There was nothing like narrowly avoiding death or capture almost every night to get the blood pumping, and tonight was no exception.

     As I'd expected, our so-called stealth mission to break into an enemy base for intel went haywire early on. Two of the resident vigilantes—namely Grizzly and Machlia—intercepted us digging through their secret files and started immediately attacking us, which was honestly preferable to me. I'd been itching for a chance to punch someone all day.

While my partner-in-crime Stygian dodged Machlia's attempts to hit her with condescending laughter, I focused on putting Grizzly in the ICU. We had very similar strength-based powers, so it came down to a good old-fashioned brawl.

My favorite kind of party, I thought as I blocked a punch aimed at my face and countered with a left hook to the body.

Grizzly groaned as my fist connected, her face contorting with agony. She towered over me by half a foot, giving her a clear reach advantage. Close-quarters fighting was my best bet.

Without hesitation, I slammed a knee into my opponent's stomach and elbowed her in the face when she doubled over, shattering her visor-style mask.

That looks like it hurt, I thought with a smirk on my face. The area around Grizzly's eyes bled profusely as she discarded the remains of her visor and glared at me.

"Got something in your eye?" I asked with cruel mockery in my voice.

    She roared a battle cry, lifting me by the throat and throwing me into a wall. A grunt of pain escaped my mouth as my head bashed against the concrete. I fell with a groan.

    My vision blurred at the impact, but I managed to stand up and raised my hands in a defensive position just in time to block another punch aimed at my stomach.

Grizzly's next hit connected with the side of my face, and I staggered, then spat blood in her eye. She shrieked with surprise and disgust.

My foot connected with Grizzly's knee, making her go off-balance. I swept my opponent's legs, and she collapsed to the floor.

With a hoarse shout, I stomped down on her head before she could get up, knocking her out.

    Grinning with bloody lips and ignoring the bitter metallic taste in my mouth, I secured Grizzly with power-suppressing cuffs and left her limp on the floor. After she was down for the count, I took the opportunity to steal the vigilantes' files and download them onto my glove computer.

"Stygian!" I hollered, scanning the vigilante base for my partner. "Let's go!"

My shady companion appeared by my side instantly with the faint outline of a smile visible beneath her lower-face mask. She threw a knife at Machlia, who froze with shock as the blade embedded in his gut.

A moment later, a swirling mass of shadows swallowed both Stygian and me whole, and we arrived at the Scarlet Bunker within seconds. The massive underground fortress served as the primary base of operations for the Draco Unit, and for some of the team's members, it was also a permanent home.

    A towering hulk of a man spoke in a deep, bone-chilling voice from the darkness, making me flinch involuntarily. Spartan, the Draco Unit's second-in-command, stood there with a mechanical green glow emanating from his creepy bionic eyes. "Did you get the information I requested?"

    I nodded wordlessly, and Spartan flipped on a light switch, holding out his hand. He stood at six-foot-five, with a broad muscular build and long hair in dreads. His brown complexion was marred by multiple scars on his face and arms.

With a light scoff, I rolled my eyes at his phrasing. The boss's favored lieutenant didn't request anything. He demanded, and if Spartan didn't get what he wanted, heads were bound to roll.

    "Well? Hand it over already. I don't have all night," he snapped.

    It took all my willpower to bite back a sharp retort,  knowing he could neutralize my power and beat me bloody if he really wanted to. I took off my right-hand armored glove and placed it in his waiting palm.

    "All the information is there," I said, craning my neck to look him in the face since he stood a foot taller than me.

Spartan gave me a broad smile, showing his teeth. From him, that facial expression was a threat. "It better be. Get cleaned up, both of you. The boss will be here soon, and he has an important announcement to make. I don't want you looking like you crawled out of a trash disposal at the meeting, Tessa darling."

Stygian gently took my arm before I lost my temper and led me away. We put our suits away, then headed towards the showers. I exhaled slowly and allowed myself to breathe easier under her touch.

"Take some time to cool off," she told me softly. "Relax when you're in there. Don't let him frustrate you."

Again, I rolled my eyes. "Easy for you to say, Queen of Darkness. I don't think I've ever seen you get angry at anything."

Dahlia said nothing, her face expressionless.

As we headed into the showers, I let the droplets pound against my head. Even if I didn't want to admit it, she was right. The warm stream of water did help me relax as I washed my body and hair.

Feeling refreshed after about fifteen minutes in the shower, I dried myself with a towel and put clean clothes on. Dahlia did the same, curly black hair flowing past her shoulders. Her dark complexion glistened with residual drops of water, making her seem ethereal.

She's so gorgeous, I thought. I hope she knows how beautiful she really is. Damn it, why can't she just get over here and kiss me already?

We met each other's gazes, my blue eyes taking in the deep brown of her irises. It felt almost hypnotic.

"Like what you see?" She asked with a grin, putting a hand on her hip.

"I'm so gay," I muttered, heat rushing to my face.

Dahlia moved closer with three strides of her long legs, until we were almost pressed together.

She leaned down to murmur in my ear. "You're cute when you blush."

Before I could form a coherent response, somebody knocked on the door.

The sound shook me out of my lesbian stupor. Reluctantly, I turned away from Dahlia and groaned aloud. "What is it?"

"I really hate to interrupt whatever's going on in there, but it's almost time for the meeting," the team's telepath, Labyrinth, said from the other side of the door. "Just wanted to give you a heads-up."

Dahlia answered. "Thanks. We'll be there in a minute."

She glanced at me. I shrugged, and we left the showers together.

When we arrived in the meeting room, everyone else was already there. Spartan, Labyrinth, Miasma, and of course our boss, the draconian and immensely wealthy Lindwyrm.

Lindwyrm clasped his hands together with a grin. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I'll get right to the point: we're going on a company trip to Blackstone Bay, California!"

Despite my irritation lingering from earlier, there was a smile on my face too. I'd always wanted to travel out west and get away from the miserable weather of Ridgetop's autumn and winter months.

"When do we leave?" Miasma asked, her voice startling me. Red-haired and lean, she was the ghost among us. Miasma often disappeared into the background, rarely drawing attention to herself.

"Three days from today," Lindwyrm answered. "It's a six-hour flight from here on my private jet. We'll be staying with my oldest son, Rhys."

Before I could stop myself, the words tumbled out of my mouth from sheer surprise. "You have a son?! Who in their right mind had a kid with you, lizard lips?"

Dahlia covered her mouth to keep from laughing while the boss gave me an annoyed stare. Thankfully, he didn't look genuinely angry.

"For your information, Tessa, I have five wonderful children," he said dryly. "And all of my former lovers are lovely people as well. Now can we please focus on the matter at hand?"

    Embarrassed, I simply nodded.

    "Thank you. Now as I was saying, Rhys will provide accommodations for all of us. But remember, this isn't a vacation. We'll be there on business. I'll give you more intel soon, but for now, go ahead and pack what you need."

As we left the meeting room, Dahlia walked next to me, matching my pace even though her legs were longer.

She glanced over and smiled at me, and my brain nearly short-circuited from gay panic. It must have shown on my face, because she chuckled softly.

"So what are you planning on packing, sweetness?" Dahlia asked.

I ran through a list of everything I wanted to bring. "My headphones, phone charger, extra clothes, a few books, and my suit, obviously. Maybe the weapons Devon got me for my birthday. Oh, and a swimsuit in case we have time to go to the beach. That's pretty much it. How about you?"

"I bet you look good in a swimsuit," she said, making me blush again. "And I'm bringing mostly the same stuff you mentioned, except I'm taking my knives and bright pink handcuffs. They'll match your hair!"

I couldn't verbalize a response, and Dahlia laughed lightheartedly. "You're so easy to fluster, it's honestly adorable. Come on, let's get packed."

Without a word, I followed her into another room, wondering what was in store for us next.