Rune showed up at Club Element and was stopped by the guard before he could even open the door. He was not expecting to encounter any difficulties since it was in the middle of the day.

“We're closed for a private event; come back later,” the guard standing in front of the closed club told him.

“I need to speak to your boss,” Rune said, ignoring the man's words.

“I don't care who you want to speak to,” the guard snapped, pushing Rune away from him.

Rune growled and grabbed the man's hand, ready to twist and break it at the wrist, but stopped when he heard a commanding voice behind him.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

In the corridors, loud, heavy footsteps pounded like war drums as he sprinted toward the Flame Heart Chamber. His foot halted when the lights went out, and Solara was cut off.

"Solara, what the fuck is going on?" Rheon, the captain of the Emberion, barked into his wispcomm attached to the back of his ear. Just as Kean, his science officer, responded.

"Captain, the intruder hacked into Solara, shutting her and a few of the deck operations. But we have everything under control. What is the status, Captain?"

"I'm almost to the chamber," Rheon told him. "Seal the hangers. Lock him in."

"Roger that, Captain," Vellan said.

Instead of heading to the chamber, Rheon reversed course and headed for the nearest shuttle port, not forgetting to issue a few orders. He had been on the bridge when the alarm went off and had trusted Vellan to take care of the trouble, but he couldn't sit still.

Because of the toxic quadrant, they never had intruders onboard, so he was surprised but not worried and knew his people could take care of things. But when one minute became too long for his liking, Rheon handed the command over to his second, Kean, and headed to Flame Heart Chamber. He could feel that something was wrong. As the leader of his kin, he had a closer connection to the eternal flame than the rest.

“As wonderful as this lunch was, I can’t help but wonder why you wanted to meet with me,” Spencer asked.

Instead of answering Spencer, Keahi brought up the screen with a picture of Douglas Croft. He also wasn’t worried about showing or talking about something so sensitive. They were in a private room, and anything they discussed could not be heard.

“Who’s this?” Spencer said, leaning forward to study the face on the screen.

Keahi studied the other man’s face, watching for a reaction, and was disappointed when he showed no recognition, but he still had to go through with his questions. “Are you saying that you don’t know who this man is?”

Spencer shook his head and leaned back in his seat. “I’ve never seen this guy before in all my life.”

Rune brought up the screen, sifting through the information they’d been able to uncover since arriving back at the police station. Douglas Craft had led a very colorful life. Rune would have called it a coincidence that he was trying to find the killer of the guy who harassed him some nights ago. Craft had been in and out of juvenile detention centers for petty crimes from a young age until he got older and things got more serious. He went to jail at sixteen for accessory to murder, but he was released early after they found out he wasn't at the crime scene. But that was the only incident in his life where he was innocent. Two years later, he would be arrested for kidnapping and larceny and was locked up for six years. When Craft got out, he stayed out of trouble, or so people thought, since he ended up dead. He was working for a construction company that coincidentally was building a new Elemental club owned by Keahi Covington.

The officer hadn’t spoken and was simply staring at him. Rune huffed, rolling his eyes, then looked down at the officer’s name tag. 

“Officer Smith,” Rune called out the man’s name, adding some force to his tone. “Where is your captain?”

“I’m right behind you,” a gruff and sultry voice said in his ear.

“Captain, sir,” Officer Smith stuttered, coming out of his daze. “Mister Kristoph is here.”

“No, really?” Captain Kwon Jackson said sarcastically, making poor Smith blush in embarrassment. “Go do something with yourself, and for god’s sake, stay out of trouble. Rune, come with me.”

Kwon Jackson walked away, and Rune looked back at the officer, who seemed hurt by the captain’s dismissal, but he shouldn’t have. Kwon might seem gruff on the outside, but the big man was a teddy bear on the inside. Plus, he was serious when it came to work.

502,024 AD

On board the Emberion, or the Flame, as it was affectionately called by its crew, a figure dressed in black from head to toe moved stealthily through the halls. His back pressed against the wall, feeling the ancient runes gliding over his clothed skin, praying to all the ancestors he didn't get caught before the job was done.

“For fuck’s sake, Des, just ask my brother out already. I can’t understand what the hell is holding you back.”

“And as I told you, once Pierce recognizes our connection, I’ll take things to the next level,” Destin said. 

“You realize Pierce will continue to be bratty and play you until you put your foot down. He’s already recognized your connection.” Keahi tilted his head and stared at his best friend. “Or could it be that you’re the one that’s scared to take things further?”

Rune had to say it was nice to have someone to welcome him home, breaking the silence of loneliness. If only he could find a lover who wasn’t a machine that knew everything about him without him even saying a word.

Rune dropped his bag by the side of the door and took off his jacket. The smart butler set the temperature in his apartment, and it was automatically adjusted to his comfort.

“Rodney, order me some food.”

“Is there anything in particular you want, Rune?”

“No, surprise me,” he answered.

“As you wish.”

He walked into his bedroom and stripped, heading to the bathroom to wash away the day’s grime. He would have gone for a bath but was hungry. After skipping breakfast, thanks to the damn lion shifter, he’s also missed out on lunch because of a faculty meeting. Rune exited the bathroom wrapped in his fluffy white bathrobe, feeling much more refreshed. He entered the walk-in closet, opened the small fridge, and took out a bag of blood. He set it on the warmer while he got dressed.

Keahi and his brothers had assembled a network of supernaturals who could not protect themselves. The world was not as doom and gloomy as it was in the early years up to the late 2000s, when people like his parents were hunted down for what they were. Keahi wasn’t sure if it was a fortune or misfortune that the history of the existence of supernatural beings was lost and everyone lived in harmony. Keahi and his brothers were not relaxing their vigilance. His family’s life was better, and Keahi and his brothers wanted to keep it that way.

Keahi couldn't respond to his question.

"Grandstanding?" the vampire said. "Now, excuse me, my parents taught me not to talk to strangers, and I've spent more than enough time talking to you."

Keahi huffed and shook his head; the man was gorgeous but rude, yet he wanted to talk with him more.

"Professor Kristoph."

Keahi looked away from the other man and turned to his little brother, Sky when he walked up next to him.

It all begins with an idea.

Keahi Covington stepped out onto the balcony of his second-floor office at Club Elemental Inferno, leaning against the stone pillar and surveying the large crowd gathered below. He watched as scantily-clad men and women drank, laughed, and danced erotically against each other. The middle floors of the club offered private, soundproof rooms, where guests could enjoy a five-diamond meal as they observed the entertainment below.

On the other side of Elemental Inferno, Keahi's hotel catered to exclusive VIP guests with unique and daring BDSM preferences. With every room requiring two months of advanced booking to ensure all requests and arrangements could be made to perfection, moments like these brought a smile to Keahi's face. His businesses were thriving, and in his mind, he was the king of kink and indulgence. When Keahi first proposed the idea of running Elemental Inferno, his brothers were skeptical. He wanted a retro design with less high technology, with the focus being on entertainment. But he was glad his brothers trusted his vision and joined forces with him, becoming his silent partners and helping manage the three additional Elemental clubs. Keahi took charge of the daily operations, creating something remarkable together.

Rune Kristoph exited the club with a husky growl, his frustration palpable. He was desperate to find someone to satisfy his craving, though he knew he shouldn't have let Fabian persuade him to go out when he had so much work to do. He hadn't ventured into the BDSM scene in years, and he almost forgot the intense pleasure of being spanked and then thoroughly pleasured. His com-bracelet vibrated on his wrist, and when he answered it, he scowled to see Fabian's face.

"Where the fuck are you?"

Rune growled. "Fuck you, Fabian!"

The following morning, Rune walked into his classroom, and the noisy chatter was hushed down when he reached the podium. Rune removed his jacket but not his scarf and dropped it on the small desk beside the stand. The weather in Willow Park Valley was not freezing cold, but even when it was scorching hot, Rune found he needed to wear a jacket to quell the chill that often seeped into his bones.

Rune rolled up his shirt sleeves, then brushed a hand over the control panel, and the projector came down, with a picture of Billy the Kid appearing on the screen.