What happens next occurs in less than ten seconds, but my brain processes it in slow motion.
Kira's knife is suddenly in her hand—I didn't even see her draw it. The woman with the daggers lunges forward, and Kira sidesteps with inhuman grace, her blade flashing. A line of red appears on the woman's arm. The fighter comes from the left, and Kira drops low, sweeping his legs. He crashes into our kitchen table.
Vex doesn't move. Just watches with cold assessment.
"Bedroom, Renn!" Kira shouts. "Now!"
But I'm frozen. Watching my wife—my kind, gentle, herb-gathering wife—fight like she was born with a blade in her hand. She moves through the small space like water, like shadow, like something that shouldn't be possible.
The woman recovers, daggers out, and they clash in a flurry of strikes that I can barely follow. Metal rings against metal. Kira blocks, parries, counters—all while keeping herself between me and the attackers.
She's protecting me.
Even now, while fighting for her life, she's making sure I'm safe.
The fighter is back up, and now it's two-on-one. Kira is good—terrifyingly good—but they're trained too. They're working together, coordinating, trying to corner her.
Mochi squeaks desperately at me. Do something! Help her!
But what can I do? I'm not a fighter. I'm a delivery runner with a spirit hamster. I don't even own a weapon unless you count the kitchen knives, and those seem incredibly inadequate right now.
The woman's dagger cuts across Kira's shoulder. Blood blooms on her sleeve. Kira doesn't even flinch. She spins, drives her elbow into the woman's solar plexus, then kicks the fighter in the knee with a crack that makes me wince.
"You've gotten sloppy, Kira," Vex observes. "Three years of domestic life has dulled your edge."
"I'm doing fine," she grits out, blocking another strike.
"Are you? Because from where I'm standing, you're about to lose."
He's right. Kira is good, but she's outnumbered. And now I can see other figures on the stairs. The five Mochi warned about. They're coming up.
We're going to die here.
Both of us.
Unless I do something.
I look around frantically. What would help? What can I do? I'm not strong, I'm not trained, I'm not—
I'm fast.
I'm the fastest runner in three districts.
And I know this city better than anyone.
"Mochi," I whisper. "Can you create a distraction?"
He squeaks affirmatively, already understanding my plan.
"On three. One... two... three!"
Mochi suddenly glows as bright as he can—a flash of golden light that fills the entire room, blinding everyone for just a second. I grab Kira's hand and pull.
"Run!"
To her credit, she doesn't question. She just moves with me, following as I sprint for the window. It faces the alley behind our shop, and I've climbed out of it a dozen times when I locked myself out.
We're on the second floor. The drop is about twelve feet. Normally I'd think twice.
But these are not normal circumstances.
I jump.
Kira jumps with me.
We hit the ground hard. My ankle screams in protest, but adrenaline keeps me moving. Mochi is already ahead, lighting the way down the alley.
"This way!" I gasp. "I know where to go!"
Behind us, I hear shouting. Vex's voice calling orders. Footsteps on the stairs, in the shop, heading for the alley.
But this is my city. These are my streets.
And I'm the fastest runner in three districts.
I pull Kira through a maze of alleys that I've memorized over seven years of deliveries. Left at the baker's, right at the old fountain, through the gap in the wall that only locals know about. Behind us, the sounds of pursuit grow fainter.
Kira is keeping pace with me, which should be impossible because I'm literally the fastest runner in the city, but apparently assassins have good cardio. Her shoulder is still bleeding, leaving drops on the cobblestones.
"Where are we going?" she pants.
"Somewhere safe. I hope. Mochi, check if we lost them!"
He darts back the way we came, then returns squeaking: Three still following. Two streets back.
Not far enough.
I push harder, my lungs burning. Through Market Square, now mostly empty in the evening light. Past the temple—I briefly consider stopping for Sister Elena's help but dismiss it. Too dangerous. Past the courier dispatch where Torres has already closed up for the night.
Where can we go? Where can we hide?
The warehouse district. That creepy house I deliver to sometimes. The owner is weird but discreet, and he owes me a favor after I accidentally saw his illegal enchantment workshop.
"Almost there," I wheeze. "Just a bit further."
Kira stumbles. Her breathing is ragged, and not from exertion—from pain. The wound on her shoulder is worse than I thought.
"Renn, stop. I need to—"
"No stopping. Not yet."
We round the corner into the warehouse district. The house is near the river, isolated, surrounded by abandoned buildings. I practically fall against the door, pounding on it.
"Mr. Garrett! It's Renn! I need help!"
Silence.
Oh no. What if he's not home? What if—
The door cracks open. Garrett peers out, suspicious. He's a thin man in his fifties, with the kind of face that suggests he's seen some things.
"Delivery boy? What are you—" He sees Kira, sees the blood, sees my panicked expression. "Inside. Now."
He yanks us in and slams the door, throwing several bolts and muttering something that makes the frame glow with protective enchantments.
"You brought trouble to my door," he says flatly.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know where else to go. Someone's trying to kill us."
"I gathered that from the blood and the running." He looks at Kira. "You're Shadowstep."
She stiffens. "How do you know that?"
"I know things. It's why I live out here instead of somewhere people ask questions." He gestures to a chair. "Sit. Let me see that shoulder."
Kira sits, and I hover anxiously while Garrett examines her wound. Mochi climbs onto the back of her chair, glowing softly, providing light.
"Clean cut. Professional." Garrett pulls out a medical kit from seemingly nowhere. "Who's after you? Guild?"
"Yes," Kira admits.
"Figured. They don't like it when people retire." He starts cleaning the wound, and Kira grits her teeth but doesn't make a sound. "Why are they after the boy?"
"He's my husband."
Garrett pauses. Looks at me. Looks at her. "You married a civilian. Bold move. Stupid, but bold."
"I love him," she says simply.
Something warm blooms in my chest despite the terror of the situation.
"Well, you've made a mess of things," Garrett continues, bandaging efficiently. "The Guild doesn't forgive. They'll keep coming until you're both dead."
"I know."
"So what's your plan?"
Kira is quiet. Then she says, "I don't have one. I just... I needed to get Renn somewhere safe. I need to protect him."
"Kira," I say, finding my voice finally, "what is going on? What is the Guild? Why do they want you back?"
She won't meet my eyes. "Renn—"
"No. No more half-truths. No more 'security work' stories. I want the truth. All of it."
Garrett finishes the bandage and steps back. "I'll give you two some privacy. But you can't stay long. They'll check everywhere eventually." He disappears into another room, leaving us alone.
Mochi curls up on the table, giving us space but staying close enough to help if needed.
Kira takes a deep breath. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything. Start from the beginning."
So she does.
───
"I was born into the Shadowstep Clan," Kira begins. "It's not just a clan. It's a legacy of assassins going back centuries. Every child born into the Clan is tested at age six. If you show aptitude—if you're fast, quiet, smart enough—you're trained. If you don't..." She doesn't finish that sentence. "I showed aptitude.
"They took me from my family. I lived in the training compound from age six to sixteen. They taught us everything. How to kill silently. How to track targets. How to disappear. How to feel nothing." Her voice is hollow. "The best assassins feel nothing. Emotion makes you sloppy. Attachment makes you weak.
"I was very good at feeling nothing.
"At sixteen, I took my first contract. A corrupt merchant who was embezzling from the city. Clean kill. No witnesses. The Guild was impressed. Master Vex became my handler.
"For the next ten years, I did exactly what they told me. Twenty-four contracts. Twenty-four kills. I never missed. Never failed. I was their best operative."
She finally looks at me, and her eyes are haunted.
"I killed people, Renn. Not monsters. Not demons. People. Some deserved it. Some... I told myself they deserved it. The Guild said they were threats, and I believed them because it was easier than questioning."
My throat is tight. I want to say something, but I can't find words.
"Then three years ago, I took a contract. A woman. They said she was selling state secrets. I did my research—I always did research. But this time, something felt wrong. She had a family. A daughter. In my world, family made you a target, not a person.
"I completed the job. But afterward, I went back. I don't know why. I broke into her house. Found a letter on her desk. She'd been writing to her daughter, telling her how much she loved her. How proud she was. How she wished she could watch her grow up.
"The woman wasn't selling secrets. She was a whistleblower. She'd discovered corruption in the Noble District and was going to expose it. Someone paid the Guild to silence her.
"I killed an innocent woman because I didn't question my orders.
"That night, I decided I was done. I told Vex I wanted out. He laughed. Said no one leaves the Guild. That I belonged to them. That if I tried to run, they'd hunt me down and make an example.
"So I ran anyway. Changed my name. Came to this city. Started over as an herbalist—I'd always been good with plants. The Clan teaches that too, for poisons.
"I thought I could disappear. Thought I could leave it all behind.
"Then one night, I was bleeding in an alley, and this idiot delivery boy with a glowing hamster found me." She smiles slightly. "You offered me a meat bun. Who offers a bleeding stranger a meat bun?"
"It seemed like the right thing to do," I say quietly.
"You were the first person in seventeen years who treated me like I was worth saving." Her voice cracks. "You were kind. You were genuine. You saw me—not the assassin, not the weapon, just... me. And I fell in love with you.
"I thought maybe I could have this. Could have you. Could build a life that wasn't soaked in blood.
"But the Guild found me. Six months ago, they sent someone. I killed him. Quietly. You never knew. Then they sent another. And another. Each time, I handled it. I kept you safe.
"But now Vex is here personally. He's not going to stop. He'll keep coming until he gets me back or we're both dead."
She's crying now. Silent tears running down her face. "I'm sorry, Renn. I'm so sorry. I should have told you. Should have left before I put you in danger. But I was selfish. I wanted this life with you more than I wanted to keep you safe."
I sit there, processing. My wife is an assassin. Has killed twenty-four people. The Guild wants her back. We're being hunted.
Everything I thought I knew about her is a lie.
Except...
Except it's not, is it?
She still makes the best meat pies in three provinces. She still laughs at my terrible jokes. She still holds me when I have nightmares. She still looks at me like I'm the most important thing in her world.
The person I fell in love with is still here. She's just... more complicated than I knew.
"Kira," I say carefully, "I have one question."
She looks at me, waiting for judgment. For rejection. For me to tell her I can't do this.
"Do you love me?"
She blinks. "What?"
"Do you love me? Actually love me? Not as cover, not as convenience. Do you love me?"
"Of course I love you," she says fiercely. "You're the only real thing in my life. The only person who ever saw me as human. I love you more than anything."
"Then we'll figure this out."
"Renn, you don't understand. The Guild won't stop. They'll keep coming. Your life will never be safe as long as you're with me."
"So we make it safe."
"How?"
"I don't know yet. But we will. Together." I take her hands. They're calloused from years of blade work. Stained with blood I'm trying not to think about. "You said you killed twenty-four people. That you did terrible things. And yeah, that's... that's a lot to process. I'm not going to lie and say I'm okay with it.
"But I also know you. I know you make healing salves for free when people can't afford them. I know you stay up late helping the neighborhood kids with their homework. I know you cry during sad parts of books and you feed the stray cats even though you claim to hate cats.
"You're not just an assassin, Kira. You're also my wife. And I choose to believe the person you are now is more important than the person you were forced to be."
She's staring at me like I've grown a second head. "You... you're not leaving?"
"Are you kidding? We're married. For better or worse, remember? This is definitely worse, but I'm not going anywhere."
"Renn, they want to kill you."
"Then we won't let them. We'll fight back."
"You're a delivery runner with a spirit hamster."
"I'm a delivery runner with a spirit hamster who knows every street in this city and has friends everywhere," I correct. "And you're an incredibly skilled assassin who apparently can do things with a knife that shouldn't be physically possible. We make a good team."
Mochi squeaks in agreement.
"This is insane," Kira says.
"Probably. But I'd rather die fighting for us than live safe without you."
She pulls me into a fierce hug, and I hold her tight. She smells like herbs and blood and home.
"I don't deserve you," she whispers.
"Shut up. Yes, you do."
Garrett clears his throat from the doorway. "Very touching. But we have a problem."
"What?"
"They're outside. Surrounding the building. We have maybe five minutes before they breach my wards."
My heart sinks. "How many?"
"All of them. Vex brought his entire strike team." Garrett looks grim. "Twelve trained assassins. Against the three of us and a hamster."
"Hey," I protest. "Mochi is very capable."
Mochi puffs up proudly.
"The point is," Garrett continues, "we're severely outmatched. They will get in. And when they do, we all die."
Kira stands, wincing at her injured shoulder. "Then I'll go out there. Surrender. They want me, not you two."
"No," I say immediately.
"Renn—"
"No! I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself. We're not doing the noble surrender thing. We're doing the clever escape thing."
"There is no escape. They have the building surrounded."
"Then we make one." I turn to Garrett. "You said you have an illegal enchantment workshop. What exactly do you have down there?"
He eyes me warily. "Why?"
"Because I have an idea. It's probably stupid and will definitely get us killed. But it's better than just giving up."
Kira looks at me. Really looks at me. Then a slow smile spreads across her face. "You're planning something devious."
"I've been married to an assassin for three years. I had to pick up some skills."
"This is a terrible idea," Garrett says.
"Do you have a better one?"
"...No."
"Then let's hear it," Kira says. "What's your plan, husband?"
I grin, adrenaline and terror and love making me slightly manic. "We're going to do what I do best. We're going to run. But first, we're going to make sure they can't follow."
Mochi squeaks excitedly. Finally, something he's good at.
"Everyone," I announce, "gather round. Here's what we're going to do..."