Summary: Part 2 of âTell me what you want.â
PS: takes place during CC1
Disclaimer: I give no rights for my work to be replicated, adapted, translated or used for any means. If you have questions please feel free to message me. This chapter is heavily based on the original text. I want this story to feel like you as a reader is truly being transported into the book. All rights reserved to SJM and her team.
A special thanks to @mirandasidefics for supporting me in posting my first fics. She also writes for ACOTAR so go check out her work!
(The next day at the White Raven)
(Y/N) was on the receiving end of Bryceâs wrath that night. Bryce had walked into the White Raven, set on meeting Juniper but once she found (Y/N) in the crowd she dragged the female to the restrooms. Bryce had somehow found out Michah was the angel sheâd saved the night Daika died ⌠and (Y/N) knew all about it.
âIt was confidential.â (Y/N) explained, staring at the redheadâs damning expression, âI only knew because I was listed as his emergency contact, once he healed he made me sign an NDA.â Bryce was silent, anger, a boiling pot within her.
The redhead turned to the sink, washed her hands, splashing water up her arms, looking at (Y/N) through the mirror, âwhatever.â She walked back out into the bustling club, (Y/N) trailing as she made her way to a table. The two females sat at a small booth tucked into the back. Bryce ordered a glass of water and sat there waiting for June. The tension between them was palpable as they sat in silence. It didnât take long for Bryceâs attention to divert from the female next to her and towards the entrance of the club as Hunt Athalar walked right past the huge line waiting to get in, through the doors and right to their table. The club stalled a few heartbeats, all patrons taking in their fill of the Umbra Mortis.
Bryceâs gaze pinned him as he walked up to their table; her glare burned a metaphorical hole through his head. (Y/N) followed her line of sight and instantly knew he had been the one to reveal that the half-fae saved Micha⌠and now she had her own bone to pick with him. Before the male could even sit down, Juniper arrived, âI- I hope Iâm not interrupting anythingâŚâ
âHe was just leaving,â Bryce answered, glaring daggers at Athalar who took that look as an invitation to slide right into the booth, putting (Y/N) between himself and Bryce. She ignored them as they started to verbally assault each other.
Hunt Athalar was a hot, sexy bundle of muscles with long onyx hair and smouldering eyes but he was such a massive ass! Here he was, judging Bryce and assuming a million things about her and her lifestyle and who she was without even trying to get to know her as more than what was spat at her in the streets. Hunt had been nice enough to (Y/N), but she was a skilled agent. He respected her work and her abilities but he didnât know anything about her. Theyâd met briefly during work; the AUX and the 33rd didnât usually choose to work together on anything, but sometimes theyâd share cases. (Y/N) could count on one hand how many words sheâd shared with Hunt Athalar before he became Bryceâs shadow and they were all relatively pleasant. From what she could tell, Hunt did his job; no more, no less. He didnât show up to work wanting to make friends or make the best of a shitty situation. Though she couldnât blame him, she probably wouldnât be too cheery either if she were a slave.
Besides briefly daydreaming about his muscles, (Y/N) didnât waste any time thinking about Hunt Athalar, or any male for that matter. But it wasnât until recently, when heâd been commanded to protect Bryce, that sheâd realized what kind of a person he was. Bryce played into what the world thought of her; slutty party girl gone crazy⌠but Hunt Athalar treated her like a down right idiot. Sheâd listened for hours as Bryce told her how Hunt had underestimated and undermined her or simply ignored things she said. And now seeing it first hand as he treated her like an alcoholic, depressed, âparty girl.â Assuming she came here to drown her sorrows, when sheâd only come to see a friend.
Were all males truly like this? It couldnât be true. (Y/N) stayed quiet, letting herself give in to the rhythm of the club music⌠She'd grown up with stories about true love where males talked about the females they love as if theyâd hung the stars. Micah had been like that at the beginning; showing her off and talking about how amazing she was. When she went to a work event with him for the first time theyâd all known about her and just had to see if everything Micah had told them was true.
She still missed him sometimes, he was good in bed and he had the capacity to be kind. She didnât know whatâd happened. One day things just started changing; there was less eye contact, forgotten dates, scrolling through his phone as she talked about things she was passionate about⌠looking back, it all felt like individual nails in the coffin of their dying love.Then suddenly date nights were being canceled entirely and he was out later than he needed to be. She found herself feeling like little more than a body to him. All his touches now had sexual intent; no sweet caresses or stolen kisses. She started overworking herself to get away from the negative thoughts about their story coming to an end. But that end came the night he sat her down and told her he was bored with their current relationship. He wanted to make it an open one. Ha! Sheâd shown him the door.
She was tired. So, so tiredâŚHunt nudged her, bringing her mind back to reality. A waiter had arrived at their booth, clearly waiting for their order â she looked around the booth, all eyes on her â just her order then. She quickly skimmed the menu and put in an order of fries. The waiter then walks away with a nod and a promise to return with their food soon.
(Y/N) watched as Athalar took Bryceâs glass away, finally figuring out it was just water. âI donât drink,â she said. (Y/N) found herself still sitting there awkwardly as Bryce and Hunt had another verbal altercation. Everything was relatively âfineâ until Bryce got up, âIâm going to the bathroom,â and yanked (Y/N) so hard out of her seat she yelped, pushing June out of the other end of the booth and pulling them towards the restrooms.
As (Y/N)âs wrist was being squeezed so hard she could feel her hand go numb, a slight change in the atmosphere caught her attention. Males and females alike turning, even if briefly, acknowledging the presence of a force to reckoned with; similar as to when Hunt had walked into the bustling club.
And then she saw Ruhn fucking Danaan walking in, his eyes somehow finding hers and their little group with a predatorâs ease before noticing Hunt and striding over to their table. She looked at him for all of a second before turning to look at June as if she was the most interesting thing in the world. Standing about ten feet from the table, she could feel his eyes on her, felt a shiver run down her spine as a chill caressed her skin. But even a second of eye contact with the prince had been too long; Bryce caught the action, following the direction (Y/N) had looked away from. Bryce Quinlan could freeze Hel with that look, the one that said, âare you keeping tabs on me, asshole?â She let go of (Y/N)âs arm and strode toward the males, June hot on her heels. (Y/N) didnât even get a chance to finish rolling her eyes before a large boom sounded and she was shot back, hitting her head hard as she landed on the marble floors; unconscious.
Bryce threw herself on top of June, twisting, reaching for her friend, to protect her and shield her. She couldnât do it again; loose another friend. Bryce would rather die herself! She landed on top of Juniper, shielding her from the blast, keeping her eyes open long enough to watch (Y/N) go flying and hit her head as she crashed to the floor.
Ringing. Painful, sharp ringing making her ears tingle at the tips with the aftermath of the sound, as if they were tuning forks; still vibrating after being tapped, deafening everything else.
âGet up,â Bryce felt Huntâs hands on her shoulder, thrashing against him to reach for Juniper but stopping once she saw Ruhn helping the fawn onto her hooves; she was fine.
Bryce spun around, eyes scanning the destroyed club for the female that had been right by her side mere seconds ago. (Y/N)... (Y/N)... where the fuck was (Y/N)? Out of the corner of her eyes she caught June politely shooing Ruhn off, allowing him to rush towards a pile of debris. Bryce barely registered Juneâs mouth moving and could barely hear her yelling as she watched her brother. June slapped her across the face. Bryceâs head swung but she turned in time to see Ruhn standing stunned by a body, Bryce didnât have the will to stop Hunt as he carried her out of the club.
Ruhnâs ears were ringing so loud it was painful, he gritted his teeth. Once heâd looked Juniper over and deemed her fine he practically threw his house key at Athalar, rambling off his address, far closer than Bryceâs apartment. âWait for me there,â he told the angel then ran towards a pile of debris where he could sense the vibration of a shrill scream, his ears were still hollowed out from the blast, still drowning out most things, but that sound was of pure and utter pain. He found (Y/N) under a beam that had collapsed, her arms shaking as she held broken pieces of the ceiling up and away from her face; her bloodied face⌠gods she looked gruesome. Ruhn carefully started removing the debris threatening to crush her whole. As soon as the weight was gone her arms fell to the ground, still shaking with exhaustion from the effort. His eyes looked over her, scanning for any other injuries. And then he saw it; her leg was pinned, crushed under the beam that had fallen.
âNoâŚâ the word a blaring siren in his mind. He went to call Athalar but saw him leaving with a very shaken Bryce. Fuck it. Heâd do it alone. He got into position to lift the rounded beam, holding it at its length but as soon as he tried to lift it, it rolled and he felt that vibration again, of her screaming. He realized that even if he could lift it (Y/N)âs current mental state would never allow her to move out from under it on her own. Ruhn tried to lift it vertically, positioning himself at the head of the beam; where it had detached from the ceiling. The beam budged and Ruhn grunted as he pushed it atop another pile of debris.
From her foot to mid thigh there was only blood, bone and gore. Her leg was destroyed; skin and muscle flattened, bones jutting out. Ruhn couldn't hear it over his afflicted ears, but it was clear she was delirious, her mouth open in pained moans. How had she not passed out from the pain? Ruhn wished she had as he picked her up. He wished he didnât hear the world shattering scream that made its way past the ringing in his ear with every fraction of movement. He wished he didnât feel how her nails dug into his arm and shoulder as her leg swung while he carried her out.
There were ambulances everywhere, that was never a good sign. In a city mostly populated by Vanir even one ambulance meant it was worse than they imagined, it was almost a rare sight, so much so that they were considered bad omens amongst certain groups. Ruhn didnât want to even think about how many people had been hurt if they were here⌠how many had died. He went straight to one and stepped in, placing (Y/N) on the bed inside. A young healer, probably still in training by how old she looked, was just about to kick him out until she saw (Y/N)âs state, calling her colleagues to rush them away. Ruhn held her hand, a pang in his chest as she moaned out in pain. He used his free hand to caress the hair off her forehead, the drying blood caking on her scalp. âItâs gonna be ok! Itâs gonna be ok.â He'd killed before. Had to, being head of the AUX came with that burden. But right now Ruhn found himself unable to breathe. Heâd never seen any of his friends or family like this; in this kind of pain. It made him feel queasy inside. More than that, Ruhn felt dizzy, the wave of nausea that hit him was worse than any hang over heâd ever had. He swallowed down a mouthful of vomit and kept going telling her everything was going to be alright, not sure if even he believed it.
(Y/N) was a strong female, stubborn as Bryce if not more so and seeing her like this⌠something in him twisted and thrashed and shattered the longer he looked upon her.
Once they arrived at the hospital they took her to surgery, theyâd probably have to use medicine and magic to make her whole again. Ruhn prayed to any gods listening that she would recover. That night he received a call from an unknown number and picked up against his better judgement. âHello?â
âHeyâŚâ Bryce sounded tired.
âHey⌠where are you calling from?â
âI lost my phone at the club, Hunt let me borrow his I-â her voice broke, âis she ok? Is she ok, Ruhn? I- I saw you going to her and I donât know what happened. I couldnât move. Athalar practically carried me the entire way homeâŚâ Heâd never seen Bryce break like this, not since that fight they had all those years ago⌠but she was only a child then.
âSheâs been in surgery for almost six hours now, they said theyâd let me see her when sheâs out and in recovery⌠they wonât give me any status updates or when to expect her to be out of surgery. But they said to stay optimistic; all major organs are still functioning.â
He heard her trying to steady her breathing on the other side of the phone, âgood...good. Iâll come by tomorrow, just-â another breath, âkeep me updated? Text this number with any news.â
âYou got it, Bryce. Are you ok?â
She snorted, âIâm fine. Apparently Athalar is a mother hen.â That made Ruhn chuckle, he hated Athalarâs guts but if he was being forced by Micah to keep his sister safe then heâd take it. Bryce yawned on her end, âfood is here⌠keep me updated. Night.â
âNight, Bryce,â he hung up the phone, sighing and putting his head in his hands. Out of all the shit thatâd gone down today, at least Bryce was talking to him. She had called him for fucks sake, even if it was for (Y/N). He hated his father for wrecking their relationship, and hated that he let it happen. Ruhn rubbed his forearms where tattoos now covered most of the burn scars, feeling them prickling at the memories of all the times he did try to defy his father⌠by the time Bryce came into the picture, he had no fight left.
âYouâre not gonna like thisâŚâ Ruhnâs greeting wasnât warm by any means as he approached Bryce and Hunt in the waiting room of the hospital, but the situation was more serious than heâd initially thought. Hunt prompted Ruhn to continue as they walked down to where (Y/N) was being held. âHeld,â because he knew if it were up to her sheâd be home. Ruhn practically held her down when she woke up that morning and stopped her from ripping out her IV.
After shooting down Athalarâs idea that Briggs may be involved, Ruhn told them about the logo; how it looked like a horn.âAll signs point to the human rebels. The bomb was smuggled into the club through some new exploding liquid hidden in a delivery of wine. They left a calling card on the crate; their own logo.â
He paused outside of (Y/N)âs room, turning to Bryce with a serious expression as he informed her that the Autumn King found out he had involved her in his hunt for the horn and now required her to have a body guard 24/7. The speed with which Bryce shot down the idea of having him stay with her hurt Ruhn in a sensitive spot he usually forgot he had; when she was quick to accept Hunt fucking Athalar as her fierce protector, that spot felt like a twist in his gut.
âDoes he know (Y/N)âs involved?â She asked.
âNoâŚ. I- I donât think so. He didnât say anything about her,â Bryce sighed at his answer. Seemingly satisfied she strode into the room (Y/N) was recovering in, taking no time to embrace the female in the hospital bed.
Ruhn still had to school his face into neutrality as he laid eyes on her. Despite having had watched her all night he couldnât stand the sight of her; split lip, stapled scalp, stitches above her brow and by her hairline near her left ear. Green and purple blotches of bruises all over her face, arms and he was sure they only got worse under the hospital gown. The doctors had told him they had to administer copious amounts of healing ointments and other magic to refuse her broken bones. Many of which had to be rebroken several times because theyâd fused incorrectly. Her muscles had finally stabilized enough for her to keep the limb. At one point in the middle of the night they asked him if he would consider allowing them to amputate the limb, allowing her body to grow a new one. Ruhn had yelled at them, telling them heâd pay whatever was necessary but that theyâd put her back together that same night or else.
Her leg still looked bruised and she was wearing a brace; the sleek skin and defined muscle tone gone. He stared at it until he dozed off at some point, waking up to alarming beeps coming from the machines she was connected to when she started yanking wires off. Heâd kept her from standing and convinced her to stay, on the condition that they wouldnât attach her to anything and that she wouldnât stay more than another day. Heâd convince her to stay another day if needed but he took what he could get.
He watched as the two females hugged each other; their shoulders shaking with their sobs. He nodded for Hunt to step out and give the girls some privacy. The males went to the cafeteria where Ruhn told Hunt everything his team from the Aux had found, showing him the camera footage ďżź they recovered.
Bryce was over two hours late for work when she got a call from Jessiba asking of her whereabouts. She texted Ruhn from Huntâs phone, telling the males to get their asses back to (Y/N)âs room and that she needed to go. Once the two males walked in, she wasted no time, âWhy were you at the Raven yesterday?â She asked Ruhn. Making sure she had Huntâs phone and her keys.
Ruhn hesitated, âI wanna check out your bossâ library.â
(Y/N), Bryce and Hunt put on the most confused and innocent faces, âwhat library?â Bryce mused.
âThe one everyone says is beneath the gallery,â Ruhn said, matter of factly.
âFirst Iâve heard of it,â Hunt offered, innocently.
âFuck off, Athalar,â Ruhn rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. (Y/N) remained quiet; no quips or comments. Bryce made a point of giving him a hard time. âI want to look at the books there,â Ruhn pushed. âTo see if anything about the horn jumps out.â Was he⌠pulling rank, with that tone? âIâve been through the Fae archives twice and just kept thinking about the gallery. So maybe thereâs something there.â
âI searched it twice, thereâs nothing in there about the horn beyond vague mentions,â Bryce sighed, tired.
Ruhn smirked and she wanted to punch his teeth out, âso you admit thereâs a library?â Bryce frowned but then smirked.
She offered Ruhn a bargain; access to the library for Declan Emmetâs tech knowledge. Ruhn accepted, easily. Bryce and Hunt left soon after, Bryce kissing (Y/N)âs head and promising to come by later.
âTell your daddy we say âhello!ââ Bryce smiled and then scowled, âand that he can go fuck himself,â she closed the door. They were alone again, but she was more awake now⌠more alert. Aware of what happened and what he did and yet, she was quiet. He hadnât seen her this quiet since she decided to stop speaking to him entirely, less than a week after he started avoiding her calls and texts after overlooking her for a higher position at the AUX. Ruhn was lost; he had no idea what to say.
âUh⌠do you need anything?â
âIâm fine,â she answered nonchalantly, âbored as Hel but fine.â
Ruhnâs phone rang and he answered without checking the caller ID, âyeah?â He tensed at his fatherâs voice on the other end.
âIs that how you speak to your king? Since you couldnât stop yourself from revealing my business I wish to make one thing clear regarding the horn; I donât want the angels getting it.â
âFine,â he replied through gritted teeth. If he got his hands on that damn horn heâd make sure it went back to the temple, and he sure wasnât above paying for 24/7 guards himself if it meant his father didnât touch it. Ruhn turned away from (Y/N) for a moment, facing the large window in her room.
âKeep an eye on that girl.â
âYou, as crowned prince, revealed the secrets of your king to the girl and Athalar. I have every right to punish you for this, you know?â Ruhn let himself remember past punishments; his forearms prickling. Then he let himself fantasize about how heâd love to be stripped of that title; Crowned Prince. How he wanted to break every tie with his father. Then the Oracleâs words echoed in his mindâŚ
The royal bloodline shall end with you, Prince
His shoulders tensed and his shadows swirled, "Unfortunately, the punishment you deserve would render you unable to look for the horn.â
âIâll take a rain check then,â his father grunted out a sigh and Ruhn hung up.
(Y/N) gave him a moment to take in what was obviously a tense and overall unpleasant conversation. He could feel her eyes on him. Once his shadows had calmed, she asked, âeverything ok?â
âPeachy,â he didnât turn to look at her, âI need some air.â
âHey! What about me? You made me stay here and now youâre leaving? If I have to stay here, so do you. If you walk out that door for something other than the bathroom, I'm leaving AMA!â
Ruhn curled his knuckles, tensing every muscle in his body, counted to five then relaxed them, âfine.â He opened the window as much as it would go and sat by it. âYou know what? No,â he got up, âthis couch is uncomfortable, move over.â He sat on the hospital bed and kicked his shoes off, laying next to her.
âHey!â She growled at him but he ignored her, fidgeting with the tv remote.
They spent the day like that; watching tv, playing cards and snapping at each other. They tried not to talk about the bombing, about what was happening in this city but they kept wandering back to it as more updates pinged on their phones, mostly Ruhnâs since Dec and Flynn were investigating and giving him a play by play. Ruhn forced (Y/N) to eat both lunch and dinner, she claimed hospital food was horrid and that she wasnât hungry but Ruhn knew just the thing. He had Dec drop off some food from her favorite restaurant, heâd hopped it was still her favorite, and sheâd torn into it just like heâd hoped she would. Like he used to watch her doâŚ
A nurse came in to help her use the bathroom throughout the day and then at night to help her shower. She showered sitting down but was just glad to get to rinse off from everything thatâs happened. As they were getting ready to go to sleep a healer walked in, a tall blonde male.
âIâm sorry about the late hour, I just got out of surgery and my shift is over but, I wanted to see how you were doing.â He proceeded to do a few checks on her, having her sit and moving her leg around. Then having her lay on her back as he pushed her leg up against her chest. Ruhn looked away most of the time; something about her being touched that way, bent that way, didnât sit right with him. âWould you be comfortable sleeping with the brace off?â
âYes, please!â (Y/N) smiled.
The doctor chuckled at her enthusiasm, âdonât put weight on it until I come see you in the morning. If you need help using the restroom, call for staff or ask your friend.â He gestured to Ruhn.
(Y/N) looked ready to tell the healer they were not friends when Ruhn spoke up, âIâve got her, sheâs stubborn but sheâll do anything to get out of here as soon as possible. Any chance we can leave tomorrow?â
The healer thought about it for a moment, âif she does well with the assessment tomorrow and promises to attend physical therapy everyday for a week after discharge then⌠Iâll make it happen.â
The look of relief on (Y/N)âs face was bliss.
Ruhn took her ankle in his hand, her leg had healed beautifully; not a scar in sight. He knelt before her as she sat on the bed, legs dangling off the gurney. He gently held her ankle, still examining it. He liked how it felt to hold her ankle; intimate. He looked up at her through his lashes.
âYes?â She asked, brow raised.
âNothingâŚâ he rasped.
âSpit it out Danaan. Iâm not staying here another day.â She crossed her arms but Ruhn didnât respond.
After a minute he looked down at her leg again, moving it side to side, âthis hurt?â She shook her head, âthis?â He asked, stretching her leg. Another head shake. He lifted her leg up towards her chest, âand this?â
âShouldnât a recovery healer be doing this?â
âYou declined further intervention.â
Ruhn sighed and let her leg relax, still kneeling before her and still holding onto her ankle.
He was frustrated⌠in more ways than one. Ruhn looked up at her again and slowly, so slowly, kissed her ankle, never breaking eye contact.
âWhat are you doing?â His grip tightened as she jerked her leg on instinct from the contact of his lips to her skin. He kissed higher. âRuhn?!â He kissed her calf, âRuhn!â He closed his eyes and kissed above her knee, âRuhnâŚâ her voice became breathless and he kissed her mid thigh. He was so close, so close to tasting her; heâd fantasized about it before, when they were close. He kept kissing up her thigh untilâ
âRUHN?â Her voice was whiny, âRUHN!â
Ruhn opened his eyes as he feels a sharp jab to the ribs, âyouâre squishing me! Move your butt.â She elbows him in the ribs again, âif you keep rolling onto me Iâll make you go back to the couch.â She was half asleep and no less demanding than when she was awake. Ruhn rolled over on his side so his back was facing her. He closed his eyes, taking deep breaths; trying to ignore her scent in his nose and the hard on in his pants.
Her leg felt fine, albeit sore. The healer put different pressures on several different spots and walked her through some strengthening exercises, âso⌠when can I be discharged, again?â
âI have my staff prepping the paperwork right now,â he put her leg back down and helped her stand; first only on her good leg, then slowly putting weight on the other. âSteady?â
âYep!â she bounced lightly from foot to foot, making the healer cringe a bit.
âNo running or carrying anything heavy until our follow up next week,â he gave her a piece of paper, âthis is where youâll go for physical therapy. I know this seems like Iâm trying to prolong your recovery but I just want to make sure thereâs nothing wrong. There were extensive repairs done to your leg, if there are any kinks, itâs best to catch them early and fix them before they cause any damage.â
(Y/N) sighed but nodded, âI understand.â
As if on cue, the female whoâd helped her void and bathe walked in with a stack of paperwork and a bag, âa Flynn dropped some clothes off for you?â she posed the sentence as a question, as if making sure she knew about it or at least the person whoâd brought it in.
âYes, thank you,â she looked to Ruhn then and let a small smile grace her face. Heâd gotten her clean clothes.
In less than 30 minutes she was walking out of the hospital in a brand new outfit, when Ruhn put a hand on her shoulder, âwhat?!â
âBryce is on the phone, she wants to talk to you. Sheâs on the other side of the facility trying to check in and they told her you checked out.â
(Y/N) groaned and took the phone, continuing to walk, her gait uneven, âI got discharged and I cannot go back in there, can you meet at the coffee shop down the street? Iâll buy you the biggest latte.â
Silence. And then, âI was going to yell at you for not letting me know that you got discharged but a latte is worth forgiving for. See you there.â
âIs your sexy shadow still with you?â (Y/N) smirked, knowing Athalar could probably hear her even without fae hearing. She was sure Ruhn could hear as he huffed out a grunt and (probably) rolled his eyes.
Bryce replied, âis prince âstick-up-his-assâ still following you around like a puppy?â
âMore like a stalker, but yeah.â
Bryce snorted, âthis will be fun.â
âSee ya!â Bryce hung up and (Y/N) pressed Ruhnâs phone into his chest, letting him fumble for it as she let it go and walked towards the coffee shop.
Ruhn cleared his throat as he caught up to her, âI thought you swore off males after Micah.â
âI remember you telling me that you swore of dating after âwasting a decade on Micah,ââ Ruhn air quoted.
âAnd youâre bringing this up becauseâŚ?â
He shrugged, âyou said Athalar wasâŚâ the word was like poison to him, she smirked waiting for him to finish, âsexy.â
(Y/N) weighed her options: she could wave him off or gush over Athalar to gauge his reaction. Her choice? Secret option number three, âI can look at the menu, I just canât order. And Athalar looks fucking delicious.â The comment was worth it by the disgusted look on Ruhnâs face alone, his shudder was an added bonus.
Ruhn didnât say anything else until they arrived at the coffee shop, only speaking to place his order which (Y/N) definitely did not notice was still the same.
She greeted Bryce with a large latte with lots of whipped cream and caramel which caused the redhead to squeal and hug her before going all âmother henâ and checking her over from head to toe. âAre you actually ok?â
(Y/N) sighed and nodded, âgood as new. Iâve got some PT to do and these staples come out in a few days,â she gestures to her head, âbut I should be cleared for everything by next week. Iâm just glad to be out of that damn hospital. And as of this second, Ruhn can get off my ass.â
âYouâre the one who said, âif I have to stay here, so do you. If you walk out that door for something other than the bathroom, I'm leaving AMA!ââ Ruhn said in a high pitched voice.
âIs that supposed to be me? I donât sound like that.â
âAnnoying and whiney? Yes you do. And I spent two days in that damn hospital for you, a little less hostility would be nice. Maybe a âthank youâ kiss?â He smirks, leaning in and tapping his cheek with a finger.
(Y/N) took a deep breath, counting to ten.
âWow,â Bryce chuckled, âshe hasnât had to count to ten like that since we had that fucking physics professor when she started taking night classes at CCU.â
(Y/N) started counting from the top. Nice, deep breaths.
Bryce wasted no time looping her arm through (Y/N)âs and waltzing out of the coffee shop, leaving Ruhn to walk with Athalar. If walking about three steps ahead of the angel while they both did their best to ignore one another, counted as âwalking together.â
The library hidden beneath the gallery made even his fatherâs personal collection laughable.
âSo⌠Prince,â Lehabah batted her fiery eyelashes, âdid all your piercings hurt?â (Y/N) held in a laugh, making the sprite flash pink.
âUhâŚyeah? Kinda. Iâve got a high tolerance for pain, Iâd say. So it wasnât too bad.â He sat down at the large table, Bryce typing on her laptop and Athalar flipping through an old tome. (Y/N) made her way towards the doll-sized fainting couch Lehabah was now laying on, leaning on the desk and looking over the spriteâs shoulder at the screen playing some sort of romantic show.
âSo, you gonna look around or sit there and gawk?â Bryce snorted, Hunt tried to hold in a snicker.
Ruhn glared at the winged male, âwhat are you doing?â
âResearching the Krystallos. Iâve killed about a dozen type 6 demons over the centuries and I want to see if there are any similarities.â
âIs the Krystallos a type 6?â
âIâm assuming it is; type 7 is only for the princes themselves, and given what this thing can do? I bet it could be deemed a 6. I havenât seen any similarities though.â
Bryce then came up with the idea to look for the Krystallos in ancient art, fingers flying over her keyboard. He had to admit it, his sister was smart. Heâd always known it but Ruhn couldnât recall telling it to her face even once. He watched as she continued to type, laser focused, before turning it to Hunt, who started looking through the results.
Lehabah sighed from her little couch and looked to Ruhn, âIâve never met a prince beforeâŚâ her voice, breathy and flirty.
âShhhh!â (Y/N) shushed the sprite, seemingly invested on that show. Was that moaning?
âTheyâre overrated,â Ruhn answered.
Lehabah looked ready to swoon as she asked, âwhatâs it like? To be the chosen one?â
âBoring. Beyond the star sword and some party tricks⌠thereâs not much to it.â
âCan I see the star sword?â
âI left it at home. I didnât feel like having to deal with tourists stopping me on every block waiting to take pictures.â
(Y/N) snorted. âPoor little prince,â Bryce said in a baby voice, to which Athalar hummed, pleased.
âYou got something to say, Athalar?!â
âShe said it all,â the calm and swagger in the angelâs voice made Ruhnâs blood boil a few degrees higher and he growled. (Y/N), seemingly tired of not being able to focus on her show, went to browse one of the shelves.
âWhatâs the deal with you two?â Bryce asked.
âOh! Do tell!â Lehabah paused her show, seemingly more interested in the answer to Bryceâs question.
âWhat?â Ruhn asked, â(Y/N) and I?â
Bryce smirked, "she's more my friend now than she was yours. If you think I donât know what happened then youâre dumber than I thought. I meant you two!â She pointed between him and the angel. Ruhn didnât know how he felt about anyone knowing about his history with (Y/N), especially his sister.
âWe beat the shit out of each other at a party. Danaanâs still sore about it,â Hunt answered.
âWhyâd you fight?â Bryceâs shit eating grin grew as she asked.
âBecause heâs an arrogant asshole!â
âLikewise,â Hunt retorted, his grin matching Bryceâs.
Bryce looked to Lehabah, âboys and their pissing contests.â
âNot nearly as advanced as us ladies,â Lehabah winked.
Both males rolled their eyes.
âWell cousin, have at it. Let your star-born powers guide you to enlightenment.â
âFunny,â but Ruhn went to the shelves, and it didnât take long for him to become aware of the fact that (Y/N) was moving with him. Well, opposite him was more like it. He moved right, she moved left, as if trying to keep a maximum distance between them at all times in the circular library.
(Y/N) was too aware of the princeâs presence for her own liking. It wasnât for a while until she finally noticed that sheâd been moving opposite him. She took a deep breath and went behind a few more shelves and started looking at the books. What was she even looking for?! She was an agent, yes. But demons? And what about Bryce? What did her friend know about any of this? She had a bad feeling in her gut and she couldnât place it. Maybe the bombing had shaken her more than she wanted to admit but sheâd never back down from a caseâŚ. Ever. Especially not this one.
A book rattled over her head and she backed up, straight into Ruhnâs chest. âSorryâŚâ he was on his way to get a ladder when the tome fluttered off the shelf, onto (Y/N)âs head and landed on the floor with a loud thunk!
âIs everything ok over there?â Bryce called out, âplease do not get me fired!â
âEverythingâs fine!â (Y/N) answered and walked away before Ruhn finished picking up the green tome. She kept walking, scanning the books, wandering further and further from the others and deeper into the library.
âYou sure that start-born power isnât for finding smut?â She heard Bryce laugh, telling the sprite it sounded like something sheâd read. Lehabah was not well pleased.
âEnjoy,â Hunt teased.
âI will!â Ruhn said defensively.
(Y/N) then got out of ear shot. She realized sheâd made it back to the stairs that lead up to the gallery and to the exit. She sighed, pondering if she should just leave. She didnât feel like being here, not at all. She wanted to go home and have a proper shower. Wear her own clothes, not mall bought stuff that was a near miss on her size. She wanted to lay down and process the last three days. She wanted a lot of things⌠mostly to be alone for a while.
She stared at the dimly lit steps as she zoned out.
A hand on her shoulder pulled her back from her zoned out state. â(Y/N)?â She jumped away from Ruhn, âsorry, didnât mean to startle you. Whatâs your email?â
She lifted a brow, âyou have my email.â
âNo. I have your work email. I donât want information about this case to be linked to the AUX. Itâs too easy to track.â
âAnd you think someone will ping it?â
âWeâre not exactly advertising the fact that Bryce was tasked to look for the horn,â he sounded frustrated.
âOr that your daddyâs making you his sniffer dog,â she smirked.
âCan you stop being a bitch and give me your email?!â He regretted the words she knew. He startled himself as he said them; his eyes going wide, regret swirling within them.
Before he could apologize she rattled off her email and walked away, âtrained mongrel,â she threw over her shoulder. She sat next to Bryce, across from Hunt, pulling out an old laptop Bryce kept at the gallery as a back up and scanning the list of Danikaâs whereabouts that Ruhn had sent her.
Ruhn parked his ass in the chair next to hers.
âAny good sex scenes yet?â Bryce asked the prince. He didnât answer, âRuhn?â
âDanaan!â Hunt called out⌠nothing.
(Y/N) gave his shoulder a soft smack to which the prince finally lifted his head. He went on to explain his findings about Theia and Lady Helena and their connection to Pelias and the Horn.
âDoes it tell us how to fix it?â (Y/N) cut his rambling short, âthe history of it all is useless if itâs broken and canât be fixed. Why would someone want a broken relic? Besides your daddy of course,â she smirked.
Ruhn growled, low, âwould you let me finish?â (Y/N) shrugged, âas I was saying; it says thatâs why the Prince of the Pitt had to steal Peliasâ blood to make the Krystallos to hunt the horn. It contained that essence. I think the horn could be wielded by any of them though.â
Hunt lifted a single dark eyebrow, âbut if the Prince of the Pitt had gotten his hands on the horn, he wouldnât be able to use it unless he had a star-born fae to operate it⌠even if whoeverâs looking for the horn now finds it, theyâd have to use you.â
Ruhn hummed, âbut letâs not forget that whoever is summoning the demon to track the horn and kill these people doesnât have the horn. Someone else stole it. So essentially weâre looking for two different people; the killer and whoever has the horn.â
âWell, the horn is broken anyway,â Bryce commented.
âPermanent broken, apparently,â he tapped the book, âit says here that once it was cracked, the fae claimed it could only be repaired by âlight that is not light. Magic that is not magic.â Basically a convoluted way of saying âthereâs no chance in Hel of it ever working again!ââ
(Y/N) responded sarcastically, âso when I asked you if it told us how to fix it, you couldâve just said ânoâ instead of growling like an alphahole.â
âA what?â Ruhn asked.
âPossessive and aggressive. The ladies here use the term to describe males who are ready to get into a fight at any moment, know how to kill people in more than one way and who are so good looking that females are falling over themselves for them.â Athalar gave Bryce a smirk to which she rolled her eyes at. âDid I get it?â
âThat is not how I described it,â she said.
âOh right!â Hunt continued, âI forgot the part about how we âalpha-holesâ go into a âmating frenzy,â whatever that means, once we âfinally bang a femaleâ and refuse to let her have a life,â he looked to Bryce, âdid I get that part right, sweetheart?â
âClose enough,â Bryce caved, then growled, âand donât call me sweetheart.â
Ruhn glanced between the two and then to (Y/N), âwait. So what Iâm hearing is that you find me good looking?â He smirked.
She took a moment to look him over, âitâs not a prerequisite to be an alphahole but sure, youâre a generically attractive male. Youâd have to be, to make up for the fact that youâve got nothing going on upstairs⌠or down.â
âHow would you know?!â He growled.
âThe upstairs part? Because I work with you. The downstairs partâŚâ her smirk was ferral, âfemales talk; I guess all that mirthroot makes you sleepy. So sleepy that you canât even finish your job.â
Ruhn growled, ready to give her a retort when Bryce cut in, âcan we please get back to the horn now?â (Y/N) kept her eyes on Ruhn but she could practically hear the eye roll in Bryceâs tone. She didnât look away from Ruhn; smirking at his glowering face like children in a staring contest.
Hunt complied, âWe need to find out why someone would want it, the horn. Your father wants it for what? Some fae PR campaign about the âgood old days of fae-dom?â
âBasically, yeah.â Ruhn caved and looked away first, âthe fae have been declining, according to him, for the past several thousand years. He claims our ancestors could burn entire forests to ash with half a thought, while he could torch a grove and not much more. It drives him nuts that my chosen one powers are not much more than a kernelâ Ruhn offered.
âMy own father never had a lick of interest in me for the same reason,â (Y/N) knew Bryce didnât like talking about her father. Knew it was a sore spot, so she offered her friend a gentle look. Iâm here, Bryce, it said. And I donât give a shit what anyone else thinks.
âEspecially after your visit to the Oracle,â Ruhn commented.
Hunt lifted his brows at Bryce and she answered his stare.
âItâs a long story.â she pulled the book Ruhn was reading over to herself and skimmed a few pages, âthis whole section is about your fancy Avallen cousins. Shadow walking, mind reading⌠Iâm surprised they donât claim theyâre starbornâ
âThey wish they were, theyâre a bunch of pricksâ Ruhn huffed.
(Y/N) vaguely recalled him, Flynn and Dec telling her about their ordeal. âNo mind reading for you?â Bryce asked.
âItâs mind speaking and it has nothing to do with the star born stuff, or this caseâ
âWhat if we ask the Oracle about the horn?â Hunt âmaybe she can see why someone would want a broken relic.â
âWeâd be better off going to the mysticsâ Bryce strained, (Y/N) and Ruhn followed.
âThe mystics are some dark, fucked up shit. Weâll try the Oracle first,â Hunt pressed.
âWell Iâm not goingâ Bryce decided, crossing her arms.
âBecause of what happened at your visit?â
âRight,â she gave Athalar a big, toothy, fake smile.
âYou go thenâ Ruhn suggested, a little more heated than he probably intended. (Y/N) tried to hide her smirk, knowing his rising ire was partially her doing.
âYou had a bad experience too, Danaan?â
âNo, thank you,â she gave him an innocent little smile.
âFine assholes, Iâll go. Iâve never been. It always seemed too gimmicky.â
âYouâll need an appointment,â the female beside her pointed out.
Huntâs phone rang, âIâve gotta take this,â he walked up the stairs and out of the library and then out of the gallery.
(Y/N) gathered her things, âIâve got an AUX meeting this afternoon, but Iâll touch base later ok?â She kissed Bryceâs head, âif Athalar is being a dick shoot me an email and Iâll come over with pizza and we can watch that male stripper movie at top volume.â
âIâve gotta head over to prepare for the meeting too, Iâll walk with you,â Ruhn offered, standing.
âIâm not going directly there, Iâm taking the long way.â
âOh⌠errands?â He asked.
âNo,â she replied in a tone that made her reasons for taking a different route very clear.
Ruhn sat back down and (Y/N) walked out the same way Athalar had.
Ruhn watched (Y/N)âs hips sway as she climbed the steps.
âShe never talks about it; what happened between you,â Bryce says, causing Ruhn to sigh and rub his temples. âWell⌠at least not after she vented that first time.â
âShe never talks about it with me either.â And for a moment, Ruhn wished she would. He wished they could work all of this out and cut the tension. The dream heâd had at the hospital still floated around his head. Heâd kept her at a distance, he shouldnât complain about her doing the same, he concluded.
A cluster of AUX members, in uniform, undercover outfits and stealth suits filled the room, coffee cups and notepads in hand. Some alert, some half-asleep but the air hummed with low chatter.
At the front, Tristan Flynn takes the podium, Ruhn being late, as always. Flynn slams a folder onto the podium and the room quiets. âMorning, people. Sit tightâno donuts until Iâm done,â he points at a squad leader whoâs about to take an enormous bite from a jelly filled doughnut, âI see you, Janice.â He brings his focus back to the center of the room, âweâve got a mixed bag today, so listen close.â He flips open the folder, scanning the contents inside. (Y/N) rolls her eyes, Flynn does this often. As Ruhnâs right hand he takes the lead when Ruhn canât, which would be fine if it was a rare occurrence. Ruhn Danaan is chronically late, not five minutes late, but twenty to an hour. This meeting for example? Sheâd been sitting there thirty two minutes before Flynn finally decided to get things moving. If Ruhn were anyone else, heâd been thrown off his fragile AUX throne a long time ago, she knew.
âAlright. Task oneâDetectives Vega and Monroe. Youâre going in the field at The Raven, theyâre removing debris and we need to make sure that if anything important gets uncovered weâre the first to know. Red Squad is going undercover at Dukeâs. Now that The Raven is gone, other clubs will fill up, Dukeâs is the next most popular. Narcotics tip-off says theyâre funneling product through the kitchen staff, more buisness means more clients, better chance for us to catch them. Janice? Try not to let your rookie blow your cover in the first ten minutes this time.â
The rookie, Nox raises his hand and Flynn points to him, âThat hostess was very convincing.â Nox flashes a lady killer smile and the room chuckles. Flynn shoots him a look.
âConvince her on your own time. Moving on,â he flips another sheet. âPatrol Officersââ before Flynn can finish the door is swung open in a careless manner, Ruhn pauses as he walks in, only long enough to notice all the heads have whipped towards him. He clears his throat and goes to the podium. Thereâs a hushed conversation that not even Fae ears can pick up before Flynn points to the pages resting on the podium and leaves to take a seat next to Dec.
âPatrol Officers, Kim and Alvarezâyouâre on traffic control in the Central Business District,â Ruhn starts. âBig tech conference this week. Every CEO with an ego the size of a blimp is in town. Keep traffic flowing and make sure no one double-parks their Bentley. There are two road closures for this event so keep them closed and keep things moving. Take your teams with you, if you need more people give me a ring.â
âSo, babysitting millionairesâ toys. Got it,â Kim jokes, Alvarez winks and answers.
âMore like babysitting the teens going for joy rides while rich daddy is in a meeting,â the room chuckles.
Ruhn chuckles too, despite himself, then adds, âSmile while you do it. Cameras are everywhere,â he flips another page. âDetective Shaw. Youâve got the missing persons case. Twenty-year-old college kid, last seen outside the subway station. Familyâs raising hell, mediaâs sniffing around. Handle it quietly, but fast.â
Shaw raises his hand, âcould this be connected to all these murders happening?â (Y/N) tensed and she could see Ruhn calculating his response.
âNo. Weâve determined that this is a separate case. Whoever is committing those murders is leaving the remains behind, as long as we test it we know who the victim was. Weâve tested all remains and got pings on all of them, this college kid was not a victim.â
Shaw nods, âon it, Chief.â
Ruhn closes the file with a snap and looks at the room, avoiding (Y/N)âs gaze. He hasnât assigned her yet⌠âAnd for the rest of the squads; Blue and Yellowâyes, we still have a string of bike thefts in the park. Donât roll your eyes, Jenkins, I saw that. The commissionerâs nephew lost his precious mountain bike yesterday, so suddenly itâs a priority.â
Jenkins laughs, âgreat. Iâll stake out the jungle gym.â
More laughter erupts and Ruhn lets it ride for a beat. âAlright, enough comedy hour. Undercover work, missing persons, traffic wars, and yes, bikes. Youâve got your marching orders. Donât screw them up. If you didnât get an assignment continue working on the one you have. And remember, half the city thinks weâre heroes, half thinks weâre villains. Letâs prove the first half right.â Ruhn then opens the file one last time and reads something on the page, â(Y/N),â she straightens, his eyes finally landing on her, âparking duty, Old Square. DISMISSED!â He grabs his coffee and turns to leave, weaving through officers and going out the same door he came in. Flynn and Dec follow close behind.
The officers and detectives give her a sideways glance then scatter, some energized, some groaning but all making their way to the coffees and doughnuts. All except for (Y/N), she stands up and follows the Frat Pack, catching the door behind them before it can even shut. The door leads to the stairs connecting all the floors, she looks over the railing to see the three males practically jumping over the flights of stairs, already two levels down. She attaches her retractable hook and cable to the railing and jumps down, swinging so she lands at the bottom of the steps four levels down. The males stop in their tracks, one flight of stairs between her and them. âDANNAN!â She yells and retracts her hook, the cable retracting back into her belt.
Dec goes down the stairs, âthatâs all you, Ruhn. Hi (Y/N),â he dips his head as he passes her, continuing the long walk down.
Flynn chuckles and claps Ruhn's shoulder before following Dec, âgood luck.â He bows to (Y/N), âscary lady,â and moves past her but her eyes remain on Ruhn.
âI have a good reason.â
Ruhn descends the steps and goes to put his hands on her shoulders but she backs away on instinct. âYou asked to be in on a big case. A case the AUX doesnât even know weâre on! I needed to give you a cover.â
âParking duty?â She growls and crosses her arms, not believing the audacity of this male. Sheâd known him and his friends had bull shit cases to cover up bigger ones but never something as degrading. Parking duty was given to agents who misbehaved or to rookies they didnât have a place for yet. Putting her on parking duty was a bigger slap in the face than what heâd done at the club all those years ago. Bigger than getting passed as his right hand.
âYes. Parking duty. Itâs simple and safe and no one will bat an eye.â
âExcept they did! They all looked at me but you were too busy trying to leave to notice! They gave me the âwhat did she do,â look. Parking duty is degrading and you did it on purpose!â
âWhat is that supposed to mean?â Ruhn raises his voice, getting defensive.
âYou want me to feel small. You did it to undermine me, AGAIN!â
âDonât you think youâre overreacting? Just a little?â
âIâm tired of pretending that everything is fine. Everything is not fine.â She sighs, exasperated, âI never thought Iâd say this to my boss but- I deserve more. I deserve better; better pay, better status, better title. I deserve more respect than you can probably muster for me. And Iâm sick and tired of lying over the wire and letting everyone else crawl over me!â
âCan you just calm down a sec? I do respect you-â
âAnd youâre a good agent.â
âIâm a great agent, Ruhn.â
âIf youâre upset about your pay then we can go to my office and talk about that. I know the holiday bonus wasnât that big last year but thatâs because the city cut some funding, Iâm working on it. And youâre still healing! You shouldnât even be on a case!â He reasoned but it was nothing more than an excuse.
(Y/N) just stared at him, at those beautiful blue eyes that seemed to stir with purple hues. She looked at him, really looked at him. Probably for the first time since that night. And she saw⌠she felt⌠nothing. There was nothing there. Well, there was longing and lust and maybe even something that couldâve been love but⌠it was nothing. Heâd never be the male she wanted. Much less the male she needed. Ruhn Dannan, Crowned Prince of the Valbaran Fae didnât have the balls to step up and be that male. So it was time that he sat down. Time he got out of line. Time she let him go.
âI donât need a raise.â
âThen tell me what need!â
She looked down and shook her head, âI quit,â she fished her AUX ID from her belt along with her badge, holding them both out to him.
She couldnât be serious, could she? Quitting over parking duty?
Ruhn supposed it was quite degrading, especially to an officer of her ranking. Even if she had done something wrong heâd probably give her paperwork, not public humiliation. Heâd never make the guys wear that ridiculous bright pink vest, he didnât know why heâd done it. When heâd decided it, he truly believed it was a good cover, itâs not like they had any other cases to hide behind right now. Maybe he shouldâve thought about it longer, made something upâŚ
He realized heâd been frozen, that he hadnât spoken in a while. Long enough for her to interject his thoughts. When Ruhn did try to speak though, nothing came out. What could he say? Nothing that could make this better, thatâs for sure. He knew (Y/N) well enough to know she was a stubborn creature, that once she made up her mind there was nothing stopping her. And he also knew that she didnât do things on a whim; her moves and decisions were calculated. If she was quitting then sheâd been thinking about it for a long time. âYou just got back to workâŚâ sure. That sounded good enough. But the female before him kept her gaze at his chest, hand stretched out, holding her ID and badge. âWe need you, ok? Youâre a fucking amazing agent. If you leave Iâll need at least three people to fill your role.â
Her gaze turned to him again, sad, but decided, âthatâs not my problem.â Then she let the badge and ID drop to the floor and descended another floor, walking through the door, probably to take the elevator at the front of the building.
Ruhn stood there, frozen for several moments before cursing and punching the wall, it cracked, only slightly. The bigger crack came from his hand. He cursed event more colorfully and picked up (Y/N)âs things with his left hand, pocketing them and going down to meet Dec and Flynn.
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