Kai stretched his arms over his head as we stepped into the private corridor that led to the residential wing.
"So what's next?" I asked, still replaying Valentina's words in my head.
From the open conference-room door behind us, her cool voice carried one last time.
"Next, we capture the two new awakeners, detain them under medical observation, and let the Succubus Division run therapeutic memory-reconstruction. Once they're stable, we'll offer them recruitment into the Organization. You two are off-duty until the next target drops. Rest. You've earned it."
We both gave a lazy salute without turning around, then kept walking.
The door slid shut. Silence.
Inside the room, Valentina Romanov—call-sign Lilith to those who knew her real nature—leaned back in the leather chair. She locked the tablet, pulled up a hidden folder, and opened the raw, unedited footage from last night's hotel suite.
Four different camera angles. Crystal-clear audio.
Moans, gasps, breathless pleas—every second of it.
A slow smile curved her crimson lips.
One manicured hand slipped beneath the desk, out of sight. The other adjusted the screen so she could watch us work.
Her breathing grew heavier, but the only sound in the room was the soft click of the door sealing completely.
She would never admit it out loud, but these after-action reviews were her favorite part of the job.
Meanwhile, Kai and I strolled through the underground residential sector like we owned the place—because, technically, we now owned half the surface world's gaming industry.
Agents and staff nodded as we passed.
"Nice work up top, Ace."
"Kai, drinks later?"
A pair of succubi in tight black uniforms leaned against the wall, tails swishing playfully. One had violet hair and golden eyes, the other crimson hair and a teasing smile.
"Long day, boys?" Violet-hair purred. "We're off shift. Care to help us unwind?"
Kai didn't even break stride. "Separate rooms. Twenty minutes. Don't be late."
They giggled and vanished down the hall ahead of us.
We reached the twin suites reserved for Black Ops elites. Side by side, soundproof, stocked with everything two twenty-year-old guys with supernatural stamina could ever want.
I glanced at Kai. "Succubus therapy division, huh? Think the new awakeners will survive it?"
He smirked, already loosening his tie. "If they're lucky, they'll beg to sign the recruitment papers by sunrise."
Doors hissed open.
Violet-hair was waiting for me, already in nothing but lace and a playful smile.
Crimson-hair had Kai pinned against the wall before his jacket hit the floor.
The hallway lights dimmed automatically—privacy protocol.
Somewhere far above, a burned-out hotel smoldered under the night sky.
Down here, the real fire was only getting started
The Frost siblings stepped out of the debriefing room side by side, mission report already uploaded and signed off by Lilith.
Seraphine's silver hair was still frosted at the tips from extinguishing the hotel inferno. Riven's uniform clung to him, soaked from the torrents he'd summoned to drown the hellfire. Both looked exhausted, but the job had been textbook perfect.
Lilith gave them her usual curt nod. "Clean work. Dismissed."
They didn't need to be told twice.
Residential Wing C was quiet at this hour. The Frost quarters were at the very end—two connected suites with a shared living room, the closest thing to "home" either of them had ever known.
Riven keyed the door, stepped inside, and let it seal behind them.
The second the lock clicked, the masks came off.
Riven peeled away his soaked tactical shirt, kicked off his boots, and stripped down to nothing. Moonlight from the artificial skylight painted every hard line of his body. Twenty-one years old, built like a weapon, and already half-hard from pure adrenaline crash.
He flopped face-first onto the oversized bed. "I'm dead."
Seraphine let out a soft laugh. She unzipped her combat skirt, let it drop, then unclasped the rest. The icy glow in her eyes faded to something warmer as she crawled in beside him, skin against skin, nothing between them but years of trust.
They had grown up together in the Organization's orphanage program—taken in as children, assigned the same last name for paperwork, raised as "siblings" in every file. But the Council had never been family. This—quiet nights, shared sheets, the way her fingers automatically threaded through his damp hair—was the only family either of them acknowledged.
Riven's arm slid around her waist on instinct, pulling her close. His face found its favorite spot nestled against the soft curve of her chest. She felt him relax completely, breath evening out in seconds.
Seraphine pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head.
"Good night, little raven," she whispered, using the nickname she'd given him when they were kids.
He mumbled something sleepy and content, already gone.
She smiled, wrapped both arms around him, and let the darkness take her too.
Tomorrow there would be new missions, new fires to put out, new monsters to fight.
Tonight, the ice queen and her water dragon slept tangled together—safe, warm, and untouchable.
Riven woke up to the soft hum of the base's artificial sunrise.
His arm was still draped over Seraphine's waist, his morning stiffness pressed comfortably against the warmth of her thigh. For a second he just enjoyed the quiet, then carefully slipped out of bed so he wouldn't wake her.
After a quick shower he pulled on black jeans, a fitted hoodie, and his riding jacket.
Seraphine stirred when she heard the zipper.
"Big sister, I'm heading topside for the day. Be back tonight."
She sat up, sheet sliding down just enough to make his brain short-circuit for half a second.
"I'll come with—"
"No." He cut her off gently but firmly. "I need one day without my clingy ice queen shadowing me. Please."
She pouted, silver hair a beautiful mess. "But—"
"No buts. I'll be careful. Promise."
She sighed dramatically, flopped back onto the pillow, and waved him off. "Fine. Go be boring without me. Bring me pastries when you come back."
He grinned, kissed her forehead, and escaped before she changed her mind.
Twenty minutes later his matte-black sport bike roared out of the hidden tunnel and into the city.
Freedom tasted like 200 km/h wind and zero missions.
He parked outside a quiet corner café, ordered the strongest iced Americano they had, and finally relaxed in a corner booth.
No sister. No Council. No exploding hotels.
Just caffeine and peace.
That peace lasted exactly seven minutes.
The door chimed. In walked pure trouble in human form: a stunning thirty-something woman with curves that should be illegal. Tight white blouse, pencil skirt hugging a perfect hourglass, heels clicking like a countdown. Exactly his type.
Riven sipped his coffee and let his imagination run wild for thirty uninterrupted seconds.
Then her phone rang.
Her face went from relaxed to panicked in a heartbeat. She threw cash on the table, bolted out, and jumped into a taxi.
Curiosity won.
He tossed his helmet on, tailed the taxi all the way to Central General Hospital, and slipped into the emergency ward crowd right behind her.
She practically sprinted to the reception desk.
"Doctor! My son! Room number?!"
The doctor, clearly fighting a smirk, flipped through a chart.
"Ma'am… your son is stable, but there was an… unusual injury."
"What happened?!" she asked, voice cracking.
The doctor cleared his throat, professional mask slipping.
"Apparently he was… intimate… with an experienced partner. She warned him he couldn't handle certain positions. He insisted on cowgirl. Long story short, ma'am… the equipment snapped. Literally. We've got an orthopedic surgeon on it."
The waiting area went dead silent.
The mother's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. Nothing came out.
She sank into a plastic chair like her soul had left her body, staring at the floor and probably reconsidering every life choice that led to this moment.
Riven leaned against the wall, arms folded, face perfectly neutral.
Inside?
He was dying. Laughing so hard he almost pulled a muscle keeping it in.
He sent Seraphine a single text:
Riven:
remind me to never let you ride cowgirl
some poor kid just got sent to the ER 😂
Three dots appeared instantly.
Seraphine:
EXCUSE ME?!
GET YOUR ASS HOME RIGHT NOW AND EXPLAIN
He pocketed the phone, still grinning, and walked out into the sunlight.
Best. Solo day. Ever.