Page 149 of Enchanted

I covered my snort with a cough. Not very well, given how Nate glared at me. Couldn’t blame Ethan for working with the vibe Nate had walked in with.

All in all, the shoot went smoothly. Nate moved silently into whatever position Ethan requested without a single inappropriate comment. Meanwhile, Ethan kept snapping away, displaying a level of professionalism I’d certainly never experienced as his model.

And thank fuck for that.

“That’s it,” Ethan said, finally lowering his camera. “Thank you, Nate.”

He nodded curtly before ducking down to grab his discarded shirt. Before he could straighten, the door to the room slammed open. Theo stood in the doorway, hair wild, eyes manic, and smelling oddly like…

Smoke?

“I met him,” Theo blurted out. “I met my mate.”

I took a measured step towards Ethan. From the corner of my eye, I saw both Noah and Jeremiah do the same.

Nate paused, still half bent over. He closed his eyes briefly, the hand gripping the cotton shaking. Then, he straightened and looked his twin dead in the eye. “Congratulations. Glad you came straight here to brag about it.”

I snapped a shield over Ethan. Two more followed suit.

Hurt flashed over Theo’s face. “I’m not bragging about it, Nathaniel. I’m stating a fact. You could try being happy for me.”

“I’m happy for you,” he said flatly.

Theo clenched his fists. “Why do you have to be such a prick about this?”

“I literally just said I’m happy for you, Theo. What the fuck do you want from me?”

“You could try showing it,” Theo spat, taking a step forwards.

Sighing internally, I reached out and hit the discreet button on the wall. Alarms began to ring in all corners of the house. Ethan threw his hands over his ears, eyes wide as he watched the twins continue to spiral.

“I can’t fucking help that I’ve found my mate before you, Nate! If this was the other way around, I wouldn’t be behaving like an emotionally stunted toddler.”

“Like hell you wouldn’t,” Nate roared, lightning sparking around his fingers. “You’re as bad as I am, don’t fucking pretend otherwise.”

Noah and Jeremiah exchanged a look before stepping in between the twins. Noah took Nate, which was wise. Of all of us, only he and Benji had a hope of containing him when he got like this. “Nate, you need to calm down. Ethan’s in here. Rami’s mate.”

I groaned and grabbed Ethan. Wrong thing to say, buddy.

“His mate,” Nate spat, the lightning crackling louder. Noah’s power rose to meet it. “That’s right. Everyone here gets to meet their mate, but not me.”

Freeing my wings, I lifted us into the air. We couldn’t go far, but I had to try and get Ethan out of the firing line. He couldn’t die, but he could feel pain.

If Nate dared hurt him, even accidentally…

More figures appeared as the Seraphim rushed into the room. They formed a barrier between the twins, various angels trying to talk them down.

I thought we all knew this situation wasn’t going to be resolved by talking.

Ezekiel sought us out immediately, noting how I had Ethan cradled protectively in my arms. “Take him to the cosy room, Rami. Sam’s there already.”

I nodded briskly. I hadn’t wanted to cross the room before, but I trusted everyone to keep the twins contained while I got Ethan out of here.

“The cosy room?” Ethan asked as I flew us to the doorway. “What’s that?”

“It’s our panic room,” I explained, returning to the floor when we were in the hallway. “The name triggered Sam’s OCD, so he renamed it. He’s really made it his own, too. There’s a TV, a mini fridge stuffed with drinks and snacks, a gaming station, and even a futon.”

Ethan chuckled. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or worried.”