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"Get your hands off me before I break them," Nora hissed, her voice low and dangerous. She was pinned against the cold marble wall of the corridor, Sera’s forearm pressed hard against her throat.
Sera didn't budge. Instead, she leaned in, the scent of rain and gunpowder clinging to her leather jacket. "You're the Golden Girl of Solis, right? The saint? I wonder how many saints use forbidden shadow magic to keep their pedestals from crumbling."
Nora tried to twist away, but the grip only tightened. The power imbalance was visceral. To the world, Nora was the god-tier hero; here, in the dim light of the service hall, she was just a girl being choked by a rogue hunter who knew too much.
"What do you want? Money? Fame?" Nora spat, her eyes flashing with a flicker of violet darkness. "Name your price, you little rat."
Sera let out a sharp, jagged laugh. She pulled back just enough to let Nora breathe, but her hand shifted, grabbing Nora’s chin and forcing her to look up. "I don't want your gold, Nora. I want to see you fall. I want to watch the city realize their savior is just another monster in a white dress."
Suddenly, the sirens screamed. Not the usual city patrol—these were the High Inquisitors. The sound echoed through the halls, loud enough to shake the floor.
"Shit," Sera muttered, her eyes darting toward the end of the hall. "They're already here. You’ve been leaking shadow energy like a broken pipe. They can smell you."
Nora froze. "How did they—"
"Because you're sloppy," Sera snapped. "And now we're both dead if we don't move. Those bastards don't take prisoners; they just erase the evidence."
Nora looked at the approaching lights, then back at the woman who held her entire life in a digital chip. If the Inquisitors found her now, she wouldn't just lose her status. She'd be executed.
"Fine," Nora gasped, her pride warring with survival. "A deal. You help me get out of here, and I'll... I'll pay you. Whatever you want."
"Wrong answer," Sera said, pushing Nora back against the wall. "I don't want money. I want a leash. You're going to make me your personal assistant. Twenty-four seven. I live in your house, I go where you go, and I keep the evidence. The second you try to screw me over, the whole city gets a front-row seat to your little shadow show."
Nora’s jaw tightened. "You want to be my pet?"
"I want to be the one holding the leash," Sera countered, her gaze fierce. "Do we have a deal, or should I just call the Inquisitors and tell them where the 'Saint' is hiding?"
Nora glared at her, the hatred practically humming between them. "Deal. But if you even breathe wrong, I'll make sure you disappear."
"Love you too, sweetheart," Sera smirked.
They didn't have time to argue further. The heavy thud of armored boots rounded the corner. Nora didn't think; she grabbed Sera’s wrist and yanked her into a narrow supply closet, slamming the door shut.
It was tight. Too tight. Nora was pressed flush against Sera, her chest heaving against the hunter's jacket. The air in the closet was thick, smelling of old linen and the sudden, sharp electric charge of Nora's anxiety.
Sera’s breath hit Nora’s neck, warm and steady. "You're shaking," Sera whispered, a hint of mockery in her voice.
"Shut up," Nora whispered back.
Outside, the Inquisitors stopped. The silence was worse than the sirens. Nora could hear them sniffing the air, the metallic clink of their gear. One of them spoke, his voice a cold rasp. "She was here. The residue is fresh."
Nora felt a bead of sweat roll down her temple. She could feel Sera’s heart beating against her own—a fast, rhythmic drumming that felt far too intimate for two people who wanted to kill each other.
Then, the door to the corridor swung open again. A different voice—smoother, cultured, and dripping with false warmth.
"Is there a problem, brothers?"
Nora stiffened. That was Kaelen. The High Archon. The only man in Solis who played the political game better than she did.
"Archon! We found traces of shadow magic in this wing," the soldier reported.
"Shadow magic?" Kaelen’s voice sounded genuinely surprised, though Nora knew he was lying through his teeth. "How peculiar. I was under the impression that Nora was at the gala. Perhaps it's just a remnant of some old haunting. Please, don't let it distract you from the perimeter search."
As the soldiers' footsteps faded, Nora let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She leaned her forehead against the door, closing her eyes.
"He's protecting me," Nora murmured.
"Or he's just making sure he's the only one who knows where the bodies are buried," Sera retorted. She didn't move away. In the dark, the proximity felt dangerous. Nora could feel the heat radiating off Sera, the subtle friction of their clothes shifting.
Nora opened her eyes and looked at Sera. The hunter's eyes were dark, scanning Nora’s face with a curiosity that wasn't entirely hateful.
"We need to get out of here," Nora said, her voice sounding strained. "And we need a cover. If the Archon is asking questions, I can't just walk out with a rogue hunter."
"Then give me a role," Sera said, her voice dropping an octave. "What am I? The bodyguard? The secret lover? The mistake you're trying to hide?"
Nora’s pulse spiked. She hated how Sera looked at her—like she could see every crack in the porcelain.
"You're my assistant," Nora decided, though it felt like a defeat. "And since we're already in the middle of a crisis, we need to make it look real. Now."
"Real, huh?" Sera arched an eyebrow. "How real are we talking?"
Before Nora could answer, the closet door was yanked open.
Bright light flooded in, blinding them. Nora blinked, squinting up into the smug, perfectly groomed face of High Archon Kaelen. He was leaning against the doorframe, a thin, knowing smile on his lips.
He didn't look surprised. He looked delighted.
"My dear Nora," Kaelen purred, his eyes sliding from Nora’s flushed face to Sera’s combat boots. "I didn't realize you'd started taking an interest in the... less refined elements of our city. And here I thought you were far too pure for such scandals."
Nora stepped forward, trying to regain her composure, but Kaelen’s gaze remained locked on Sera.
"Who is this charming little creature?" Kaelen asked, his voice humming with a predatory interest. "And why does she look like she's just been caught stealing something from your heart?"
Sera didn't flinch. She stepped out of the shadows and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Nora, a defiant smirk on her lips. "I'm the one who knows where the bodies are buried, Archon."
Kaelen laughed, a soft, chilling sound. He stepped closer, his presence filling the narrow space, creating a suffocating triangle of tension.
"Is that so?" Kaelen whispered, his eyes glinting. "Then I think we all need to have a very long, very honest conversation about the nature of this... romance."
He reached out, his fingers brushing the fabric of Nora's sleeve, but his eyes were still on Sera.
"Tell me," Kaelen said, his voice dropping to a dangerous silk, "which one of you is lying more?"