There was something very, very, wrong with the Shifter, Sarai began to realize. There was no sense in Marcus' movements. No true intention except to cause harm. He never went for the kill. He never tried to incapacitate her. He didn't try to gain the upper hand. He was just...toying with her.

    Sarai shifted into herself and ducked beneath Marcus' extended leg. She barely managed to avoid his talons. Sarai dropped into a roll and popped up beside Nathalie, who was now back on her feet. There was a pained look in her onyx eyes and she moved with a slight limp. Still, she shifted into herself and gave a warning growl. Marcus only huffed in response.

    Nathalie advanced towards him and Sarai closed in on his other side. They slammed into the Shifter simultaneously, forcing him back several paces. Sarai bit back a yelp as Marcus' claws ripped into her shoulder. Fiery pain raced into her arm and down her spine, but she didn't let off. She dug her teeth into one of his legs and yanked him off balance. Nathalie pinned him down, snarling in his face.

    Sarai shifted into herself and clutched her bleeding arm, struggling towards Bryce. "Is someone on their way?" She called.

    "The Aux will be here soon," Bryce promised. She came towards her.

    Sarai threw up a hand. "No, stay there. There's something wrong with him. We'll keep him occupied until the Aux gets here. You need to find somewhere safe to wait."

    "I'm not leaving you two here!" Bryce protested.

    "Bryce, just..."

    "Sarai, look out!" Nathalie screamed.

    Sarai whirled in time to see Marcus bearing down on her. He knocked her to the ground, pressing his paws onto her shoulders. She howled in pain, the pressure sending sparks through her body. Sarai attempted to shift. She pushed her paws up into his gut, throwing him aside.

    Nathalie grabbed Marcus by the back of his neck and dragged him away. Sarai pushed herself upright. Marcus tore himself free of Nathalie, leaving a strip of golden fur dangling from her jaws. A feral light now glinted in his eyes. Sarai braced herself for his next attack. Marcus leaped towards her, and a small projectile whizzed through the air.

    The Shifter fell short and stumbled. Sarai saw a tranquilizer dart embedded in his neck. She shifted into herself and backed away as Marcus writhed on the ground. Sarai hissed when someone pushed her aside. Several Wolves surrounded the fallen Shifter and Fae were securing the street.

    Nathalie hobbled over to her and Sarai wrapped an arm around her waist, offering herself as support. "Nathalie!" Someone hollered. Bronson was sprinting towards them, his tanned face pale and eyes wide. Sarai looked away. "There's a medwitch on the way," Bronson said, pausing a few feet in front of them. "Are you all right? Both of you?"

    "Mostly," Nathalie replied. "I..."

    "I should check on Bryce," Sarai interrupted.

    "Here." Bronson took her place supporting Nathalie.

    Sarai left them alone and started towards Bryce, who appeared to be speaking with a few Fae. Before she could reach the female, a familiar Wolf stepped in front of her. Rafe crossed his arms, glaring down at her.

    "You can't be angry with me about this," Sarai spat, already guessing what he was about to say. "I had no control over that Shifter's actions. How was I supposed to know he was going to show up and attack us?"

    "I don't blame you for that. I blame you for walking around drunk and high in an area where frequent attacks have been happening. Do you know how this looks? Sabine is going to be furious."

    "I don't give a fuck about Sabine. I wanted to have fun with my friends."

    "I know you don't give a fuck about Sabine, but maybe you should start. I've fought back repeatedly when she's suggested throwing you out of the Den, but it's only a matter of time before she makes that decision. Nothing I say or do will change that, and I'm tired of bailing you out."

    "When have you ever bailed me out, Rafe?" Sarai scoffed. "When have you ever tried to act decent towards me? To be friendly, or helpful? You treat me like shit. You don't give a fuck what happens to me and you've made that perfectly clear. In fact, you'd probably be happy if Sabine threw me out."

    "It would certainly make my life easier!"

    "Mine too. Maybe I won't wait for Sabine to throw me out. Maybe I'll just leave!"

    "And maybe you'll be marked as a traitor."

    "Maybe I don't care!" Anger blasted through Sarai, fueled by her growing pain. She matched Rafe's cold glare, refusing to back down.

◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ☾☽ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦

    Ruhn scanned the bustling area, searching for Sarai. He hadn't seen her since he arrived, although he had found several Fae questioning Bryce, and Nathalie was being treated by a medwitch. The wounds on the Wolf's body had filled him with a chill of fear.

    When he'd received a call from Aux headquarters, he'd known right away what it was about. The lion shifter had attacked again. Then, he heard the names. He heard who had called. He'd been five blocks away from the White Raven at the time, and ran all the way back without hesitation, Flynn and Declan on his heels.

    Raised voices caught his attention. Ruhn followed them away from the crowd and found Rafe and Sarai yelling back and forth. Both seemed upset, and Sarai was bleeding from several wounds.

    "Hey, cut it out!" Ruhn interrupted. Sarai's gaze shot to his, her dark eyes glittering with rage. "Don't you have something more important to be doing?" He stepped between Rafe and Sarai, folding his arms across his chest. Rafe merely huffed and stormed away. Ruhn faced Sarai.

    "I don't need you to stick up for me," she spat. "I can take care of myself. You'll just make things worse, the more involved you get."

    "You need to see a medwitch," Ruhn said, ignoring her statement. "You should make sure none of these bites and scratches are infected. I suspect a certain drug was making Marcus act this way, but I don't know. It could be a virus of some kind."

    After a moment, Sarai's shoulders slouched. Her body began to sway and she braced a hand on his arm to steady herself. Ruhn gripped her elbow. She began walking towards the medwitch and he stayed close to her side. "Did Bryce call you?" Sarai asked. "I told her to."

    "She called the Fae Division Headquarters." Ruhn's heart twisted. His sister hadn't called him. She'd been in danger, but she hadn't called him. "They alerted me."

    They reached the medwitch and she gestured for Sarai to sit down. She obeyed and Ruhn crouched as the medwitch set to work. "I think you're right about drugs being the cause of Marcus' behavior," Sarai sighed. "He didn't even act like he recognized Bryce, and he seemed completely...wild."

    "We'll run a few tests on his blood samples," the medwitch said, catching Ruhn's eye. He nodded.

    Sarai winced as the Witch's magic moved towards her shoulder. Ruhn laid his hand atop hers. Sarai closed her eyes and didn't pull away. The minutes passed in silence while the Witch continued healing Sarai. At last, she backed away, leaving the two of them alone.

    "What was Rafe yelling about?" Ruhn asked quietly.

    "Just the usual crap," Sarai sighed.

    He could tell by her demeanor that she wasn't going to say anything more on the matter. Instead of pushing for answers, Ruhn asked, "Why did you join Blood Moon? I always thought you were going to join the Pack of Devils. Before you made the Drop, there were even rumors that Danika was going to tap you as her Second instead of Connor."

    For a while, Sarai said nothing. "I was going to join the Pack of Devils. We'd planned for me to be Dani's Second after I made the Drop. Even Connor agreed to it. Hel, he was excited about it. But Sabine heard about our plans."

    "Before I knew what was happening..." Sarai broke off with a resigned sigh. "She ordered me to join Blood Moon and there was nothing any of us could do to prevent it. Not Danika. Not Rafe. Not Connor. Not me. She did it to keep Dani and I apart, and to keep us from becoming more of a threat than we already were."

    "Why would you be threats?" Ruhn asked.

    "Everyone thinks Danika will be tapped as Prime Apparent, surpassing Sabine. She already has many powerful allies, and having a powerful Second makes her that much more likely to be chosen," Sarai explained. "Sabine is worried that the rumors are true, so she's doing everything possible to diminish Danika's influence over the Wolves."

    Sarai barked a laugh. "You know, I could've been Alpha of a pack myself. If I'd already made the Drop when I joined Blood Moon, I could've challenged Rafe and won. I could've challenged almost any Alpha and won. But I didn't want to. I just wanted to be a part of the Pack of Devils. I just wanted to be somewhere where I belonged. Where I felt wanted and included and cared for." She closed her eyes, turning her face away.

    "I don't know enough about your ways to say that I understand what all of that was like," Ruhn began cautiously. "But I will say this. I didn't know where I belonged for years, and I thought I'd never find it. Somehow, I did. Despite all the shit I've dealt with, and still am dealing with, I've managed to find a place where I belong. I know that you can to."

    Sarai's gaze met his. "And my offer remains," he added. "If you ever need to get away from everything, just for an hour, a day, a few weeks, or even a couple of months, the spare bedroom at the house is yours. Dec and Flynn won't mind. I don't mind. We all understand needing somewhere you can escape to." Ruhn gave her a small smile. "And Rafe and Sabine will think especially hard before coming over and looking for you."

    Sarai returned his smile. "Yeah, but there's also the fact that you and your roommates are incredibly boring. You just want to work out, watch sunball, and throw parties."

    "Don't worry, Rai Rai. I'm sure we can find something to amuse you. Mirthroot and Fangs and Bangs, for instance."

    Sarai's mouth curled sideways. "If I come over, will you really do that with me?"

    "I don't know. Maybe."

    Sarai rolled her eyes. "Now that Marcus is dealt with, are we going to resume our investigation?"

    Ruhn nodded. "And I think Mr. Trejon might know something that can help us begin our search. I'll text you the details when I have them. It might be another day or two."

    "All right."

    Ruhn began to stand, then paused, noticing that his hand still lay on Sarai's, and she'd curled her fingers around his. Sarai stiffened, as if noticing the same thing. Ruhn squeezed her hand before she could let go and helped her to her feet. "By the way, you look beautiful."

    Sarai snorted, looking down at her bloodstained shirt. Her necklace was gone and one of her earrings was missing. Her hair hung in tangled knots, and her skin was covered in blood and bruises. She met his gaze again. "Are you a liar as well as a pervert?"

    "No. I'm being serious."

    Sarai raised an eyebrow. "I'm too drunk to understand this."

    "What is there to understand? I think you look beautiful. Like I said, there's something incredibly sexy about a female who can fight."

    "Ah." Sarai pulled her hand from his, a coy grin crossing her lips. "Now I see. You're just a horny pervert."

    Ruhn rolled his eyes. "What brings you to that conclusion?"

    "I look like I've been hit by a truck and you think I look beautiful. You basically just said I'm sexy. And earlier, you were discussing kissing my ass and possibly other parts of my body."

    "When you put it like that..."

    "Like I said, I'm still not sure about you, so we'll have to see. Watch Fangs and Bangs, Danaan." Sarai gave his cheek a patronizing pat. "And when you get to the good parts, use your hand." Ruhn couldn't help but laugh as she stumbled away.