It wasn't until their mouths touched that Kay fully understood how much she missed him. Not with the insatiable need of her succubus for his body or the magnetic pull of the vampire inside her, but with the undeniable desire of a woman for the man she loved with all of her heart, mind, and body.

They were connected on so many levels that the world beyond them ceased to exist and shrunk to just them. Neither of them held back, and everything was different.

Their first time was magical, but this exceeded everything she ever dreamed of or imagined, both overwhelming and exactly what she needed.

Her succubus took shamelessly what she craved. This was so much more than the friction of their bodies and the satiating of their physical love. His kisses set her on fire as her hands roamed his muscled torso and tangled in his hair while her mouth greedily kissed and nipped at every inch of skin she could reach.

He subtly guided their bodies toward ecstasy, which was far removed from their first night when he was so much in control of her. She could take back that power from him, as he could do to her, but at that moment, she found his gentle dominance captivating.

How was it that she did not know love was so powerful?

Marcus worked his way from her mouth to her breasts, down the curves and angles of her rib cage to her navel, and Kay groaned, discovering the connection between her belly button and her core as desire speared through her.

A needy sound escaped her, and he chuckled, skillfully continuing to play her body like a well-made instrument and drawing incoherent sounds from her as he teased her.

They had waited for this too long for her to tolerate his torment for much longer, and sensing that, he gave her what she needed.

As their bodies joined, he let go of his control, and together they crashed over the brink into rapture so intense her succubus took her over completely.

***

Her eyes were half open and so blue it was entrancing, their breathing labored, and he could not look away from what he saw there.

Their worlds were complete. Perfect. They were whole, and even if they were human with no bond and no inhuman attraction, he would never be able to live without her.

Leaning forward, he kissed her gently, but their lips clung together like their souls touched and melted into one.

A loud banging against the door startled them both, and he already knew who was at the door, and so did she. She raised her brow, and he smirked. Their guest would not intrude unless it was urgent.

"Sorry guys, I know you just had an out-of-body experience, and moving now is fucking cruel, but our masters call. Cat has located five of Thane's seedlings, and you must be on the roof in full combat gear in twenty minutes to take control of your teams. Just enough time for a shower and no funny business," Claudia teased from the other side of the door, and Marcus lowered his head until his forehead touched Kay's.

They stared at each other and grinned.

"That's plenty of time for a shower, combat uniforms, and funny business," Kay said with a suggestive smile, and if he wasn't already in love with her, that would have done it.

***

Claudia was not jealous or angry. In fact, strange as it seemed, she was happy for them. It didn't mean there would never be friction or that things would never become complicated. They understood, respected, and loved each other, each in their own way.

Even when shielding their thoughts and emotions, their feelings were too powerful to contain entirely, and the memory of a love like theirs, hurt. What she would not give to have that and actually experience the completion of that bond.

***

Marcus and Kay reached the roof a couple of minutes late, and the others smirked openly. Kay's face heated slightly, and as neither she nor Marcus could contain the shit-eating grin on their faces, neither did she regret any of this. Not this bond or family or the lack of privacy, and some days it might be a little much, but not today.

The second Claudia handed them their guns, her eyes openly laughing at them, they started to sober.

Like everybody else, they were all business when they got on the helicopter.

"I am in charge since Marcus was otherwise occupied. Thane, Akira, and Darius have more pressing concerns as they are rewriting the accords to restructure the underworld," she announced, and they glanced at each other.

"Artemis, Clio, Hera, and Ananke asked to be divided into your teams. Talia is at the mansion, seeing to Marcus' business."

"Marcella and Adrian are running the pack while Father and I are absent, but Darcy has asked to join my team. It will be a two-hour flight, and we have many things to discuss. The locations must be hit simultaneously, and Cat will run the ops center for us. Any questions?"

"If we rescue these five, will the other three be safe? Won't those who own them kill them?" Kay asked.

"It is a risk we need to take," Marcus said.

***

Kay jumped the seven feet the helicopter hovered above the ground, with Artemis behind her and Hera at her heels. These two seemed to gravitate toward each other, and as much as they still intimidated her, she didn't allow them to see it.

"We are on the ground," she said into her throat mike as the last five team members hit the ground running. They had a tree minute window to get under cover of the trees with a two-mile hike that should be completed in under seven minutes to reach the compound.

She wasn't very fond of helicopters after that day in the forest, but they were a part of her life, and she had to conquer that fear as she did every other.

The way Artemis and Hera gripped those guns told her they may not know what Netflix was, but they were familiar with weapons.

"Move," she shouted, and it was so odd to be in control of this mission when she had been nothing more than a toy a few years earlier. That Kay could never imagine herself comfortable in a leadership position.

"Yes, mam," Artemis teased, and it wasn't something she expected, but there was no time to think, not if they wanted to complete this mission.

They reached the trees in moments, and she had to restrain herself not to outpace the rest of the team. It bothered her that Artemis and Hera were almost as powerful as Thane, yet they were so used to obeying orders they were comfortable under her command.

The team reached the edge of the forest, the razor wire reached for the sky ahead of them that would give them access to the compound, and she held her fist in the air to stop them and take stock of the situation first.

"Why is everything so quiet? Why did we not run into anybody yet?" she asked quietly of Roshas, one of Marcus' vampire commanders, even though he was almost ten feet from her.

"I was wondering the same thing, Your Highness," he said, and she almost frowned at him for calling her that. But then she remembered that being Darius' "adopted" daughter also gave her access to the title, not only because she was Thane's daughter. It was something she would need to get used to, especially since he all but officially acknowledged her.

"Team Delta, are you in position?" Claudia asked over the comms, and Kay frowned. In her mind, flashes of that forest mixed with a nagging feeling that something wasn't right.

"Listen to your gut, Kay. If you think this is a trap, say so," Hera said close to her.

"Don't doubt your instincts," Artemis agreed, and advice from these two ancients was the last thing she expected. They were still mostly a little aloof and wary.

"Kay? Acknowledge," Claudia insisted.

"Delta team in position and moving forward on your mark," she said, taking a deep breath.

"There are about twenty heat signatures in the compound, concentrated in one area. Delta team confirm?" Cat said.

"Acknowledged, Delta team confirm," she said, glancing at Roshas, and a frown tugged at his brow.

"That is strange," Artemis said, and Hera nodded.

"Move out," Kay commanded with a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach.

This doesn't seem right. 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.