“So, where are we going again?” I asked, looking over at Kris. He was focused on driving down the dark street, a golden glow from a streetlight sliding briefly over his face when he ducked forward to look up at a nearby street sign.
    “We’re going to Snake’s apartment to pick up Ryu.” Kris said distractedly, turning smoothly down onto the street that lead to Snake’s flat.
    He yelped when I smacked his shoulder, raising my eyebrow at him pointedly.
    “I’m not an idiot. I meant after we get Ryu from Snake’s place.” I said, rolling my eyes. Kris smiled sheepishly, parking the car, and shrugged.
    “Sorry, wasn’t really listening.” Kris admitted, swinging out of the driver’s seat. I followed, grumbling, and stuffed my hands in my pockets.
    “You remember Jay Park? From the night of the raid?” Kris asked, his shoulder brushing mine as we paused in front of the stairs leading to Snake’s flat.
    “Sort of.” I said, thinking hard before recalling an image of a calm man clad in black. Kris nodded, raising his hand to knock on Snake’s door.
    “We’re going to Chthonian Chaos. It’s owned by Jay.” Kris said, making me nod in understanding.
    Ryu pulled the door open, looking out at us with a relieved smile. He stepped back, beckoning us inside, and grabbed a sweatshirt from the closet by the door.
    “Hey,” Ryu said, hugging both of us tightly and inviting us to sit on the couch. We both remained standing, looking at the surprisingly neat apartment.
    “How are you?” I asked, eyeing Ryu’s messy hair and rumpled clothes, which looked like he had slept in them.
    “Worried.” Ryu said bluntly, slipping his phone into his pocket and pushing his feet into ratty sneakers. 
    “It looks really clean in here.” I said, eyeing the meticulously cleaned furniture and countertops.
    “Yeah, I cleaned the whole place, and then I rearranged the furniture. Twice.” Ryu said, waving his hand distractedly at the pristine surfaces and angling himself into his sweatshirt.
    “Uh…everything looks exactly the same.” Kris pointed out hesitantly. Ryu snorted and rolled his eyes, nodding reluctantly.
    “Yeah, I decided it looks better this way. Twice.” Ryu admitted. I patted his shoulder sympathetically and stepped back, letting him walk out the doorway.
    Kris reached back to turn off the lights and Ryu locked the door, leading the way down the steps.
    “So, why do you think he’s at the club?” Kris asked, unlocking the car and opening Ryu’s door with one hand and my door with the other.
    “He’s usually there when he wants to blow off some steam. It’s the only place I haven't checked yet.” Ryu said, covering a yawn with his hand and buckling his seatbelt.
    “Yup, that sounds like it makes sense.” I said, buckling my own seatbelt and feeling the car engine thrum beneath me.
    We spent most of the ride filling Ryu in on everything that had happened, including what was going on with his brother, and then Ryu spent the rest of the time scolding me for being so reckless. He wasn’t quite done yelling at me when we pulled into a dark parking lot, but he was forced to abandon his motherly nagging when Kris turned off the engine and got out of the driver’s seat.
    We all clambered out of the car and Ryu found me in the dark, twining his forearm around mine. There was a worried crease between his eyes and he cast around the parking lot, glancing across the street towards a clean brick building with a few people lounging around outside. 
    We crossed the street, Kris’ fingers twining through mine and giving me a solid squeeze. I smiled at him, the cool night air threading through my hair and brushing cold fingers down my collar. 
    A neon sign flashed above the doorway, spelling out the name of the club and casting bright light down onto the broad shoulders of the bouncer standing in front of the entrance. Ryu brushed by my shoulder and leaned into my side, peering up at the bouncer and trying to see around the man. 
    Kris pulled a card from his wallet and flashed it at the bouncer, nodding with a smile when the man stepped back to let us pass. 
    We walked along a small dimly lit entryway area, passing through a large door into a massive room that was filled with bright light and people. There was rock music playing from hidden speakers and food smells spread from a snack bar directly to my left.
    The inside of the club was warm, crowded with countless bodies all milling about. Eight large padded mats covered the floor with plenty of room between them, and a few of them were occupied by tussling opponents.
    “I didn’t realize it would be this big,” I remarked to Kris, craning my head up at the  high ceiling and the generous skylights that reflected the inside of the room against the darkened glass. 
    “See if you can find Snake or Jay.” Kris replied, wrapping a protective arm around me and beginning to make his way through the crowd. Ryu was slipping around people, straightening and occasionally jumping to see over horned men and women with sweeping wings. 
    I followed his lead, brushing off strange looks from the crowd, their eyes boring into me. A tall man slunk up towards me once, pointed teeth bared in a smile, but it only took a warning flash of gold from my eyes to send him the other way. Kris gave me a proud squeeze and I grinned up at him, happy I was finally learning to control my power.
    My eyes widened when I finally noticed Snake standing on the edge of one of the mats, his head thrown back as he took a deep gulp from a water bottle. The ends of his loose athletic shorts fell just across the tops of his knees, a sliver of the black elastic hem of his underwear revealed between the blue material and the bare skin of his back. His torso was painted with long streaks of blood that had dried on his pale skin, the wounds underneath already healed and the crimson flaking off haphazardly. 
    His bare torso shone with sweat, his hair tousled and damp from the small beads sliding down his forehead. The blood across his ribs had mixed with more sweat and was dripping down towards his hips unheeded as Snake took another swallow from his water bottle. The tattoos lacing all along his skin truly looked alive, the snakes on his arms slithering in tandem with the dragon leaping across his back.
    His hands were wrapped tightly with sleek black fingerless gloves, my brow furrowing as I registered the obvious padding over the knuckles. His opponent’s hands were bare and I took a moment to look over the slender man standing on the other side of the mat, taking in his shimmering eyes and pointed teeth.
    “What’s he?” I whispered, leaning over towards Kris and pointing subtly to the man.
    “A daemon. Full-blood, too.” Kris said. “It’s a type of fey, that’s why Snake’s been matched against him.”
    “And the gloves?” I asked. “What are they for?”
    “Full-bloods aren’t allowed to fight half-bloods unless the mixed ones wear protective gear. See?” Kris nudged me, gesturing towards the mouthguard Snake clutched in one hand.
    “Come on,” Ryu said breathlessly, tugging us through the people towards Snake. We followed as politely as we could, trying not to shove people as we pushed past them, wading through the press of bodies.
    Snake slid his mouthguard past his lips and closed his eyes, rolling his neck out and flexing his ankles quickly. Ryu stopped right next to him, resting a quick hand on his shoulder and then letting it fall quickly. 
    “Snake, I’ve been so worried about you!” Ryu exclaimed, reaching for Snake’s hand. Snake pulled his arm away without looking at the smaller boy, fixing his tempestuous eyes on his opponent and stepping solidly onto the mat. Snake sniffed and wiped his nose, dabbing at the remnants of a nosebleed and tossing his hair back out of his eyes.
    “Snake?” Ryu repeated, shock and hurt spreading rapidly over his face. His hand lowered slowly to his side and his fingers twitched, deciding whether a second try would be worth it. Snake wouldn’t turn to look at him, keeping his eyes trained on the slender daemon standing across from him.
    The ref stepped forward to start the fight and then turned away, walking off to look over another nearby fight. Apparently the spectators acted as refs, making sure no one got too hurt.
    Snake and the daemon circled each other slowly, both calculating when and where to strike. The daemon lunged forward unexpectedly, sweeping Snake’s feet neatly out from under him and rushing to finish the attack. Ryu stiffened next to me, biting his lip roughly as Snake rolled out of the way and onto his feet. 
    “This is insane,” Ryu muttered, shoving forward towards the mat. The daemon looked over at him and took a few steps back from Snake, giving Ryu a questioning look.
    “I think your friend needs to see you,” the daemon said quietly to Snake, gesturing to Ryu. Snake ignored him, diving forward to catch the daemon around the waist and throw him down.
    The daemon tossed Snake off of him easily, Snake landing hard on the mat several feet away with his breath knocked audibly from his chest. He coughed, getting slowly to his feet and clenching his hands into fists.
    “I’ve had just about enough of this.” Ryu muttered next to me, his brow furrowing.
    “Ryu—” I began, resting a cautionary hand on his shoulder and finding myself shaken off almost immediately. 
    “Snake! I have to talk to you!” Ryu yelled, pushing his way onto the mat and putting himself between Snake and the daemon.
    “Get off the mat.” Snake ordered quietly, refusing to look at Ryu. 
    Snake tried to step around Ryu to continue the fight but his opponent held his hands up, backing off the mat. Snake growled in frustration and spun, grabbing his water bottle and tugging a tank top over his torso.
    “Snake, wait!” Ryu called, hurrying after Snake as the older boy shoved his way through the throngs of people.
    They were swallowed up almost immediately and Kris and I hurried to follow, trying to avoid losing them. 
    “Kris! Tao!” A voice made us both turn and we saw Jay walking towards us, raising an arm in greeting.
    “Jay?” Kris smiled, both of us letting the boys go to focus on the man striding towards us.
    Jay threaded expertly through the crowd, bodies parting easily before him as a sign of respect. He reached out with a strong hand, brushing Kris’ shoulder and making him turn.
    “Hey,” Kris greeted, a friendly smile on his lips. Jay met his look with a subtle frown, tugging Kris down closer to speak directly into his ear. He still spoke loud enough for me to hear, and his eyes slid towards me briefly.
    “I need to speak with you both privately.” Jay said, looking pointedly towards a half-concealed black door in the far wall beyond the other fights. Kris nodded immediately and I followed the two of them, letting Jay clear a path for us to walk along behind him.
    Passing through the door into the cooler, quieter hallway was a shock. It seemed too still and was only lit by dim lights that flickered along the ceiling. Jay padded along smoothly, seeming at home in the shadows, and we paused outside of another door. Jay procured a key from the ring jingling on his belt, unlocking the door and opening it slowly.
    He flicked on the lights, revealing a surprisingly neat office with a large cardboard box sitting on the desk. Jay strode over to the box and beckoned Kris and I with inked fingers, his frown deepening imperceptibly.
    I leaned over the box hesitantly, looking down at the sleeping baby swaddled inside. I drew back in shock, then hunched forward again, crossing my arms. She couldn’t have been more than two months old, her plump chin resting on the blanket wrapped snugly around her body. spread in a toothless yawn and I smiled, reaching out to rest a finger on the back of one tiny hand.
    “Jay, tell me this isn’t what I think it is.” Kris said seriously, looking across the box at Jay. Jay nodded solemnly even as I stretched out careful fingers, tracing my knuckles softly over the baby’s silky cheek and inspecting a shallow cut on her face that bore a remarkable resemblance to the scar on my own cheek.
    “You were so good with me. Can you look after her just for a few days, until I can find her a proper family?” Jay asked. I ignored both of them, running my hand soothingly along the baby’s arm when she yawned again and stretched drowsily.
    Her fist raised and rested trustingly on the back of my hand, her eyes flickering open and she gazed up at me solemnly.
    I stared back down at her, taking in her shimmering silver eyes. They were so pale they were nearly translucent, the pearly discs of her irises glowing hypnotically at me. She blinked, long black lashes sweeping her pale cheeks, and reached up for me.
    “What’s going on?” I asked, cutting through Jay and Kris’ conversation. I reached down, picking up the baby carefully and cradling her to my chest. 
    “Is she a seraph?” Kris asked, ignoring me and directing the question at Jay, who nodded. “Her parents?”
    “Dead. She was in the care of two of my own, but…there were too many hunters.” Jay said, his eyes clouding with anger and grief.
    “I’m so sorry.” Kris murmured, looking down at the cooing infant in my arms. Her fist wrapped in the lapel of my jacket, clutching me to her, and she blinked up at me again.
    “I just need you to take her for a few days. You’re gifted with children, especially lost ones.” Jay said, sharing a private almost-smile with Kris, his mouth weighed heavily by a frown.
    “Tao,” Kris said, looking at me levelly. “Would you be willing to take care of the kid for a few days?”
    “Of course,” I smiled, swaying softly and hearing the baby’s breathing deepen as she slept. “Can you explain what’s going on?”
    Jay nodded, uncrossing his arms and looking tenderly at the white bundle.     “I’m a hellhound. 28 years ago, this little one was me.” Jay said, his eyes flashing a shocking crimson for the briefest moment before returning to his normal brown. I nodded, then paused, confused.
    “She’s a hellhound?” I asked, nodding down towards the baby. Jay shook his head in reply, reaching forward to carefully pull the blanket a tad higher around her chin.
    “No, she’s a fey child.” Jay said. “Her parents died a few days ago, so a few of my friends were taking care of her.”
    “Also hellhounds?” I asked, intrigued. Jay nodded, exhaling a strained sigh and crossing his arms sadly.
    “They were killed by hunters yesterday.” Jay said bluntly, ignoring Kris’ reassuring hand on his shoulder.
    “I’m so sorry for your loss.” I said sincerely, surprised he could manage to appear this calm so soon.
    “Unfortunately, hellhounds are slaughtered by hunters all the time. They can’t seem to process that we aren’t actually bringers of death, just protectors of the supernatural.” Jay said bitterly. “Luckily, a friend of mine managed to grab her before she was harmed too badly.”
    “A friend?” I asked, unable to imagine someone being capable of hurting the perfect creature slumbering in my arms. Her chest rose and fell smoothly in sleep, her hands twitching as she dreamed.
    “A hunter with a heart.” Jay said, waving his hand dismissively. “Anyway, can you take her?”
    “We’ll take her.” I said immediately, sharing a wide smile with Kris. Something about her tiny body and silvery eyes had melted my heart, and I glanced down at her.
    Kris captured my gaze with a proud smile, his eyes sparkling brightly. He reached out a hand to slid it over the baby’s side, his fingers brushing warmly against my arm.
    “Thank you so much,” Jay said, exhaling deeply. His shoulders lifted and he smiled, flashing his perfect white teeth. 
    “Does she have a name?” I asked. Jay nodded, already bustling around his office to collect supplies and pack them in a large backpack.
    “Her parents called her Iris.” Jay said. I nodded, mentally rolling the word around in my head and smiling.
    “Iris.” I mused, exchanging a pleased look with Kris. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and leaned into me, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.
    “I’ve already got some baby things here, but I’m afraid I don't have a crib. Or bottles. Or formula.” Jay said apologetically, looking over at Iris. “Or diapers.”
    “All the important things,” Kris teased, giving Jay a dazzling smile that made my heart swell. 
    “Pretty much.” Jay grinned back. “But hey, you’re loaded. You can afford it.”
    “True, true,” Kris laughed, patting Jay’s shoulder amiably. 
    “Thank you again, really. I’ll keep in touch.” Jay promised, quickly handing Kris the backpack and then hurrying off to attend to more pressing matters—like his club.
    “We should get home; it’s pretty late.” I said, looking to make sure the backpack was zipped as Kris picked it up.
    “You mean early.” Kris said, smiling. I rolled my eyes, pulling out my phone and dialing Aoi’s number quickly. 
    It rang for a while and I sighed, waiting for Aoi to pick up. When he finally did, I didn't waste any time.
    “Aoi, I need you to do me a favor.” I said, my phone pinched between my chin and shoulder. 
    “It’s like…Tao, it’s three in the morning!” Aoi grumbled, making me roll my eyes skyward and count to ten.
    “I’m fully aware of that; I’ve been awake since one!” I snapped back, dropping my voice so Iris wouldn’t wake up.
    “Alright, what do you need?” Aoi said, yawning thickly. 
    “A crib, diapers, and formula. We’re babysitting again.” I said. 
    “Yoichi will be happy.” Aoi remarked warmly, his voice gaining an affectionate tone. “What are you gonna do about Ronin?”
    “We’ll just have to take care of both of them.” I said, determined. Aoi yawned again on the other end and I could hear sheets rustling.
    “I’ll get on that crib right away.” Aoi said.
    “Perfect, thanks.” I said, ending the call and sliding my phone into my pocket, carefully juggling Iris. hung open in sleep and I smiled, gently pushing closed with one finger.
    “That’s incredible.” Kris murmured. I looked over a