Lauren walked out of the throne room, the large gilded door sliding shut quietly behind her. Walking into her office, she made a beeline for the serving counter and poured herself a generous helping of whiskey. Before she had a chance to swallow, she heard the door shut again, knowing Vex had followed her. She ignored him as she let the warm liquid slide down her throat, enjoying the burn that only the 100 year old elixir could bring.
Vex stood and eyed her carefully, trying to get a read on her. But like usual, her ice queen façade was up and so he decided on the direct approach.
"That punishment was a little cruel, especially for you."
Lauren scoffed. "They'll grow back."
"True, but having your limbs ripped from your body by a hungry Wyvern? That's gotta hurt."
"Yes, well he should have thought about the consequences of his actions before he decided to attack the sprites."
Vex knew something else was bothering her. "What is going on Lauren?"
Lauren finally looked up at him, her eyes full of mirth. "It's Lauren now, is it?"
He shook his head. "I am asking as your friend."
Lauren finally cracked a smile, studying the Mesmer as he gazed back at her. "I didn't think you had friends, Vex." She turned back to the decanter and poured herself another two fingers, grabbing and filing another glass that she handed off to her second-in-command before walking over to her couch.
Sitting down, she quickly drained the glass before placing it on the coffee table in front of her. Letting out an audible sigh, she brought her hands up to massage her temples while leaning back on the couch. Vex stood and waited patiently. He knew if Lauren had something to say, she would do it on her own time when she was ready.
"I'm restless Vex. I can't seem to settle, I am not sleeping well and it is making me edgy. And no, before you say it, it is not because I am afraid for my life. I won't lie and say I am not concerned that there are people or things out there trying to kill me, but it's not keeping me up at night. I trust you to keep me safe," she said, smiling warmly at the fae who continued to watch her.
Vex moved to sit on the table in front of her, his chains clanging lightly on the table. "When was the last time you fed?"
Lauren tensed up at his question. "Vex, it's not that either," she denied.
"Maybe, maybe not. But you didn't answer the question, luv."
Lauren glared up at him for a few seconds before dropping her eyes to stare at her shoes. "It's been a few days."
Vex sighed and moved his hand under Lauren's chin, pulling it up so he could get her to look at him. If this was any other person, Lauren would have them castrated. He was the only one she ever let see her vulnerable side, and for some reason, despite his nature, it made him protective of her. "Lauren, you can't fight your nature. You better than anyone know that. It may not be what is keeping you on edge, but it certainly isn't helping. You need to go feed."
Lauren leaned back on the couch again, away from Vex's outstretched arm, and brought her hands up to rub her eyes. "You're right. I hate that you're right."
Vex chuckled and got up off the couch. "Don't worry, I don't want to end up in the dungeon, so I won't go spreading it around. I will, however, go and get things in order for you to go out. Just give me 30 minutes," he said heading for the door.
"Vex," Lauren called out stopping him just as his hand reached the door handle. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
Vex smirked back, the tender moment having past. "No worries, you keep meting out punishments like that and I will lose my reputation as the sickest fuck the Dark fae have. Can't have that happening, now can we?" he chuckled before heading out the door.
Lauren shook her head and headed off to her personal living quarters to change her clothes for her trip out tonight. Vex was right about her needing to feed, but she knew that wasn't the real root of her mood. The flash of a dimple and determined brown eyes ran through her brain, making her groan. Her whole interaction earlier with the succubus left her off balance but at the same time put a charge into her and she wasn't sure which feeling scared her more. She knew the woman could read her aura and she had given away her attraction. Not that she could do anything about it, it was instant and overwhelming, something she had never felt for anyone before. And if she was perfectly honest, though it had died down as soon as that mangy mutt showed up, it had left an ache in her that was surprising and she wasn't sure what to do with. Groaning out load, she grabbed her jeans and headed out the door, hoping that the night and a good feed would bring her some peace.
xxx
Two days later, Lauren was sitting at her desk reading a pile of reports about a clan of Dark water nymphs who were requesting permission to move their territory to another lake because human development was polluting the water and draining the natural essence they pulled from the earth to live on. She had grabbed her pen to sign the papers, but before the dark ink could make contact with the parchment beneath, she was startled by the sound of her office door opening and closing. Looking up quickly she was shocked to see the unaligned succubus standing before her.
"How did you get in here?" she asked angrily, a slight shiver of fear running through her. She knew the answer of course, but didn't know what reason the woman would have to be here.
Bo grinned guiltily knowing the woman would figure it out if she didn't already know. "I asked nicely? I promise I didn't hurt anyone, I just didn't think you would agree to see me if I simply asked."
"You were right about that. But since you are already here, what do you want?" Lauren asked, still with a slight hint of annoyance in her voice, but her anger faded with her fear as she sensed Bo was not here to hurt or threaten her. And then there was the fact that her grin had brought out her dimple, which Lauren was pretty sure was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. Jesus, what was she doing? She totally embarrassed herself in front of the woman at the theatre, now here she was again drooling over a dimple. Get control of yourself Lauren, she thought. Act like the Morrigan.
Bo watched with interest as the woman's aura fluctuated erratically. Bo knew Lauren was trying to control her reaction to her, and she found it totally endearing. She wasn't sure what kind of fae the Morrigan was, but she was pretty sure she wasn't a succubus, and she was thankful once again for that. She would have lost all credibility if Lauren could see how hotly her own aura burned for the blonde.
As Lauren continued to look at her waiting for an answer she sighed, and sat down in one of the ornate chairs in front of Lauren's desk. Looking up nervously at the blonde, she finally responded, "I am looking for my mother."
Lauren couldn't completely hide her surprise. It honestly wasn't anywhere near what she thought the succubus was here for. A favor, more info on Luanne, perhaps, not such a personal plea. "Is your mother missing?" she asked, softening her voice.
Bo shook her head as she gave Lauren a wry smile. "No, nothing in my life is that easy. I don't know who my mother is. She gave me up when I was a baby and I was raised by humans. I have been trying to find out who she is for a while. I have harassed the Light and even Trick at the Dal, and despite the fact that I am pretty sure they are hiding something, I am still no closer to finding her. I was hoping since you are Dark, you might have access to information they don't, or at least wouldn't play games with me if you did know something. It's one of the reasons I was so interested in Luanne, since someone had told me she knew my mother."
Lauren sat in shock. She had heard people talking about the unaligned succubus sure, but she never paid attention to any of the stories because she just didn't care at the time. To have been raised by humans? Lauren couldn't even fathom how she had learned to control her nature without someone to teach her. It would certainly explain the stories of her killing spree. Looking up intently at the brunette, she was suddenly in awe of her.
Bo watched the Morrigan's response carefully since she had no idea what it would be and she had taken a huge risk coming here. She saw the shock, then the wheels turning as she processed what Bo was telling her. The final emotion Bo wasn't quite sure what it was though….tenderness? Sympathy?
Slowly Lauren nodded. "I don't know who your mother is, but I can certainly do some digging in the archives."
Bo's genuine smile light up the room and brought out her dimple even more. Lauren felt the butterflies erupt in her stomach. God this woman was gorgeous. Bo sensed the spike and didn't want to push her luck, so she made to stand up, say her thanks and leave. Just as she was about to get up from the chair, the door flew open and Vex rushed in. Both women turned to him immediately.
He had stopped half way in to the office and looked between his boss and the succubus, clearly expecting something a little more heated or violent to be going on. He certainly didn't expect to see the two of them sitting and chatting, goofy smiles on both their faces. He looked over at Lauren. "Sorry, I heard that she uh…."
Lauren nodded and smiled, allowing Vex's words to trail off. "She did," and looking back at Bo, "and we will need to make sure the guards have a bit of better protection against a succubus' charms". Bo was happy to see she was smiling when she said it, so she knew the woman wasn't still mad.
Bo finally stood, sensing her opportunity to leave. "On that, I think I will leave before you change your mind. Thank you for listening and trying to help," she said honestly. She walked the few steps it took her to get to Lauren's desk, before leaning down and picking up a pen. Finding an empty note pad, she scribbled something down before putting the pen back down on the desk. "If you find out anything, give me a call." Lauren nodded and smiled, watching the brunette as she left her office.
When she was gone, she turned to Vex. "Pull me everything the Dark has on her, especially anything around possible family members." Vex studied her for a minute, arching his eye brow in question.
"What?" Lauren challenged. "Call it scientific curiosity. I told her I would help her figure out who her mother is."
Vex chuckled quietly as he moved out of the room. "Oh, you are curious alright, I am just not sure it is scientific."
Fortunately he was out the door as he said that, and didn't see the huge blush that covered the blonde.