They set off together, and to Raen's surprise, Busty sat perfectly calm in his carrier, watching the passing scenery with alert interest, whiskers twitching occasionally. Remarkable cat, Raen thought. Then again, his owner isn't exactly ordinary either.

  Like Raen and Alice, Lilly had dressed simply—no makeup, her long silky hair braided loosely down her back. She didn't look like the femme fatale he'd first met at the morgue. This simpler version suited her better. If not for Alice, he might have been interested in this Lillian.

  But those impossible eyes—the color of the Alar Sea lit by sunlight—had already claimed permanent residence in his mind.

  He'd thought of nothing but their owner these past days. Now she'd dozed off in the passenger seat, making soft snuffling sounds. Raen glanced over at her and smiled. When he checked the rearview mirror, he caught Lilly's knowing look. She smiled faintly back, then turned her attention to scratching Busty behind the ears, murmuring something affectionate to the cat.

  Forty minutes later, they entered the green district in the southeast of the capital, an area drowning in forest. This part of the city was Raen's favorite. He'd live here himself if it weren't so far from work. And a single man had no business buying a house in such a family-oriented neighborhood. Visiting his sister was enough.

  He loved days like this, though they came far less often than he'd like. Two weekends in a row now—practically a miracle. And this time he'd brought Alice, her energetic friend, and an unusual cat along. Pure happiness.

  When they pulled into the driveway, Alice opened her eyes and stretched.

  "Oh, I fell asleep." She blinked, embarrassed, her long lashes fluttering.

  "You snored like a hamster," Lilly said.

  Alice's cheeks flushed. "Hamsters don't snore."

  "How would you know? You don't have a hamster."

  Laughing, Raen climbed out and helped the women, then retrieved the bags of food. Amina emerged from the house.

  "Raen! Finally! We expected you earlier." She kissed his cheek and studied his companions with frank curiosity. "And who did you bring? Hello, I'm Amina."

  The women introduced themselves. Before Amina could offer a tour, two little girls in bright ruffled dresses burst outside. Spotting Raen, they shrieked with delight and launched themselves at him. He staggered under their combined weight, nearly dropping the bags.

  Then the girls noticed the cat carrier in Lilly's hands. Their eyes went round. They released their uncle immediately and approached Lilly, frozen in awe.

  "Is that... a cat?" one whispered.

  "Yes," Lilly said seriously. "If you promise not to torture him, I'll let you play with him."

  "YES! We promise-promise-promise! We'll be so gentle!" they chorused.

  "All right then." Lilly set the carrier down. The older girl immediately scooped Busty up under his front legs and marched toward the house, his back legs dragging. Her sister followed. Neither seemed bothered by their technique. Remarkably, neither did Busty. He sniffed his new companions with interest.

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  "You shouldn't have trusted my little bandits with your pet, Lillian," Amina said doubtfully.

  "Don't worry. If Busty gets annoyed, he'll just escape."

  The women disappeared into the house, chattering. Raen headed to the kitchen, where Patrick was conducting serious magic over the meat. Raen set down the grocery bags, clapped his brother-in-law on the shoulder, and joined in. When the women returned from their tour, they introduced themselves to Patrick and pitched in—chopping salads, carrying appetizers outside to the table under the open sky.

  Soon the men migrated outdoors as well, and the sacred ritual of grilling meat began. When the metal pot filled with magically fragrant meat, Patrick brought a wine barrel. Everyone settled around the table and starting eating with enthusiasm.

  Hours passed. Formality dissolved into easy companionship.

  Amina and Lilly sang together, arms around each other's shoulders. Alice and Patrick debated the latest developments in vitalist magic with surprising passion. Raen leaned back in his wicker chair, lazily plucking guitar strings. He was full, content, pleasantly wine-warm. His thoughts had acquired that soft, viscous quality that came with good alcohol and better company.

  He watched Alice. Her cheeks were flushed, those impossible eyes sparkling with life. He decided he'd never seen a more beautiful woman.

  Someone knocked at the gate.

  Amina and Patrick exchanged confused glances. Raen frowned. The wonderful evening was about to be ruined—he could feel it.

  Patrick went to answer. Tyler stood outside, visibly relieved to see Raen.

  "Ty? How did you find me?"

  "Sorry to interrupt, boss. Something came up. I tried contacting you, but you didn't answer. Figured you were at your sister's." Tyler's eyes widened when he spotted Alice and Lilly.

  "Raen decided to improve our health," Lilly explained, her voice pleasantly drunk.

  Tyler's gaze landed on the wine barrel and he smirked.

  "So what happened?" Raen repeated. "I must have left my commulet in the house."

  "I stopped by the office and saw the response to your inquiry from the Grolas Kingdom sitting on your desk. You haven't seen it yet?"

  "No. I left early yesterday. Is there something interesting?"

  "That's an understatement. Servrin Laurec is a vitalist. A powerful one. He never finished his training."

  "What?" Raen set down the guitar and stood. The wine fog evaporated instantly from his mind.

  "But there's nothing in his personnel file!" Alice exclaimed.

  "Exactly. He's hiding his gift. Which is strange, isn't it? A powerful vitalist choosing to study economics instead?"

  "We need to bring him in immediately." Raen moved toward the gate with purpose. Alice stood too, ready to follow.

  "Alice, I'm sorry, but you can't come with us," Tyler said apologetically.

  Raen turned back, remembering. "You're suspended. You have to stay."

  She frowned but nodded, sinking back onto the couch.

  "I don't know how long this will take." Raen looked between Alice and Lilly. "Should I arrange transport home for you both? I'll cover it."

  "Oh, what transport? The girls will stay with us. We'll keep the party going, then go for a forest walk in the morning." Amina looked from Lilly to Alice. "You don't mind, do you?"

  Alice shrugged, a bit uncertain. Lilly answered for both of them, raising her wine glass. "I'm always up for spontaneous adventures!"

  Tyler smirked again, gave Lilly's casual outfit an approving once-over, and smiled. He waved goodbye and headed through the gate.

  "All right then," Raen said. "I'll come back tomorrow to drive you home."

  The women nodded. Raen left the warm circle of companionship behind, Tyler's words already pulling him back toward the case.

  On the drive back, Tyler glanced at him sideways. "So. Alice and her friend, huh? Didn't expect that."

  "It wasn't planned." Raen kept his eyes on the road.

  "Right." Tyler's tone suggested he didn't believe that for a second. "She looked better. Less... broken."

  "She needed to get out."

  "And you decided to be the one to get her out." Not a question.

  Raen didn't answer. His mind was already shifting between two problems—Sevrin Laurec’s hidden vitalist gift, and the image of Alice's flushed, laughing face in the firelight. One he could solve through interrogation and investigation.

  The other was considerably more complicated.