CW: There is a depiction of a difficult labor with consequences. There is also mention of DV, which may be distressing to the reader.

After the upstairs discovery, Rhonin escorted Kanden to the lower floors, marching at a relaxed pace. His earlier sour disposition was gone as he led the way to Marina's lab to deposit their gear. Then they made their way toward the square, which would diverge into a long sloping path that would take them to the bottom level.

When the reached the square and headed toward the next tunnel, Yasmin ran to them from the direction of the conservatory. Hair that had escaped her bun fell in loose tendrils curling around the contours of her face and dried blood caked her tunic. She appeared deeply troubled as she approached and whispered something into Rhonin's ear.

The latter's posture became rigid. Stepping back and facing Kanden, he said, "Go to the infirmary and wait. Ryker should be there."

He didn't question Rhonin's urgent tone. Whatever had happened somehow involved Ryker, compelling Kanden to run without a second thought. When he reached the dilapidated clinic, two enforcers stood at the door, narrowing their eyes at him.

Standing at attention, Kanden addressed them in a nervous tone. "Rhonin sent me here to wait."

The two men regarded each other before stepping aside to allow him entry. As Kanden turned the handle, the sentry to his right said, "Wait inside until Yasmin or Rhonin comes to retrieve you."

That was it—nothing else to hint what had happened, sending anxiety into Kanden's stomach. He quickly opened the door and entered, stopping short at the threshold. Ryker sat on a bare cot with his elbows on his knees and his palms cupping his forehead. A bloodied blanket sat in a crumpled heap on a nearby cot along with several soiled bandages and open jars. A horrid, familiar stench of death lingered in the air.

Ryker looked up when Kanden rushed to his side and rose to his feet before walking into his former lover's arms without any resistance or explanation. Though he shed no tears, Kanden could feel the coiled tension in Ryker's muscles, ready to snap at any moment.

"I'm covered in blood," he croaked after a moment.

"I know." Kanden had experienced worse. Carnage seemed to come with the territory of humanity. Breaking their contact, he led Ryker back to the cot and sat with their hips touching. "What happened?"

Ryker slowly shook his head and stared at the floor. "Ember's baby was born breech and tore her open from the inside. Without proper medical tools and technology, I couldn't stop the internal bleeding. She didn't survive."

Bile stung Kanden's throat. That was a horrible way to die, and no matter what he felt for her, Ember didn't deserve such a fate. Her body must have been moved, but the lack of an infant wail momentarily overcame the shock as he glanced around the room. "What about the baby?"

"Hm?" Ryker lifted his head and interlocked his fingers. "Oh, she's fine. The baby struggled to breathe for a few minutes, but she's as healthy. Yasmine's daughter is nursing an infant and has offered to care for Ember's daughter."

Almost an entire family wiped out in four months. That girl would never know her parents or why she'd be labeled a pariah.

Kanden ran a hand through his hair. "Wow. How are her parents taking Ember's death? Won't they care for the baby?" Not that Kanden trusted Ember's father after witnessing his harsh behavior after the rebels' sentencing. But if they were the only family this child had, wouldn't they give their granddaughter her best chance?

The contempt in Ryker's glare snuffed that hope. "Ember's parents are worse than the Council. If there's any mercy in her death, it's that her father won't beat her again."

Gods, did this vicious cycle of humanity's worst qualities ever end? "What the hell, Ryker? You were all supposed to be protected." The point of placing the rebels in family custody was to protect them while giving them another chance.

Ryker laughed bitterly as anguish and resentment burned inside his fierce gaze. "Do you honestly believe anyone cared about that? Look around you and wake up," he snapped, sweeping his arms to indicate the sparse room. "The other medics looked down upon us and refused to help. Ember wouldn't have wanted them here anyway, and Yasmin was the only person willing to get her hands dirty. She consoled Ember and guided her through the labor, even when Ember screamed at her to fuck herself. Yasmine held Ember as she bled to death on the bed so she wouldn't be alone. She prayed in her language and faith for peaceful rest across the veil."

His words stopped abruptly as he closed his eyes and wrinkled his nose. Clenching his fist by his face, Ryker blew out a slow breath before facing Kanden and brushing the corners of his eyes. "I didn't like Blaze," he confessed quietly, "but I've known Ember my whole life. She knew what it was like to be shunned by the upper castes. We've survived on limited rations, endured discrimination from the elite, and campaigned for change."

He paused then, dipping his gaze down like he was about to drop something big on Kanden. His next words didn't disappoint. Meeting his gaze, Ryker continued. "Before Ember lost consciousness, she asked me to raise the baby."

Air whooshed from Kanden's lungs. He blinked, waiting for the information to sink in. Ember was dead. She wanted Ryker to take care of the infant. Her parents were terrible people. Blaze was the father of this girl, and Ryker would perpetually raise her. Ryker had wanted Kanden back, but would he now? If so, did Kanden want that, especially with the reminder of his childhood tormentor in tow?

He kept everything to himself, considering how overwhelmed Ryker must be feeling. Shivering, he asked, "What do you want to do?"

A short pause ensued before Ryker lifted his chin and answered with unwavering conviction, "I want to raise her. No one else will accept her, and I don't trust Ember's parents. They're enraged because she refused to see them, and her father lunged at me when Yasmine relayed Ember's final request. Her body was covered in bruises—Yasmin saw them and confronted the Brines—and they're accusing her of attacking their low status. Ember's mother blamed me for her death and demanded I be held accountable."

The room whirled with the new information. Everything about Yasmin's, Rhonin's, and the enforcers' behavior suddenly clicked into place. The sentries outside the door were here for Ryker's protection, but that wouldn't help him later when he traveled to his quarters or anywhere else.

"What did Yasmine say?"

Ryker shrugged. "She was with me the entire time and will vouch for me. For now, Yasmin wants to gather the Council and investigate our suspicions. They never said during sentencing parents would lose their children but they never specified whether another rebel can become a child's guardian."

Holy stars in the sky, this was a mess. Kanden didn't know what to think except that Ryker needed his support. Any emotions would have to wait. He could provide that.

Taking Ryker's hand, Kanden offered a weary smile. "If you're prepared to become a father and this is what you want, then I'll help in any way you need."

Ryker's face crumpled and he kissed Kanden's knuckles. "I don't deserve you."

A week ago, Kanden might have agreed. Now, he wasn't sure. His sight had sharpened when the riots ripped away his innocence, and Ryker was the result of a corrupt system with no power to protect himself against their bias. He'd lived a hard life and had endured the humiliation of the consequences his poor choices had wrought. Hunched forward and all but defeated, Ryker had become a frail shadow of himself.

"I think that's for me to decide," he replied as he encircled Ryker's waist and held him, lost in a tempest of complicated emotion. "You've been punished enough by everyone else; let me hold you up for awhile."

Ryker didn't respond, and they sat together in the somber moments that followed. The fleeting excitement from Kanden's day had evaporated the moment he stepped into the room, and Ryker hadn't asked. Maybe later, when everything settled for longer than two minutes, he could share the news, but for now, he allowed Ryker to mourn the loss of his friend.