“Watch it,” Max barked.
She reined in her next insult, because one, she didn’t want to hurt her favorite cousin, and two, she could feel his power surging in the vehicle, which rocked on two wheels before settling. Hmm. Max wasa lotstronger than she’d thought, and wasn’t that fascinating?
“You’ve been holding out on me,” she said, wide-eyed.
“Leave it. Explain to me how we’re going to get the artifact back from lying, sniveling, weasel-face Talon.”
“Not a weasel-face, really,” Riley said.
Kraft curled his lip in distaste. “Close enough.”
Apparently, he was still irked that she’d described Talon as handsome. His small show of jealousy warmed her heart when it should have meant nothing. She and Kraft were just playing around. Blowing off steam and enjoying physical touch. Weren’t they?
Yet the thought of him with anyone else... She didn’t like it. Period. And Kraft felt the same.
What did that mean?
She turned around in the SUV to see him blinking at her, like Paz who was nearly asleep and half buried under Kraft’s big hand. The idea of that glorious skin burning when the sun came up started to really worry her.
“You need to get to safety inside. I’ll come back when the sun goes down.”
Max frowned at her. “You have to sleep sometime, Riley.”
“Yes,” Kraft agreed. “Sleep with me and we’ll go out together tonight.”
“Sleep with her? You mean, in your house? Or in yourbed?” Max enunciated.
“Bed,” Kraft said with a grin, saw Riley’s frown, and coughed. “Kidding. Hecate has a ton of rooms. You’re welcome to stay too, Max. I just need to warn the others that you’re a guest and not a returning prisoner. Although if you don’t show me the respect I’m due, I might make you breakfast.” Kraft licked his lips.
Riley should have been scared of him, but somewhere during their time working together, she’d realized she didn’t fear him. Not that he wasn’t a born killer, but he had a sense of right and wrong. For Kraft, killing those he considered comrades wouldn’t sit right. For all that he was a dreaded blood-drinker and death-bringer, Kraft knew the meaning of loyalty.
“I need to talk to Mormo anyway.” Max sighed, not showing a lick of fear for the vampire either.
Wait. Mormo... Riley jumped all over that. “What do you need to talk to him about, exactly?”
Max said nothing.
“I bet it’s nunya,” Kraft said.
“What?” Riley asked, noting the sky growing more visible.
“Bizness!”
Paz snickered, and even Max cracked up.
“Still works, even days later,” Kraft said on a laugh.
Riley wasn’t amused, concerned about the nearing sunrise. “We need to drive faster.”
“Relax, berserker. Your cousin and future alpha is entitled to some secrets, isn’t he?”
“Oh, I know I am,” Max said with a cocksure confidence. “Just like Riley is. Because if my uncle knew that she was already ma—”
He swerved when Paz hissed and flew from the backseat to land on his lap.
Riley blinked. It sure looked as if Kraft had thrown that little sucker like a shotput.
Max nearly hit the car coming from another direction. “Damn it!” Some beeping and swearing and he righted the SUV on the road.
