Rin flinched softly. What was it about him that made her crave suchviolence?
"What’s going on?" Cyrus asked as he stumbled out of the hallway. His shirt was half-unbuttoned, revealing his pale chest.
Lucien followed, then Auren was last, scythe in hand. He didn’t look at her.
"Power’s out," Rhyden said.
"I can see that. Well, notsee—but you know." Cyrus walked to Rin and wrapped his arms around her, staring over her shoulder into the pan of half-cooked eggs. "Did you make us breakfast, doll?"
"I tried," Rin said.
Rhyden took in the five glasses of orange juice and plates she’d laid out as if only just seeing them. He didn’t address it. "There’s a backup generator somewhere here. This place was too fucking expensive not to have one." He walked off.
Lucien took her wrist, thumb pressing to her pulse point. She felt her heart’s erratic beats. Lucien pressed a glass of juice into her hand. "Drink it all, Vesperin. Have you taken your medications this morning yet?"
"Not yet," Rin mumbled around the glass. She’d been too distracted… by everything.
Lucien watched her drink it all. After she placed the empty glass down, she folded her arms on the counter, resting her chin in her hands.
Auren gently shook out one of her pills and held it out to her from across the kitchen island.
She took it from him, letting her fingers brush his. She didn’t pull away until he looked up at her. "Thank you, Auren."
His throat worked. "You are… welcome."
Just then, the lights turned on, echoed by Rhyden’s sharp clap of triumph.
In the lighting, her hand on Auren’s felt heavier. They both pulled away from each other. Rin placed her pills in her mouth and swallowed them dry, ignoring Lucien and Cyrus’s glances.
As Rhyden walked back in, the television flicked back on. The signal loaded, then the news began.
Rhyden turned up the volume.
"Breaking news: a blackout has gripped Solar City, believed to be linked to extreme heat. Chief analysts warn these blackouts may become more frequent due to these unprecedented temperatures. A shelter-in-place order has been issued until power is restored. Please, stay in your homes. And remember to dial the Hunter’s Hotline if help is needed." The newscaster touched her earpiece. She smiled, but it was strained. "Coming up, we have a segment highlighting travel packages—costs for interplanetary travel to Sibeth are at an all-time low following Prince Cyrus Soltren’s departure from the royal family. More on this, after the break."
Cyrus fell onto one of the couches with a sigh. "They do love to talk about me even more now that I’m not a prince. I hope my father feels this financial loss."
"Always a burden," Rhyden taunted distractedly.
Once the eggs finished, Rin plated them. They stood around the kitchen island, quiet as they ate. No sound but forks scraping over their plates.
If blackouts continued to happen, there would be more Rogue attacks and deaths.
Rin pushed her eggs around her plate. They were blackened in some places and gooey in the others, and—she’d forgotten the cheese, she realized as she chewed. No wonder they tasted so bland. At the very least, none of them mentioned her abysmal cooking skills.
Cheeks puffed out with a full mouth, Rin glanced up to find Auren staring at her. This time, he didn’t look away. She paused her chewing.
He did not smile or laugh, no hint of an expression—positive or negative—passed over his stoic face. It was as if he were suffocating beneath the weight of his blade, his duty.
After breakfast,Lucien was called to the hospital. Solar City General needed all staff present as essential personnel. He left with a kiss on Rin’s forehead and an order to stay inside, stay safe with the others. Auren portaled him directly to the hospital, then came straight back.
Rin was restless. She kept waiting for Auren to be called, but he never was. What had changed? Come to think of it, had she seen him answer the call of his glowing Star in the time since they had been together?
She paced in the living room, making large loops around the couch, through the kitchen, and back again. A path only she knew the meaning of.
On her tenth—or fiftieth, she didn’t know—pass, Cyrus sighed dramatically. "You’re making me dizzy. Come over here, doll. Sit with me. You look a little pale."
Rin stopped, aching toes wiggling against the carpet. "I’m okay." She didn’t feel very okay, though. "It’s just—I’m a Hunter. Power’s not back on yet. We’re lucky here. I could help them."
