Bo didn't care about much, at that moment, waking up next to Lauren. She only thought about how Lauren's presence and touches soothed and confronted her mind and body. While they were apart, Bo had tried to find something to calm her, feeding partners, alcohol, work, but nothing worked, no one would ever have the effect on her that Lauren did.

In the back of her mind, she did sometimes think about how their relationship was regarded as taboo among the Fae, but it was something she would never let go of… again.

In these moments, Bo focused on Lauren and nothing else mattered. Lauren sat up. Her blonde hair tousled. She looked so adorable that Bo's stomach dropped at the sight.

Lauren collected her shirt and started buttoning it up. "I can't believe we slept out here all night." She said her voice cracking with thirst and sleep.

"Making love under the stars is one of the things on my list."

Lauren chuckled and regarded Bo curiously. "You have a list?"

Bo ran her fingers up and down Lauren's arm. "Yes, I do. I made a list of everything I wanted us to do together...if I ever got you back."

"It's not just a having sex in different places list is it?" Lauren asked playfully bumping Bo's leg under the sleeping bag.

Bo grinned. "There's a lot of that. But mostly it's normal couples stuff."

Lauren leaned back down and kissed her chest. "Can I see this list?"

Bo shook her head and brushed her fingers through Lauren's hair. "That would ruin the surprises."

They held each other in relaxed silence, enjoying the morning air, and staring into the clear blue sky.

Lauren stirred in Bo's arms, she kept her voice low and her head still rested on Bo's body. "You never told me what the Morrigan has you doing."

"Lauren, you don't want to hear about that stuff. It's not pleasant."

"Tell me." Lauren urged, a hint of distress hanging in her voice. She knew if Bo didn't want to talk about it, it must be bad. "We're a team, remember?" She sat up to look at Bo. The morning sunlight illuminated her features and she looked so gorgeous, Bo held in a breath.

Bo felt her chest tighten as she prepared to tell Lauren what happened, but before she could answer, her phone rang. With visible relief, Bo answered the call. She didn't want to tell Lauren about what she was doing with the bounty stuff. She didn't want to upset or worry her.

XXXX

After Bo had been called into a meeting with Evony, Lauren showered, changed and headed to the lab. On her way, she stopped quickly when she saw Katerina walking towards her.

Lauren stood staring at Katerina in disbelief. "I didn't know you were back." A nervous wave rushed through her at the thought of Bo and Katerina running into each other. Things were going so well between them she didn't want any unnecessary issues. And after Bo's reaction to her telling her about them, she knew Bo would be upset.

Katerina gave her a spirited smirk. "I just got in." She stepped closer and Lauren without thinking stepped back.

"Oh…well I'm glad you're back." She said, rolling her eyes at herself for the noticeable shake in her voice. "Are you staying long?" She asked hoping the answer was no.

Katerina shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm working on an assignment for my grandmother."

"Interesting." Lauren clasped her hands behind her back to offset her anxious energy.

Bo walked up, having just left Evony's office. Her mood was down from the new bounty assignment. She was too preoccupied reading over her paperwork to notice Lauren and Katerina, in front of her. She groaned reading the vague details, Evony couldn't be bothered to offer information about what the targets had done, and that unnerved her greatly. She never wanted to be attached to the Light or the Dark, and now she felt owned by the Morrigan.

Her head rose from the paper, and she caught sight of Lauren smiling at a beautiful dark haired woman. Their body language suggested a familiarity and intimacy and her whole body turned cold, realizing who that woman was. Her body seemed to become solid, and her breathing uncomfortable.

Lauren laughed at something Katerina said and her eyes, soon after, fell onto Bo, who looked surprised and caught off guard and that wasn't something Lauren used to seeing from Bo. Lauren shifted back again self-conscious under Bo's scrutiny.

Suppressing the lump that had climbed into her throat Lauren gestured Bo forward and introduced them.

"It's great to finally meet you, Bo," Katerina said kindly, shaking Bo's hand firm.

Lauren focused on Bo and noted how troubled she looked. They chatted in a friendly way, for a time. Bo forced smiles and a pleasant tone, working extra hard to hide her true feelings and emotions.

Lauren shifted uneasily beside Bo. And Bo glared at Katerina when her eyes drifted to Lauren, and lingered there for an improper amount of time.

Bo was trying to be reasonable, but suddenly noticing the way Katerina looked at Lauren made her want to hit her hard. She hated that part of her that felt that Lauren belonged to her, but she couldn't help it. Lauren was hers. Not her property, of course, but hers nonetheless. She knew she was being immature and selfish, but she didn't want anyone looking at Lauren like that. Then an image of Lauren and Katerina naked together entered her mind and she felt sick to her stomach. She wasn't upset at Lauren, only herself from letting Lauren go in the first place.

Bo nearly said. "Stop undressing my girlfriend with your eyes!" But she couldn't be that petty, so instead she simply asked what Katerina was working on, to further the awkward conversation. And maybe get Katerina's attention away from her girlfriend, Bo could spot desire on anyone, and this girl definitely desired Lauren. Her girlfriend. She again had to stop herself from shouting that Lauren was hers, and to back off.

She contemplated whether she'd always been this jealous type, and she remembered how she felt about Nadia and Lauren. Kenzi was right, she needed to get this under control before she did something stupid out of jealousy.

Katerina checked the time and offered her apologies for being late for a meeting and suggested that the three of them have dinner some time. Bo could have punched her, but instead she nodded pleasantly.

When Katerina walked away, Lauren pulled Bo into an empty room.

Lauren held Bo's face and searched her eyes. "I didn't know she was here. I promise."

Bo frowned and looked down. "This is so weird for me." She couldn't understand why tears were filling her eyes. "I was stupid. I should have been there for you this past year then you wouldn't have needed to go to someone else for comfort."

"Bo-"

"Don't be mad or think I'm crazy but my insides boil at the thought of you with another girl. She seems nice which makes it worse because I could see you dating and liking her. It'd be a lot easier if she were a bitch or something." Bo confessed honestly.

Lauren leaned and pressed a kiss to Bo's forehead. Bo closed her eyes and calmed herself, Lauren brought her lips down in a long, delicate kiss. Bo felt her body fill with heat, the heat the only Lauren could stir.

Lauren tilted her head, and they stared at each other, their eyes conveying everything without the need for words.

Bo rubbed her hands up and down the side of Lauren's body. "I'm sorry for being a jealous, crazy person."

They parted ways after a few more passionate kisses. And Bo felt slightly better, but shame about her possessiveness.

XXXX

Lauren spent most of her day wrestling with her unease about Bo's reaction to Katerina. She knew Bo had a bit of a jealous streak, but it bothered her because Bo should trust her and then jealousy wouldn't be an issue. After all, Bo was a succubus and Lauren was well aware of what that meant for their future. But at the same time, she could understand the possessiveness, in a way.

Dr. Everett was sitting behind her desk, and she smiled at Lauren. "I'm sorry I didn't inform you that Katerina was in town." She paused. "It was last minute."

Despite how much Lauren respected Dr. Everett as a teacher, she felt staunchly cautious around her now that she learned about her connection to her father. She was really afraid of what other secrets Dr. Everett had, and she couldn't face being disappointed by another person she cared about. She had to learn to protect herself. Her brother had called her naïve once and she thought maybe he was right about that.

Dr. Everett observed Lauren's silence. She put her glasses on her head and narrowed her gaze. "Is something wrong, Lauren?"

Lauren shook her head and said nothing. Dr. Everett was soon called away to a meeting freeing Lauren. She left the lab feeling confused and guilty about freezing Dr. Everett out. She wondered if with Bo being back in her life, if she was falling back into the old pattern of putting all her emotional support on Bo's shoulders. That wasn't healthy she knew that. But Bo made her feel so safe and protected that it was easy to lose herself in Bo's strength. For a split second, she wondered if Bo's love made her weak, but she quickly buried that thought.

Lauren returned to her room and glanced at the assortment of books and notes on the desk in front of her. She absently flipped through one of the books, one that Dr. Everett had given her on her birthday, not really noticing the words on the page. A faint headache pulsed at her temples, and she decided to take a nap. Her head hit the pillow, and her eyes fell on the telescope that was sitting in the corner of the room.

She sat up, her legs dangling over the edge of the bed, staring at the telescope and thinking about her father.

She, gingerly, moved over to where it sat and examined the glass on the front. She lifted the telescope and walked purposefully back to her bed. She brushed her fingers against the cool metal. She peered into the eyepiece. This time she decided to unscrew it to see why it wasn't working, as she did a rolled up piece of paper fell into her lap.

She slowly unwrapped the paper, although, she was alone she darted her eyes around the room. She instantly recognized her father's handwriting and her fingers shook faintly. She held in a breath and studied the information. It was the missing pieces of her father's research, what she'd been searching for all this time. She refolded the paper carefully and slipped into her pocket. Her mind filled with an unsettling awareness about the information she now had and what it meant.

Fully awake and unable to sleep now, she grabbed a book and started to read.

XXXX

Nick woke to darkness and an uneasy stillness. The quiet was nothing new, but the complete darkness was new and unsettling. He wished he knew how long he'd been held captive…well really he wished he understood why any of this was happening.

The cold, female voice, the only voice he'd heard over these many days-weeks-months, came at him from across the darkness.

"How do you feel?" The woman asked. "Did any memories return?"

His head ached from the questions. He had dreams all the time about death, but couldn't put the pieces together properly when he woke.

The woman laughed. "I suspect your subconscious is trying to remind you of what a monster you are." She sneered.

He shifted uncomfortably, his muscles stiff and sore from being secured to the bed.

Suddenly, the room filled with light, and he had to blink quickly to adjust to the brightness.

"Why are you keeping me here?" He rasped out.

"You see, I needed a test subject, for my theories. And who better than a Fae hater, such as yourself, a vile human who would try and kill his own sister."

"You're insane. I would never hurt Lauren. NEVER." He shouted his voice furious.

"Calm down or I'll sedate you again." She snapped.

After a long moment of silence, the woman moved closer to him, hovering over the bed. "Your transformation is complete." She undid the straps. "It's time to begin your path to redemption."

He weakly sat up, dizzy at first, he wobbled back and forth.

"It will take some time for your body to adjust to the changes."

He rested his hands on his knees trying to clear his head when a black hair woman entered the room.

"Excellent." The first woman said. She whispered something to the new female that Nick couldn't hear through the cloudiness of his mind.

The second woman slipped her arm under him and lifted him off the bed.

"Now we begin the first stage to your re-education. Your training to use your new abilities." The gray-haired woman paused. "Kat here will help you on that path."

XXXX

"Why am I always getting into bar fights?" Tamsin muttered to herself. The stool she brought down over the guys head broke into pieces, knocking him to the ground.

She knew her new partner was probably standing behind her, not getting involved in the fight. She tossed the remaining pieces of the stool to the side and glanced back at her partner. "Come on, succubus, help me out."

Bo hesitated and quickly knocked one of the cronies, that seemed eager to join in, back into the bar top. The bartender with wide, stunned eyes ducked behind the bar.

Tamsin grabbed Bo's arm and pulled her away from a large group descending on them. "I think we should get out of here."

"What about our bounty?" Bo asked once they were outside.

Tamsin shrugged as they walked briskly away from the bar through a busy street.

"Maybe if you had tried talking to those guys with your mouth and not your fists we could have gotten some information out of them." Bo snapped, keeping her pace with Tamsin.

"Feel free to take the lead." She shot back, sounding legitimately angry.

Bo focused on their surroundings, too angry to respond to Tamsin. They crossed over into an empty alley.

A second later, a powerful invisible force slammed into Bo, pushing her quickly to the ground. She gasped out at the impact. She was held in place on the ground and couldn't move. She gazed up at Tamsin, who stood gawking in surprise.

"What the hell is happening?" Bo forced out through the pressure of being held down.

Tamsin's mouth dropped as she stared across the street. Bo followed her gaze and saw a man dressed in all black with his hands extended pointing directly at Bo.

"Mesmer," Tamsin spat out and at the same time she was flung against a nearby building, hitting the brick hard. "Fuck!" She exclaimed at the collision.

Bo held her eyes on the Mesmer, and he was focused on her. Without being able to stop herself, Bo was lifted from the ground, where she was held in place. She could do nothing else but watch as the blunt object made contact with her face repeatedly. The blow to the face blurred her vision, and she realized dimly through the pain that the assaults continued. After a few more attacks, she was released and fell limply to the ground.

Blinking, trying to bring the person in front of her into focus, Bo spat some blood out. Tamsin held out her hand pulling Bo up. "Let's get out of here before he comes back."

Bo winced as she stood and nodded. "Who was that?"

Tamsin sighed. "Vex. He and the Morrigan are always feuding, I guess we got caught in the middle." She tried to slip her arm under Bo to support her, but Bo shook her head and steadied herself.

Tamsin studied her, for a moment. "You should feed off me, you look like shit."

A chill ran through Bo, and she stopped quickly. "No. I can heal naturally." She responded firmly.

Rolling her eyes, Tamsin increased her speed, leaving Bo behind her at a good distance.

XXXX

Lauren couldn't do anything else but wipe the blood and grime off Bo's face with a soft cloth. She pushed some hair from Bo's face and kissed her unbruised forehead. Bo gave her a weak smile, which was beautiful despite her injuries.

"What happened?" Lauren asked kissing Bo's injured wrists.

Bo turned her eyes up to the ceiling and sighed. "Working for Evony comes with a price."

"Why didn't you heal, though?" Her voice was high from concern and dreariness.

Bo scoffed. "I didn't want to heal off Tamsin. My injuries aren't bad, I'll heal just fine naturally."

Lauren brought Bo's face into her line of sight. "I don't like seeing you like this; it's painful." Lauren brushed her fingers over Bo's cheek. "Heal from me." Lauren pulled Bo towards her bed and gently eased her onto it.

"Lauren, I don't think this is a good idea."

Lauren gave her a caring smile. "I know I can't heal you fully, but I could help a little, too lessen the pain." She unbuttoned Bo's shirt as she said it.

Gently, Lauren turned Bo toward her, lips lightly pressed together. Bo's hand slid under Lauren's shirt, caressing her smooth, warm skin, awakened Bo's desire and urgency. Despite the pain, Bo crashed her mouth back against Lauren's lips, pulling a faint amount of chi from Lauren. It was small but enough to clear Bo's headache.

Lauren trailed her lips to Bo's shoulder, and Bo closed her eyes, sinking further into the bed, as Lauren expert lips continued to roam down her body.

Later, Bo stretched her body out alongside Lauren and wrapped her arms around her. She opened her eyes to find Lauren looking over her face. She brushed her fingers over Bo's hairline. "These bruises are definitely lighter. How do you feel?"

Lauren's eyes fell down to meet Bo's eyes and the kindness, love, care in her eyes made Bo's heart ache. Bo placed a quick kiss on Lauren's nose. "I feel great."

They held each other in silence for a long time. Finally, they both rose and searched for their clothes.

Pulling on her shirt, Lauren set her gaze firmly on Bo and said. "Bo, you were right. We need to run. You can't keep risking your life, to work for the Morrigan. We should go as soon as possible."

Bo drew her into a tight hug. "No, I was wrong. We can't hide away, not now after seeing how both the light and the dark operate. We need to change things together. Too many human and Fae lives are in danger with the current system. There's no accountability for the Ash or the Morrigan. It's not right."

Lauren took a seat on the edge of the bed. "But I can't watch you risk your life to protect me." She said tears forming in her eyes.

Bo sat beside her and kissed her cheek tenderly. "I know." Bo met Lauren's gaze determinedly. "I have an idea. A way to protect you… to protect us…but I don't know how you'll feel about it."

Lauren's eyebrows creased, and she searched Bo's eyes, silently.

Bo opened her mouth then lost her confidence and closed it. After another moment of hesitation, she gave Lauren a half smile, her dark brown eyes full of affection and determination. She clasped their hands together. "Let's get married…tonight."

AN

Sorry about the long wait for an update.

Next chapter, we'll learn about what Dr. Everett is doing with Nick.

Thanks for reading!