“I will. Thank you.”

I carried Caden and the book down to the basement, stopping short when I saw Kendrick emerging from the room that held the artifacts and my nest. “What are you doing down here?”

“You said you shattered a crystal. I figured you would’ve been in your nest when that happened.”

I blinked at him, still confused, waiting for him to continue.

“I shook out every blanket so there wouldn’t be shards when you lay back down. I know it’s against basic protocol to touch an omega’s nest without permission, but you were occupied.”

A bubble of emotion swelled in my chest. “That’s really thoughtful.”

“I figured the others would be too busy worrying about you to think of it.”

He wasn’t wrong about that.

“It’s all ready for you. I’ll leave you be.”

“Wait. Do you know anything about sigils?”

“Unfortunately not. Is that your next research project?”

Caden wiggled out of my arms and went to check the nest.

“Just trying to prevent another explosion. I need something to contain the excess power if the stones aren’t going to do the job.”

“Use the torque.”

“How am I supposed to use it when it’s maintaining the wards?”

“It won’t collapse if we take it out.”

“Do you know that for sure or are you just saying that?”

“Do we ever know anything for sure?”

Nest is clear.

I whacked Kendrick with the book and slid past him toward my nest. “We know lots of things for sure.”

“Charge up a few things and we can put those in to replace the torque as a temporary measure. My artifact is the only wearable one. It can take anything you can dish out.”

“And if I destroy that one like I did the crystal?”

Kendrick grimaced. “Then we’re in trouble.”

I kneeled in my nest, picking up a hunk of rose quartz. “Caden, I’ll need to borrow you to charge them.”

“I’ll wait outside,” Kendrick announced.

My stomach flipped. “Stay.”

Kendrick and Caden shared a long look, and whatever they were saying to each other they kept to themselves.

Eventually Kendrick’s shoulders dropped. “All right. If Yelena genuinely tries to eat me, I’m going to need backup, though.”

“I’ll stand between you two,” I promised.

I stretched out on the blankets, hands curled over two crystals as Caden shifted back to his human form and tucked a few more against my exposed skin.