“If Duncan signed it, he’ll probably be next.”

“I don’t know if she’d ever hurt him. She cares for him in her way.”

“I’m sure she cares for Lucy in her way too.” But the female had still ended up with a bullet close to her heart. He smoothed his hand up Riley’s back. “You don’t want it to be Cynthia, do you? Why?”

“Nine people died that night, Tao. We lost Wade too. So many deaths, so much pain and misery . . . I’d just hate to think that all this was about nothing more than power.” Surely Cynthia, bitch though she might be, wasn’t really that cold. “What’s so great about the position of Beta anyway?”

“It’s probably not about being Beta. It’s probably about having control over everyone. Sleeping with all the males was a form of domination to her, remember. Being Beta female would have given her domination over the females.”

Riley tilted her head, conceding his point.

Tao nipped Riley’s lower lip and then laved it with his tongue to soothe the sting. “Someone should tell her that being Beta isn’t as great as she imagines.”

“Haven’t you ever wanted to be Beta?”

“No. You can lose yourself in a position like that until it becomes your life. It had been that way for Dante until Jaime showed up and changed everything for him.”

“You already live for your pack,” Riley pointed out.

Tao pulled her closer, drew her scent into his lungs. “I did. Now I live for you, for us.”

Smiling, Riley slid her hands around his neck and lightly fisted a hand in the back of his hair. “You know, you can say the sweetest stuff—and yeah, I know you’re not being complimentary, you’re just being direct, but it’s still sweet. Then other times you come out with utter tripe and make me wish I had more middle fingers.”

Tao shrugged, mouth curving. “I could tell you that will change, but it won’t.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “One thing I’ve never been is tactful. But you love me anyway.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“So all is good.”

“I guess it is.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

While her mate lay next to her on his side, Riley was flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. It was two thirty in the morning, and her brain was working a mile a minute. A kaleidoscope of images and thoughts seemed to be swirling around her mind.

The shootings, past and present.

Dexter almost being kidnapped.

Ethan lying in his bed, injured and sleeping.

Lucy taking a bullet right in front of her eyes.

So much had happened, and Riley was able to do so very little about it. She felt powerless. Useless, even. Those feelings rubbed her raw and pricked at her raven’s pride.

It had been three days since the pack had the video conference with the Mercury Alphas. Harley’s margay cousins had happily taken on the job of spooking Ramón. They also hadn’t wasted any time in acting. Just yesterday they had broken into his home and wrecked his bedroom with claws and teeth—creating a mess that could only have been made by animals or shifters.

Ramón wouldn’t know margays had caused the damage, but he would know the Phoenix wolves had retaliated. He hadn’t called to complain or threaten the pack, but it was too early to tell if their plan would pay off or if Ramón would seek—

Tao gently tapped her temple. “What’s going on up here that woke you?” His eyes were closed and his voice was deep and throaty with sleep. As always, it made her tingle in lots of interesting places.

“Nothing in particular.” She kissed him, feeling bad that she’d disturbed him. “Go back to sleep.” She started to slip out of bed, but he splayed his hand on her stomach.

“Stay,” he coaxed.

“There’s no point. I’m wide awake.”

“Just lie here with me.” He grazed her earlobe with his teeth and turned her on her side to face him. “I like having you next to me.”

“But then I’ll be bored and fidget and keep you awake.” Which never seemed to bother him but eventually would, the longer they were mated. “If you’re not getting enough sleep, you won’t be completely alert and you’ll tire quickly when you’re working.”

“Just stay.”

“God, you’re stubborn.”

“Are you only learning this now?”

She snorted. “No, I learned that when I first arrived on your territory and you argued with the Alphas to have me removed, no matter how many times they said no.”

Tao smiled. “You just had to bring that up, didn’t you?” He traced the length of her spine with his finger. “If it makes you feel any better, the whole time I was working to make Taryn and Trey change their minds, all I wanted was to be buried balls deep in you.”

“Even though you didn’t trust me as far as you could throw me?”

“Even though.” He licked over his claiming mark. “I love looking at this. I love that our scents are mixed.” He raked his teeth over the bite as he closed a hand around her breast. “I love that you’re all mine.”

“I don’t think you’re going to be able to fuck me back to sleep this time,” she warned him. She was simply too wired.

“I do love a challenge.” He was just about to roll her onto her back when his cell phone beeped. Grabbing it from the nightstand, he tapped the screen. As he read the text message from Gabe, every muscle in his body tensed.

Sensing the change in him, Riley frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Someone’s at the gate.” He jumped out of bed and began pulling on some clothes.

“Who?”

“I’m about to find out. I shouldn’t be long; I just have to—why are you getting dressed?”

Dragging on a T-shirt, Riley flicked her hair out of her collar. “You’re going to the security room to check out the cameras, right? I want to know who’s here.”

Yeah, well, Tao didn’t want to drag her into the matter in case she insisted on getting involved in something dangerous. “You’re better staying here.”

“Should I remind you that I’m Guardian? I need to know if there’s a risk to the children so I can get them to safety.”