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“I know that’s how you see me, Cort. The fair maiden has tamed the beast, and the beast is grateful with each breath.”
She turned over his hand to gently press her lips against his knuckles. “What happened to you after? How did you find other werewolves?”
“Aidan was the one who found me.”
The vampire searched his gaze, silently urging him to continue.
“For an alpha to be by himself—it’s both torturous and tragic. We’re built to care for other people, and it can be dangerous for us to be alone. I was on my own for three months after being bitten, and every night, I’d voice my pain to the sky, knowing no one would hear me. Sometimes, the feral one who made me crept back into my nightmares, watching me, and I’d wake up and run until I collapsed. It got to the point that I couldn’t run anymore—that I no longer cared—and I stopped running. I started to think that even if it was the feral one, my mother’s killer, who answered back, it would have been better than the lone howl."
She knew without a doubt he had been ready to face death, and maybe even sought it.
“Then, one night, a powerful beast stared at me through the brush. He was different, sane, and his presence was overwhelming. My wolf immediately rose to challenge this other alpha, baring teeth and snarling, on the edge of going feral myself. Try as I might, I wasn’t dominant to him.”
Cortana’s fingers interlaced with his and squeezed.
“When Aidan shifted back, he compelled me to go human, too. I wondered if he’d kill me, but instead of cruelty, he showed me mercy. He was kind in a vicious world. Took me in and gave me a new family, helped me learn about being a good alpha. It was the start of a new life.”
“I’m glad he found you, Riaz,” his mate whispered. “I hate the thought of you being alone.”
“Good thing I’ll never be alone again, Mistress of Shadows.”
“You never need to fear it. I will never abandon you. You’re mine; I’ve claimed you. And if anyone so much as thinks about isolating you again, I’ll eviscerate them and leave them out for the wild wolves to find.”
Riaz couldn’t contain the chuckle that bubbled in his chest. “Bloodthirsty, I like it. Fate is certainly a fickle creature. But I’m not complaining, especially when it gave me you.”
***
Twenty-four hours after the attack on D’Ancouer, Cortana resumed her post. Remmus, delighted to retake his taxi role, escorted them to her grandsire’s Lexington House where the majority of their residents had been taken for recovery.
Fortunately, D’Ancouer boasted a large percentage of exceptionally gifted older vampires, hailing from strong bloodlines and overcoming any poisoning without repercussion. They were fortunate that none had died.
The worst off, surprisingly, was Drake. When his people had been endangered, he’d answered the call, physically taking them from the poisoned—and then burning—building alongside Riaz and Gideon. Though he was an ancient vampire, burns had lined his trachea and the sunlight particles entered his blood stream, depleting his strength and stamina along with it.
Drake’s sire, Nina, had personally taken the responsibility of restoring him to health. When Cortana found him in the den of the expansive Kentucky estate, his fangs were lodged in her arm.
Averting her eyes, she halted a respectful distance away. As with any feeding, it was private, personal, and when done with their sire, it held an added layer of familiarity. Toni’s features were lined in worry, her fingers resting on his back as the Greek vampire finished his feed and respectfully sealed the twin puncture wounds in Nina’s arm.
“Thank you, sire,” he muttered benevolently, his voice still raspy. “We cannot repay your aid.”
“Nonsense. I’m happy we caught it before it claimed any lives.” Ice blue eyes, telltale of the breed’s founder, focused on the wolf at Cortana’s side. “I think we have you to thank for that, don’t we?”
Shrugging, the alpha smiled. “Team effort, Nina. Remmus played an important part.”
“Of course I did.” The swaggering male in question brushed past them only moments later, happily munching on a bag of chips. “M.V.P. right here.”
Everyone else rolled their eyes, but Nina’s stay fixed upon Cortana. The level of her attentiveness felt overwhelming for a moment, making her shift uneasily on her feet. Then, as if sensing Cortana’s unease, Nina offered her a slight smile.
“I’m happy for you, Cortana.”
At Nina’s kindhearted words, she and Riaz became the focal point, as the rest of the room’s inhabitants took them in with interested eyes.
Toni was the first one to break the silence, her bubbly voice an octave higher. “Are you mated?”
When Cortana’s cheeks pinked, she turned to Riaz. The wolf, delighted, cinched an arm around his vampire’s waist and pulled her into his body.
“All mine and proud of it.”
A squeal was Toni’s response before she bounded over to yank Cortana into an exceptionally strong hug, then doing the same with Riaz. Remmus started a slow, one-person clap while giving them an impish grin.
