Juniper swung her hips around as she danced to the slower song. Her headphones she'd borrowed from Raph were on her ears, blocking everything around her.

Her mate spoke to her about their deal, her being more included and he promised to keep his end of the deal.

However, he was going to kill the three prisoners they still kept from the coven and he announced he wanted her to stay home for it.

Begrudgingly, she agreed. Because she was trying to learn to compromise.

Currently she stood at the counter looking over a map. While he was gone she'd gone through all of his paperwork he'd gathered on her- their- situation, all the people he'd had as interests.

After picking out certain profiles, she circled areas on the map that she knew the coven frequented. Some of the same places they'd followed her to and or attacked at.

Juniper hummed quietly, she was a sucker for some music from the 80s. Her father mentioned it was her mothers favorite music.

They brought a type of comfort to her she could never properly describe.

From the doorway, Raphael had been watching the woman.

Juniper's hair was pulled up messily, the coils falling in her face so she had to push them away every few minutes.

He inhaled her scent deeply, her ochre skin was blemish free. Her plush, pouty lips were pressed together before she'd mumbled the lyrics of what she was listening.

Raphael recognized the song, having remembered when it was popular a few decades ago.

Her gray eyes were sharp, focused on what she was doing.

Something shifted in his mind, his demon falling harder for the demoness. His priorities were shifting more and more day by day.

Everything was beginning to revolve around her. She was at the center of everything. All of his thoughts.

Loudly, he set his keys down on the counter so she'd see he was near.

Juniper jumped a little in surprise. Turning right into Raphael's chest, the man cupped her face.

His lips captured her own.

She grunted softly, eyes widening but promptly reaching to thread her fingers through his hair.

He grumbled a little, pushing her flush against the counter with his large body. Their tongues fought, lips bruising.

After several minutes, he let Juniper go. She gasped for breath while clutching his biceps. He rubbed her back gently.

"I want one of those whenever I get home," he husked as their faces were inches apart. Their noses brushed one another's.

He pulled away from a mildly stunned Juniper, looking at what she'd done while he was gone.

"O-Only if you deserve it," she managed to blurt out after a few seconds.

He nodded while narrowing his gaze at the map.

"Alright..." he trailed off distractedly. Leaning over the counter with either hand besides the map, Raphael spoke up with furrowed brows.

"What is this?"

Juniper ducked under his arms, sandwiching herself between her mate and the counter.

"I circled where they followed me to," she trailed her finger over the black circles. They traveled south along the coast until Juniper decided to go more sporadic in her locations.

"And these?" he pointed to the red circles.

"That's where I followed them to," there was many red circles around the middle area of the continent.

"They stayed here often?" Raphael was reaching for his phone quickly.

"Yes," she looked at him oddly over her shoulder. 

He was dialing Phoenix who answered, "We've got a problem."

Juniper furrowed her brow, pinching him repeatedly while he jolted away from her berating.

"Why don't you tell me before him huh?" she hissed in a whisper as he motioned towards the phone with an irritated look. She went to cut him off again but Juniper rose a sharp brow in disbelief as he covered her mouth with his hand.

Meeting her annoyed eyes while he once again gestured to the phone as if that explained it all.

He tried to continue speaking to Phoenix but winced when she pinched his nipple, "Baby-" he growled in annoyance as he tugged the phone away from his mouth.

"I'll tell you in a sec- ow!"

He captured both of her hands in his larger one, pinning them to her chest while glaring.

"Phoenix let The Court know the Order is teamed up with someone and it could be a problem-" he snarled into the phone. "I'll call you back."

As he hung up, they both glared at each other. "Was that necessary Juniper?"

"Yes. You were making a bad habit of telling your berserker buddies something important that I found before me! Pinching is your punishment," she huffed.

"Punishment?" he retorted quietly with a gruff tone to his voice.

Still in her own stubborn mind, she crossed her arms obliviously. Turning her back to him she picked her pen up to write on the map again, his arms caging her in against the counter.

"We could have a long conversation about punishments if you want, baby?" he husked into her ear.

Her eyes widened a little when he pushed his body flush against her own, his length too large to ignore against her back.

"I-I haven't done anything to be punished," Juniper stayed firm even if her insides were quaking at the change in his tone.

"We could think of something, yeah?" his hands splayed against her stomach, the other winding around her hips.

"Raphael," she whined as her eyes slid shut. "Tell me about the thing."

He grumbled quietly, snagging a blue marker and circling three of the five red areas that showed where the coven spent a lot of time.

"These are the Order of Elements territories, they're small but heavily guarded. If the coven spends time there then they're definitely associated."

He pressed light kisses over her neck and shoulder, he waited for her to react.

"Oh."

Raphael nipped at her collar, raising a brow at the small response.

Feeling his confusion she spoke up, "Well I could've told you they'd do that."

Her mate pulled away and crossed his arms, staring down at her.

"Neither of them have a history of associating with anyone outside of their respective groups."

Juniper hummed, trailing her hands up his strong chest. She watched the tension in his shoulders fall away.

"I think it's common sense, handsome," she tilted her head and her eyes dropped to the small smirk tugging at his lips.

"If I wanted to kill someone and was having difficulty, then found out you wanted to kill someone who was housing the person I want to kill- I'd shoot you a text or something for a deal."

Raphael conceded, knowing she was right.

"So what do you propose we do next then, since you have all the answers apparently," his low voice drawled as he brushed his hands up her shirt.

"Don't be jealous your mates smarter," she had a small quirk to her lips. "I would propose we stop letting them chase us and flip the script. Chase them for a little bit."

"They would need bait for that, I'm not willing to do that." His grip on her hips tightened.

"Send one of your dudes out and offer him a deal," she answered blandly. "Same offer the prison guys had. Proposition a way in, catch the son of a bitch and get answers. Or, you could even follow him and find out where they stow away without interrogating," Juniper shrugged.

Raphael absorbed the plan, Juniper was surprised to see a foreign smile tug at his lips. He lifted her up, sitting her on the counter.

Pinching her chin, he brushed his thumb over her plush bottom lip. "You always surprise me, hm little demon?"

Winding her arms around his neck, she had a smug look on her face.

"That's my job, isn't it?"

"Yeah," he purred. Tugging her closer, he captured her bottom lip with his teeth.

Just as she was about to reciprocate enthusiastically, he pulled away abruptly to grip her face. In one hand he held both cheeks, gripping them sternly.

"Look at me," his tone was suddenly serious. Her cloudy eyes flitted away from his lips up to his eyes. In that moment, she wasn't fierce Juniper with a hardened gaze - she was his little mate who stared up at him with doe eyes. Completely vulnerable just for him.

"I never want you following after these assholes again."

His mate opened her mouth to protest or get defensive over her actions months ago but he continued.

"We do not take risks. Not with you, I know I wasn't in the picture but that was stupid to follow their trail. We can't afford stupid." Their eyes stared into one another, the gaze never once breaking. He shook his head vehemently, "I can not lose you. It's not an option."

Her fingers splayed over the side of his face, brushing his dark hair out of his face while observing him with a foreign look in her eyes. It was a soft, gentle look. Brushing her thumb over his bottom lip.

"Nothing stupid, just for you handsome." Her lips tugged up in a small smile.

Nodding slowly, he was pleased with her response and allowed her to push up for a kiss. Their lips overlapped one another's slowly, both humming at the addictive taste. Raphael seemed to allow Juniper to guide their movements, cupping the back of her neck.

Juniper didn't waste the opportunity to control the kiss, grasping his face with both hands and sliding her tongue against his own.

Moaning quietly, Raphael gripped her thighs tight.

"You drive me insane," he husked as they parted for only a second. Both leaning back in to crash their lips together again.

She hummed in response and carded her manicured nails through his dark hair. At his roots, crimson red hair was growing out again like the day she met him.

"Keep thinking about your lips around my cock," Raphael panted.

She mewled quietly as he ground his erection against her thigh.

"Didn't get to the return the favor yet," the berserker mumbled.

Slowly, she pulled away with her eyes still shut. Both panted.

"I'm looking forward to when you do," she whispered while nudging her nose against his.

He glanced at his watch, cursing quietly.

"Are you're stupid friends coming over soon?" His mate asked while rubbing his shoulders.

"They're not stupid and they're certainly not my friends. The older demons always like to meet with me once a month, try to tell me what to do. It's a bunch of different species on the island. Honestly, I'm older than half of them," he grunted in annoyance. These old fucks got on his nerve.

"Why do you let them come?"

Raphael groaned in annoyance while he rest his face against Juniper's chest.

The large man shrugged pitifully, "Some of 'em knew my dad. Felt obligated to hear them out."

Juniper rubbed his back, "That's a little silly but I understand. You don't owe them anything alright?" She nipped at his ear.

"I know," he grunted. Raphael had no problem being rude to people, telling them to fuck off. It was a hobby of his actually.

However, his late father is a weakness of his, and if letting his annoying former friends come over to try and part advice onto him made the berserker feel better, then damnit leave him be.

"... I don't have to stick around right?" Juniper eyed him warily.

Raphael groaned once again, "Just stay for a little bit baby."

"Fine," she rolled her eyes. "Only because I hate old people and I want to prove a point."

"What point?"

"That old people need to be sent away," Juniper grumbled while grabbing an apple.

Raphael's face furrowed in thought, "Like... euthanizing...?"

"No!" she waved her arms. "Just... away! From me!"

Raphael shook his head with a smile threatening his lips, "What happens when we're old?"

"We'll be sent away to have gross elderly sex and wear ugly hats together," Juniper scoffed as if it was obvious.

The berserker was visibly taken aback by the answer, but visibly pleased nonetheless. "As long as we have hats and sex I guess we'll be fine."

"See, isn't it a good idea?"

~

This was a cute chapter :))