It was the security man. Aiden turned around, nervous. He was aware of Roman cracking his knuckles. Darlene brought her thumb to her mouth, and Aiden reached out to catch it before it got there. He held her hand, felt the surprise and the pounding of her heart. He’d spooked her, apparently. Or she was bothered that he’d moved in a way that showed he was using the power.

“Sorry,” he whispered.

She shook her head, hard.

“Aiden?” the security man asked. “You can go on in. Room two-two-one.”

Aiden blinked. It took Roman giving him a nudge to get him moving. He turned around. “Thank you very much, sir.”

“I’m not a proper ‘sir’, but you’re welcome,” the man said. “If the room is crowded or if the nurses need the space, you should end the conversation and leave, got it?”

Aiden nodded.

He had the Heartbroken children with him as he headed down the hall. He still held Darlene’s hand, and he felt self-conscious about it, especially when he noticed the others noticing. Candy and Roman exchanged a look.

“Don’t bite your nails, okay? It hurts.”

“Oh,” Darlene said. Her voice became a whisper, “Oh. Um. I’m really sorry. I get weird when I’m using my power.”

“We don’t have to use it,” Aiden said.

“It feels fucked up,” Roman said. “Mainlining little sisters and little bro, and Aiden here.”

“I thought it would be good for keeping an eye out for trouble,” Darlene said. “Watch each other’s backs.”

“It’s good,” Aiden reassured. Darlene was the quietest in a lot of ways. She was the odd one out, when the others were what Aisha called high octane drama mixed two to one with nightmare fuel. Whatever that meant. He’d even defended Darlene when Aisha had said it, which had made Aisha laugh way too hard.

He’d had some tastes of it, but this was the first time he’d really been subject to Darlene’s power for any length of time. He wondered if this was what his birds felt like when he assumed control. The interconnection of things, him and them.

That would be more one-way, maybe.

“I can cut you out of the network,” Darlene told Roman.

“Nah,” he said. “We’re being targeted along with the Undersiders. The people we’re after are being targeted. I’ll fucking put up with it.”

“I appreciate you being our chaperone,” Aiden said. “Thank you, Roman.”

“Nah. You’re a good fucking kid, Aids. Keep looking after my sisters. The ones that are worth looking after.”