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The Florida Department of Law Enforcement had warrants on them for a whole list of crimes, including drugs and attempted murder. They’d been causing problems a couple towns over for months. Already, plenty of people in the area were calling the Light Phases heroes for stopping the bikers’ reign of terror.

Sullivan wasn’t exactly ready to throw them a parade.

Since he’d Phazed with Teja, of the Fire and Cold Houses, Sullivan was used to brawls and bloodshed. His in-laws were the Elemental equivalent of gangsters. In the Fire Kingdom, things burned and people got kidnapped with alarming regularity.

The shit he tolerated from the Fire Phases was because they were Fire Phases, though. He didn’t have to endure law-breaking from any of the rest of the Houses. Honestly, he didn’t even tolerate it from the Fire Phases. He locked them up, too. The Plexiglas cells of the Mayport jail were constantly filled with Elementals who’d pissed him off.

This morning, that was the entirety of the Light House.

Four pairs of black eyes fixed on Sullivan, as he meandered in to release them from their very justified confinement. There weren’t enough cells for all of them, so he’d doubled them up. Mannus and Daven were having a push-up contest in their cell on the far right. Julius was pacing around the middle one, while Rysimer was lying on the cot staring up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression on his face.

And in the cell on the left, Kahn sat on the floor. He was the only Light Phase not awake. Instead, his head was lulled to the side, resting against the bottom of the cot, his chest rising and falling in deep slumber.

Huh.

Sullivan wasn’t an expert of Elemental culture, but he was pretty sure the Light Phases weren’t supposed to sleep with other people in the room with them. They were paranoid assholes. But Kahn seemed peaceful, dozing beside Randa. She was asleep on the cot, locked in the cell with him.

Randa was not under arrest. Sullivan was protective of the girl. She worked for him. More importantly, he’d never known her to even raise her voice, let alone break the law. She’d done nothing wrong last night.

But Kahn had thrown a fit when Sullivan suggested Randa go home by herself and get some rest. Sullivan had seriously considered tasing the jackass to get him to shut up. Before he could, Randa had taken matters into her own hands.

“I’m too tired for this.” She’d announced in an irritated tone. “I’ll just stay here, too. Alright?” She’d glared over at Kahn, daring him to protest.

Kahn hadn’t verbally agreed. The surly jackass was incapable of agreeing with anyone. …But he had stopped complaining, which was answer enough.

Sullivan had shaken his head. “Randa, I’m not going to…”

“I’m not leaving the Light Phases here alone.” She’d interrupted and marched into Kahn’s cell. “And I’m not going to let them be railroaded into prison.” She’d climbed onto the cot.

“No one is railroading them anyplace. You know that’s not how I do things.”

“I do know that, yes. But I also work here and I know that the human legal system isn’t perfect. I need to watch out for the Light Phases. They’re my responsibility.” She’d daintily removed her shoes, aligning them under the bed.

She hadn’t seen the five Light Phases stare at her with varying degrees of surprise and affection. Sullivan saw them, though. And he knew right then their savage House had been tamed by the woman.

Kahn had cleared his throat. Last time Sullivan had observed them together, Kahn had been an asshole to Randa. He was an asshole to everyone. Whatever had happened between them recently, it had completely flipped the guy’s attitude towards her.

“Is this place safe for you, Randa?” He’d somehow made his voice gentle. It was a miracle his vocal chords hadn’t snapped from unexpected stress.

“Of course. We’re behind plastic. It’ll be fine.” She’d glanced his way. “Is it going to bother you, having me in this cell? I know Light Phases have a hard time resting, when other people are in the room. Sullivan has a cot in the back, where he sleeps sometimes. I could stay there…”

“No!” Kahn had interrupted, visibly cringing at the idea of her sleeping on Sullivan’s bed. “You stay right here with me.”

“Fine. We’ll just wait until morning and deal with whatever charges are pending against you.” She’d sent Sullivan a pointed look. “By the way, I’m taking a personal day tomorrow.”

“Understandable.” Sullivan had agreed sourly. “You’ll be busy pawning your jewelry to pay their bail.”

Randa had sighed like a martyr.

With her in the cell, Kahn had stopped throwing a tantrum about being arrested. He’d been docile as a lamb, allowing himself to be locked inside.

Sullivan had been instantly suspicious. “You sure about this, Randa?”

“It’s fine.” She’d pulled the blue police-department blanket up over her body and settled down to rest. “I doubt I’ll actually sleep, of course. But Kahn’s harmless.”

There had been some scoffing from the other Light Phases.

Kahn’s eyebrow had arched, but he didn’t argue with Randa’s assessment.