8

I welcomed the training exercises the next day. I pushed myself harder than ever before, and for a time, that was enough to bury thoughts of last night’s ballroom massacre. But as I stood in my new apartment at the end of the day, my hands began to shake—and it wasn’t just from exhaustion.

“Are you all right?” Ivy asked me, coming out of her bedroom. “Are you nervous about the ceremony tonight?”

“Yes,” I answered, even as images from last night flashed through my head.

Ivy squeezed my hand. “I know you’ll make it.”

“Thanks.” I offered her a half-smile. At the moment, it was the best I could do. Between the sick clenching of my stomach over what had happened last night and my shot nerves anticipating what would happen tonight, I was a mess.

“Just think about something else,” Ivy said. “Like how great our new apartment is. Hey, we even have a bathtub.” She rubbed her hands together in glee.

Our new apartment was certainly an improvement over our old dormitory, but it was hard not to dwell on the reason for our upgrade: a batch of new initiates had come to the Legion last night and taken our place in the dorms. Terrified screams and gunfire tore with merciless finality through my mind.

No, I couldn’t think about that. I had to be strong. Zane was counting on me, and there was no time for a mental breakdown. Ivy was right. I had to think about something else. I focused on our new apartment. It wasn’t as glamorous as the apartments on the top floor of the building—those that housed Legion officers level six and up—but Ivy had spruced up the place. Scented candles and jars with incense sticks stood atop lace doilies on every table and shelf in the living room, filling the air with the sweet, welcoming scent of vanilla, lilacs, and roses.

Past the living room, four doors led to the bathroom and three bedrooms. Each bedroom was only large enough to fit a bed, a small nightstand, and a closet. I’d never had my own bedroom before. Rather than being excited about the idea, a feeling of intense loneliness filled me. I missed the old room I shared with my sister Bella back at home. My heart clenched up as I realized that I would never again live under the same roof as Calli and my brother and sisters. The Legion was my life now, but would they ever be my family?

I looked at Ivy, who was zigzagging across the room, humming to herself as she tidied up her decorations. Only a month ago, she’d lost her mother, the person she’d joined the Legion to save, but she was still carrying on. If anything, she was moving faster than ever. Training harder, decorating, dancing, and partying—basically, being constantly on the go—that was how she was dealing with her loss. And she was doing an amazing job of staying upbeat.

“You’re awesome, you know,” I told her.

“Of course she is,” Drake said as he closed the mini fridge he’d set up in the living room. It was completely filled with tiny alcohol bottles and just-as-tiny juice bottles.

Ivy beamed at us. “Just wait until you see the blankets I’m knitting.” She smoothed out the doily that sat under the pale yellow candle on the mini fridge. “And now, Leda, let’s get you ready for tonight.”

I walked into my room, Ivy right behind me. As soon as I opened my closet, she tossed a scented bundle of potpourri at me.

“For your lingerie drawer,” she said with a wink.

“Thanks,” I said, sliding open my underwear drawer. “You can’t go wrong with floral-scented panties.”

“Exactly,” she replied, grinning.

“So, I’m headed downstairs to help set up the ballroom for the ceremony,” Drake said from my door. His eyes darted from the potpourri bag to the open underwear drawer, a smile curling his mouth. “I never took you for a lace and ribbons sort of girl, Leda.”

I blushed. “My sister Tessa thinks I ought to be, so she sent me these things—and convinced my other sisters to do the same.”

“Your sister is very wise,” Ivy said, her hand flashing out to recover a pair of red panties from my drawer.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Drake said, heading for the front door.

“Ok, so what are you thinking?” Ivy asked me when he was gone.

“I’m trying not to.”

“Don’t be nervous. It will be fine. You will do great. I can’t believe you’re up for level two already. And, by the way, so is Jace.” Her smile faded, and she rolled her eyes.

So Jace was still coming along on Nero’s mission, which meant I’d replaced Mina. If she ever found out about that, she’d have yet another reason to hate my guts.

“But I meant, what are you thinking about wearing tonight?” Ivy asked.

“Uh…well…”

She moved past me. She reached into my closet and pulled out a red leather miniskirt and a black top with larger pieces of material missing from the front and sides. No, the moths hadn’t eaten through the fabric. It was intentionally cut out. The top was another gift from Tessa. My seventeen-year-old sister had interesting ideas of what constituted an article of clothing. What she insisted was a top, I called only a piece of a top. Ivy clearly shared Tessa’s taste. She nodded and smiled at it in approval before tossing the questionable shirt onto my bed.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked, holding up the leather miniskirt.

“Positive.”

“Why? So if I fall, everyone will see my underwear?”

Ivy smirked at me. “Exactly. Hence the red lace panties, of course. They match.”

I stripped out of my sports clothes. “I was thinking of just wearing my uniform.”

Ivy snorted. “Who are you now, Nero Windstriker? No, trust me, honey. The Legion is wise in letting you pick what you’re going to wear for the ceremony. They want you to party, and we’re not going to disappoint them.”

“Or they’re just letting us decide what we’ll die in.”

“Hey, don’t think like that.” Ivy squeezed my shoulder. “Everything will be fine.”

I took a deep breath, inhaling her optimism. “I know.” Last night had been a harrowing reminder of how dangerous life here was, but after what I’d seen, I was even more determined to make it through all of this and find Zane. I didn’t want anyone in my family to ever have to join the Legion.

“So tonight is a busy ceremony,” Ivy said in her lighthearted tone as I put on the red lingerie. “It’s you going for level two. And Jace too.” She gave her eyes another long roll. “Then Corporal Lynch and Corporal Solis going for level three. And Lieutenant Diaz going for level six.”

“Is this the same Lieutenant Diaz who worships the ground you walk on?” I asked her, sliding the skirt over my hips.

“The one and same,” she replied with a gleeful grin.

She was changing into a skin-tight black and white dress that was cut halfway to her knees. She topped off the look with a pair of gold high-heeled shoes. Her red hair was down tonight, falling to her elbows in bouncy curls.

“There will be music and dancing,” Ivy said. “And tons of food. It will be great.”

I smoothed out my top, then slid into a pair of black leather boots. “Ok, I’m ready.”

Ivy’s explosion of laughter echoed off my empty walls. “Oh, no you don’t. Not so fast. I’m doing your hair and makeup. I am not letting you out of here looking anything short of one hundred percent fantastic.”

* * *

By the time Ivy was through with me, I did look fantastic—if not a bit slutty. That was exactly what she’d been going for, she’d assured me with a wink as we headed downstairs.

Two large standing vases stood on either side of the double doors that led into the ballroom. A scene of angels fighting monsters was painted on each vase, the masterful strokes of color even more beautiful than the giant flowers shooting out of the tops. Past the entrance, beams of golden light shone against the walls, and a web of blue twinkling lights hung overhead like thousands of tiny stars. And beneath that majestic sky, hundreds of Legion soldiers filled the ballroom. It felt like the whole New York office was in attendance. They stood chatting around the buffet tables and bar, and they danced across the floor with supernatural grace. Skirts and tuxedo tails twirled and turned in hypnotic swooshes of light and color.

“We’re underdressed,” I muttered to Ivy, looking out across the room. Almost everyone was dressed in formal wear. They were decked out in silk and chiffon while we were wearing leather and spandex.

“Nonsense,” Ivy laughed, indicating a small group of people dressed just like we were. “Besides, don’t you want to stand out?”

No, I didn’t want to stand out. I wanted to blend into the shadows. As we headed toward the dance floor, I could feel hundreds of eyes turn toward me, but when I looked, no one was staring. It must have been my imagination. I was letting Nerissa’s words get to me. Most of those people didn’t even know who I was.

Ivy’s admiring lieutenant stepped into our path, bowing deeply before her. She giggled, then took his hand. As the happy couple waltzed their way across the dance floor, I sat down at the bar and ordered myself a pineapple juice. Even though my nerves were shot, I didn’t dare order anything harder. I couldn’t take any chances of the alcohol reacting badly to the heavy dose of Nectar I was about to ingest.

“She moves pretty well,” Captain Somerset said, sitting down beside me. Her dark eyes followed Ivy and her partner’s smooth sequence of steps. “Considering how she’s dressed.”

I turned to look at Captain Somerset, who was wearing the most feminine outfit I’d ever seen on her: a sleeveless pink-and-white ballgown with a full chiffon skirt. Her dark hair was pulled back into a high twist, and chandelier earrings hung from her ears.

“Are you wearing makeup?” I asked her in shock, reminding myself not to stare.

“I wear makeup all the time.”

I arched my brows at her.

She chuckled. “Ok, I wear makeup when there’s an official Legion function to attend.”

“It looks good.”

“Don’t be a smart ass.” Still grinning, she looked me up and down. “Nice outfit.” She tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

“It was Ivy’s idea.”

She cast a longer look down the length of my body. “Good choice. It shows off your ass and your boobs. Nero will like it.”

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. I popped it shut again, my face scorching. I wished I could just melt into the floor. I was hit with the feeling again that everyone was watching me, and this time when I turned, I saw I was right.

“They all like your outfit too,” Captain Somerset said, her gaze trailing mine around the room.

“Or they’re just gossiping about me,” I muttered.

“Of course they are. You’ve only been at the Legion for two months, and already you’re up for a promotion. People aren’t usually that fast. Ok, Nero was, but he’s special.”

“And freakishly, frighteningly powerful.”

“That too,” she agreed.

“Well, Jace is up for the second level too, and no one is staring at him.”

“He is the son of an angel,” she said, shrugging.

I sighed. “True.”

“You must also remember that the Legion is like no other military on Earth. Magical potential can make you move fast and far, and the children of angels have a lot of potential. The gods need powerful soldiers for their army. They want each of us to reach our full potential, to have as much magic as we can handle because that makes the Legion itself stronger. It’s a balance between making sure we don’t die and pushing us as high as we can go.”

“Do people die at the higher levels?” I asked her.

“Sometimes,” she said. “But rarely. The Legion makes sure you’re ready before pushing you to the next level. Nero wouldn’t have you do this if he weren’t sure you were ready.”

Except Nero didn’t want me to do this. He didn’t think I was ready. This was all Nyx’s doing, and she didn’t know me at all. Maybe Nero was right. Maybe I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t tell Captain Somerset that, though.

So I said, “Well, I suppose there are worse things people could be staring at me about.”

“Oh, you mean like how they’re wondering when you and Nero will sleep together?” Her whole face lit up. “Yeah, they’re watching you because of that too.”

I ground my teeth together.

She chuckled lightly. “It’s a hard, hard life at the Legion. Give the poor people something to gossip about.”

“Says the person not under their microscope.”

“Oh, I’ve been under their microscope myself,” she said. “Angels’ love lives are always a cause for gossip at the Legion, and I was once involved with one.”

“How long did it last?”

A dreamy look slid across her face. “Not long enough. As I once told you, angels make great lovers. Though they can be a moody bunch.”

I glanced across the room at Nero, who was standing beside Nyx, talking to her. He was the only person in the entire ballroom wearing a uniform. Not that it didn’t look good on him… But he just looked so serious.

“A moody bunch, you say? I never could have guessed,” I said drily.

“Well, it’s an on-and-off sort of thing,” Captain Somerset told me. “But when it’s on, it’s on. You’ll know what I mean soon enough.”

Nero had finished his conversation with Nyx, and he was walking alongside the dance floor, his emerald eyes pulsing with power as they met mine.

I looked away. “I don’t know why everyone is so certain that Nero and I are going to get together,” I told Captain Somerset.

She snorted. “Are you kidding? There’s so much heat between you two that I’m getting a sunburn just being in the same room with you.”

Nero was nearly to the bar.

“I don’t think I’m comfortable talking about this with you,” I said to her.

“You’re right,” she said, smiling with a sweetness that had me worried. “You shouldn’t be talking to me. Just skip straight to dessert.” Then she gave me a hard push that sent me tumbling off my stool and right into Nero.

He caught me easily, steadying my fall. “Yes?” he asked me as Captain Somerset melted into the crowd.

“I…” I cleared my throat. “Captain Somerset pushed me into you.”

“I see.”

I tried to read something in his face, but as usual, he’d put up a wall of cool marble that would take a bulldozer to smash through.

“Thank you,” I said awkwardly. “For last night. For being there.”

He inclined his chin but said nothing. Wow, this sure was fun. I’d had more exciting conversations with myself. Well, what was I expecting anyway? The guy was the only one here who’d worn a uniform to the party. Even Nyx, the First Angel of the Legion, was wearing a long satin gown.

“So.” I put on a smile. “How have you been?”

“Busy.” His gazed darted across the room. “I have to go.”

“Oh, ok.” I tried not to sound disappointed—which I most certainly was not.

Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, said the voice of doubt in my head.

Nero walked away, leaving me alone and feeling stupid. Wow, I was a master orator tonight. Why weren’t the words coming out right? Why was my tongue tripping over every other syllable? I needed to be witty and interesting, but I was just dull and uninspiring. What had happened between us was throwing me for a loop. He’d comforted me in my moment of turmoil, and now things were…weird. I wasn’t really sure what to say to him anymore. Not that I should be worrying about this. I’d already decided that Nero and I weren’t going to be anything.

With that cleared up, I turned to look for Ivy, but she was dancing with Drake now. I didn’t want to interrupt that. On the other side of the dance floor, beside the cupcake tower, Nerissa and Captain Somerset were chatting. Now that was a dangerous conversation. I couldn’t imagine what the unfiltered queens of the Legion were talking about—and I was sure I didn’t want to know.

I was about to go talk to my former dormitory roommate Lucy when the music stopped and the golden ceiling lights brightened. All eyes turned to the brightest spot in the room, a raised platform. Nero stood there, in front of a table that held three antique colored bottles, each one about the size of a wine bottle. And beside those three bottles were three goblets.

“Welcome,” Nero said, his voice carrying across the whole ballroom, filling it so that it seemed he was speaking from every direction. “We bear witness here today as five of our own challenge themselves once more to take their next step in life, to strengthen themselves and the Legion in preparation for the days to come.”

“For the days to come,” everyone repeated around me.

“Soren Diaz, step forward,” Nero said.

The crowd parted, and Ivy’s admirer walked toward the stage. He moved with a strong, supple gait—his body and his mind both hardened by the Legion’s merciless training regimen. His steps were steady and his head held high, but I could feel a subtle flutter of anxiety wafting off of him. No one else showed any sign of noticing. Or they were simply all too professional to show that they had.

He stopped before Nero. Eyes nearly as dark as his black hair met the angel’s green stare. Nero took a bottle from the table and began to fill one of the goblets. A pale gold liquid that looked like yellow milk gurgled out.

“Sip now of the gods’ Nectar,” Nero recited, handing him the full goblet. “Consume the magic of their sixth gift. Let it fill you, making you strong for the days to come.”

“For the days to come,” everyone repeated again. The words must be some kind of Legion catchphrase, but I’d never heard them before.

Lieutenant Diaz drank. As he did, his face contorted in agony, but he didn’t stop drinking, not even for a second. When the goblet was empty, he set it down on the table. Then, suddenly, he stumbled to the side, throwing out a hand to catch himself on the wall. His body shook and pain streamed down his face, but he remained on his feet with the unyielding stubbornness that defined the Legion. After a few shaky moments, he managed to straighten. He met Nero’s eyes once more. Nero nodded, and Lieutenant Diaz turned and stepped off the platform, disappearing into the crowd.

Then Nero called out once more in a voice that seemed to hit me from every direction, “Cassia Lynch, step forward.”

A short woman with a long black braid walked up to the platform, the train of her long periwinkle-blue chiffon gown slithering across the floor after her as she moved. Nero poured from the second bottle into a different goblet. This dose of Nectar was amber-colored, resembling maple syrup.

“Sip now of the gods’ Nectar,” said Nero. “Consume the magic of their third gift. Let it fill you, making you strong for the days to come.

“For the days to come,” everyone repeated.

Corporal Lynch took the goblet into her hands and drank long and deep. She held herself together well, keeping her face neutral even as her chest shook with internal convulsions. She just stood there, immovable, waiting. Finally, her body stopped twitching, and Nero dismissed her.

Next came Corporal Solis, also up for the third level. He wore a suave tuxedo and black shoes that shone like pure oil, but his charming exterior cracked when he almost threw up the Nectar he’d received. He managed to hold himself together—and the Nectar down. Nero dismissed him as well.

After him came Jace. He threw back the entire contents of the goblet in a single go. He looked less sick than the last guy, but he was definitely shaken. As soon as Nero was satisfied he wouldn’t die, he dismissed him. Jace walked away, his steps wobbling.

And then it was my turn.

“Leda Pierce, step forward.”

All eyes turned from Nero to me. Whispers sizzled up on the crowd, though they’d been silent during the ceremonies before mine.

“Be silent,” Nero said, his voice cutting like a whip through their whispers. The chatting died in an instant.

I walked forward, the hard heels of my boots snapping with false confidence against the smooth floor. My eyes remained locked on the target: the goblet Nero had just filled with a bright pink fluid. Turmoil twisted inside of my stomach, filling me with dread.

A month ago, I watched in horror as six of my fellow initiates died after sipping the Nectar of the gods, a heavenly drink that either grants you magical powers or kills you. I can’t believe I’m coming back for seconds.

“Sip now of the gods’ Nectar. Consume the magic of their second gift.” Nero’s eyes bored into mine. “Let it fill you, making you strong for the days to come.”

“For the days to come,” everyone repeated.

The goblet shook in my hands. Nearby, Nyx was watching me with an intensity that was almost blinding.

“This will give you the power of Witch’s Cauldron. You will need it to wield the witches’ power over potions and brews,” Nero whispered to me.

My heart stuttered when he handed me the goblet, and not just because I was scared of dying from that dose. The way he was looking at me scared me at least as much.

“You are strong,” he said in that same low whisper.

“I thought I wasn’t ready,” I whispered back with a smile.

“I am not ready. There’s always a chance…”

“As I told you so many times before, I’m too stubborn to die,” I said with a confidence that I didn’t feel—but I hoped would infect me, driving out my anxiety. Holding his stare, I took a deep breath, swallowing my fears, and then I drank.

The Nectar washed through me, igniting my magic. An exotic flavor exploded on my tongue, one that I couldn’t define but reminded me of Nero’s blood. I glanced at him, and before I knew what I was doing, my tongue flickered out to lick my lips. My whole body was alive, buzzing, singing from the high of the Nectar. Magic cascaded through me in dizzying, euphoric waves that left my mouth dry and my body pounding with an ache that was as bitter as it was sweet. A fresh rush of power knocked me off balance. Nero’s hands flashed out, catching me. A collective gasp of shock buzzed across our audience.

“Are you all right?” he asked quietly.

I steadied myself. “Fine,” I said, wetting my lips.

If I’d said anything else, I would have slurred my way through the words. I was feeling so drunk. The room was spinning like a carousel of lights and magic. I laughed, and our audience’s gasps elevated into rapid streams of shocked whispers. Nyx was at the forefront of the crowd, her arms at her sides in a balletic pose, her face impassive.

As I stood there, reveling in the Nectar’s magic, I felt like every cell in my body had been jolted awake. I was hyperaware of everything. The cool breeze coming in from the windows. The scent of flowers and sugar in the air. How close Nero was to me. I caught myself as I leaned in toward him. Through the haze of my mind, a voice was telling me that kissing Nero in front of the Legion’s entire New York office wasn’t a good idea. So I pivoted around and tried my best to disappear back into the crowd.

“The gods have tested your fortitude and judged you worthy,” Nero said to us.

A waltz started up over the speakers, the lights around the platform dimmed, and people started dancing again—much to my chagrin as I was currently standing in the middle of the dance floor. I moved around the turning couples, my steps drunken, my mind buzzing. Why was my reaction to the Nectar so different from everyone else’s? The Nectar made every other person sick, but it only made me want more. Sure, the small Nectar drops the Legion soldiers drank at parties got them high and happy, but those drops were totally diluted compared to this Nectar. This Nectar cranked up your magic, giving you the gods’ next magical gift—or it killed you. It did not leave you drunk and craving more.

Buzzing off the Nectar, I sashayed over to the bar and ordered a pineapple cocktail sans alcohol. As the bartender handed me my drink, Jace came up to the bar. His black tux sparkled with hundreds of tiny blue dots from the twinkling web of lights overhead.

I waved at him and squinting, said, “Are you wearing two bowties?”

His eyes dipped to my drink. “Are you sure you want to drink that?”

“Why?”

His brows lifted.

“Oh, I get it. Don’t worry.” I leaned in, whispering, “It’s a virgin.” I snorted.

“You get drunk on Nectar,” Jace said calmly.

A quiet, distant voice inside of me reminded me that I shouldn’t be advertising my weaknesses, especially not to my enemies. But I just couldn’t stop laughing. I was still laughing as Ivy and Drake joined us at the bar. Ivy grabbed my arm, pulling me away with them.

“What are you doing talking to him?” she hissed under her breath as we walked away.

I blinked. “I’m drunk.”

She laughed. “You think?”

“Leda, maybe eating something will kick your metabolize into high gear and help you burn off that high,” Drake suggested.

“Great idea,” I said brightly, breaking away to launch my assault on the dessert table. I found brownies. Lots and lots of brownies. And I intended to eat every single one of them.

“Hungry?”

I turned to look into Captain Somerset’s face. “They’re just so good.” I licked a brownie crumb from my index finger.

She laughed.

“You’re cool,” I told her, laughing too.

“You bet I am.”

That famous song about the witch who’d fallen for a vampire blared over the fading beat of the waltz.

“Oh, I love this song. It’s so funny,” I said, looking around. Ivy and Drake were nowhere in sight, so I grabbed Captain Somerset’s hand and pulled her onto the dance floor after me.

She didn’t seem to mind. In fact, she looked amused as I began to dance to the beat. She danced opposite me, her grin persisting into the second verse. That’s when a hand closed around my arm, pulling me roughly around.

“Hey!” My protest died on my lips when I saw that rough someone was Nero—and that he was looking at me with eyes that burned with fury.

“Come with me,” he said with a coldness that countered the heat in his eyes.

“Go easy on her, Nero,” Captain Somerset said. “She’s wound up right now.”

“Thank you, Captain. That will be all,” he said to her with equal coldness, but his eyes never left mine.

Captain Somerset turned and walked away, leaving us alone. I looked at Nero, a smile tugging on my mouth.

“I hope I didn’t do anything inappropriate,” I said, bursting into giggles.

Nero said nothing. His hand still firmly locked around my arm, he led me from the ballroom. I could see people turning to watch us leave, but I couldn’t seem to care. Cool. This whole euphoria thing had its perks. It sure beat worrying about what everyone was saying about me. I started laughing. Or maybe I’d never stopped. I couldn’t remember. Nero showed me into his office, then closed the door behind us.

“Are you all right?” he asked, finally letting go of my arm.

Closing the door was overkill. It’s not like I was planning on running out. Why would I want to be anywhere else right now? I couldn’t stop laughing.

“Leda?”

“I like the sound of my name on your tongue.” I winked at Nero. “But you can call me Pandora if you want. I like that too.” Smiling, I traced my finger across his chest, following the smooth, hard lines of leather. “The bringer of chaos. Of mischief.” I allowed my hand to venture lower.

That boring, rational part of me was screaming at me to stop, reminding me of what would happen if I became Nero’s lover, but I just couldn’t stop. He’s been so sweet to me last night. So tender. And yet so strong. I slid my hand around him, scraping my fingernails into the hard muscle beneath the leather.

I knew the Nectar was making me act like this, but I didn’t care. I wanted Nero and he wanted me. There was no reason not to take what I wanted. I leaned back against his desk, arching my back to push out my breasts. His eyes dipped to them, then quickly flickered back to my face.

“You’re tempting me,” he said, his voice a low, sexy rumble in his chest.

“You tempt me every moment of every day you’re in the same room with me. Seeing you there, so close and yet not touching me. It’s agonizing, Nero.”

A rare look of shock crossed his face. “When the Nectar wears off, you’re going to hate yourself for saying that.”

“The only person I’m going to hate is you, Nero, if you don’t come over this instant and make love to me.”

His eyes widened as I dipped my hand below my skirt, slipping my panties down my legs. I kicked them the rest of the way off, and they landed at his feet. Then I hopped onto his desk, hiking up my short skirt.

I saw it the moment I had him. Magic flashed in his eyes, and then the next moment he was suddenly in front of me, his hands pinning mine to the desk. As the heat of his skin burned into me—saturating me—a hollow, wanton ache echoed inside of me, an ache I knew only he could quell.

“I knew,” I whispered against his ear. “I knew from the beginning that we would end up like this.”

My head fell back, a soft moan escaping my lips as his mouth closed on my neck. His tongue flicked out. The touch of it on my throat shot a shock wave of pure pleasure through me, scorching me from the inside out. His hands closed tightly around my wrists, and my pulse popped against my skin, throbbing in sweet anticipation. That sweetness turned to ash when he suddenly pulled away. I moved to follow him, but I found myself stuck in place. My gaze dropped to my hands, which were handcuffed to the desk. I pulled against the restraints, but they were Legion-issued and not breakable by someone of my strength.

“What are you doing?” I growled, continuing to push against the cold, unyielding metal around my wrists. “I never expected you were into the kinky stuff.”

“You don’t know me,” he said in a harsh whisper, bracing his hands against his desk as he leaned in. “So don’t presume that you know what I’m into.” His words slid across my skin like satin promises. His face was so close, and his body so far away.

“Then show me,” I said, arching my body toward him.

He pulled away. “This is not you, Leda. It’s the Nectar. It should burn through your system, settling in half an hour. When it has, you will be able to see clearly enough to get out of those restraints.”

I pounded hard against the restraints, but like Nero, they didn’t yield. A strangled stream of curses spilled out of my mouth. His brows lifted, but he didn’t say a thing.

“You cruel, twisted angel,” I growled as he walked toward the door. “How could you leave me like this?”

A smile touched his lips. He turned back around, and in a flash, his face was in front of mine. “Once the magic has settled inside of you, and you’re thinking straight, come see me. I have some work for you to do pre-mission.” Each hot caress of his breath against my skin was pure agony. “I will not take advantage of you in this state, but if you still need me after the haze has passed, I would be more than happy to oblige.” He kissed my jaw with excruciating, maddening slowness.

And then he was just gone. He left me in his office, chained to his desk. I wasn’t sure how long I raged and pushed and kicked, but at some point in all that madness, my head did begin to clear. Sanity returned, bringing with it a most unwelcome guest: shame. My body burned, and it wasn’t from desire this time. Mortified, I looked around the room, rocking slowly as I tried not to watch the memory replay looping inside of my head. About this time, Ivy and Drake walked through the open door, their eyes wide.

“Wow,” Drake said, laughter overcoming his shock. “When we noticed you were gone, we went looking for you. We heard your curses all the way down the hall. We definitely didn’t expect this.” His eyes flickered to my handcuffed hands.

My eyes dropped too—and that’s when I noticed the series of releases on the handcuffs. Why hadn’t I seen that earlier? Oh, because I’d been crazy with Nectar-induced lust, that’s why.

“What happened here?” Ivy asked as I freed my hands.

“It isn’t what it looks like,” I said quickly, jumping off the desk.

She held up my panties, her lips trembling with barely-contained laughter. “Oh really? Because it looks to me like it was a good thing you wore the lacy red panties.”

The fire in my cheeks could have forged steel, but my embarrassment was nothing compared to my rage. I was angry at Nero. And at myself. And at the stupid Nectar. Why did I have to have such a strong reaction to it?

“Left you high and dry, did he?” she asked, giving my shoulder a sympathetic pat.

High but not dry. I snatched my underwear from her hand. It was time to put on my big girl panties. I stormed toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Ivy asked.

“I’m going to give that angel a piece of my mind,” I told her.