Several days after their last patrol in the human districts, Oraya and Raihn return there while Mische stays behind to work on a spell. They find the streets unusually quiet, kill only two drunk vampires preying on children, and realize their patrols may have frightened other predators away. With little else to do, Raihn suggests getting a drink at a human pub, but Oraya stops him at the door because she fears putting a vampire among defenseless humans. Raihn dismisses the danger, teases Oraya for worrying about his self-control, and unsettles her further when his closeness sparks attraction rather than fear.

Raihn drags Oraya inside anyway. In the crowded basement pub, Oraya is struck by how open, noisy, and vividly alive the humans are, especially compared to the restrained atmosphere of vampire spaces. She expects to be exposed or judged, but no one pays them special attention. Watching Raihn, Oraya realizes he can convincingly pass as human: he changes his posture, gait, and manner completely, and he shows no sign of losing control despite the press of human bodies and scent of blood.

As they drink, Raihn tells Oraya that he used to visit places like this when he was human and that he still comes because vampires exhaust him. When Oraya asks whether he misses humanity, Raihn admits that what he misses most is the sun. Their conversation turns to Mische, and Raihn sharply shuts down Oraya's implication that he Turned her, then later explains that Mische was the one who pushed them into entering the Kejari and that he would never have let her face it alone. He also admits he entered because other people depend on him and because a Turned Rishan from the slums had few other options.

Raihn then turns Oraya's curiosity back on her. He says he once wondered why a human would stay in the House of Night instead of fleeing to human lands, but now understands that Oraya does not see herself as human and considers the kingdom her home despite its cruelty. Oraya remembers Ilana once urging her to leave and choose another life, but she reaffirms that she wants to stay because the House of Night, however hostile, is where she belongs. Raihn acknowledges her resolve, even as he studies her more deeply than she likes.

Finally, Raihn presses on the question that has long bothered him: why Vincent, a ruthless king, would raise a human girl at all. Oraya insists Vincent is her father, while Raihn argues that Vincent's behavior makes no obvious sense and suggests there must be another reason. Their debate sharpens into a comparison between Vincent's bloody ascent and Raihn's own willingness to kill for duty, but Raihn ends by telling Oraya she is not stray and always knows where she is headed. Before Oraya can challenge what he means, a massive explosion rocks the floor and interrupts the moment.