Wings whispered, moving gently, still out and imposing, but Renard was picking up on the physical cues. Good. He was keeping more than a partial sense on Nick and the Grimm was using that to his advantage.

Maurice smirked. "Looks like he knows what he's doing," he remarked, nodding at Nick. "A very strong bond. Too bad you're human and male."

Nick smirked back, still aiming the gun at the older Renard. "Too bad you're family or I'd have no qualms."

It got him a wider smile. "I heard you only kill the bad ones, and not even those."

"There's a first time for everything. Are you volunteering?"

Sean shot him a look, clearly astounded by his mate's challenge.

"You would shoot family?"

"Sean and I aren't married, so you're not my brother-in-law."

Maurice grinned briefly. "Hasn't he taught you what a bond-mate is, Grimm? You think in human terms, not wesen. You two are married in our eyes. No rings necessary. That makes me, I'm sad to say, your brother-in-law."

The younger Renard snarled, a low, barely audible growl reaching Nick's ears.

"Now I have a Grimm tainting my family," Maurice sighed.

Nick held on hard when his mate nearly lunged forward. "Yes, too bad," he only said, keeping a tight leash on the other regnant.

Please, he thought fiercely. Not here, not now. Not because of this asshole.

The blue eyes watched them, sharp and knowing. "You really need to work on your control, brother," he finally said. Maurice inclined his head, like a respectful bow. "Well, I've done my family duty. Time to go," he remarked lightly.

"If you come back, I'll kill you," Renard promised darkly, voice reflecting his returning composure.

There was no reply, but the older brother bowed mockingly to him, too, then turned to disappear in the shadows.

Nick's teeth were still on edge, his whole body vibrated with the wrongness of what he had felt from the other regnant, and the turmoil inside him was barely held in check, enhanced by the looming confrontation between two very powerful wesen. He still kept up his deliberate air of relaxation, of being unimpressed, because if he gave in, Renard would chase after his brother and the result wouldn't be pretty.

But it was hard.

And it was wearing on him.

He looked at the regnant, almost fully creatured-out again, looking impressive and terrifying and glorious. The shirt was a goner, torn apart by the emergence of the wings, and if Sean had let go completely, his clothes would have been nothing but shreds.

He looked… decidedly… definitely… damned hot!

And what was he doing thinking about that right now?

Nick let the gun finally fall to his side and then stowed it safely in his belt. One hand reached out and curled around a semi-scaly wrist. Sean's skin was deceptively smooth, like warm, slick silk mixed with polished metal. Strange and nothing he had ever felt before. For all his control, right now it had gone completely out the window and Nick was fascinated by the creature his mate was.

Renard reached out and touched the gash on Nick's shoulder, no longer bleeding, but the shirt was wet. Nick let him inspect his body, touching the bruises he seemed to feel thought the clothes.

There were a lot.

He would be black and blue by the next morning, but right now the adrenaline let him feel only light twinges. Even the injuries that had bled were barely a bother.

"Sean," he said softly, almost coaxing.

He needed his mate to reassert complete control, to shed the creature traits, because if the regnant didn't calm down, things might get out of hand at the slightest provocation. Only Nick saw the physical changes, but all it needed was a new spark for the explosion to come.

"Sean," he repeated more forcefully.

The burning orange-golden eyes finally faded to green, the façade was reasserted, and Renard gave his mate a calmer look.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief.

"He won't be back," the regnant said coldly.

"He better not!"

Okay, now that had burst out with more emotions than planned. But Maurice had gotten to him in a way not even a suspect had ever managed before.

It got him a smile. "Maybe I should have told you about regnant traditions."

"Traditions?" He stared. "Like sending a bunch of assassins after me?"

"Yes and no. I didn't think anyone would care enough to do this. Maurice was never such a stickler for protocol when it came to violence. His own mating was a quiet affair and Nadine was never questioned as his mate. This… It was to test your… our… bond. How strong it is. How well you can handle my instinctual primal side when you're threatened." Renard sighed and shook his head. "My kind tends to lose all that well-taught and deeply ingrained control and cool-headedness when the mate is threatened. A weak partner would be unable to keep his mate in line."

Keep Sean in line?

Fury flashed through him, hot and unrestrained, like a living thing with a mind of its own.

What kind of family…? How could Maurice…?

Nick glared at his mate. "You're not an animal on a leash!"

"No, but my instincts would lead to… overthrow logic and reason."

"That doesn't mean I've any say on your actions!" Nick protested.

"It was a test, Nick. Of us. Our bond. Of our compatibility."

"Compatibility?" Nick spat. "Who does he think he is?"

"Nick…"

"What's this about? Because I'm human?"

"No. Regnant genes are dominant. Even a human female would give birth to my kind. As for you being a man, we couldn't care less. I couldn't care less." There as warmth in Sean's voice. Emotions were leaking through.

"So it's because I'm a Grimm?" Nick demanded, not giving in to his own softer emotions.

"Yes, in a way."

"And I might have turned you over to what? The dark side? The light side? My side? Or are they afraid I'll lop your head off in your sleep?"

The anger was back.

Renard answered the anger with a smile. "No."

Nick refused to be swayed. "Then what?"

"It was a risk assessment, Nick. I am the ruling Guardian of Portland," he reminded the Grimm. "As such, your influence on me will influence the city. If you're weak, my rule would falter, make me a target. If you chose to control me completely…"

Renard didn't have to go on. Nick knew what that would mean. Grimms were still the bad guys in the wesen world. Grimms were the darkness to be feared.

Yes, he knew all about it.

But that wasn't him. It would never be him!

Nick was doing everything he could to change that perception, to be fair, not to be a killer. Grimms were supposedly arbitrators in the wesen world and as Renard's mate he was trying to be even more. The Guardian of Portland and the Grimm, who worked like a cop in both worlds. He had found allies, he had found friends, and he had placed tiny slivers of trust. So far Nick had only ever killed if push became shove and things got lethal for him.

Only in defense.

Never planned, never an assassination, never!

"Your brother is an ass," the Grimm snarled.

"Agreed."