My heart is racing as the past comes rushing back to haunt me. Ceric has his hands crossed across my stomach and is nuzzling my neck gently. “Since I can remember, my father always abused my mother.” I feel Ceric tense behind me. “Not physically, but emotionally. She used to go out of her way to please him, and he would take it all for granted.” My voice is raw with unshed tears, with the pain that is suffocating me.

“As the years passed, she became a shell of the person she used to be. One day, we arrived home early to find my father in bed with another woman.” A sob escapes at the memory. Ceric tightens his arms but doesn’t say anything as he quietly supports me. When I manage to regain control again, I continue. “She simply took my hand, turned, and walked us both back to the car. We sat there until the woman left the house. She didn’t cry or say anything; she had a dead look to her eyes, as if that were the last straw.”

“It’s okay, Hellcat, you don’t need to continue if you don’t feel like it,” Ceric says gently.

“I want to,” I confess. “I haven’t told anyone about this except for Sam.” He squeezes me gently in understanding and doesn’t say anything else. “The next day, when I got home from school, I found my mom in the tub with her wrists cut. She was still alive. I called an ambulance, and they saved her, or what was left of her. Do you know that the whole time she was in the hospital, not once did he come to visit?” I take his strong hand in mine, gently stroking the back of it. I turn it around and entwine my fingers with his.

“She didn’t live long after that; she committed suicide a few months later.” I feel the tears coursing down my cheeks, but I ignore them. “When I was in college, I dated this one guy.” I hear him growl behind me, but I continue. “He started out okay, but then I found out he was also cheating. When I confronted him, he said it was because I was frigid, that it was my fault he was cheating.”

“Motherfucker,” Ceric says. “Give me his name, and I will castrate him.” At his words, I smile. My man is such a hothead when it comes to me. My man? Where did that come from?

“No castrating. Besides, Sam beat him up,” I say proudly. At my words, he huffs but doesn’t say anything else. “I decided then that I didn’t need a man in my life, until you came along.”

“My good looks blew you away!” he says teasingly. “You couldn’t forget my enigmatic personality and my hot body.” As he intended, his teasing makes me laugh. “I will never hurt you like that, Hellcat. You are my other half. If I hurt you, I hurt myself.” And then he starts to tell me about his mom and how he had to take care of her when his father died. I could feel deep in my soul his anguish at her passing, the pain he still carried around even after so many years.

“So you see, we have both been through very similar situations. I would never be able to make anyone feel like that,” he confesses.

“I’m glad I told you.” I feel lighter now that I have told him. We sit like that for a few minutes, Ceric nuzzling my neck while I play with his fingers.

Suddenly, an alarm starts blaring. Ceric tenses, and then he’s jumping out of bed and getting dressed. “Get dressed, Hellcat, but I want you to stay inside the compound,” he orders, a scowl on his face.

“What’s going on?” I have already jumped off the bed and am now dressing as quickly as possible. Ceric is strapping his weapons in place and making his way to the door.

“There has been a breach; that’s the only reason the alarm would go off. We are going on lockdown. Be safe.” He strides towards me again, kissing me urgently before he leaves. My heart is racing as I finish dressing and make my way towards the courtyard. Jasmine and Aria are already there, Jasmine holding Orion with a worried look on her face, and Aria stroking her belly.

“Do you know what’s going on?” I ask as I join them. Aria shakes her head as she sits on the bench. “If Celmund’s in the computer room, maybe he can tell us.” I start making my way there before the women can comment. We are nearly there when Gabriela and Brielle come hurrying towards us.

“Are you going to the computer room?” Gabriela asks. I simply nod and continue making my way there. As we enter, I see Celmund sitting in front of his screen, scowling and listening to something going on. At our entrance, he turns. When he sees all of us, he groans.

“Are you coming to give me a hard time?” he asks before he turns back to his screens. We approach, standing behind his chair as we also look at the screens.

“Bitch,” Jasmine says. “What is she doing back here?” We are all stunned at the vehemence in her tone. Jasmine is not the type to swear or hold grudges, but seeing Katya on the screen has lit a fire in her.

“Apparently her informant indicated that we have weapons in the compound. She has a search warrant,” Celmund reveals as he continues to listen to what’s going on in the bar.

“Do we?” Gabriela asks worriedly.

“Not the ones they are looking for. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.” He presses a button, and the conversation in the bar comes through the speakers instead of his earphones. “Aria, seeing as you’re here, maybe you can hear what they are thinking. Nova, you could maybe persuade them to tell us what we want to know.” At his words, I can feel a smile spread across my face.

“I can do that,” I say happily. Looking at the cameras, I see all the guys are sitting or standing around at the bar as if they’ve been there the whole day. Katya is standing before Draco, a smirk on her face, five federal agents and six cops behind her.

“Why are you really here?” Draco is saying. “Because if we were smuggling weapons, you know we wouldn’t be stupid enough to have it here.”

“I don’t know. You are all cocky enough to think you could get away with it,” she states. “And where are the women and the kid I saw here last time?” She looks around, as if we are going to suddenly appear.

“I don’t think our women have anything to do with the warrant you have there in your hand, so go ahead, look around and then leave,” Draco growls.

“Is there a way you can speak to one of them?” I ask.

“Yeah, why?” Celmund asks with a raised eyebrow.

“Tell them that I’m going to persuade Katya to answer any questions they may have. When she’s ready, I will let you know.” Celmund smiles and then turns back to his computer and starts talking into a mic.

“You heard him. Get to it, boys. Let’s find those weapons,” she calls back, and then walks towards the bar where Ceric and Burkhart are sitting. I have never done this before, but after what we did with Jasmine, I’m sure I can persuade her.

“Have you got her number? If you phoned her, I’m sure I would be able to persuade her like that.” Celmund sends me a naughty smile and then hands me a cell. “I’m dialling,” he warns me.

I hold it against my ear, waiting for her to answer. I see on the screen her looking down at her phone and frowning, but after a few seconds, she answers.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Katya. You don’t know me, but I know you. I want you to tell . . .”—I stop, looking at Celmund in question. He mouths Draco— “Draco anything he wants to know. I also want you to tell him what you are looking for and why you asked about the women and baby.” I’m about to end the conversation, when Jasmine starts to pat me excitedly on the arm.

“Tell her to leave Wulf alone,” she whispers. My eyes must have opened wide with my surprise, but then I grin. I hear Celmund choke, and then he’s laughing uproariously.

“Shh,” Jasmine says as she looks at Celmund. I try to compose myself for my voice to be persuasive.

“Katya, I want you to try to forget Wulf. Look at other men and have fun,” I persuade her, and then I disconnect the call and look at Jasmine as she stares at the screen. “Persuasions are usually for short-term things, not obsessions like she has. Therefore, this might not work. You know that, don’t you?” I ask, worried that she might be upset if Katya continues to pursue Wulf, but then she grins as she continues to look at the screen.

Looking over, I see Katya looking around as if confused, and then she walks towards Burkhart and Ceric, who are sitting close to her, and leans in, saying something. From where the camera is, I can’t see Ceric’s face, but I see Burkhart’s look of surprise. “Oh, hell no,” I grumble. “Get me back on the phone, Celmund.”

“Sorry, sweetheart, can’t do. Already taking a chance phoning her on an FBI cell phone. I can’t do it twice without them taking notice.” But he has a mischievous smile on his face, obviously holding back laughter.

“If she even thinks to make a move on Ceric, I will pluck her like a chicken,” I grumble. At that, Celmund can’t hold it in anymore and throws his head back in loud chuckles. The girls are also laughing at what they are seeing.

“How about you two show me your weapons?” I hear Katya say seductively as she stands between the two of them and strokes her fingers down each of their arms. Ceric stands up so quickly that the high stool falls over as he frowns at her.

“Good choice, buster,” I grumble, happy that Ceric decided to get away from her.

“Why so shy? You mustn’t worry. I’ll be gentle,” she states coquettishly with a wink.

“Katya!” Draco calls from where he’s standing with Wulf. She reluctantly makes her way over towards them, swinging her hips exaggeratedly as she approaches. “Why are you really here?” he asks as soon as she draws closer. The only way we can hear them is because each of the brothers have their earpieces in, which allows two-way communication.

“They want to know about the women you have here, and if the kid I saw is one of yours,” she states dazedly. Celmund huffs from where he’s sitting, anger enveloping him as he swears quietly. I can see all the guys have tensed at her words.

“Why are they interested in the women and the child?” Draco asks quietly, so quietly that even from where I’m standing with the other women, my heart races at the threat I can hear in his voice. I see her shrug, and then she says something that none of us were expecting.

“We are to try to get samples of them for testing; they know they are human, or were,” she divulges.

“Katya,” one of the agents calls from the door of the bar. She seems startled at her name being called, but then she frowns, shakes her head, and then moves towards the other agent. The guy quietly says something to her and then leaves.

Huffing, I grumble, “I wish I could hear what that guy just said.”

“He said that they weren’t able to find anything, that there are no traces anywhere,” Celmund reveals. I stare at him curiously. Did he read his lips, or did he really hear what he was saying? These Elementals are more than they seem.

“Well, it seems as if we didn’t find anything, but don’t celebrate just yet. I’m sure we will be back,” Katya threatens as she turns and leaves the bar.

“I really don’t like that woman,” Gabriela reveals as she moves towards the table where the guys usually sit for their meetings. As I’m about to follow her, I see how pale Aria is looking, a scared look on her face as she strokes her stomach.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you feeling good?” I ask as I hug her to me.

“They want to test us and our children; they think that if they can transform men into Elementals, they will have their own special forces.” I don’t know if I or one of the others gasped, but to say that we are worried is an understatement. After all, this is the government we are talking about.

“Motherfuckers,” Celmund roars. “They will have a war on their hands if they think they can get to any of you.”