Aiden smiled. “Cockaponset Forest.” His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head once at Rafe. “Now is not the time.”
Rafe threw his arms up. “Ahh…come on! With a name like that—”
“Save it for later.”
“Where is it?” Marcus demanded.
“I believe it’s a little more than half an hour south of here.”
Winter shook his head. “Why there? How do you even know of it? You’ve been in town only a few days.”
“True, but I’ve been scouting this area for a few years. Marcus keeps me apprised of all your new homes well before you move. The forest will help to level the playing field. We have to play to our advantages. There are fewer of us. We need to move quickly and in secret. Take them down one at a time to even the odds. The forest will also allow Bel to use his gift to its full advantage. Winter as well.”
“There will be even fewer of us,” Marcus announced grimly. He leaned forward, both hands braced on the table, but he was looking at Aiden. “I would like Aiden to remain behind at Varik Manor to protect Ethan.”
“What?” Ethan shouted, springing off the sofa as if he’d been launched. His face was bright red and his slender body was practically trembling. “You’re planning to leave me behind? I’m a part of this family too!”
“Yes, and you’re a fledgling. You won’t have the advantage of any of Bel’s science concoctions. It’s too dangerous.”
“No! This is fucking bullshit!”
“He’s right, Ethan,” Aiden interrupted. “In this case, you’re a liability. You’re not nearly as fast or as strong as you need to be. You’ve not even come into your gift yet.”
“But…” Ethan started again, but the anger had drained from his voice, lowering it to more of a whimper.
“Having you there will almost ensure Marcus’s death.”
It was a cold thing to say, but it got the result he needed. The flush drained from Ethan’s face, leaving him frighteningly pale. He swayed a little on his feet as he stared at his boyfriend with unshed tears.
“Okay,” Ethan agreed softly.
“I want Gideon to also remain with Ethan,” Rafe added. But where Ethan was insulted, Gideon cringed and seemed to sink into himself. “Gideon is a survivor more than anyone else in this room. If Aiden should be overwhelmed, I trust Gideon to get Ethan away from the house and help him survive until one of us can reach them.”
And like that, Gideon’s shame and embarrassment were wiped away. He sat up straighter, lifted his chin.
“I’ll watch over Ethan,” Gideon said.
“Thank you,” Rafe replied, and even Marcus seemed to relax a little more.
It was a good plan. It did seem likely that the MacPherson clan would send someone to attack the Varik house in the chance that one or more of the clan members were left behind. After what Rafe had told him, he was sure Nolan would only be happy if he knew he’d wiped them all out.
Philippe rubbed his eyes again and glanced over at Gideon sitting on the sofa next to Ethan. Their heads were close and their conversation low, but there was no missing that there was more confidence in Gideon’s bearing now. Was this something he’d missed when he’d been trying to manage his own clan? He’d been so focused on everyone’s safety and protection that he’d put it all on his own shoulders. He handled everything, only occasionally delegating to Jullien or Ezra. Would the people he’d pulled together have felt more like a family, an actual clan, if he’d given them responsibilities? If he’d trusted them all a little more to look out for each other?
The sun had crept above the horizon more than an hour ago when Philippe trudged up the stairs to a bedroom Marcus had pointed out for him. Steel shutters had come down over the windows, sealing them in and protecting them from the daylight. He’d just ended a quick and painful call with Ezra, informing him of the new location for the meeting tomorrow night. At Aiden’s direction, he gave Ezra no time to argue or counter.
With as much settled as possible, Marcus had gone full caveman, tossing Ethan over his shoulder before climbing the stairs to the master bedroom. Ethan had protested loudly, but it was largely ruined by his bubbles of laughter. Marcus was likely going to spend the next couple of hours making sure Ethan understood how important his safety was.
Rafe had slipped away, claiming he needed to locate something. Philippe could only grunt. He wanted a shower and sleep, but he worried how well that sleep was going to go. Every time he closed his eyes, images of his dead clan members danced across his brain. He didn’t know if Ming and Peter were safe. And he didn’t know if the MacPhersons were torturing Jullien.