The artwork above is not mine.

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Ruhn eyed the swinging target at the end of his lane. He lifted the rifle to his shoulder and sighted down the barrel, ignoring the scope that had already locked the target for him. His lips curled into a snarl and he fired, blowing yet another hole right through the center of his father's head.

The paper cutout of the Autumn King's face was looking a little worse for wear at this point, but Ruhn didn't care. Let it be destroyed. It was as close to killing his father as he'd ever get. He set the rifle down and pushed back his noise cancelling headphones, rolling his shoulders to ease the growing ache that plagued them. Once his muscles had loosened, he reloaded the rifle.

"Are you going to pout down here all day or are you going to tell your father to fuck himself and take your girlfriend out for the evening?" Ruhn glanced over his shoulder and saw Flynn leaning against the wall.

"Where's Dec?" He asked, raising the rifle.

"On a date of his own, believe it or not."

"With who?"

"He wouldn't tell me, the prick. I bet it's some guy from the Aux, or maybe someone he met at a bar."

"Hm." Ruhn took aim.

"She's worried about you. She called me about an hour ago, asking if I'd heard anything about your meeting with the Autumn King. She called me, Ruhn. Me."

Ruhn sighed, lowering the rifle and facing his friend. Flynn swiped chestnut hair from his face and crossed his arms. "It's been a few days since the two of you talked. It would do you both some good," he added.

"I'll talk to her soon. I just needed to work off some steam first." Ruhn toyed with his lip ring while Flynn waited expectantly. "My suspicions were correct. He's heard rumors about Sarai and I. He told me to end things with her or else..."

"Or else what?"

"He showed me a gorsian bullet." Ruhn picked up an expended casing and showed it to Flynn. "Held it in front of me like this. He practically told me he'd have her killed if I don't end our relationship."

"You're not going to, are you?"

"Of course not. But..." Ruhn blew out a heavy breath, running his hand through his loose hair. "It caught me off guard. I know there are a lot of people who would be against our relationship if they knew about it, but knowing that people would kill her because of it? Because of me? I couldn't live with myself if something like that happened."

Flynn came closer and rested a hand on Ruhn's shoulder. "So tell her. Make her aware of the threats you've uncovered. Give her the choice to call things off. If she doesn't, she'll be aware of the danger all the same, and you'll both be looking out for each other. And you know Dec and I will have your back."

"Hers too?" Ruhn asked.

"Hers too." Flynn flashed him a crooked grin. "How else am I going to get a good view of that gorgeous ass?"

"Flynn?"

"Yes?"

"I'm holding a loaded rifle."

"I'm already running." He took off towards the nearest flight of stairs.

Ruhn rolled his eyes and replaced his headphones, aiming the gun at his target. With a resounding crack, the last of Einar Danaan's face floated to the floor. Ruhn slung the rifle over his shoulder and headed up the stairs.

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Half an hour later, Ruhn was walking through the Old Square towards his house. A line of tourists snaked down the street, leading up to the dial pad in front of the Heart Gate. As he walked past, the CBD's opal lit up and a female voice hollered, "You can lick my tits any day, Chosen One!"

Ruhn gave an unamused huff as several people stared at him, waiting for his reaction. Once, he might've marched over to the dial and called something in return, but not now. He was Sarai's, and Sarai's only. The corners of his mouth tilted up at the thought. Ruhn fished his phone out of his pocket and pulled up Sarai's contact.

He cocked his head, spying something different about it. Her profile picture had been replaced with a new one. Ruhn paused, biting down on his lip. It was very obvious that Sarai had taken the photo nude, although she'd crossed an arm over her chest. Her mouth was closed over the tip of her thumb, with just a hint of her teeth showing. There was such a smug look in her dark half-lidded eyes.

Ruhn's gaze fell to her contact name. She'd changed it to You're a Real Pervert, Danaan. He switched to his photo gallery and shifted through his recently deleted pictures, but the photo was nowhere to be found. Ruhn went back to her contact and dialed the number. Minutes later, she answered.

"Finally. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me," Sarai said.

"How could I forget about you when you leave such naughty pictures in your contact info?" Ruhn teased.

"I wondered when you'd notice."

"When did you do that?"

"Last time I came over. You were asleep and left your phone unlocked. But don't worry. I didn't touch or look at anything else."

"I'm not sure I believe you."

"Believe it or don't. It doesn't make it any less true."

"Touché," Ruhn chuckled. "You should send me that picture someday so I can keep it."

"Not at a chance, Princeling. Though, I could be persuaded to let you recreate it in person."

"Uh huh. Also, I'm not a pervert."

"How long did you stare at the picture?"

Ruhn's hand drifted to the back of his neck. "Longer than I should've, I suppose?"

"Did you look if I left the full picture on your phone?"

"Yes," he begrudgingly admitted.

"Pervert."

"You knew what you were doing when you put that picture on, Rai Rai."

"I did, didn't I? Tell me, did I manage to embarrass you in front of your friends or the Aux boys?"

"Nope." And thank Luna for that. He never would've lived it down.

"Aw, that's too bad."

"If you want to embarrass me, you can accompany me to one of my favorite bars tonight. It's not as wild as the White Raven, but it's fun."

"I'd love to. Meet you there or at the house?"

"At the house. You can come whenever."

"All right." There was silence for a moment, before Sarai asked, "How did things go with your father?"

Ruhn sighed. "I'll tell you later."

"Okay. See you in a bit." She ended the call before he could respond. Ruhn pocketed his phone and walked faster.

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Sarai wasted no time changing out of her Aux uniform. She selected a white tank top instead, and a pair of maroon skinny jeans. Beige ankle boots completed the look. Sarai ducked out the door and hurried down the back stairwell, hoping to avoid her neighbors.

She slipped into the street unseen and made her way through Moonwood, being careful to take back alleys and avoid security cameras when she could. She didn't want to risk being found out tonight of all nights. Nervous excitement fluttered through her stomach and Sarai picked up the pace. If the opportunity presented itself, she was going to discuss her theory with Ruhn.

And what will come afterwards? Sarai wondered. I suppose it depends on whether or not he has the same suspicions as I do. If they were mates, it was possible that their situation would drastically improve, or drastically worsen. In a way, they were standing on a precipice. She could only hope they'd fall to a soft landing, and not a hard one.

In no time at all, Sarai was out of Moonwood and halfway to Ruhn's house. Her phone buzzed and she opened up her message thread with Ruhn, just as a picture disappeared. Sarai barked a laugh and typed a hasty response. Prick! I wanted to look at that!

Sounds like you already saw it.

Sarai's cheeks flushed red. You're an asshole.

I'm just returning a favor. Sarai snapped a photo of her middle finger and sent it to him. Seconds later, a picture of Ruhn popped up. He was smirking proudly, sodden hair hanging in his face.

You shouldn't be on your phone while showering, Sarai scolded, even as she saved the picture. She both loved and hated that smirk of his. Every time she saw it, she was caught between wanting to kiss or smack him.

I just finished.

Sarai grinned, seizing the opportunity. Finished what? Showering or jacking off?

Now who's the pervert?

She pocketed her phone as she reached the house. Sarai stepped inside, not bothering to knock. She caught sight of Flynn on the sofa, looking stoned out of his mind. He smiled and tipped two fingers to her, but didn't speak. Sarai inclined her head and approached the stairs. A door closed and Ruhn appeared before she could mount them.

He joined her, a bright smile on his lips. Sarai threw her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly, drinking in his scent: sandalwood, leather, and whiskey. Ruhn's nose touched her hair and she guessed he was doing the same. She pressed a soft kiss to his neck.

"I think she likes you, Ruhn," Flynn drawled from the couch. "I'd lose my balls if I tried that."

"Yes, you would," they answered simultaneously.

Sarai lifted her head with a smile and Ruhn kissed her gently. He slipped his hand into hers and they headed out the door. "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention something earlier," Ruhn said.

Sarai raised a brow. "What?"

"Someone invited me to lick their tits, via the Heart Gate."

Sarai clenched her jaw, barely suppressing a growl. "I hope they're prepared for disappointment."

"Me too." His voice fell lower as he added, "The only tits I want to lick are yours."

Sarai elbowed him with a snort. "Maybe later. Let's go on our date first."

"All right," he chuckled, brushing his mouth over her temple.