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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.”
