Next morning, Quinn awoke with a kiss.

Her lips curled into a happy, sleepy smile. The harbinger chuckled softly, pulling her closer against his amazing, hot body and kissing her deeply, more passionately.

It was definitely the best waking up Quinn had ever experienced. She was more used to blaring alarms, rude awakenings by the spaceship's announcements that weren't directed at her and a thousand other things that ripped her out of sweet dreams.

Now her life was sweeter than any dream Quinn had ever had.

"I wish we could just stay here," she murmured, turning over to run her fingers across Rhys' chiseled abs.

The warlord let it happen, observing her with a look that promised Quinn she'd never be cold, or alone, in her life ever again.

"We can," Rhys promised her. "The long nights are usually tests of endurance. Luminos is a dangerous place, but during the storm, people are less likely to start a fight they can't end. No one wants to spend the entire span of the storm constantly fighting for their life. All feuds are set aside until it passes.

"I expect I'll have a lot of free time after this morning to spend with you."

"I bet you have more ideas on how to spend all this free time," Quinn said teasingly, running her hand over his growing erection.

Rhys groaned.

"It's a good thing you can get around the fortress with the carrier," he growled, catching her in a wild, hard kiss that left Quinn gasping for air. "After I get back, I'll make sure you can't walk anywhere for days."

Quinn laughed and slipped out of the bed, starting to dress. She knew that if she wasn't the one to get up, Rhys would delay his meeting indefinitely to be with her. It wasn't that she objected. Quinn merely wanted, like the harbinger did, to have it already behind them. With the order restored, they could focus on each other.

And she could see about Cassie.

"I want to go see my sister," she told Rhys when the harbinger started to don his armor with a sigh of regret, looking at her half-naked body disappearing under the clothes.

New ones had arrived during the night. Quinn thought it was eerily like Santa Claus, bringing gifts while she was sleeping. And almost as disturbing, given that they seemed to know exactly what size she was.

There were tight black pants that fit her perfectly, making her ass look amazing, judging by the fact Rhys couldn't tear his gaze from her. The long-sleeved shirt was adorned with copper patterns, the harbinger's colors and insignia. The warm coat on top achieved that miraculous goal of keeping her warm without making her sweat.

She'd been brought a new heavy coat as well, although Quinn doubted she'd need it. As Rhys was saying, the storm was almost there and after the last fiasco – she wouldn't see the outside world for a month.

"Very well," Rhys said, finally focusing on her face again, having stared at her bottom to his heart's content. "I think it's better if I don't accompany you and it gives me freedom to deal with the traitors without you having to see it."

"You mean you'll bleed them like pigs," Quinn stated, giving him a questioning look.

The feral grin on her fated's face said the joke wasn't far from the truth.

"I want you to report to me on your sister," Rhys said then, once again instilling that warmth in her that Quinn had begun to associate with him.

It was the love blooming in her heart, the sense of safety and hope she felt when she was with him. Quinn couldn't entirely say how she'd come there in such a short time, but she was perfectly fine with blaming it all on the bond. There was no use looking for rational explanations to things that simply weren't.

"I would have anyway," Quinn said with a smile.

"Good," Rhys said, giving her another kiss. "I will see you later. Be careful in the fortress. Take my carrier. You're wearing my colors anyway, so there can be no doubt in anyone's heart when they see you that if they let any harm come to you, they'll have to answer to me."

Something occurred to Quinn.

"Where would I even find Cassie?" she asked, frowning. "This place is a maze."

Rhys sheathed the mighty sword on his back. Quinn couldn't stop being impressed with how he moved the gigantic blade with just one arm, much less how he fought with it. The thing had to weigh more than her.

"All members of my crew are stationed in the great hall to our right," Rhys said. "Ask around there. If need be, tell them I gave orders to lead you to your sister."

"I'd rather not," Quinn said. "I would really like to be a person, too. Not just your fated, but also me."

As an answer, Rhys kissed her goodbye. Quinn was left wondering whether that was a "yes" or a "no".

She decided it was best to leave those kinds of questions for a later time.

Small steps. When dealing with powerful, headstrong warlords, small steps are fine.

Quinn had an ominous feeling in her chest. The events of the previous day had stayed with her. The fortress wasn't as safe as she'd imagined before and she had no doubt that Dolor wouldn't like her surprise visit.

Maybe Rhys' name wasn't such a bad weapon to wield. She wasn't going to win an arm-wrestling match against a Nayanor warrior anyway, so Quinn armed herself with weapons that made sense to her.

Then she set off to find Cassie, feeling a bitter tinge of guilt that she hadn't sought her sister out before. Nayanors were proud creatures and she had no way of knowing if Cassie's fated had taken Rhys' humiliating punch well.

She'd just been so caught up with Rhys and the happiness that she hadn't expected to feel ever in her life.

She'll be fine, Quinn assured herself. And if she's not, I'll find a way to make it so. I'm coming, Cassie. It's all going to be okay. We're gonna make this cruel planet our own, you'll see.

* * *

Quinn had prepared for a lot of things.

She had the kind of analytical mind that naturally prepared for all kinds of scenarios even without fully realizing it. She'd had all sorts of speeches prepared, all the possibilities accounted for. From seeing Cassie all better and happy, to witnessing her being even worse and calling Rhys to intervene.

The one thing she'd never seen coming was what happened.

"Left," Quinn repeated, glaring at the woman who had been pointed out by another scared-looking girl.

The hall seemed to be filled with them. Quinn was harshly reminded that while she'd hit the theoretical jackpot with Rhys – not getting the worst of the kidnapping bastards – others weren't as lucky as her. Looking around from one grim face to the other, she realized she should have come to see Cassie much sooner.

"What do you mean they left?" she asked, her voice rising to a furious cry.

No one could leave Jos Gharo. Rhys had made it very clear to her. The long night was a vicious, brutal storm that no human could hope to survive. Quinn felt her blood running cold and hot at the same time. She didn't know whether she was angrier or more afraid. Dolor's fate was nothing to her, but Cassie...

She had left Cassie alone after promising to look after her. After sacrificing her own freedom to get to her sister.

All for what? A few good days spent in Rhys' arms? A warm bath, a soft bed and – admittedly – amazing sex? As good as all that was, Quinn didn't think it was worth Cassie's life.

"Where?" she demanded, not waiting for a response to the previous question, see the woman was clearly distressed by her mood. "When?"

"Not long ago," the woman explained. "The warrior spoke something to my fated about the Black Hall, new service. It seems all's not right with our harbinger."

Quinn gritted her teeth. She wanted to yell something about people being blind as bats, but she couldn't with a clear conscience. If she hadn't been a personal witness to the fact that Rhys wasn't the monster he was made out to be, would she have thought any different? And what right to choose did women on Luminos have, anyway?

"The Black Hall is too far," Quinn stated calmly. "They'll die. How did Dolor think they could go out so late before the storm?"

How could he think the Black Hall would open its gates in the storm for one man? Nayanors are practical to the boot. Gods, Cassie...

"The woman," Quinn pressed on. "With the warrior. His fated. How did she look? Was she hurt? Sad?"

"Yes," the woman admitted. "The warrior mentioned a ship or something, but my fated didn't agree that it would protect them. His fated was crying."

Quinn was shaking with rage. She had to stop them, had to stop Dolor before he could kill Cassie, for whatever reason he'd decided to risk their lives. Quinn left the woman behind and ran to her carrier, ignoring the looks she was getting.

This is my fault, she thought. I did all this. They all tried to warn me – Rhys, Cassie, everyone. And I didn't listen.

She drove through the fortress as fast as the carrier would go. Quinn didn't know if there were speed limits there – it was indoors, after all. If there were, she was surely breaking it. All she could focus on was getting to Cassie before they'd left. It couldn't have been that easy, after all. The Main Gate was...

Open.

The massive doors were still showing the flashing purple skies on the horizon, but this time it was hard for Quinn to appreciate their beauty. The black storm approaching was looming and dark, looking like the apocalypse had suddenly begun. It terrified her.

She couldn't imagine what Cassie had to feel, knowing what she undoubtedly knew by that point about the long night. After all, she had already survived one already.

Quinn looked for Rhys, but the harbinger was nowhere in the hall.

Outside, the weather that had looked merely ominous roared all of a sudden. Quinn watched in horror as a burst of wind knocked people off their feet and she finally understood why the gates were still wide open. Kol-Eresh's people had been coming in, but there were still some left. Quinn heard screaming outside and the bellowing of Rhys' warriors, telling them to move faster.

It was complete chaos.

She wanted to find Rhys, ask what he thought, ask him to help, but there was no time. Quinn stood up in her carrier, looking over the gathered people. The hall seemed to be filled with thousands of them. It was impossible to pick up her sister from that mass of bodies.

"Cassie!" she yelled. "CASSIE!"

She had no idea what she was hoping for. If they left so early, they would have already been gone. Possibly dead.

Then a miracle presented itself, but Quinn couldn't rejoice in it.

She saw her and in the next second, heard her sister's scream: "Quinn!"

It chilled her down to her very bones. That was her brave, bright little sister, the one who had risked her own life to save her from the raiders. Who had never been afraid of anything, no matter how dangerous the things were that she tried.

To hear that woman scream like that, with such hopelessness in her voice, it was unbearable for Quinn. Her mother's words rang in her ear as she turned the carrier in the direction of Cassie's sound, but it was too late.

For all of them.

Outside, the weather was howling like a wounded animal. The black clouds that had been on the horizon a second ago were now right at the door, it seemed.

To Quinn's eyes, it was like the darkness of the world – all of it – had gathered to bring down the Main Gate. The flashes of lightning that were the only things that pierced the horrible darkness looked like the cruel, mad eyes of a death god.

All words and screams got stuck in Quinn's throat as she looked at people fleeing deeper into the fortress as the darkness loomed. Like some enormous beast the size of half the planet, it tried to gobble up Jos Gharo.

Rhys' warriors were yelling, barking orders at people and slowly, very slowly the Main Gate began to close. Quinn shuddered from head to toe as the temperature began to drop, fast. So fast it knocked the breath out of her lungs.

"Quinn!"

Cassie's scream ripped her back into reality. Finally Quinn saw her, dragged into a small ship by Dolor. There was no question now whether her sister was fine or not and the only one that remained was whether Quinn had the guts to do what she'd come out to Luminos to do?

Dolor bodily threw Cassie into the ship, turning to look at Quinn. His dark, terrible eyes resembled the ones of the beast Quinn imagined the storm to be. She saw no reason there, only madness and fury and determination fitting a person who had nothing left to live for.

She kicked the carrier to life. Quinn rushed their way, hoping to ram the ship, push it off its course, maybe break something. Anything, as long as it gave the slow, slow Main Gate time to shut properly.

It was too late. Dolor had climbed into the small ship and it sped out of the fortress, sending people jumping away from its path. Incredulous, unbelieving looks followed the ship. The shock was so great some warriors tried to call after Dolor, forgetting how impossible it was for him to hear them.

Quinn felt tears running down her cheeks. She'd lost Cassie.

The Main Gate was almost shut. Her hands were shaking on the controls. Then Quinn lifted up the measly cover of the carrier and sped after them.

She knew it was madness. Much more so, it was practically a suicide attempt, but she couldn't just let Cassie die like that. The same hope burned in her heart. If she could just catch them, ram Dolor's ship. If they were still in the range of Jos Gharo, Rhys wouldn't just leave them there. He'd come after her, no matter what.

None of that helped. The storm hit her so hard Quinn thought she would die in the first few seconds.

She didn't. She definitely lived long enough to hear a voice over the small hovercarrier's comms.

Rhys, she thought, seeing nothing but pitch-black darkness ahead of her.

"QUINN!"