The next morning, Blakely and Ryat arrive at Blakely’s apartment, where a box awaits them, containing curtains Ryat ordered for her windows. He prompts her to pack a bag, and though he doesn’t acknowledge Blakely’s request that they sometimes stay at her apartment, Blakley is pleased that he offers even scant information about the Lords’ regulations; it is more than what Matt ever revealed to her. She dresses in a short skirt and laughs when Ryat tells her to change outfits, leading him to order her to bend over so they can have rough but mutually gratifying sex.

Ryat pulls jeans from Blakely’s drawers. She is surprised at his knowledge of her room, which leads him to recall exploring Blakely’s room with Gunner after returning an unconscious Blakely home following the first Ritual party. He found her birth control and confirmed she takes it correctly, which pleased him, as he does not wish to use condoms but neither wishes to get Blakely pregnant. In the narrative present, Ryat explains that he didn’t go through her possessions while she was absent but while she was unconscious. He reports that he also hid cameras in her apartment, which Blakely protests.