Bryce skips the gym and pulls Hunt to the Meat Market because she refuses to rely only on the Reapers' claim that Emile is in the Bone Quarter. Using Danika's clue about weary souls finding relief, Bryce argues that the Meat Market could also fit, so she reveals that she has recruited Fury and Juniper to help search the enormous warehouses.

The four split up and sweep different sections of the market. Hunt notices how much attention Bryce draws and worries about the Viper Queen's territory, but the search turns up nothing. When they regroup, Bryce concludes that the lack of any trace of Emile makes the Bone Quarter theory stronger and gives them more reason to confront the Under-King once Jesiba's coins arrive.

On the way out, Hunt asks Fury why Juniper reacted so strongly to the Meat Market. Fury explains that Juniper's brother Julius was recruited into the Viper Queen's fighting circuit, became addicted to her venom, and was trapped in a contract he could not escape. He died in a fight, and the Viper Queen's men dumped his body at his family's door, which is why Juniper hates the place but still came to help Bryce search for a lost child.

Later, Bryce finally goes to the apartment gym, partly to train and partly to burn off the anxiety stirred up by seeing Danika in Declan's footage and by tomorrow's visit to the Under-King. Hunt joins her, tests his ability to dim his presence, and their flirting escalates when he sneaks up on her. Alone in the gym, they become intimate, and in the middle of it Bryce blurts out that she loves Hunt.

Hunt answers Bryce's confession by fully returning it, and afterward they talk in bed about what the words mean. Bryce admits she has never said "I love you" romantically before, while Hunt says he has been in love with her for a while. They decide not to hide the relationship, reject weaker labels like boyfriend or lover, and settle on calling each other mates despite the serious Fae meaning of the term, marking a decisive emotional commitment before the danger of the next day.