If anyone had told Kay a week before that Adrian could make Talia seem like an infant and give Marcus a run for his money; she would have found it hard to believe. As is, there were many facets to the alfa alpha female that very few people got to see.

Without the stylish fancy dresses, exquisite shoes, and skillful makeup that made her look older than she was, Adrian didn't just appear different; she wasn't the same person. Dressed in fatigues and a black sports top with combat boots and her hair in a ponytail, she turned into a warrior with few equals.

Kay lay face down on the floor, trying to catch her breath, sweaty and tired, but her mentor looked like she had just stepped out of the shower. Barely breaking a sweat, in control, and intensely focused.

The skill she had gained in the short time since Marcus and Claudia saved her from Azera amounted to nothing against such knowledge, skill, control, and speed. Nor did it help her ego that Adrian held back, taking things slow and leaving her feeling totally outclassed and as inadequate as she had on the battlefield.

Was this beyond her skill set?

Unlike the motherly version, Adrian's patience had limitations, and she quickly got to her feet.

***

"Damn it, Kay! Why do you insist on hobbling yourself with boundaries which only exist in your mind?" Adrian snapped as Kay hit the floor again and groaned, looking hurt and defeated.

"This body you are in is not human and never was. Stop thinking like a damned mortal! Stop being afraid of getting hurt or that you will injure me! You cannot damage me, and pain is temporary!" she bit out, and for a second, she heard her father's harsh commands coming from her mouth. Frowning, she did not apologize.

"Stop seeing me as Adrian, your mother, or your friend. I am an enemy! Picture Azera, attack me, and stop playing at this; you can die if you don't get serious and quickly! Instinct won't ensure your survival," she almost shouted, and the impact of her words on the succubus reverberated through her insides.

***

Had it been instinct more than skill that saved her before? She would not be so lucky twice.

Adrian shoved her hard when she tried to rise, and the succubus surfaced, striking out with all the confusion, pain, fear, and anger living inside her.

Blood exploded from the werewolf's nose and mouth, and before she could regret her actions, Adrian's eyes glinted silver, not yellow, and Kay had to fight for her life.

This was not Adrian, but the wolf. No pity or recognition showed in those eyes, and the fight changed. With adrenaline spiking her veins and her fear genuine, she did not just go through the motions. Her instincts mixed with the knowledge drummed into her head and muscle memory. Despite putting up a good fight, she wasn't winning, but at least she wasn't being schooled like a child.

When she feared the werewolf would take her head off, the silver faded away, the alpha female backed off, and it was as if nothing happened.

Kay's legs gave out, and her mentor was only Adrian again, despite the mirth in her eyes and the tiniest nuance of guilt.

"Mother going all feral on you?" Claudia asked, laughter tainting her voice as she walked up to them, and she had no idea how long the woman watched them. She had been under too much pressure to notice anything else, which was not good.

"She did well."

Adrian's honest satisfaction surprised her when it wasn't her impression of their session.

"Despite her almost peeing in her pants?" Claudia needled with a touch of censure as she glanced at her mother.

"Kay needed a little incentive," Adrian said, sounding uneasy with her actions.

"I think she would do better with memory play."

Adrian considered the advice for a few moments. "She isn't a werewolf; do you think it would work?"

"Our bonds work on her, and our mind link works on her. Why would memory play not work?" Claudia asked, and Adrian frowned. "Did she not do something similar to you last night when she was upset?"

"Whatever it was happened because of her emotional state. It opened a door, and it was nothing like memory play. Some of those memories were so powerful I experienced them more than I saw them. Do you want to try doing it with her?"

Claudia's brow furrowed.

"No, I am not as good at it as you are and do not wish to show her something inadvertently that she doesn't want to know or see something I do not want to know. You already shared memories, and the link should be easy to establish."

Cool, calm, Claudia sounded just a little uneasy with what Kay might be privy to, and she agreed. She did not need to know what Marcus and Claudia did in bed, nor wanted to share the details of that extraordinary night.

Adrian nodded, offering her hand to help Kay, and she hesitated briefly before accepting the offer. The alpha female's smirk convinced her to take the offer and show she wasn't scared.

"Open your mind link to me," Adrian instructed as Claudia left, taking her stance, and Kay mirrored her. "I will move your body; absorb the flow of it, and you'll see what I see. My memories will show you what each motion is meant to do and its use.

"Do not fight me, tense, or block our link. Your photographic memory is sensory and physical; if you allow the connection, you may learn more in a few hours than someone else could in years."

***

As soon as the link was established, Kay needed to suppress the desire to tense up at what her mind viewed as an intrusion. The images flowed into her, but it wasn't like watching a movie as she saw through Adrian's mind's eye, lived feelings not her own, and sensed with senses that didn't belong to her. Terrifyingly and exhilaratingly, her gift made it more personal and inter-connective than it should have been.

The actual werewolf was like nothing she could have imagined. Yet, her body followed the movements and flow of her mentor's direction easily, and she could finally understand why her teacher experienced such exasperation with her. She was capable of so much more than she allowed herself to understand.

It took a massive effort to let go of her human notions of what her body could do and take. When Adrian finally let her go, Kay collapsed, unable to support herself, breathing hard, sweating profusely, and aching in every joint.

Adrian sat down wearily and panted with effort, drained and shaking from the strain of keeping them linked while Kay's mind spun with what she had seen, experienced, and learned.

"Claudia said you two might need a little help to return to your rooms," Marcella teased from the door, and they both glanced at her. "Next time, stop short of killing yourselves."

Marcella dangled a small bag of blood before Kay, who took it with no finesse, tore it into it without opening the seal and handed Adrian a bowl brimming with raw marinated steak.

"So why did your succubus not drain the life out of Adrian when she shared her life force with you?" Marcella asked curiously.

Kay emptied the bag and considered licking the inside clean as she glared at Marcella.

"She's mine," the succubus claimed succinctly. "I do not hurt what belongs to me."

The succubus never rose to the surface like that, but she was weak enough not to resist it. The wall of mirrors showed her that her eyes glowed the same eerie blue as the substance that turned her into a newborn, and the stern set of her face seemed scary, with her fangs out and her lips still bloody from her meal.

Since the night she allowed herself to awaken to what she was, the succubus had become stronger and more assertive. It wove itself into her until it became a part of her, and it no longer seemed like some piece of her was missing or detached.

"That would sound fiercer if you were not a puddle of jelly on the ground," Marcella ribbed, her expression wary and considering.

Kay laughed, and she was just herself again. Her eyes sparked briefly blue as if her succubus laughed too.

Marcella smirked, but her grin hid a deep pain and a dark longing. Perhaps for the daughter she had lost? Did her mother get that look when the thought of Daniella crossed her mind? The thought hurt.

I love the way they interact. Newest Version ©2014-2023 All rights reserved. If you find this on any other platform but Wattpad under @CSDreamer, please report it. No part of this book may be copied or reposted without the author's permission.