6. Chapter Six

Waiting in the den was the group of werewolves Riaz trusted with his life. Arno and Nico had gathered near the center of the room, the pair of them rounding out his beta team alongside Gadriel and Ava. Wide grins met his and Cortana's approach, the troop falling silent as he drew near, with one exception.

"What's happened to our glorious alpha that he now calls us together for a meeting?"

Riaz threw Arno a devil-may-care smirk. "It seems our guest has found my less than formal methods … lacking."

Nico cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Blasphemy!"

"See, little Pet?" Riaz said. "My system works."

Her look of disdain didn't falter. "Forgive my disbelief."

Pivoting, Riaz pointed toward his team. "Gadriel you're already too familiar with."

Riaz unceremoniously booted the grinning beta in the butt, taking great pleasure in seeing him stumble sideways and nearly trip. He let loose a snarky laugh at the other man's expense.

Turning back toward Cortana, Gadriel explained, "Our alpha clearly has some issues. If you'd like a full list, I'd be happy to expand upon them in private."

Cortana's cheeks blushed a beautiful shade of red—nearly the same shade as Gadriel's hair. Fighting the irrational urge to snarl at his flirtatious friend, Riaz merely pointed to the next.

"Nico."

Nodding politely but remaining where he was, the dark-haired wolf gave her a grand smile. Hailing originally from Spain, Nico was multilingual and an incomparable asset to the den. Moreover, Riaz considered him one of his closest friends.

Satisfied, he continued, "The blonde fool over there is Arno."

Fighting a smile, Arno extended his hand. The Swede was a walking, talking version of the ancient Vikings, and the only member of Riaz's pack who was taller than he was.

"When alpha calls me a fool, he's really professing his undying love."

A solid handshake accompanied the sentiment, before Arno retreated with a keen eye watching out for Riaz's boot.

"There." Riaz dusted his hands together, clearly through with the charade of formal introductions. "Now you're all caught up, Pet."

"Not your Pet, Fido," the vampire reminded him, "though I do appreciate your attempt at civility."

Behind her, Ava chuckled. "I quite like having you around, Cortana. Maybe you can teach him some new tricks."

The suggestion heated his blood before he could stop it. "Yes, I'd love to see some of your tricks, little vampire. But then I'll get to pick my treats."

"Dream on, wolfie." Cortana's blank look put him on ice. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to do my job. I did come here with a purpose in mind."

"Of course, of course," Riaz sighed. "Let's put on our ‘Officially Boring' hats and be on with it."

"Perfect. I'll throw on something a bit more appropriate and we can be on our way."

Without waiting for his response, the little harridan strode away. Riaz couldn't help but stare at her retreating figure, the hourglass shape of her body and the sultry way she walked. There was a grace to her that was only emphasized by her supernatural nature, and the contrast between her strait-laced appearance and the fire within was even more fodder for his interest.

His wolf had taken to pacing beneath his skin, salivating for her touch with a yearning too keen to ignore. It'd taken everything he had within him not to pounce when he'd had her near and step back when she'd riled him up earlier.

"Earth to alpha."

Riaz's attention snapped back to his frowning betas, realizing they'd been clamoring for his attention for a while.

"Huh?"

"Dude, where is your mind?" Gadriel questioned, a hint of a smirk touching his lips. "Your eyes are all wolf."

Riaz hadn't even noticed the change and didn't attempt to excuse himself. Ava snickered, hiding her smile behind a well-placed hand from where she stood next to him.

"You might want to wipe off your drool, Fido."

Snapping his teeth at her a few times, he settled for giving her a wild grin. "She intrigues my wolf. Can't help it."

"Careful you don't end up so intrigued you bite off more than you can chew, oh mighty alpha." Arno had the audacity to give him a whimper, comically twisting his lips to a frown and clutching dramatically at his heart.

"Noted. But she's far too strict. Makes me want to get her to loosen up."

"I'd love to see that battle of wills, alpha."

Unable to keep the smirk at bay, he dismissed his betas with a wave of his hand and stalked after the woman in question. Slowly, he walked toward her borrowed living quarters, chuckling to himself when he found the door closed.

No close calls this time, he thought.

Riaz rapped his knuckles against the door, impatiently waiting as he strained his ears to catch sounds of movement. "Come on, Mistress of Shadows, we've got places to be."

The door swung open without warning, revealing the leather-clad vampire he'd been teasing. Jaw dropping before he could stop it, Riaz openly admired her shapely legs and the way the black leather clung to each delectable curve.

At least this time, he was aware his eyes had gone orange.

As the wolf looked his fill, Riaz's couldn't help but play out the scenario where he'd wrap Cortana up in his arms, toss her over his shoulder, and haul her back into the bedroom to have his wicked way with her. Every kiss would be smoldering, every bite a sultry reminder of the predator within, every—

"Why has your wolf risen to the surface?"

Spoken as if to an inebriated fool, her question tore him away for his delicious daydream. "My wolf has an insatiable appetite for beauty, and Pet, you've just filled me up."

"You're ridiculous." Cortana's blank expression, apparently too well-schooled to betray any emotion, made his shoulders slump.

"No," he replied seriously before his humor got the best of him. "I'm Riaz."

The vampire fisted her hands on her hips but said nothing, challenging him with a dominant stare all of her own. While his wolf delighted in her ferocity, the beast was alpha to the core and the open defiance she showed rubbed his fur the wrong way.

Animal instincts screaming to demonstrate his dominance, the human side of Riaz knew it wouldn't end well. Instead of snarling and gnashing his teeth together, he leaned forward while he maintained eye contact, aligning their faces so that he could peer directly into those beautiful brown eyes.

Riaz couldn't help the raspiness that deepened his voice. "As much as I appreciate your fire, Pet, this is my den, and my wolf is a dominant alpha by nature. If you continue to glare at me unrepentantly, he will demand to respond to the perceived dominance challenge."

One blink, two.

And then, the little vampire did what he didn't expect: she took his advice. Averting her eyes, she willfully took a step back and loosened her stance. His wolf had already started to settle when she opened her mouth to speak, and he beat her to the punch.

"Let's go, Countess Dracula! The night's a wastin'!"

Propping his elbow, he was positively giddy when her fingers tentatively curled around his bicep. She wasn't holding a grudge, and his wolf was on cloud nine.

They didn't exchange another word as he whisked her off down the corridor, making a beeline for the garage where the pack's vehicles resided. As any good wolf, Riaz much preferred four feet to wheels, but he couldn't very well tell Cortana that she had to jog into town.

Comfortable in the jeans and dark T-shirt he'd donned just before they entered the den, grabbed his leather jacket from a hook just inside the garage. Slinging it over his shoulders, he strode toward their vehicle, Cortana in tow.

He knew the exact moment when she realized what they were taking.