~Raven
The guard rotation was done. Efficient. But I had another agenda.I trailed the hallway with a hunter’s silence, my eyes scanning each door, guessing which one she might be behind.Rosy.Could’ve been Freya. Didn’t matter. But fuck, I hoped it was Rosy.I paused at the third door. A slight crack in the frame, enough to see a pale pink panty tossed carelessly on the bed.Empty room otherwise. But a woman had been here. The pant was an evidence.I pushed the door open without a sound. That’s when I heard it, the soft hiss of water running behind the bathroom door.Then something else.A breath. A moan. Muffled but unmistakable.I crept closer, inch by inch, until I reached the bathroom and twisted the knob just enough to let it open.Steam curled into the air, but I saw her clearly.Rosy.Her back arched against the tiles, eyes half-closed in blissful~ReidI sighed the second Elena disappeared from view. Her footsteps faded. I wasn’t sure if I should feel thankful she saved my damn ass or pissed she didn’t just let me bleed out with the rest of my family.Mercy from someone like her always came with a leash.The mug in my hand felt heavier than it should’ve. I set it down on the counter, jaw tight.Behind me, Lucia hadn’t moved.“You alright?” she asked.I glanced at her. “That depends on your definition of alright.”She gave a faint huff of amusement, something like a half-smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “That’s fair.”She stepped closer, her arms folded loosely, eyes flicking to where Zoey had vanished. “She always walks into a room like she owns it, doesn’t she?”“She does,” I muttered.Lucia chuckled. “You don’t like her?”“I don’t like debts,” I said. “Especially ones I didn’t ask for.”Her expression softened. “She saved your daughter too, right?”I didn’t answer.She didn’t push.Instead, she leaned back against
~ReidI could’ve sent someone to get the damn water. I had Thorne's men here around for that, runners, servants, people who would heed my command at the snap of my finger.But something in me wanted to move. Breathe. Feel the quiet of the house for once.My steps echoed faintly against the marble, and walked slower than usual. Tired, maybe. Or just… unsettled.I didn’t hear anything.But I felt it.That shift in the air, sharp, wrong, like a string pulled too tight. My instinct prickled against the back of my neck. A breath too silent. A shadow that shouldn’t be there.Still, I kept walking. I was too tired to heed to the warning.I reached for the glass.And in a blink she was there.Elena.No, Zoey.Her body was behind mine, pressed close, and fast, too fast. Her left arm snaked around my neck, not choking but close. The blade in her right hand pressed against the edge of my throat, cold and teasing.I didn’t flinch.Her breath hit my ear."Elena... Or should I say Zoey?” I mutter
~RavenPacing was pointless. But standing still made it worse.I ran a hand through my hair for the third time, fingers clenching into a fist halfway through before I dropped my arm and forced myself not to hurl the phone across the room.No answer.Again.“Katherine,” I muttered under my breath, teeth grinding. “What the fuck are you doing?”Rosy watched me from the corner of the room, leaning against the windowsill with her arms crossed, silent, cautious. She knew better than to speak when I was in this kind of mood. She also knew I wouldn't be asking rhetorical questions for long.I turned to her, jaw tight. “Have you heard from Lucien? Freya? Even Lorenzo?”She shook her head. “All quiet. For the last hour.”I let out a low curse and checked the time again. My boots echoed sharply across the floor as I resumed pacing.They knew the plan.They knew exactly how critical tonight was.In an hour or two, I’d be walking into Luna’s building. I was going in alone.But that wasn’t the p
~KatherineLucien stepped forward, the dark look in his eyes making my whole body clench in anticipation. Freya was still beside me, her breath warm against my skin, her face shining with my release.Without a word, Lucien knelt in front of me and hooked both my legs over his shoulders. My thighs trembled from the aftershocks, but he didn’t care. He wanted me shaking. Ruined. Open for him.He took his cock in one hand, still thick, still hard, and gave it a slow stroke then leaned forward and let the tip rest against my drenched pussy. My slickness, mixed with the remnants of my orgasm and Freya’s saliva, coated him instantly.But he didn’t push in.No.Instead, he held his cock and tapped it against me, light, teasing slaps right against my clit. Each contact sent a sharp bolt of pleasure through my spine."Already soaked," he muttered with a wicked smirk. "But you’ll take more."He ran the head along my slit slowly, dragging it up and down, pressing just enough to make my clit ac
~KatherineI stood in front of the mirror in Raven’s room, applying a coat of dark lipstick, my robe loose and barely tied. My skin still tingled from Lucien’s earlier touch, his hand had been on my waist a second too long when we passed in the hallway, his eyes asking questions I pretended not to hear.Then Freya entered without knocking.She leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes scanning me like she was memorizing a letter. “You like being reckless, don’t you?”I didn’t answer. I just smirked and continued brushing out my hair.“You think Raven won’t notice?” she asked. “Or maybe you want him to.”I turned slowly. “Is this jealousy, Freya?”She stepped closer. “It’s irritation. You think you’re the only one in this house who knows how to pull strings.”I didn’t stop her when she reached out and tugged the robe open. Her fingers brushed my collarbone, then trailed down to the top of my thigh.“You’re shaking,” she whispered.I wasn’t, but she wanted me to be.“Touch me agai
~ThorneI stood by the window, the curtain brushing my arm, a glass of black coffee warming my hand, Elena prepared it.The scent was sharp, grounding, but my thoughts were elsewhere.She came up behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist, resting her cheek against my back. Her voice was soft. “You look worried. What’s the problem?”I stared out into the misty morning, then slowly turned to face her.“You won’t kill Luna again, will you?” I asked quietly.Her eyes didn’t flinch. “You won’t fall in love with her again, will you?”That made me chuckle, low and humorless. “There’s nothing left to love. Whatever I felt for Luna… I’ve spent years erasing it. Burning it out of me piece by piece.” I took a sip of the coffee. “I’m sure she’s done the same. She adapts to any environment like a snake changing skins.”“Then why do you sound like you want her back?” Elena asked, searching my face.I met her gaze, letting the mask slip for just a moment.“My son,” I said, voice barely above a wh