“Really?” asked Riley.
“No, but it seemed like a nice thing to say.”
She did her best to fight a smile, but she knew her lips twitched. “I’m done here.” Riley could argue with him all she wanted, but it wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference. The stubborn wolf wasn’t going to relent. “Where are the kids?”
“Baking cookies with Grace and Lydia,” said Makenna. “They got bored with me.” She pouted, making Riley laugh. All the pack members enjoyed spending time with the kids, but Makenna was always the most eager to do so.
Riley walked out of the living room and through the tunnels until she came to the spacious and modern kitchen.
Savannah looked up and grinned, her hands covered in dough. “Riley, look, we’re making cookies!”
“Cool, I want to help.” Riley spent the rest of the day with them, baking cookies, drawing pictures, and going for a run near the river.
Later that evening she guided them into their small bedroom, smiling as she breathed in the scents of baby powder, fresh linen, and crayons. What had once been a plain guest room was now a charming children’s room. Colorful posters of cartoon figures were tacked to the walls, books were stacked on the niche in the cave wall, and paper, crayons, and coloring books were scattered on a small desk.
As per their usual routine, she helped them change into their pajamas and then switched on the closet light and left the door ajar. Savannah grabbed a stuffed wolf from the overflowing toy box and Dexter chose a small red car before they crawled into their narrow beds.
Riley pulled the soft comforters over them and then knelt on the rug between the beds. “On Friday I need to leave here for a few days.” It would be best to tell them now before they heard it from someone else. It would be the first time she’d been away from them since first meeting them at the shelter, and she suspected it would be hard for all of them.
Savannah clutched the stuffed wolf tight to her. “Leave?”
“Only for the weekend. That’s not long.”
“Why?” asked Dexter, voice low and wary.
“I’m going to see my uncles,” said Riley. “They’re having a party and I’d like to be there.”
“I like parties,” declared Savannah. “Can I come?”
Riley gave her a rueful smile. “Not this time, baby.”
Savannah pouted. “You won’t go alone, will you? Taryn says we shouldn’t go places alone.”
“Tao’s coming with me.”
Savannah’s cute little face scrunched up. “But he’s mean to you.”
“And I’m mean to him.”
Savannah chuckled. “Me too.”
“You’ll be back?” asked Dexter, fiddling with his car.
Riley nodded and said firmly, “I’ll be back.”
The cub held her eyes. “You promise?”
Her chest ached at his plea. “I promise,” she vowed. And that right there answered the question of just how hard it would be for them and for Riley if she left the Phoenix Pack for good. It would be agonizing.
She’d loved the kids since the moment Dexter offered her a stale cookie while Savannah touched her hair, seeming mesmerized by the color. People tended to be wary of ravens, but they hadn’t shown any such wariness. Only curiosity and a loneliness she could relate to. She’d bonded with them in a way she hadn’t with anyone other than her uncles.
Leaving them to sleep, Riley gently closed their bedroom door and headed to her own room. God, she was tired. Dog tired. But for her there was a super-big difference between tired and sleepy. She could be absolutely exhausted and in serious need of rest, but that didn’t mean she’d feel sleepy. Often she lay there for hours, staring at the ceiling and praying that sleep would take her, but she’d be wide awake.
She’d had idiopathic insomnia since childhood, so she was kind of used to it. That didn’t make it any less of a pain in her ass. Since she felt far from sleepy now, she didn’t bother hopping into bed. Instead she stripped naked and went out onto the balcony. Opening her arms wide, she shifted. Bones cracked and popped while her body shrank and her raven surfaced.
The avian shook, settling into her feathers. Then she opened her wings wide and flew.
CHAPTER FOUR
Friday afternoon Tao slung his bag over his shoulder and stalked out of his room to find Dante waiting. Locking his door behind him, Tao tipped his chin. “Hey.”
“I’m driving you to the airport,” said Dante.
Tao nodded in thanks. Nick’s friend was presently using the private jet, which meant Tao and Riley would be taking a commercial flight. “I’ll get Riley and meet you downstairs.”
“You know . . . maybe you could use this weekend to smash down her barriers. Don’t try to tell me you don’t want her, that would be a damn lie. You might argue over everything and nothing, but it’s part of the chemistry between you. Like some weird kind of foreplay. It’s been hilarious watching the two of you circle each other like wary predators. If you want the truth, I think she would be good for you, and I think you would be good for her.”
Given that the Beta was big on control and demanded respect, it truly did surprise Tao that Dante had warmed to her. Riley lived by her own rules and resisted all attempts at control. “I didn’t expect you to like her.”
“Why?”
“She’s impulsive, unimpressed by authority, and her raven keeps shitting on Greta.”
Amusement lit Dante’s eyes. “Ravens have a vengeful streak, and Greta does enjoy giving Riley shit. I guess her raven’s just returning the favor.”
Tao snorted. “Whatever. I’ll meet you in the lot.” Clutching the strap of his duffel, Tao stalked through the tunnels.
He hadn’t actually seen all that much of Riley over the past few days. He’d been working the late shifts, guarding the territory’s perimeter, so they’d only really seen each other at the evening meals. He’d deliberately sat beside her every time, keeping his thigh pressed to hers and occasionally toying with her hair—a subtle possessive gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by anyone.
Reaching Riley’s room, he rapped his knuckles on the door. She opened it, looking tired. He wasn’t surprised, having once overheard her telling Makenna that she suffered from insomnia. “All packed?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “I just need to get my bag and—what are you doing?” She frowned as he pushed his way into the room, kicking the door shut behind him.
“We need to get a couple of things straight. First of all, I know you’d rather do this alone, but you know that going anywhere alone is not a good idea. You wouldn’t want me out there without protection any more than I want you to be.”
“Don’t bet on it.”
“So let’s drop that, shove aside the issue, and concentrate on making sure this visit goes well for you and your uncles.”
She poked her tongue into the inside of her cheek. “All right.”
“Good. Now on to the next thing: where’s my watch, Riley? I had it yesterday morning.”
She raised an imperious brow. “Oh, I see, because ravens like to collect shiny things, you think I took it?”
“No, I think you took it because you took it. You always steal my shit.” He pointed to the iPad on the dresser, proving his point.
“Borrow, I borrow your stuff.”
“Without my permission, which makes it stealing.”
“Only if you want to get technical about it.”
Looming over her, he growled, “Do you have to be such a pain in my ass?”
“You really should learn to control your anger better. Eighty-eight percent of men with bad tempers end up with high blood pressure and die an early death.”
“They do not.”
“They could do.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, seeking patience. She made up statistics all the freaking time. He did not know why, just like he didn’t know why she stole his shit. It was just something Riley did. “I can’t do this. The conversation needs to end now.?
?? Opening his eyes, he found them drifting to the mark he’d left on her neck. “That sure faded fast.” His wolf didn’t like that at all. Honestly, Tao didn’t like it much either.
“I’m a fast healer.”
The hint of smugness in her tone made his wolf growl. “Oh, you are?” Tao backed her into the wall. “Then we’ll have to do something about it.”
Knowing exactly what he intended to do, Riley grabbed his arms. “Don’t you—” He closed his mouth over hers and licked the seam of her lips. She resisted. For all of three seconds. Then lust bloomed deep in her core, shocking her with its intensity, and her body took over.
Tao plunged his tongue inside her mouth, groaning as the exotic taste of her burst on his tongue and raced through his system. It was as addictive as any drug; he couldn’t get enough of it. Couldn’t stop. He kissed her hard, feasting and gorging himself on her.
He shoved his hands into all that glorious, silky-smooth hair and pulled. She moaned, gripping his arms so hard he felt the prick of her talons. He wanted to lick and bite her neck, wanted to taste her skin, but he couldn’t bring himself to release her mouth. His cock was thick and heavy, needing more. Needing her. And as he shoved his cock against her and she moaned, he thought he might just fucking explode.
Somewhere at the back of her mind, Riley panicked. He’d done exactly what he’d done the night they were drunk—done the very thing she’d always suspected he’d do if they ever acted on the sexual tension that throbbed between them. He’d taken control, taken her as if it were his right.
There was possessiveness in every stroke of his tongue, every tug on her hair, every nip of his teeth. It scared her, but the fear was drowned out by the lust that was heating her blood and ignoring rational thought. His mouth was sheer fucking magic as it consumed and dominated. She arched into him, rubbing against him like a cat in heat and grinding against his cock.
With a growl he tore open her fly, shoved his hand inside her panties, and thrust one finger into her pussy. He groaned. “Ah, baby, you’re soaking. Stay still.”
He drove his finger into her pussy hard and fast, keeping his mouth pressed to hers so he could taste every moan. When her pussy began to quiver and tighten, he plunged yet another finger inside her and sank his teeth over her pulse. She came hard, rippling around his fingers. His cock twitched in envy, and it was a struggle not to lift her and bury himself inside her.
A little embarrassed by how easily and shamelessly she’d responded to him, Riley kept her eyes closed. “You can move your hand now.”
He could, but the feel of her inner muscles fluttering around his fingers as she came down from her orgasm was just too good to give up. Instead Tao licked over his mark. Masculine satisfaction fired through him, heightening the need that scorched him just as her hot pussy scorched his fingers. The possessiveness he’d already felt seemed to swell inside Tao until it filled every part of him. He figured he should probably worry about that, but it was hard to care while the scent of her need was playing with his senses.
He reluctantly withdrew his hand, almost groaning as her pussy sucked at his fingers, trying to keep them inside. “Look at me, Riley. Open those eyes, come on.” Glazed eyes met his, and he almost shoved his fingers back inside her. “Next time, I won’t stop there.” It was a warning and a promise. “I’ll fuck you in every way I can have you. And then I’ll do it again and again.”
She was not happy about the flutter of excitement in her stomach. “Oh really?”
“Really. I’m letting you go now because we have to leave. But tonight, that pussy is mine.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. It had to make him weird that her anger made his cock twitch.
“Actually, it’s mine. As for whether or not I let you use it . . .” She shrugged. “It does help your case that you’ve got as much dick in your jeans as you have in your personality.”
Smiling, he watched as she went to pick up her duffel. “I’m going to fuck that attitude right out of you, Riley; trust me on that.” The look she gave him was hard as stone.
“You better hope you’re never on fire, Tao, because I’m more likely to relax and pull out some marshmallows than help you.”
Chuckling, he snatched the duffel from her and strode to the door.
Waiting in the gate terminal, Riley leaned her head against the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the luggage trains, the ground crew, and the planes speeding along the runways. Beside her, Tao was idly flicking through a newspaper that she doubted he was actually reading. Others lounged around, reading and chatting to pass the time.
Some were also passing the time ogling Tao—one human in particular was pretty obvious about it. Incensed, Riley’s raven aggressively flapped her wings at the little bitch. She was a territorial creature and she felt somewhat possessive of the male who’d marked her. Wasn’t that special.
Riley rolled the shoulder that was stiff with carrying her duffel. Tao had repeatedly snatched it from her, but she kept snatching it back just to poke at him. Honestly, being in an airport with Tao wasn’t so bad. She was used to being jostled, having wheels clip her heels, or having perfumes sprayed in her face the moment she stepped into the duty-free store. No one got in Tao’s way. They parted for him and, by extension, for her.
The only downside to having him there was that it was stopping her libido from cooling down. The damn bite seemed to throb almost as bad as her pussy. The memory of what had happened in her room kept replaying in her mind. She couldn’t believe she’d come that hard from just his fingers; it was almost embarrassing.
Catching movement in her peripheral vision, she noticed that the blonde ogler had angled her body toward Tao. A low guttural sound rattled up Riley’s throat before she could stop it—the warning came from the raven and made Tao’s head snap up. He glanced around, looking for the threat, sparing the blonde only a passing, disinterested glance. That kind of made Riley feel better.
“What is it?” he asked. His minty breath blew into her face, washing away the array of perfumes, colognes, and baked goods that felt like an assault on her senses.
“My raven’s just on edge,” she told him quietly.
Tao rolled back his shoulders. “I can relate.”
Riley almost smiled; he always looked so uncomfortable surrounded by humans. It was almost cute. “What is it about humans that bugs you so much? It’s not just the prejudiced ones that annoy you.”
“I don’t like what I don’t understand, and I just don’t get the human race. They do the weirdest fucking stuff. Dress their pets in little outfits. Lie that they walked on the moon. Vote for Donald Trump. None of that makes sense to me.”
Her mouth twitched. “I’ll bet we’re as strange to them as they are to us.”
Tao grunted, not bothered one way or the other. He didn’t hate humans or wish them gone from the earth, but he had no time for them either. “Tell me about the Exodus Alphas. I know about the flock, but I don’t know them.”
“What do you know?”
He stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles. “The Alphas are Sage and Ruby Everett. They’ve been mated for almost thirty years and they’ve run the pack for almost as long. They have twin daughters, Cynthia and Lucy.”
Riley nodded. “That’s right. Sage is a good Alpha. Fair. Wise. Strict without being too restrictive. Ruby’s good at her position. Supportive, compassionate, and a wicked fighter.”
“You like them a lot,” he sensed.
“I do. And I admire how tight a unit they are. Out of all the imprinted couples in the flock, they’re the most solid.” Shifters that weren’t true mates could still have a mating bond through the process of imprinting. Plenty of couples took that route, since there was no guarantee a person would find their true mate.
“Are there a lot of imprinted couples in the flock?” asked Tao.
She nodded. “The ravens in my flock believe in fate and destiny, but they don’t necessarily believe that their fate lies with their true mate. They
believe that if they find someone else they care for or who suits them, it’s possible that their fate lies with them.”
Tao figured it made a strange kind of sense. Unlike most shifters, he wasn’t completely sold on the true mate deal. His brother had spent years searching for his true mate. Given what Joaquin had found, Tao often wondered if his brother had ever wished he hadn’t bothered looking. It perfectly showed not only that true mates could be unhappy together but also that sometimes a person could spend so long daydreaming about their intended mate—building them up in their head into the perfect person—that they were disappointed by the reality. Joaquin’s mate had expected a white knight and found herself with a guy who was almost as much of an asshole as Tao. And she never let him forget just how far from perfect he was.
Many of the mated pairs in Tao’s pack were deliriously happy and devoted to each other—perfect examples of how true mates complemented and completed each other. But Gabe and Hope were just as close and well suited, and they were an imprinted couple.
“Back to the Alpha family,” he said. “I’ve met Lucy; she seems nice enough. What about the other daughter, Cynthia?” He smiled as Riley’s upper lip curled. “You don’t like her.”
“We clash in a major way. She’s slightly below me on the dominance scale and she’s always hated that—probably almost as much as she hates me.” Riley’s chest tightened as two children ran past, making her think of Savannah and Dexter. Damn, she was going to miss the little buggers.
“So it’s fair to say that she won’t be so happy to see you.”
“It would indeed be fair to say that. Then again, she might relish that she can show me she’s now dating my ex-boyfriend. She always wanted Sawyer and she’s petty enough to be smug that she has him.”
“You jealous?” Tao rumbled, claws almost slicing out at the idea. Riley barked a laugh, and the tension left him.
“No. I was the one who ended the relationship. But Cynthia will believe I still want him if it makes her feel better about herself.”