The spell the sorcerer was weaving was incredibly complex. I could feel the way it was draining the mountain, pouring into him, and then moving into the woman, pushing a core piece of her out of the way while it trickled parts of the energy from his amulet into her body. Those parts felt sentient somehow. And that’s when I realized what he was talking about back in the cells: his ex—or part of her—was in that amulet, and he meant to move her into the woman’s body.
My mates were slowing him down. Each time he had to pause to throw them off him, he lost time and had to redo some of his incredibly complex work, but they couldn’t keep this up forever. My heart couldn’t take how unsteady Cooper was on his feet or how Jaxon had actually given in to a moan on his last fall. He’d left blood behind on that rock. Not a deadly amount, but enough to be a problem.
No, I had to move my plan up. “Tarzi, any luck getting into his head yet?”
She stood beside Amma, still concentrating, still slightly distant, but the downturn to her lips wasn’t promising. “He’s got some kind of protection against me. I think he must’ve gotten wise after the attack at your house. He probably paid someone to spell him against my powers. Or did it himself, if he knew the right spell.”
“Shit. Okay. Take Amma and find the patrol. They should be on their way here, and they’ll keep you safe.”
She nodded, bundling Amma out of the line of fire despite her protests.
I pushed the thought of a vulnerable pack and family down the bond to Jaxon. He paused his attacks long enough to reassure me and push the idea of friendship to his pack.
Good. That meant his patrol shouldn’t get overzealous and attack my family.
Now, knowing she was safe, I went back to feeling those rivers of magic. I’d pulled some of the mountain’s magic away from Gabriel the last time we fought on the mountain, but I didn’t want to take any of the dying woman or this guy’s ex. That felt dark and wrong, and who knew how it’d end up? I didn’t want any part of this twisted bastard’s ex stuck inside of me. Who knew how crazy they’d have to be to fall in love with him?
Blowing out my breath, I plucked at the stream of magic pouring out of the mountain. The sorcerer was channeling it into him from where he touched the hole in the ground, the one leading down to a hidden artifact far below. I could feel it in my mind’s eye. Now that I had so much power, it was like I could reach right down to it. I smiled to myself and did just that, pulling at the magic it held before the sorcerer even got to it. Again, I looked at the rivers of magic and grinned when I saw the sorcerer’s energy dwindling to a stop. I’d shut the bastard off.
But as more and more magic streamed into me, I again felt the need to use it before I exploded. One person couldn’t hold so much. But I knew what I could do. I pushed that magic down the three connections I held—into Cooper, into Jaxon, and, yes, into Zeke. Little by little, I felt better able to breathe, to think. The edge of the power within me was cutting a little less.
My eyes snapped open in time to see Jaxon’s fur bristle. He shook his head and leaped again at the sorcerer, all sign of his injuries gone. Cooper bounded forward from the other side. I smiled, knowing that Zeke’s wounds from his fight with the guards must’ve healed, too.
Gabriel snapped his fingers at Cooper and Jaxon. I saw the roll of power hit their noses, but it slid right off them, dissipating down the mountain. I blinked. I’d healed them, but had I given them some kind of shield when I gave them all that power? I didn’t think that was possible.
The sorcerer didn’t either. He flicked his hands a few more times before the boys were on him. Jaxon went for his arm, shredding the muscle in seconds. He then used his body weight to flatten Gabriel to the ground. The sorcerer’s concentration was shot. No way could he keep weaving his spell.
Cooper helped Jaxon hold the sorcerer down and carefully closed his teeth around the sorcerer’s amulet. He pulled hard enough to break the chain and trotted over to me with it in his mouth.
I smiled and patted his head, reminded of him finding the spell book. My lungs tightened when I took in his wolf, loving him and hating all the time I’d been away. It was like it caught up to me all at once. I scratched behind his ear and smiled as he rubbed against me, scent-marking me and showing me how much he’d missed me, too.
“I’m glad to be back,” I said.
I shoved the amulet in my pocket and turned back to the sorcerer. Our reunion had to be cut short. The artifact deep below us was flickering like a candle about to be blown out. I knew with a certainty as sure as time went on that if I didn’t save it now, the artifact would stop creating magic. I had to pour some back in, and I was still overwhelmed with it.
I took a deep breath and reversed the channel, giving back much of the magic I’d taken. I even tugged at the sorcerer and, to my surprise, found that while he was in so much pain, I could pull the energy right out of him and return it to the artifact. I grinned and proceeded to take all but the last handful of magic out of him. None of it was his to begin with.
Then I strode over to the bastard, Cooper trotting along at my side. Jaxon was still in his wolf form, snapping his teeth in the sorcerer’s face every time he tried to shift or complain.
I stared down at the man and shook my head. “You really thought you could do all this? That we wouldn’t stop you?”
His breathing was shaky, and every time he closed his eyes, I wondered if he was going to pass out. There was a lot of blood soaking into the rock and scrub underneath him. “I did this for Effie. I had to bring her back. When I stole the demon’s spell book, he trapped her soul in that artifact.” He glared at the pocket I’d shoved it into. “He stole her away from me.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have stolen his stuff,” I snapped, still reeling at the idea that this whole mess came about because the sorcerer couldn’t keep his hands to himself.
He writhed beneath Jaxon, trying to put his hand on his wound, but Jaxon wasn’t having it. “Please don’t let me die here. Effie needs me. She’ll be trapped in there forever if I don’t help her.”
“So, I should just let you boot this woman out of her own body and move in your ex? I don’t think so. Effie is gone.”
I glanced over at the woman and frowned. She was still far too pale. I looked for the pieces of her that made her who she was. They were shoved into the corners of her body like they were trying to escape the sorcerer’s claws. I pushed at them, trying to move them back toward her core, but they hid from me, too. I sighed, hoping they’d find their way back to where they should go on their own. She didn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of this—to be used. I gritted my teeth. Pulled out of her world and shoved into a new one just like I was. I closed my eyes and promised to make sure she found her way back to normal. I owed her that.
Whatever his reasons, what the sorcerer did to her was beyond forgiveness. She might never be the same.
I turned to Jaxon and gave him the nod. “Kill him.” We couldn’t keep someone as dangerous as him around.
Jaxon opened his jaw and moved to the sorcerer’s neck to speed his death, but before he could clamp down, a flare of magic and fire erupted behind us. Jaxon’s head jumped up to the new threat. I swung around too, but I already knew what it was. A portal. The demon lord was here. He must’ve finally got what he needed out of Zeke.
The demon lord stood in the portal entrance, holding Zeke by his neck, a blade at his throat. “Ah, here we all are. Gabriel, you sent me on a merry chase. You must’ve hidden out in Hell for hours before you snuck up here, and with this poor excuse for a tracker, I had to follow you the entire way.” He squinted at the hole in the ground and nodded to himself. “Good job, succubus. My artifact is still intact. You must’ve stopped this idiot before he got his way.” He smiled wide. “I wouldn’t go so far as to say I owe you, but maybe I’ll let you live.”
Zeke scoffed. “How generous.”
As he spoke, the blade bit into his neck, but he hardly seemed to care. In fact, I could’ve sworn that the cut was bigger a second ago. Wait, was the magic I sent him still working? Was it keeping him in one piece? I grinned, happiness flowing through me. Maybe that gave us a shot at getting him out without him winding up dead. He’d given up so much to get us out of there. He had to have fought with everything he had to get that spell to us. Even without a direct order against it, it’d feel like dragging himself through quicksand.
The sorcerer spluttered something with a croaky voice. I didn’t hear it, but Jaxon did, and he grinned a toothy smile at me.
“What is it?” I muttered, my eyes still on the bigger threat—the demon lord.
Jaxon yipped and nosed the sorcerer’s head. Right. He couldn’t give me specifics in this form, even through the mate bond. I’d have to get it from the sorcerer. I knelt at his side and tuned into his blithering begging for his life.
“Please, don’t let me die. I can help you. I know why the demon lord never came here, never got the artifact himself.” The sorcerer’s voice grew weaker with each breath, but he managed to get a hand free to grip my hand. Jaxon growled and moved to bite out his throat, but I stayed him. I wanted to hear what this guy thought he could buy his life with. It better be good.
“Out with it, or I’ll let him follow through. You’ve given us enough pain.”
The sorcerer looked at his arm. The blood was barely a trickle now. He didn’t have much time left, and he must have known it. His eyes softened when he once again looked at my pocket—the one the amulet was in. “Can you at least help Effie? She didn’t deserve what happened to her. She was so good, so loyal.” He sighed and closed his eyes, no longer able to hold them open.
I had to lean right in to hear him as he whispered, “He can’t come here. The hellhounds who stole his artifact, they used most of its power when it was at its strongest, and they spelled the demon to never step foot on Earth. The moment he does, he dies.”
I stood and met Zeke’s eyes across the distance. I hated that I couldn’t even give him the simplest of instructions through a mate bond. And it wasn’t like I could tell him what to do across the space between us. That would tip off the demon lord, and the man wasn’t stupid. He’d shut the portal, get rid of Zeke, and reopen it without him to get the artifact back. Hell, he’d send a legion of demons through to dig it out the mountain and snatch it from us.
But I still felt that wavering connection between us. It was the most fragile of things, but I was still brimming with energy. What if I poured some of it into the bond like I had earlier but focused the energy on making the bond stronger so he could hear my words? It was worth a try.
“Why am I being ignored when your friend’s life is in my hands?” the demon lord yelled.
I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. The guy had to be the center of attention, didn’t he?
“Is he not someone you care about?” The demon lord looked between us all. “I could get rid of him now. He’s no more use to me now I know where that insipid sorcerer got to.”
I was trying to work out what to say to stop him, when Jaxon shifted back into his human form, now holding the sorcerer down with his foot on his chest. Gabriel was barely moving anyway, so it didn’t take much. Fully naked, Jaxon turned his glare on the demon lord. “You will do no such thing to my brother.”
The demon chuckled. “Ah, there it is. I knew this brotherly feud was skin deep.”
Skin deep? The feud had lasted years, but I brushed that aside and focused on my magic, pulling it toward the fledgling bond between Zeke and me. Energy rushed at my fingertips, but I figured something that fragile would be blown over like saplings in a downpour, so I eked magic into the connection, sprinkling it gently, nudging it against the walls. Warmth swelled through me as I realized it was working. And the stronger the bond got, the more I could feel Zeke’s emotions. He was angry, tired, and maybe even in a bit of shock. I got the sense the procedure the demon lord put him through had been incredibly unpleasant.
Now to test if I could reach him, too. I pushed excitement and the idea of coming home and attack at him, but the frown on his face told me as much as his confusion through the bond that he just wasn’t getting it. I rubbed my face and pulled magic from me and Jaxon and Cooper. All of it I pushed through that strengthened bond, into Zeke. He straightened a little, and his hand on the demon lord’s blade arm tightened. Confidence flashed through the bond. Still, I poured energy into him and the bond between us, and within minutes, I was stunned to feel it become even stronger than that between me and Cooper or Jaxon. I wondered . . . had I done enough to . . . ?
Zeke, it’s Del. Can you hear me?
Zeke blinked, his hand twitching around the demon lord’s arm. How are you talking to me?
I would’ve punched my fist in the air if it wouldn’t have tipped off the demon lord. Doesn’t matter. Look, use that strength. Bring the demon lord through the portal.
At the very least, he’d be stranded here without his minions until he could summon a new portal, and if Gabriel was telling the truth, this might all finally be over.
Zeke met Jaxon’s eyes, then mine, and he nodded.
Almost faster than my eye could follow, he grabbed the demon lord’s arm and wrenched it back to an angle I was sure could break it. The demon lord yelled for help, but before anyone could arrive, Zeke tackled him through the portal.
The demon threw out his arms to stop his fall, but the moment he touched the stony ground, he exploded into ash.
The portal blinked out, and I stared at Zeke. He’d fallen onto the ashy ground and was coughing up a storm, his face black, but he was alive. I exhaled in relief. He rubbed the worst of the ash from his eyes and came over to me. He glanced at Jaxon, but his brother didn’t move and neither did Cooper. They stood and watched as Zeke took my hands in his.
“Thank you for saving me,” he said. His voice choked a little, and I wasn’t sure if it was the ash or his emotions. “No one has helped and believed in me as much as you have since my mom died.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek.
I pulled my hands out of his and grabbed his shoulders, then hauled him in for a real kiss. I bit his lip, grabbed the back of his neck, and pressed him so close to me there wasn’t a breath between us. I had to taste him, smell him, reassure myself I hadn’t lost him, because when he sacrificed himself for us to get away, I wasn’t sure we’d ever find a way back to him. I was so happy to have this scheming rogue on my side, fighting for me. He was perfect, with all his rough edges.
Stopping the kiss, I looked into his eyes. They were hot and dark, his lips slightly parted, ready for more. I could feel his desire, his need, and how much he cared. Underneath his tough exterior, he’d needed this: a purpose and a family.
Jaxon dropped his hand onto Zeke’s shoulder and squeezed. To my surprise, it wasn’t hard enough to throttle him, either. It seemed almost friendly. Brotherly. Was the demon lord right? Was the feud finally over? I probed the bond and grinned. He’d meant every word. He’d protect his brother’s life like any good brother should.
Cooper brushed against me and then shifted back into his human form, and suddenly I was surrounded by two very hot, very naked mates and one almost-mate I really wanted to make official.
I bit my lip and forced myself to look over their heads, to the patrol appearing out of the trees with Amma and Tarzi. Not that I wasn’t glad to see them, but I had things to do. I chuckled at myself. That wasn’t fair. The sorcerer was incapacitated and the demon lord vanquished. We’d have all the time in the world to make it official.
Mark and Tori’s narrowed eyes demanded answers. Tarzi left them, rushing over to the woman lying on the ground and the sorcerer, a woman following at her heels with a medical bag.
“She’s a medic,” Cooper said, squeezing my hand.
I nodded. Good. I hoped Gabriel’s victim could be saved. “Who is she?” I asked, nodding to where she still lay, pale and unmoving.
“Candy,” he said. “She works at Tup’s.”
Tarzi crouched beside the sorcerer, her fingers against his neck. I swallowed hard. Right. I’d forgotten about him.
“Is he . . . ?” I asked.
Tarzi nodded. “Dead.”
I blew out my breath and smiled. “Good.”
The medic was busy checking the woman over, frowning. She called over a few wolves to help her carry her back to camp. I was sure they’d do all they could for her there. Already she looked a little less gray.
Tarzi stood and squinted at me and my men. “I’ll take Amma to the camp and leave you four to . . . replenish some energy.” She giggled with the feel of someone letting off steam. “Come on, Amma. Let’s leave your sister to her dinner.”
“Tarzi!” I shook my head. There was a time I would’ve smacked her for revealing so much about my eating habits to my sister. Amma was practically a daughter to me. But her powers were coming through. She had to learn how it all worked soon. Besides, I was still half shocked we’d actually done it. We’d won.
Amma forced a smile and walked with Tarzi toward the wolves moving through the trees.
Cooper squeezed my arm and then went to find his pile of clothing. He pulled a phone out of his pocket and brought it to his ear, but before he could get through to anyone, I heard Amma shouting about needing space. “Del! Why are wolves circling us?”
I glared at Jaxon. “Sort out your wolves, please.” They were supposed to be treating my sister and friend like family, not prisoners.
Jaxon growled. “Wolves! These people are our guests. The threat is gone!” His voice boomed out with the strength that was so clear in him. But his wolves advanced, led by Mark, toward Zeke. Again, I glared at Jaxon. He sighed and squeezed my hand. “Stop worrying,” he muttered. He then put his arm around Zeke. “My brother and I have come to an understanding. He . . . he saved us all, and he won’t be going back on trial.”
Zeke looked up at his brother, shock in his eyes. “Really?”
Jaxon huffed. “Don’t question it, brother,” he muttered.
Mark and the wolves froze and stiffly moved back to the others, dragging their tails. I bet we’d have a lot of explaining to do later on.
I blew out my breath, glad the tension had been stepped down. “Come on. Let’s get back into camp. All of us. I want to get settled and find somewhere for all of us to adjust to the new situation.” I peeked at Zeke. He was watching me, too.
Jaxon looked at his brother, and I squeezed his hand. “You okay with this?”
He frowned, but then the corner of his lip quirked. “He’s shown his value. He might be good enough to be a mate for you.”
“Just maybe?” Zeke asked, taking my other hand.
Jaxon gave a shrug, but the warmth that filtered down the bond told me he’d accepted the inevitable.
Cooper pushed warmth down the bond as well, showing he understood. I was going to be able to have all of them as my mates. Like the first hellhounds on this mountain, we’d be able to rule as one woman and three men. At least, as soon as we wrangled these wolves into accepting us. My succubus giggled inside me. That bitch had never been so lucky.
The patrol ran ahead of us, and the wolves had all hastily dressed, some buttons still askew here and there when we got back to camp. Tarzi and Amma sat on a log by the fire, but the others were all looking at us like they deserved answers. Don’t get me wrong, they did, but my succubus side had other ideas. Three of them. I glanced at Jaxon, but he was too focused on his wolves. Damn it. We were about to get delayed.
“I owe all of you an explanation. And you’ll get one, but we need a few hours to sort ourselves out and come to an agreement. Keep guarding the camp until then. The meeting is scheduled for . . . Cooper, what time is it now?”
He checked his phone. “Twelve.”
“Okay, great. The meeting is scheduled for five. If someone can make sure there’s food around then, too, that’d be perfect. We didn’t get much chance to eat in hell, and I could eat a house.” He smiled then, charm I usually saw on Zeke oozing out of him. He really was happy, and it was so great to see it on him.
Jaxon slung his arm around me. “I have a surprise for you, too.”
“How can you have a surprise?” He had no way to communicate with the people out here. Or did he set something up before we left? What the hell kind of surprise could that be? “What did you do?” I asked.
Jaxon rubbed the back of his head. “Things were tough, getting you and Cooper settled in with the pack. And sharing an RV with all three of us was pretty cramped. And I’m guessing that’s about to get even worse. But I wanted to make sure you felt more at home here.”
I frowned. “So, what’s the surprise?”
Cooper was smiling like he knew what was happening.
Jaxon led me through the camp, past several wolves, toward the parking lot. “It got here the night before we left.”
He nodded toward a shaded spot under tall trees, where a humongous, deluxe RV partially blocked access to the road. My heart lurched. That thing was big and shiny enough to house a rock star.
I blinked, opened my mouth, shut it, and looked up at him. He was grinning so wide his canines nicked his lower lip. That cat with the cream look about did me in.
“You got this for us?”
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a set of keys, tossing them to me. “Go on. Check it out.”
My hellhound yipped, brimming with energy, needing to find all the hidden cupboards and corners of her new territory. My succubus wanted to mark the territory as her own, and with planning this sweet surprise to cheer me up . . .
“You do like it?” Cooper asked, frowning.
I’d been quiet too long. Huffing, I grabbed them both by the sleeves and dragged them to the door. I beckoned Zeke over my shoulder. He followed, or else I’d have grabbed him, too. “I want to explore this place. All of it. But first I need to see the bedroom.” I giggled. I was going to need at least an hour in there with my mates.
I laced my fingers through Cooper’s and jumped up into the RV. Zeke closed the door behind the four of us.
From the brief glance I got as I made my way toward the bedroom, this place was huge. More house than vehicle. The front door opened onto a lounge with padded bench seats, cushions, and a fixed wooden table. It even had inbuilt cupboards and a bookcase. I could see myself curling up in a corner by the window and watching pack life pass by.
Cooper pointed to our right. “Bedroom and bathroom.”
“Excellent.” Kitchens were all basically the same anyway, right? My hellhound whined, desperate to see her new territory, but my succubus was totally on board as I strolled to the bedroom.
The bed took up the entire room. It was at least King size, maybe bigger. Jaxon had planned for us all to be comfortable, and that touched me in a way I couldn’t explain. He did so much for his people without being asked. He was so thoughtful. It was even big enough to allow for the surprise third mate—Zeke.
I bit my lip as I stared at the soft blue cotton sheets.
Cooper stood behind me and rubbed my shoulders. “Taking it all in?”
“Yeah.” My voice came out shaky. “I can’t believe he bought this for us. It must’ve been so expensive.”
“Eh, it’s more important that you feel at home,” Jaxon said, rubbing the back of his head.
I reached for him, keen to show him how much I loved his present, how much he’d given to all of us when he bought this RV.
My kiss was soft at first, exploring his lips, the musky scent of him, his hard chest. I tugged on his shirt and undid his jeans button. “Get this out my way.”
He slung off his clothes super fast and stood in front of me naked. I bit my lip, taking all of him in, from his strong jaw to his chiseled muscle and fat, hard cock. I swallowed against my dry throat and licked my lips. “Mine.”
He grabbed me by the back of my neck, tugging on some of my hair, and then swept me off my feet and carried me over to the bed. “And you’re mine.” He peeled my clothes off my body, opened my legs, and pressed his cock against my entrance. For a moment, he frowned, but I bucked my hips against him. With my succubus and all that tension building up to this moment, I didn’t need foreplay. “Do it. Now.”
Jaxon pushed into me and grabbed my hips, thrusting hard from the word go. I angled myself so he was hitting that sweet spot inside of me and moaned at that sweet friction. Jaxon’s gaze was all business, all man-wolf. Beyond his shoulder, my other men had stripped. I stared at Zeke, stroking his cock, a huge grin on his face as he waited his turn. And Cooper, a near mirror image on the other side. He tilted his head and nodded toward the bed, asking if he was welcome. I probed the bond with Jaxon and felt that he wouldn’t mind, so I invited Cooper over by patting the bed beside me.
He wasted no time, jumping up on the bed. Jaxon flipped me over so he could take me from behind. He gripped and slapped my ass in turn, the sound ringing out through the whole RV. The whole scene just made me even wetter. I pushed back hard against him, loving the feel as he got as deep as he could go.
Cooper scooted underneath me, pressed against the headboard, his cock below my nose. And seeing my blissed-out state and how I was being taken, he didn’t guide me to his cock, he grabbed a fistful of my hair and pushed me down onto him. I deep-throated him, feeling him in my throat, the throb of him against my tongue, his happy moan as I took him whole. I couldn’t get all the way down to the skin at the base of his cock, but I came close.
Jaxon rode me even harder, mumbling about how I was his woman, his mate, and how beautiful I was, ass in the air and ready for him. My mind was almost numb with pleasure, but I wanted more. I needed Zeke. I reached a hand out for him, and he came closer to the bed but not within reach. I would’ve complained, but my mouth was taken. So I pushed the need down the mate bonds.
After that, I barely knew which way was up. Jaxon upped his pace to a supernaturally fast speed, slapping against me. Cooper bucked in and out of my throat, and Zeke moved within reach, clasping my hand around his cock. His hand held mine in place, jacking him off. And with all three of them enjoying themselves and knowing all that was due to me, due to how I’d brought them together, and with the mate bonds wide open, telling me how happy they were, how lucky they felt, how close they were . . .
Fuck. Fuck. My brain shorted out under the huge weight of Jaxon and Cooper coming. I couldn’t move. All my muscles were tense. I was so close. Jaxon pulled out of me and moved to the side, and Cooper rested my head on his lap. Zeke moved out of my grip and thrust his fingers into my ass. I moaned and pushed back against him, once more climbing to that precipice. I was ready for him after a few minutes.
Zeke pushed into my ass slowly and turned me so we lay on our sides, his arms holding me. Like the others, his bond was alight with lust, but he didn’t move faster for it; he slowed down, taking his time. Each thrust of his cock was like a stroke, stretching me, filling me with warmth.
I moaned and begged him for more. Harder. Faster. He kissed down my neck, slowing down if anything. Then he closed his hand around my throat, and I grinned, looking up at Cooper beside me. He had the biggest grin on his face seeing me taken like this. Hell, he was already half-hard again. I swallowed, my throat sore but happy at the thought of a round two.
Zeke sucked on my neck, stealing my attention. His hand slid down my side, over my waist, and around to my clit. He brushed the edge of it, barely touching, and I trembled, my hips jumping up to follow his hand. He stopped me. His mouth sucked on my earlobe and whispered in my ear, “I’m making it real, Del. No going back now.”
“I wouldn’t want to.”
“Good.”
He closed his mouth around my throat and bit down at the same time as his fingers rubbed my clit. In that second, I fell into orgasm, my world igniting with pleasure. All my nerves twitched, and I felt him come inside me. I moaned again, new waves of energy and pleasure coursing through me. I felt almost as much power as I had when I’d sucked all those trinkets dry. I grabbed Zeke’s hand and pulled it off my neck, farther around me. Then I sunk my teeth into his arm, biting him back.
Magic coursed through the bond between us, taking away the reinforcement I’d given our fragile bond and replacing it with the metaphysical magic of a true mate bond. We were mated. Finally. I kissed his arm where I’d left the bite mark and beamed at all my men. This was perfect. So fucking perfect.