"You are born into your family and your family is born into you. No returns. No exchanges."

-Elizabeth Berg

It was around five in the morning when I woke up again.

My eyes snapped open so quick, that for a moment I thought that I was seeing things. My body was sweating profusely, and I felt a burning heat from within my insides. It was as if my intestines were on fire, and my body was yearning for the fire to be put out. The air was thick and I'm guessing that's what made my skin feel so silky.

"Natasha?" I heard Torrin's husky voice call. It sounded lower, lower than usual.

My head quickly snaps to where he's at. My eyes bore into his. "What the hell is going on?" I asked lowly, sitting up. I watched as beads of sweat flowed down his face. The hair on his head looks frizzy and wet. "Everything feels s—"

"You feel it too?" Torrin asks, interrupting me. "The heat." He moves closer to me. "I feel it too." He grabs me by my hand and I feel the hair on my body rise. The burning fire in me recedes, all because of his touch. He slowly places my hand on his chest, directly where his heart is. "Here." He says, looking into my eyes. "I feel it, here."

At that moment, I swear I was possessed because the only thing I heard myself say was, "Put out the fire."

Torrin said nothing. He stayed at the corner of the bed and just looked at me. Not even a minute goes by before he grabs my hand again, this time bringing my whole body near him. He sits me down on his lap and pulls my face towards his. "Okay." He whispers between my lips. "I'll put it out." In an instant, his hot lips smash against mine and I feel my body burst into a state of euphoria. His hand palms the back of my neck, holding onto it forcefully so I wouldn't move away. My tongue swirls around his, as my hands wrap themselves in his hair, tugging it softly.

Torrin pulls away to catch his breath and in that little bit of time, I'm able to look into his eyes again. They're glowing bright silver, something that only happens when the angel in him wants to make its presence known. I squint, noticing that his pupils were the color of thistle purple... almost the same color as the lust stone.

The lust stone.

That's what's causing all of this.

Torrin pushes me onto the bed and brings his hand up to my face. He lowers his head and places a soft kiss on my neck before taking a deep breath. "You drive me insane Natasha." He admits, looking down at my raveling black nightgown. After Yiska carried my half-sleep body into my room, I took a shower and when I got out, the black nightgown was already on the bed, right next to a sleeping Torrin.

It had a note from Céline that said, "You're gonna need this for tonight."

At the time, I didn't think anything of it. I just thought she was being silly, but now I know she was being serious.

Very serious.

Torrin pulls the straps of my nightgown down, letting them fall onto my arms. He lifts my hands up and continues to pull it down until it's on my stomach. Both of my breasts are now out on full display for him to see. Torrin smirks, touching them both softly. "I missed these two." His mouth latches onto my nipples and a moan escapes my lips. The way his tongue moved felt so damn good. He massaged my breasts roughly, as he sucked on them and pressed them together.

My legs shift restlessly, as my body demand for more. His lips move away from my breast and he stands up and steps away from the bed. I watch intently as he kicks off his sweatpants and then his boxers. His erection stands tall, long and thick stopping inches away from his belly button. Torrin touches himself lightly as he moves back to the edge of the bed. With his hand, he spreads my legs open and kneels between them.

His hands wrap around my panties and he rips it off, before throwing it off the bed. "So wet." He mumbled, looking down at me.

I'm practically dripping.

Torrin grips my hips and lines his tip with my opening.

"Do it." I moan, feeling the burning heat rise. "Put out the fire." Torrin's glowing eyes cast down onto my lips before he leans down to capture them. And with a push, he finally thrusts into me. "Ah fuck!" I curse, instantly wrapping my arms around his neck. He kisses my jawline and neck as he continues to repeatedly slam into me. My hips meet his every thrust as my mind focuses on the feeling that we were creating together.

"You're so damn beautiful." Torrin grunts, removing his lips from my neck. "I could fuck you for eternity." He says, gripping my stomach. My insides throb, loving how he feels inside me. He backs away and thrust into me slowly now, one hand continues to grip my stomach, while the other massages my clit. My back arches off the bed as I begin to massage my nipples.

Soft moans escape from within my throat, as his shaft hardens more. My breast bounce to the rhythm of his hips. "Fuck Natasha!" He mumbled lowly, driving me into the bed. He moves his hand and lays his chest on mine, growling my name with each chance he gets. Torrin bites down on my neck as our bodies pressed against one another. The bite doesn't draw blood but it is enough to leave a mark. It didn't hurt, if anything it felt good. So very good.

My nails scratch at his back, cutting open his flesh. I can smell his blood in the air of the room, which makes my fangs sink out from my gums. It doesn't take long for Torrin to cum. I whimper in pleasure, feeling his hot seed spill inside me, filling me up. He catches me off guard when he doesn't stop, he keeps going, moving at an even faster pace. The only thing that can be heard in the room was the sound of skin slapping skin, moans and the harsh breathing coming from Torrin.

Both our scents fill the room, mixing together as one.

I rock my hips against him faster, wanting for the fire in me to be put out. I can feel him stretching me out, that and the wetness of his cum moving deeper inside me. "Me... on top," I say, barely even getting the words out of my mouth. Torrin grunts before flipping us around. He still continues to thrust into me as I'm on top of him.

I bounce on his erection holding onto his shoulders for support. Bending my head down, I place a kiss on Torrin's neck before sinking my fangs into his flesh. The taste of his blood fills my mouth as I drink his blood. His thrusting doesn't stop, It's the same.

Hard and fast.

I pick up the pace and bounce with so much force, still drinking from. The familiar taste of honey drives me insane. I feel myself about to cum, so I moved back to look him in his glowing eyes as his blood drips from my mouth. My ears perk up, hearing the sounds of the others moaning and panting. It wasn't just us affected by the stone, it was everyone and I can hear them. I can hear all of them declaring their love for one another.

I grind against Torrin faster and his hands squeeze my breast as we stare each other in the eyes. I felt a rush of adrenaline run through my body before I finally came. The whole room shakes as glass break, but we ignore it, falling into some sort of cloud nine. For a moment I hear nothing, only the sound of Torrin's heartbeat. It beats so loud, that my mind memorizes it, indenting it into my brain.

His heart beats for both of us and it always will.

After a second goes by, it all ends. The fire, the adrenaline, the room shaking, the glass breaking and even the pleasure of others.

It all ends.

Torrin breathes heavily, his chest rising and falling. He opens his mouth to speak. "That was..."

"Out of this world," I said interrupting him. I smile small placing my hand on his cheek. "I've got to tell you something."

He smirks, shaking his head. "I already know." He moves forward, placing a kiss on top of my forehead.

———————

"You okay over there?" Céline asks, with a sly smile on her face. "You're looking flush." She says, sitting down on the wooden floor.

I shake my head. "Don't even start. You already know why I look flush." I point my finger at her. "The question is, how'd you know that things were going down last night?"

She shrugs. "I'm a siren, it's like the universe made the lust stone for us. It's like we're connected... in a way." Her smile widens. "Enough about that, how'd last night go. The whole damn house was shaking so it tells me something went right."

"Nope," I tell her sitting down. "I'm not telling you."

She gasps, placing her hand on her chest. "Oh come on, you use to tell me about you and Claire all the time."

"True. But I've matured now. Meaning, whatever happens in the bedroom between Torrin and me, stays between Torrin and me." I smirk. "All you get to know is that it was the best sex I've ever had... in my whole entire lifetime."

Céline's mouth opens wide. "Well damn, he must've really been good then."

"He was. Now enough about last night, Yiska wants you to do a mind cleanse on me. He said you could probably soak out my problem."

"Hmm." She says, thinking about it. "I can try but a mind cleanse doesn't always work and it has its side effects. Like headaches and stuff like that."

I nod. "You think I'll have time to recover for tomorrow."

Céline nods. "Yes, you'll have ample amount of time to recover so you can beat Rahul."

"Okay, great." I clap my hands together. "Let's do it, I have training with Medusa in an hour so hopefully I finish before then."

"You will. Scoot up, in front of me." She says, rubbing some black powder on her hands. I do as I'm told and wait for her next command. "You're gonna feel some coldness but whatever you do, don't move. And try not to think about anything, it makes the process harder." I nod in understanding. "Okay, now looking into my eyes and only focus on the sound of my voice." She places her cold hands on my face and I feel my body stiffen. Looking into her eyes, she begins to hum her siren song.

It sounds so peaceful but makes me feel so sleepy.

My head feels like it's tingling. And looking into Céline's eyes makes me feel... weird.

Céline finally stops humming, a frown graces her face. "You've already been here before."

"What?" I ask confused. "What do you mean?"

Céline closes her eyes. "I... I don't know how to explain it." She says lowly.

"Well find a way too."

She clears her throat. "You're looking through your own eyes. The future you." She sighs pinching the bridge of her nose. "The you of the future is watching from your eyes. Almost like she's making notes of things."

My eyebrows raise. "And you're sure it's me that's doing it?"

"Positive." She says surely. "I only feel you in your mind. Like there's you and then there's a higher presence of you."

"Umm. Alright?" I stand up, dusting myself off. "Do me a favor... tell no one about this. Not even Yiska."

Céline looks at me worriedly. "Are you sure?"

I stay silent for a moment, thinking it over. "Yes... I'm sure. It's best that people don't know about it."

Céline stands up and nods. "Alright, you have my word. I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you." I clap my hands together, giving her a fake smile. "Alright, I'm gonna go get ready for training before Medusa rips off my head." I don't wait for her to say anything else, I quickly dash out of the room and into the hallway. Everyone was preparing for tomorrow, which left the hallways empty. Several people were training, while others were crafting weapons and even figuring out a plan. "You know I can smell you right?" I say out in the open.

"Obviously," Torrin says, coming up from behind me. "I was just trying to see how long it would take for you to notice me."

"Well considering the fact that you walk loud and have a pretty distinctive scent, it took me a total of five seconds to know that you were behind me," I say, teasing him. "It must suck to be you."

Torrin wraps his arms around my stomach, pulling me towards him. "It actually doesn't." He says, nuzzling his face in my neck. "I've got you."

My smile widens. "Ahh, so we're on the being cute phase?"

Torrin chuckles. "No, we aren't. We're just on the being us phase." He kisses my neck and pulls back, inspecting where he bit last night. He frowns, looking closer. It tingles when his finger skims past it. "Hmm, that's weird. My bite hasn't healed yet. I thought you heal fast?"

I frown, feeling where he bit me. "I do. I don't even feel anything. Is this normal?"

"I'm not sure. Here, check mine." He says, tilting his head over. "Is it still there?"

I glance at where I bit him last night, my fingers graze past my bite. "It's still there. Do you feel anything?

Torrin shakes his head. "Only when you touched it." He says. "It kinda tingled."

"It tingles when you touch mine too." My eyes look down at his neck again. "Did it hurt last night, when I did it? Because if it did, I'm sorry. I kinda just lost control. That damn lust stone is something else."

A smirk finds its way onto Torrin's lips. "You know, I've been doing some research all morning because of that damn stone. And it really helped that the Lycans have a pretty big library because they have so much information about everything, even information dating back to before this world was created. Which is how I found out that the stone only increases what two people want to do to one another."

"Really?" I question. "So it doesn't mess with our minds or anything."

"Nope. It just fuels the lust people have for each other." He grabs my hand. "How long till you have to train?"

I look down at my watch. "In about thirty minutes. Why?"

"Do you want to get some fresh air? You've been all cuddled up in here, ever since you raised from the dead." He scratches the back of his head. "We can even... fly... if you want too."

I couldn't help but smile at how nervous he looks right now. "I'd love too." Tugging on his hand, we walk side by side out the hallway. "Did you ever imagine this? The both of us... being this close. Because I sure as hell didn't."

Torrin chuckles. "I didn't expect it to be honest. But, I've got to admit, I did think you were... cute. In an annoying way of course." We make our way outside and walk through the beautiful garden. "You were very annoying... still are."

My eyes roll. "Bullshit. You liked me from the beginning, that's why you were so mean to me. And I'm, not nor was I ever annoying."

Torrin scoffs. "I'm not mean, I'm honest. You just thought I was mean because I didn't treat you how everyone else treats you. Almost like how you think Medusa is mean. And yes, you are annoying. I just learned to get used to it." He turns to me, seriousness in his eyes. "D... do you believe that you can love someone after your heart has been broken?" He questions.

Raising my eyebrows, my head tilts. "Is that your way in saying you love me?"

Torrin's face turns a light shade of pink. He was such a dork. "No, I'm just asking a question."

I nod, uncertain. "I'd have to say yes. Only because I've seen it before. What about you?"

He cracks a smile. "Maybe, come on. Let's go up." He says grabbing my hands and running, dragging me along.

"No fair, that's not even a good answer."

He looks back at me. "There's no such thing as a good answer Natasha." Once we get close to the lake, he lets my hands go. Grabbing the hem of his white T-shirt, he pulls it over his head and drops it on the grass. He takes a deep breath and in an instant, his black and silver wings are arcing off his back.

"I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but your wings are very beautiful," I tell him, walking forward, close enough to feel the heat radiating off his body. "Can I tell you a secret?" He nods, pulling me closer. My arms wrap themselves around his torso as he looks up at the sky. "Ever since last night... after we got done, doing what we were doing. I feel... not dead when I'm around you. Like my body... it feels like it's alive. Almost like there's blood pumping through my veins."

"I see." He says, looking down at me. "Well, it's only right that I tell you a secret as well." He looks at the water flowing through the lake. "Ever since last, my heart beats ten times faster. Almost like..."

"It's beating for two." I finish. "I realized that last night too."

Torrin rolls his eyes. "Well if you already knew, then it wasn't a secret. You couldn't just pretend you didn't know?" My mouth opens to reply back, but I'm cut off by the sound of Torrin's wings flapping upwards and air hitting my face.

It truly traumatized the hell out of me.

I latch onto him for my dear life. Torrin laughs, revealing his pretty teeth. "I'm sorry, it's just that I've been wanting to do that for a while now."

My face forms into a glare. "It's not funny Scarface. You scared the crap out of me." Looking down, my eyes close. "I think I pissed myself." Whisper.

"No, you didn't," Torrin says, before lifting up my chin. I'm not sure how he manages to keep me up. His wings flap as we drift through the sky. "Now would you look up, I'm trying to kiss you."

My glare deepens. "I'm not kissing you asshole. You don't get rewarded for almost killing me."

Torrin's eyebrow raises as if challenging me. "Oh really?" He asks.

"Yes, you damn ass——" My words get caught up in my throat as I scream like a lunatic. He let go. The son of a bitch, really let go. My eyes widen as my hands reach for anything that would hold me up, but there was nothing. Only air and white clouds. The world looks like it rushes by in a blur, until strong hands wrap around me, pulling me back. My widen eyes look at Torrin in disbelief. "I'm going to kill you!" I screech, trying to choke him.

"I'll let go again." He threatens with a silly smirk on his face.

My body instantly freezes and I hold onto his shoulders tighter. "I'll just kill you when we're down."

He scoffs. "No, you won't. Now, can I get my kiss?" He asks.

A huff comes out of my mouth, moving closer my lips peck his chin. "Boom, there you go. Happy now?"

He shakes his head, unsatisfied. "Nope, the complete opposite if we're being honest. Kiss me again, like you mean it this time."

"My gosh, fine." Moving close again, my hand finds its way to his face. Pulling his head down, my lips press softly against his warm ones. My body heats up, feeling a familiar rush run through my veins. Kissing him was addictive, it was like it was my lifetime duty to do it. My mouth opens causing our tongues to touch. They swirl around in our mouths tying themselves around each other. After a couple of minutes, Torrin pulled away taking shaky, shallow breaths.

Smiling he says, "That never gets old."

"I hope it doesn't," I say, smiling lightly. "You know, these past few days are the most I've ever seen you smile. You should thank me."

Torrin shakes his head. "Wow, that was cocky. And what tells you, that you're the cause of me smiling?" He questions, tilting his head.

"That's easy," I say chuckling a bit. "You like me."

Torrin opens his mouth to respond but quickly shuts it. His face suddenly turns serious. "Shit." He curses, looking down at the ground. "We need to go back." He says. "Now."

"Why? What happened?" I ask, frowning. "Is it Raul, is he here?"

"It's something else." He says, lowly. "Hold on tight." I do as he says and he quickly shoots down, flying us to land.

When we finally touch the ground, it takes me a moment to realize what was wrong. The smell of roses burns my nostrils. I feel angry just breathing in the scent. "Natasha, don't make a scene! Calm down." Torrin yells as he sees me begin to march towards the mansion.

"Don't tell me to not make a scene!" I yell back at him angrily. "I have the right to make a scene!"

"No, you don't!" He yells back, with the same amount of anger laced in his voice. "Not when you're with me!" He says, which instantly makes me stop walking. My hands clenched into a fist. He walks in front of me. "You're with me, Natasha." He says again. "Not her. Therefore her being here shouldn't affect you in any type of way. She's your past and I'm... I'm your future."

I sigh, unclenching my hands. "You're right... she is my past. I won't make a scene, but don't expect me to be nice to her Scarface. She broke my heart when I used to have one and from what I can remember, it hurt like hell."

Torrin nods. "Alright."

"Alright." Taking a deep breath, I licked my lips. "Let's go see why she's here, so I can get to training." Torrin was the first to begin walking. Following him, my mind focuses on how fast his mood changed. "I'm not able to feel your emotions, but if you're concerned that apart of me still has feelings for her, then you're wrong. I haven't thought about her since we went to Olympia. Today's the first time she's crossed my mind in a pretty long time."

He holds the door open and glances back at me. "Since we went to Olympia you say?"

"Yeah."

He chuckles and it doesn't take an idiot to know that he's smirking. "We went to Olympia, that same night that things transpired at the hotel."

Confusion marks my face. "Yeah, okay... what's that got to do with anything?"

Torrin stays quiet for a moment, before looking back at me. "I fucked her out of your mind."

I gasp, quickly covering my mouth. "You did not just say that." Is what comes out of my mouth, soon followed by a chuckle. "And you had the nerves to call me cocky. That was big-time cocky!"

He chuckles. "It was, wasn't it? Well, at least now we know I can be cocky."

"This is the room," I say, stopping my movement. "You coming in with me?"

Torrin nods. "Always." He opens the door and steps in, and I go in afterward.

The first thing that catches my sight is bright blue/grey eyes. Just the sight of her causes me to feel uneasy. My gaze averts onto her hair. It wasn't wavy anymore or long. It was now straightened and short, like a bob. "What is she doing here?" The question comes out of my mouth sounding almost like a sneer.

"I've called her down," Medusa says, leaning on Yiska's desk. "We need her army."

"We do not. We have plenty of people to help fight for us."

"The more the merrier," Medusa says, looking at me through her thick shades. "Besides, we don't know how many demons Rahul has in his army. Do you really want to take that risk?"

"Hmm, you make a valid point Medusa." My feet move forward as my eyes glare daggers at Claire. "So, therefore, since I'm the Fuckin Queen, I'll just take the whole vampire army and let them fight. She can go!"

"You can't do that!" Luke yells and it's the first time I notice that he's in the room.

I turn to face him. "Actually, I can." I chuckled dryly. "That's one of the perks of being a Queen. You should know that already pet." My eyes squint. "So go on, we've got everything covered over here... meeting dismissed."

"Nat can you just think about this for a second," Claire says, speaking for the first time. "Just for once, let's put aside our differences and come to an agreement. Tomorrow..." she pauses. "There's going to be a war... one that could have thousands, maybe even millions of fatalities. You know me and yes, as Queen you can take my fighters without my permission, but you have to realize that none of them are me. You need me." She says, looking me in the eyes. "We made a pact." She looks around the room. "Majority of us did that night when you gave us our kingdoms. And that pact was an agreement that if a war should ever knock on our doors, we all would fight together. And that pact is bounded by blood!" She yells.

Yiska sighs. "As much as it pains me to say it, she's right Natasha." He says, which causes me to look at him like he was crazy. "We made a pact and it wouldn't be right if she wasn't by our side tomorrow."

"Exactly." Medusa annoyingly agrees. "Kid, you're always the one that says you're a woman of your word. Now prove it and just let her fight."

I opened my mouth to say something but shut it. My eyes dance around the room, catching the stares of others. Their emotions bounced off the room heavily. My eyes land on Torrin's and I sigh. He has that look on his face, the one where he's secretly scolding me. "Fine, she can fight tomorrow. Just make sure she keeps her pet in check." Turning my gaze onto Medusa and Yiska, I raise my eyebrows at them. "We training or what?"

Yiska nods, before standing up from his desk. "We're training."

"Good." Walking over to Torrin, I step on my tippy toes to kiss his lips. He allows me to do so and even lifts me up so I can have better access to his mouth. The kiss lasted for about a few minutes, just so I can make sure everyone was watching. And I'm sure Torrin got the memo because his hands wandered down and gave my butt a gentle squeeze.

He finally pulls away but with a knowing smile on his face. "Childish." He whispers in my ears. I only shake my head and walk off with a huge grin plastered on my face.

Training was going to be fun.