suddenly a piercing buzzer went off, signaling them to return to base point and change. he laughed at his disappointment and set off with the others. unabashedly they changed, men and women alike, and pulled on their clothing.

a hand slapped down on lucien's shoulder. "gaia, you're quick!" julian was grinning at him now, all contempt wiped from his face.

"yeah, dude," one of the largest lykans in the unit said gruffly, his dark eyes glittering in respect, "i've never seen someone your size move so fluidly."

"what do you say, lucien?" anders, the units alpha grinned at him. "sure we can't convince you to become a permanent fixture around here?"

lucien laughed, enjoying the camaraderie, and truthfully, he snorted, the boost to his ego.

"i'm too old to start now," he joked.

"no way." one of the female members of the units, lyla, ran her tongue across the bottom of her teeth, flirtatiously. "you look in shape to me."

"sorry, i have a pack to run."

julian sneered again. "like being king of the mountain, huh?"

lucien slapped him on the back. "yeah, i do."

anders and the others laughed. "well, we've been pushing it hard today. we really should get you a meal before your meeting tonight."

he nodded and followed them out of the simulator. thoughts of their five o clock with marita and vanne got him wondering how caia's day had gone so far. it bugged him to be apart from her, especially not knowing how she had been received by the others. had they been cruel? kind? indifferent. he cracked his neck, unfurling his fists from the tight balls he had pulled them into. if she was harmed when he got her back tonight, he was going to crack some heads, regardless of being under the supervision of the head of the coven.

it appeared he had nothing to worry about. caia had greeted him outside his room with marion, who was brimming over with excitement. apparently his little cy had awed everyone by picking up the communication spell first try.

great.

not only could she now slam a door in his face from a great distance, but she could actually disappear from his very arms within seconds. that certainly didn't even things out in a fight.

ah, he knew he was being belligerent. and she looked so damn pleased with herself.

"did you know that some magiks use words?"

"ethan," he replied grimly.

he watched her blanch as she remembered the fight with her uncle, and the spell ethan cast under his breath to get out from the shield caia had put around him to stop him from hurting lucien and jaeden.

"right," she said hoarsely.

"caia-"

"no, right, i forgot." she shook it off, pretending to be unaffected, and then grinned a little hollowly. "anyway, they use words to focus their magik. i haven't being doing it because i've been taught by marion and she doesn't do it, but mordecai has all these funny little words he uses when he's making something transform, or materializing something out of his element. it's very cool, very 'warlock weekly'."

lucien pasted on a smile to try and ease the unpleasant tension he had caused, and went on to tell them what he had been up to once they finally let him get a word in.

"so, they have a simulator here?" caia's eyes were bright with anticipation, as they stepped out of the presidential elevator that took them to marita and vanne's suite.

"yup. it's like the real thing."

"do you think they'd let me use it? you know to take a run in... my bones are desperate to crack."

marion laughed. "ask, and i'm sure it's yours."

yeah, lucien mused, as they walked down the corridor, caia certainly was getting the royal treatment here. he knew she was an important weapon for them, but this seemed above and beyond what they had expected.

it made him suspicious.

"glad you're punctual," marita's cold tones blew past him as they sauntered inside. he watched as her shrewd eyes nailed caia to the wall. "i've been hearing interesting reports from today."

"yes." vanne grinned, winking at caia.

"yes," marita continued, "apparently, our guest is a natural at natural materialization. she produced a bird, an apple, and for her finale a grand oak that nearly broke the windows. oh and let's not forget that she completed a communication spell on her first try."

"impressive." her husband nodded his head deferentially, and lucien watched as caia blushed uncomfortably.

marita nodded, her eyes glittering strangely. "of course, we all know that it really is impressive, but already gossip has reached me. some of our occupants think marion had already trained you on how to do a communication spell."

he felt a growl rumbling from his chest.

"it's ok," caia whispered beside him, and as usual her perfect understanding of him settled a strange peace over him.

"well, they're idiots," marion snapped. "mordecai was most impressed, and the others tend to fall in line with him."

vanne smirked. "yes, very well done in choosing mordecai. powerful, influential and apparently has a thing for petite blondes who can blow his socks off."

lucien snapped his gaze to caia. had this mordecai been flirting with her? the guy sounded a little awe-inspiring... should he be worried?

marion smiled. "i'm not stupid, vanne. i knew this whole process was going to liken to a political campaign. i rallied the best."

marita strode forward, gesturing to a dining table at the far end of the room that had been set up as battle plan central. "yes, well, you are my sister. take a seat, people."

"we also heard that lucien performed well today," vanne murmured as they congregated around. "anders was very impressed."

his wife sniffed, eyeing lucien with narrowed eyes. "anders forgets lucien has taken down a few rogues in his time, as well as adriana vang, the heir to the midnight coven. if we are to go by how very shocked he was by your performance today, i would say he wasn't listening when i told him not to underestimate you."

"i don't know whether i've been complimented or insulted."

marita gave a huff of amusement. "oh it was a compliment... but you are so very suspicious aren't you, lucien?"

she knew he wasn't sure of her and that meant he was giving far too much away when they met. he had to rein in his natural compulsion to observe stonily, and try harder to shield his feelings through her trace magik. he didn't want to seem calculating to her. if she really was up to something - and he was sure she was - then she would be too on edge to let the smallest thing slip.

"vang?" caia mumbled.

marion placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "your family name."

he watched in concern as an emotion he couldn't identify flit across her face. and then she was shaking herself, tensing under marion's hand. "my family name is ribeiro."

he ached for her then. she never allowed herself a moment to feel her mother's betrayal. lucien smiled kindly. "and don't you forget it."

"excuse me," marita said imperiously. "can we return to the matter at hand? we have a strategy to sort out."

"let's get started then."

"first, i'd like to introduce you to the operatives who will be helping us coordinate." she turned and gestured to noble at the door, who in turn pulled it open with a flourish. "first, anders rosencrantz, alpha of our second unit, whom lucien is already acquainted with."

he nodded in acknowledgment to the older lykan, who strode purposefully into the room, taking time to shake hands with caia.

"and mordecai cherstvennikov, head of the first unit, and the water magik who has been instructing caia."

lucien pulled in a breath and then quickly let it go as the stocky young man, who appeared to be about the same age as him, walked stiffly into the room towards them. he shoved at the black glasses that slid down his nose and smiled tensely at lucien, quickly shaking his hand, and then grinned broadly at caia and marion.

well... that guy certainly didn't look how he sounded. but he and caia looked awful chummy awful fast. lucien resisted the urge to growl possessively.

"and michael brown, head of our third unit of vampyres." a tall, slender man who looked to be in his forties - but was probably closer to a hundred years old - glided into the room and over to them. his sharp face remained stony as he shook every one of their hands.

marita looked over them all. "i decided not to take any precautions in the defense of the maclachlans, which is why i am enlisting the aid of every unit. the added bonus is that lucien and caia will have an understanding of how all of you work individually, and as a team. however, we have two more operatives i would like to involve. i feel it is only right that the maclachlans have a representative, and so i have asked phoebe maclachlan to join us."

they all turned and watched the gorgeous female sashay into the room. lucien had heard reports of phoebe from ryder who said the rogue hunter looked like an angel, fought dirty like hades, and had a heart of stone. it looked like he was right. she was tall and curvy with heaps of golden hair cascading over her shoulders, but her ice blue eyes were hard and calculating as they drank in the team, her mouth twisted in what looked like scorn. she shook hands with no one, just braced herself against the nearest wall, her gaze straight ahead at marita.

"and phoebe has asked to involve another lykan whom she trusts. rose bronson."

he felt like he had been sucker punched.

rose. rose was here?

yup. there she was.

the statuesque redhead came almost galloping into the room, and as soon as her brown eyes spotted him, she broke into a wide smile and launched herself at him. his body automatically caught her, although his mind was still in shock.

"rose," he murmured and she pulled back, her citrusy scent bringing with it a rush of memories.