Ruhn stormed down the corridor of the processing facility only a few blocks away from the Comitium. If those Malakim bastards laid a single finger on his sister after what she'd just gone through, he'd fucking kill them all and gladly die for it. Two Angels stood outside of a cell, Isaiah Tiberian and Hunt Athalar.

Ruhn barely suppressed a snarl. Athalar was the last male he wanted to see. He glanced into the cell as he walked past, catching a whiff of Bryce's scent. He turned to the Angels. "Where the fuck is she?"

Athalar went rigid at his tone. Good. Let the prick know he wasn't the only powerful male in the room. "Bryce Quinlan has been released," Isaiah said. "We sent her upstairs a few minutes ago."

Ruhn turned to go, but froze as Athalar asked, "What's it to you?"

He glanced back at the foreboding Angel. She's my sister, his thoughts seethed, but he kept them to himself. "She's my cousin, Asshole. We take care of our own."

Rage boiled in his stomach at the grin Athalar threw him. "Where were you tonight?"

"Fuck you, Athalar," he spat, baring his teeth. Isaiah had the sense to back away. "I suppose you heard that Danika and I got into it over Briggs at the Head meeting. What a lead. Good job." Every moment he wasted here was another that might be carrying Bryce closer to danger, but he wasn't finished.

"If I wanted to kill Danika, I wouldn't summon a fucking demon to do it." His and Sarai's encounter with the Dissiri had quelled any inclination he might've once had to do so. "Where the fuck is Briggs? I want to talk to him."

"He's incoming." Lightning danced around Athalar's knuckles. "And you don't get first shot at him. Daddy's clout and cash only get you so far, Prince."

"Keep talking, Athalar," Ruhn growled. "Let's see where it gets you."

"I'm shaking."

Isaiah cleared his throat and spoke before Ruhn could make a move on the assassin. "Can you tell us if Miss Quinlan's behavior before the murder tonight was unusual or..."

"The Raven's owner told me she was drunk and snorted a pile of lightseeker. But you'll find Bryce with that kind of shit in her system at least one night a week."

"Why does she do it at all?"

Ruhn narrowed his eyes, unsure of how that pertained to the Devils' murder and Bryce's involvement, but he answered anyway. "She does what she wants. She always has."

"Just how close are you two?" Athalar cut in.

"If you're asking whether I'm fucking her, the answer, Asshole, is no. She's family." And he had the feeling that Sarai would skin him herself if he dared cheat on her.

"Distant family," Athalar pointed out. "I heard the Fae like to keep their bloodline undiluted."

Ruhn held his stare, already envisioning bashing his teeth in. Athalar's lightning sparked, no doubt imagining reducing him to ashes the minute he moved. Isaiah glanced between the two of them. "We're just trying to do our job, Prince," he said.

"If you assholes had kept an eye on Briggs like you were supposed to, maybe this wouldn't have happened at all."

Athalar's wings flared slightly. "Careful," he growled.

"Stay the fuck away from Bryce," Ruhn snarled before striding back the way he'd come.

Anger shifted to concern as he reached the street and picked up Bryce's scent. It seemed like she was heading back to her apartment, but that wasn't an option. Besides, the Autumn King had already given him orders on where to place his half-sister for the time being.

Ruhn hurried after Bryce, his thoughts whirling with everything that had occurred in the past several hours. He, Flynn, and Declan had been in the middle of watching a recorded sunball game when the call came in. Flynn and Dec had gone straight to the scene, while Ruhn went after Bryce.

Guilty thoughts festered within him, even now. A demon. A demon had slaughtered the Pack of Devils and almost killed his own sister, who was foolish and brave enough to try to track it down. The Devils. Ruhn felt sick to his stomach. Did Sarai know? Had she been summoned to help continue tracking the demon?

No, he'd overheard part of Athalar and Tiberian's conversation before he arrived. The whole incident was supposed to be kept quiet on the Governor's orders, likely until they had a clear story to feed to the public. And that meant... He would have to tell her.

Ruhn raked his fingers through his hair, loosing a heavy breath. "How the fuck am I supposed to tell her that her only family is dead?" He whispered. "Her best friends? The pack she should've been a part of?"

The pack she would've died with tonight if she'd not had alternative plans. He felt a rush of gratitude for that at least. He would go home and she would be there, safe. Heartbroken, but safe. A fresh wave of Bryce's scent greeted him. Ruhn looked up and spotted her only a few feet ahead.

"Bryce," he called.

"Leave me alone." There was no hint of his sister in the voice that came from her mouth. It was cold and empty. Dead. As though a part of her had died with the Devils. Ruhn guessed that wasn't far from the truth.

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

"You can't go back to the apartment, Bryce. You know that."

"I'm going home," she repeated.

"It's an active crime scene. It's going to be buzzing with reporters and Aux members. Do you want to be around that? Do you want them taking pictures of you and asking questions? Hurtling accusations?"

She gave a dry laugh. "Sabine has already done part of that. It won't be long before her lackeys handle the rest."

Ruhn bristled. "Sabine has already spoken with you?"

"Spoken with me? No!" Bryce rounded on him, tears pooling in her amber eyes. "She took what little was left of my heart, ripped it out, and crushed it underfoot! And then she did the same to Danika, but Dani isn't here to feel it. I am! I'm the only one here. I'm..." Her voice broke and she crashed to her knees. An eerie sob fell from her lips, chilling Ruhn to the bone. "I want to go home."

Ruhn crouched, but didn't dare reach out to her. "I have a place where you can go."

"I'm not staying with you."

"I know, though you might prefer that when you hear who's offering this place."

Slowly, Bryce lifted her gaze to his. "Dear old dad finally has a moment to spare for me?"

"My mother is...staying with him for a time." He didn't even want to ponder why. Not when the answer could possibly mean his death. "The Autumn King wants you to stay at her villa until other arrangements are made."

Bryce was silent for several long moments. At last, she bowed her head and pushed herself to her feet. She started towards FiRo and Ruhn trailed behind, not speaking.

◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ☾☽ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦

An hour passed before Ruhn met up with Flynn and Declan and headed back to the house. It had taken that long to get Bryce settled and prevent the Autumn King from visiting her, as he was adamant to do so.

By the time the matter was settled, Ruhn was exhausted. All he wanted to do was curl up on the couch with Sarai, smoke a few joints of mirthroot, and watch Fangs and Bangs until his brain turned to mush.

Declan and Flynn were speaking quietly together, but Ruhn tuned them out as they drew near the house. He narrowed his eyes, noticing something odd about the windows. His heart skipped a beat. That was blood dripping down the glass.

"Shit," Flynn gasped.

Ruhn unsheathed the Starsword while Declan and Flynn gripped their guns. They approached the house cautiously. Ruhn forced the door open and they ducked inside, weapons at the ready. There was blood sprayed across the entirety of the room. Ruhn's stomach churned at the sight of it.

"Sweep the house," he ordered.

Declan and Flynn nodded, breaking off in two directions. Flynn went upstairs while Declan headed into the kitchen. Ruhn inched towards a pile of mangled flesh right behind the couch. His heart hammered against his ribs and it was all he could do not to vomit. Ruhn knelt beside the...remains, studying them intently.

"The kitchen is clear," Declan reported, joining him. He froze, staring at the pile. "That's...that's what they looked like."

"Do you think someone summoned a demon to kill us?" Ruhn asked. "And some worried neighbor accidentally..." Because there was no one else this body could be. He wouldn't let himself consider the alternatives.

"Maybe. After all, the demon sent to Bryce and Danika's apartment would've killed her too if she'd been there."

"So was it an attack on the Devils or an attack on Bryce and Ruhn?" Flynn asked, appearing on the stairs.

The roaring in Ruhn's ears droned them out. He'd found something not completely drenched in blood like the rest of the body. A patch of scalp, capped by long dark hair. The roar turned into a deafening ring. Ring. His sword slipped from his grasp. What was that glinting on a ravaged hand, with claws still jutting from its nail beds?

Ruhn could scarcely draw a breath as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed Sarai's number. The call went straight to voicemail, meaning her phone was dead, powered off, or she'd declined him. The first seemed more likely. Ruhn swallowed hard, lowering his phone.

Then, he spied his older notifications. One missed phone call and one voicemail, both from Sarai. "Ruhn," Flynn warned.

But he was already playing the voicemail. Sarai's voice crackled over his phone's speaker, loud and clear. Pleading and terrified. "Ruhn!" Sarai sobbed. "Help me, please! Please, please, please!"

He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. His hands began to shake. He couldn't stop staring at the one before him. The ring on its broken finger. The ring that he'd given her. The ring that meant they'd have a future together someday. A life. A family, he'd even dared to hope.

"Ruhn!" She screeched. "I'm scared. I'm so scared." The wail that followed was more terrible than anything he'd ever heard. And then his name, one last desperate cry for help. A plea he hadn't been there to answer. "Ruhn!" And endless screaming and screaming and screaming. And silence.

His phone clattered to the floor. Every inch of him shook uncontrollably. Unbearable pain welled up within him, growing worse each second. His chest constricted. His heart pounded hard enough that it was a wonder it didn't burst.

"Ruhn," Flynn said again, reaching for him.

Ruhn doubled over, burying his face in his trembling hands. His lips parted in a silent scream. And then he found his voice. And he echoed the bone chilling wail that had come from the bottom of his sister's broken heart, and the screams that had come from his love when she was torn limb from limb and he wasn't there to stop it.