in next to her, wrapping them both in his arms.
"Thank you." Antares' voice was small in her mind but made Lyra smile softly into Romulus' chest.
"My pleasure."
"You know I can hear both of you, right?" Romulus added dryly.
A smile touched Antares' face, but his eyes remained closed. "Shhh... I'm sleeping."
A few hours later, Romulus woke up suddenly and fast. His eyes scanned the room but saw nothing. He slid Lyra back into Antares' arms and eased out of bed. He picked up the sword that he had taken to keeping next to the bed and went over to the phone. Romulus called down to security and was surprised when Erick answered.
"Where is Leonardo?" he asked. There was a hesitation.
"He said that he had something to deliver but would be back soon. I was about to call up. Is everything alright up there? Something feels off and the cameras are too dark in your area."
"That is what I needed to know. Are the shadows moving?"
Romulus waited then heard the muttered curse.
"Yes. How do I activate the security system?"
"Without Leonardo, I would have to do it from down there. Lock down this area." He hung up and went over to the door. He opened it and shadows surged toward him. His sword came up and the shadows stopped, swirling and hissing. He smiled grimly.
"I had an old friend ward this sword against shadow and light both. That is as far as you go in that form," he said coldly. Lethe solidified and smiled.
"Good to see you again, Romulus," he said coolly. "Are you the one that has the man with a heart of gold pulling strings and playing war games?"
A female voice spoke from behind Lethe. "Take your blade off my mate and I'll take mine off of your security guy."
Romulus' gaze went past Lethe and saw a brown-haired woman with sharp grey eyes holding a knife to Erick's throat. Magic crackled around her like an open flame. He shrugged.
"Alright." In a lightning-fast move, he dropped the sword and gripped Lethe by the throat with a clawed hand, the little magic he had wrapping around the faery's throat to keep him from dissolving into shadow. "Better? Let the boy go and we can talk like civilized people. Or the duke of shadows loses his throat for coming into my home like this." He smiled with unexpected warmth. "I will say it is good to see you got the message, however. My beautiful incubus thought he'd failed in his task." His grip remained firm as his eyes went to the woman. His voice remained eerily pleasant. "Your call, witch."