ra was running on empty. Just getting Dn upstairs had wiped her out, and now she could barely catch her breath.


    "What are you talking about?" she snapped.


    Nichs hovered at the edge of the bed, ready to yank her away. But before he could, Jackson stepped up and put a steady hand on Nichs''s shoulder.


    Nichs, already agitated, spun around. "Are you stopping me right now? Did you not see what ra''s up to? She''s totally making a move on Dn. The guy''s ridiculously good-looking-she probably thinks he married her because he actually likes her."


    Jackson didn''t even bother arguing. He just grabbed a clean tissue from the nightstand and stuffed it straight into Nichs''s mouth.


    "Enough. Give it a rest," he said.


    Nichs spat the tissue out, ring. Something felt off-weren''t he and Jackson supposed to be on the same side here? Why did it suddenly feel like Jackson was defending ra?


    Before he could say a word, Jackson dragged him away from the bed. Then, with an icy nce at ra, he said, "Since you''re so eager to take care of Dn, have at it. But if anything goes wrong, you''re taking the fall."


    ra stared at them in disbelief. "Seriously? A little help here would be nice! Changing bandages isn''t exactly a one-person job."


    Nichs tried to step forward again, but Jackson yanked him back.


    Nichs finally lost it. "What is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?"


    Jackson rubbed his temples, clearly done with the whole scene. He shoved Nichs out the door, tossed a quick, "We''ll check on Dnter," over his shoulder at ra, and disappeared downstairs with Nichs in tow.


    Before ra could even call after them, they were gone.


    She looked down at Dn, frustration and worry flickering across her face. His head had slumped quietly onto her shoulder, suddenly looking so peaceful and innocent.


    Honestly, changing his bandages alone was exhausting. She''d thought having backup would help but apparently, she was on her own.


    With a sigh, ra picked up the gauze and got back to work. Her fingers brushed against Dn''s bare skin, sticky with blood and crisscrossed with fresh wounds. She noticed him flinch ever so slightly, and a wave of regret washed over her.


    Why had she picked a fight while he was hurt? She could''ve just waited until he healed before bringing up anything about going home.


    Downstairs, Nichs paced back and forth, restless and uneasy. He was convinced ra had it out for Dn.


    ra had been head over heels for


    Simon, everyone knew that. There


    was no way she''d actually fall for Dn. Dn must have married her for revenge, that was the only exnation. Now that he was unconscious, was ra trying to take advantage? She was even more scheming than he thought.


    Jackson sprawled on the couch, stretching out until he was practically lying down.


    Every few minutes, Nichs nced up at the stairs, worry etched all over his face. "Are we really not going to check on Dn?"


    Dn might''ve been the quietest of all of them, but he was also the most reliable -the one everyone looked up to. Of course they were worried about him.


    Jackson grabbed an apple off the table, took a bite, and asked, "Have you seen Aiden?"


    "No," Nichs answered, frowning. Why wasn''t Aiden here?


    Aiden was usually on top of everything when it came to Dn-he was the guy everyone trusted. But now, when Dn actually needed him, he was nowhere to be found.


    Jackson took another bite. "If Aiden''s not worried, why are you? Dn''s going to be fine."


    Honestly, if Dn still had the energy to flirt earlier, he clearly wasn''t on his deathbed.


    Jackson couldn''t shake the feeling that he''d just yed wingman for someone else''s little love drama upstairs-and he didn''t love the role.


    Nichs, meanwhile, was totally oblivious, as usual. ''


    Still, Nichs followed orders. Jackson said not to go upstairs, so he didn''t.


    Richard showed upst. He saw the two of them on the couch and sat down too.


    Nichs looked even more confused. "Dn''s getting punished by the family and you guys aren''t worried at all?"


    Richard, who''d always been the most levelheaded of the bunch, just closed his eyes and sighed. "It''s


    been chaos these past few days


    They put me in charge of the


    shipping routes-so much cargoing in, everyone''s pulling strings and asking me to look the other


    way."


    The Warren family was always under scrutiny thanks to their connections, and as


    the heir, Richard was constantly busy.


    He kept his eyes closed, then changed the subject back to Dn. "If Dn doesn''t want something, no one can force him. If he''s willing, he''ll handle it."


    At least, when it came to anything except ra.


    Anyone at the top of this family knew better than to gamble with their life—unless ra was involved.


    In that case, even nine lives wouldn''t be enough.