With shock at first

A/N: Happy Holidays, everybody! And to celebrate the new year, here is a new chapter from yours truly.

I hope you enjoy it, and if so, please remember to review.

Laurel's POV

Kira blinked rapidly as her expression changed.

"What the...you own me?!" She asked, her eyes wide with surprise. "How..." She trailed off, shocked at the sudden development.

You placed an arm around your ex-girlfriend to comfort her in this moment of confusion. "Unexpected, I know. But don't worry, like I said, Michael is a nice Master."

Kira's eyes widened as she turned to look at you. "Wait, are you saying that...?"

You nodded and showed her his proof of ownership in the back of your hand. "Our Master explained it to me. He actually owns countless people, objects, and places, but, especially when it comes to people, they have a hard time realizing it if they have never met him before. So, writing his name on his unknowing pieces of property helps them remember. Which is why you discovered the truth when our owner illuminated his claim on your skin."

"Right," Your ex said slowly as she looked back at the rest of the group. "Does that mean that the rest of the group is also...?"

As if on cue, Amelia Barnes and Sergeant Garcia exposed the sections of their skin that proved they also belonged to their one true master. Kira was silent for a moment, but then looked at Michael and nodded.

"Well, I suppose I can't argue with that," She remarked with a resigned tone. "The absolute proof is right there and on me too."

Their owner seemed to find her choice of words a bit amusing, because he chuckled briefly. But then, his expression turned serious once more. "Indeed. But like Laurel told you, I intend to do my best to provide for all the people under my command and improve our chances of long-term survival in exchange for their loyalty and support for my group. And besides," He added with a wide smile. "You won't have to worry about hiding your true feelings for Laurel under my protection."

There was a long moment of silence as Kira came to terms with the full weight of their owner's words, her eyes wide the entire time. But then she turned back to you, and you could see she had started to tear up. Her face read that she wanted to believe him but didn't want to get her hopes up. You gave her a sad smile, remembering all those moments when they had wanted to express their affection together but didn't dare risk it.

So, you held her beautiful face in your hands and decided to be convincing with your lips.

Kira stiffened for a moment, probably due to **** of habit due to the fact that she knew others could see them. But you kept at it, enjoying the taste of her full lips in front of other people for the first time in so long. And when nothing bad happened, she embraced you as she pulled you closer into the kiss.

And, as you locked your lips more forcefully, the hunger that you had felt for your wonderful lover this whole time became ever more apparent...

And then you remembered your request to your Master and focused once more.

So, with a sigh, you broke away.

"Mmm," Kira hummed in contentment. "I have really missed that.

"You and me both," You assured her with a smile. "But there will be plenty of time to celebrate our newfound freedom later. Right now, we still have to find my sister."

"Of course," She said with a nod of acceptance.

Still, she soon turned to look at their owner and gave him a radiant smile. "Thank you so much, Master. For letting us have this again."

"My pleasure, Ms. Preto," He replied with a grin. "And for what it is worth, I am sorry you had to hide under the thumb of a violent **** like Carlos for so long. Rest assured, we will do what we can to rescue Sofia from the gang."

You smiled at your one true Master at that. Feeling so grateful. Soon, however, they heard steps approaching towards the entrance, and you turned to see Lieutenant Mills return to the building. She took a long look at Kira then focused on the mark of ownership and nodded, seemingly satisfied at what she saw.

"Nice outfit," She commented, looking at her sport's bra and exercise shorts. "Useful for running, which should be important if you need to make a quick tactical retreat."

"Thanks," Kira said after a moment. "And you are?"

"LT Mills, our Master's second-in-command," She responded, a touch of pride in her voice.

"And why shouldn't she?" The thought crossed your mind. "She has such a privileged position among my sisters-in-ownership."

Kira turned to look at their owner for verification, but he just nodded with a smile. So, the good lieutenant focused back on Master Michael with the introductions out of the way.

"Mission accomplished, sir!" Mills said as she saluted. "I used some of the jerry cans to fill the tank of the best and biggest among the abandoned pickup truck that I could find nearby. We will be able to carry more supplies on the first trip back to base now. I have the keys."

"Excellent job, LT," He said with a nod of approval.

Then he turned to my lover once again. "Now, before we finish organizing the final details for how to extract Sofia from the gang, I would like to know what you can tell me about where your former group is holding up. Any additional details could be crucial. And Kira, would you mind telling me about any jobs you worked before society started to collapse? Even if they do not seem notable right now, some of the skill sets you may have developed could become useful for our group later. Plus, I like knowing what we have to work with when welcoming new members into our group."

Kira straightened her back at that, clearly thinking about it for a moment before responding.

A/N: I already picked one of these skill sets that Kira would have learned in her old profession before the zombies came. But people usually have more than one main job in their lives. So, if you have any suggestions from a past job that I feel would complement well with my plans and would be helpful for the benefit of the group (and that it's not too similar to the professions they have acquired so far), I may very well choose your idea as well. Feel free to leave a comment of message me on Chyoa if you have any suggestions to share there.

Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it, and until next time. Happy new year to all of you and thanks for all the support so far!