Louise’s POV “Going undercover, no matter the length of time, will always be risky business,” Caleb stated as he circled me and Philippa. We were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. It has been going on for the past few hours. In the spirit of fair play, Philippa hasn’t been using her super speed and strength. I’ve not been using magic either. We were in a very secluded part of the woods, but it was very much werewolf territory in a sense. The Sangria and Crescent packs used these woods frequently for their nightly runs, even if they never came all the way to where we were. I had a feeling the rogues most likely frequented it. They also needed their nightly runs, and they very well couldn’t do that alongside the pack wolves. No, that wouldn’t go well at all. “The most important part of your preparation is the mental aspect,” Caleb said, haunching down as though he needed a better look as to what was going on between me and Philippa. Even without any powers, Philippa was still strong a
Louise’s POVPhilippa and Caleb insisted they’d brought me out here to instill survival skills I was going to need when I joined Ezekiel. However, I’m beginning to think the real reason was they just wanted to torture me. There was no way all of this was necessary. After Caleb had recovered from his temporary paralysis thanks to my very effective spell, he was only too happy to put an end to my make-out session with Philippa.The next thing they wanted me to do was to run through the woods blindfolded and with my hands tied together. According to them, it was to sharpen my senses of smell and sight considering werewolves had amazing senses like that. It was challenging, to say the least. I almost started hyperventilating before I told myself to take deep breaths and calm down. I relied on my senses and it turned out, they weren’t as bad as I thought. My instincts were sharp and for the most part, I could afford pitfalls, trunks, and rocks.When it became hard to rely on my instincts,
Louise’s POVAfter three grueling days spent in the woods where I was constantly tortured by two powerful vampires who were nothing more than bullies, we returned to their home. In all seriousness, I’d learnt a lot. There had been a lot of things they had instilled in me that the witches never would have. As thorough as my Aunt Lettie was, she wouldn’t have covered things like seduction skills as a way of wiggling myself out of certain situations.Considering that Caleb and Philippa used to be courtesans and their ruler now ran sex clubs all over the country, it only stood to reason that sex clubs were included in the syllabus of mandatory things I needed to know before going undercover.My time at Damien’s mansion had run out. I had to go back home so we could all put the next phase of our plan into motion. My first meeting with Ezekiel will be happening in a couple of days and I wasn’t as petrified as I should have been. Maybe my confidence came from feeling prepared, or it was an i
Louise’s POV “I’m going to ask you one more time, are you sure about this?” my father said, his gaze intense on my face. “Baby, if there is any part of you that doesn’t feel ready, all you gotta do is say the magic word. You don’t have to do this. Not at all.”There was something about my father’s love for me that always gave me a sense of protection and comfort. Even when he was far away from me, it was as though I could still feel it. It was a warm blanket wrapped around me in the dead of winter. It was something that gave me strength as well as confidence to barrel ahead in life no matter how tough things become. Right now, I could see the worry etched in his expression, how his bushy brows furrowed, and the lines that increased on his face. But I could also see the passion and confidence that burned in his brown gaze. He did believe in me. He was proud of me, and he did have faith in my ability to see this through.He was asking me this question right now because he needed to ma
Francesca’s POV I would be the first to admit that I wasn’t entirely sober when I kissed Bianca. Did I thoroughly enjoy it? Absolutely! Do I regret it even a tiny bit? Absolutely not! I stood by what I did even though I was drunk. I’m not even sure I needed the liquid courage to finally cross that line. I genuinely think I would have kissed Bianca that night either way. However, what happened after the kiss was a bit of a blur. We’d proceeded to the dance floor afterward. It was safe to assume we spent the rest of the night dancing and getting more fucked up on alcohol and weed than we already were. Maybe, we’d made out some more, maybe not, I couldn’t remember for the life of me. Things have been a bit awkward between Bianca and me ever since that night. It felt as though Patrick was caught between two people who fought in his absence and he’s missing the relevant information to dissolve the tension. Not to say Bianca and I were acting like two people who fought or anything extreme
Francesca’s POVI wasn’t sure why I spent such a long time agonizing over what to wear. Bianca might have called it a date but I doubt it was anything overly serious. We were literally just eating and hanging out in my bedroom. However, my nerves didn’t get the memo. Also, I didn’t think it would be the worst thing in the world to put some effort into my appearance. I was going to spend time with a girl I liked after all.The first order of business was underwear. I had a new lingerie set I’d been dying to wear for someone. And Bianca was as worthy as they come. As I hummed one of my favorite rock songs, I slipped on the flimsy red panties and secured the bra afterward. The lace felt nice on my skin, luxurious and expensive.My make-up was next. It was incredibly fast as all I applied was mascara and eye-shadow to make my eye color pop. The pink lip gloss wasn’t overdone either. After that, I wore a mini white dress and admired myself in the mirror.“Francesca, you don’t look half bad
Francesca’s POV It took a little while before Bianca said something. She was sitting opposite me, as it was, twiddling with her thumbs. I wasn’t the most patient person in the world, but I told myself to give her enough time to gather her thoughts and say what she needed to express. “Okay, full disclosure, I don’t regret what happened between us at the bonfire party,” she said, looking me in the eye. I nodded, feeling relief flood within me. “I wouldn’t have kissed you today if I regretted doing so five days ago,” Bianca said, clarifying her point. “So, what’s the problem here?” I asked. “I thought we were on the same wavelength, that we liked each other.” “We do,” Bianca affirmed. “At least I know I like you. And I believe you think you like me as well.” That gave me pause and I felt my feathers ruffling. “What do you mean?” I said, sounding offended even though I wanted to keep my cool. “Are you implying I don’t know my own feelings?” “That’s not what I’m saying Francesca,”
Francesca’s POV At some point, I lost count of how long Bianca and I were making out. My room was filled with the wet sounds of the smacking of lips and the occasional moans and groans we were letting out. I felt intoxicated, half out of my mind, because Bianca was so incredibly sweet. There was something about the way she handled me that communicated her hunger, her desire. I felt wanted and I didn’t know how badly that was something I needed after being rejected by my mate. She was still in my lap as we kissed. My hands itched to explore further so they slowly traveled down her back until I was touching her ass. She moaned loudly against my mouth when I squeezed both cheeks. They felt firm in my hands but soft at the same time. Goddess, I truly was going crazy. “That felt good,” she whispered against my mouth. “Your hands feel good on me.” “I like how you feel,” I confessed, kissing her some more. It wasn’t that difficult to clear my head of everything else and focus on Bianca.