House of Blood and Beasts

41. The Partial Truth

The artwork above is not mine.

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    Sarai woke late the next day. Early afternoon sunlight streamed into the room, falling onto Ruhn's golden skin. Sarai smiled to herself, watching him for a moment. He lay on his stomach with his head facing her. His raven hair had come out of its braid and covered a large potion of his back. One tattooed arm stretched towards her, while the other was hidden beneath his pillow.

    Her heart twisted with affection and Sarai covered his hand with her own. She lightly kissed his knuckles, still memorizing the sight. How was it possible that she had once hated him so thoroughly, and why did she now care for him so deeply? What would her life have been like if she'd accepted him from the beginning?

    Well, he did only want a fling at first, Sarai thought to herself. We might never have moved beyond that if I'd accepted him then. Regardless of what could've happened, I'm grateful that we're together now.

    Ruhn blinked his eyes open and met her gaze. "Morning," he mumbled.

    "I think it's actually early afternoon," Sarai giggled.

    Ruhn shifted onto his back and draped an arm across his face with a faint groan. "Is the power back on?"

    "I haven't looked, and my phone is dead so I can't check the news broadcast."

    Ruhn reached for his own phone which sat on the nightstand nearby. He squinted at the screen. "Declan texted me at three to say he got the power on at the Aux facility. One of the other guys texted again at five and said power was restored in FiRo." He switched to a news app and skimmed over the latest articles. "Power is back on for the whole city, but there's still no information on what caused the blackout."

    Ruhn fell silent as his phone lit up with an incoming call. Sarai recognized the name. She slipped her hand into Ruhn's free one and sidled closer to him, letting her head fall into the crook of his neck. Ruhn sighed and answered the call. "What?"

    "I want you here within the hour," Einar Danaan ordered.

    "The blackout has been resolved. I'll submit a report on my actions to the Aux and you can read over it."

    "I don't care about what you did or didn't do last night. Luna's Horn was stolen from the temple, and we need to address the issue immediately."

    Ruhn glanced at Sarai and she mirrored his surprise. "Fine. I'll be there soon." He ended the call before the Autumn King could respond.

    "Why would someone steal Luna's Horn? It's just an old relic," Sarai said.

    "My first guesses would be for political gain or pitting Houses against each other, but who knows?" Ruhn swept his mouth over hers and hauled himself out of bed. "Are you going back to the Wolves Den?"

    Sarai shook her head. "I'll stop by Bryce and Danika's first. I need to check in on everyone and I'll have to do that in person since my phone is dead." She sat up, tugging Ruhn's shirt down over her lap.

    Ruhn eyed her for a moment, a teasing grin on his face. "I want to wear that shirt today."

    She raised a brow. "To a meeting with your father? That doesn't seem like a good idea."

    "I'll use your cover story. You were with the Devils when my patrol met up with them and we mingled for a little while, sharing what information we had. It's perfect." He planted his hands on the edge of the bed, on either side of her hips, and leaned closer. "My father won't be able to do anything to us this time, and I'll get to walk around smelling like you."