Insa and Tristan get into a massive fight that rattles the House and abruptly brings an end to their engagement.
The tension in the air makes everyone uncomfortable, most of all, Lucien, who is somehow caught in the middle of it.
Fortunately, Lucien has found a new friend in Tugs. The two of them find a lot of common ground, particularly when it
comes to their romantic escapades of days gone by. To seal their friendship, the two of them decide to head south to
Ryder's Casino, an active casino in Shaldani, to spend a few peaceful days away from their difficult lovers and demanding
positions in the tense Phoenix House.
The casino is everything Tugs and Lucien could have hoped for. There are games, drinks, and scantily clad women
everywhere, but the strange thing is that the two of them quickly grow bored. It seems that they both really do belong
to Lex and Tranns respectively. Things suddenly get interesting, however, when the casino manager invites them into
a back room, as though he had been expecting them. This room is filled with a strange array of creatures, many of whom
Tugs is able to identify as "old ones," really powerful and generally endangered races from throughout the galaxy.
A strange, complicated game begins. Both Tugs and Lucien are at a loss for how to play. In fact, they don't
even know the rules. Somehow, in all of the confusion, Lucien ends up winning the game. His prize, however, turns
out to be a beautiful young girl named Booth. Lucien and Tugs try to refuse her, but the manager insists. They
then attempt to take her out of the casino and let her go on her way, but Booth will have none of it. It seems she's
determined to become their slave, no matter what they say. In fact, she starts to cry when they tell her they don't
want her.
Left without much of an option, the boys bring Booth back to the House. Her presence causes great tension, especially
between Tugs and Lex. Adriana calls the boys in for a meeting to discuss her fate. Aden encourages them to sneak
her across the border and let her free, but Adriana is reluctant to allow it. In the end, it's decided that until the
boys find a solution, Tugs will train Booth in hologram technology and Lucien will teach her archery. This does not
help either of them in dealing with Tranns and Lex.
Booth, however, seems to have an agenda of her own. After failing to seduce first Lucien and then Tugs, she ends
up knocking the two of them unconscious with surprising force. The boys wake up bound and gagged in the back of a wagon,
being taken back to the casino where, Booth explains, they will be harvested for their body parts; Tugs for his tail and Lucien
for his purple eyes, which she believes make him a Niflheim.
Fortunately for the boys, Tranns and Lex catch sight of Booth fleeing the House and rush to the rescue. An incredible
fight ensues in which all parties are severely injured. Booth decides that Tugs and Lucien aren't worth the trouble
and she departs. The couples are both completely reassured and Aden leads a strike team assault on the casino, shutting
down the trafficking of the clientele of "old ones."
