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"Nothing dangerous," Cade said, appearing from the direction of the kitchen with the easy confidence of a person who battled and won against magical forces. "Just the building's way of adjusting to new residents. It took about a week for it to stop rearranging my clothes when I first moved in."

"The inn rearranges clothes?" Aerin asked, genuinely curious about the domestic implications of living in a magically active building.

"Sorts them by color and fabric type," Lyra confirmed cheerfully. "Also occasionally moves books to different shelves based on what it thinks you should be reading. Very helpful, actually, once you get used to it."

They made their way upstairs to the Rose Room, which proved to be elegantly furnished with period antiques and windows that provided clear views toward both Hush Falls and the market district.

Aerin's detection device immediately began humming with activity, its needles tracking magical flows that painted a three-dimensional map of the inn's supernatural infrastructure.

"The resonance patterns are fascinating," she said, making notes about the harmonic frequencies she was detecting. "The inn itself is acting as a conductor between the two rune systems, amplifying and modulating their interaction."

"Is that dangerous?" Leo asked, positioning himself where he could monitor both Aerin and the magical readings she was collecting.

"Not dangerous, but significant. The building is essentially functioning as a magical instrument, and our presence here is affecting the music it's playing.

" Aerin adjusted her equipment settings, tracking energy flows that respond to their conversation.

"I think the inn is designed to facilitate founder bloodline interactions.

It's not just providing shelter—it's actively encouraging magical compatibility between residents. "

"Encouraging how?" Lyra asked, though something in her expression suggested she already had suspicions about the answer.

"By creating environmental conditions that enhance natural magical resonance between compatible individuals.

" Aerin's device painted a real-time map of energy exchanges that showed connections forming between all four of them, though the patterns between her and Leo glowed with particular intensity.

"Essentially, the inn is matchmaking on a supernatural level. "

Leo's expression grew thunderous. "You're saying the building is magically manipulating residents into forming romantic attachments?"

"I'm saying the building is designed to recognize and enhance natural compatibilities that already exist," Aerin corrected, though she couldn't help noting the way Leo's protective concern manifested as barely contained frustration.

"It's not creating attraction where none exists—it's just amplifying what's already there. "

The silence that followed was broken only by the inn's continued structural settling and the soft hum of Aerin's detection equipment. Finally, Cade cleared his throat with the diplomatic skill used to navigate supernatural relationship politics.

"We'll leave you to get settled," he said, taking Lyra's hand in a gesture that created a visible pulse of golden energy between them. "If you need anything, just ask the inn. It's usually quite accommodating to reasonable requests."

After they left, Leo remained in the doorway, his stance suggesting someone preparing for a difficult conversation. "Dr. Thorne—Aerin—we need to talk about professional boundaries and the implications of what you just discovered."

"What implications specifically?" Aerin asked, though she was increasingly aware of the energy exchange patterns her equipment was mapping between them.

"The implications of spending the next several weeks in close proximity while a magically active building tries to encourage romantic compatibility between us.

" Leo's voice carried the careful control of someone stating facts he'd rather not acknowledge.

"If the inn is designed to enhance natural attraction, we need to discuss how that affects our professional relationship. "

"It affects it by requiring us to be honest about what we're feeling instead of pretending magical compatibility doesn't exist," Aerin said, surprising herself with her directness.

"Captain Maddox—Leo—I dislike you, at the same time attracted to you.

That started before I knew anything about magical matchmaking or founder bloodlines.

My question is whether we can acknowledge that reality and still work together effectively. "

Leo's golden eyes blazed with what seemed to be relief or hunger or both. "And if we can't? If the attraction becomes too distracting or complicated?"

"Then we deal with it like adults instead of like teenagers pretending not to notice each other across a classroom.

" Aerin set down her detection device and turned to face him fully.

"I'm not asking for anything beyond honesty and respect.

But I'm also not going to pretend there's nothing between us when we both know there is. "

"There's definitely something between us," Leo admitted, his voice rougher than it had been moments before. "The question is what we do about it."

"Tonight? Nothing. Tonight we establish professional boundaries and figure out how to work together without the sexual tension making everything impossibly complicated.

" Aerin moved to unpack her research materials, using the mundane activity to diffuse some of the energy crackling between them.

"Tomorrow we start figuring out how to prevent a supernatural catastrophe while navigating whatever this is between us. "

Leo nodded, though he made no move to leave the doorway. "Aerin, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about this afternoon. About doubting your credentials and treating you like a security threat instead of a colleague."

"And I'm sorry about the magical chaos my research has caused. I know your job is to protect this community, and I've made that significantly more complicated."

"You've also potentially provided the key to protecting it permanently," Leo pointed out. "That's worth a little temporary chaos."

After he left, Aerin spent the next hour setting up her equipment and reviewing the data she'd collected about the betrayal sigil's activation.

But her concentration kept drifting to the conversation with Leo and the way her fae instincts had responded to his admission of attraction.

The inn's magical amplification might be enhancing their natural compatibility, but there was no denying that the foundation for that enhancement had existed since she first laid eyes on him.

Outside her window, she could see the soft glow of magical activity from both rune locations, their harmonic resonance creating patterns in the night air that looked like aurora borealis.

Whatever Mordaine had designed the betrayal sigil to accomplish, its activation had set forces in motion that would change everything about the supernatural balance in Mistwhisper Falls.

The question was whether those changes would prove to be salvation or destruction for the founder network—and whether she and Leo would be able to navigate their growing attraction without compromising their ability to prevent a cascade failure that could affect supernatural communities across the continent.

As she settled into bed in a room that hummed with ancient magic and contemporary possibilities, Aerin couldn't let go of the feeling that her fate had become inextricably tied to a lion shifter who challenged everything she thought she knew about professional detachment and emotional control.

The betrayal sigil pulsed gently in the distance, its light visible through her window like a beacon calling her toward a destiny she was only beginning to understand.