His gaze went distant for a moment, his lips twitching at something Taco must have said through the Clan Link. Then he looked at me, and his expression sharpened.
“We’ll pick up where we left off later.”
I took Alanna back, about to decline, when she growled at me. I blinked. “Did she just growl at me?”
My mate looked thoroughly amused.
“What are you teaching her?”
He placed a hand over his chest. “I didn’t teach her that, but it’s bound to happen in a house full of shifters.”
I studied her sweet face and clear blue eyes. Yeah. That tracked.
I sighed. “Okay.” I shifted her so she could see Riggs, and she instantly quieted again. I scowled, then huffed out a laugh. She’d grown so attached to the Clan in only a few weeks. I hadn’t been prepared for that.
Bouncing her lightly, I looked at my mate. “I want to go out with the enforcers the next time they do a mass perimeter check.”
He frowned. “Why? I’m not saying it can’t be done, but why would you purposely put yourself in danger?”
I started lightly pacing, trying to figure out how to say what I was coming to accept. Barrett wanted to hurt me, but he was smart enough not to attack when he was at a disadvantage. I needed to break the status quo.
“He’s not going to attack if he’s at a disadvantage,” I said, continuing to pace. “He’s going to keep up this cat-and-mouse game for as long as it suits him. And right now, that’s looking like it’s going to last a long time unless we do something to disrupt his plans.”
I let Alanna suck on my knuckle as I moved. “I don’t know if it’ll draw him out, but I want to get on with my life. I can’t keep sitting here day after day, waiting for something to happen.”
Riggs exhaled and sank onto the couch. “I hear you,” he said softly. “It goes against everything in me, too. I’d much rather be out there hunting him down, but I’m needed here to protect you and Alanna.”
I sat beside him. One of my favorite things about Riggs was that he listened. He had his own preferences and priorities, but he didn’t let them stop him from hearing people out. As alpha, he overrode decisions when needed, but he didn’t dismiss them outright. Except maybe with Taco.
“I don’t think I can send you out without me, Piper. My bear is already struggling. As am I.”
He looked it. For a moment, the walls he kept so carefully in place slipped, and I saw how much this was costing him.
The unformed mate bond pulsed, and I had to close my eyes to stop myself from reaching for him. When I opened them again, the walls were back, but his gaze remained steady.
“We can’t both be away from Alanna,” I said.
“We could leave her with someone we trust. King Draven and his consort, maybe. Or Finn. Even Dice and Rhys would be able to protect her.” He paused. “I’d say leave her with the Clan, but we’ll need everyone for the sweep. We’ve been covering as much ground as possible, but there are gaps Barrett could exploit if he’s clever enough.”
Which, of course, he was.
“You said King Draven is a master vampire? His house must be a fortress. I think we should leave her there.”
Riggs stood and helped me to my feet. “I’ll make some calls.”
I nodded. “I’ll eat, get her fed, and get ready.”
Dropping off Alanna was hard.I hadn’t been around many vampires, but Mia, Draven’s mate and wife, would be there, though she looked a little unwell. King Draven’s guards would be protecting them and the property as well.
She was as safe as I could make her.
I kissed her face, and she scrunched it in protest.
“You used to like me,” I whispered, smoothing the downy flyaway hair on top of her head. “And youwilllike me again. Remember, girls rule and boys drool.”
Behind me, my mate choked on a laugh. “Are you trying to poison her against us?” he asked quietly, mindful of the low conversation happening nearby between King Draven and Mia.Neither of us wanted to interrupt what looked like an intense discussion.
Frankly, I was doing my best to ignore them. Shifter hearing made that difficult. I’d lost count of how many times I’d overheard things I wished I could erase from my brain.
