(PERCY POV) Returning to the townhouse, Jo was acting like a completely different person. Deirk mentioned that it was all for show, but it was still disorienting to see her behaving like a child, throwing tantrums and pouting. It didn't make sense to me, and I couldn't help but question what was really going on.We were trying to eat dinner when Jo threw her fork on the floor for the second time. Dane's eyes went dark, and he calmly stood, picked her up, and walked out of the room. Moments later, we heard the sounds. Sharp pops and anguished cries.It was clear what was happening.I turned to Deirk, confused and a bit alarmed. "Okay, explain, because I have to know what's going on here.""Look, wards are expected to act with childlike obedience after they get through the initial stages of acting out," Deirk explained, "It's all part of the academy's way of maintaining discipline and control.""So, Dane and Jo are okay with it?" I asked, trying to grasp the whole concept."Not really,

(Dane POV) Jo was sitting on the bed totally naked, watching me as I cleaned up the room. Things had gotten a little wild. It's been a while since we'd been intimate, and she had been aggressive. It felt good to be close to her again, to feel her energy, even if it meant cleaning up afterward.I leaned in and kissed her nose, "I'm thrilled you're back. I missed your spunk."She eyed me. "I'm sure you did. You seemed to enjoy yourself. I like it when you let me be on top.""Always," I replied with a grin, unable to hide my amusement at her bluntness.Jo's smile faded slightly as she asked, "Why did you refuse to feed on me during sex? Really? Tell me the truth. I'm good to go, you know that, right? I don't want you to worry abou... Wait... where have you been feeding if not on me?""Well, I haven't," I admitted.She frowned, "You know you can't just do that. You need to feed to keep yourself steady.""No worries," I said, "Deirk helped me out a time or two to keep me straight."She

(DEIRK POV) Finally, I pulled away from the kiss, though everything in me wanted to stay locked in that moment forever. Percy whispered, "We don't have to take it any further. This must be difficult for you." I shook my head and said, "No, it's not about me. I'm scared for you." Percy chuckled. "I'm not exactly a newbie here, you know." "No, listen," I insisted, needing him to understand. "Remember how I said I thought I was in love with Dane? Well, he didn't feel the same way, and eventually, we realized my feelings were tied to the forced intimacy we had to endure for so long. In an effort to figure it out, we tried to make it work. It was the only time I ever had sex willingly, but it didn't go well. He ended up having to pin me down for hours after because of my reaction." Percy took my hands in his. "You're not there anymore. You're here with me." I nodded slowly. "I know. It's just… Magness twisted so much of what I understood about love and intimacy. I'm terrified of repe

(DANE POV)I rarely made a habit of bending time for extended stretches, as it always left me disoriented afterward. But at that moment, I didn't care at all. In a blur, I was in Camilla's office, interrupting her as she fed on a donor's femoral artery. Feeding from the femoral was strictly forbidden at the academy—a line even I had never crossed."Fuckin' figures," I muttered as I entered the room so quickly that the gust knocked papers off the table.Camilla quickly healed the donor and dismissed her before facing me. I didn't give her a chance to respond as I exploded with frustration. My New York accent slipped out, and I couldn't hold it back. "He fuckin' drained Jo to the point of death, Cam. I doubt I'll be able to save her this time. She will be a vampire, and I didn't want that for her yet. Not yet."Camilla stood up, and within seconds, she'd pierced her wrist and shoved it to my mouth before I could protest. I tried to push her away, but she pinned me to the couch, forcing

(JO POV)After about an hour of pacing around the bedroom, randomly lashing out at Deirk and Dane, accusing them of everything under the sun, they watched me with concern and helplessness. Eventually, they decided I needed to eat something."What will you eat right now?" Dane asked."Meat. I want fucking meat," I responded. Dane and Deirk just shrugged and turned to the fridge.It was a good thing they'd gotten all kinds of other food in the house. My typical choices weren't appealing. At all. In fact, the idea of eating a banana made me gag. I jumped onto the bar, crossing my legs and balancing on the edge with an almost unnatural ease. My newfound balance was vampire-level perfect, and it seemed to fascinate and disturb Dane.He just stood there, observing me with an expression I couldn't quite interpret. After a minute of my precarious balancing act, I spat out a sharp "What?" at him.He sighed. "Nothing, kitten."I wasn't having it. "No, you were thinking something. It's not f