Chapter 9 #2
"You and your men have had ample time to right your wrongs. I do not know what made the surveillance in his office die, but you’ve had nearly three months to get in, fix it, and get out. Do not sit there and tell me you have not even tried!" Sabine’s voice wavered with passion.
The surveillance in Lucien Quenlan’s apartment and vehicles had been stable for years. Yet one night, without cause, the small cameras placed in his office at Solar City General had failed, severing a vital feed.
She leaned on the back of the man’s chair, forcing the wheels to roll slightly, bringing him closer to her.
Her heel pressed against the edge of the seat between his spread thighs.
She saw his throat work as he swallowed heavily.
That was what he deserved, for being a man and taking up so much space, and for thinking she would take up so little.
The tapered toe of her heels brushed his crotch.
"Fix it. Or don’t. I require a new lab rat. I will turn you into a new Phoenix, seeing as you and your men have not been able to track down the first. Prove yourself to me. My patience is not eternal," she said with disdain, "though my Soul is."
Sabine left him there nodding so hard his head looked like it would detach from his neck.
She tugged at the collar of her coat and stepped out into the hall.
This pristine, endless maze would soon be a dim memory.
Earth was the perfect Ground Zero for their plans.
If they failed here… she would try again in her next life.
And the next, and the next—until she succeeded and finally would no longer be slave to the cycle of rebirth.
Her phone buzzed. She pulled it free from her pocket, her wicked grin spreading as she saw the number.
She held it to her ear, walking swiftly down the hall.
"Mrs. Blackfall?" came a soft voice.
"I take it you have good news for me?" Sabine countered, using her free hand to swipe her keycard and open another door. She was going to be late for a meeting about the ship’s progress. They needed it livable within a month—better safe than sorry.
The girl hesitated. "She’s back in… in the dorm. Just arrived. I stepped away to call you first, like you wanted."
"Good. That’s good. Let me know when she leaves, what she’s doing, and who she is with.
I need to know all of it." Sabine wasn’t able to place cameras in the dorms, as they were constantly monitored for any outside tech.
Everything that went on within the walls of the Academy was sensitive.
Her ties with the Hunter’s Guild could only get her so far.
"Yes, I will, but…"
"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 lacing up 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 tracker on 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. Hunting her. Not even Dark Star Hold could contain him.
How long could she avoid her adoptive parents, evade Kit, and keep her heart in check? It beat steadily—for now.
Rin’s watch beeped, alerting her to low Nova readings in the area.
Outside the alleyway, moonlight reflected off high-rises.
Boarded-up shops lined the streets. She caught her reflection in a window as she passed by—her white hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, her Hunter’s uniform a bit baggier than she remembered it being months ago.
The Soul Searcher at her back was like a ghostly shadow.
"You got my message, right?" Rin asked to break the silence between them.
"I did." Auren’s expression shifted subtly.
Her breathing was heavier than she’d like it to be. She’d have to start meeting her rigorous training hours again—but even thinking about it made her tired. This was only the beginning. Her heart would only weaken.
"Why didn’t you reply? I was worried. I can take care of myself, but I don’t… want to be alone," she said softly. Like you will be once I’m gone, she thought silently, glancing at her watch to see she was on the right track.
She hoped the Nova wouldn’t affect her so badly, but that was another reason why Auren was with her. If things went—bad, he could portal her straight to Lucien. The idea of harmony made her feel conflicted. A part of her wished to feel that connected to Lucien again, yet…
Auren looked away, his pale cheeks tinged with red. "I could not figure out how to respond. I have never used an Earthen device before. I’ve had no need, no one I wished to talk to." His arm brushed her shoulder. "Until you."
She paused midstep. Auren kept walking, for only a second, a breath. He was so attuned to her that he sensed her pause and mirrored it.
"Vesperin?" Auren said her name with such precision, just as he did everything else.
Maybe this was how they could grow closer. Not through words or tea. But hunting. It was what they were both made for, after all.
Rin smiled at him, a bit sad. "I’ve spent lifetimes waiting to meet you again, Auren. Thank you for never stopping searching for me."
Maybe not all was doomed. Right now, this was what they had.
The arrow on Rin’s watch pointed straight out. Her gaze tracked up, from the small point of the blinking red arrow, to the lonesome building before her.