Okay, so having sex so soon after how rough I had Theo be last night probably wasn't the best idea. Nor was doing it in the shower again after that. But damn did it feel good, so I'll put up with how sore I am from that.

As I go to sit on the couch while Theo enters the kitchen to make breakfast, my phone rings. I set my glass of water on the table and pick up my phone, which was sitting beside the remote. When I check to see who's calling, I see Lucas's name on the screen.

It's eight in the morning on a Friday.

"Hey, Lucas," I answer the phone. "You're up early. How's Cyrus doing?"

"I haven't slept yet," Lucas's voice is soft, almost subdued. He must be exhausted if he hasn't slept yet, especially after his rampage yesterday. I'm not surprised he sounds subdued now, he's probably fighting passing out. "Cyrus is doing fine. He's… well, he's scared. He spent the night at Grandpa's and-wait, how did you know that Cyrus was home?"

I switch him to speakerphone so that he can hear the news that's playing on the TV at the moment, as I'd turned that on before getting the water.

"To those of you just tuning in," the news anchor says. "Last night, the serial kidnapper and killer known as the Blond Boy Basher was killed by the Sivalshi Guardians. Zignarl rescued the killer's latest victim, Cyrus Lusvaris, and brought the boy to the Greater Sivalshi Hospital, where he was checked by doctors, given a clean bill of health, then returned to his family. A menace which has terrorized our city these last few weeks has finally been ended, with a happy ending for his latest victim."

I switch my phone off speakerphone and she continues to talk about the killer. That much was enough for Lucas to know how I know already without raising suspicion about how I know. He must have not have seen the news yet.

"They've been running that report on the hour, every hour for the last three hours," I tell him, though I only know this because Zane texted me to tell me.

In response, I told him I'd just woken up. I did not mention that I know what he was doing last night after orientation, mostly because I want to see if he'll tell me about it himself.

"Oh," he says. "I didn't realize that."

"Cyrus's kidnapping did hit the news last night," I say. "Which is probably the only reason they announced his name with this report. So other than scared, he's doing okay?"

"Y-yeah," Lucas is quiet for a few moments. "Have you eaten breakfast yet?"

"Theo is pulling stuff out to start making it now," I answer.

"Can we meet up for breakfast?" Lucas asks. "To, um, talk. Theo can come, too. I'll pay."

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yeah," he answers. "Just… wanting to talk. Can we?"

"Theo," I say. "Lucas is inviting us out for breakfast."

"Okay," Theo responds. "Where at?"

"Where at?" I ask.

"I'll text you the location," Lucas tells me. "It's about halfway between the apartments."

"Okay," I say. "See you soon, then."

"See you."

Lucas ends the call, and a few seconds later, a text pops up.

"He just sent me the location," I tell Theo. "Let's get dressed."

Theo puts the food away, then we head into his room and get dressed, Theo slipping into just sweatpants and a hoodie, as usual. I, on the other hand, pull on my full outfit, including my coat over a hoodie. Once we're ready, Theo and I head out.

The restaurant takes about fifteen minutes to reach, as it's angled closer to the training center than a straight shot towards Lucas's apartment, and when we arrive, we find Lucas sitting at a table, a mug of steaming brown liquid in his hands. There are dark spots under his eyes, and his eyelids are drooping. He's definitely fighting off sleep just to talk with us.

"You're staring at that hot chocolate pretty intently," I say as Theo slides into the booth across from Lucas, then I slide in beside my boyfriend.

"Y-yeah," Lucas says, then nudges the menu toward us. "I already know what I want."

Theo and I look through the menu, and Lucas doesn't talk again until we have not just our drinks but our breakfasts as well. I don't try prompting him, though. If he's fighting sleep just to talk with us and isn't staying with his brother after the kid was rescued, then he feels it's important. Important discussions need to have some thought behind them, so it's better that I let Lucas collect his thoughts.

"When I first heard what happened from Zignarl," Lucas tells me. "I was angry. I mean, he just went and killed the Blond Boy Basher and rescued my brother? Was it because of my attempts at locating the killer? I wasn't causing that much of an issue, they were just covering it pretty heavily in the news. I think people might suspect that Cyrus is related to me, which kind of worries me."

Lucas doesn't speak again for a moment, and I take the moment to think over his words. He said he first thought that, does that mean his view of what happened changed? He's not angry at the Patron?

"See," Lucas says. "If the Patron could have just ended it then, why didn't he before? It was clear he only did it to stop my hunt last night. My anger at him swelled, it only reinforced my belief that you were wrong, that the Patron could do stuff, he just didn't because he didn't care."

"But something changed," I say. "You don't think that anymore?"

"No," he pokes at his pancakes with a finger. "We got Cyrus talking a couple of hours ago, before he passed out. The Blond Boy Basher… apparently scared him. Did his best to scare Cyrus into either manifesting a power to protect himself or into using a power to do so. When he saw Cyrus use a light-based spell, he began boasting to my brother. He said he'd finally found the light-shapers."

Lucas pokes his pancakes again.

"That now that he knew where the teleporters were," he continues. "He could finally kill them and get rid of the only people who could actually get past his power."

Lucas pokes his pancakes again.

"He probably didn't realize that Cyrus could understand everything he said," Lucas says. "But he told Cyrus how his power worked. He created a sort of dimension in a location, locking it down. You can't enter. However, someone who can 'sense' things could potentially sense inside, and teleportation would bypass the lock, allowing someone to enter the dimensional pocket. He knew that there was a young boy in a family that had a light-shaper who could teleport, and so he began hunting us so that he could kill us before we could become a threat to him."

Lucas pokes his pancakes again.

"We were the targets all along," Lucas says. "And the Patron… there aren't any guardians who can teleport. The killer apparently even boasted that his dimensions were immune to spatial tears."

Once again, Lucas pokes his pancakes.

"The report says that Zignarl killed him," Lucas says. "Zignarl claimed to have killed him when he told us that he'd dealt with the killer. But that's wrong. Someone else did. Cyrus even confirmed it."

Lucas once again pokes his pancakes.

"For the last couple of years," Lucas says. "Cyrus can sense a sort of light in people. It's nothing like Zane's ability to sense magic, but he can only sense this light in people with powers. He said that Zignarl showed up after someone else. That this other person 'flowed through the shadows'."

Crap.

"You think it was me?" I ask.

"No," Lucas shakes his head. "There's no way you could have done that. I mean, it would have meant killing someone. I can't imagine you ever doing that, even with the security job you're supposed to find out about today. That's why I've only taught you disables and locks, really."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Speaking of that," I tell him. "I was actually at orientation for it last night, when all of that happened. It turns out that Zane and I were both approached by the same company – they did extra for me because I didn't have the means to get training otherwise."

"Oh," Lucas looks at me, his eyes a little wider in surprise. "So you got the job? That's good."

"Yeah," I think for a few moments. If Lucas would be able to connect things to me, then the Patron will censor this. "It turns out, my ability to shadow-walk wasn't the reason they wanted to recruit me."

"Then why would they want you?" He asks.

"I'm apparently not a shadow-shaper," I tell him. "But a shadow elemental. Apparently, we have a higher amount we can increase our powers by each month. The company apparently really likes elementals. Theo's apparently a senior member of the security force there."

"O-oh," Lucas says, then looks down and pokes his pancakes again. Theo and I are almost completely done with ours at this point, and Lucas just keeps poking his. "A higher threshold? Grandpa mentioned he'd read something about that somewhere. They must be hoping you can develop other abilities sooner. Or the ability to travel with clothes faster. But didn't you only increase by ten percent this past month?"

So Lucas did catch what I said. That means he won't connect the dots. That, or the Patron will prevent him from doing so. Now that I know the Patron does stuff like that, I can't help but wonder how much I was affected by stuff like that. I'm sure there were many times where he erased my memories, prevented trains of thoughts, or just plain prevented me from observing or understanding something.

It might have bothered me if I didn't know it was done to protect his agents. Could it be that he even does it for others? Will he prevent people from connecting Lumilxal and Cyrus?

"The higher threshold only happens," Theo explains. "If we we train in our elemental form. Since Kieran didn't know about it until last night, he only trained in his humanoid form, so he only increased like a normal power user would."

"Oh," Lucas pokes his pancakes again. "Congratulations, Kieran. Did you know that a ship docked in last night? It docked rightward."

"No," I answer. "I didn't."

"Yeah," he thinks for a few moments. "It showed up two hours before my brother was rescued. I think… that whoever saved my brother, they came in on that ship. They came from the south, from somewhere on the west coast of North America. They also left a few hours later, going back south. As if they were here for a single mission. That might be why it took so long. Maybe the Patron does care about smaller stuff like that. Maybe he had to wait for someone who could handle that power to show up."

Lucas pokes his pancakes again.

"Don't get me wrong," Lucas says. "This doesn't mean I support the Patron now. I need to think about things a lot more. But… I'll admit that I was wrong. But the kill was weird."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You said it yourself," Lucas pokes his pancakes. "The Patron only really interferes in things when it's a threat to the city's peace as a whole. The Blond Boy Basher didn't qualify for that, not if what Cyrus said was true. The guy was insane, and he wanted to protect himself, but I don't think he intended on doing some big overthrow or riot or something, just something small-scale. Maybe he was just paranoid, even. Yet the Patron got involved."

Now that I think about it, that is weird. Could it be the Patron trying to protect Lucas, though? If the killer had managed to get to Lucas before I killed the bastard, then Lucas would probably be dead right now. While he could teleport out, that would do nothing if he was attacked in his sleep.

Does he want to try to turn Lucas to his side? It was mentioned that I was picked for the mission because the only other teleporter qualified hated the Patron. That means that if Lucas supported the Patron, he might have been offered to become a Sivalshi Guardian – especially since his power is just as good for assassinations as mine, just in a different way.

"That is weird," I agree with him.

"Yeah," Lucas says. "But… I'm grateful for it. It means that Cyrus is back home, safe. Sound. Scared, but unharmed. Once we leave, I'm heading to Grandpa's and getting some sleep, and I'm not letting go of Cyrus until I wake up again."

"I was surprised you'd left him for this," I admit.

"Yeah," Lucas sighs. "I just… needed to talk. With you. I'm sorry about snapping at you over… over the Patron before, Kieran. You were right, and I was an ass. Even if you were single, I'd still need time to think over things, though. I mean… I still don't like the Patron, but some of my views have changed. It's a lot to take in."

"Well," I say. "I'm still your friend, Lucas."

"Yeah," he's quiet for a few moments, poking at his pancakes the entire time. "Thinking about all that made me realize I'm missing out, too. Do you think… if I asked Zane… he'd be willing to give me a try? Other than his habit of teasing and goofing off, he really is a good guy, and maybe we could work out."

"Erm," I hesitate.

"Probably," Theo says. "Zane's made it clear he thinks you're hot, so he'd at least be willing for sex. If he knows you're reconsidering things about the Patron, he might give a relationship with you a try in the hopes it gives him a bigger advantage in showing you our view of the Patron."

"Maybe," Lucas nods. "I'll ask him after training tonight, then."

"You'll be there?" I ask.

"Yeah," he nods. "Cyrus might be, too. Or he might stay with Grandpa. One of us."

"Okay," I say. "Well, um… how do you feel about poly?"

"Poly?" Lucas asks. "Why?"

"Would you be okay dating multiple guys at once?" I ask, and I can feel Theo putting a hand on my leg and squeezing it in a way that says he's not sure how he thinks of this conversation. I put a hand on his and give it a reassuring squeeze. "Or where all of the guys in the relationship are dating each other?"

"Like, if you, Theo, and I were dating all at once?" I can see a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Or you, Zane, and his new boyfriend," I answer, and Theo chokes on the juice he had begun to take a sip of. "There was a third new guy at orientation last night, and he and Zane kind of hit it off. Zane might say 'yes' to you, but only if he and his boyfriend are okay with poly."

"Are you… sure that they hit it off in that way?" Lucas asks.

Plans change, such as when a friend says he's interested in someone who's gotten with someone else. I pull out my phone and send Zane a text asking for a picture of him and Aiden. He responds a few seconds later.

Sure!

About ten seconds after that, a picture of Zane and Aiden snuggling on Zane's bed comes in. The picture only shows them from the chest up, but they're probably naked. It's also clear that they're a little sweaty, their hair stuck down. Their faces aren't flushed, though, so they probably weren't in the middle when I texted. They're both smiling, their eyes full of energy, and they've both wrapped an arm across the shoulders of the other. The picture really shows off the fact that they're not just two guys who happened to be shirtless when they took the picture, but two guys who are definitely an item.

I'm about to pull the picture up to full-screen when another message pops up.

WAIT! HOW DID YOU KNOW???

Ignoring that, I pull the picture up and show it to Lucas. As Lucas examines it, eyes widening, Theo receives a phone call.

"He's kind of sexy," Lucas mutters. "But I don't think I want a threesome right now. Especially not with someone who can put up with Zane's energy enough to have sex both before and after they sleep."

In other words, poly isn't off the table for Lucas. That's interesting to learn.

"Understood," Theo says, then hangs up. "Sorry, that was the boss."

The boss? Is he referring to Isaac or the Patron?

"Do we need to leave?" I ask.

"No," Theo answers, giving my hand a squeeze. "It's nothing bad, though he did suggest you go in for training this morning, after we leave here. But no rush, it's just so you can get a feel for some of our training stuff that the Lusvaris Training Center doesn't have."

"Oh," I say.

"So," Lucas says as I pull my phone back and check another message from Zane asking how I knew, since apparently even Isaac wasn't aware that Aiden went to Zane's apartment last night. "The job is as a security guard, right?"

"Yeah," I answer.

"And it's at the same place Theo's a guard at?" He asks.

"Yeah," I answer.

"And Theo's a vigilante?" He asks. "One with a specialized spellsuit?"

Did Lucas just connect the dots on something? The Patron didn't stop him?

"Yeah," I answer. "He said he saved up for it over a few years."

"Is this company," Lucas hesitates here, then looks around before leaning forward and lowering his voice. "Is 'security guard' code for 'vigilante'? Does this company employ people to be vigilantes?"

"No," I answer.

"Yes," Theo answers. "But we're ordinarily not allowed to reveal this to people. You're being trusted with the secret, since you're a friend of two of our newest members and a trainer for another and you'd likely figure it out once you saw them on the news."

That's what the Patron really called Theo about, isn't it? He knew Lucas was connecting the dots, and he decided to trust Lucas with this information, especially since he'd probably have to constantly prevent Lucas from figuring it out. Lucas must be leaning more towards the Patron now than he realizes or admits, if the Patron is showing him that trust.

"Are you… getting paid to be a vigilante?" Lucas asks.

"We are," Theo answers. "It's not much more than minimum, but it does cover medical if we get hurt on the job. The company is extremely pro-Patron, so you won't be able to get in. Sorry, but you're stuck doing it for free."

"That's fine," Lucas shakes his head. "I'm just happy Kieran got a job doing something he wants to do. I know he's looked up to the guardians and vigilantes and wanted to be one."

Lucas fixes his gaze on me.

"Which means I'm pushing you even harder in your training," he tells me. "Since you'll probably be doing all your power training there, I'm going to double down on your martial arts."

"Actually," Theo says. "It would be good for him to continue to train at your place normally, too. In this form. It's best if we train in both forms so that we're used to working with the limits of both."

"Is he still texting you?" Lucas asks. "I saw the message pop up while-"

"No," I aim my phone. "There's a turtle hanging out on one of the stools at the bar."

Lucas and Theo look over just as I take the picture. The Patron is still sending the turtles.

"So we'll keep going as normal, then," Lucas decides to ignore it. "I'm still going to push you harder on the physical side, though. Being a vigilante is even more dangerous than a security guard. You need to be prepared to not just give hits, but take them, too."

"I appreciate it," I tell him.

"Yeah," he pokes his pancakes. "I should probably finish eating, then head to Grandpa's. I'm struggling to stay awake."

Lucas stops talking and starts eating after that, and once he finishes, he pays for his food, then the three of us leave the building. Once we do, I give Lucas a hug.

"Don't feel like a failure for not protecting your brother," I tell him. "You can't do everything. And remember that you have friends who will support you, even if we disagree about some things."

For a few moments, Lucas doesn't say anything. Then he returns my hug. After a few moments of it, Lucas steps back.

"See you tonight," he says.

"See you," I say.

Lucas flashes himself out of here, and when he does, I connect the dots. The Patron never rejected it, he just gave me a response that suggested otherwise.

"Theo?" I turn to face him.

"Yeah?"

"Lucas is a light elemental, isn't he?"