But Riley had never been one to play it safe, and she struggled in his hold, ignoring the sting of pain at her neck.
“Cease, female,” the vampire snapped. “I’m talking to your leader.”
Is he talking aboutyouas our leader?she said to Max, who flushed and frowned at her, answering,You’re such an ass.
“Why are you here?” Uncle Jack asked. “We’ve done nothing to your clan, yet you imprisoned Max and now you do harm to my niece. You seek war.”
“I seek an artifact.”
Her uncle exchanged a look with his wife. “An artifact?”
“A small statue that belongs to my patron.” When Riley squirmed again, the vampire squeezed her breathless and whispered close to her ear, “Easy, lycan. I mean you no harm.”
An odd thing to say with his claws out and his fangs so close to her neck, but since he seemed to be sincere in wanting to talk to her uncle, she stopped moving, deciding to become a dead weight to hamper him. Instead, the weirdo cuddled her and sighed, his breath ruffling her fur.
Ew. So gross. And no, she wasn’t noticing how easily he held her, how firm his large, broad chest and arms felt.I hate this so much.
She glared at her cousin, the instigator of it all.
He shrugged.Not my fault.
“Perhaps we could sit down, share a beer, and talk like civilized beasts, eh?” her uncle suggested, which had everyone looking at him as if he’d lost his marbles.
And maybe he had.
The vampire laughed. “An excellent idea.” He gently set her down, as if she were a puppy and not a three hundred plus pound berserker. Even worse, he ignored the way she bristled and showed her teeth, just daring him to touch her again. She’d bite his damn hand off. “Let’s talk later, eh, beauty?”
Fuck off.
In a low voice, he said, “Such soft fur, yet so thick too, a gift from mother earth.”
She turned on her heel and left, ignoring his murmured compliment. Max owed her big for this. But first, she had to make sure the vampire didn’t kill anyone in the pack.
She trotted to Cole, their beta, to affirm the security measures already in place and grab that vampire stake she’d bought from the mages a few days ago, just in case. Then she’d return to protect her alpha, with her dying breath if need be.
Kraft watchedthe most magnificent lycan he’d ever seen leave with an angry step. Mother Night, but he felt his heart racing as he watched her. That ash-gray fur flecked with black and those blazing blue eyes entranced him. She’d trembled in his arms. Not with fear but with rage, and he was shocked to find himself so intrigued by the angry creature.
“You wanted to talk?” his prey reminded him.
He glanced back at the lycan he’d played video games with in their basement in between interrogations. “Ah, my prey.” He glanced at the alpha, seeing the resemblance, and smiled. “The alpha’s son?”
“Correct.” The younger male nodded.
“I am Jack Bramson,” the alpha interrupted, his voice low, authoritative. “Alpha of the Crimson Claw. My son, Max, you apparently know,” Jack said drily. “Come. We’ll talk in the commons. Surrounded by our soldiers and enforcers. Step out of line and we’ll kill you, vampire. That’s a promise.”
Kraft could appreciate that. “Fair is fair.” He nodded. “I am Kraft of the Night Bloode. I was told your son has information we need.”
“We?” Jack asked as he walked side by side with Kraft.
Impressed with the older male who showed almost no fear, only a small trickle Kraft could barely scent, Kraft answered, “My mistress.” And didn’t that leave a bitter taste on his tongue. “Hecate.” Maybe the witch goddess’s name would open doors that torture and threat of dismemberment hadn’t.
Jack blinked. “Your mistress is Hecate? I thought vampires didn’t worship gods.”
“We don’t,” Kraft growled.
They walked on the edge of what seemed like a small village, a cluster of rustic cabins to one side separated from the town by a dirt road and trees everywhere. The town looked as if it had been built to exist with nature, not despite it.
He saw a post office, a bar, a diner, and a restaurant. And across the street, a mercantile and clothing store. A few larger, nondescript buildings anchored the small storefront, but other than that, forest swallowed up the civilized space. Kraft liked it. A hidden town full of direwolves in the middle of nature. It kind of reminded him of the home he’d grown up in, across the ocean.
