CARLA

Alexander

  "TEAM MEETING IN TEN!" Slade's voice roused Carla form a delicious dream about Luke and Nate.

  "What the hell was that?" Nate asked, sitting up in bed, confused. His mop of curls were a tangled mess on his head.

  "That's how he wakes me up." Carla said, stretching. Her body was sore in the best possible way. "We have to get up." She protested when Nate big spooned her, pulled her close and kissed her neck.

  "I'm already up..." he said, rubbing his erection on the back of her thigh.

  "Team meeting in ten..." Carla said, reaching back, taking him in her hand.

  "I can do it..." he whispered as she helped guide him inside her.

  "Good morning all," Simon said at the meeting. Carla looked around. Slade, Amazon, Luke and the twins were present, but Aria was missing in action.

  "Where's Aria? Natasha asked.

  "She left us." Slade replied with a knowing smirk.

"How? Did she swim home?"

  "She probably flew home on her broomstick." Nate replied in their secret language with a straight face, causing Carla to snort and his sister to giggle.

  "Her people picked her up in a speed boat." Luke answered.

  Carla detected more than a hint of concern in his words. 'Her people' he'd said, like he wasn't one of them any more. She watched his face, wondering how Luke felt about the fact that she'd spent the night with Nate after being with him. She looked at Nate's beautiful smiling face, then back to Luke, who pretended not to notice she was watching him.

  "The reason for today's meeting is to update you on the kids and their mission." Simon began, Carla turned her attention away from Luke and awaited the news. "The good news is, they succeeded. They found Taylor Smith. Our people are all over him, 24/7 surveillance. It's a matter of time before he leads us to Deveraux. We're a day away from our destination. So team, prepare to be deployed at a moment's notice." Everyone nodded and exchanged battle faces. Carla watched in wonder.

  "Oh, and on a personal note, the Captain of this vessel has requested that you please stop breaking the door knobs." Simon added, directing his gaze towards Luke and Carla. Carla blushed, Luke rolled his eyes.

  "Did you explain?" Luke asked Nate as soon as the three were alone.

  "No." Nate replied. Staring at Luke with a cheeky glint in his aqua blue eyes. "I was too busy." His eyed Carla up and down while she blushed profusely. Luke's face looked murderous, he clenched his jaw and made fists with his hands. Nate smiled. Carla throbbed.

  "I'm a DNA Frankenstein's monster. Clearly whatever they did to me has somehow detached the sire/minion umbilical cord." Carla said, standing between them, aware that Nate was seconds away from a beating.

  "It doesn't work like that. If you have one single drop of Antonia's blood, Aria is your sire." Luke stared into Carla's big blue eyes.

  "That's great news!" Carla exclaimed, she was overjoyed at that news. "That means I'll never be Aria's slave."

  "How is that possible? You look identical to her. If it's not Antonia's blood, whose is it?" Luke asked, his face dire.

  "Who cares?" Carla asked, looking between them.

  "You don't understand." Luke continued in a serious tone, taking Carla by the shoulders. "If you're not hers, you're a rival, with her sister's face, whom she hates."