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His chuckle was soft, a sound meant only for me. “Not quite.”
Before I could toss another quip his way, Niko closed the space between us. His hands found their way to my waist, pulling me against him with an unexpected urgency. My breath hitched as his lips pressed against mine, insistent and fiery—and definitely not the work of any djinni we were after. This was pure, unadulterated werewolf passion, and it was directed at me.
My brain told me this was a bad idea—I’d sworn off both Riker and Niko after the last case. But as Niko kissed me with a fervor that hinted at moonlit forests and wild, untamed nights, all thoughts of professionalism skittered away.
“Te quería desde que te vi,” he murmured against my mouth, his breath fanning over my skin in hot waves. I wanted... since I saw you.
I leaned into him, my own hands exploring the contours of muscle beneath his shirt.
But then, like a splash of cold water—or maybe holy water, given our line of work—reality intruded. Riker. His image flashed behind my closed eyes: stern, determined, a rock amidst the chaos, with that glint of something soft just for me.
My breath hitched, and I pulled back, my mind a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. I looked at Niko, his eyes dark with desire, and wondered what kind of game I was playing. Fire and ice, werewolf and hunter—one with the promise of wild adventure, the other with the allure of stability. And there I was, utterly flammable, standing between them, wondering which flame would consume me—or if I’d end up extinguishing them both.
“Whoa, cowboy,” I managed when his lips finally left mine, leaving me with the sensation of having been caught in a whirlwind. “What’s gotten into you?” With a wry smile, I peeled myself away from Niko’s intoxicating presence, my breath still catching in little hiccups that I blamed on the chilly night air. .
Niko’s grin flashed in the dim light, a mix of mischief and something deeper, something that made me think of moonlight on water—beautiful but dangerous, because who knew what lurked beneath the surface?
“Let’s keep watch,” I said, shaking off the lingering warmth of his kiss. “Wouldn’t want our fiery friend to catch us off guard.”
“Right,” Niko agreed, though his eyes still held a flicker of something that wasn’t entirely focused on the job at hand.
“Besides,” I added, with a smirk that I hoped covered up the fact that my pulse was still doing somersaults, “we’ve got monsters to catch, and I’m not letting some hot-blooded werewolf distract me from the prize.”
“Hot-blooded, huh?” Niko raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling up.
“Figure of speech,” I shot back.
Casting a final glance at Niko before turning toward the sprawling expanse of the construction site, I reached up until my hands found the comfort of the cold binoculars dangling around my neck, and I scanned the frames of half-finished buildings for any sign of otherworldly mischief.
Minutes ticked by. The silence of the night was punctuated only by the occasional flutter of wings or the distant sound of traffic, lulling me into a sort of tense vigilance.
And then, there it was—a flicker of movement that wasn’t quite human. A shadow detached itself from the darkness, coalescing into a figure that was both there and not there, a smudge of charcoal on reality’s canvas. It raised its arms, fingers splayed wide, and murmured words that seemed to dance on the edge of hearing—too soft to make out but resonating with an ancient power that sent shivers down my spine.
Around the figure, the air shimmered with what looked like a heat-haze, even though the night was cool. Wisps of light gathered, swirling into patterns that defied geometry, twisting into symbols that belonged in a tome of forbidden lore rather than a modern urban landscape. Each gesture the figure made was fluid, precise.
The ground beneath the figure’s feet cracked, glowing veins of molten light spreading outward like a spiderweb. In the heart of this luminescent fissure, something pulsed—a heartbeat of pure magic that grew stronger, louder, demanding attention.
And as much as part of me wanted to rush headlong into the fray, for now I watched, waited, and prepared for the inevitable clash between our world and theirs
The figure before me dipped his hands into a well of shadows that hadn’t been there a moment ago, pulling strands of darkness and weaving them into something tangible.
I saw Riker peel away from the shadows behind the figure. At almost the same moment, that figure turned its face toward me, and a beam of moonlight illuminated it.
In that split second, I saw Cairo’s profile—the same earnest eyes that had implored me for help earlier that day in my office.
Not a danger, he’d sworn.
I needed to talk to him.
“Riker, stop!” I yelled, throwing myself forward.
Cairo’s form blurred, as though he were becoming one with the night itself, every movement blending shadow and substance until they were indistinguishable. But Riker didn’t care for subtleties or magic shows; he was a predator, single-minded and unstoppable once he had his prey in sight.
Riker moved with the silent grace of a panther, every muscle coiled for the kill. There was an art to his ruthlessness, a beauty in the certainty with which he approached his target. If this was a dance, then Riker was the grim reaper come to take Cairo’s soul.
“Damn it, Riker! Don’t!”
Cairo stopped, staring at me. Riker continued moving.
