The artwork above is not mine.

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    "He's such a fucking bastard!" Ruhn hissed, lighting the rolled cigarette that balanced between his lips. "He can't even be bothered to send over a handyman once every few weeks just to look at the house. I suppose he wouldn't have cared if she broke her fucking neck when she fell."

    "Your dad's a dick," Flynn said. "We already knew that."

    "He grows worse with every passing day." Ruhn tipped his head back against the wall, blowing smoke out his mouth and nostrils.

    "There's not much you can do to change that," Declan pointed out. "She's all right now, and confronting the Autumn King will just make him angry."

    "Burning Solas, I want to make him angry," Ruhn grunted.

    "We know." Flynn patted his tattooed arm. "Did you at least hear back from the Comitium?"

    "No."

    "What about that sample you brought from the warehouse? Did you make any progress with that?" Declan asked.

    "Demelza uncovered a few properties of the liquid, but she still doesn't know what it is."

    "I'm sure she will soon."

    "I hope so. If we don't hear from the Comitium, I'm not sure what..." Ruhn broke off as his phone began to vibrate. Flynn raised his eyebrows, taking the cigarette, and Ruhn quickly answered the call. "Hello?"

    "Ruhn Danaan?"

    "Just Ruhn is fine."

    "This is Isaiah Tiberian, Commander of the 33rd Legion. Naomi Boreas spoke to me on your behalf. She said you and the Shifter, Sarai Ilerion, need to speak with the drug dealers who were arrested during the latest bust?"

    "That's right. The Aux opened an official investigation on the rise of drug related activity throughout the city, and my partner..." Both Flynn and Declan seemed surprised by the term. Ruhn pursed his lips and turned away from them. "...and I, thought we might be able to learn something from the dealers."

"I've already obtained clearance for your interrogation, but I can't promise you'll learn anything. The Humans wouldn't even answer Hunt."

    Ruhn blinked in surprise. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard of anybody Hunt Athalar couldn't break. "We'll take our chances," he said at last. "When can we come?"

    "Tomorrow afternoon. I'll send you a digital admittance transcript. Show it to the guards when you arrive. They'll let you in and alert me."

    "All right. Thank you." The last word had barely left Ruhn's mouth when the line went dead. He lowered his phone just as an unknown number sent him a file. The number matched the one who had called, and he guessed the file was the transcript Isaiah had promised.

    "Well?" Flynn urged.

    Ruhn took his cigarette back and pulled up Sarai's contact file. "We're going to the Comitium tomorrow."

    "Have fun with that." Declan dropped onto the couch and switched on the TV. "The sunball game is starting." Flynn joined him instantly.

    Ruhn frowned, staring at the empty message thread he'd opened with Sarai. Should he start with his name or just send her the details Isaiah passed along? She'd piece it together anyway, right? Ruhn hesitated, his thumb hovering over the phone screen.

    "What are you doing?"

    He looked up and found Flynn watching him over the back of the couch. "Telling Sarai what's going on."

    "It looks like you're staring at your phone." A teasing grin crept onto his lips. "Are you nervous about texting Rai Rai, Ruhn?" Flynn snickered and Declan's shoulders shook with silent laughter.

    "No," Ruhn snapped. "I'm just...not sure what to start with. She didn't ask for my number when I got hers, so maybe I should tell her it's me."

    "He's nervous," Declan said. "He never hesitates when texting."

    Flynn gave a sagely nod. "She can't break your leg through a text, you know."

    Ruhn rolled his eyes. "No shit." At last, he typed a message and sent it, not allowing himself another second of hesitation.

    We're approved for interrogation at the Comitium tomorrow. Here's the transcript we'll need to get inside. Tiberian will take it from there.

    Ruhn toyed with his lip ring and took a long drag on his cigarette, waiting for Sarai to respond. A floating text bubble appeared, then vanished. Her message arrived seconds later. What? No, "Hi, this is Ruhn and not some random creep."?

    I thought you were smart enough to piece it together on your own.

    Are you smart enough to piece together what finger I'm holding up right now? She shot back.

    One that you can fuck yourself with.

    Indeed you can fuck yourself with it. How did you know? No wonder you're the Chosen One.

    Ruhn smiled to himself as an image loaded. Sarai had taken a selfie with her tongue sticking out, also featuring her middle finger. He saved the image and placed it as her contact photo, then began to type again. Where do you want to meet? Isaiah only said sometime in the afternoon. He didn't specify when.

    Minutes passed and Sarai's text bubble repeatedly appeared and disappeared. Finally, The Old Square. You're already there and it's closer to the CBD than Moonwood.

    My house?

    Fuck no. Just meet me at the Heart Gate. I'll come an hour after noon.

    Ruhn sent a thumbs up and switched off his phone. When he lifted his head, he found both Flynn and Declan watching him intently. The sunball game was playing in the background, momentarily forgotten. "What?" Ruhn demanded.

    "That was a lot of texting, considering you were just passing along information," Declan noted.

    "We had to set up a meeting time and location too." Ruhn joined them on the couch. Flynn elbowed his side, but he ignored the male and instead watched the sunball game.

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    The afternoon sun was warm on Sarai's back as she waited for Ruhn near the Heart Gate. The clear quartz archway shone in the sunlight, and the bronze plaque at the top of the gate reflected it. Sarai shielded her eyes as she read the familiar words engraved on the plaque.

"The power shall always belong to those who give their lives to the city."

    There were seven of these gates in total; one in each district of Lunathion. They all bore the same plaque, and the same dial pad stood before them. There was currently a winding line of people leading up to the dial pad, as many tourists enjoyed using it to make wishes or shout something that could be heard at the other gates across the city.

    The dial pad was made of solid gold and inlaid with six gems and district insignias, not including the district the pad itself was in. Beneath those was a raised round disk, worn by many years of interaction. To use the pad, one simply had to place their hand on the disk. It would take a zap of the user's power, and the user could then make their wish or send a message.

    Anytime a message was sent, one of the gems would light up. The signets beneath them were there to reveal which district the message was sent from. There was a sapphire and a single oak tree for Moonwood. An emerald and a rose meant FiRo. The Central Business District was depicted by an opal and a pair of wings.

    Tiger's eye and a serpent meant the Meat Market. A ruby and a heart stood for the Old Square. Onyx and a skull and crossbones represented the Bone Quarter. And even the Humans had a gate. Asphodel Meadows was represented by amethyst and a Human hand.

    Sarai frequently used the River Gate in Moonwood, although she and Nathalie liked to come to this gate too from time to time. They usually made dumb wishes and called out stupid things. Once, someone had replied and told them to shut the fuck up. Nathalie responded with, "Suck my invisidick!"

    Sarai smiled at the memory, but footsteps soon caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder and found Ruhn approaching. He was wearing an Aux uniform today, but like her own, it was sleeveless, and he wasn't carrying the Starsword. "Where's your special sword?" Sarai asked.

    "At the house. They'll remove our weapons as soon as we arrive and I don't want the Starsword being handled by a bunch of Angels."

    She fell in step with him and they started towards the CBD. They passed by the gate just as a female's voice hollered, "Any warriors need their sword shined?" Followed by a mischievous giggle.

    Ruhn scoffed and Sarai arched a brow. "What? Haven't you ever yelled something through the gates?"

    "No."

    "Why?"

    "Why would I?"

    "Because it's fun and it annoys other people."

    "It does," Ruhn agreed. "Do you know how many times I've walked past that thing at night and heard someone drunk fucking on another dial? I'm not putting my hands on any of them."

    Sarai grimaced, even as she said, "Well, the dials aren't supposed to be used between sunset and sunrise, so it's your duty to arrest those people, isn't it?"

    "The only time I enjoy dealing with drunk and horny people is when I'm one of them." Ruhn ran a hand over the back of his neck, freeing his braid from his damp skin. "Besides, if I did that, I'd have to arrest everyone who uses it after dark."

    "And?"

    "Danika and Bryce use it then, quite often actually."

    "Oh." Sarai studied the Prince a moment longer. He's highly invested in someone who is only his distant cousin, she thought. "Did you learn anything about that sample?"

    "It might be a steroid of some type, but I don't know anything beyond that."

    They crossed over Ward Avenue presently. The Comitium was already in view. Sarai eyed the hoards of Malakim who filled the skies. Many more were walking in and out of the Comitium doors. The five towered complex was a mass of glass and steel, all reinforced with powerful spells. The Comitium was Micah Domitus' headquarters and stronghold. It also housed his Triarii, and a variety of dangerous criminals filled the cells below ground level.

    Ruhn approached the main entrance, holding up the transcript on his phone. Sarai followed suit. A frowning Angel with charcoal feathered wings looked over Ruhn's file, then her own. He gave a short nod and the doors opened without a whisper of sound. Ruhn and Sarai entered the pristine building and the doors closed behind them.

    Sarai blinked rapidly as her vision adjusted to the fluorescent firstlights overhead. The scent of disinfectants, chemicals, food, and other fragrances reached her. Sarai took her time sorting through them all as they waited for Isaiah Tiberian.

    Presently, heavy footsteps approached. Sarai turned, expecting to see the Commander, but instead, she found herself eye level with the Umbra Mortis' chest. "The fuck are you doing here, Danaan?" Hunt Athalar growled.