Lost Girl 1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: this story has been swimming around my head for almost a year now. I have about half of it written, but honestly not sure about the end yet. I am going to try and be consistent and post a chapter a week, but I can't make any promises. _

_The first chapter is mostly background setting, taking place in the Season 1 space, with one notable difference as you will soon see. After this chapter, and part of chapter 2, the story will stop following the plot of the show so closely. Just needed to get the foundation set._

* * *

"Dyson is being such a girl," huffed Bo as she and Kenzi left the apartment. They had just traded 20 bags of blood to a vampire for information, which turned out to be another flimsy lead they would need to chase down in Bo's seemingly endless quest to find her mother.

"Why, cause Wolf Boy's getting tired of you life sucking him whenever the mood hits? You're right! What an asshole," replied Kenzi, not really feeling bad for Bo on this one. Though she knew Dyson banging her senseless was not exactly a bad consolation prize, she also knew he was in love with the succubus and becoming increasingly frustrated with her inability to commit to him.

"Trust me, he isn't complaining. He just wants me to be an obedient little succubus and let him order me around, and I refuse to let anyone control me." She was in a foul mood since this morning. She had been beat up pretty bad by some fae she had been shaking down for information and went to Dyson to heal. And rather than give in to what she knew he wanted, he made her beg which made her feel like a cheap whore. And to put the cherry on top of her crappy sundae, he told her after they were done that this was the last time. Which honestly would have been fine with her, if he meant it because he cared about her or she was hurting him. But it was all about control, about her listening to what he thought she should do, how she should act, who she should hang around with. Well, he could fuck himself for all she cared right now. No one was going to tell her what to do.

Knowing there was no talking to Bo when she was this riled up, she tried to get her to refocus on the information they had just gotten from Siegfried, the vampire. "Ok, new topic. Do you think Siegfried was telling the truth about this Luanne woman knowing something about your mom? She is in prison and going to be executed in a few days, not sure we have much time to find out anything."

"I don't know Kenzi. I don't know why he would lie, he knows I would just come back and kick his ass. But I have no idea how a convicted child killer would know my mom. I think we need to get ourselves in to that prison and talk to her."

Kenzi grinned. "Ooooh. I totally see an episode of Prison Bitches in our future!"

Bo laughed, shaking her head at her goth friend. "I don't know what that means Kenzi, and I am going to guess that I don't want to either."

"Oh come on Bo Bo. You, trapped in a women's prison? It's a recipe for disaster. You'd start a riot with all of them wanting to be your bitch."

XXX

Storming into the Clubhouse ahead of Kenzi, Bo didn't even wait to make sure the petite girl made it in before flopping down onto the worn out couch with a frustrated growl.

"Well, that was an interesting visit," Kenzi snarked, taking in Bo's tense demeanor. "What are you going to do?"

"I am going to find that fucking Vex guy and rip his balls off, to start."

Kenzi looked at her best friend intently. She had seemed off lately….Kenzi couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was definitely unsettling the succubus.

"Are you sure that is the best idea? I have heard people talking about Vex at the Dal. He sounds like one dangerous and fucked up dude. And it sounds like the Morrigan likes her little toy. If you did end up killing him, she might come after you."

"I am not afraid of either of them. What gives them the right to decide who you are allowed to love? What if I fell in love with a human? What if a human fell in love with me? Who would want to lead that life if it meant they would be hunted. I am sorry Kenzi, I need to do something."

"Bo please, don't do anything reckless. You just met Luanne and it is too late for her. Don't get yourself killed over it."

Bo looked up at her friend, eyes blazing. "I'm sorry Kenzi, I need to go."

Rising suddenly, Bo grabbed her dagger and headed for the door, turning back to Kenzi as she ducked out the doorway. "Don't worry Kenzi, I got this," she said before heading out and closing the door behind her.

Kenzi stared at the door for a few minutes, debating what to do. Finally deciding she would deal with Bo being pissed at her later, she headed to the Dal to find Dyson and hopefully save Bo from her own bullheadedness.

XXX

Bo entered the empty club, slowly looking around for any threat and any sign of Vex. She had never met a Mesmer before, but she had seen secondhand the extent of their power. Sliding through the dark building, her eyes searching for any sign of movement or threat, she let her focus waiver for just a second, letting Kenzi's warning sink into her. Yes, perhaps this wasn't the smartest decision she had ever made, but she was furious and didn't know of any other way to vent those emotions. They had _murdered_ that woman's children for fuck's sake. She knew the Light weren't as squeaky clean as they liked to pretend, but if this was how the Morrigan and the Dark ran their clan, she might find herself on the side of the Light more often than not.

Moving towards the stage, Bo is surprised when the stage lights suddenly snap on and she finds herself standing in the spotlight. "Ladies and gentleman," a British voice rings out. "Please welcome to the stage…..the succulent succubus herself, Bo!"

Bo stands quietly, trying to see past the blinding light, using all of her senses to gauge where the voice was coming from, not wanting to be ambushed. The voice spoke again, this time a little more condescending. "I have heard about you, the one who cares so much for the humans. Not a very smart thing to do, look what it got your friend Luanne."

"You killed Luanne," she shouts into the empty club, her anger nearing its boiling point. "And I am here to make it right."

A maniacal chuckle comes from her left and she spins in that direction, her dagger immediately in her hand. But as she tries to take a step in that direction, she finds that she can't move, she is already under the spell of the Mesmer. "Show your face you coward," she grits out.

She barely registers him when he finally moves in front of her. Dressed in head to toe black, he is a smallish man with teased up dark hair and an overabundance of eyeliner, making him look like a psychotic Robert Smith from The Cure. He grins devilishly at her. "You are much more yummy looking than people have described. And oh, you do wear leather very well. It's a shame I have to kill you, we could have had so much fun shopping together."

"Fuck you, you sick bastard, like we would ever do anything together. You killed Luanne's children, framed her for the murder, and then you let the humans execute her. How could you do that to your own kind?"

Vex shrugged. "She knew the rules and she broke them. I don't make the rules, I just get to have fun enforcing them."

Bo felt her eyes flashing blue, but she was still powerless to move against the hold the Mesmer had on her. Watching him closely, he moved his hand forward and suddenly her dagger hand was pushing the knife up against her neck. "Mmmmm, how do you want to die succubus? " he asked as he danced around the club to some silent music in his head.

Bo finally realized that perhaps this vengeance thing was not well thought out and she was in a world of trouble. She thought she could just waltz in here and use the strength behind her convictions to overpower the Mesmer. Perhaps she should have listened to Kenzi before rushing over here looking for a fight.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a woman's voice behind her.

"Oooh Vex, do you have a new toy you haven't told me about?"

"I do, a most unexpected but delicious visitor," he cackled. Bo could practically picture him clapping his hands together in excitement. "She came here because she thinks I will see the error of my ways for Luanne."

"I see, and just who might this delicious visitor be?" The voice was closer to Bo right now, practically in her ear. She could smell the woman, and for someone she expected to reek of evil, she had a very pleasant mixture of vanilla and something flowery….was it lavender perhaps? The smell was quite intoxicating in fact, and despite the situation she was in, Bo found herself inhaling deeply of the heavenly scent. As the woman moved slowly from behind her, her breasts lightly brushed against Bo's arm, and she swore she could feel a shock of attraction from the slight gesture. _What kind of fae is this_, Bo thought that would make her shudder at a simple touch without even knowing what she looked like. Whatever kind she was, Bo knew she felt the same thing, as she could sense the woman's arousal spike as she moved her body in front of the frozen succubus.

When the woman was finally before her, Bo could not help but gasp at how beautiful she was. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but the blonde angel in front of her certainly wasn't it. She had an angular face that accentuated her cheekbones, and a lithe body subtly hidden beneath a very form fitting button down shirt and tailored grey pants. The two open buttons on her shirt showed just enough skin that one could not help but imagine the perfect breasts contained underneath.

But her most striking feature were her eyes. Her deep brown eyes reminded Bo of melted chocolate and she couldn't help but get lost in them. They were the most expressive eyes she had ever seen, and right now they sparkled with mischief.

Her scent combined with the electric touch, delicious body, mesmerizing eyes and radiating aura caused Bo's nature to betray herself at the wrong moment. Because despite the fact that she was pissed and hell bent on justice, she could not help the strong attraction she was feeling for the woman before her, and her eyes flashed blue.

Watching her closely, the woman saw the flash in Bo's eyes and for a brief moment, Bo saw the attraction reflected back and watched as her aura flashed even brighter. But a moment was all it was, as the attraction was quickly replaced by what appeared to be panic, and then almost immediately that too was replaced by an icy coolness as she stepped back from the succubus. She had also done an admiral job of tamping down the desire Bo had previously observed, moving from the 8 she had peaked at back down to a respectable 4.

Her gaze never left Bo who could sense she was running through something in her mind. She eventually broke out into a sly smile, whispering "succubus" as her brain finished processing the last few minutes.

Vex who had been only half heartedly paying attention, clapped his hands together. "Yes, yes! Morrigan, meet Bo, the unaligned succubus. Bo, meet the Morrigan."

Bo's heart dropped immediately. Fuck. It was bad enough she had to figure out a way to deal with Vex, but now the leader of the Dark fae herself was here. _I am royally screwed,_ she thought to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

The Morrigan's face broke into a large grin. "Bo, the unaligned succubus. I have heard many things about you; it is a pleasure to finally meet you. Though, before her death Evony warned me you would be trouble. Looks like she was right." she said as she continued to watch Bo, the mischief now back in her eyes.

"Yes, well, I wish I could say the pleasure was mutual, but I generally don't hang out with child killers and murderers." Bo spit out. She didn't care who the bitch was, or how attractive she was (which was very).

"Now now, that is a bit harsh don't you think? Luanne killed her own children; she was convicted in a human court and everything. We are just as appalled as you at her actions, and happy that justice was served."

"Oh please, I know Vex killed those kids and then left Luanne to the humans to execute. You are a bunch of cowards. And afraid of what? Some silly weak humans?"

The Morrigan regarded her with a frown. "Why do you care so much?"

"Because you have no right to tell people who they can and cannot love. And you have even less right to punish them if you disagree with it."

"On the contrary, as the leader of the Dark Fae, I do have the right to tell them that, and enforce the laws if they disobey. And as someone who has not chosen a side, you have no standing to question anything."

"This is exactly the reason I am unaligned. Because I want no part of your backwards bullshit. Big bad fae afraid of humans. What, are you afraid the food is going to start fighting back? You are pathetic," Bo practically spit out.

The Morrigan watched Bo for several minutes, not responding to her taunt. Bo didn't back down either, staring deep into the woman's eyes. What she didn't let the woman know, was that she wasn't sure she could look away if she wanted to. The Morrigan had eyes so deep she really did want to get lost in them.

It was the Morrigan that finally broke the silence. "I am sorry you feel that way. But alas, I have an appointment I need to get to and don't really have time for debate on a topic that is no concern of yours. Vex, will you –"

Before the Morrigan could finish her sentence, they were interrupted by the sounds of two people rushing in to the theatre. Bo, who was still frozen in place, was able to turn her head to see that it was Dyson and Kenzi. She groaned internally. If she managed to get out of this, there was no way Dyson was going to let her live this down. She would almost prefer letting Vex have his way with her then listen to the litany of 'I told you so's' that were sure to spout from Dyson's mouth when this was over.

Sensing the threat as soon as he entered the theatre, Dyson's wolf nature started to take over and his eyes began to yellow out. Bo, who was watching the Morrigan closely, noticed how she instantly tensed up and her aura, which had been dim but warm, instantly turned black.

Dyson also seemed to tense up at the site of the woman, which piqued Bo's curiosity. She wondered what history was between them that caused such a visceral reaction in the both of them. She knew Dyson had no love of the Dark, but she had never seen him like this. And what would the leader of the Dark Fae have to do with Dyson? If she got out of this mess, she would certainly do some digging.

Dyson was the first to break the standoff. With a growl, he addressed the Morrigan, who only glared back at him with steely eyes. "What do you want wolf? Light Fae are not welcome here. Nor are humans," she said, throwing a glance over at Kenzi, who Bo could tell was a little unsure of the situation she found herself in.

"I have come for the succubus," he said, keeping his eyes on the woman before him.

"The succubus? And what business do you have with her? She is not Light Fae."

"Nor is she Dark"

"True, but since she broke in to Dark Fae territory and threatened one of my people, I have authority to punish her as I see fit."

Dyson let out a growl. "Touch her and I –"

"You'll what Dyson? Are you willing to start a war with the entire Dark Fae over an unaligned succubus?" the Morrigan cut him off, moving to stand directly in front of him, eyes locking on each other. Bo could do nothing but watch, frightened and intrigued by the scene unfolding before her. She was surprised at how little fear the Morrigan was showing of Dyson right now. Dyson was a thousand year-old wolf shifter, one of the most powerful and deadly in the world. Bo wondered yet again what type of fae the beautiful woman could be, that she did not fear him.

But also dejectedly, she knew the answer to the question the wolf had not yet answered. Dyson may care about her, but he cared more about the fae and she knew he would not attack the Morrigan to save her.

Suddenly, it was Kenzi's soft voice that broke the tension. "Please just let Bo go. Whatever she did, she didn't mean, she is new to the fae world and meant no disrespect." Had Bo not been frozen in place, she would have burst out laughing watching Kenzi play the demure innocent human.

The Morrigan turned her head towards the small goth who had just spoken and looked at her curiously. "Did you finally lower your standards Dyson and get yourself a pet?"

"I am no one's pet," the goth ground out.

"She's my best friend," Bo answered, not wanting Kenzi to say anything to make the situation worse right now.

The Morrigan chuckled, looking back at the succubus. "Your best friend is a human? Wow, you weren't kidding about liking humans."

The Morrigan took a step back and let out a big sigh. She glanced at Vex, who was patiently waiting for her to give him something to do. Though, patiently for Vex meant that he was off in a corner swaying to some unknown music in his head. Finally she moved back to stand before Bo.

"I really do have an appointment I need to get to, so I will make a deal with you. Drop the Luanne stuff, and I will let you and your friends go."

Bo's initial reaction was to tell her to fuck off, but the look in her eyes gave her just a second of a pause. Bo couldn't quite make out what was reflected back – hope perhaps? Whatever it was, that second of hesitation was all her rational side needed to see that she really had no choice. While she would have gladly sacrificed herself for the cause, she could not do that to Kenzi. And really, what more could she do about Luanne? She was dead and getting herself killed right now wouldn't do any of the future Luanne's any good. She slowly nodded her acceptance of the deal.

"Good," the blonde responded and Bo was sure she could see a flash of relief cross her face. "Come Vex, we have other matters to attend to," she said to the man behind her as she turned and walked out of the theatre without another word.

Vex released his hold over Bo and waggled his eyes suggestively. He turned to follow his leader out the door, but after taking a few steps he turned back and looked at Kenzi. "You and I need to compare makeup notes little human," and with a cackle he too was gone, leaving Bo, Kenzi and Dyson standing around in awkward silence.

Kenzi was the first to break it when she ran over to Bo and gave her a big hug. "Thank god you are okay. I was so worried, I had to get Dyson, I'm sorry." Bo looked down and hugged her back. "Don't worry, its okay."

Dyson only stood glaring at her. "Bo, you need to stop doing this. You cannot keep acting like a bull in a china shop and go off attacking people every time you disagree with them. This isn't the human world anymore. There are fae that are more powerful than you that would not even blink over killing you."

"How can I live my life pretending to be ignorant? Dyson, I didn't grow up in the fae world like you - I can't just stand by when the fae punish people for loving someone they disagree with. How will I be able to love who I want and who would want to love me back? I will never stop fighting Dyson; I don't care what they try to do to me."

Dyson looked at her sadly. "I care," he said as he walked out the door, leaving Kenzi and Bo alone in the now quiet and dark theatre.


	3. Chapter 3

Kenzi walked in to the club house a few hours later, slightly drunk and very ready for bed. Moving in to the living room, she was surprised to see Bo sitting on the couch, staring off in to space.

"Yo Bo Bo, whatchya doing? I thought you were going to meet us at the Dal?"

"Sorry Kenz, I wasn't really in the mood to go drinking," the succubus replied, her voice small in the dark room.

Kenzi looked down at the 3 beers and half empty bottle of vodka in front of her and nodded her head. "Okaaaay. So really Bo, what is going on?"

Bo looked up at her friend and sighed. "I don't know Kenzi. I finally find out what I am, finally stop killing people; you would think that would make me happy. I just still feel like I don't belong, the fae world is so different, so wrong to me. I feel like I am missing something, that I am still so lost."

Kenzi sat down on the couch next to Bo and wrapped her in a big hug. "I know Bo. This is a crazy world you live in and not being raised in it makes it seem all the worse. Just give it time. You still have a lot to learn. And besides, you have me, the most awesome best friend anyone could ever want. I'm with you through it all Bo."

Bo smiled, though a few tears slid down her cheek. Hugging Kenzi back, she replied "I know Kenzi. I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you."

"You would be a sad little succubus without me! Now let's get some sleep and see if we can't stir up some trouble tomorrow. I have a lead on a new case - that should take your mind off of everything."

Getting up to put her empty bottles in the kitchen, she surprised Kenzi with a hug. "Thanks again Kenzi, you really are the best."

"And don't you forget it! See you in the morning Bo Bo," the little goth sang out as she moved up the stairs to her room. Bo took one deep steadying breath before following after her.

After using the bathroom and stripping out of her leathers, Bo plopped down on the bed and stared at the cracks in the ceiling. What was she doing? Feeding off fae had stopped her from killing, but now she felt trapped since she couldn't leave them. She still had no way of controlling her hunger around humans which meant she was beholden to them as her food source. There was no way she was going to let herself hurt another human again. She just wanted to feel safe and at home again. She wanted a normal life, the one she dreamed about before her life went to hell – the picket fence, the kids, the dog, the loving husband or wife. Maybe she was crazy for wanting that, or thinking she could have that as a succubus, but hell if she wasn't going to fight like hell to get it.

Shockingly to Bo, the image of the Morrigan from earlier that day flashed into her mind. Bo couldn't deny she was attracted to the woman, she was beautiful despite her title, and Bo was still of course a succubus. But the look in her eye when Bo accepted her deal gave her pause. She still couldn't quite put her finger on it what exactly it was. That and her reaction to Dyson led her to think there was more to the Morrigan than she knew. She had only ever met the previous Morrigan, Evony, briefly at her Choosing, and she hated that woman's guts. But Evony was cold in a way this new Morrigan wasn't. Maybe it was her eyes, but Bo sensed she was going to be seeing more of the Dark fae leader. And while she still mad as hell, she couldn't stop her mind from wandering back to her molten chocolate eyes and the thought of losing herself in them for hours.

Shaking her head to clear her mind from thoughts she knew would bring no good, she crawled under the covers to finally get some sleep.

_Tomorrow is another day_, she thought.

xxx

Bo stumbled down the stairs at 11 am the next morning feeling like she went toe to toe with an ogre last night. She knew Kenzi would be up soon, so she set to making them some coffee. She briefly considered making breakfast, but a quick look in the fridge dashed that dream.

Sure enough as soon as the aroma of coffee had permeated the house, a bleary eyed Kenzi stumbled down the stairs and poured herself onto one of the kitchen stools. Grabbing the mug Bo set in front of her, she inhaled deeply and let out a big sigh. "I think I may just marry you."

Bo chuckled. "Marry me or the coffee?"

"The coffee of course, you know I don't swing your way!"

Bo rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. So tell me about this case you have that is going to take my mind off of my troubles."

"Bo, can we stop for a second. I know you want to find your mom and I know you are pissed about the whole Luanne thing, but you need to be more careful. I hate to say it, but the walking fur ball is right, there are lots of dangerous things out there, and it isn't worth getting yourself killed for. I will be pissed myself if you died and left me here to fend for myself."

Bo frowned. "I know that Kenzi, I do. I just need answers and I don't know where to turn anymore. I have annoyed the Ash and half the Light fae already. The only ones left are the Dark."

"Yeah, well why don't you go ask your new girlfriend the Morrigan?"

Bo's eyes widened. "My girlfriend? What the heck are you talking about Kenzi?"

"Oh puh-lease. Like I didn't see you two having eye-sex in the theatre last night. If D-Man wasn't there I would have told you two to get a room."

"You are crazy Kenzi. There was no eye sex, or sex of any kind, going on."

"Whatever you say BoBo."

Bo looked thoughtful. "Though, being leader of the Dark she probably has access to all kinds of information. I wonder if she could help me find my mom."

Kenzi did a palm plant to her forehead. "Did you not hear anything I just said about dangerous people out there? I think the Morrigan is high on that list."

"I don't know Kenzi….she could have easily killed us all yesterday, but she didn't. There is something different about her I can't quite put my finger on. But I don't think she would hurt me for asking her some questions."

"She could hurt you just for fun!"

"I'll think about it Kenzi. Now do you want to tell me about this new case or not?"

"Fine, but don't think I don't know that you are changing the subject," Kenzi glared at her friend. She knew that once Bo got an idea in her head it she wouldn't let it go. She just prayed this wasn't a deadly one.


	4. Chapter 4

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.


	5. Chapter 5

_Two days later…_

Lauren was sitting at her desk pouring over the stack of documents. She was still amazed by how much bureaucracy the Dark fae had. Petitions, complaints, requests for everything under the sun – they all ended up on her desk and all needed attention. The few times she tried to ignore the paperwork she was harassed incessantly by the Elders until she finally caved and plowed through the work. Now she tried to do a little each day just to keep up with it and keep everyone off her back.

Unfortunately, today was not one of her most productive days. She was trying her best to get through a few petitions, but her attention kept being diverted to the nondescript folder sitting at the edge of her desk. For half an hour she had been throwing glances at it, despite knowing verbatim everything it contained. Finally huffing at her own lack of willpower, she reached over and grabbed the folder, opening it up to reveal the smiling face of the world's only unaligned succubus.

She had read the file several times, and was still intrigued by the woman. Left to be raised by humans at birth, she had no clue what she was when she grew into her powers. As far as Lauren could tell, after she killed her high school boyfriend, she lived her life on the run for years until she was found by the Light fae police after a poorly disposed of body. Forced to go through the Gathering, she refused to choose a side which was unheard of And neither Evony, the Morrigan at the time, or Samuel, the Ash, forced her to choose since they both wanted her on their side. And so she remained unaligned, working as an unofficial private investigator with her human friend Kenzi, who she had been helping the night the fae found her.

She had just joined the Dark fae when all of this happened, so she was a little distracted with her own issues to pay attention to the politics of the fae world and the arrival of the mysterious succubus.

Sadly, the file had virtually no details on who her family might be. It did however have several reports of things that Bo had done that seemingly pissed off Evony, which made Lauren chuckle a little. Evony was a scheming, power-hungry leader, and it was hard to tell from the accounts if Evony wanted to sleep with or kill the succubus.

Picking up the photo, Lauren stared at it and tried to get a handle on the feelings the woman brought out in her. She hadn't been with anyone since Nadia, there wasn't even anyone who caught her eye. And it wasn't for lack of opportunity. Being the Morrigan had a lot of perks, one of which was apparently the ability to sleep with anyone she wanted. She knew that Evony had made frequent use of that benefit, but Lauren just couldn't bring herself to. And of course, when she finally did encounter someone she would actually want to sleep with, not only were they unaligned, but they also probably thought of her as evil incarnate.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts and stop her mood from spiraling, she had just closed and pushed the folder away when Vex knocked and walked in.

"You know, it is customary to knock and then wait for a response before barging in," she glared.

"I did wait. You were too slow," the Mesmer retorted, dropping a file on Lauren's desk.

Lauren sighed. "Another petition?"

Shaking his head Vex replied, "Unfortunately, no. Another attack."

Slamming her fist on the desk, she looked up at Vex. "Fuck. Where? And who?"

Vex chuckled. "This was one I wish I was there for. An ogre and a stone giant, both Dark, a few blocks west of Bloor in an old industrial area."

"Any spectators?"

"No. But in case it ever comes up, don't bet against the stone giant. He killed the ogre before we could subdue him. He is in a holding cell downstairs, but I think it will be a few days before he wakes up with all the drugs we had to pump into him."

Lauren rose from her desk quickly and made her way over to a small desk in the corner. Grabbing a rolled up map, she pushed it open and spread it out over the desk. "Show me where it was," she told the Mesmer.

Moving to stand beside her, he studied the map that was covered with red, blue and black X's, each one signifying an attack of either Light or Dark fae, or attack between the two sides. Grabbing a black pen, he drew a little black cross where the latest attack happened.

Lauren looked down at his mark, lost in thought. "That is the sixth attack in that quadrant in the last three weeks, the second one in as many days."

Vex nodded. "It's only a block away from Mayer's club, it may be worth it to pay him a visit to see if he saw anything. He is extremely nosy, so it is highly possible he knows something."

"Who is Mayer?" Lauren had to ask. She was still relatively new to the Dark world and didn't know all the players yet. Thankfully, that was something Vex was good at.

"He is a Luck fae who runs a nightclub and illegal gambling room. He 'knows things and people' if you get my drift. And that knowledge is usually for sale"

Lauren smirked. "Well, I think I may be paying Mr. Mayor a visit. We'll see what kind of discount he gives the Morrigan."

xxx

Bo stood outside the club, gawking at the line around the block waiting to get in. Not having time for pretense, she walked straight up to the ropes keeping the crowd in line and signaled to the bouncer. As soon as he came over, Bo took his hand and released a pulse of power into him. A few short whispered words later, and the rope was lifted and she was waved in, feeling the glare of angry club goers at her back.

Moving inside, she was not surprised to find the club was dark and hot and pulsating with desire. Bo could literally feel it in waves, flowing over her in time with the music. The Dark Fae clubs were so much more open with their sexuality than the Light Fae ones she usually visited. It was delicious and mesmerizing, and if she wasn't here for a specific purpose, she could easily let herself get lost in the crowd and feast for hours. But she was here for information, and if she let herself get distracted she knew she would end up leaving without it.

Moving over to the bar, she spent a few minutes scanning the crowd to get a better feel for her surroundings in case she needed to make a quick getaway. As her eyes passed over the patrons in their various states of pleasure and decadence, she saw her. In many ways she stood out amongst the crowd in her tailored dress clothes and put-together manner. She was engrossed in a deep conversation with a guy and he wasn't looking too happy about it. As she felt her libido ramp up, Bo was surprised again about her reaction to this woman. Sure she was totally beautiful, but she was also an evil murderess and she really wanted nothing to do with her. She certainly did not want to picture the way her lips would feel against hers, or how her hands would feel running up her bare chest. Shaking her head she berated herself for even going there. What was wrong with her?

Dragging her attention away from the temptation before her, she continued her scan of the room and finally saw what she was looking for. A giant of a man was standing guard in front of a doorway that she assumed led to the back rooms where the real business and debauchery happened. She knew she would find Mayer back there, the Luck fae she was here to see.

She started to move slowly through the crowd, reveling in the press of bodies that seemed to be a constant here. It was becoming hard to focus as hands slid over her body, hips grinded and lustful looks were cast her way as everyone could feel her succubus pull. Her eyes were starting to flash and she wondered if perhaps stopping for a quick snack would be a good idea, when she heard a familiar voice purr in her ear. "So, succubus, you keep showing up in Dark fae territory and I am going to think you have decided to join the Dark."

Turning her head and body, she found herself looking into the warm and mischievous chocolate eyes of the Morrigan, and once again her attraction to the woman was beyond her control as she felt her body shudder involuntarily at the site of her. The Morrigan picked up on Bo's reaction and her own arousal skyrocketed at the site of the enticing succubus before her. Bo felt her eyes flash brighter and hold on to their blue state as the woman watched her curiously. "I imagine a place like this would make you very hungry," she said without any trace of judgment. If anything, Bo picked up hint of curiosity in the statement. Bo closed her eyes and nodded, trying to stop the very much x-rated thoughts running through her head right now.

Sensing her discomfort and intrigued by her own massive attraction to the woman before her, the Morrigan stepped closer to Bo, letting their bodies come together ever so slightly as she leaned in towards the succubus, breathing warm air on her ear as she asked "would you like a snack?"

For Bo, it was like throwing gasoline on a simmering fire. Her eyes shot open and she knew they were glowing radiantly. The blonde's aura was near blinding at this point, and Bo could do nothing but grab on to the blonde's hips, pulling her closer while letting out a low growl, "Morrigan…."

"Call me Lauren," was all the blonde could get out, she was now completely lost to the desire coursing through her body. In a far off section of her brain, she knew this was probably a bad idea, but the rest of her body was clamoring for the woman before her to take her and make her scream her name.

"Lauren," Bo moaned as she leaned in towards the blonde. She had no resistance left, no desire to do anything but feel this woman's lips on hers, to feel their bodies pressed together, to taste her deeply.

Before she got the chance to though, Vex rushed over and grabbed Lauren's arm. "Morrigan," he said and it was clear he was out of breath. He paused for just a second as he took in the scene before him, the blue eyes of the succubus and the desire filled ones of his master. "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but you need to leave. Now. There is a hunting party on its way in."

At Vex's words, Lauren snapped out of her daze and looked at the Mesmer nodding her head. "I am sorry Bo, I need to go. Perhaps I will see you again soon," and with that she was led out of the club by Vex, through a door Bo hadn't even noticed before.

Bo stood there for a few moments, not quite sure what had just happened. Was she really about to feed on the Morrigan in the middle of a Dark Fae club? Yeah, she was. And probably would have done more if Vex hadn't interrupted. Was she really that hungry and out of control? And what was a hunting party?

Bo didn't have long to wait to get that question answered as four fae stormed in to the club. She could tell three were ogres but she had no idea what the fourth one was. He was obviously the leader as he pushed through the crowd first, looking for his quarry, the ogres trailing behind. A few people in the club shot them annoyed glances, but for the most part everyone just ignored them. Bo wondered if this happened a lot.

The fae continued to stalk around the club until his eyes finally settled on Bo and he moved over to stand before her. "Where is she?" he asked without any hint of emotion. Bo blinked at him. "Where is who?"

"The Morrigan. I smell her on you," he stated, his nose twitching ever so slightly.

Bo shrugged. "She was here, but she left a little while ago. I have no idea where she went."

Suddenly an ogre rumbled up behind her and grabbed her by the shoulders, squeezing them painfully together. Bo yelped in pain and the twitchy nose fae continued to just stare at her. "Where is she?" he repeated the first question.

"I told you, she was here but she left and I don't know where she went. Now let me go or we are going to have a problem."

"We already have a problem. I need to know where the Morrigan went."

Bo was quickly tiring of this line of questioning. While she had no loyalties to the Dark Fae, and was still pissed about what they had done to Luanne, she could not deny that she was intrigued by the Morrigan. By Lauren. And for whatever reason, she felt a need to protect her.

Luckily for her, the ogre had only grabbed her shoulders, leaving her arms below her elbows free to move. Bending down slightly and bringing her leg up, she grabbed her ever trusty thigh dagger and slammed it into the hip joint of the giant holding her. It wasn't meant to mortally wound him, but it did its job as he released his hold on her, dropping to his knees as blood gushed from the tendon Bo had sliced through. Turning quickly to the fae in front of her, she grabbed his neck and pulled him close, starting to pull chi as he struggled to escape her grip. As she was feeding, she saw the other two ogres start to head her way. She only had a few seconds before they would get to her and she knew she would be in trouble then. Ogres weren't susceptible to a succubus' touch, and she doubted she could handle two of them at once in straight combat.

She needn't have worried though, for before they reached her they both stopped, turned to each other, and started slamming their heads together. Bo was shocked for an instant, before turning to see Vex laughing behind her. "Finally I get to have some fun!" he cackled, watching as the two brutes started to stumble and lose their focus as they continued to pummel one another. "Oh, and if you could not kill the tracker, that would be great. We need to get some information from him and that is kinda hard to do If he is dead."

Bo looked back to the fae she still had in her grip, who was now very much unconscious. She dropped him on the floor and watched as a bunch of Dark Fae guards entered the club and dragged him and the three wounded ogres out. She was still shocked at how little attention everyone had paid to the intrusion in their midst. A few people had stopped to watch, but for the most part everyone had just gone on with their drinking, dancing and making out.

She looked at Vex who was making sure everyone was hauled away. "Does this happen a lot in here?"

Vex smiled. "Every once in a while. The Dark are always pissed off at each other for some reason on another."

Bo shook her head slowly in understanding. "Did Lau – Did the Morrigan get out okay?"

Vex nodded, not letting her know that the only reason he came back was because the Morrigan ordered him to make sure the succubus was okay. Vex eyed the brunette closely. There was definitely something going on between the two of them, he just wondered if they even knew what it was.


	6. Chapter 6

Bo was sitting at the Dal, drinking a much needed beer and running through her day with Kenzi. She was a little annoyed about not getting to talk to Mayer, but he had apparently fled as soon as he heard there was an attempted assassination on the Morrigan at the club. She was still trying to process the whole piece about almost feeding on the woman and the crazy attraction she had towards her, so she left that part out of her story to Kenzi, just mentioning that she had run in to her and they were talking when the hunting party arrived.

Hale and Dyson arrived a few minutes later with Hale walking right up to her at the bar and slapping her on the back. "Way to go Bo, I admit you got balls trying to tap that!" Bo looked up confused at his exclamation, but understanding started to dawn as soon as she saw the sour expression on Dyson's face. Apparently the fae gossip mill wasn't hindered by the divide between Light and Dark.

"Bo, tell me the rumors aren't true, that you weren't grinding on the Morrigan before she was attacked," Dyson asked, his demeanor as cold as ice.

"Whoa chica, you definitely left that out of your story!" Kenzi barged in to the conversation. "Seriously? You and the Ice Queen Bitch?"

Bo held her hands up. "Hang on. I wasn't _grinding_ on her; I don't know where you heard that. We may have been having a conversation a little more closely than was necessary, but there was no grinding." _Yet_, Bo thought. Another two minutes and there would have been a lot more than grinding going on.

"Yeah well, you are apparently the talk of the Dark, how you were all blue eyed over the Morrigan and helped take out two of her attackers," Hale chuckled. "You are turning into a celebrity in the Dark world."

"Great," Bo said as she turned back to her beer and away from the angry glare of Dyson. She needed to talk to Trick about what the Morrigan's story was and what there was between her and Dyson that caused such hatred. And then she needed to figure out what was between her and this woman who was starting to consume every waking and non-waking thought.

xxx

The man watched the interaction from the shadows, sweat dripping down his sallow and sunken face. Smiling to himself, he knew he had just found what his Master was looking for. Slinking out to let him know of his discovery, he thought to himself, yes, his Master would be very pleased with this one.

xxx

Getting Trick away from the bar and downstairs to ask about Lauren turned out to be easier than she thought. As soon as she brought the woman up, Trick ushered her and Kenzi downstairs. When they were settled on the couch, he asked them what they wanted to know.

"Anything you can tell us. How did she become the Morrigan and why do her and Dyson hate each other so much?"

Trick nodded. "I can tell you how she came to be with the fae, but many of the details on how she came to be the Morrigan are known only to her. As for her and Dyson, I am not sure I have anything concrete either, but I will tell you what I know."

Bo and Kenzi nodded, and got comfortable, waiting for fae story time to start.

Trick settled on his couch and looked at Bo and Kenzi for a long minute before starting his story. He knew the opening would be a shock to them. "Before she was the Morrigan, Lauren Lewis was the human doctor of the Light fae."

"Wait, hold up there Trickster. Did you say _human_?" Kenzi asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Yes, Kenzi. Lauren Lewis was human when she first joined the fae."

"What the F T-Man? How is that even possible?"

"That is one of the things I don't have the answer to Kenzi, but if you would let me continue my story, I will give you some insight into the situation."

Kenzi nodded and settled herself back down on the couch and waited for Trick to begin his tale again.

"The previous Ash, Samuel, found her in the Congo about 6 or 7 years ago. She was there on a research grant with her girlfriend, Nadia, when she stumbled upon what she thought was a tribe of people who were dying from a deadly strain of flu. The people were dying, but they weren't human, they were fae, and Lauren in her attempts at curing the flu quickly figured this out. The fae flu had been around for centuries and was one of the most feared and incurable diseases. Amazingly, after a few weeks, Dr. Lewis had found a cure and eradicated the disease from the fae. Unfortunately, her girlfriend became sick from what appeared to be the same flu, and the cure did not work on her. She was distraught, so when offered all the resources of the Light fae to help her find a cure for her girlfriend, in return for her service to the Ash, she accepted."

Bo sat engrossed by Trick's tale, and was surprised to find a pang of jealousy shoot through her when hearing of Lauren's girlfriend. "I am guessing this story doesn't have a happy ending," she said, watching the older man closely to gauge his reaction.

"Sadly, no. A little more than a year back, the Ash was killed in an explosion at the compound, and her girlfriend, who had been kept alive in a stasis pod also perished. At the time, it was revealed that her girlfriend had not contracted the flu as originally thought, but rather had been cursed by the Ash in order to secure Lauren's services."

"So Blondie has a good reason to hate the Light fae," Kenzi commented. "But what exactly did committing her 'services' to the fae mean? She worked for them?"

Trick shook his head. "The fae don't have humans 'work' for them Kenzi. The fae own people. She was a slave."

Bo gasped and Kenzi stared at him in disbelief. "A slave? Like the same thing humans abolished a hundred years ago?"

Trick nodded his head. "The fae have owned humans for as long as they have both walked this earth."

Bo had to know. "What did that mean for her? Was she chained up and forced to do things…" She was sick to her stomach right now at the thought of Lauren having to do anything against her will.

Trick at least shook his head this time. "Lauren was very special to the Ash and her knowledge and intelligence were respected, so she was treated better than most owned humans. But there were still times, mostly early in her service, when she was beaten and thrown in the dungeon for not obeying an order or to be reminded of her status. I suspect that is where the mutual dislike for Dyson stems from. She would have worked long days with no vacation or sick time and would have been treated like an afterthought most of the time. But she was also protected and would have had all of her needs met. "

_Except her need for freedom_, Bo thought to herself, disgusted yet again by the fae.

"When her girlfriend was killed, why wasn't she released?" Bo asked, trying to hold back her anger.

Trick at least had the decency to look a little ashamed at that question. "Well, the new Ash, Lachlan, claimed the contract Lauren signed was for perpetuity, not the life of her girlfriend, and refused to release her. And since the contract was never found, she had no choice but to remain with the fae."

"Did you know her?" Bo couldn't help but ask.

Trick nodded slowly. "I worked with her on a few occasions. She really was the most brilliant doctor and scientific mind the fae had ever known. Despite how she was treated, she maintained a quiet dignity about her and truly did care about her patients. And her brilliance was envied by all the Light fae – she became the personal doctor for all of the elders and important fae in light society."

"So the million dollar question - how did she end up fae and with the Dark?"

"That is still a bit of a mystery. One day there was an incident at the compound and a Light fae elder and hospital orderly were murdered, brutally, and Doctor Lewis went missing. At first everyone thought she had done it, but the attack was more like a wild animal had mauled the two fae than anything else. And no evidence could ever be found linking her to the murder – no DNA, no finger prints, no anything. Eventually the case was closed. A few weeks later, Doctor Lewis resurfaced, she was fae and had claimed allegiance to the Dark. The Light fae were up in arms, not believing that she was fae and demanding her return. But all the tests the Light did confirmed that she was indeed fae. All anyone could surmise was that she had spent her time with the Light finding a way to turn herself fae, and she had achieved that. When the existing Morrigan, Evony, was murdered, they elected her to the position, and that is where she has been for the last year, much to the dismay of the Light."

"So let me get this straight – the fae curse her girlfriend, turn her into a slave and then kill her girlfriend. But at the same time, they tell her their deep dark secrets and their entire medical history? Wow, you fae are stupid. And no wonder she bolted for the Dark. Pay back is a bitch," Kenzi muttered. She didn't like the woman, but she also couldn't help feel sorry for her. She probably would have been a bitchy ice queen too if she had to go through all of that.

Bo nodded in agreement. "I don't even know what to say about all of this Trick. How could anyone think it is okay to own people in this day and age?"

Trick looked at the young succubus. "I know you don't agree with this Bo, but it is how it is, how it has always been. Dr. Lewis knew what she was signing up for when she agreed to join the fae."

"How could you even say that? They CURSED HER GIRLFRIEND! Lying to her to get her to enslave herself is nowhere near being okay, on so many different levels," Bo fumed, her voice rising against the thousands year-old fae.

Trick did not want to argue with her as he knew how stubborn she could be. "It is in the past Bo, what is important is that she is now the Morrigan. And despite my dislike for anyone that holds that title, there are things going on that are bigger than the Light and the Dark, and we may need her help if we are to survive."

Bo slumped back on the couch, her hand coming to rub the bridge of her nose. She was tired of all this fae crap and she needed time to process everything that Trick just told her and the feelings she had for the woman. But she couldn't just leave Trick's statement out there. "What are you talking about Trick? What is going on?"

Trick sighed. "I am not sure yet, but something big is coming. The assassination attempts, the violent outbreaks. Whatever it is wants to destroy the fae, not just one side."

"Great," Bo muttered. "One more thing to worry about. I will keep my eyes open, but unless you have something more concrete there isn't much I can do right now."

"Perhaps you could speak to the Morrigan? I heard the gossip of your last run in with her. If what is coming is as bad as I fear it is, we will need to fight as one against it, we cannot have the Light against the Dark, or we will all perish."

"Melodramatic much Trick?" Kenzi asked. "This has been a way downer convo, I am going to head back upstairs and drown my sorrows in your best vodka. You coming Bo?"

Bo nodded and rose to follow her best friend. As she was just about to head up the stairs, she heard Trick calling her. "Be careful Bo. Any Morrigan is a dangerous woman, but this one is smarter than all that have come before her."

Bo nodded and moved up the stairs after Kenzi. Drowning her sorrows in vodka seemed like a fabulous idea right now.


	7. Chapter 7

Lauren paced restlessly in her apartment waiting for Vex to return. What was taking him so long? Did something happen? Did the hunting party claim different victims because their original quarry had fled? What if something had happened to Bo? Gah, why did she even care?

She was startled from her thoughts by the arrival of the Mesmer, bouncing into her living room as he usually did, without even waiting for her to answer his knock.

"What happened," she asked, before he could even get close enough to carry on a conversation.

"So inpatient luv. These things take time you know, there are protocols to follow and torturing to be done and – "

"Vex, I get it. Just tell me, did you stop them before they hurt anyone?"

Vex grinned at her like a cat who had just eaten all the canaries in the pet store. "By anyone, do you mean a delicious succubus with a penchant for black leather?"

Lauren huffed, She knew that Vex would only prolong her agony the more she pushed, so she resorted to plan B. "Vex, either tell me what you know I want to know, or I will cut your balls off and feed them to a Wendigo."

Staring at his leader, he made a rather unpleasant face before relenting. "Fine. But let me tell you first, you need to get laid. This sexual tension you have building up with the sex monster is making you very unattractive and no fun to be around."

"Vex – "

"Fine. Yes, she is fine. She had taken down one of the ogres and was sucking the tracker dry when I got back to her. I took out the other two ogres and then your guards rounded them all up and took them to the dungeons. She was kind enough to leave the tracker alive, so we may be able to get some intel from him at least."

Lauren sighed and went to sit down on her couch. "What am I doing Vex?"

"Clearly not enough banging," came the cheeky reply.

"You aren't helping. "

"I'm sorry, have you met me?"

Lauren chuckled. "Good point"

"In case you care, she asked if you had made it out okay when we were scooping up the ogres. Never bloody once asked how I was even though I saved her arse from two of them!"

Lauren smiled.

"Oh, and the other thing, no one can stop talking about you two going at it at the club. Light and Dark."

"What? We weren't *going at it*, we were just uh, talking. Close."

Vex snickered. "So that's what kids are calling it these days. Look, it's not a bad thing. The Dark like a leader who isn't afraid to be bold and a little naughty. Grinding on the unaligned succubus in a nightclub is definitely both of those."

"We weren't grinding," Lauren tried to plead her case but she knew it was useless if people were already talking. And honestly, she was about 30 seconds from doing a lot more than grinding with the succubus, her desire for her was so strong at that moment.

"Whatever you say luv. Look, maybe you should call her or summons her or kidnap her or whatever it is you do. If nothing else she may prove useful in fighting whatever this big bad that is coming. And who knows, maybe you will get a good shag out of it."

"Vex – " she started, but he was already out the door. Slumping back in to the couch, she wondered if maybe he was right. She hadn't been intimate with anyone since Nadia almost seven years ago. The first few years she was so distraught about her being sick, she spent all of her free time working on a cure or just sitting in the room with her stasis pod, talking to her. But as the time wore on, and the possibility of finding a cure dimmed, she withdrew more and more in to herself. And it wasn't like there were a ton of suitors to distract her from her solitude – she was surrounded by fae who cared nothing for her. Sure a few attempted to start something, but she kept her heart closed and her icy facade up, and never took anyone up on anything.

When Nadia was killed, she was devastated. She had spent five years as a slave to get someone back she now never could. And to find out that she hadn't been sick all along, well, if the Ash hadn't died that same day she would have killed him herself.

She naively thought that once Nadia was gone, she would be released from her contract, but of course the fae were having none of that, not after how valuable she had become. Lachlan, the new Ash was a giant asshole and couldn't 'find' the contract she had signed with his predecessor. When she protested, it was back to the dungeons until she was ready to be the subservient and obedient human doctor again. She can still remember the look on his face when she was named the Morrigan. And now she took such great pleasure in opposing him at every opportunity, which wasn't a hard thing to do since he was such a tool.

She was sure he would have heard about her and the succubus at the club. She smiled to herself at how that must be driving him insane. She knew the succubus was rumored to possess power never before seen in the fae world, power she wasn't even aware of and she knew Lachlan coveted that power for the Light. The power of the succubus was intriguing, she had to admit, but right now all she wanted was her hands and her lips on her, anything to soothe the unfamiliar ache that started at the club and was still burning inside of her.

Suddenly remembering she had her phone number from her earlier visit, she retrieved it from her desk and sent off a quick text. She knew Vex said she was fine, and she trusted him, but she had a deep need to hear it from the woman herself.

_Lauren: Thank you for your help earlier. Vex said you were ok, but I wanted to make sure._

She didn't need to wait long for a response.

_Bo: Lauren?_

Oh yeah, she hadn't given the brunette her number.

_Lauren: Yes_

_Bo: I am fine. I hope you made it out safely as well._

_Lauren: I did. And I want to apologize to you as well._

_Bo: for what?_

_Lauren: For provoking you about your hunger. It wasn't a nice thing to do._

Bo didn't respond for a few minutes and her silence made Lauren start to panic. Should she have mentioned it at all? What if Bo was angry with her for doing it? Shit. She should just have left well enough alone.

Finally a response.

_Bo: It's okay. You were right, I was a little hungry._

And then another text came a few seconds later. This one caused Lauren's heart to seize in her chest.

_Bo: If we hadn't been interrupted, would you have been upset if things had gone where they were going?_

Lauren stared at her phone for a few minutes too shocked to respond. She knew what the brunette was asking, and she knew the answer. What held her back was what giving Bo that answer would mean. What if Bo was just asking and didn't feel the same way? God, what if she did feel the same way.

Realizing she had to say something, she typed in her response and hit send, praying she wasn't making a mistake.

_Lauren: No _

Lauren's thoughts spiraled as she waited for Bo's response. Thankfully it was quick to arrive.

_Bo: Me neither_

Lauren smiled as her heart pounded in her chest and she felt butterflies racing in her stomach. She didn't know where this would lead, or even how far she wanted to pursue it considering what the woman was, but now neither one of them could deny the mutual attraction they had. Resisting the urge to send back a smiley face, she finally said her goodbye.

_Lauren: I'll see you around Bo. Have a good night._

_Bo: You too Lauren._

This is ridiculous, she thought to herself. What the hell had that woman done to her? She needed to get out of her apartment, maybe have a drink. Just because she was the Morrigan didn't mean she couldn't use some time to de-stress.

Getting up off her couch, she decided to head for the Dal. It was neutral territory, it was not a nightclub, and people would leave her alone so she could get her mind off that damn succubus. She smiled to herself, pleased with her plan.

xxx

The Dal was quiet when she arrived, something she was thankful for. Being the Morrigan didn't leave her with a lot of privacy, something she naturally craved. Vex had insisted on coming with her for protection and she was silently grateful since the threat of assassination seemed to be growing. Knowing she needed her space, he wandered off to the pool tables, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She had always liked the Dal, even when she was a slave to the Light. The fact that it was on neutral territory isolated it from a lot of the fae drama that the Light or Dark bars had, and Trick the owner did a very good job keeping the peace. She was fond of Trick, he had always treated her with respect and appreciated her intelligence. There were many times over the years when she had sought out his counsel, knowing he was one of the most knowledgeable on fae history and species. She didn't know what type of fae he was, but she could sense he was very old and powerful, so powerful that even the Ash was afraid of him.

Glancing around, she did not see him working, so she grabbed a seat in the corner of the bar and ordered a beer from the woman who was bar tending. Taking a few sips, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and felt herself relax immediately. She missed the simple things like being able to grab a beer whenever she wanted. Being the Morrigan meant she had 24 hour protection and every action she did was scrutinized for motives and hidden meaning. Even though it had only been a year, she was tired of it, and had started to look for a way to hand the job off to someone else. She knew Vex wanted it, and she would be delighted to pass it on to him, she just had to figure out how to convince the elders.

To those who didn't know him, Vex was an grade A evil bastard. Being a Mesmer took that to new levels, since the fact that he could control most anyone without even touching them made him one of the most powerful and dangerous fae in the world. He had a tumultuous relationship with Evony, which was on one of their downward swings when she was murdered. When she was named the Morrigan, she had found him rotting in the dungeon, his Mesmer powers having left him. She let him go, and being a doctor she couldn't help but try to figure out how to get his powers back. After a few weeks, she discovered the parasite that the Morrigan had infected him with. She worked up a drug cocktail that would kill it off in a few days and she was hoping that it wasn't something she would come to regret. In the weeks after she had released him from the dungeon, she had grown to appreciate him and enjoy his company. He had been close to the Morrigan for many years and knew so much about the Dark that he was invaluable in helping her step into her new role. He would fill her in on who was who, the types of fae they were, their weaknesses and strengths. He would offer his opinion on things she asked of him and she was surprised at how much she respected it. But that was all before he had his powers back. She was honestly afraid he would go back to being 'Vex' once he had them back.

They were sitting in her office one of the days they were waiting for the drugs to kick in, when a man broke in to her office with a dagger and an overwhelming desire to kill her. He was a Faban, a rare type of fae known for their speed. They had been used on the battlefields during the fae wars as advance troops since they were able to penetrate enemy lines so quickly they were often not even seen. Unfortunately these were almost always suicide missions. Today there were only a handful left, and most of them were assassins.

Lauren heard the door open, but didn't even see the fae until he was standing over her, dagger in hand, bringing it down to plunge in to her heart. She didn't have any time to move or defend herself, and remembers thinking that this would be the end. But before she could finish that thought, the man froze above her, the blade 6 inches from her chest. Quickly recovering from her shock, Lauren backed away from the man to see Vex standing there with a huge grin on his face. "Guess those drugs worked luv. Lucky for both of us." And that was, as they say, the start of a wonderful friendship. She trusted Vex with her life and she knew that he trusted her. They didn't always get along, and he was still an evil bastard a lot of the time, but it worked for them. He did not mind doing the things that needed to be done that she couldn't stomach, and he always made sure people thought she was just as evil and unstable as he was, which even though it wasn't true, the fear of it allowed her to keep and maintain power with less difficulty.

Thinking to herself that she needed to get back on track trying to figure out how to make Vex the next Morrigan, ideally without getting herself killed, she ordered another beer, not noticing the shifter sitting down next to her at the bar.

"Hello Lauren", he said, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Dyson," she could only grind out, all the stress flooding back in to her body.

"What brings someone of your importance to the Dal tonight? "

"It's none of your business. And if you don't mind, I was enjoying my solitude."

"I guess all that time spent in the dungeons did have an effect on you," Dyson snickered at her.

"Dyson, don't start. I just want to drink my beer in peace. Please go find someone else to annoy."

"Oh, but where is the fun in that?"

Lauren sighed and moved to get up from the bar when she was stopped by the site of Bo walking in her direction. Immediately she felt the heat flood her body as she was once again taken by the succubus. Bo clearly noticed her reaction, as she grinned widely and headed over towards her.

"Well, never thought I would see the two of you sharing a beer at the Dal," she spoke, looking between the two of them. Dyson had his usual condescending sneer on his face, while Lauren looked uncomfortable despite the fact that Bo could tell her libido was on fire.

"We weren't sharing anything. In fact I was just about to head to the ladies room and then home," she said before turning to face Bo. "It's nice to see you again Bo. I enjoyed our chat earlier, perhaps you could come by my office and we can speak some more?" Lauren knew she was blatantly flirting with the woman, but couldn't resist doing so in front of the dog.

Bo gave her a lascivious smile back. "It is nice to see you too. Perhaps I will come by for a chat."

Nodding to Bo, she smiled gently and them moved away to head to the bathrooms in the back of the club. Bo watched her walk away, paying extra attention to how hot she looked in her tailored pants. She was interrupted from her fantasy by Dyson, who was growling at her.

"You seriously cannot be thinking about doing anything with her, Bo?'

Turning to him, she gave him an annoyed look. "It's none of your business who I think about _doing_ things with."

Unable to help himself, Dyson reached out and grabbed her arm. "Bo, I am serious. She is an evil bitch and will break you if you try to get close to her."

Bo wrenched her arm free and moved closer to the wolf, looking him right in the eye. "Listen to me Dyson, you don't own me and you don't control me. *I* decide who I want to be close to and who I don't. And if you EVER touch me like that again, I will break every bone in your furry little body. Understand?"

Dyson nodded, knowing full well how powerful Bo was and how not in control she could be when she was angry. Satisfied with his response, Bo turned and walked out of the Dal, wanting nothing more than a cold shower to calm her own libido, and a long nights sleep so she could dream about the things she wanted Lauren to do to her.

xxx

Bo made it half a block down the street before she felt the first one. She had no idea who or what it was, but she was beaten to the ground so quickly, the wind was knocked out of her. Struggling to breath, she tried to turn over to fight her attacker when a second one came at her, landing a crushing blow to her ribs. She doubled over in pain, looking up just in time to see a hairy fist flying towards her face. The pain of it connecting with her eye was the last thing she felt before blacking out.


	8. Chapter 8

By the time Lauren and Vex reached the succubus, she was in rough shape. Lauren was thankful Vex was with her, since he was able to use his Mesmer powers and stop their attack before they killed her. Unfortunately, Kenzi had shown up a minute after they had, and her scream of terror over what was happening to her best friend startled Vex and his concentration, and the lycanthropes escaped. Running to the succubus and kneeling down next to her, Lauren took her pulse and assessed her injuries. Her arm was bent sideways and her breathing was labored, and one eye was already swollen shut. She had lost some blood, but not enough to be fatal. Lauren moved her hands around her chest, confirming her initial thought of broken ribs.

Kenzi stood next to her, crying. "Bo! Oh god, you need to help her! What are you doing, call an ambulance. I am going to call Dyson!"

At the sound of the shifters name, Lauren jumped up and rounded on the small goth. "DO NOT call that dog. I will take her to the Dark fae compound and get her the care she needs."

"What? She is not Dark fae, take her to Light's compound," Kenzi demanded. She didn't trust the blonde and didn't want Bo to go anywhere near the Dark.

"She isn't Light either. Look, I know you are worried about your friend, and I give you my word she will not be in any sort of danger, nor will she owe any sort of debt to the Dark. But we need to move her now before she loses any more blood, or worse, the lycanthropes come back with reinforcements to finish the job."

Kenzi studied the woman silently for a few seconds. She knew Bo needed help and quickly. She also had no love for Lachlan, he was a total asshole and probably would demand something in return for helping Bo. Plus, she knew what Bo really needed to get better, and she didn't think she would mind getting that kind of doctoring from the Morrigan. "Fine, but I am coming with you."

Lauren looked over at Vex who was trying hard not to laugh at the spunky little human. Looking back at Kenzi, she nodded. "Vex, have the car brought around."

xxx

Lauren had Bo brought to her penthouse suite, where she immediately went to work on the things she could fix quickly on Bo, working under Kenzi's suspicious eye. After cleaning and bandaging the cuts, and setting Bo's arm back in place, she motioned to Kenzi to follow her out of the room.

They made their way back in to the living room as soon as Kenzi was convinced that Bo was safe and had been cared for. Vex was still in the room, sitting on the couch on his head and trying to balance a cigarette on his outstretched hand. Seeing the two women rejoin him, he flipped back over and flashed his trademark smirk. "The succubus is resting comfortably I assume?"

Lauren nodded and wondered how she was going to broach the next topic with the petite human. She didn't want her to freak out and cause a scene, but she also knew how protective she was of Bo and that she wasn't really fond of her.

Fortunately, the goth brought it up herself, suspecting Lauren's intentions. "So, Doc, I know you know how a succubus heals," she started. Lauren nodded in reply.

"And what do you intend to do about that?"

Lauren looked at her intently. She wanted the woman's approval, but she would not detour from her plan if she didn't get it. Her feelings for Bo were stronger than she wanted to admit and while these weren't the circumstances she wanted their first time to be around, she could not deny the pull she felt towards her, how much she wanted to be back in her bedroom right now, wrapped tightly in the succubus' embrace.

"Whatever she wants me to," she answered honestly.

Kenzi eyed her for a few moments, and Lauren was almost convinced she was trying to look in to her soul. Kenzi would much have preferred Dyson healing Bo, but she knew that there was no way in hell Lauren would call him. Bo really did need to heal, and Lauren had saved her life, so she wasn't really worried about her hurting Bo. She was intuitive though and she knew there was something more going on between Bo and Lauren.

Finally Kenzi nodded, walking up to stand toe to toe with Lauren. "Let's just get one thing straight. I don't care who or what you are, if you hurt Bo, I will find you and make sure that future archaeologists won't ever be able to piece your body parts back together."

Behind them, Lauren could hear Vex cough, but she kept her eyes on Kenzi, breaking into a slight smile at the balls the little human had. "Understood," she said.

Kenzi nodded and turned around to walk out. "Come on Vex, I don't want any more reasons to need therapy. There must be some place to get some alcohol in this compound."

Vex looked up at Lauren who nodded that it was okay to leave, and he jumped quickly to follow the little goth he had to admit amused him to a high degree. "Stick with me luv, I know how to show a girl a good time." Lauren rolled her eyes at Vex and watched as they left and shut the door behind them. The silence was suddenly unnerving to Lauren, who felt butterflies in her stomach as she thought about the unconscious woman lying in her bed.

She turned and looked at the door to her room. Was she ready for this? Would she even remember what to do after seven years? What if Bo rejected her? Bo was a succubus, had probably slept with hundreds of people, what if she was horrible? My god, she was turning into a girl! She needed to stop thinking!

Taking a deep breath, she strode quickly to the door and opened it, stepping quietly in to the dim room and shutting the door behind her. She watched Bo from a distance, her breath catching at how beautiful she was, even with all the bruises she had. Lauren had to admit that this woman had some sort of hold on her heart and it wasn't because she was a succubus. It was the woman herself who had captured her – she was strong and loyal and wore her heart on her sleeve. Sure she was impetuous and naive, but that only made her more alluring. And oh god was she alluring. Lauren did not think she had ever met a more beautiful creature before in her life.

Moving to the bed, she gingerly sat down on the edge, close enough that she could reach down and run her fingers down Bo's cheek, whispering her name to wake her up. It pained her to see her like this - her left eye swollen shut and the flesh starting to discolor around the eye socket, her lips cut and cracked and still bleeding a bit. She knew that there was just as much bruising being hidden by the blanket – at least one cracked rib, a deep thigh hematoma, and a broken arm mixed in with various small cuts and bruises. She was thankful that the Lycanthropes who did this were young and untrained, as a full grown adult would have ripped her throat out before they had gotten to her. These two, thankfully, had wanted to play with their food first. She vowed silently that she would find them and kill them, with her own hands if need be.

But first she needed to get Bo healthy again, and her heart continued to pound over what that meant. Stroking her cheek with a little more pressure this time, she leaned in a little closer as she continued to whisper her name. Finally she felt Bo stirring, her eyelids fluttering for a few seconds before her good eye opened, a little unfocused and dilated. Lauren watched as it began to focus, settling on her. "Hi," she said gently, wanting to make Bo feel at ease since she probably didn't have a good grasp on what had happened yet.

Bo tried to sit up and speak, but her throat was dry and everything hurt and all she ended up doing was coughing. Lauren reached over to the nightstand next to the bed and grabbed a cup of water with a straw, moving it over and placing the straw between Bo's lips, encouraging her to drink. "Slow down, give yourself a second to wake up, the water will help."

Bo nodded and took a few sips of the water before pulling her head back and resting it deeper in to the pillow. She watched Lauren carefully for a few minutes before she closed her eye and tried to piece together her memory of how she ended up here, wherever that was, and why she was in so much pain. She remembered being at the Dal, getting in to it again with Dyson and leaving. She remembers Lauren was there too, that is why she and Dyson were fighting. She didn't have any memories after that though and that frightened her. Opening her eye back up, she saw Lauren was still gazing at her tenderly. She seemed nervous and her aura was higher than usual, even for her, but she didn't seem worried and that settled at least a few of Bo's fears. Finally getting the energy to speak, she whispered out "what happened?"

"You were attacked by two Lycanthropes when you left the Dal. Vex and I left a few minutes after you, thankfully, and were able to stop them before they killed you. You are pretty banged up though, which is why you are in so much pain. Your arm and some ribs are broken, your eye socket may be fractured and you have a pretty nasty bruise on your thigh. I cleaned and set as much as I could as a doctor…." Lauren spoke, letting the last few words taper off. Setting her resolve, she looked at Bo before finishing. "You need to heal the rest."

Bo's eyes got wide at Lauren's words, and her blinding aura suddenly made sense. Her throat suddenly became very dry again and she let out a light cough. Was she nervous? She was a succubus, why would she be nervous at the thought of having sex, especially when she really needed to heal? Ah, who was she kidding. She was terrified.

"Lauren…" she whispered.

Lauren stopped her from speaking any further by placing her fingers on Bo's lips. "Shhh," she said, wondering at how soft her lips were and aching to kiss them. Leaning forward, she moved to bring her lips to Bo's, but felt her pull back slightly. Bo was watching her, a mix of fear and desire crossing her face. "What are you doing?" she asked, though she knew the answer. Lauren smiled, "Healing you. Just let me," before leaning down again and bringing their lips together.

The kiss started slow, but it only took a few minutes for it to become hot and heated. Lauren felt Bo wince a little, so she pulled back in concern, "I don't want to hurt you." Bo smiled and lifted her arm to capture the back of Lauren's head and bring her back down to her lips. "You won't. I trust you."

Lauren smiled down at Bo and let go of any reservations she had, kissing the woman with a passion she never had felt for anyone before. As Bo opened her mouth to allow Lauren's tongue entry, she felt the shift in the woman's aura, which was now completely off the charts, and she let the last of her defenses down as well. If Lauren deemed her worthy enough to give herself to her so completely, she wasn't going to hold anything back either.


	9. Chapter 9

Moaning, Lauren flopped over to the empty side of the bed, her eyes closed and limbs lying useless next to her. "I don't even have words for that," she husked, her voice coming out deep and raw.

"Amazing? Extraordinary? Phenomenal? Epic?"

"Meh. I was thinking more along the lines of okay, passable or decent," Lauren replied, trying to keep the amusement out of her tone.

Taking the bait, Bo rolled over and straddled the blonde, pulling the sheets up over them. Looking down with a frown, she pouted. "It's not nice to tease a succubus, you know."

Opening her eyes, Lauren couldn't help reaching her hand up to ghost a finger over Bo's enticing breast, drawing a small shiver from her. God her breasts were perfect. Despite just finishing round three, the thought of having her mouth on Bo's breasts again re-ignited her lust.

Sensing this, Bo slowly ground her hips into Lauren's, drawing out another moan. With a smirk she leaned down to whisper into Lauren's ear, "Just okay, huh? I can feel how hot you are still burning Lauren. I bet if I touched you now, you would be soaked and ready for me again."

Dropping her hand from the nipple it was caressing, Lauren quickly moved both of her hands around Bo's waist and grabbed her ass, pulling her down into her very aching core. Her back instinctively arched up, giving her the delicious friction she was craving as their centers joined together. She hated to admit it, but Bo was right, she was already primed for round four. She had no idea where this insatiable libido was coming from, but right now, she didn't care. All she cared about was getting the release her body was once again screaming for.

"Fuuckk Bo," she gasped as she pushed up with her hips, using her hands to guide Bo's ass and encouraging her to take up the rhythm herself. Bo was more than happy to oblige, leaning forward slightly so Lauren could take her breast into her mouth. The feel of the doctor's lips and teeth and tongue caressing and nipping at her breast was sweet torture. God what this woman was capable of doing with her mouth. Bo groaned into the sensation, pushing her hips down harder as she felt the passion overtake her once again.

Lauren could do nothing but lie back and enjoy the feel of Bo's soaking wet pussy glide over hers. It was borderline obscene the sounds of their bodies moving back in forth in perfect rhythm with each other. For several minutes neither woman said anything, both simply enjoying the pleasure coursing through their veins.

Bo could feel the tension start to build within, and she leaned further down to latch on to Lauren's collarbone, making sure to keep up her rhythm. She loved Lauren's neck and shoulders, discovering all the places that made Lauren whimper back during round 2. Gently nipping at her shoulder and smoothing the burn with her tongue afterwards, she felt Lauren start to tremble underneath her.

Pulling up slightly so she could look in her eyes, she was once again mesmerized by the depth of emotions in them. Lauren's eyes were so expressive and Bo wanted to see them when she fell apart underneath her.

Sliding her hand down between them, she slowly started to rub Lauren's clit, knowing it would only take a few strokes for Lauren to fall over the edge. Watching her closely, she breathed out her request. "I want to watch you come for me Lauren. Please…."

Lauren nodded quickly, her breath coming out in short pants. "So close, Bo. Fuck. So – aaaaaaah"

And then she was done, her body leaping off the thousand foot cliff and breaking into a million wonderful shards. She felt Bo slow down her rhythm at the same time she felt the now familiar tug in her chest that indicated Bo was feeding. She hadn't known what to expect from a succubus feed, but she could now understand why their victims always died with a smile on their faces. The warm pleasure that coursed through her system, intermixing with the burning flame of her orgasm was a powerful combination, one Lauren was sure she could never grow tired of. She held on tightly to Bo as the dark haired woman continued to grind down on her, groaning as her own orgasm washed over her. As Bo came down, she made sure to slow her movements, allowing Lauren to ride out her slow descent back to earth.

When Lauren was once again quiet, Bo slid down her body and moved to the side so she could cuddle into her, her head resting on Lauren's shoulder and an arm thrown possessively across her very toned stomach. Watching her gather herself back, Bo couldn't keep the proud smirk off of her face. Lauren noticed and chuckled lightly. "Pretty proud of yourself there?"

Bo grinned even more and nodded, raising her eyebrows in a challenge. Lauren just smiled back, leaning over to give Bo a quick kiss before flopping onto her back once more. "Ok, yes, I admit, that was pretty incredible."

"Now was that so hard?"

"No, but I am not sure I want to feed your ego."

"I'm a succubus, it's not ego."

Lauren chuckled again and shook her head. She had no idea where this happiness coming from. How did this woman manage to melt her icy walls in only a few hours?

"Well succubus, ego or not, I was supposed to be the one healing you."

Bo could only grin. "Oh trust me, I was pretty much good as new after our first round. I don't think I will need to feed for a week after that round."

Lauren smiled, but there was a flash of sadness behind it, that Bo did not miss. But before she had a chance to address it, Lauren changed the subject.

"That's great for you, but I am in desperate need of some food and hydration. Care to join me?"

Despite wanting to know what caused the blonde's distress, Bo decided now was not the time to press for details. So she nodded as Lauren crawled out from the covers and moved over to the closet. Bo couldn't help but stare at Lauren's naked body. She was all long lines and toned muscle and Bo was getting turned on again just watching her walk across the room and into the walk-in, her memory fresh of all the places her hands and mouth had just been on that body.

Lauren came out of the closet a few seconds later wrapped in a robe and Bo was instantly disappointed to see all that wonderful flesh hidden from her. Moving back to the bed, Lauren laid a robe on it before looking back up at Bo, her demeanor now a little shy.

"Uh, here is a robe for you. If you want to freshen up you can use the bathroom, help yourself to anything you need. I will be outside getting some food."

Bo nodded and before Lauren could turn and leave, she sat up and threw back the covers to get out of the bed. Noticing Lauren hadn't moved, she turned back towards her and caught the blonde ogling her naked back. "See something you like?"

Lauren blushed at being caught staring, and she bit her lip as she nodded slowly. "Yeah. Uh, I better go and get some food though. I'll uh, see you in a few minutes," she said as she slowly backed away before turning and quickly walking out the door.

Bo smiled to herself at how adorably dorky the woman was. Grabbing the robe, she headed to the bathroom to quickly freshen up. She hadn't realized until Lauren mentioned it how hungry she was. And if she was honest with herself, she already missed the blonde's company and was eager to join her for some more traditional eating.

xxx

Vex knocked gently on the Morrigan's door. It was finally quiet so he hoped she and the succubus had at least taken a break so he could get the sex monster to talk to the annoying little dog. Thankfully, the door opened and Lauren was standing here, wrapped in a robe and looking freshly fucked. Vex could not help the giant grin that spread over his face at the sight – Lauren was always so perfectly put together, that to see her with tousled hair, slightly blood shot eyes and some just forming hickeys on her neck made him oddly giddy. "If you say a word, I will throw you in the dungeons," she warned, though they both knew she wasn't serious.

"Sorry to interrupt your, uh, doctoring, but the annoying wolf is here and making a scene. He says he won't leave until he sees your sex kitten and knows she is okay."

Lauren sighed. God she hated him and wanted to kill him, but if their positions were reversed she would want to know Bo was okay as well. "Fine, give us a few minutes, then send him up. Bring Bruce and give him 5 minutes. Throw his ass out if he won't leave after that."

Vex nodded and turned to leave but was stopped by a question. "Oh, where is Kenzi?"

"Passed out drunk in one of the guest suites. I think you may need to run some tests on her. No human should be able to consume as much booze as she does."

Lauren chuckled. "I'll add it to my list," and closed the door to let Bo know about Dyson's visit.

xxx

A few minutes later, Bo was sitting on the couch in the Morrigan's penthouse apartment waiting for Dyson. _This is going to be awkward_, she thought. At least Lauren had recognized that and had left her alone to do this. Though she had been gone only a few minutes, Bo already missed her. _When did I get so clingy_, she wondered?

She was roused out of her thoughts by Dyson bursting in to the room, followed by Bruce who stopped right inside the doorway and crossed his arms, clearly waiting for the five minutes to pass.

"Bo, are you okay? I heard you were attacked by Lycanthropes outside the Dal," Dyson exclaimed as he rushed over to Bo and wrapped her in his arms. Bo could see Bruce take a protective step forward at his actions, but she made sure to give him a look and let him know that it was okay. He nodded and stepped back to his original position, though he made sure to keep his eyes trained on the shifter.

Bo stepped gently out of his embrace, an open smile on her face. "It's okay Dyson, I'm fine, see."

"But, Trick said you were hurt, that you had… " Dyson stood shaking his head as the implications of her standing healthy before him settled in.

"You healed. You could have called me, why didn't you call me? I would have healed you," he looked at her with hurt eyes.

"I'm sorry Dyson," she said sadly, and she knew she was about to break his heart. But she needed him to know the truth, she didn't want to lie to him, and she knew these feelings she had for Lauren were too strong to ignore.

"Sorry?" he asked, and then the reality dawned on him. "You healed with HER? You fucked the Morrigan?"

Bo could sense his anger as his eyes started to yellow out and he started to pace and yell. "Are you out of your fucking mind? What were you thinking Bo? Did she drug you or threaten you in to do this? I will fucking kill that cunt…"

"DYSON!"

At the sound of his name, Dyson stopped his pacing and looked up at Bo. He knew Bruce was only a few feet behind him, having moved closer when he had become agitated.

"You need to calm down. Yes, I healed with Lauren and no, she didn't threaten or seduce me. It was my choice." Softly she added, "I'm sorry."

Before Dyson could respond, Bruce interrupted. "Your five minutes are up, I am going to need to ask you to leave."

Dyson growled, but made no other move, staring daggers at Bo.

"Come on wolf, you need to go."

Taking one last look at Bo, Dyson turned and headed out the door, Bruce following closely behind. Before walking out the door, he turned back to Bo. "She'll never love you, ya know."

Bo looked up surprised, "Who said anything about love?"

_Wait_, she thought? Was she falling for the Morrigan? Could Lauren have feelings for her too? Not wanting to leave it at that, she threw back again to Dyson, "and you don't know that…"

He glared at her for another second before turning and storming out. Bruce gave her an apologetic look before following the shifter and closing the door behind him. Bo flopped down on the couch, sorry she had hurt Dyson but really not sorry for what she had shared with Lauren. Right now she just hoped she came back soon since she was already missing the feeling of her lips on her skin.


	10. Chapter 10

Bo was still sitting on the couch when Lauren returned. As she entered, Bo looked up at her and the craziness of their situation dawned on her. She didn't even know this woman who had not only saved her life, but had rocked her world with an incredibly passionate night of lovemaking. She couldn't even pretend it was less than that, that it was just sex, just healing. No, what she shared with this woman last night was amazing, and she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't want more.

Lauren was clearly feeling the same awkwardness. Now that they were dressed and standing around like old friends in her living room, she realized she had never even been properly introduced to the beautiful woman she was now staring at. Gathering up her courage, she walked up to Bo with a nervous smile on her face. "Hi Bo, I don't think we were ever properly introduced. I am Lauren Lewis. It's very nice to meet you."

Bo could only smile back. Lauren was being very cute and it made her want to wrap her in a huge hug and never let go. She stood as she held out her hand in greeting. "It's very nice to meet you as well, Lauren. My name is Bo Dennis." Lauren took Bo's hand and as soon as their fingers touched they both felt that same electricity coursing through their veins. Bo felt Lauren's aura sky rocket again, and she pulled her closer with her connected hand, wrapping the other one around her waist as she closed the distance between them. Bringing her lips to the blonde's, she couldn't help but moan at how good she felt. How was this woman able to turn her into a love struck puppy with just a smile?

Lauren felt the same as she once again let herself get lost in all that was Bo. God she was intoxicating. Lauren wasn't sure she could ever get enough of her.

Needing air, Bo was the first to pull back, missing the feel of Lauren's lips on her as soon as she did. Resting their foreheads together, she whispered through her labored breaths, "what are you doing to me? I barely know you but I can't stop thinking about you and I don't ever want to take my hands off of you."

Lauren felt her heart skip a beat at Bo's words. "I was going to ask you the same question," she said as she smiled, tilting her head down to capture Bo's lips in a sweet and gentle kiss.

Bo pulled back and sat down on the couch, gently pulling Lauren down into her lap. She wanted to get to know this woman better, wanted to know how the leader of the Dark fae, a woman who had let an innocent person like Luanne die, could also be so warm and caring and loving.

"Thank you for last night. For saving my life, twice."

Lauren smiled, wrapping her arms around Bo's neck. "You are welcome. It was definitely the most enjoyable _healing_ I have ever done."

Bo smiled. "A beautiful woman like you, I would imagine sick succubi would be beating down your door for some of your special bed-side manner."

Lauren chuckled before her face took on a more serious tone. "I am sure you know the stories about me. When I was a practicing doctor I was just a human slave. There would have been no way I could have healed more than a few scratches for a succubus."

Cringing internally at bringing up Lauren's past, Bo tried to bring the mood back to the lightheartedness it was before. "Trick did tell me a little about your past and I am sorry for bringing it up. You are a beautiful woman Lauren, fae or human I would still find you stunning."

At that, Lauren blushed. "And I am sure if I had examined you as a doctor, even when I was human, it would have been an entirely unprofessional exam. I don't think I would have been able to keep my hands to myself."

"Oh, I remember the doctor that checked me out when I was caught by the fae and found out what I was. He was a creepy old man, but I still tried to sway him so I could escape. I probably would have still been caught if it was you, but it would not have skeeved me out so much," Bo joked.

"I probably would have let you sway me, even though I would have known what you were doing," the blonde replied, running her hands through Bo's hair, unable to prevent her lips from kissing the smooth skin under Bo's ear.

"Mmmmm," Bo moaned as the feel of Lauren's lips on her sensitive neck sent shivers down her spine. Reaching her hands around Lauren's waist, she pulled her closer as she tilted her neck given Lauren more skin to tease. Slowly she slid her hands under Lauren's shirt, her body already humming with excitement and need at the thought of tasting the blonde again.

"YO BOBO – hands where I can see them!"

Cursing and groaning in disappointment into Lauren's ear, Bo removed her hands from the warmth of Lauren's chest and peeked around her body to see Kenzi staring at them from across the living room, hands at her hips.

"Kenzi? What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? Someone had to follow Hotpants here to make sure she didn't do anything squirrely with you while you were injured. And while you were "healing", I was making sure the Dark had a decent selection of vodka," Kenzi replied, making sure to illustrate her thoughts on Bo's healing with air quotes.

Chuckling lightly at the interaction between the two women, Lauren swung her legs to the floor and stood up from Bo's lap. She frowned slightly as she immediately missed the warmth and comfort that she had felt in the brunette's arms. "I really should get back to work anyway. I have a meeting in a half an hour."

Bo also missed the feel of the doctor in her arms and felt the shift in her energy as soon as Kenzi arrived. It was like she slipped into 'Morrigan Mode' where she was more serious and no nonsense. Silently Bo wondered which was the more natural side of Lauren and made a pact with herself to find out. Looking up at Kenzi, she gave her a pleading look. "Kenz, can you give me a second, and then we can head home?"

Kenzi glared back at her best friend but relented. "Fine, but if you aren't out in five minutes, I'll….i'll eat all the Rocky Road ice cream!" she said in a huff as she walked to the door and closed it behind her.

Looking back at Lauren, she felt the need to apologize. "Sorry about that. Kenzi, I love her to death, but she is the biggest cock block ever."

"Don't worry about it Bo. She is very protective of you and obviously cares for you very much. She pretty much threatened to kill me if I hurt you last night. Then she and Vex went off and drank themselves unconscious."

Bo chuckled. "Sounds like Kenzi."

A silence fell over the two women, as once again words escaped them. Finally Bo spoke up.

"Well, I should get going before Kenzi storms back in here. Umm….Can I see you again? Hopefully under less gruesome circumstances?"

Lauren smiled and Bo was pretty sure she would never tire of seeing her do that.

"I would like that very much Bo. Can I call you later once I check my appointments for the next few days?"

"Of course, I am sure you have a lot to do leading the Dark Fae."

Laurens smile faltered just for second, but she was able to quickly cover it up. She stepped closer to Bo and gently placed a kiss on her cheek. "Until next time Bo."

Bo couldn't help the huge grin that broke out on her face. "Until next time Lauren," she said as she turned and walked out the door. Lauren watched her go, her mind racing at the turn of events her life had taken in the last 24 hours.

xxx

Getting back to the Dal, Bo and Kenzi grabbed two empty seats at the bar and waited for Trick to finish talking to another patron before heading over to them. "Bo!" he said happily. "I am so glad you are okay. I heard what happened last night. Sounds like you were lucky Vex and The Morrigan left when they did."

Kenzi snickered. "Yeah, she was lucky all right. Multiple times if I had to guess."

Trick blushed while Bo swatted at her. "Kenzi! Trick doesn't need to hear your commentary."

Kenzi shrugged her shoulders as she reached over to take the beer Trick had poured and slid her way. "What? You are a succubus. It's not like we all don't know how you heal."

Trick cleared his throat. "Anyway, I am happy you are okay. It's too bad the Lycanthropes got away though, they may have been able to give us some good information."

Frowning, Bo took a swig of her own beer. "No luck on figuring out who is behind this yet then, huh?"

"Actually, I think I have an idea. I need to check a few more things, but I am pretty certain I have it narrowed down. And perhaps your run in with the Lycanthropes may have a silver lining."

"A silver lining?"

"Your, um, relationship with the Morrigan."

Now it was Bo's turn to blush. "Why does everyone think it normal to discuss my sex life?"

"Well, as Kenzi pointed out, you are a succubus. But aside from that, trust me, I have no interest in discussing your sex life, As I said before, this threat to the fae is bigger than Light and Dark, and we will need the Morrigan with us if we are to stand a chance at defeating it. I would like to get The Ash and Morrigan together to discuss my findings, and I know there is no love lost between them. Perhaps if you asked nicely, she would agree to come to the Dal."

"You want me to call her now? I just left! She is going to think I am clingy!"

Kenzi snickered into her drink. "Wow Bo. That woman really musta fried your brain cuz you are acting like you are the high school cheerleader that just got lucky with the quarterback."

Bo glared at both Trick and Kenzi, trying to hide her excitement at the thought of seeing the blonde again. She would never admit it, but she did kinda feel like the cheerleader who snagged the quarterback. Damn she needed to get her head on straight. Lauren was still the Morrigan and still killed people who crossed her. Right. She took a deep breath. Lauren was bad. Very bad. Like those very bad thing she had done with her tongue that had made her

Fuck! She needed to stop these thoughts before she ran back to the Dark's compound and jumped the woman. The very bad woman.

"You okay there Bo?" Kenzi asked, eyeing her suspiciously. Bo was pretty sure she could guess where her mind just went.

"Yes, fine. I will call her. When do you want her to come?"

"I think that is a question only you can answer Bo," Kenzi snarked and Bo was quick to smack her up the back of her head.

"Alright, enough of the jokes. If I call her, you both will need to promise to be on your best behaviour and not make a single joke or snarky comment"

Trick nodded. "Of course Bo. How about 7 pm tonight? That will give me enough time to contact Lachlan and pull together the last of my research. The Dal should also still be relatively quiet."

Bo nodded. "Sounds good. Now if you will excuse me for a moment, I will go call her," she said as she slid off the barstool and headed for the front-door, hoping to get some privacy for the call.

Walking out into the slightly chilled morning air, she took a few steps to the side of the door to get out of the way of foot traffic. Normally she would have just ducked into the nearby alley, but after the attack, she wanted to stay more in public view. Leaning against the rough brick wall, she took out her phone and pressed send on the contact and tried to quell the butterflies swarming in her stomach as she listened to the rings.

On the fourth ring, the phone was answered and Bo heard Lauren's honey soft voice answer, laced with concern. "Bo?" the voice questioned. "Are you alright?"

Bo smiled into the phone. "Lauren. Hi. Yeah, I am alright, sorry, I didn't mean to worry you."

"Oh, no, don't apologize. But you just left and I didn't know why you would be calling so I suspected the worst." There was a slight pause, and when Lauren's voice came back, she could hear the worry replaced with teasing. "So if you aren't hurt, why are you calling? Miss me already?"

"Actually Trick asked me to call you. He thinks he knows who or what is behind all the attacks and wanted to get you and Lachlan together to discuss it, tonight at 7 at the Dal."

"Lachlan." Bo could hear the word spit out from Lauren's mouth. From Trick's story, she knew there was bad blood between the two but it didn't even cross her mind that Lauren might not want to be in the same room as him. Trying to save the situation, she tried to appease the blonde.

"Look Lauren, I know there is no love lost between the two of you, but if what Trick thinks is true, we will need the Light and Dark working together to defeat it. And I know it may not be much, but I will be there with you."

The line was silent and Bo knew Lauren was thinking through her choices and Bo's offer of help. Finally, she heard a sigh and Lauren's tentative voice. "Fine, I will be there. But Lachlan better be on his best behaviour or I will leave." Bo smiled.

"Thank you Lauren. And to answer your previous question, yes. I do miss you already."

"Have dinner with me," Lauren blurted out. "I mean, before the Dal, would you like to meet me for dinner?"

Bo chuckled at Lauren's awkwardness. How could she be the icy Morrigan and so utterly adorable at the same time? "I would love to have dinner with you."

"Great. My penthouse, say at 5:30? We can have my driver bring us to the Dal after?"

"Sounds fantastic Lauren. I look forward to seeing you at 5:30. Bye."

"Goodbye Bo," Lauren let out breathlessly before she hung up.

Hitting end on her phone, Bo tucked it back in to her pocket and let her head bang against the brick wall, her own breathless sigh escaping.

_Fuck_.

She was in big trouble with the Morrigan.


	11. Chapter 11

After Bo finished her call with Lauren, she and Kenzi went back to the Crackshack to catch up on some sleep. As soon as they walked in the door, Kenzi headed straight up the stairs to her bed, not even bothering to say two words to Bo. Bo knew her little goth friend was testy when she had too much to drink and didn't get her beauty sleep the next day, so she didn't take offense. Moving up to her own bedroom, Bo flopped down on her back in the bed and stared at the plaster cracks in the ceiling.

She was tired. Having to heal always drained her physical energy, and lord knows she barely got any sleep with her and Lauren going as many rounds as they did. But she was also buzzing with a nervous energy she had never felt before. She could practically feel her desire for the blonde thrumming through her veins and it was as scary as it was exciting.

She barely knew the blonde, but she could not deny there was a connection between them unlike any she had ever had with another person. Even the connection she had with Dyson, back when they met and he was the first person she had slept with that hadn't died, paled in comparison. But there was still the issue of Lauren being the Morrigan and all the politics that came with that. There was the fact that she didn't even know what kind of fae she was. What if she fed on small children or ate people's faces off? Not even to mention her own baggage of being a succubus who still struggled with the guilt and self-loathing of having killed so many people. And was monogamy even an option?

Monogamy? Jesus, she had been with the woman once - why was she even thinking of being monogamous? Damn it!

Pushing out of the bed in frustration and scrubbing her hands up and down her face to clear her thoughts, Bo headed for the bathroom to freshen up, before stripping off her clothes and getting into bed again, this time more focused on sleep. She tried to push all thoughts out of her head as she let sleep capture her weary body, but as she finally drifted off, all she could see was the smiling face of a certain blonde doctor.

xxx

After waking from their naps, Bo and Kenzi ate some cold pizza and relaxed around the house, Bo indulging Kenzi in her second addiction – video games. After two hours of trash talking and zombie killing, Bo was more than ready to head over to the Dark compound for her dinner date. Ignoring Kenzi's needling, she headed out to her Camaro, reminding Kenzi not to be late to the Dal.

Her drive over did little to calm her nerves, or her libido. She needed to get at least the libido under control or she was going to jump the woman before she was even able to say hello. Parking outside the compound, she closed her eyes and tried to imagine the grossest, least sexy things possible, which wasn't really that hard if she just thought of some of the underfae she had encountered. After tamping it down to a slow simmer instead of the raging inferno it had been, she headed out and into the main building.

The guard at the desk looked up at her as she entered, his face completely devoid of expression. He gave a barely perceptible head nod towards an ornate elevator and Bo smiled as she assumed this was how to get to Lauren's penthouse residence. She wasn't exactly conscious for her first visit. Walking through the lobby, she took in all the subtle ways the Dark compound was different from the Light. At first glance, there were many similarities – simple décor and a professional, office space vibe. But where the Light was more sterile with light earth tones, the Dark opted for bolder colors – bright splashes of color accenting the darker walls, more elaborate fixtures, more modern furniture. She had to admit, the Dark décor was more to her liking, the dark leather and blood reds matching her own outfit.

Moving into the elevator and pressing the P button, she felt the butterflies start up as soon as the doors slid closed. Tapping her fingers against the wood paneling, she kept her eyes focused on the numbers moving ever higher until they finally ended on 35, the slight ding rousing her out of her trance as she pushed forward out into the hallway. Crossing the small foyer, smiling gently at Bruce who was sitting guard outside the door, she brought her hand up and rapped on the ornate wood paneling, taking a small step back to wait for her beautiful tormentor to arrive.

After only a few moments, the door swung open and Bo couldn't stop the huge smile from taking over as she stared at the woman who was more beautiful than she remembered.

"Hi Bo, come on in," she gestured as she stepped back to allow her to pass. Bo moved forward, her arm brushing lightly against Lauren's chest as she did so. At the contact, she could hear Lauren swallow thickly, and she felt her aura come alive. Almost instantly her succubus took over, her eyes flashing blue as she turned and grabbed Lauren by the waist, using her body to push the door closed. Her lips went to the blonde's, kissing her with a forceful passion. She was pretty sure she heard Lauren growl as she kissed her back, lips rough and demanding and oh so delicious.

Stepping closer, Bo continued to lose herself to the passions the blonde incited. The feel of her lips was causing every brain cell to short circuit and her mind could only register her desire for the woman locked in her embrace. It also wasn't helping that Lauren's aura was blinding.

She felt her control slipping, but the pleasure she was feeling was too much for her to ignore. Opening her mouth slightly, she began to pull the chi from Lauren, whose body unconsciously arched into hers as her pleasure increased. Bo drank the chi like a starving woman, barely able to get enough of the power of it in her veins. She had taken chi from both willing and unwilling donors in the past, but she didn't think anyone, Dyson included, was as turned on as Lauren was right now while she was feeding. It was the most potent chi she had ever consumed, and she was unable to stop.

After a few minutes, the pleasure coursing through Lauren began to fade and be replaced with a feeling much less pleasant, almost like a vice was squeezing her body from her chest outwards. She sensed something was wrong and started to struggle and clear her head from the lust induced haze it was currently in. Vaguely realizing that Bo wasn't stopping her feed, she used what little strength she had left to raise her hands to Bo's chest and push her backwards. It wasn't much, but it was enough to break Bo's concentration and cut off her feed. Taking the opening, Lauren stepped away from Bo, leaning over to catch her breath, while trying to steal a glance at Bo.

For a moment, Bo wasn't sure what was going on. Her succubus was not very happy at having her feed ended, but there was something holding her back from attacking her prey. Staring at the woman before her, she slowly came back to her senses and realized what she had done.

"Oh my god, Lauren!" she looked up in horror. "I'm so sorry, what have I done? Are you okay? Oh my god I am so sorry!"

Giving her best reassuring smile, Lauren replied somewhat out of breath, "I'm fine Bo, just need a sec to catch my breath is all."

Bo shook her head, tears starting to fall. "I'm sorry, I can't do this. I am not safe. I don't know what I was thinking, I'm sorry I should go," she said as she quickly made her way to the door.

"Bo, no, it's okay. I'm fine, really. "

Opening the door, Bo looked back with red rimmed eyes. "It's not okay Lauren, I could have killed you. I am a monster!" Before she started crying even more, she strode out of the door and towards the elevator, pressing the button several times to get it to hurry and take her away from yet another disaster she had caused.

"Bo, please, wait," Lauren chased after her, thankful for her fae ability to recover quickly. She raced outside after Bo and saw her at the elevator, pushing the button incessantly as if that would make it come faster. Though her back was turned to her, she could see her heavy breathing and knew she was trying to hold back her tears. She glanced at Bruce who was standing off to the side, unsure if he needed to intervene in anything. She gave him a slight shake of her head and he sat back down and tried to ignore the scene unfolding before him. Turning back to Bo, Lauren felt her heart breaking at Bo and how she thought of herself as a monster.

"Bo, the elevator isn't going to come. Please come back inside and talk to me. Please."

Bo shook her head, but didn't turn around. "Lauren please don't ask me to do that. I really don't want to hurt you."

Moving slowly behind Bo, she was sure to make enough noise so as not to startle the succubus before she put her hand on her shoulder and gently turned her around, though she kept her eyes on the floor.

"Bo, look at me. I am fine. You got carried away, but I trust you and know you wouldn't have hurt me. Please just come back inside. Bruce is right outside and he wouldn't let anything happen to me."

Bo finally looked up into warm chocolate eyes and felt a sense of calm wash over her. She was still scared of hurting Lauren, but seeing the trust and compassion in her eyes gave her the confidence to nod and take the offered hand, moving back into the Morrigan's quarters.

Once inside Lauren shut the door, but didn't let go of Bo's hand. She walked them over to the couch where she sat down and pulled the brunette down next to her, settling their entwined hands in her lap, hoping to calm the still slightly distraught woman.

"Bo, please talk to me. Why did you call yourself a monster? Surely you don't think that?"

Bo felt the tears welling up again and tried to pull away from Lauren, but the blonde only tightened her grip and waited patiently for her question to be answered. Bo finally sighed in defeat and looked up at Lauren. She liked the woman, more than she probably was ready to admit, but she was pretty sure once she told her about her past, Lauren would want nothing to do with her. And it was better to do that now, when it would only hurt a little, before things went further and Lauren leaving would have the ability to shatter her heart.

"I do Lauren, because I am. And no, please before you interrupt, lhet me finish."

Lauren nodded, despite the fact that she really did want to get Bo to stop saying she was a monster.

"You know the details of my background, how I was found by the fae because I killed someone and Dyson found them. But he was the last in a string of hundreds of people I killed. I was raised by humans and thought I was a normal kid until I killed my high school boyfriend the first time we tried to have sex. I remember waking up in the back of his car next to his dead body, a gruesome smile plastered on his face. I was scared so I ran, as far away from my hometown as I could. I didn't know what had happened, only that I had done it. But a week later, the hunger started and I was kissing another guy I had met and killed him too. I couldn't stop it; I couldn't control it, no matter how hard I tried. I went from city to city looking for the worst people possible figuring if I had to kill someone it should be at least the dregs of society. I even tried to kill myself a few times, but my nature took over and I ended up killing multiple people to heal myself, so I couldn't even do that without messing up. When I was found by the fae and basically told I really was a monster, I was devastated. But at least now I can feed on other fae and stop the killing. And I was mostly okay with that until today, when my succubus took over and I couldn't stop feeding off of you."

Throughout Bo's entire story, Lauren forced herself to remain calm and not speak. She had no idea the beautiful woman before her thought so little of who and what she was. The fact alone that Bo felt guilt about killing separated her from the majority of fae she knew! Once Bo was done, Lauren squeezed her hand to get her attention, making sure to look into her eyes so she could see how much she meant every word she was about to speak.

"Bo, you need to listen to me and believe everything I am going to tell you. You are NOT a monster. You are a beautiful and perfect succubus, a creature just as natural and normal as a human. Being fae does not make you a monster, it makes you fae. I think it is horrible that you were forced to grow up not knowing what you are, and learn that on your own, but you did what you had to do to survive and that is not your fault. It is the fault of whoever gave you up to be raised by humans. And I know it is still probably scary to know you don't really have control, but I promise you I can help you. I have some drugs that can help, and it is absolutely something you can learn to do with practice. When we were together last night you didn't have any issues, so you know you can do it. I think maybe we both just got a little worked up today and it set you over the edge. We can be better about that," she grinned, embarrassed at her own behavior towards Bo when she opened the door. She was pretty sure she had growled at her.

Bo sat quietly listening to Lauren's words and seeing the conviction in her eyes. Lauren didn't see her as a monster, and while she still had her doubts, the fact that someone as smart and caring as Lauren could believe in her helped a lot.

Trying to lighten the mood, she gave Lauren a lopsided grin. "Practice, huh? You going to help me with that part too?"

Lauren grinned back, happy to see Bo smiling again. "Absolutely."

Bo smiled back, before getting serious again. "Thank you Lauren. I really am sorry about what happened, and I can't tell you how much it means to hear you have faith in me. I do want to learn to control my feeding, so I will absolutely take you up on whatever you can do to help me."

"Of course Bo," she replied, looking at her watch. "Maybe you can come into the lab tomorrow and I can take some blood samples to work on a serum for you. But for now, unfortunately, we need to head over to the Dal to meet with Trick."

Bo was shocked and looked at her own watch. "Already? Wow, again, I am sorry Lauren, I really was looking forward to having dinner with you."

"No worries Bo. I was as well, but maybe we can get some food after speaking to Trick?"

Bo smiled at the thought of getting to see Lauren later tonight. "That would be nice. My treat since I ruined your plans." Leaning over, she placed a soft and gentle kiss on the blonde's lips. It was very chaste compared to their last lip lock, but it conveyed a much deeper set of emotions. "Thank you," was all Bo could say.

Lauren smiled, her heart fluttering at the tender moment. "You're welcome. Now let's go see what Trick knows so we can finally have that dinner date!"


	12. Chapter 12

_Author's Note: Apologies for the delay on this. Writer's Block sucks. I wasn't a very good student in English class, or really ever, and have always written off the cuff without plans or outlines. So when I hit a roadblock, it kinda grinds everything to a halt. I have a bunch more chapters written, so hopefully I can keep up with this going forward. I will finish it though, i promise. _

_This chapter is a bit short, but gets us where we need to be._

The drive over to the Dal was relatively quiet, though not uncomfortable. Both women were lost in their own thoughts, but neither wanted to be far from the other so they sat with thighs touching and hands entwined in the backseat of Lauren's Towncar.

As they neared the Dal, Bo could feel Lauren start to tense up and she knew it was most likely due to the fact that she was going to see the Ash. Giving her hand a soft squeeze, Bo watched as Lauren's eyes drifted up to hers, nothing but warmth and fondness radiating from them. Smiling softly, she reached up to cup Lauren's cheek with her free hand. "Don't worry about the Ash Lauren, he won't try anything at the Dal, and if he does, he will need to deal with me."

Lauren smiled. "Thank you Bo. I am not worried about him trying something; it's just that seeing him usually brings up unpleasant memories from my past. And he knows this, so he likes to push my buttons and make it worse."

"Well, the Ash-hole can keep his comments to himself tonight. We are only there to see what Trick has learned about this threat to the fae. Anything other than that is off limits."

Lauren smiled at the protectiveness she saw in the brunette. Leaning in, she placed a soft kiss on her lips, letting out a slight moan at how soft her lips were and angling herself more into Bo so she could deepen the kiss. The hand that was cupping Lauren's cheek moved slowly behind her head to pull her in closer, and very quickly both women were lost to each other. The kiss remained slow, but the passion was evident as their tongues slowly explored each other's mouths. Both women were moaning softly when the car came to a stop and Bruce's voice came of the intercom announcing their arrival.

Pulling back slowly, each smiled at the other, both women slightly breathless and pink from the arousal that had started humming through their veins. "To be continued," Lauren said coyly, her voice still a little rough from the impromptu make out session. Reaching behind her to open the door, Bo placed one more quick kiss on Lauren's lips. "You can bet on it," she replied before ducking out of the car and waiting for Lauren to alight. Bruce was already around the car and ready to escort the women inside by the time Lauren got out.

Once inside, Bo realized the place was empty. Trick must have closed his waystation to give the group some privacy for their meeting. She noticed the table pulled into the center of the room, it had several chairs around it and a pile of ancient looking books stacked upon it. Turning to Lauren, she shrugged, "I wonder where everyone is. I am not usually early!"

Lauren smiled. "I am always early, part of my OCD tendencies I think. I am sure everyone will be along shortly. Why don't we grab a seat and wait?"

Bo nodded and gently placed her hand on the small of Lauren's back, guiding her over to the table. Trying to be a gentleman, she pulled out a chair for Lauren and smiled at the smirk Lauren gave her as she took her seat. Pulling out the next seat for herself, she watched as Lauren reached over and took the first book on the pile. "What is it?"

Lauren shook her head, her features frowning slightly. "It's a book on extinct fae. Not a good sign if this is where Trick is going with his thoughts on what is causing the chaos among the clans. There are some pretty scary creatures in here, many that were made extinct for a reason."

Before Bo could respond, they were interrupted by the sounds of Trick and Lachlan walking in to the bar, both having been downstairs in the barkeeps office. Trick smiled at the two women, "Morrigan, thank you for coming. I know you share our concern for the state of unrest."

"Yes, Morrigan, always good to see you," snickered Lachlan, a smug grin on his face as he knew how uncomfortable his presence made the blonde doctor.

Lauren nodded, her Morrigan demeanor now firmly in place. Bo was amazed how she could go from warm and open one minute to cold and detached the next, but she knew this was a necessity to survive in the fae world. One she was sure Lauren would have needed both as a human slave and now as leader of the Dark.

"You are welcome Trick. You know I would do anything to protect my people," Lauren replied purposely ignoring the Ash and his annoying smugness.

Trying to move things along and avoid any confrontations, Trick ushered Lachlan to a seat and looked around the bar. "Hmm, I asked Dyson to join us as well. I am surprised he is not here."

Bo huffed. "He has been in a pissy mood for a few days now, he is probably just off licking his wounds."

Trick rubbed his chin pensively. "Still, he has never denied a request from me before."

Before he could think any further, everyone was drawn to a commotion coming from the front door where Kenzi and Dyson were walking in. "What up Peeps! Now that wolfie and I are here, we can get the party started!" Kenzi exclaimed, dropping unceremoniously into the open chair next to Bo.

Trick smiled at the young goth and looked over at Dyson who wore a strange expression. "Dyson, please join us at the table," he asked.

Dyson shook his head, "my wolf has been restless, I will stand if you don't mind." Trick nodded slowly, sensing something was up with his trusted friend, but not sure what. He wondered if his granddaughters budding friendship with the Morrigan was partly to blame as he knew the wolf had his own feelings for Bo. Shrugging to himself, he decided to ponder it another time. The threat to the fae was a much larger concern then the love triangle he saw developing.

"Very well. So, I know you are all wondering why I brought you here. The recent violence and chaos in the fae world has us all concerned, and I think I may have a guess as to what is causing it. If I am right, we have a very deadly, very serious problem."

Lachlan was the first to interrupt. "Come on Trick, we don't need the theatrics. The fae have been around for thousands of years and have handled every threat that has come our way. What could possibly be that serious of a problem?"

Trick was silent for a few moments, looking between the Morrigan, Dyson and the Ash. He knew Bo and Kenzi had little knowledge of the fae, so what he was going to say would not mean anything to him, but he knew how the others would react.

"A Garuda"


	13. Chapter 13

Bo and Kenzi had no idea what a Garuda was, so they sat waiting for some sense of understanding to come over them. Of course, not knowing anything about the fae, they had to sit quietly taking in the reaction of the others. Lauren's eyes shot open and her mouth opened in surprise, though no sounds came out. Lachlan looked like a deer caught in headlights and even Dyson gaped on, speechless. Kenzi was the first to break the silence, "Ok, whatever this thing is clearly has you all freaked. But for us newbies, could someone please explain?"

Trick nodded and reached over for one of the ancient tomes on the table. Opening the book, he flipped a few pages until he found what he was looking for and passed the volume over to rest between Bo and Kenzi. Both women looked down and frowned at what they saw - a drawing of a bird-like man engulfed in flames.

Trick spoke to the women, and everyone in the room as he explained. "The Garuda have been around since before the fae, they feed off of violence and chaos and have the ability to possess people's minds and control their actions. While they may appear as human, they are really bird-creatures whose talons can slice through flesh and who can create fire to destroy their enemies at will. They are very close to invincible and prior to recently, thought to be extinct."

"If they are invincible, how are they extinct? Or were extinct?" Kenzi asked.

Trick sighed knowing the time was upon him to reveal one of his secrets. "Thousands of years ago, the Garuda were a plentiful species, feeding off the violence between Light and Dark during the Great Fae War. As the war escalated, the Garuda became more and more powerful and would have devoured the fae if not for the peace that was created. A peace that I created with my blood."

Lauren gasped in shock as Lachlan's head whipped up from where it had been reading from the book.

"You're the Blood King?" he asked.

Trick nodded. "I am. I have kept the secret for many hundreds of years, wanting to forget those hard times and be free of the burden of making those choices."

Lauren looked on in awe, her mind running through many scenarios. "So the peace made the fae stop fighting with each other, and the Garuda basically starved themselves into extinction, or so the story goes. So why do you think there is one causing all this chaos now?"

"It's the same pattern. One must have been hibernating all these years, waiting for the right moment to awake. I think the attack on the light fae compound, the one that killed the previous Ash, probably was the moment as I had to use my blood powers to prevent more violence and bloodshed. It was the first time I used them since the peace was forged."

"So if they starved themselves out before, can't we just make everyone hug it out and starve them again?" Bo asked, her mind still a little slow to grasp the situation.

"Unfortunately, no. There is too much violence in this world today, not just amongst the fae, but in the human world as well, for them to starve. Even if they were not hell-bent on creating chaos and the destruction of the fae, they would be well fed."

"So you have this fire-bird god that wants to take over the world, and it's basically immortal…." Kenzi let her statement trail off, wondering how they were going to get out of this one.

"The Garuda's not a god, but he's the closest thing to the devil you will ever face," Trick replied.

"Great. So can anything kill it?" Bo asked. She was getting frustrated with all the doom and gloom. She was more of a kick ass, ask questions later girl and she just wanted to know how to kill the damn thing already!

It was Lauren who answered. "Naga venom."

Trick smiled, pleased with how smart Lauren was. He really was sad to see her with the Dark. She was such an asset to the Light. "Correct. Unfortunately, the Naga are also extinct."

Lauren nodded slowly. "Yes, that is most unfortunate," she said, enunciating her words very carefully, a thoughtful look on her face. Bo sensed something was up, but looking at Lauren didn't give anything away. She would have to ask her about it later.

Silence enveloped the room and as Trick looked around the room at everyone lost in thought he knew they all needed their own time to process the news. "It's getting late and I know people need time to digest this, so why doesn't everyone come back tomorrow evening around 6. The Dal will be empty between the lunch and dinner crowds."

Everyone gave their assent and rose from the table. Lachlan left quickly without uttering a goodbye to anyone and Lauren watched him leave, a strange expression on her face that Bo couldn't read. Walking up behind the blonde, she leaned over and asked if everything was okay.

Lauren turned around, her expression clearing into a small smile as she looked up into Bo's concerned eyes. "Just thinking," she answered, then looking down shyly "do you still want to come back to my place for dinner?"

Bo smiled at the shyness the powerful woman was showing. Reaching her hand out, she gently cupped Lauren's chin and raised her hand so that Lauren was once again making eye contact. "I would love to Lauren."

Her face breaking into a wide smile, Lauren nodded happily. "Great, let me just run to the ladies room and then we can head out. Bruce is outside waiting for us."

Knowing Kenzi was meeting Hale later and that she didn't have to worry about her bestie being out alone tonight, she settled against the bar to wait for Lauren. Immediately Dyson walked over to stand next to her, a glare on his scruffy face. Rolling her eyes, Bo didn't even look at him when she spoke. "What is it Dyson?"

"You are going home with her aren't you?"

"Not that it is any of your business, but yes."

Growling, Dyson turned to her and grabbed her arm. Bo winced at the force of it noticing how Dyson's eyes had slivered and his features had sharpened into his partial wolf shape. "You need to stay away from her, she is a lying murderer" he snarled.

Yanking her arm away and allowing her succubus powers to rise, she stepped around him and got in his face, her eyes glowing blue in anger. "Listen to me closely Dyson. You don't get to tell me what to do or who to see. You don't OWN me. And if you EVER touch me like that again, I will put you down, do you understand?"

His eyes turning back to their normal brown color, Dyson nodded and took a step back from Bo. He could feel the power radiating off of her and didn't want to get himself killed. Honestly, he wasn't even sure why he had just provoked her. He shook his head trying to get his thoughts back.

Bo watched him and as she sensed the threat receding her own eyes turned back to their natural chocolate color. Hissing at him, "I don't know what has gotten into you lately Dyson, but you need to get over it if you want to be in my life at all."

Dyson nodded. "I know, I'm sorry. I don't know what it is either. My wolf has been so restless lately. Maybe I need to go for a run, clear my head."

Bo just continued to stare at the shifter until she heard a throat being cleared behind her. Turning, she saw Lauren was back from the bathroom, watching her and Dyson cautiously. "Ready to go?" she asked quietly. Bo nodded and grabbed her leather off the chair as she followed Lauren out. Slipping into the car Bruce had waiting for them, Lauren waited until they were moving before asking Bo if everything was alright. Bo sighed and leaned her head back against the seat, eyes closed as she thought about how her relationship with Dyson had turned so much in the last few weeks. Something was going on with the wolf and she hoped it was just jealousy. "Dyson just being Dyson," she finally responded not having a better explanation.

Lauren didn't respond and Bo grew concerned so she opened her eyes to find the blond biting her bottom lip and staring out the window. Gently calling her name, Lauren turned to look into Bo's concerned eyes. "Hey," Bo started softly, reaching her hand out to place it on Lauren's knee. "It's his problem though, not ours. I am sorry I am letting him get to me, but please know that I am with who I want to be right now."

Lauren smiled and closed her hand over the one Bo had on her knee, entwining their fingers. The butterflies in her stomach erupted once more as they had started to every time she saw the brunette. She moved in closer to Bo to snuggle against her chest as they both were lost in their own thoughts as the car sped through the city.


	14. Chapter 14

Fifteen minutes later the car came to a stop and Bruce opened the door for them to exit. Lauren exited first and reached back for Bo's hand to pull her out. Smiling a goodnight at Bruce, the two women made their way back up to Lauren's penthouse. Once inside, Bo was surprised to find a table set with numerous meats, cheeses and vegetables. Turning to Lauren she smiled. "Perk of being the Morrigan," she grinned in response, motioning for Bo to join her in filling up a plate.

Once they had full plates, both women got comfortable on the sofa, leaving just enough space between them to be able to maneuver their food. Eating quietly and staring soft glances at each other, both women used the down time to get lost in their own thoughts. And though it was quiet, it wasn't uncomfortable, something both of them took note of. When they were finished, Lauren took Bo's plate and returned it to the food table before moving back to the couch and cuddling up into Bo's waiting embrace. She smiled at the warmth and protectiveness she felt being held in Bo's arms and wondered how she had gotten so lucky to be the focus of the beautiful succubus' attention.

She was broken out of her thoughts by a tentative sounding Bo. "Can I ask you a question Lauren? I don't know how to ask other than to just come out with it, but I need to know." Suddenly concerned with where this conversation was going, Lauren turned around and propped herself up so she could look into Bo's eyes. Her heart ached as she saw the hesitation and fear in them. She knew this was about Lou Ann. "You want to know why I had Lou Ann killed," she got out before Bo could ask, rising from her seat and taking a step back to get some perspective.

She was surprised Bo brought it up so suddenly, but the reality was she had been expecting the question. She didn't know Bo very well, but she could tell she had a very strong sense of right and wrong and wasn't exactly the type of person to let things go. Having expected the question, she'd had time to ponder what her answer would be, but that time hadn't helped her. She still didn't know if she trusted the woman enough to tell her or not. Looking at Bo's face, she knew if she didn't tell the truth she would lose her from her life. Unfortunately, exposing herself with the truth and losing her were equally unattractive options.

Bo watched Lauren as the emotions flitted over her face and she contemplated her response. Bo knew she had surprised her with the question, but she couldn't wait for an answer anymore. Dyson had put doubts in her head and she really wanted Lauren to get rid of them. "Lauren, I'm sorry, I know I agreed to drop the Lou Ann thing, but I can't. I need to know why. I am going to be honest with you – I have feelings for you, feelings that I really want to see where they lead, but I can't be with someone who kills without reason. Getting to know you these past few days, having you save my life and care so much about the fae that you are willing to work with the Ash to protect them, I know you aren't the cold-hearted woman you pretend to be, but I don't understand why you did that and I need to in order to move on. Please help me understand why Lou Ann and her kids had to die."

Lauren was quiet as she watched Bo plead with her for answers. She knew she had two choices, neither of which were ideal. She could lie and have Bo hate her and lose the woman she was afraid to admit she was falling for. Or she could tell her the truth and risk her life and her heart if Bo said anything. She had worked so hard to protect herself from the fae, from the hell she had been through and in the process she had isolated herself from everyone except Vex (and that was a scary thought). Looking into the warm chocolate eyes of the succubus, she realized she was tired of being alone, tired of keeping her heart locked up. Deciding the risk of having it broken was a chance she was willing to take to get to love this woman before her, she made her decision.

"Come with me Bo, it's probably easier if I show you."

Bo looked at her skeptically, a flash of doubt in her eyes, but took her hand anyway and allowed the blonde to pull her up. Following Lauren out of her apartment, they headed towards the elevator and waited in silence for it to arrive. Once it did, Lauren pulled Bo along with her and hit the button for the 24th floor, several below the penthouse she lived on. Bo glanced over at her, sensing her nervousness. She wondered what Lauren was about to show her that would explain why she had Lou Ann and her children killed. For a split second she panicked that the Morrigan was taking her up to some abandoned floor to kill her too, but she swallowed down her fear and tried to have faith in the woman she was starting to fall for.

When the elevator doors opened again, both women stepped off into what Bo could only describe as a non-descript hallway. The walls were tan, the carpeting was tan and the only visible door was white. Lauren walked up to the keypad next to the door and entered a code, then slipped her hand into the reader underneath it. Within a few seconds Bo heard a click and Lauren opened the door, gesturing Bo in ahead of her. Much like the area they just came from though, the hallway here was exactly the same decor, only there were several doorways on either side of it. If she didn't know better, she would think she was in any random apartment building in the city.

Approaching the first door on her left, Lauren knocked quickly, stealing a side glance at Bo. Bo listened as the voices inside quieted a bit, before the door swung open to reveal a very much alive Lou Ann. Lou Ann smiled at the site of Lauren, "Morrigan, what a surprise! What brings you by so late?"

Lauren smiled as she greeted the woman. "I have a friend who wanted to see you, do you mind if we come in for a minute?"

Lou Ann peered around Lauren and took in the sight of Bo standing next to her. "Ah, succubus, why am I not surprised to see you again? Please come in," she said as she stepped away from the door allowing the two women to pass through. Bo walked in behind Lauren and was shocked to see her three children playing with a set of trucks on the rug in their living area. While not extravagant by any means, the apartment they were in was well decorated and spacious. And the children were having such a blast with their toys, they barely looked up at the visitors.

Lou Ann looked up at Bo, curious what the Morrigan was doing with the unaligned succubus, especially since she was pretty sure the fact that she was alive was a closely guarded secret. And for Bo's part, she was confused as to how or why Lou Ann was still alive and apparently being hidden by the Morrigan. While she was thrilled because this meant Lauren wasn't the cold-blooded killer she was worried she might be, she still needed some answers. However, she would wait for her and Lauren to be alone to ask for those. Since Lou Ann was here and she didn't have very much time to speak with her in prison, right now she wanted to get more information about her mother. "Lou Ann, I know we didn't have much time before, but I really would like to know anything you can tell me about my mother."

Lou Ann glanced down at her children and over at the Morrigan who was standing by patiently. While she didn't have a lot to share with the succubus, now still wasn't the time to do it. "Bo, it's late and I need to get my children to bed. Perhaps if you wanted to come back tomorrow, we could talk? I can't tell you much, but if the Morrigan doesn't object, I will share with you what I know."

Bo looked over at Lauren who nodded her agreement, and then replied enthusiastically, "Of course, I apologize for the late visit. Please have a good night and I will talk to you tomorrow."

Lauren smiled and walked back over to the door, ready to make her exit. Bo hadn't said anything to her, which didn't surprise her, so she was eager to get back to her quarters and give her the full explanation. She didn't know why, but she craved Bo's acceptance and wanted her in her life. And if setting her mind at ease about Lou Ann, despite the risk she was taking by sharing her secret, would do that, then Lauren would take that risk. "Sorry for barging in so late, if there is anything you or your family need, please just ask."

"Thank you Morrigan, you have done so much already that I can't even begin to thank you. Have a good night," she nodded as the two women stepped through the doorway and Lou Ann closed it behind them. Bo turned to Lauren to say something, but Lauren held up her hand before she could get a word out. "Let's go back to my apartment Bo, then we can talk."

Bo nodded and followed behind Lauren as she made her way back to the elevator and hit 35 once she was in. Bo could barely stand still she was buzzing with so many questions. How was Lou Ann and her children alive and why was Lauren hiding them? Was everything staged, and if so, why?


	15. Chapter 15

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.


	16. Chapter 16

When Bo made it back to the Crack Shack the next morning, she felt like she was walking on a cloud. She and Lauren had made love last night for hours. Bo had never experienced anything like it before. Sure, she had tons of sex and more sexual partners than she wanted to count, it was par for the course for a succubus after all, but she knew what she had experienced with Lauren last night wasn't just sex. It was slow and sensual and no one and no thing had existed but the two of them and their desire to pleasure each other. It was amazing and when they finally fell asleep sweaty in each other's arms, Bo was more sated than if she had sucked an entire city dry of its chi. Add on top of that the round in the shower this morning, and she was one happy succubus.

After their shower fun, Lauren had taken some blood samples from Bo to work on some drug cocktail to help her with her control, and then had to leave for a meeting. Bo had gone down and talked to Lou Ann, who hadn't really had any more information to add about her mother. She knew her name – Aiofe, that she had given her up as a baby to protect her from her father, and that she had struggled with mental illness since then, but that was it. She didn't know where Aiofe was now or how to get in touch with her, so reluctantly Bo left and headed home.

And now she was one hungry succubus. Moving in to the kitchen she opened the fridge and grabbed some leftover pizza she figured Kenzi had ordered the night before and started eating a slice cold. Cold pizza wasn't her favorite, but the oven was a fire hazard and they didn't exactly have any other food in the house. And no one would be delivering to their neighborhood at 11 am. So cold pizza it was. At least their coffee machine worked, so she started that up as she happily munched on her breakfast.

Like clockwork, as soon as the coffee was done brewing, Kenzi dragged herself downstairs and over to the kitchen, plopping herself onto a stool and lying her head on the counter. Bo chuckled at her friend, and slid over a freshly poured cup of coffee, making sure the steam would get to Kenzi's nose. Perking up at the aroma, Kenzi moaned and sat up just enough to take a sip of the hot liquid, moaning as it slid down her throat.

"Rough night?" Bo asked.

"Is there any other kind?" came the reply.

Bo shook her head, "With you, I don't think so. Pizza?"

"Not yet, I don't think I have finished digesting the four slices I had last night. Speaking of, why the hell are you up and smiling so fucking early?"

"Lauren had a meeting this morning, and it felt weird to hang out in her apartment, so I came home." She didn't mention the Lou Ann bombshell. Not that she didn't trust Kenzi, but she tended to get a little loose-lipped when she drank and she didn't want to put Lauren in any danger.

"So its Lauren now, is it," Kenzi asked smirking at her friend.

"Shutup," was all Bo could reply, her grin giving away her happiness.

"Don't get me wrong, I get you lusting after Doctor Hotpants, but I just want to make sure you are careful. She is still the Morrigan, no matter how much lady lovin' you are getting."

"I know Kenzi, and I think you would like her a lot if you got to know her. I get she is the Morrigan and leader of the big bad evil dark fae, but she is a different woman underneath that façade."

"Whatever you say BoBo. She has an awesome liquor collection I sampled while you were getting 'healed', so as long as the good stuff is flowing she will be my best friend. Well, second best friend after you of course. And Jose Cuervo. And Jack Daniels. And - "

"I get it Kenzi," Bo interrupted. "Just try to get along with her please? I really like her."

Kenzi stared at her friend, seeing a look in her eyes she had never seen before. "Wow, you really are serious about her aren't you?"

"I am. I have never felt like this about anyone before."

"Not even Dyson?"

Bo shook her head. "Not even Dyson. Dyson is a great friend and the sex was good, but the connection I have with Lauren is not even comparable."

"Aww, my little succubus is growing up."

"Yeah, make fun all you want. Wait until you and Hale finally hook up and then let's see how soft you get!"

As Kenzi scoffed, Bo put her empty coffee cup in the sink and headed over to the stairs. "I am going to take a nap. Remember we have to be back at the Dal at 6." Kenzi nodded and plopped down on the couch while Bo climbed up the stairs to her room. After using the bathroom, she took off her boots, pants and shirt and flopped exhaustedly into the bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she heard her phone ding. Grumbling, she thought about ignoring it but knew she would never be able to get to sleep if she knew she had an unread message, so she dragged herself out of bed and dug her phone out of her pants which were bunched up in a ball at the foot of her bed. Unlocking the screen, she couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she read the message.

_Miss you already beautiful. See you at 6, maybe we can have a real dinner after?_

Typing in her affirmative reply, she put the phone back on her bedside table, burrowed in and allowed herself to drift off to a blissful sleep with dreams full of a certain blonde. Yeah, she was hooked.

XXX

Lauren's stomach clenched as she walked down the familiar halls. She had very few good memories from here and nothing had changed in the years she had been gone. This didn't surprise her - the fae hated changed, not much was different from 1,000 years ago so she had no reason to expect anything different after 5.

Strutting to her destination, Bruce following close behind her, she had her Morrigan persona firmly in place. It was a mask she wore to hide the hurt and fear she had developed from and of the fae during her time with the Light. Fake it till you make it she had heard once, and that was what she was going with.

Pushing in to the office, she ignored the young fae at the desk who jumped up to tell her she couldn't enter without an appointment and moved to the door at the far end of the room. Shoving it open, she glanced at Bruce who nodded and took up his position outside of it. His sheer size clearly frightened the small woman, who slunk back to her desk and eyed him suspiciously.

Shutting the door behind her, she moved into the office and sat down in front of the desk, smirking at the man behind it. "I always told you your security was crap."

"Ah Morrigan, never a pleasure. My security is fine, I knew you were here and told my people to stand down. If I hadn't, trust me, you wouldn't have made it past Alison outside."

Lauren quirked an eye at him. She knew he played up the arrogant idiot a lot, but he really could be cunning. "You know why I am here Lachlan."

Lachlan nodded, letting the silence fill the room for a few minutes. "I suppose I should at least thank you for not blurting it out last night at the Dal."

Lauren softened a little. "Nothing would have been decided last night, and it is not my place to out fae."

Lachlan smiled. "Still not sharing your species, are you doctor?"

"Someday Lachlan, someday. But you can't keep your secret anymore, you are the only hope of defeating the Garuda. You are the only living Naga."

Sighing, Lachlan pushed back from his chair and began to pace behind his desk. "We are all screwed then," he finally said.

Lauren arched her eyebrow, not understanding what he meant by that. Moving back to rest against the front of his desk, he started to explain. "Naga have 3 heads, each containing venom. To kill a Garuda, venom from all 3 of them is needed. I only have one head left."

Lauren leaned back in her chair, her mind racing at the implication of that. "What would the venom of one head do?" she asked. Lachlan shrugged his shoulders. "Weaken him? Piss him off? I honestly don't know. Naga and Garuda have been mortal enemies since the creation of time, but all of the stories speak of three heads. Nothing has been written about one.

Lauren nodded, chewing her bottom lip as she let her scientific mind race through the problem. "If I extracted and analyzed the venom, I could probably synthesize some in the lab that would augment what you produced. Obviously we would need another mechanism to deliver the venom, but that shouldn't be a problem."

Lachlan thought it over and nodded along with her. "You always were the most brilliant doctor the Light had ever had Lauren. I think that might work."

Bristling at the compliment after all the pain the Light had caused her, she couldn't help her cutting reply "well, if you had treated me better than the dirt under your shoes, I might still be here."

"I regret many things Lauren, and that was one of them. I know it is too late for apologies, so I won't waste your time with one, but please know that despite my obnoxious attitude, I have a huge amount of respect for you and do wish you well."

Lauren stared at the Ash, shocked by his words. Not knowing how to reply, she stood and prepared to leave. "Thank you Lachlan. I honestly don't even know how to respond to that after everything, so I am just going to leave it. Tonight, you can let everyone know you are a Naga and we can discuss the plan to synthesize the venom."/p  
"Agreed. Next time, please call ahead before storming by compound. I may not be in such a good mood to let you in."

Lauren smirked, glad their awkward moment had passed and the snarky Ash was back. Nodding, she turned and headed for the door.

As she was reaching for the handle, Lachlan called out to her. "Oh Lauren, one more thing. Congratulations on bedding the unaligned Succubus. I hear Dyson is still chasing her skirt though – you better watch your back."

Not even bothering to respond, Lauren headed out of the office, Bruce falling into step behind her as she made her way out of the Light fae compound. _Fucking Dyson_, she thought.

XXX

After waking up a few hours later, Bo showered and headed back downstairs to find Kenzi sprawled on the couch exactly as she left her. The two finished off the pizza, a legion of robot hookers and finally headed to the Dal a little before 6. Since neither one really knew much about the Garuda, and Bo had been distracted by other things during her night with the Morrigan, neither she nor Kenzi would have anything new to add to the conversation. She hoped that at least someone else had made some progress, otherwise it would be another unproductive meeting.


	17. Chapter 17

Bo and Kenzi arrived at the Dal a little later than expected after running into some trouble, and they found everyone was already there. Dyson and Trick were engrossed in a conversation at the bar and shockingly, Lauren and the Ash seemed to be engaged in a deep but friendly exchange. Bo watched as their heads tilted slightly towards each other, conspiratorially, and she couldn't help but wonder where or how this sudden détente had come from. Moving further into the room and trying to not wince from the pain, she felt the exact second Lauren realized she was there – not only did her heart skip a beat when a wide smile spread over her face, but her succubus mewled happily as her aura spiked up at least four notches.

Returning the smile, she slowly moved to the chair next to the blonde and bent down to give her a soft kiss on her cheek. "Hey sexy," she whispered softly, not wanting the rest of the room to intrude on her moment. "Hey there yourself," came the reply, the smile still gracing her beautiful face and augmented by her sparkling eyes. "I missed you today, I really didn't want to leave the bed this morning."

Bo chuckled. "I noticed. And trust me, if I had my way we would have stayed there all day. But I understand duty calls. Hopefully we can get out of here after this meeting and enjoy some, uh, quiet time together." Lauren smirked devilishly. "Oh, I hope it's not too quiet."

Bo smiled and gingerly tried to lower herself into the chair without drawing too much attention to herself. She and Kenzi had run into a bunch of rogue fae on the way over and had gotten into a bit of a brawl which resulted in her being stabbed in the stomach. It wasn't a deep wound, but it hurt like hell and the pain was compounded by the fact that they had all run away before she could feed and heal herself. And if she were honest with herself, the thought of feeding on someone other than Lauren right now was less then appealing. Why that was the case was something she wasn't quite ready to address, so she was doing her best to ignore it for now.

Of course her attempt at normalcy did not work when Lauren noticed her slow movements and grimace and immediately became concerned. "Bo, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

Bo shook her head, she didn't want Lauren to fuss, and she could deal with the pain for now and heal later when they were alone. "It's fine, just a little scratch from some guys we ran into on the way over."

Lauren stood up immediately and reached out for Bo's hand. "Little or not, I want to take a look. It could be infected."

Bo looked up into the blondes determined eyes and knew she wouldn't win this battle, so grudgingly she eased herself up and took the offered hand. "It's fine, really."

"I'm the doctor, why don't you let me be the judge of that," she said as she led Bo to the restrooms in the back of the bar. Fortunately everyone was still engrossed in their conversations and no one really paid them any attention as they made their way out.

Once the bathroom door had closed, Lauren reached over and pulled up the black tank top Bo had on and her eyes shot up to meet Bo's guilty ones once she saw the damage. "A scratch Bo? You were stabbed!"

"You shoulda seen the other guy?" she asked tentatively trying to diffuse Lauren's anger.

"That's not funny Bo, why didn't you heal?"

Bo shrugged. "They all ran away before I could feed off of any of the guys who did this, and then we were already going to be late getting here so I didn't want to stop on the way over. I've had worse and figured I could deal with the pain for a few hours until …umm later."

"Later?" Lauren questioned, her eyes searching Bo's for hints as to what she was thinking. "You wanted to wait until later… with me?"

Nodding, Bo was unable to look at Lauren as now she was doubting herself and the relationship she was developing with the Morrigan that she was still scared to think about. It was moving so fast maybe she was making presumptions she shouldn't be. She'd never really had an adult relationship and didn't really know the ground rules for such. "Uh, yeah. Ya know, never mind, it was probably stupid and – "

Bo was cut off by Lauren's lips on hers in a fierce and possessive kiss. Groaning she deepened the kiss, her hands coming up to cup Lauren's head and hold her close. Slowly she felt herself being pushed back, grunting slightly when her back came in contact with the wall. Before she realized it, her pants had been opened and Lauren's hand was stroking her, teasing the outside of her walls while her hips ground into her.

Bo pulled away slightly, panting and trying to catch her breath, "Lauren, what are you FUCK!" she screamed as Lauren quickly entered her with two fingers. The blonde chuckled and whispered into her ear "you need to be quiet Bo, we don't want everyone to know what we are doing in here do we?"

Bo shook her head, it was all she had the mental capacity to do anyway. Biting her cheek so as not to moan out loud, she started to thrust her hips in time with Lauren's fingers. She was already so close to the edge – it was incredible how well Lauren already knew her body and how talented her fingers were. Not to mention the fact that just being around Lauren had her ready to go at any time.

"You feel so good on my fingers Bo. So wet and tight. I can't wait for you to come so I can lick them clean."

"Oh god Lauren, oh god. I'm so close. Fuck." Bo moaned as she closed her eyes and rested her head back against the wall, the pleasure of feeling Lauren move so intimately inside of her nearly indescribable.

"That's it Bo, can you look at me? I want you to look at me when you come."

Bo's eyes shot up to meet Lauren's darkened chocolate ones. She could see the lust and the desire and the love? Before she even had a chance to contemplate anything else, she felt her orgasm start to rip through her. As soon as she opened her mouth to scream, it was covered by Lauren's. After a second she pulled away just enough so she could whisper "feed" to her. And Bo didn't need to be told twice, her succubus took over and started to feed from the blonde, the pleasure brought on from the chi magnifying her orgasm and sending hurtling into oblivion.

Bo wasn't sure how long it took to regain her senses, but when she finally opened her eyes she found herself still pinned to the wall being held up by one of the Morrigan's strong arms. Her other one was just pulling her hand away from her mouth, lips smacking as she just finished cleaning them off. Her eyes sparkling with delight, she whispered "delicious" as she eased herself back from Bo.

Bo's eyes flashed blue as she felt her libido spiked again. God this woman drove her crazy. If they could ever get a week alone they might break the world record for most orgasms she thought.

Looking down, Lauren lifted up the hem of Bo's tank to see the stab wound was completely gone and all that remained was her perfect skin. Smiling, she lowered the hem and leaned in to give Bo a gentle kiss.

"I am going to leave you to get cleaned up. We can talk more about this later, okay?" she spoke softly, giving Bo a soft kiss as she started to back away.

Bo could only nod as she watched Lauren walk out of the restroom to rejoin the group. _I think Lauren just broke me_ thought as she moved over to the sink to do as Lauren had said.

After a quick freshening up, she left the bathroom feeling a thousand times better than when she had entered. Moving back into the Dal, she saw that everyone was getting ready to restart their conversation, so she made her way to the open chair next to Lauren. Leaning over, she gave her a kiss on the cheek and smiled when honey brown eyes sparkled back at her, asking if she was feeling better.

Her response interrupted by the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat, Bo looked back to see Dyson glaring at them. Rolling her eyes, she watched as Trick and the wolf settled at the table. Not wanting Dyson to have the last word, she gave Lauren another soft kiss on her cheek before settling back in her chair and returning Dyson's death glare. She really was going to have to give him some sort of beat-down because this was getting out of hand.

"Alright everyone" Trick spoke. "I hope you all had a good rest and some time to digest what we discussed last night. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions as to where we go from here?" he asked, looking around the table as he finished speaking.

Bo shook her head and watched curiously as Lauren was staring at Lachlan who suddenly looked very nervous. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat and answered "I do. I have something to share that may, with some assistance, help the cause."

Trick looked on hopefully. "Please share Ash."

Lachlan looked slightly uncomfortable as he paused before replying. "I'm a Naga."

Bo watched as Trick looked on in shock and even Dyson seemed surprised. Interestingly, Lauren did not seem impacted by this news and Bo wondered if she had known all along and that was why she was given him such odd looks yesterday. Having been the Light fae's doctor, she knew she had to know a lot of their secrets.

Remembering the conversation from yesterday, Bo didn't want to sound like an idiot, but she wanted to be sure she was recalling it correctly. "Isn't that the fae we spoke about yesterday that was extinct? The only thing that was known to kill one of the Garuda's?"

Lachlan nodded. "You are correct Bo. My family has been around since the time of the Garuda's, and we have a proud history of defeating them. Unfortunately, I am the last of my line and I am severely weakened from having fought a Garuda during the Fae Wars. In our full fae form, we have three venom-filled heads, which combine to kill the monsters. But I lost two of my heads in battle, and don't have enough venom left to kill the Garuda. Fortunately, the Morrigan may have a solution."

Lauren nodded as she continued the Ash's line of thinking. "Since Lachlan only has one third of his venom, and as far as we know only a full dosage can kill a Garuda, we will need to synthesize some in a lab, which I believe I can do using his as the origin."

Trick rubbed his head pensively, and everyone waited to hear his thoughts. Finally, after what seemed like an hour of silence, he gave a tentative nod. "I think that could work. How soon do you think you could prepare the venom?"

Lauren shrugged. "Once I figure out how to extract the venom I will need to analyze its DNA structure and break it down to a molecular level. Depending on the chromosome density and complexity of determining a suitable binding solution and delivery mechanism, it could take a few days or a week or more. I honestly can't say until I have a chance to study the venom."

Trick nodded. "Ok, well this seems like our only option right now, so unless someone objects we should move forward with this plan."

Trick looked around the room and everyone was nodding, so he dismissed everyone and got up to go prepare the bar for opening. Lauren made plans with Lachlan for him to come to the Dark fae labs tomorrow to have his venom extracted, while Bo and Kenzi made their way to the bar for a drink.

Pulling herself up onto the stool, the goth couldn't resist teasing her friend. "I saw your eyes flash blue there when the Doc was geeking out about DNA and chromosomes." Bu blushed. "I can't help it Kenzi, I think it's sexy when she geeks out."

Kenzi laughed as she pulled a pint over to herself. "Whipped!"

"Who is talking about whips?" Dyson chuckled as he pulled up on the stool next to Bo.

Bo rolled her eyes, she was a succubus and always up for an innuendo, but for some reason it coming out of Dyson's mouth was irritating. "No one, just talking about the plans for tomorrow and dealing with this Garuda thing."

"I see. So since the plans all involve the Morrigan and Ash, are you free for dinner tonight? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever Bo and I miss you."

Bo couldn't help but snort in fake amusement. "Dyson, you haven't seen me because you have been acting like a possessive dick."

"Possessive? Bo, you are my mate, I have a right to – "

At the sound of the breaking glass, three heads turned to see what had caused the noise, seeing Lauren standing behind them a look of shock and heartbreak on her face. At first Bo couldn't figure out what had freaked her lover out, but then quickly replaying her conversation with Dyson in her head, she knew what the blonde must think. "Lauren – it's not what you think – we –"

Lauren shook her head, willing the tears not to fall. Holding her hand out to stop Bo from speaking she was barely about to force a sound out of her throat. "I'm sorry Bo, I can't, I just….can't" was all she got out before turning on her heel and running for the exit.

Bo was stunned for two seconds before she realized she needed to move if she had any chance of getting Lauren to listen to her and allay her fears. She knew the doctor hated Dyson, though she still didn't understand why, aside from the fact that he was probably an arrogant prick to her while she was with the Light fae. She couldn't let Lauren think she was with Dyson and she hated his whole 'I'm your mate' crap that he kept pulling and now that it hurt Lauren, she needed to deal with her and then set him straight once and for all. Jumping off her stool in pursuit of the blonde, she was able to catch up to her just inside the backdoor of the Dal. "Lauren wait, let me explain, please, it's not what you think."

No realizing Dyson had followed her, her heart dropped to her stomach when she heard him speak. "It IS exactly what you think it is," Dyson sneered. "My wolf has mated with Bo, she is mine."


	18. Chapter 18

Lauren's knees nearly buckled at the words the wolf had just spoken. She felt like her heart had just been ripped in half and shredded to pieces. How could she have been so stupid? To let a succubus of all creatures in to her heart. God she was an idiot. All those things she had said to her, all the kisses and moans and whispers had all been lies. And she had fallen for them, hook line and sinker. Right now she hated herself, she hated the fae, she hated Bo, but most of all, she hated Dyson. Because she had fallen for the succubus, more so than anyone in her life, and now to find she was mated with the wolf….she just wished she could get away from this miserable life. Nothing was worth the pain she felt over and over again.

Dyson stood and watched her with his usual arrogant sneer, knowing he had hurt her. She had to fight her inner beast from lashing out and wiping the sneer from his face and didn't even pay any attention to Bo who was pleading with her about something. She didn't care, couldn't care anymore. She was going to make sure Bo knew exactly what her mate was and then she was done. Done with her, done with him and done with _feeling_.

"Fuck you Dyson. Tell me, have you told your _mate_ about the kind of man you are?"

Now that Lauren had spoken, Bo stopped her pleading and looked between the two of them. She had no idea what was going on, but she could feel the anger and pain radiating off of Lauren.

"She knows I am a wolf and that she is my mate and that I will love and protect her forever."

"Yes, but does she know the _man_ that you are? Hmm?"

Dyson said nothing but glared at Lauren. He tried to pull Bo away before she spoke again, but she was having nothing of it. "Get your hands off of me Dyson and stop saying all this shit about how I am your mate. I never asked you to mate with me, I never wanted you to," she said before turning back to Lauren. "Lauren, please just…"

Lauren shook her head cutting Bo off. She didn't want to hear any explanations right now, she wanted to finally speak the truth about the wolf so he would feel just a fraction of the hurt she had.

"You haven't told her have you? Why Dyson, why haven't you told your mate about it? It can't be that you are ashamed, you took such great pleasure in it all those years ago," she spat, the word 'mate'. Just the sound of the word causing a wave of revulsion inside of her.

"Tell me why you haven't told her about how it was you that beat me all those years ago? Left me with broken ribs and bones, my eyes so bruised I couldn't open them for days? Tell her how you left me on a cold dungeon floor with only water and some stale bread for two weeks until I could finally stand up again, only to be dragged back to work because I missed my curfew by four fucking minutes? Tell her how you laughed at me, called me pathetic and not worth the air that I breathe, that I was only good for beating and fucking?"

"Stop bitch, stop this now," the wolf demanded, feeling the shock and revulsion coming from Bo.

But Lauren wasn't done and she certainly wasn't afraid of the wolf any more. "Go ahead Dyson - tell her how you made me _watch_ as you got yourself off in my prison cell and how you threatened me that the next time I ended up in the dungeon I would be doing more than just watching."

Bo couldn't help the gasp that escaped her after Lauren's confession. It made her sick to her stomach to hear what Dyson had done. Doing that to anyone went against every fiber of her being, but the fact that he had done that to Lauren made something in her snap. Without even knowing why, her inner succubus took over, screaming at her to take vengeance for what Dyson had done. Her eyes immediately flashed blue and both Lauren and Dyson took a step back, feeling the power rippling off of her.

Turning to Dyson she growled "you Bastard" and grabbed his neck to fling him against the closest wall. Pushing him hard and lifting him a few inches off the ground, she let her succubus have control and snarled in his face.

"Listen dog and listen close. I am NOT your mate. I am NOT your lover and I am NOT going to take your shit anymore. If you touch one hair on Lauren's head or utter one more negative word about her, I will end you. You will stay away from her and me, do you understand DOG?"

Dyson struggled to get free but Bo was too strong for him in her succubus state. "Bo, please, I love you."

Squeezing harder and cutting off his air circulation, the Succubus was in no mood for games. She had picked Lauren and would do everything in her power to protect her. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND?"

Finally Dyson nodded and the succubus released him, allowing his body to fall to the ground in a heap. Turning to look for Lauren, she saw the door to the Dal closing as the blonde had just run out.

_Fuck_ she said to herself, rushing out the door after the woman she was falling for, hoping it wasn't too late to undo the damage.

XXXX

Bo caught up with Lauren two blocks later. The blonde was still upset, but Bo could sense that her anger had faded, at least a little. Grabbing Lauren's arm, she pulled her to a stop, bending over slightly so she could catch her breath after expending her energy in the power show for Dyson and then chasing the blonde down.

"Lauren, please. Wait. It's not what you think, you need to give me a chance to explain," she panted.

Lauren whirled around to face her, wrenching her arm out of Bo's grasp. "Explain? Bo, I knew you had fucked Dyson, and I could handle that, even though the thought of him touching you made me sick to my stomach. But to know that you mated with him…."

"Stop! That is where you are wrong. I never mated with him. His wolf mated with me, not with my consent or even with my knowledge. I swear to you, there is nothing binding me to him. What he did to you makes me sick to my stomach. It makes me want to kill him and I am not sure if I can ever forgive him for it."

"But you love him?" she ground out.

Bo sighed. "I care about him, I am not going to lie. He was the first person I was with that didn't die, he has been there for me, and he has been a friend, despite the fact that he has been acting like a giant ass lately. But I am not in love with him. I am in love with you Lauren. "

Lauren's eyes snapped up to hers, shock and amazement, and was that hope, in them. "You love me?"

Bo's answer was pre-empted by a very loud growl coming from directly behind her. Her body tensed immediately as she recognized the sound from the two werewolves that attacked her before. _Fuck_, she thought to herself. She wasn't able to fight them off before, and now Lauren was here. She had to protect Lauren. Turning around quickly, she moved in front of Lauren and turned to the two giant Lycanthropes who were grinning fiendishly at her.


	19. Chapter 19

"Well well, looks like we will get to finish our job after all. And get the bonus of taking out the Morrigan too. We'll see how tough you are without your little puppet master around, won't we," the larger of the two practically cackled.

Bo pulled out her dagger and smiled sweetly. "Let's see how tough you are when you aren't jumping someone from behind." The werewolf took a step towards her and Bo chanced a quick glance at Lauren who was standing there unmoving. "Lauren…run, go! Call for help!" she whispered, but it had no effect on the blonde. _Crap_, Bo thought.

The first werewolf took a lazy swipe at her, which she easily ducked. She knew he was just toying with her and she hoped his arrogance was what allowed her to survive their attack a second time. She knew she was lucky the first time – if they both came at her she would be mauled in a matter of moments.

The second swipe wasn't quite as lazy, and she just barely managed to avoid it, getting a small scratch across her chest. Not risking a look behind her this time, she urged the blonde to go. "Lauren, please, get out of here." Still nothing.

The third swipe she was ready for, and turned her body to jab her dagger into the creatures arm once it had moved past her. He let out a large howl and grabbed his arm as his eyes started to burn red with anger. Bo was so focused on protecting herself from the next attack, she didn't hear the whimpers and moans of pain coming from behind her, and was therefore utterly shocked when a lion leaped out from behind her and brought the second Lycanthrope to the ground, his neck in its large jaw. Both Bo and her attacker stopped to watch the horror unfolding next to them as the werewolf thrashed on the ground as the lion ripped its neck open. Bo wasn't a doctor, but she was pretty sure that kind of attack would kill most anything, and she watched in shock as blood splattered everywhere as the lion continued to eat at the flesh. When the creature finally stopped screaming, the lion looked over in her direction and let out a huge roar. Turning around, it moved slowly, stalking it's way over to Bo and the remaining Lycanthrope who was now trying to slowly back away from the giant cat. Unfortunately for him, they were still in an alley, and he only made it two feet before a wall prevented his further escape.

Bo could only watch in awe. She didn't see the change, but she knew this was Lauren. And despite the fact that the beast had just literally ripped a man's neck off, she wasn't scared. She could _see_ Lauren in the cat's eyes, and she _knew_ Lauren wouldn't hurt her.

Bo looked at the lion in wonder. It was large, though she hadn't exactly encountered many lions in her life, so she wasn't sure if it was larger than normal. Her face was perfectly symmetrical, with black skin framing her large golden eyes, which offset the goldenrod that covered her body. Her eyes though, her eyes conveyed so much that it was clear to Bo that this was not an ordinary lion.

Her body was long and lean and Bo could see the muscles rippling in the lioness' body as she stalked closer to them, her eyes focused on the werewolf, but flicking back to Bo every few seconds.

Suddenly the werewolf lunged to his left to escape from the cat, but he wasn't anywhere near fast enough. Before he even got a half step away, Lauren had reared up and slashed the creature down his back, bringing him to his knees. Moving over to him, the cat took another swipe at the werewolf, this one causing the creature to howl out in agony and collapse on to the street. The lion ignored the screams, and moved to devour this one as she had his partner.

While gruesome, Bo was not horrified or repulsed by what Lauren was doing in her lion form. On some level it fascinated her, the raw primal power she had in her full fae form.

After a few minutes, Lauren finished her meal of the Lycanthrope and turned to face Bo. Anyone else would have been terrified of a giant lioness stalking towards them, blood covering their face and mouth. But Bo just watched quietly as Lauren walked over to her and shoved her head under her hand. Bo smiled and rubbed her hand in the thick and soft fur, bending down to give the animal a kiss on its head. She was pretty sure Lauren was purring.

She knew they needed to get out of the alley before anyone else showed up. Though Lauren seemed calm now, she wasn't sure how in control of herself Lauren was, and she was worried she might attack anyone she perceived as a threat. Luckily, they were only around the corner from where she had parked her car in the alley near the Dal. Taking a few steps towards her car, she looked down at Lauren and though she felt really foolish, tapped her hand on her thigh and said "come on" to the cat who was eyeing her with curiosity. Thankfully, she seemed to understand and trotted along after Bo, jumping in to the back seat of her car when she opened the door. Bo slid in to the driver's seat and pulled out her phone, calling Vex. She wasn't sure how she was going to get Lauren back in to her compound without drawing a lot of attention to them, and based on how secretive Lauren was about her fae abilities, she wasn't sure how many people knew what she was. She didn't want to be the one to let the cat out of the bag, she chuckled to herself.

After three or four rings, Vex finally picked up. "How is my favorite sex monster?" the voice on the other end asked. "I'm fine Vex, but we have a problem. Lauren and I were attacked by those wolf things again….. Whoa, hey! Calm down and let me finish. We're both fine, I think. Lauren turned in to a lion and killed them both, but she is still a lion and I am not sure how to get her back to her place without making a scene." Bo listened intently as Vex gave her directions to the secret underground garage at the Dark fae compound, a sense of relief coming over her. Hanging up the phone, she started the car and headed off towards Dark fae territory.

XXXX

The drive to the compound was quick and uneventful, but Bo couldn't keep her eyes off the rearview mirror and the lioness in her backseat. She looked tired, her head drooping and her eyes struggling to stay open. After 15 minutes Bo pulled into the underground garage and pulled over when she saw Vex. Running to the car, he opened the rear door and let Lauren jump out. Bo turned the car off and climbed out, watching as Lauren gave Vex a head-butt and he smiled and rubbed her head.

Turning to Bo, Vex smiled, probably the first genuine smile she had ever seen from him. "Thank you Bo, for keeping her safe and getting her home."

"I got her home, but she didn't need me to keep her safe. She killed the two werewolves - probably saved my life."

Vex nodded. "Let's get inside and then you can tell me what happened. I will send a cleanup crew to deal with the bodies."

Vex turned and headed over to an elevator and got in once the doors opened. Bo followed and watched as Lauren trotted along behind them, warily entering the elevator. Bo instinctively reached down and rubbed her ears, smiling when Lauren pushed her head closer. Vex observed their interaction, but didn't make any comment. Once the doors opened at their destination, Bo stepped out and realized they were at Lauren's penthouse. Still following Vex, she walked into the apartment and watched as the Mesmer moved about closing the blinds.

"Don't want any naughty peepers" he cackled.

Bo stood in the middle of the room, watching, unsure of what to do. The lioness had jumped up on the couch and was silently watching the two people and Bo felt awkward after what had just transpired. Why hadn't Lauren shifted back? Did she not want Bo to see? Should she go and leave her in peace? Should she stay and try to work through the whole Dyson fiasco? Would Lauren even want her here after everything that happened tonight?

"Umm. Is there a reason she hasn't shifted back to her human form yet?"

Vex looked up at her and then back to the lion on the couch. "She's still working out the kinks on that, it prolly won't be for a bit. She generally does it while she is sleeping."

Bo nodded, processing Vex's response and watching Lauren while she was still pondering her next move. "So, she's a lion shifter?"

"Ah, not my story to tell poppet. Perhaps she will share with you tomorrow. Are you going to stay tonight with her?"

Bo looked down, the scene with Dyson still fresh in her mind, the look of devastation on Lauren's face. "I don't know if she will want me here. Dyson told Lauren I was his mate and she didn't take it well. We were still working through that when we were attacked."

"You are mated to that dirty cur?"

"Technically he is mated to me. I never mated with him or even knew it had happened until it had already happened. I was explaining that to Lauren, telling her how I really felt about her when we were interrupted."

Vex looked over at the lion sitting patiently on the couch. He knew Lauren had enough recognition of humans in her lioness form that if she didn't want Bo there, they would know it. Assuming she was fine with Bo, he decided to leave the two of them to it. As much as he liked gossip and giving Lauren a hard time, he knew how devastated she probably had been to hear that Bo was mated to Dyson. The fact that she hadn't bitten the succubus was a good sign she was dealing with it. And if she ended up tearing her apart as soon as he left, well he knew a good cleaning company that would make sure no blood stains remained.

"Look Bo, she seems okay with you here, so I think you should stay and work out whatever it is you two need to work out. I know you and I got off on the wrong foot, but all I want is to see Lauren happy, and you seem to do that for her. So don't fuck it up. Tata!"

Before she could even respond, Vex was out the door and she was alone with Lauren the Lion and suddenly very nervous. She had seen what Lauren could do, ripping apart the two werewolves. She only hoped she didn't suddenly remember how pissed she was and try to turn her into dessert.

"So, uh, looks like it's just the two of us." Bo said, very awkward at speaking to a lion. She had no idea if Lauren understood what she was saying or not. "Vex said you shift back while you are sleeping, so maybe we should just go to sleep. If you are okay with me staying here that is. Can you maybe growl or something if you want me to leave?"

Bo watched the lion closely, and the lion was watching her. She really was a very beautiful creature. Her fur was a pure golden color and her eyes were the same expressive chocolate ones Lauren had. Her paws were crossed over each other in front of her body, giving her an even more regal look.

"Okay, well I am going to take that as a good sign then. I guess I am going to go and get ready for bed. I'll be in the bedroom."

Moving into Lauren's room, Bo went to the bathroom to use the toilet and wash up. She had some nasty scratches from the werewolves that she would eventually need to heal, but she at least wanted to get the blood washed off and the wounds clean so they didn't get infected. Once her routine was done, she walked back into the bedroom and debated how comfortable she should make herself. Lauren was probably still a little pissed at her and she didn't want to overstep her bounds not knowing where they stood. But she was also very tired and wearing pretty uncomfortable leather that she didn't want to wear to bed. For once opting for less skin, she stripped down to her undies while she grabbed a t-shirt from one of Lauren's drawers, thinking that was a good compromise. Lauren had still not come into the bedroom, but she made sure the door was open before turning off the light and climbing into the bed.

Leaning back against the headboard she thought back through everything that happened that day. She had awoken in Lauren's arms happier than she could ever remember being. Even her meeting with Lou Ann, despite the fact that all she really learned was her mother's name, was a step forward in her quest to know where she came from. And then the shit really hit the fan with Dyson's mated comment and Lauren barring her soul over how Dyson had treated her when she was human. She couldn't believe that he had done that and she wasn't lying when she told Lauren she wanted to kill him after hearing that. She really wasn't sure she could stand to be in the same room as him after that, which made her sad since he really had been a good friend to her. To do that to anyone was despicable, but to have done that to Lauren? It made her succubus roar in anger.

And now she found out that the woman she was falling in love with, the leader of the Dark fae, was some sort of lion shifter. It was kinda sexy if she was gonna be honest about it. Lauren was all blonde feline beauty in her human form, and knowing she could turn into a lion just added to that mystique. Now if she could only have the chance to tell her how much she meant to her and get her to believe that she was not Dyson's mate….

Sighing heavily, she sunk down onto the bed, burrowing into the blankets, having given up hope that Lauren would join her in the room. Closing her eyes, she tried to clear her mind of the crazy day so that she could get some sleep and prepare herself for dealing with everything tomorrow.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, Bo felt the bed sag. She felt her heart swell with happiness as she watched Lauren's lioness curl up on the bed with her head resting on her hip. Smiling down at her, she rubbed the soft spot behind her ears before draping her arm over the lion's shoulder and whispering a gentle goodnight.


	20. Chapter 20

Hours later, Bo was leaning back against the headboard of Lauren's large bed, her arms wrapped around the beautiful blonde she found herself falling deeper and deeper in love with. Lauren had shifted back to her human form sometime during the night and snuck out of bed for a shower and a call to the Ash to delay their meeting a day so they could recover. Bo had woken shortly afterwards and now was gearing herself up for another deep conversation.

While she still had a hard time reconciling the shy, kind and selfless woman in her arms with the bitchy, evil Morrigan persona she wore around the fae, Lauren was slowly letting her in to her past and she was getting a better picture of the things Lauren had lived through. She knew Lauren was afraid that one of the things she was going to see or hear would scare her away, but so far everything had had the opposite effect. The more she learned the more she wanted to love and protect Lauren, to keep her heart safe so she never had to feel worthless or be in pain again. She was in awe of her and how she persevered through it all. Bo knew that if it had been her, she would have given up a long time ago.

Nuzzling her nose in the crook of Lauren's neck, she inhaled the clean scent of her lavender shampoo and couldn't help but let out a soft sigh at the comfort it brought her. Lauren gave a light hum in approval, and tightened her arms around Bo's, snuggling deeper in to her embrace.

"Can we just stay here forever?" Lauren asked, trying to remember the last time she felt this safe and content. "Mmmmm," Bo affirmed. "That sounds like an amazing plan."

"How are you feeling? Any residual effects from the shift?" Bo queried, hoping to get Lauren to open up a bit more about her ability.

"A little tired, but otherwise I am fine. The more I do it, the less painful the transitions seem to be. The first time it happened I literally passed out from the pain. Now it still hurts, but it is much less extreme and bearable for the most part."

Even though Lauren could not see her, she felt Bo nod slowly. She knew the succubus wanted to know how she ended up fae, and she wanted to tell her, she was just afraid of how she would react. She had killed people, and it had taken her over a year to come to terms with that. She wasn't sure how Bo would feel. They had just gotten through the Lou Ann story, what if this changed Bo's mind and she finally did see her as a murderer and didn't want to be with her anymore? For as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was falling for Bo, hard, and she was fearful that despite everything she had survived to date, that Bo leaving her might truly break her.

Bo could sense Lauren's body tensing up and the turmoil in her head. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms in comfort, gently kissing the back of her head as she did. "Shhh. Relax Lauren. You know I want to know how you came to be fae, but I want you to be comfortable telling me. I know it is hard, but I swear to you I won't feel any differently towards you and I won't judge you. Letting someone else, letting me, in, might make you feel better."

Silence filled the room for a few minute before it was broken by the blonde.

"Did you mean it?" Lauren asked, and Bo immediately knew what Lauren was asking.

"I did. I am in love with you Lauren. Only you."

Lauren felt the tears start to build up in her eyes, but she had made the decision to tell Bo. It was better to tell her now before she got in any deeper than she was in case Bo got spooked and took her words back. Looking down, she took Bo's hands in her own, and pulled them in to her lap as she started.

"I had been working for Lachlan for about 10 months when an Elder came in for a checkup. He was thousands of years old, which is old even for an Elder. Despite what some people think, fae are not immortal, they have life spans. They just happen to be hundreds or thousands of years, depending on the species."

Bo nodded, letting Lauren go at her own pace. She knew she was rambling a bit, but Bo found it utterly adorable, and gave her a small hug to reassure her and urge her to continue.

"Most fae when they get to be that old accept their mortality and pass on naturally. This one was fighting it tooth and nail, and called in a favor from the Ash. I was asked to come up with something to prolong his life and boost his powers. I spent weeks researching his species, trying out different formulas and finally came up with what was basically a turbo shot of his own healthy DNA, along with DNA from a few other compatible species. Once administered and followed with a rigorous vitamin regimen, it would have added many more years on too his life."

Bo felt Lauren tense up again, and she pulled her closer in to her, wanting her to feel safe and comfortable as she shared her story. Lauren paused for a minute, feeling the tears start to well up again behind her eyes.

When she continued, her voice was shaky. "But when it came time to give him the injection, he got paranoid and was convinced I was trying to kill him. I told him it was fine, he didn't need to take the shot if he didn't want to, but that wasn't good enough for him. He wanted the shot, but he wanted me to use it on myself first to prove to him it wasn't poison. I tried to explain how it was made for his specific species and I hadn't done any testing on it and I had no way of knowing what it would do to a human. I begged and I pleaded but despite everything, I was held down by an orderly and forcefully given the injection."

Bo inhaled sharply at Lauren's confession. _Fucking fae_, she thought to herself. Lauren was openly crying now, and Bo spun her slightly around in her arms and drew her in so her head was nestled under her chin as she curled into a trembling little ball.

"At first I didn't feel anything and was relieved that it seemed to have no impact on a human. Then the pain started. It felt like every cell in my body was on fire – I couldn't breathe, I couldn't see, all I could feel was pain and I blacked out. When I came to, before I even opened my eyes, I knew that something was different, that I was different. I could hear the faintest of sounds and my sense of smell was so strong that I almost choked on the scent that filled the room, a scent I knew was blood. When I opened my eyes, I could tell that my vision was better as well, though everything had a yellowish tint to it. It wasn't until I tried to move that I realized I was no longer human and was some sort of four legged creature."

Lauren needed to get the rest of the story out, the part that still made her sick to her stomach and the part she was most afraid of Bo finding out. In between sobs, she continued. "I still am not really sure what happened, but when I looked around the room, I saw the fae Elder and the lab assistant. They had both been mauled to death and I realized the blood that I had smelt was theirs, it was all over the lab and all over me – my face, my paws, everywhere. I was the one that had killed them."

Bo hugged Lauren tighter and didn't let go as she continued to sob. "It's okay," she reassured. "It's not your fault Lauren, please don't blame yourself. The fae hurt you, they changed you against your will. I know as a doctor it goes against your nature, but they got what they deserved. The fae are to blame for their deaths, not you."

Lauren nodded quickly, trying to compose herself. "I know that intellectually Bo, but it still doesn't change the fact that they were dead and I was the one to do it. I took an oath as a doctor to save lives, not end them! " Lauren's shame was overwhelming her and she struggled to get free of Bo's embrace.

Knowing what Lauren was doing, Bo only held on tighter. "You aren't a monster Lauren! I know monsters, and trust me, you are nothing like them. You heard my story not 24 hours ago and you didn't judge me. I felt the same way you do right now when I first grew in to my powers. I couldn't stop killing people no matter how hard I tried. It wasn't until I was found by the fae and some random doctor for the Light told me what I was that I was able to even start to accept who and what I was. I killed so many people Lauren, if anyone is a monster it is me."

'Bo, you are not a monster, please stop thinking of yourself that way."

"Well, you need to do the same Lauren. Neither of us should be blamed for what we did, the fae did this to us, we are both lucky we survived."

Relaxing at Bo's words, Lauren knew she was right, but it was still hard to get over having killed someone with her own hands. Killing the werewolves last night just reminded her of what she was now, though she had very little guilt over that since they had tried to hurt the woman she loved.

"We are quite the pair aren't we?' Lauren sniffled, feeling a sense of calm take over her earlier panic.

Bo chuckled. "A beautiful mess. So how did you end up with the Dark?"

Lauren nodded and continued with her story. "I hid in my office fearing the Light would come in at any minute and find out what I did, but they never came and I eventually fell asleep, waking up back in my human form. I freaked out again, but luckily had the sense to erase all the security feeds and my prints and DNA from the bodies. I snuck out of the compound, and hid in the woods for days. I really didn't know what to do, but I knew I couldn't go anywhere near the Light because they would have found the bodies by then. Going on the run wasn't really an option since I knew nothing about what kind of fae I was or how to control it, so I made the only choice I could – I went to the Morrigan and declared my allegiance. Surprisingly, they were beyond excited to have me, for my doctoring skills but also for how much I knew about the Light. The Morrigan was actually pretty good to me, set me up in a lab so I could learn about myself while I saw patients, basically taking me under her wing and teaching me the ways of the Dark. When she was assassinated several months later, they appointed me as her replacement, mostly to shove it in the face of the Light. And here we are."

"Wow.

"Yeah, wow."

"So, are you a lion shifter? I asked Vex but he wouldn't tell me."

Lauren shook her head slightly. "No, I am not a shifter, though that is one of my abilities. I am a Sekhmet."

"Sekhmet….that sounds familiar but I have no idea what that means," Bo said as she placed a gentle kiss on Lauren's shoulder.

"Most people don't, since there hasn't been one in hundreds of years as far as my research has found. Sekhmet was the Egyptian goddess of war and healing, daughter of the sun god Ra. She was a warrior responsible for protecting the pharaohs and leading them into battle – she could harness the power of the sun and scorch the earth, but she also brought healing. Her worshippers were the doctors of ancient Egypt."

"I always said you were a goddess," Bo smirked.

Lauren chuckled. "I am not a goddess, but it's complicated - more like I am related to her."

"So besides turning into a lion, what else can you do?"

Lauren frowned slightly, her answer still was frustrating to her. "Honestly, I am still figuring that out. I lost my composure at a council meeting once and threw a fireball at the wall. So there's that, though I haven't been able to do it since. There isn't a lot of information on Sekhmet's, and most of my powers seem to trigger when I am in a heightened emotional state, which is very hard to do in a lab setting. I am still worried I will lose control and hurt someone since I have so little idea of my abilities."

Bo tugged Lauren closer. "Oh sweetie. I know I am still getting to know you, but I know in my heart that if you ever hurt someone, they would deserve whatever you threw at them. You genuinely care, and Sekhmet or not, that would prevent you from hurting the innocent."

Lauren smiled. "I am touched you have such faith in me, I just hope it's not misplaced."

"It's not, I am sure of it."

Lauren nodded and rested her head in the crook of Bo's neck, the silence overcoming them once again as they both processed the conversation they just had. While it was not an uncomfortable lull, Bo soon found herself eager to deal with the last elephant in the room, her relationship with Dyson.

"I really don't want to bring this up, but I think we do need to talk about it Lauren. I don't want Dyson hanging over us or our relationship."

Lauren tensed at his name, but didn't move from Bo's embrace. Taking this as a sign she should continue, Bo started on her own story.

"Dyson was the first person I was with that didn't die, and for the most part, has been a good friend. We did try something resembling a relationship, but he always wanted me to do things his way, and well, that didn't really sit well with me. We were never really very serious, or at least I wasn't, but still one day he woke up and called me his mate. I thought he was joking and just being his usual caveman self. When I found out he wasn't kidding I was pissed at him and tried to get him to undo it. Trick later explained to me the whole wolves mate for life thing and that there was nothing I could really do. So I have kinda just ignored it. I mean, I feel bad for him that he gave his love to me and I can't return it the same way, but at the same time I think it was incredibly rude to just expect me to reciprocate it."

"Yes, well Dyson is not exactly a respectful person" Lauren spat out.

"No, and I swear to you Lauren, I had no idea he was capable of that kind of behavior. I mean, I know he doesn't have a high opinion of humans, something we constantly argue about, but to do those things to anyone, let alone you, well I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am."

Lauren shook her head at Bo. "You don't need to apologize, you didn't treat me like that. And while he was probably the worst of them, it's not like most of the other fae weren't pretty hideous too."

"Well, if I had known you when you were human, I am sure I would have fallen head over heels in love with you and done everything I could to keep you safe and make you feel special."

"The unaligned succubus and the human doctor of the light? That would have gone over well," Lauren said with a smile.

"Better than the unaligned succubus and leader of the Dark fae?"

"Ok, maybe it's a wash."

"Speaking of wash, I am kinda hurt you took a shower without me."

Lauren leaned back from Bo's embrace so she could catch her eye. "Are you now? And why is that?"

"Because all I can think about is being deprived of your wet naked body and the delicious things I want to do with it. Plus, I still have some scratches from the werewolves that need healing."

"Hmmm. Well I wouldn't be a very good doctor if I let those go. Show me where they are," Lauren asked, her eyes darkening as Bo lifted up her t-shirt to expose her bare stomach, just a hint of breast peeking out from the bottom of the hem. "Mmmmm that looks pretty bad. I think you may need some serious doctoring to heal those scratches up," she responded, gently pushing Bo back down onto the bed, her thigh moving between her legs as she brought her lips down to kiss the succubus.

The kiss started off soft and sensual, but as each woman started to get lost in it their hands started to wander and the kiss became more and more heated. Bo let out a moan as she felt Lauren's hips start to move against her, her thigh hitting her right where she wanted. Sliding her hands down her back to grab her ass, Bo pulled Lauren in to her even tighter, her eyes flashing blue as she felt a jolt of pleasure shoot through her core. Sliding her hands up again, she slipped them under Lauren's shirt and pulled it off, moaning again as she took the soft flesh of Lauren's breast into her mouth and began to suck. Lauren's hips bucked and she let out a breathless '_Bo'_ as she reached down to tug off Bo's shirt as well.

Once it was off, the blonde lowered herself back down to Bo, who happily latched on to her other breast, giving it the same attention, her hand rubbing and pinching at the other one at the same time. Flipping them over, Bo stared down at her lover, a hungry gaze accentuated by her blazing blue eyes. Looking up, Lauren saw nothing but love and desire in those eyes, and she needed more. "Please Bo, I need you so much right now. Please. Touch me."

Leaning down and nibbling at her ear, Bo husked "Where do you need me Lauren, tell me and I will give you anything you want. I love you."

"I love you too, Bo. I need you everywhere, I want you everywhere. Please. I don't want to think about yesterday, I just want to feel you." Lauren was breathless with need and Bo was basking in her aura. She didn't think she would even need to take Lauren's chi to heal her wounds, the sexual intensity between them was blinding and all-consuming.

Reaching down, Bo slid Lauren's underwear off and shimmied out of her own, before taking the blonde in a deep kiss. As her tongue dueled with Lauren's, her hand traced its way down her side, grazing her breast and hip bone before settling between Lauren's legs. Sliding her fingers through the wetness she found, her succubus roared in pleasure with how Lauren's body reacted to her. Blazing blue eyes looked down into soft chocolate ones. "You are so wet Lauren. Tell me this is all for me."

"Only you Bo," Lauren panted as Bo's fingers worked their magic on her. "Inside me, please, I want to feel you inside me." Bo was more than happy to oblige, and as she slid two fingers in Lauren arched off the bed in pleasure, her hands grasping at the bed sheets trying to keep herself grounded. _Fuck,_ she panted. Yes, Bo was a succubus and it was expected she was good at sex, but her fingers literally took her breath away the way they played her, bringing her higher and higher until she could barely remember her own name.

Reaching out blindly, barely able to focus because of the pleasure she was feeling, Lauren managed to slide her hand between their bodies, her fingers finding Bo's own dripping core. Sliding her fingers in, she felt Bo's rhythm falter as she let out a deep moan. "Wha – what are you doing Lauren?" Bo panted out, her hips starting to move erratically.

"Together Bo," she gasped as Bo hit a particularly good spot. "Want you to come with me."

Bo nodded quickly. It was taking all of her concentration to continue pleasuring Lauren with what the blonde was making her feel with her own hands. "So close Lauren, you feel so good, so close" she whispered.

Lauren nodded, her ability to speak now long gone. Her whole body was on fire with pleasure and she knew she was seconds away from shattering into a million pieces. Even leaving aside the physical pleasure Bo brought her, what she made her feel was magical – never had she felt this close, this intimate with anyone, not even Nadia. Feeling herself slipping over the edge, she summoned the last bit of concentration she had to groan out "now Bo, come with me."

That was all Bo needed to let herself go, arching more deeply into Lauren as her body exploded into a state of pure bliss. She felt Lauren let go as well, her own arching back pushing Bo's fingers deeper inside of her and causing the deepest most erotic moan to escape from her lips. They both managed to keep their fingers moving to help the other ride out the orgasm, while the rest of their bodies were practically fused together so they could feel every tremble and ripple of pleasure shooting through the other.

After several moments they both slowed their action, but neither moved. Lauren remained on top of Bo, her body moving erratically up and down as they both attempted to catch their breath. Their hands remained unmoved though, both still buried deep inside the other one, the connection and intimacy clearly something they both needed.

Once she was able to regain her composure, Bo slowly slid off of Lauren but remained as close as possible, cocooning her into her side. Reaching her hand up, she slowly brushed some damp hair out of Lauren's face and leaned up to give her a soft kiss. "Thank you Lauren. For trusting in me and sharing yourself. I love you."

Lauren smiled drowsily back, the shift and sharing her secrets had taken a toll on her and she knew she was going to have to feed soon. Deciding that could wait at least until she had a nap with Bo, she pulled Bo in tighter to her and murmured her own "I love you" before drifting off to sleep, content in the arms of her succubus.


	21. Chapter 21

When Bo woke up several hours later she was disappointed to find Lauren was no longer in the bed with her. Very disappointed if she was honest with herself. She had never been the clingy type, but she found herself missing the blonde when she wasn't around. Dragging herself out of the bed, she used the bathroom and freshened up before heading off in search of the doctor.

She found her sitting at the dining room table with a glass of orange juice and a bowl of fruit, a pile of papers spread out in front of her. Hearing Bo approach she looked up and Bo was rewarded with the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. Approaching her, she bent down to give her a chaste kiss, but Lauren was having none of that and captured her mouth with a kiss that buckled her knees. Pulling away she felt her eyes flash blue and saw Lauren smirk at her. The problem with being a succubus around Lauren was that she couldn't hide her reactions and it seemed like Lauren was developing an affinity for eliciting them.

"You keep that up and I will be dragging you back into the bedroom for an encore performance," Bo husked, her tone joking but she was 100% serious. It was hard keeping control around Lauren to begin with, nearly impossible when she provoked her like that.

Lauren chuckled but did pull back slightly. "Sorry Bo, as wonderful as that sounds, I do have some things I have to do today. Perhaps a raincheck for later?"

Bo gave her a quick peck and nodded, "you can bet on that."

Lauren smiled and pointed Bo towards the tray of fruit and pastries on the end table. Bo helped herself and grabbed some of the already made coffee before sitting down at the table with Lauren. She sat quietly for a few minutes, eating her breakfast and enjoying the simple domesticity of it. She was on the run most of her adult life and had never allowed herself the opportunity to fantasize about a normal life with someone she loved. But as she found herself falling deeper and deeper for the Morrigan, she found those thoughts were becoming more and more prevalent. Watching Lauren concentrate on her work as she idly ate some melon tugged at her more deeply than she ever thought it would. They had only known each other a short time though – it was way too early to start thinking about the white picket fence and 2.3 kids. First they needed to deal with this Garuda thing, then maybe she would ask Lauren where she wanted this relationship to go. While she was terrified of Lauren's answer, she knew how deeply she was falling for the blonde and if she didn't feel the same way, it was better to end it now, as painful as that would be, then risk destroying her heart completely later.

Clearing her throat to get rid of those depressing thoughts, she asked Lauren what her plans were for the day. Looking up, Lauren looked almost shy as she responded. "I have to go feed and then meet Lachlan to start the process of extracting his Naga venom."

Bo blinked at Lauren's comment about feeding. She realized in all their talking last night it had never come up how Lauren had to feed. A small pang of worry started to creep up. What if she really did eat brains or small children? Could she live with that?

"Bo, don't look so worried. I don't feed on people or animals for that matter," the blonde interrupted her thoughts, clearly reading the slight panic on Bo's face. Bo gave her a guilty smile back. "Sorry, I have a pretty active imagination sometimes. Not that I wouldn't still love you, I would just need to get used to you eating puppies or whatever."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "As far as I know there are no fae species that eat puppies. And you are more than welcome to come with me while I feed if you have the time to spare. I need about two hours."

"That sounds great Lauren, I would love to go with you. Let me just call Kenzi and let her know I am okay and check on her."

Lauren smiled that beautiful smile of hers again and Bo knew she made the right decision. "Great, I will let Vex know to set everything up. Be ready in about 20 minutes." Rising from the table she was sure to give Bo an innocent kiss before she went to find Vex and get the travel fae ready. She was nervous sharing this last piece of herself with Bo, but she found she wanted to share everything with Bo completely. When Bo accepted her for who she was and what she had done, it was as if the last brick in the wall around her heart had finally crumbled, leaving her completely open to the succubus. She knew she was vulnerable, but being with Bo felt so good she honestly didn't care. It was worth the risk. Bo was worth the risk.

Walking through her compound and down the stairs to the floor below hers, she wasn't surprised to find Vex sprawled on his couch watching Jerry Springer reruns. "That shit will rot your brain you know," she joked with him. She never could understand his taste in awful TV.

"Aw, you know my brain is already rotten to the core, this is the only thing that makes our lives seem normal luv." Lauren laughed, she would give him that.

"How are you Lauren? The succubus told me about the wolf and what happened with the lycos. You seem happy so I am assuming you are not here to tell me you ripped her apart last night and need the blood removed from the carpet."

Lauren shook her head. "I'm good Vex. Last night gave me the push to tell Bo my story and she didn't run. She was very sweet actually. And she explained to me about the Dyson situation and while I am not happy about it, she isn't mated to him, so I am thankful for that. I still want to rip his throat out and it takes a lot to control those urges sometimes. Last night was one of those times."

"if it was up to me I would have killed the wanker years ago."

Smiling, Lauren replied "and that is one of the reasons I love you Vex. Maybe you will get your wish someday. In the meantime, I really need to feed. Can you let Igrette know and see if there is someone else available since I would like to take Bo with me."

Vex watched her carefully. He knew this was a big step for Lauren and he wanted to make sure she was ready for it. He was very protective of her and while it seemed like the succubus truly did care for her, he would still gut her like a fish if she hurt Lauren.

Lauren put her hand on Vex's shoulder. "Thank you for worrying, but I am sure about this. I shared a lot with Bo last night and she didn't even flinch. She was supportive and accepting and ... and I am in love with her. And I believe she is in love with me. I want to share this last piece of myself with her Vex. I am so tired of being alone. And before you say it, I know I have you. And I love you Vex, but it isn't the same."

Vex nodded, fully understanding. He would never admit it out loud, but he loved Lauren as well, it was just more like she was his little sister. "If you are sure. Just make sure she knows that if she hurts you, I will have her cut off and eat her own lady bits."

"I get the picture Vex! Gross!" Lauren winced, though there was a hint of a smile behind it. Vex's protectiveness made her feel safer and if it wasn't for him she probably wouldn't be standing here at all.

"Just saying luv. I'll make the arrangements and join you upstairs when ready. Give me about 15 minutes."

Lauren nodded and made her way back to the penthouse, calling Lachlan on the way to arrange a meeting time for later that afternoon. Perhaps she and Bo could grab a quick lunch before she had to head over to the Light Fae compound.

Back in her apartment, she found Bo outside on the balcony taking in the view. Lauren still couldn't get over just how beautiful she was. Her long dark hair spilling down her back, her perfect curves and delicious ass. Legs that were strong and muscular but long and feminine. She hadn't ever met another succubus so she didn't have anything to compare Bo by, but she really was the most perfect female specimen she had ever seen.

Opening the door just loud enough to let Bo know she was back, she walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her, inhaling her scent and basking in the warmth the embrace covered her with. "What are you thinking about beautiful?"

Bo wrapped Lauren's arms up in her own and squeezed gently. Lauren could feel the relaxed exhale Bo let out. "You. Amazed at how you make me feel, thankful for all you have shared with me and slightly curious as to where we are going now."

"I am amazed as well Bo, but so very happy. As for where we are going, hope you are ready for an adventure as we are off to Egypt."


	22. Chapter 22

Bo turned in the blonde's arms and stared. "Egypt? I thought you only needed two hours? And I don't have a passport." She was panicking a bit.

Lauren chuckled softly. She really was becoming fond of seeing Bo flustered. "Relax, you don't need a passport and we will be using a travel fae, so we will be there in the blink of an eye."

Bo still eyed her suspiciously. "A travel fae? Are you making that up?"

Shaking her head, Lauren laughed openly at Bo. "No, there is a species of fae called Insallateeumnirgerous who possess the ability to transport themselves anywhere in the world instantly. The stronger ones can also transport someone who is touching them. And since no one can pronounce their real name, everyone just calls them travel fae. They are rare, but we have 3 who work for the Dark and one specifically dedicated to me for when I need her."

"Fascinating," was all Bo could say. The fae world still amazed her.

Their attention was redirected when there was a quiet knock on the door followed by Vex and two women. Moving back into the apartment, Bo followed Lauren who went to greet everyone. The two women appeared older, maybe 60 years old, and very petite. They had light grey hair and slightly Scandinavian features and were both dressed in dark slacks with flowy blue blouses. Lauren turned and indicated to Bo, "Igrette and Eskala, this is Bo Dennis, she will be accompanying me today. Bo, this is Igrette and Eskala, the two travel fae who will be bringing us to our destination." Bo smiled at both women, "nice to meet both of you."

Turning to Vex, Lauren asked if everything was ready. Vex nodded, "Kevin and Roger are in place waiting."

"Great, then if you are ready Igrette and Eskala, let's go,"

The woman closest to Lauren nodded and moved to place her hand on her shoulder, as the other one did the same to Bo. Seeing Bo a little unsure, she tried to set her at ease. "Relax Bo, close your eyes and open them when I tell you. You won't feel anything, I promise." Bo still looked nervous, but did what Lauren asked and closed her eyes.

About ten seconds later she heard Lauren tell her to open them, and she almost couldn't believe her eyes. She hadn't felt anything, yet she was no longer in Lauren's apartment, but rather some very large, very dark and very old room. Igrette and Eskala were walking away to a small alcove and Bo turned to see Lauren watching her with curiosity. "Where are we?" she asked.

Lauren smiled and walked over to take her hand. "We are in the Temple of Sekhmet in what used to be known as Taremu, an ancient city of Egypt."

Bo nodded and looked around, fascinated by the sheer size of the room they were in. She felt Lauren tugging her hand so she followed her around to the edge of the room where she could see dozens of statues erected in alcoves along the outer wall. All of the statues reflected the same figure – a woman's body and the head of a lioness – but some were standing and some were sitting. Bo wanted to reach out and touch them, but she wasn't sure of the etiquette for visiting an ancient temple, so she tucked her free hand into her chest and let Lauren pull her along with the other one. Lauren was moving slowly so she had a chance to take in the room they were in. It was dark at the end they were in, lit only by some torches hanging on the wall like sconces. The other end of the room was bathed in light however, due to a very large skylight and Bo assumed this was where Lauren was leading her to.

Aside from her fear of touching, Bo was also afraid to speak. That was proving a more difficult urge to control though, and was making her a bit fidgety. Sensing this, Lauren stopped and turned to her, her eyes warm and content, tiny gold flecks glistening within them from the flames on the wall. "You can touch and speak Bo. In the ancient world, most temples were social centers and always very loud and busy. It is unusual for a temple like this to be so quiet."

"Where are all the people? Do tourists not come here?"

Lauren chuckled, tugging on Bo's hand to move her forward again. "This temple is actually 75 feet underground. It was buried about 600 years ago and is only accessible via travel fae or a secret entrance inside a cave about a quarter mile away, an entrance that is protected at all times by Dark fae guards."

"So how did you find it if it was buried?"

"By luck and by accident. Once I realized the type of fae I was, I did what I do best and dove into researching everything I could about Sekhmet. Evony was very supportive and gave me access to everything the Dark had, but it wasn't very much. I had read about this temple on a few history sites so I decided to come out here and see if I could find it hoping it would give me some insight into my new powers. Bruce and I came out here and all we found was sand. We had been walking for hours, I was dejected and exhausted when a sand storm hit. We ducked into a nearby cave for shelter, and just happened to stumble upon the entrance. I don't believe in fate, but I can't explain how lucky that was for us."

"Unfortunately, the temple was in pretty bad shape and there wasn't anything to help me get a better understanding of myself. But I did notice I felt stronger and healthier when was here, like I was recharging my batteries. I asked Evony and she agreed to clean out and restore the temple, so long as it remained hidden from humans."

As they got closer to the head of the room, Bo noticed that there was what appeared to be an altar bathed in the light from the skylight above. Curious about that, she asked about it.

"Sekhmet was the daughter of Ra, the Sun God. Most of the time, I can get by with soaking up the rays to recharge myself, so to speak – one reason I love the balcony on my apartment. But when I expend a lot of energy like I did with the lycanthropes and when it has been cloudy for so long, I need to come here and get a stronger power up. The temple itself gives me a lot of power, but when combined with the sun, it's the most potent."

"So you feed on the sun and the temple?"

"Sekhmet was a goddess, and was worshipped. People came here and prayed to her, sacrificed animals to her, made their life about pleasing her," Lauren shrugged. "As far as I can tell, I feed off of all that residual energy that is still contained within this temple to her."

Bo nodded and became very quiet as she processed these new facts.

Lauren watched her, her insecurities starting to cause worry that Bo's silence wasn't a good sign. "You are very quiet Bo, is everything okay?" she finally asked.

"Yeah, just processing….it's funny, I had worked myself up that you had a crazy way of feeding – maybe not puppies but something, I don't know, more scary or badass. I was just expecting badass."

Lauren stopped and looked quietly at Bo for a few moments, her heart plunging in disappointment. Here it was, the time when Bo realized Lauren wasn't what she wanted and walked away.

"Bo, I am the furthest thing from badass. If that is what you want, then I am probably not the right girl for you. At my core I am a shy, awkward, nerdy doctor. The whole bitchy Morrigan persona is just a façade to keep myself alive. That isn't who I am," Lauren said quietly, dreading Bo's reaction. Of course the beautiful succubus wanted some kickass girlfriend. Lauren was foolish to think she would be happy with an awkward geek like herself.

Bo looked up and saw the heartbreak in Lauren's eyes. That wasn't what she was trying to say and she cursed herself for not being better able to articulate her feelings. "No, hey hey," she said gently, cupping Lauren's chin so she could look her in the eyes. "I don't want badass; I didn't mean it like that. I was just stupid and nervous and working myself up in case it was something else. Lauren, I know we just met and I don't know you that well yet, but I love who you are when you are comfortable being yourself. Not who you are when you have your Morrigan mask on, but who you are when we are alone together. Your geek speak is honestly a huge turn-on and I find your awkwardness adorable. I don't want you to change one bit."

Lauren's smile practically lit up the whole temple and Bo felt her stomach flip with joy at it. At some point they were both going to get over their awkwardness and insecurities and they were going to be magnificent. She couldn't wait.

Grabbing Bo's hand once again, she tugged her forward to continue their journey to the altar. "Come on Bo, let's get to the altar so I can finish and we can go home." Bo smiled and let herself be dragged along, her heart doing flips of joy at Lauren's use of the word 'home'.

Watching Lauren as they moved closer to the altar, Bo noticed her aura start to shift. With each step they took, it shimmered and grew brighter, the colors shifting between warm yellow and vibrant orange. Normally Lauren's aura was a soft red, something that brought Bo comfort when she was enveloped within it. When she was aroused, she glowed like the sun, lighting Bo on fire with desire for her.

Now her aura was like flames – the yellow and oranges mixing together like ethereal fire, and Bo felt her succubus stirring in reaction. It was mesmerizing watching the colors play against each other, standing out against the dark grey backdrop of the temple itself.

Bo couldn't help her eyes shifting to their iridescent blue, and Lauren immediately noticed the change, stopping about two feet from the altar, just at the very edge of light pouring in. She stared at Bo who was staring back, her succubus now at the surface and roaring at her to take Lauren, whose aura was off the charts. She clenched her fists together so tightly her nails dug into her palms, but it was the only way should could even remotely keep herself in check.

Lauren felt her arousal soar as she continued to watch Bo's glowing eyes. She felt the power of Sekhmet coursing through her and wanted nothing more than to rip Bo's clothes off and claim her. She could see Bo holding herself back and she didn't want that, but she needed a few more minutes in the temple to finish her feeding. Plus, she wanted Bo to see her in regular fae form, the last bit of herself she needed to share.

Her eyes still on Bo, she took one step away and into the light. As soon as the sunlight hit her, her whole body came alive with the power of the ancient gods. She knew that every bruise, ache, injury and blemish she had would be healed. She also knew that her features had shifted, and she now resembled the statues built to Sekhmet that adorned the entire temple. Her hair remained unchanged, but her face was now that of a lion, covered in a soft golden fur, mouth full of dangerous incisors and her eyes dark and feral.

She turned those eyes towards Bo who was staring back at her with an intensity that made her clench her legs together. God the things that woman did to her, even with just a look. "This is me Bo, my fae form. Is this something you can accept and be with?"

Bo closed the distance between them, being careful not to touch Lauren, knowing if she did she wouldn't be able to hold her succubus back. Standing in the light with Lauren, being so close though, she could still feel the power radiating off of her, swirling in her aura. It wasn't the same as other fae she had encountered though. Other fae she could feel strength or anger or evil in their auras – Lauren's was different. There was definitely strength there, but it was deeper and more relaxing than with other fae – Bo felt protected and safe within it, as if she knew nothing could harm her when she was near it.

"Lauren," she husked out, her arousal evident in her voice. "You are beautiful. I want you in all your forms." And she did. Lauren was the most beautiful woman she had ever met, even now with her golden hair framing her feline features.

Bo was pretty sure Lauren's aura inched up a few more notches before she stepped out of the sunlight and called out to one of the travel fae. As soon as she was out of the light, her features returned to normal, but her aura remained off the charts. Bo was pretty sure she had drawn blood in her palms trying to restrain herself from pouncing on Lauren.

As the women approached, she didn't even look at Bo, giving the order immediately. "Take us home."


	23. Chapter 23

As soon as they were transported back to the penthouse, the travel fae disappeared and Bo was on Lauren. She was like a woman possessed, who needed to consume the blonde in front of her. She pulled Lauren close so their bodies were aligned perfectly and sunk her hands into soft blonde hair. Her mouth slanted over Lauren's and she kissed her as if her life depended on it. Lauren responded immediately, her lips parting causing Bo to let out a deep moan.

Suddenly Lauren heard a noise, stiffened and pulled away from Bo, eyes still wild and her chest rising with each breathe she tried to regain. Bo growled, her succubus unhappy at the interruption, but before she could say anything, Lauren turned slightly to look just beyond her and frowned. Bo turned to see what Lauren was looking at, and was surprised to see Vex, perched on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in his lap, happily munching away while he watched the two of them. "Carry on ladies, don't mind me, I promise I will be quiet as a mouse," he grinned lasciviously.

"Vex," Lauren ground out. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Vex held up his hands innocently. "Hey, I will just waiting for you to get back, wanted to make sure everything was okay. Not my fault you rug munchers can't keep your hands to yourselves."

Lauren rolled her eyes at the Mesmer. "All is good Vex, back to 100%. Now can you please leave?"

"Leave? Why would I leave now? This is gonna be awesome!" he squealed, tossing another handful of popcorn into his mouth and burrowing back down onto the couch.

"I'll get you for this. Come on Bo," Lauren threatened as she grabbed Bo's hand and dragged her towards her bedroom. She knew Vex was just messing with her, but she wasn't so sure Bo knew that and she really did want her girlfriend naked as soon as possible.

As she was closing the door to her room, she heard Vex yelling after her. "You were more fun when you weren't gettin' any!"

Shaking her head, she turned back to Bo who was staring at her curiously. "Is he always like this?"

"Most of the time, yes. He was just messing with me now though. He would have eventually left, but that would have taken too much time. I should have had you screaming my name by now."

Bo's eyes flashed blue immediately and she grabbed Lauren's waist, pushing her into the door, her mouth already latched on to her neck and her thigh pressed between her legs. Lauren moaned and pushed herself up a few inches to get more friction, Bo's thigh hitting her exactly where she needed. She tilted her head back giving Bo more access and found her hands scrambling to find purchase on something to ground her. She needed to come very badly, but she also wanted to feel Bo naked and on top of her when she did, so she used what little thread of conscious thought she had left and pushed gently on the succubus, panting out "Bo….bed…naked…"

Bo nodded and grabbed Lauren's ass, lifting her from the door and spinning around to deposit her on the bed. She was pretty sure Bo had gotten her pants off before she even landed, which her scientific mind vaguely recognized as an impressive feat, even for a succubus. Her shirt and the succubus' clothes soon followed, and she groaned in pleasure when she felt Bo's naked body on top of hers. There was no place on earth more she would rather be, underneath the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on, needy and aroused and anticipating what she knew would be a mind-blowing orgasm. Feeling Bo's fingers enter her, she let out a low growl and reached up to pull her down into a scorching kiss.

The power from the temple was still coursing through her veins, heightening all of her senses. She could hear every breathe Bo was taking, smell her distinctive leather and floral bouquet, see every bead of sweat on her forehead and god, could she feel her fingers inside of her, working her expertly to the point where she was going to explode.

Needing air, she broke the kiss and started moving her hips in time with Bo's thrusts. She looked up into the most mesmerizing pair of cobalt blue eyes, the glow bathing Bo in an ethereal light. "Come for me Lauren," Bo whispered and Lauren didn't need to be asked twice. Her orgasm broke around her, her whole body exploding into a million sparks of pleasure, Bo's name leaving her mouth on a scream. Bo kept her fingers inside, slowly working Lauren and prolonging her pleasure. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Lauren returned to her senses, a goofy smile on her face.

Bo was still gazing down at her affectionately. "Are you okay? Did I break you?"

Lauren chuckled and reached up to wrap her hand behind Bo's neck and kiss her softly. "Not broken, just amazingly satisfied. Don't let it go to your head though."

"I'm a succubus, of course it is going to go to my head. You are beautiful when you come, you know that?"

Lauren blushed and surprised Bo by flipping their positions, finding herself now straddling the succubus. "Mmmmm. Let's see if I can't return the favor and see how beautiful you are," Lauren whispered before doing just that.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

Lauren couldn't wipe the grin off her face as she walked through the halls of the Light Fae complex on her way to meet Lachlan. Her afternoon with Bo was amazing, all four rounds. She was thankful for her new fae status so she had the stamina to keep up with the succubus. She also wondered what it would have been like if they had met when Lauren was still human – she was sure the attraction would still have been there, but she wasn't sure how she would have dealt with Bo not really being able to feed on her. Thankfully it wasn't really something she needed to stress about, but it still piqued her curiosity.

She had called ahead this time, so Lachlan was expecting her. She carried her medical bag with her, with several specimen jars and moleskins to aid in the venom extraction. If she was honest, she was a little excited to do this since she had never seen a Naga in its fae form. Much like her, Lachlan kept his species close to the vest.

Knocking on his office and hearing the reply to come in, Lauren walked inside the large room and saw Lachlan gazing pensively out his window. Ever since the meeting at Trick's, she had been seeing a different side to the egotistical asshole who had been her owner. This version was more respectful and introspective, and she wondered why he had changed his tune with her.

"Good afternoon Lachlan, is now still a good time," she asked, drawing his attention away from the window. Nodding, he moved closer in to the room, gesturing her towards a small table in the corner of his office. There were two chairs and he took one, offering Lauren the other. Sitting down, she placed her bag on the table and began removing the supplies she would need.

"Always very efficient Lauren. Glad to see some things haven't changed."

Lauren looked up, not knowing if that was meant as an insult or not, but when she saw the fond expression on his face, she frowned. "Why are you acting as if you like me all of a sudden?"

Lachlan chuckled and then became very serious. "I have always liked you Lauren. But liking you and needing you to stay with the Light were not always compatible. The elders were petrified of you leaving and I had to keep a tight leash on you to prevent them from doing something worse."

"So you being an asshole was to protect me?" Lauren scoffed.

Lachlan watched her silently for a few moments. "I know you killed the elder and the orderly."

"That was never proved."

"No it wasn't, no DNA, no security footage. But I told you before I am paranoid. I have my own private cameras spread out throughout the compound. I saw the elder refuse the shot, saw the orderly hold you down and force it on you, and I saw what you turned into and what you did to them after."

Lauren sat there in shock. She had no idea there were more security cameras, but Lachlan had to be telling the truth since there was no way he would have known those details any other way.

"But you….you didn't turn me in?"

Lachlan shook his head. "Like I said, I always liked you Lauren, despite the fact that my actions seemed contrary to that. I knew if the elders had found out they would have killed you on the spot and you didn't deserve that. You did a remarkable job of covering your tracks, so I deleted the video and let the mystery live on."

Lauren could do nothing but blink and stare while she processed what Lachlan was telling her. He knew, all this time he knew what she had done and he hadn't said a word. He had saved her life by not revealing the video. She didn't know what to say.

"I…I don't even know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything Lauren. The fae owed you so much and you didn't deserve to die for something you had no control of. Call it my apology for being an ass," he smiled.

Lauren nodded and looked into his eyes, genuine emotion showing. "Thank you," was all she could say.

"You are welcome, now I think we need to move past this sentimental stuff and get down to the business of stopping the Garuda. Do you have what you need to extract my venom?"

Snapping back into doctor mode, a place she was far more comfortable in then the alternate universe where Lachlan was a standup guy she had just left, she looked down at her supplies and nodded her affirmation.

"I have some specimen jars covered with moleskin that should simulate a fang puncturing its victim, triggering the release of the venom."

"Great, let's go for it then," he said as he closed his eyes, Lauren watching in fascination. Opening them again, his handsome features became distorted, and as he opened his mouth, Lauren could see the row of fangs peeking out from his lips.

"Have you ever seen a Naga before?" he asked, his voice raspier than before. Lauren shook her head as she eyed the sharp teeth before her. "You may be one of the last too, as well. Where is that jar?"

Reaching down, Lauren grabbed one of the jars and held it up under Lachlan's chin. He leaned over, and pressed the top set of his fangs into the jar. Within a few seconds, Lauren could see a viscous liquid start to seep out, dripping slowly into the container. She held it there, being careful to watch the liquid and not make eye contact with Lachlan. His revelation had thrown her for a loop and she was feeling very exposed. That and it was awkward holding a jar he had his fangs stuck in.

After several more minutes the flow of liquid slowed and then stopped completely. Lauren slowly pulled the jar from the teeth embedded in it, and quickly closed it up with a cap. Bringing the glass up to eye level, she estimated she had about ¾ of a cup of liquid in it.

"How long does it take for your body to generate more venom? I can start with this, but it would be ideal to have a few more samples."

Lachlan closed his eyes once again and gave a little shake of his head. When he opened his eyes again, Lauren could tell that he was back to his human form, the fangs having retracted back into his mouth. "About two days. If I had all my heads we could have filled up all your jars today."

Lauren nodded as she was packing her supplies back into the bag, carefully labeling and stowing the venom. When she was done she stood up and looked down at Lachlan who had remained sitting.

"Thank you Lachlan. For this as well as for keeping my secret."

Lachlan smiled and rose up to meet Lauren's eyes, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You are welcome Lauren, for both things. Do us both a favor and figure out how to kill this damn Garuda."

Chuckling, Lauren nodded her head in agreement. "That I can do Lachlan, enjoy the rest of your day. I will give you a call tomorrow and see if we can't setup a time for me to get some more venom."

Walking out of Lachlan's office and the Light fae compound, Lauren could only shake her head. The fae were a crazy and unpredictable bunch, that was for sure. And now she was one of them.


End file.
