The Rose that belonged to this new time-line had long magenta hair, which clashed with the white and red Head Apprentice robes. His face was unreadable, but that was normal for Rose. When Asa looked his own Rose and then this new Rose—it was a strange, unsettling sensation, like missing a step and falling down the stairs. The new Rose exchanged a look with Aunt Ariad, which Asa could only guess was about them—Asa and Rose—being in the wrong time-line. There was a long scientific name for every time-line, but for the sake of ease, PQ-9 had labeled this time-line as 003.

  The Rose from this time-line—Rose 003—strode to the bed where Asa’s Rose lay, the train of his robes flaring elegantly behind him. Rose 003’s face didn’t look terribly impressed as he examined the Rose on the bed. Asa felt the strange urge to defend his Rose—he was bloody because he had just fought in battle, he was thin because he had a lot of responsibility. Luna tried to make sure Rose ate, Asa was sure.

  Rose 003 turned to the monitor to navigate the screens, scanning through data that was being collected from Rose. That shit was private, not meant for just anyone with an agenda to rifle through and find out whatever they wanted.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Asa said, moving to block Rose 003’s view of the monitor.

  Rose 003 ignored him, which was annoyingly like his own Rose. “Do you know if he’ll wake soon?” Rose said to Aunt Ariad.

  “Yes, he’s healing well,” Aunt Ariadsaid, and then she appeared to check the time. “Now that you’re here, I need to go check on Galatea.”

  “She’s still with her visitor,” Rose said, flicking his hair over his shoulder.

  “With…?” Aunt Ariad said, raising her eyebrows.

  “Yes, him,” Rose said meaningfully.

  Asa narrowed his eyes. There was an odd vibration of familiarity with when he had wanted to see his mother in his own time-line, and she had also been with a visitor. Madame Katusha had used the same tone. Was Madame Katusha also in this time-line? If so, what would she be like? Perhaps his moth—no, perhaps Galatea was the Madame of the House here too.

  Aunt Ariad nodded and swept out of the room without a backward glance.

  Rose 003 turned to Rose, whose wound emanated a red demonic glow due to the healing magic of the wards. He pulled down Rose’s collar, but Asa reflexively grabbed Rose 003’s wrist. His skin was very warm—just like his Rose. “Stop,” Asa said firmly. “Don’t touch him.”

  Rose had always hated to be touched.

  Rose 003 apparently also didn’t like to be touched, at least by strangers, because he yanked his wrist away immediately.

  “And who are you?” Rose 003 said coolly.

  “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Asa said, just as coolly, just for the sake of argument. If this wasn’t Rose, he would finally let PQ-9 drink the blueberry soda he was always trying to steal, even if it would short him out.

  “I am the Head Apprentice of the Vermilion House,” Rose said, practically looming over Asa even though he was only slightly taller. “And you are a guest.”

  He said the last word like Asa was dirt underneath his dumb shiny boot.

  Asa laughed. “You don’t know who I am?”

  “Should I?” Rose 003 said, raising his eyebrows, which made look even more like his own Rose.

  Asa sucked in a breath, winded, as if Rose 003 had punched him in the stomach. “Asahel,” he said, his tone strident. “Asahel Rex.”

  Asa was four years old when he met Rose for the first time. He had been wandering the downtown area, trying to find his mother, when Rose had confronted him for being in his territory. At four years old, Asa had introduced himself just like that to Rose.

  Rose 003 activated his holo visor, presumably checking the databases for Asa’s name. He looked at Asa with cat-like skepticism. “You don’t exist here,” Rose 003 said, with the first sign of actual interest in Asa’s presence. “At least not in this galaxy.”

  Asa blinked rapidly in surprise. Here, too, he didn’t exist in this time-line? Asa didn’t think they had gone too far from their home time-line. Maybe this time-line’s version of him was in another galaxy, or maybe he didn’t have identification papers. Asa should be here somewhere.

  When Rose 003 started inspecting Rose’s contract tattoos, Asa said, hostile, “What are you looking for?”

  At this, Rose 003 smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile—it was full of arrogant amusement. “Oh, are you this me’s friend?” Rose 003 said.

  “We are not friends,” Asa said firmly. “But just because you two may be time-line doppelgangers, it doesn’t mean you get to do whatever you want to him.”

  “Oh, but doesn’t it?” Rose 003 said with wide green eyes, as if he was testing Asa.

  “No,” Rose grunted, who started shifting on the bed to try to sit up. “It really doesn’t.”

  “You just got stabbed,” Asa said, exasperated, and pushing Rose back down. His heart pounded with relief that Rose was awake, and it took all of his effort to make sure his relief didn’t show on his face. “You shouldn’t move.”

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  The demon hopped up onto the bed to sit on Rose’s chest.

  Rose 003 shrugged. “You’ve made quite a few contracts,” he observed.

  “I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” Rose said coolly. He started swing his legs over the side of the bed but couldn’t seem to dislodge the demon, who was casually licking his paw.

  PQ-9 walked around the outline of Rose’s body to climb onto his knee and yell at him from a raised platform.

  “Stop trying to get up,” Asa said, crossing his arms. “Weren’t you just stabbed, and then, when you didn’t say anything at all, you ended up collapsing on the street?”

  “We need to get back,” Rose said, completely ignoring what Asa had just said.

  Asa dug his hands into his hair and pulled a little in frustration. “Of course we need to get back,” he said. “But you should at least heal a little from your stab wound!”

  “Your friend is right,” Rose 003 said, smirking, his green eyes glittering. “After all, you also have the scent of a violated contract on you.”

  Asa froze in shock. “What,” he said.

  Rose sighed. “He’s fucking with you,” he said. “He just wants to get you to react because clearly he has his own agenda.” He glared at Rose 003.

  “What the fuck, Rose?” Asa demanded, refusing to fall for Rose’s dumb bullshit. “If he’s anything like you, he also doesn’t ever just outright lie.” Asa paused meaningfully to look at Rose 003. “Right?”

  “Right,” Rose 003 said brightly, his smirk growing wider.

  “Tell me he’s lying, Rose,” Asa said, his voice rising, turning back to his Rose. “Tell me you didn’t violate a contract.”

  Rose, tellingly, didn’t respond.

  “Fuck,” Asa said harshly. “So it wasn’t just Luna?”

  “I fucked up,” Rose said, his tone short. “Luna got involved. I told her not to.”

  “Luna tried to save you by going to Namah, didn’t she?” Asa said accusingly. “Was Sol trying to help Luna? What the hells was he thinking?”

  “They’re both fools,” Rose said, his tone cool, and then he tried to stand up even though he was still trapped by the demon and PQ-9. But all of the blood drained out of his face again, and he had to immediately sit back down. He tried to make it all look intentional, but he wasn’t fooling anyone.

  “How entertaining,” Rose 003 drawled. “You work for the Red Seal Syndicate, don’t you? I saw your contract tattoo.”

  “What of it?” Rose said gruffly.

  “I’m surprised you aren’t with the military with how many contracts you have,” Rose 003 said.

  “And you’re, what,” Rose said, looking Rose 003 up and down, derisively. “The Head Apprentice for the House?”

  “Got it in one,” Rose 003 agreed.

  Rose’s jaw tightened. “What do you want?” he said, the same question Asa had asked earlier.

  “Namah’s magic lingers on both of you,” Rose 003 said. “Why?”

  “Worried she’s going to come here?” Rose said, a little darkly.

  “The House is warded,” Rose 003 said, waving his hand dismissively. “But you can understand why I would rather her not come to this time-line at all.”

  “The sooner we leave, the less likely she’ll follow our trail here,” Rose said. “If she follows us at all.”

  Asa had a bad feeling that this was wishful thinking. He didn’t think that Namah would so easily forget Rose. It was rumored that Namah had eaten up all the time-line versions of herself for more power, that there was only Namah now, and that she was the strongest of all of the versions of herself. Asa didn’t know if it was true.

  “Who is the Head Apprentice in your time-line?” Rose 003 said.

  Asa’s Rose pointedly said nothing.

  “None of your business,” Asa said stubbornly.

  “Well, I don’t think it’s you,” Rose 003 said, pointedly flicking his gaze to Rose.

  “Got it in one,” Rose said mockingly.

  “Whoever your Head Apprentice is, they can ward you against Namah,” Rose 003 said, ignoring Rose.

  Asa scoffed. “There’s no way Jury could do that,” he said.

  Rose 003’s gaze sharpened. “Oh?” he said. “Jury is Head Apprentice in your time-line? I don’t believe it.”

  Asa sighed, aggravated. “Believe it or not,” he said. “It used to be me.”

  Rose 003 stared at him. Then he laughed so hard that he almost fell over. “No,” he said, wiping his face. “Who is it really?”

  “It was me!” Asa said indignantly. “Why are you laughing?”

  “You just look like an idiot,” Rose 003 said, still laughing a little. “Wow. The differences in time-lines really can be significant.”

  “You’re telling me,” Asa snapped. “Although you’re just as rude as Rose, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised.”

  “Well,” Rose 003 said, wiping his eyes. “When you return to your time-line, then who will be able to ward you against Namah?”

  “Asa can still do it,” Rose said with finality.

  Asa didn’t realize Rose still believed in him like that. But the truth was, he couldn’t do it—not with his power restricted the way it was.

  Rose 003 finally looked at Asa with more speculation, which made Asa shift with uneasiness. “You must be powerful,” he said calmly.

  Asa shrugged jerkily.

  “Truthfully,” Rose 003 said slowly, “it’s always good to have powerful allies.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Rose said, his face skeptical.

  “The military presence is growing stronger on the Station,” Rose 003 said. “Your time-line is very proximal to ours, which means we’re similar in current events. I wouldn’t mind having an ally that was also…skeptical of this development.”

  Asa snorted. “You won’t find it in him,” Asa said bitterly, jerking a thumb toward Rose. “He’ll only ally with anyone he thinks will benefit him. Even if they’re totally evil, like Namah.”

  Rose 003 looked at Rose with that same speculation. “Hm,” he said. “I suppose we’re not so different after all.”

  Asa ground his back teeth together with frustration.

  “I don’t support the military, Asa,” Rose said, finally starting to look a little less icy. “You know I think the military is trash.”

  “But you signed a contract with them anyway,” Asa said.

  Rose threw up his hands. “What was the alternative? I don’t even have the kind of power they want in their soldiers.”

  “Oh, that’s interesting,” Rose 003 said, raising his eyebrow. “You didn’t sign the military contract when it was offered, did you.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Asa said shortly.

  Asa hadn’t even signed a contract with the House, so he definitely hadn’t wanted to sign a contract with the military liaison. The House had also placed pressure on Asa to sign a military contract two years ago when he hadn’t wanted to sign one with them. They just wanted him under someone’s control after everything that happened. Well, if he had to leave the House and step down from the position of Head Apprentice in order to avoid that fate, and in order to protect his mother, then so be it. Rose had been—unhappy, to say the least.

  “You signed it, didn’t you,” Asa’s Rose said to Rose 003.

  “Of course I did,” Rose 003 said, as if it was obvious. “What was the alternative?”

  “Leaving the House,” Rose said, pointedly not looking at Asa. “Abandoning everyone who needs you.”

  “That’s not fucking fair, Rose,” Asa said, unable to help himself.

  Rose 003’s eyebrows started to rise into his hairline. “Why didn’t you become the Head Apprentice, if the position is open?”

  “He’s too old,” Asa said, probably taking too much satisfaction from saying it. “It’s too late for him.”

  “Ah,” Rose 003 said, and the sound held too much knowledge of Rose’s inner workings. “So you’ve been with the Red Seal Syndicate a very long time then.”

  Asa’s Rose didn’t respond.

  “Well,” Rose 003 said with an inscrutability that reminded Asa of when Rose was just about to try to clobber him on the chess board. “What if I could help you with the side effects of the violated contract?”