Rose’s POV Theresa helped me out by unveiling herself, all but the strappy shoes. I could sense my owner’s interest in her, which didn’t help my nerves. “Stand up, Chloe. It’s showtime.” “What?” Did she believe she was exempt? I really hoped he wouldn’t crack that whip. If he was anything like Adam, using it once, hearing the sound as it connected with bare flesh was addictive. There was no way I wanted to be on the receiving end of that. Yet what if I got stage fright? Who would “assist” me? The blonde gritted her teeth, storing up more trouble for herself, as she divested herself of her bra. I was hoping not to have to go anywhere near that thong. It seemed my luck was in and soon I was the only one still in underwear. “Come on, Rose. Don’t be shy,” Brandon said. “I’m not.” Choosing to pretend I was an exotic dancer helped. I used one of the bedposts as a makeshift pole, teasing both men as I slowly uncovered my breasts and whipped around before baring my bottom. “And we hav

Rose’s POVI made my way to see Erica without either panties or bra, the same as my companion.At one stage she turned to me, though her mouth opened and closed without sound.“Save it,” I said, wearily, though I squeezed her hand to show there were no hard feelings.I had to build bridges now.Her breath was expelled in a whoosh.“I’m not the enemy, Rose.”“No,” I agreed, thinking of a certain full of himself Alpha in his ultra modern castle.“Do you think Jess will be okay?”Jessie. I hadn’t even thought about her.I swallowed. “Timo won’t take advantage.”“How do you know?”The truth was, I didn’t. Until tonight I hadn’t even spoken to him.Before I could tell a white lie we’d reached the medical area. I told Theresa she needed to be checked over first.After giving her some vitamins and trusting her to find her way back to our quarters, Erica turned to me and puffed out her cheeks.“What happened to you?”“Don’t ask.”“Did you anger him?”“By refusing to participate in a scene to

Adam’s POVI could see my submissive thinking all kinds of lurid thoughts. That was a laugh, the boot being on the other foot for a change.Yet I wasn’t here for that, either.“Explain, master.”“How good are you at keeping secrets?”“If it gets me out of here, I’m the best there is.”I was beginning to see the signs of what Theresa could have become had she not been given a cruel mate.“Rose?”“If it helps Lolo … No, I’d do it anyway,” she stated, rashly. “You know why.”“Great. So this is how it’s going to be for the next moon or two.” My sub was eyeing me warily now. Had Alpha Lewis sent her away with a set time limit in which to achieve? That was history now and I wasn’t about to do the same. Not exactly. “I will take Theresa as my fake queen. You will not need to do much more than share my bed, given your condition.”“Define ‘much’?”Rose had an angry glint in her eye and her cheeks were flushed.“I shouldn’t have to do my own hand jobs,” I said. That quieted her.“It’s a small p

Adam’s POVLater, when Willow was out of earshot, I had a very different message.“Seduce him if you must. I can take the pain.”‘No! I can’t believe you just said that to her,’ Marlon howled.Rose looked at me with dismay but she didn’t kick off. “You’re not serious, Adam. Are you?”It was more worrying that the occasionally feisty redhead I enjoyed controlling seemed to have disappeared during the last few hours.Maybe I could reach her and maybe not.If I wasn’t being dominant I didn’t know how to deal with her. Reasoning was never my strong point; as King it wasn’t something I normally had to do.Or should I try and make amends?The thing was, whatever I tried, I seemed to be making it worse.In the end I appealed to her sense of justice, without mentioning Willow. That would have been crass.“I’m counting on you to help conclude the war with less bloodshed, Rose,” I said. “Whatever it takes. Make no mistake, it’s the Lycans I want to keep whole. As many of them as possible.” Doub

Adam’s POVJane had disappeared. I couldn’t believe it at first. Then I accused my sister of spiriting her away.“Not guilty,” she protested. “Our feelings weren’t mutual. I just felt so sorry for her.”“Did you know she’d murdered Clare?” Erica’s face told me everything. “Could Brandon have taken her?”“It’s possible. What are you going to do?”“Nothing yet. I have more important things to accomplish.”She looked as if she wanted to say something but didn’t like to open a time-consuming can of worms. Doctors hate wars though it keeps them busy.I chose not to bother Mom with a phone call. It was random anyway and she had a way of detecting if something was the matter with me. I knew she had enough to deal with without learning that my sister-in-law was a fledgling vampire. Or whatever they called them.And Theresa was a creature of nerves without the comforting presence of Rose. Her past coming to the fore again.So I sought out Timo, finding him just exiting the harem room. He had t