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“Am I okay?” Wincing, a sound of exasperation escaped her. “I just attacked you!”
“I don’t know that ‘attack’ is the right word.” He sat up, forearms resting on his knees, and gave a casual shrug alongside an equally casual grin. “I thought it was quite pleasurable.”
“Pleasurable?” Cortana’s voice rose to a higher pitch. “I could’ve torn your throat out or drained you dry.”
“Believe it or not, Pet, I think I can stand to lose a few drops of blood before I wither like a wilting flower.”
Rising to his feet, he closed the distance between them, his massive body standing a foot taller. Riaz’s russet brown eyes gazed down at her, but Cortana’s attention was fixated on the throbbing pulse in his neck, the two puncture wounds which still wept blood following her hasty exit.
“I need to seal them.”
“What now?”
A quick glance at his features revealed a genuine question, and she took pity on the poor wolf. “Where I … bit you. I need to seal the puncture wounds.”
An all-male slant of his lips, masculinity personified. “As you wish, my friendly neighborhood vampire.”
She threw him a cutting look before rising up on her tip toes, the pads of her fingers lightly settling on his broad shoulders to steady herself. Not risking a glance at his handsome features, she brushed her tongue over the twin puncture wounds.
The salty taste of his skin mingled with the sweet nectar of his blood, and it was everything Cortana could do to refrain from sinking her fangs back into him. Closing her eyes, she mentally recounted why she’d abstained from the chase all these years, remembering what it’d felt like when she took the lifeblood of the man she’d loved so many centuries ago.
“Cort?”
The note of anxiety in Riaz’s voice had her eyes snapping open in the next instant, focusing on his face. Riaz was staring at the yellow-orange haze that flared over the mountains.
The wildfire, burning quickly and without inhibition, had drawn closer. From where they’d landed after their impromptu romp, Riaz and Cortana had a panoramic view of the surrounding area and the incoming devastation.
“Let’s return to the den, Pet.”
By the time they’d returned to the air-conditioned chill, Cortana’s resolve was set. One, that she’d call a friend to see about preventing the wildfires from threatening the den; and two, that she’d never taste Riaz’s blood again.
No matter how delectable she found it, it wasn’t worth risking his life.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Anxiety, thick and cloying, was Riaz’s constant companion. Hidden behind well-practiced smiles and a relaxed outlook, a casual observer would never guess that his wolf was pacing in his chest, claws tearing at his insides in an overwhelming urge to flee. In this, his wolf was fearful, but Riaz was not.
“Does your wolf want to evacuate?”
Ava, astute woman that she was, had seen past his façade and pulled the rug out from under him. Riaz glanced up at her from where he sat cozily in his office chair amid the towers of papers and books.
“Not yet. But soon, perhaps.”
“We’ll make plans.” Gadriel gave him a nod from the door. A question remained behind his eyes—a sentiment mirrored in Ava’s.
“We’ll strike at the plant prior to leaving,” he confirmed, relishing the look of approval from both of his betas, “but we need to know the layout of the main facility. Have you acquired the plans, Gad?”
A disgruntled snort. “No. They don’t exist anywhere but on paper, and those papers are locked securely in their offices … in the main facility.”
“We know enough, however, to reasonably guess the layout.” Ava propped herself against one of the chairs, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “If we can get in to confirm the furnace’s make and model, Cortana said she can design the charges to make it look like a gas explosion.”
Riaz nodded and got to his feet. “Tell me what I’m looking for.”
Ava balked, the fierce look overtaking the shock seconds later. “You’re not vaccinated, Riaz. We can send another to scout.”
“The vaccine isn’t one hundred percent effective, Ava. Besides, my wolf is keen to spill blood. I’d rather not tie his paws.”
Ava cursed. “They already know we’re gunning for them. They’ll have ramped up security.”
