The artwork above is not mine.

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Ruhn waited impatiently while a set of guards left to retrieve Marcus Trejon from his cell. Two days had already gone by and he was finally being allowed to question the Shifter. He'd been unable to before, as the male needed time to recover from his injuries and the drug in his system.

Ruhn had his doubts as to how much of the incident Marcus would remember, but he would question him nonetheless. He needed any leads the male could provide. Just something to start him and Sarai in a pointed direction, so they wouldn't be aimlessly wandering around the CBD. They didn't need Angels breathing down their necks while they investigated.

Ruhn's phone buzzed and he pulled it out. Sarai had sent a selfie. From the looks of it, she was currently at a sunball game. Ruhn frowned and sent a picture in return. Jealous? Sarai teased.

Only a little. You get to sit out there in the rain, while I can just watch a rerun of the game later.

I'm surprised you aren't watching it now.

I'm getting ready to question Marcus Trejon.

Oh. Let me know what you find out.

Come to the house and I'll tell you. Ruhn smiled to himself.

*Insert eye-roll here*, Sarai responded.

Ruhn pocketed his phone and leaned against the wall with a sigh. "You really want her to come over, don't you?" Flynn asked.

"Were you reading over my shoulder?"

"It's not my fault that your text size is three times larger than normal."

Ruhn rolled his eyes. "That's a bit of an exaggeration."

Flynn shrugged. "Maybe, but now you're avoiding the question."

"I don't care if she does or doesn't come to the house."

"You're doing everything in your power to convince her to come over, Ruhn. Why don't you just tell her that you want to hang out with her?"

"Because I doubt she feels the same, and whatever is going on between us is still too new to jeopardize. I'd rather not go back to hating one another because I was too forward."

"As if flirting and dropping hints aren't forward."

"I haven't really been flirting with her."

"Yes, you have."

"Only a little. Not enough to warrant her anger." Ruhn rubbed the back of his neck. And that alone is nothing short of a miracle, he thought. Considering what I said last time.

"There are other places I could kiss you."

"I'm still not sure about you, Chosen One. I guess we'll have to see."

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about that conversation. Her reaction was nothing like he expected. He thought she'd be angry, but instead... "I guess we'll have to see." Did that mean there was a chance? If he took things one step at a time, could it eventually lead to something more between them?

Luna spare him, but he wanted something more. He wanted something more than their partnership and tentative friendship. He wanted more than the fling he'd originally sought. He wanted something real and meaningful. Something they needed. He just didn't know if it was possible.

Ruhn shook his thoughts away as a door opened and the guards emerged from the interrogation room. Marcus Trejon was already secured at the table. Ruhn and Flynn entered, closing the door behind themselves. They took seats across from Marcus and simply studied him for a moment.

Marcus' golden eyes were wide with fear. There were dark circles below them, as though he hadn't slept in days. Ruhn spied bruising on his inner elbows that had likely come from needles. "Do you know where you are?" Flynn asked, breaking the thick silence.

"An Auxiliary prison," Marcus whispered.

"Do you know why you're here?"

The Shifter shook his head. Flynn lifted a remote off the table and pointed it at a monitor that hung from a corner above them. Instantly, security footage of multiple attacks began to play. Marcus watched, his fear becoming increasingly evident.

"Is...is that...me?" He stammered.

"It is," Ruhn replied. "You don't remember?"

Marcus shook his head. "I don't remember very much these days."

"When did your lapse in memory first begin?"

"A few weeks ago, I think. I went home from work and did my usual routine. Took a shower, cooked some food, watched TV, and texted Bryce." Ruhn stiffened at the mention of his sister. Flynn shot him a sideways glance.

"After that, everything is fuzzy. I remember waking up in an alley, covered in blood, but I don't know how I got there or what happened. Then, I began seeing news reports about attacks from a lion shifter. I...I hid. I was afraid that it was me and..." Marcus rested his forehead in his hands, which were shackled to the table. His shoulders shook, though he didn't cry.

"This happened two days ago," Flynn said, switching to another recording.

Marcus slowly lifted his head. Ruhn didn't look at the recording, knowing that if he saw the Shifter attacking Sarai, he'd launch himself across the table and strangle him. Just thinking about it was enough to have shadows licking at his fingertips, and power rumbling through his veins. Ruhn tuned out the sounds the footage had captured and watched as Marcus' horror grew.

"Oh gods," he rasped. "Oh gods. Did I hurt Bryce? Those Wolves...are they..." Marcus flinched and Ruhn knew he'd seen the moment a Fae sniper had tranqed him. "Oh gods," he breathed again.

"Bryce is fine and the Wolves have recovered," Ruhn answered. "You don't remember this encounter?"

Marcus shook his head. "Just blurry images." His shoulders jerked again. "How is this possible? I would never hurt anyone. I don't... How could I have done this? And Bryce... Oh gods."

"We had some medwitches run a few tests on a sample of your blood," Ruhn said. "They found an unknown substance within it. Judging by the bruising in your elbows, and the syringe and needles we found at your house, we have to assume it's a liquid drug of some sort."

"What? No, that's not possible. The only drug I've ever done is mirthroot, and even then I have to be careful. If I'm randomly tested at work, I could lose my job."

"So you're telling me you didn't buy the drug yourself?" Marcus nodded. "Then someone must have administered it to you?"

"I guess? I don't know. I just... I didn't do this to myself. Please, you have to believe me. I don't understand. I don't... I..." This time, a few tears managed to slip down Marcus' cheeks.

Ruhn turned to Flynn. "Did you and Dec ever find anything on the security cameras in the house?"

Flynn shook his head. "Not a single thing, but there was also no footage of him giving himself any type of drug." Marcus perked up. "Someone might've erased the footage, or tried to cover it up, but we don't know for sure yet."

Ruhn turned back to the Shifter. "Is there anything you can think of that might help us make sense of all of this? Someone sketchy you ran into? An old mirthroot dealer who had it out for you? Anything at all?"

"No. I only smoked mirthroot at a club. Crown Royale."

Flynn arched a brow. "Fancy. Not many people can afford even an hour in there."

"That's why I didn't go very often."

"Were you there before your memory lapses began to happen?"

Marcus thought for a moment. "Yes, I think so."

Ruhn made a mental note to keep an eye on the club. Perhaps he and Sarai would have to investigate it sometime soon, but not right now. There were other places in the Central Business District that were known for shady drug deals. They could look into those first.

"If that's all, we'll be on our way," Ruhn said, scooting his chair back from the table.

"Wait. What's going to happen to me?" Marcus asked.

"You'll remain here. Regardless of what you do and don't remember, you are still responsible for attacking several people. You will be held accountable for that. Besides, we can't just release you in this state. You're obviously a danger to yourself and others."

"We don't know how withdrawal from the unknown drug will affect you, and if someone has been feeding it to you, suppose they do so again?" Ruhn lightened his tone and added, "It's safer this way. For you and for others. But I promise we will sort this out."

Marcus barely nodded. "Tell Bryce that I'm sorry. Tell her the truth," he sighed. "Though I doubt she'll believe it."

"Call her and tell her yourself. I think you'd be surprised." Ruhn left the room with Flynn on his heels. They headed down the hallway and the guards went to take care of Marcus.

"I feel sorry for him," Flynn said. "He obviously has no idea what's going on."

"I imagine we'll all be as confused as him before all of this is over."

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Sarai trailed Ruhn through the streets of the Central Business District. Another storm loomed on the horizon, but she hoped it would hold off until she and Ruhn were ready to leave. He had called her the night before, called, not texted, and told her how Marcus' interrogation went. Sarai wasn't entirely convinced of the Shifter's innocence, although Ruhn appeared to be.

They'd talked for three hours, discussing where they would go with their investigation from there. Towards the end of the call, they'd veered off topic a little and began discussing their days in general. Sarai told Ruhn about the sunball game, and how Danika had done her best to spare Bryce's favorite dress from the rain by handing over her leather jacket.

In return, Ruhn told her that Flynn and Declan had decided to take the night off, and sent her real time videos of their drunken antics. He'd then revealed that he was, to her great delight, smoking a joint of mirthroot and watching Fangs and Bangs. Sarai had been tempted to switch the call to a video chat so that she could see for herself, but she opted not to. She wasn't sure she wanted to see if he followed all of her advice.

She studied him from the corner of her eye as they walked down a bustling street. Ruhn seemed relaxed today. His dark hair was pulled back in a braid and a set of hoops and spikes studded his arched ears. Instead of his Aux uniform, he was wearing a sleeveless shirt and fitted pants that left very little to the imagination. He wore his usual boots, and the Starsword was sheathed to his back.

"What?" Ruhn asked, noticing her gaze.

"I like your new tattoo." Sarai admired the colorful ink on display. "It's nice to see you without sleeves again."

He gave a low laugh, and butterflies erupted through her stomach. "I'm always happy to please you, Rai Rai." Ruhn winked. Sarai rolled her eyes and looked away. They walked in silence and presently, he spoke again. "That's new." There was a quiet, almost hesitant tone in his voice.

"What is?" Sarai asked, looking around for whatever it was he had spotted.

"I think you're blushing."

Sarai's hand flew to her cheek. "No, I'm not!"

But she couldn't stop the embarrassed flush that was now creeping into her face. Ruhn laughed and teased her no longer, although she felt his gaze linger. They continued down the street, turning their focus back to their investigation.