"I heard your mother needs some more medicine for treatment. I would hate for her supply to be shortened, Xara," Sabine prodded.
"Yes," Xara finally said, "I’ll let you know everything."
Relief eased Sabine’s shoulders. The final piece—the Nova inside Vesperin, so different from the Nova she crafted with siphoned Aether. Death’s cure was so close, she could nearly taste it.
"See that you do." Sabine ended the call.
Rin finished lacingup her boots and straightened, meeting Cyrus’s eyes in the mirror.
The incubus whistled low. "I could lick every inch of you, starting at your pretty feet. Those laces are like ribbons, begging to be undone." He moved behind her, palms tracing the fitted lines of her uniform. His fingers hooked under the corset-style harness around her waist and tugged, forcing her back into his chest. "I think I’ll start here and work my way down, then back up. Take my time with you," he murmured against her neck.
Rin shivered, letting her head fall back against him.
Her apartment was quiet; Xara was out somewhere—on a mission, Rin guessed. They’d just returned yesterday, and already Rin was forced into a game of pretend. Director Ilsa had congratulated her personally on a successful mission on Tarz—the planet that her adoptive parents had reported she’d been hunting Rogue breeders on for months.
The bitter irony wasn’t lost on her that the planet they’d chosen for their lies was Tarz. She couldn’t remember much of her short life there with Lucien, just the feel of a tear slipping down her cheek, hardening just at her lash line, almost uncomfortable as the edge dug into the delicate space beneath her eyes as it fell onto the floor.
Lucien was at the hospital, catching up on paperwork. Auren was out reaping. Rhyden was somewhere, doing god knew what. He’d been cryptic since the moment they’d arrived, leaving after saying,I have something I need to take care of for you. Rin hadn’t realized how disorienting it had been to be in his care in an entirely different city for so long; she’d unwittingly found herself relying on him, searching for him.
"Cyrus, I have to go," Rin whispered, breath hitching and heart stuttering as he nibbled at the curve of her neck.
He pulled away only slightly. "I hate that I can’t come with you tonight. I want to keep you safe."
"I want you to be there to protect me, too, but Auren’s meeting me at the mission start point in the Financial District. I messaged him as soon as I got my assignment."
Rin hadn’t even had time to take in how weird it was to be back at the Academy before she’d been given an assignment. This time, there’d been no Keir hovering over her shoulder as she stared at the hologram of her orders.
Vesperin Blackfall. Hunt in the Financial District. No civilian disturbance.
From the hours of 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM.
Kills: at minimum two lowlevel and one midlevel Rogue.
Weapons: Echosword.
The gleaming curve of her Echosword caught her eye in the mirror as she twisted to stare up at Cyrus. At least this mission, she could practice everything she’d learned with Wyla.
"I know. He’s a hunter like you, in a way," Cyrus said, no hint of jealousy in his tone. "I’m capable too, though—you’ve seen what I’m willing to do to anyone who hurts you."
"That might be a… little too messy," she tried to say delicately.
"Go give them hell, doll, and when you get back, I might just reward you."
Suppressing a shiver, Rin gathered her things and left her room. In the small living area, the window curtains were open. From the height of her dorm, she could see over the wall wrapped around the Academy to the apartments and office buildings beyond. She grabbed the keys to her bike, feeling a prickle at her nape as she did. She turned and stared at the window, shaking off the strange sensation.
The small trackeron the underside handle of her bike blinked red—a precaution Rhyden insisted on if she was going to return to her assignments, off Academy grounds.
Auren greeted Rin as she parked her bike on a side street in Solar City’s Financial District, engaging the kickstand as she pulled off her helmet.
He held his scythe with deft fingers. "You are okay, Hunter? You did not run into any problems on your journey here?"
"No. It was quiet."
Curfew kept the streets empty. She still was on guard, remembering her orders—she had to eliminate these Rogues swiftly and silently.
For a moment, Rin wondered what the point of all this was.
The gala, they just had to make it to the gala. There, they hoped to find evidence against Sabine and Talor to implicate them with irrefutable cause—but then? Rin still wouldn’t be safe. Kit was out there.Huntingher. Not even Dark Star Hold could contain him.
