As soon as they walked into Lauren's penthouse, she made a beeline for her liquor cabinet and poured two healthy glasses of scotch. Turning, she saw that Bo had settled herself back on the couch and was watching her intently. She walked over, handed Bo one of the glasses and took a seat next to the succubus. Needing a bit of liquid courage, she took a sip of the expensive elixir and relished in the smooth burn it brought. Bringing her eyes up to Bo's, she could see the other woman was barely able to restrain her questions, her eyes were intense and her leg was tapping lightly. She chuckled softly. "Patience isn't one of your virtues is it?" she asked.

Bo smiled and shook her head. "No, definitely not."

Lauren nodded and placed her glass down on the coffee table in front of them. Sighing deeply, she looked over at Bo, "I supposed it's best if I start at the beginning." Bo nodded in encouragement so Lauren began.

"I had only been the Morrigan for a few months when I found out that many of the Dark Fae had been mistreating their humans. Having been a slave to the Light, I didn't have any misconceptions that the Dark also had slaves and probably didn't treat them very well, but I was appalled at some of the stories. Rape, torture, feeding to the point of death. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't all the Dark Fae, but enough that it was a concern. Since I was a new Morrigan and the Elders didn't fully trust me due to my past, I couldn't just pass laws about the humane treatment of humans. So I went about it the other way. I convinced everyone that I hated humans, that they were disgusting creatures that sullied the fae and that we should have nothing to do with them. I banned all contact with humans – as pets, as slaves. And in relationships."

As Lauren paused, Bo looked up as her story began to make sense. "Lou Ann was married to a human."

Lauren nodded solemnly. "Honestly, it wasn't something I had considered, that there would be Dark Fae in caring committed relationships with humans. And I still kick myself for that. Long story short, someone turned in Lou Ann and I had to do something about it or else I would lose all credibility and probably my life for being seen as weak."

"So you faked the death of her and her children." It wasn't a question, as by now Bo had a pretty good idea of what had happened.

"Yes. With help from Vex and Trick, we were able to pull it off. She is staying hidden here until things blow over, then I will relocate her family to another territory where they can live in peace."

"Wait, Trick knew about this?"

"Yeah, he helped us get Lou Ann out of the prison once it was believed she had been given a lethal injection."

"Why am I not surprised that I am not surprised that he kept quiet when I was on my tirade about her, and that he helped out the Dark?"

Lauren smirked conspiratorially. "Trick is full of surprises. When I was human, he was one of the few fae that showed me any respect and would help me out from time to time with information only someone like him would know. Not saying anything to you was just to protect everyone."

"Oh, I get that. There's just something about Trick I can't put my finger on."

"Tell me about it, I had no idea he was the Blood King until today."

Bo frowned. "I don't even know what that means, and any other day I would have a million questions, but for now I think I have enough to process with this Garuda thing and learning the truth about Lou Ann."

Lauren looked down at the floor, suddenly nervous to know what Bo thought now that she knew the truth. "About that…" she started. Now that it was out on the open, she had to finish what she was going to say and then leave the ball in Bo's court. She could only hope her story resonated with Bo and that she would continue to keep her secret.
Watching Bo's eyes flick up to her, she left it all out there. "I know you don't really know me or have any reason to trust me. And I will be honest with you, I am not a saint. I have done things in my past that I am not proud of and as the Morrigan, I am sure I will do more in the future. But I do value life Bo - fae and human - and I promise you that killing is never my first choice."

Bo watched the blonde closely, watched as her chocolate eyes pleaded with her to be okay with who she was. She thought back to earlier in the evening when she broke down thinking herself a monster and Lauren was so adamant that she wasn't, that her past was just that and she accepted who she was. Bo would be a hypocrite if she didn't extend the same to Lauren. And the truth was the fae world was dangerous and brutal and she didn't think anyone could live in it without having to make life and death decisions at every turn. Knowing Lauren had a heart and a conscience was really what she wanted to hear and now that she had, it was like a huge weight had been lifted from her chest. Yeah, there was still the little issue of not knowing what kind of fae Lauren was, but as long as she didn't eat brains or small children, she figured she could deal with whatever it was.

Her decision made, she took a step into the blonde's personal space and raised her hand to cup Lauren's cheek, forcing their eyes to meet. "Lauren, after everything I told you about myself earlier this evening, I have no right to judge the things you needed to do to survive. I just needed to know that you had a conscience. You saved my life, you are working with your sworn enemy to help the fae made me believe you did, but the Lou Ann thing was just so out of character from the woman I was getting to know I just needed an explanation. Thank you for trusting me with it, I promise you I will keep your secret."

Lauren's smile was so beautiful, Bo was mesmerized. She didn't even realize Lauren had leaned in the few inches that had been separating them, until she felt her soft warm lips on her own. Letting out a content sigh, she let herself get lost in the wonder that was the Morrigan. She was falling for this woman, and falling fast. The two remained entwined for what seemed like hours but still wasn't long enough before they gently broke apart for air. Taking her hand, Lauren quietly led Bo back to her bedroom. No words needed to be spoken. For now, they were both happy to explore these new feelings and each other, before the fae world broke their bubble.

XXX

Dyson paced around his apartment, not being able to stop his mind from racing. Seeing Bo with the Morrigan had hurt for sure, but he didn't know where his aggression had come from. He was almost a thousand years old and fully in synch with his wolf side, so wolfing out last night had surprised him.

But fuck, what was Bo thinking hanging out with that, that – thing! She was his mate! And she was acting like some cheap whore with the Morrigan. But it wasn't his place. Bo didn't love him like he loved her. He had to accept that. He did. Why again? Why did he need to accept that? She was his damn it! His mate!

The back and forth continued to drive him crazy until he turned around and punched his wall, his hand going through the old sheetrock. Crumbling down to the floor he dropped his head between his knees and took several deep breaths, willing his brain to get off the rollercoaster it had been taking him on.