The Morgan Lore - 22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

How Valuable is Your Trust in Milan?

Rory sat in history class answering questions on the surprise history quiz by their teacher. He knew most of the answers, thanks to hanging out with Milan after school. Reading with Milan pushed him, got him to read chapters ahead in all his classes.

Rory wrote in the last answer and glanced up at the clock on the wall. There were five minutes left to the bell. Luckily, he could leave after finishing his quiz. The perks of being Alpha and a top student. Rory stood, grabbing his books, he took his paper to the teacher.

She gave his paper a quick glance and nodded, letting him leave. Rory smiled at her and left class happy he could meet Milan at his calculus class on time today.

He was putting away his history book in his locker when a familiar sickening scent drifted to him. Closing his locker, Rory looked on both sides of the hallway and frowned when he only saw the librarian pushing a cart of books to the library doors.

She gave him an acknowledging nod. Her scent clean, fresh notes of sage. She disappeared into the library and he was once again alone in the hallway. Rory’s frown got deeper when the scent persisted. Where was it coming from?

Moving to the center of the hallway, Rory closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Sifting through scents, he found the fading note in seconds. He started moving in the direction the scent was thickest. His heart slammed in his chest when he followed it to Milan’s calculus class. A thick cloud of it filled the space right outside the door. Rory peered into the classroom through the glass on the door. Milan sat in the near back next to Jack. His mate was writing on Jack’s notebook, their heads bend over a problem. Milan explained a formula to Jack.

‘Jack.’ Rory called to him, meeting Jack’s gaze when Jack looked up. ‘Anyone new come into your class?’

‘No.’ Jack shook his head.

‘Okay. Thanks.’

‘Something wrong?’ Jack asked, concern drifting into his gaze.

‘No.’ Rory didn’t know what to think of the strange scent. There was no need to alarm Jack. ‘Better pay attention to Milan. He gets annoyed when he thinks you’re not listening.’

Jack smiled just as Milan poked his right arm with his pencil.

“Did you get it?” Milan asked of Jack, making Rory chuckle and move away from the door.

Looking down both sides of the hallway, he wondered why this scent would be here. Rory started to lean on the side of the door to wait for the bell to ring. He didn’t want to leave Milan now, but then…he could not shake the feeling of being watched. It made the fine hair on his arms rise. Straightening to his full height, Rory turned to his left. The hallway remained clear. The doors to the rest of the classes closed. Rory turned to his right and stilled when he saw a tall pale man with dark matted hair standing in the middle of the hallway. That sickening scent was coming from him.

Rory did not recognize him as part of Portento.

The pale man stared at him and when the bell rang, he turned and disappeared down a side corridor.

Rory cursed as the halls filled with students. He broke into a quick stride, hoping to keep up with the strange wolf, and not alert the rest of the school to the trouble. It took him a moment to catch up. Taking the side corridor meant the pale man was unfamiliar with the school layout. It was like taking the long way to the front or the back exit.

Realizing this might take longer, Rory wrote Rowen a message asking her to stay with Milan. Milan loved her company. Then he sent a quick message to Milan, in case he was late. The pale man found the hallway leading to the back exit and Rory ducked into it, dodging students as he tried to keep up and stay discrete. He was glad when they got outside.

Rory put in a burst of speed catching the lone wolf in the middle of the back parking lot. Rory grabbed the pale man’s left arm and jerked him to a stop. He was not gentle.

“Who are you? State your family name,” Rory demanded, the order unbreakable.

“Lloyd,” the pale man answered, unable to resist. “No last name, lone wolf status.”

“What are you doing here?” Rory asked, letting go of the pale wolf, curious when Lloyd made no attempt to escape him.

“Assignment,” Lloyd said, his gaze narrowing. “Alpha Rory, you’re much taller than I expected. Stronger than he claimed. I can barely resist the urge to cower in your presence.”

“Who orders you?” Rory growled out.

Lloyd smiled and shook his head. “I was asked to come here and check on the Takeda kid. The youngest—"

Rory grabbed Lloyd’s t-shirt collar and shook him, anger rising at the thought of anyone after Milan.

“Who ordered you?”

Lloyd ignored his question and instead let a chuckle escape.

“I’m surprised to see you’ve let him stay ignorant of the danger he faces in this town. Still, Dolon was right. Morgans are so shot-tempered.”

Rory pulled Lloyd closer to him, taking a deep whiff of Lloyd’s scent, his eyes turning yellow as he studied Lloyd’s skin and the roots of his hair. Meeting frightened eyes, Rory sneered.

“You stink. Your blood is corrupted. You seem to be rotting from the inside out.”

“That’s not true,” Lloyd said, his voice laced with excitement. “I’m getting stronger. I’ll be stronger than you soon. He promised me. The boy in there is also stronger. I hear he’s not able to walk around and be so careless with his breathing. He didn’t have a mask on in there. I saw him.”

Rory gripped Lloyd’s neck, with his bare hands, his hands changing, fingers elongating, he pressed on Lloyd’s neck.

“Who sent you to Milan Takeda? Tell me now, or you’ll face a very slow painful death,” Rory asked.

Lloyd studied him for a moment, then a soft chuckle escaped his trembling lips.

“The boy matters to you, doesn’t he?” Lloyd mused, making Rory tighten his hold on the bastard’s neck. “Wait, wait, before you kill me, you’d better listen.”

Rory shook Lloyd hard, fighting against the rising anger in his veins. He needed to know, so he eased his hold on Lloyd’s neck.

“Better work harder to keep him safe,” Lloyd said on a short chuckle. “My boss is impatient for results and that boy seems to be the only working specimen. It would be so easy to blame his death on your precious pack. After all, he’s in a town full of wolves. All we have to do is claim your people killed him for intruding into your precious territory. His blood will be so sweet spilled—"

“Enough,” Rory roared, making Lloyd shut up. “Do not threaten him.”

“Why can’t I?” Lloyd asked, dark eyes challenging Rory. “He’s a puny human. We can do what we want with him. Your people don’t care about his kind. They dislike humans. In fact, I should have taken him today.”

The exit door opened and Milan appeared, drawing Rory and Lloyd’s attention. Rory let go of Lloyd’s neck in surprise, especially when Rowen followed after Milan. He had clearly asked her to watch Milan. What were they doing out here?

“What a gift,” Lloyd said, his tone laced with pleasure and a nasty taste of excitement. “Why don’t I take him to my boss now?”

Lloyd struck Rory’s chest, a strong punch that sent Rory flying. Rory fell on the pavement, inches away from his heavy-duty pickup. He recovered fast, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Lloyd from attacking Milan in his wolf form.

Milan’s frightened scream drove Rory over the edge, he changing into his wolf, and attacked Lloyd with vengeance. He dragged Lloyd’s black wolf off Milan, attacking him with unsheathed rage. A small whimper from Milan brought him back from the darkness, long enough to push Lloyd into an unconscious state without killing him. He needed answers and Lloyd seemed to have them.

When he was sure Lloyd would not be getting up, Rory turned to find Milan staring at his white wolf in recognition and shock. His mate trembled with fear, or the cold, Rory couldn’t tell.

Rowen helped Milan to his feet, but then his mate refused to enter the building intent on finding Rory first. Milan’s worry for him was hard to bare. Rory couldn’t believe Milan had been attacked right in front of him. He should have been able to protect him. That he hadn’t ate at him.

Rory stood over the black wolf listening to his mate’s heartbeat thunder in his chest. Milan was scared out of his mind. It sounded as though Milan would have a heart attack with the amount of fear coursing through his slender frame.

Rowen tried her best to pull Milan into the building but his mate would not budge. He wanted to save Rory from the wolves.

In that moment, Rory made a choice he had agonized over since the day he laid eyes on Milan. Transforming before Milan felt liberating and frightening in equal measures. Rory kept all his senses attuned to Milan as he stayed crouched on the ground stark naked.

His gaze stayed on Milan. Milan stared at him in even more shock. Was that even possible? Milan’s trembling increased. Brown eyes wide, unbelieving. Milan’s mouth opened in a perfect ‘o’. His heart rate rising to what Rory knew was absolutely not normal.

“Milan.”

Rory rose to his feet. He couldn’t help appreciating Milan’s gaze on his naked body, and the soft gasp that escaped Milan when his gaze rested on his length. He wanted to smile but this was not the time.

“Milan.”

Rory held out his hands to his mate, only to have Milan meet his gaze, his mouth still open but no words came out.

“Are you okay? I know this is a lot to process. You’re in shock—”

“Shock?” Milan breathed out, taking a step back, his gaze holding Rory’s blue one. “I think that’s an understatement. My boyfriend turns into a wolf is borderline.”

“Milan.” Rory took two steps closer to Milan.

“Wait,” Milan said, holding his hands out to stop him. “Wait, just a minute. I need to think. I need to b-br-breathe. Shit, I can’t think.”

Milan pressed a hand to his chest, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. Worried, Rory closed the distance between them just as Milan crumbled to the ground. Rory reached for him fast, saving his mate from hitting his head on the pavement. Cupping Milan’s cheek, he wasn’t surprised to find Milan’s eyes closed. Milan was out cold.

Of course, this would be too much to take in at once for any normal human. Rory cradled Milan against him, and looked up to find Rowen staring at him.

“Why didn’t you stop him from coming out here?” Rory demanded. “Why didn’t you throw off the black wolf, Rowen? What the hell are you good for?”

“Don’t blame me for this,” Rowen said, holding out her arms so that he could see her wrists. Black marks surrounded her slender wrists. They looked like black chains inked into her skin. “Wolves are not the only ones with laws, Alpha Rory. My mother makes sure I can never turn a human into a toad on a whim. My powers are bound close to one.”

“That’s why you didn’t like him much at the start,” Rory guessed.

“Any attempt I made to push off the black wolf right now left me in pain. I don’t have the strength to break my mother’s spell,” Rowen said with a sigh, folding her hands against her chest. She took a step closer, peering at Milan. “Why the hell would you expose yourself like that?”

“He’s my mate. I can’t stand it when he’s in distress,” Rory stated, brushing hair from Milan’s forehead. Thinking about the black wolf’s threat, Rory cursed under his breath. “I need your help Row.”

“What’s going on?” Rowen asked, when Rory stood, Milan in his arms. Rowen gaped, slapping her hands over her eyes, her cheeks flaming red. “You know, I see why Milan fainted. I would too if I thought I had to take that. Gosh, you need to put it away, Rory.”

Rory chuckled turning away from her and heading to his truck.

“Glad to know you’re impressed. We’re leaving.”

Rowen dropped her hands to her side, following him with fast steps. She was excited. His truck was parked closed. Rory opened the backseat and placed Milan on the comfortable back bench with care. He covered Milan with his heavy jacket and grabbed up a pair of jeans from the back of the seat. He wore them fast, followed by his spare boots.

“Start the truck,” Rory told Rowen, heading back to get Lloyd who had changed back into his human form.

Lloyd now lay on the cold pavement, blood on his neck, his wound healed though Rory had hit his head hard enough to keep him down for an hour or so.

Swinging the naked man up over his shoulder, Rory hurried back to his truck and dropped Lloyd in the back of his truck, on the truck bed. He got duct tape from the glove compartment and spent a few minutes taping Lloyd’s arms behind his back, his mouth and then taping his legs together, making sure he would not run off. Pulling the cover over the truck bed to hide the lone wolf, Rory made sure it was secure before he climbed into the backseat with Milan.

“You’re driving,” he told Rowen when she looked at him from the front passenger seat.

“Who is he?” Rowen asked, climbing into the driver’s seat.

Rory moved Milan to his jean clad lap, making sure the jacket covered him. He pulled the mask resting on Milan’s neck over his mouth and nose. The truck was clean, but Milan had come out without a jacket and fallen on the ground. Rory pressed his palm to Milan’s forehead as he often saw Ilaria do. Milan felt cool to the touch, no fever.

Well, he doubted an infection would start so soon anyway.

“Where am I going?” Rowen asked, from the front. She was stopped at the intersection on the road from school.

Rory held Milan closer.

“We need to find Kiyo Takeda. Head toward Milan’s house.”

Everyone knew where the Takeda family lived. Rowen turned left without his direction.

“Why aren’t we calling Principal Rick?” Rowen asked, as she increased speed.

“I don’t trust anyone with this,” Rory said.

“Anyone?” Rowen looked at him through the rear view mirror. “What am I then?”

“An alien with unbelievable powers,” Rory teased.

“Flat, that one’s flat, Rory Morgan.”

Rory chuckled, and stroked a thumb over Milan’s left brow. He was half afraid Milan would wake up on the drive to Kiyo’s lab. He didn’t want to see Milan look at him with fear. At the same time, he wanted Milan to wake up so that they could talk about this. Everything would be alright once they talked.

Rory leaned down and pressed a soft kiss on Milan’s brow.

Rowen drove fast, her foot heavy on the gas pedal. Rory looked out the window at the surrounding forest. He thought about June and her request that he not leave her out of any developments. Cursing under his breath, he looked to Rowen.

“Rowen, I need you to break those shackles on your wrists. Our visit to Kiyo needs to stay private.”

“I can’t promise it will work,” Rowen winced. “Your mate is a serious weakness for me.”

Rory glanced down at Milan.

“He’s my strength.”

“He freaked out that you’re a wolf.”

“It was never going to be an easy conversation,” Rory murmured, arranging the jacket over Milan, making sure it didn’t fall off. The ride to the Takeda house continued in silence. Rory imagined Rowen was testing out her limits when he felt energy dance over his skin over and over during their ride.

When they got to the Takeda gate, Rory made Rowen stop.

“Can you hide the car?” Rory asked. “June has a team of three monitoring Kiyo’s lab.”

Rowen turned to look at him.

“The only way I’m going to break my mother’s spell on me is if I draw from someone more powerful than her.”

Rory looked at the gate to Milan’s house. He hoped Marie wasn’t paying attention. She was usually busy cleaning the house during the mornings.

Rory turned to the little warlock in the driver’s seat.

“Rowen.”

“Hm.”

“As you can see, we’re only two back here. This powerful someone, do you have a plan on where you’ll find him or her?”

Rowen grinned.

“It’s you, dummy.”

Rowen touched his knee, and the marks on her wrists disappeared.

Rory looked down his chest to see a black long-sleeves sweater cover his chest.

“Yes! It worked. We got lucky.”

Rory touched the black sweater and narrowed his gaze at her.

“Morgan, don’t look so worried. It’s not like I can melt the next Portento Alpha.”

Rowen smiled at him and faced forward, disengaging the vehicle from park.

“You’ll need to place your hand on my shoulder. Don’t let go even for a second,” Rowen advised as she started driving. "If you do, it will be game over."

Rory adjusted Milan’s weight on his lap and leaned forward to place his right hand on Rowen’s shoulder. The effect was immediate. Strong current ran through Rory, making his nerve endings sensitive. The soft hair on his arms stood straight. Rowen kept driving, with Rory giving her directions to Kiyo’s laboratory. Rowen’s foot remained heavy on the gas pedal, so they showed up faster than Rory expected.

She stopped the pickup outside the cottage and turned off the engine.

Rory looked out his window, aware of the three wolves patrolling the area. They were careful to stay hidden, meticulous in their documentation of who came to visit Kiyo Takeda. Rory decided he needed to talk to Kiyo first before June got involved.

“Are you sure they can’t sense us?”

“Yes.” Rowen gave him a strained smile. “You have insane energy, Rory Morgan. My mother’s juice is nothing on you. What’s next?”

“Are you strong enough to drag the lone wolf inside?” Rory asked, glancing down at Milan. Milan was still unconscious. He didn’t want to leave him in the car.

“As long as you keep your hand on me, I’ll do anything.”

The dance out of the truck was not easy, but they managed. Rory held Milan in his arms. Rowen held on to his left shoulder and Rory watched her levitate Lloyd from the back of the truck, her hair crackling with energy. She smiled at him when she was in full control of Lloyd and they started into the cottage, the lone wolf floating after them.

“You’ll be a frightening warlock in the future,” Rory told her as he unlocked the floor door.

Rowen gripped his shoulder tighter.

“I can be nice too. It will depend on what situation I find myself,” Rowen said, as they went down the stairs. The floor door closed above them and Rowen let go of his shoulder.

“What about the truck?”

“It’s a safe enough distance from your mate. I can keep it hidden on my steam,” she said, dropping Lloyd on the floor with no ceremony.

“I don’t suppose you have a key for that?” Rowen asked, pointing to the large metal door securing Kiyo’s lab.

Rory moved Milan over his left shoulder, making sure he was comfortable as he could be. His right hand free, he took hold of the keypad on the wall, beyond caring for niceties. With all his strength, he wrenched the keypad off the wall, digging in until he pulled out all the wires, shorting out the lock.

The heavy door hissed open and Rory pushed the door in with a satisfied nod.

“I guess that works too,” Rowen said, impressed. Placing a delicate hand on Rory’s shoulder, she brought Lloyd along into the lab.

They didn’t stop until they reached the living room he had seen when he came in with Ilaria. There was a white comforter on the couch, indicating someone had slept there, but no sign of Kiyo.

Rory placed Milan with gentle care on the couch, using the comforter to cover Milan. Once he was sure Milan was comfortable, Rory stalked to the locked door in the wall.

“Rowen.”

Rory flexed his hands reaching for his wolf, fighting at the same time to keep his human side alert.

“Rory,” Rowen said, matching his solemn tone.

“If you don’t want to get deeper into this, you can leave now. Take the truck with you, I’ll find a way out. Once I open this door, there will be no return,” Rory warned.

He turned to look at Rowen, hoping to see her leaving. Instead, she sat on the edge of the coffee table by Milan’s head. She made no effort to get up, but took Milan’s right gloved hand.

“He’s my friend,” Rowen said, when she met Rory’s questioning gaze. “Milan is my friend, Rory.”

Rory smiled then because he had not expected that from her, but it was great to hear. Milan’s wins were his too. He returned his attention to the door, pushing the change halfway, his chest muscles doubling, and arms strong as he gripped the metal door to forcibly open it. It was time for him and Kiyo to talk.

****

Kiyo wiped sweat off the back of Nisin’s neck. His temperature was not going down, and the stomach upset persisted. Nisin coughed over the sterilized toilet bowl for what he hoped was the last time. The kid was exhausted, and weak.

“Okay?” Kiyo asked, leaning up to turn on the water in the sink. Kiyo dumped the cloth he held into the laundry basket in the corner and got a new one from a shelf over the sink.

Nisin nodded and Kiyo helped him to the sink to rinse out his mouth and wash his face. When Nisin was refreshed, Kiyo carried him back to the rumpled bed, taking extra care to adjust the IV line going into Nisin’s left hand.

He pulled the covers over Nisin, and sighed when Nisin closed his eyes, listless.

“I’ll call your father,” Kiyo said. “We need a new way to handle your meals. The chef at Biosense is not careful.”

“No one can know where I am,” Nisin murmured, opening his eyes to look at him. “Dad was very specific about that. I’ll have to make do with what I get.”

“I won’t stand for it,” Kiyo said, wondering if he shouldn’t ask Marie for a supply of meals. It would be more work for her, and it could mean explaining to Ilaria the presence of Nisin in his lab. He needed to talk to Cade Ogawa first. “Nisin, I’ll be right back. Press the call button if you feel uncomfortable for any reason. Alright?”

Nisin nodded, closing his eyes and turning away from Kiyo. Today was not a good day.

Kiyo left the sterilized room, making sure to close the door behind him. Nisin didn’t need more trouble today. Kiyo got a small bottle of hand sanitizer from his pocket and walked down the small corridor to his working area. The tests he ran on the food that came in from the Biosense kitchen were done. He was about to check them when the room filled with a teeth-jarring scrape, and the walls shook. He gaped as the door he kept secured started caved in, and in the next second fell to the ground with a sizable chunk of the wall still attached.

Kiyo stood frozen on the spot when he saw the frightening beast standing in the open space looking at him. Tall and huge, it turned his blood cold. His first instinct was to grab a syringe he had left on the table closest to him and hold it up in defense. He doubted he could outrun the thing. The syringe was not helpful either, unless he got close enough.

Shit! There was Nisin-

Then, the beast started to shrink. Slowly changing into the normal shape of a human, and he gaped when he recognized Rory Morgan in minutes.

“You!”

“Sorry to startle you,” Rory said with a small grin. “I have an emergency that can’t wait.”

“What are you?”

“We’ll get to that,” Rory said, giving the syringe Kiyo held an amused glance. “Put that away, it will be unfortunate if you get hurt. Milan would not forgive me.”

Kiyo stared at the syringe, his hands gripping the plastic tube hard, unwilling to let go.

“Or keep it,” Rory dismissed it. “I need you to check on Milan.”

Mention of his son catapulted Kiyo into motion when Rory disappeared from the mangled entrance into his lab. He dropped the syringe adn ran out. Kiyo was careful moving around his damaged door, pausing to check the wall. No normal human should be able to do this…then again, whatever Rory was sure was strong…shit, shit, double shit!

“Stay away from my son,” Kiyo said, when he saw Rory sitting next to Milan on the couch. There was a girl perched on the coffee table too. Kiyo wondered if she was a beast too. “Get the fuck away from him.”

“Language, Dr. Takeda,” Rory chided, his fingers gentle as they stroked Milan’s cheek. “Please, check on Milan first, then we can talk.”

Kiyo moved around the couch to where Milan’s head rested on the pillow he had used last night. Pressing a finger to Milan’s pulse at his neck, he was glad to find a stable pulse. He pressed a palm to Milan’s forehead and breathed out in relief when there was no heightened temperature.

“Why is he unconscious?” Kiyo demanded, glaring at Rory Morgan. “Why is he out of school?”

Rory caressed Milan’s cheek again, a loving caress that sent annoyance racing through Kiyo. The urge to push Rory’s hand off Milan’s cheek was strong. Rory seemed to sense his feelings as he got up, taking the girl’s arm and moved away from the couch with her, giving Kiyo space.

Kiyo moved fast, sitting next to Milan, close enough to protect him if needed. God, how were they going to explain this to Ilaria?

“Milan passed out at school,” Rory said. “I showed him what I was and it was too much for him to process.”

Kiyo wiped a hand down his face, and as he dropped his hand back to his lap, he was not surprised to find it shaking.

“You have nothing to fear from us,” Rory said, as though the simple statement should ease Kiyo's worry.

Kiyo had just watched a Rory beast pull off his most secure door.

“W-what are you? What is going on? Why would you barge into my lab like this? And with Milan—"

“Milan is in danger. Your family is in danger,” Rory said. “You, Dr. Kiyo, whatever you’re working on has placed them in danger. I came here hoping we could help each other before a tragedy occurs.”

Rory walked to the screen and came back dragging a pale man who was tied up with duct tape. Kiyo got up when Rory dropped the man on the coffee table with no measure of gentleness. Kiyo took a good look at the man’s face, and gasped.

“Why did you kidnap Lloyd?”

****

“You know him?” Rory asked, surprised by Kiyo’s question. He had hoped Kiyo had no clue about wolves living in Portento.

“Yeah, he is a lab technician at Biosense,” Kiyo said with a frown. “He brings me the packages of blood from my boss’s lab. Why is he here?”

“Lloyd is a werewolf,” Rory said.

“No.” Kiyo shook his head. “I would have noticed something so utterly ground-shaking. I still don’t believe it even after seeing you brute-force my door.”

“How?” Rory asked, meeting Kiyo’s disbelieving gaze. “If you had no idea I am one, or that the whole town is made up of werewolves. How would you have known about Lloyd?”

“The whole town? You’re lying to me,” Kiyo countered. “It’s absurd. Werewolves don’t exist. Not at that large a scale—”

“Believe it, Daddy Takeda,” Rowen said, shifting her feet beside Rory. “Don’t let it bake your brain too fast. Our Alpha here needs answers to some questions. If you don’t mind answering them. I’ll go back to keeping Milan company.”

“Don’t touch him,” Kiyo snapped, reaching for her when Rowen started to move around him to get to Milan.

Electricity zapped his fingers and Kiyo jerked his hand back, stepping away from her in shock.

“Don’t touch me,” Rowen said, dropping her hand from Rory’s arm. “I’ll burn you.”

Kiyo inspected his fingers, blowing on them watching Rowen sit on the couch, taking Milan’s hand.

“I-I-,” Kiyo turned to Rory. “This is—”

“Take a deep breath, Dr. Takeda. I would never do this if it was not absolutely important. I need to understand the web woven here and it looks like it all ties to you. For Milan’s sake, and your family. You have no idea the trouble you’re in.”

Kiyo dug fingers into his hair and turned to look at the door lying on the ground in his working space.

“You just took down my lab door while you looked like a beast. How the hell am I supposed to trust you?”

Rory kept his silence at that question. He had not thought that far when he was trying to get access. Then again, it was done now. He needed Kiyo, and Kiyo needed him. Rory’s gaze fell on Milan’s peaceful face.

“Think of Milan,” Rory suggested, meeting Kiyo’s distressed gaze. “You can trust Milan's judgment, Dr. Takeda.”

***