Chapter 13
Piper
Iwoke up and chose violence because someone was touching me.
There was a thud, then a grunt, then a wheeze, and then silence.
Curious, I leaned over the edge of the couch and found Riggs sprawled on the floor, staring up at the ceiling as if contemplating its angles with a pained expression.
I wondered where I’d punched him, but I had a foreboding feeling I already knew and winced in sympathy.
“I would just like to point out that you fell asleep on me,” he said.
“Why didn’t you wake me up then?”
He gave me a look that made me question any amount of intelligence I’d ever had. “Why would I wake you when I was exactly where I wanted to be?”
“I wasn’t.”
His smile softened. “Weren’t you?”
I had no answer for that, because deep down, the most honest one was yes. But had I ever, at any point in the history of being me, made anything easy? For anyone?
No. No, I had not.
So the hard way it was.
Then I remembered I was responsible for a child. “Is Alanna up?”
He’d promised the night before that the Clan would take care of her if she woke during the movie, so we’d kept the monitor on low. He’d probably shut it off to let me sleep, because I couldn’t hear anything now.
Riggs pushed himself up gingerly, wincing. “She’s okay. Taco has her this morning while my Second and secretary are busy. They’re visiting Matteo in his room.”
I nodded, brushing my hair away from my face. I loved it, but there was a reason I kept it short. The texture was so fine it tangled easily, and on any given morning I usually looked like I’d been through a hurricane. I tried to pat it down, already knowing it wouldn’t help.
Riggs watched me, warmth in his gaze and a hint of a smile on his lips. “If you’re feeling self-conscious, don’t. I love your hair, especially now that I’ve seen what it looks like first thing in the morning.”
I snorted. “Unlikely. I can tell it’s sticking straight up.”
He shifted onto his knees and reached for my hair slowly, giving me time to pull away if I wanted to.
I didn’t move.
It wasn’t acceptance. It was… curiosity.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
What a liar I was.
He moved carefully, like I might bolt if he got too close too fast, his hand hovering just short of my hair. I could feel the heat of his body now, and the quiet steadiness in the way he waited, giving me every chance to protest.
I didn’t.
My breath caught as the space between us disappeared, my body going still in a way that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with him.
Just as his hand brushed my hair, Taco came in with a fussing Alanna.
“Yo, Boss. She doesn’t like me anymore.” His wide gray eyes were full of stress.
The moment Alanna saw me, her fussing turned to full-on crying.
Riggs closed his eyes with a fatalistic sigh as he sat back on his heels, then started chuckling darkly.
I gave my potentially going-insane mate a wide berth as I reached for Alanna, and Taco looked more than happy to hand her over.
I settled her into my arms, bouncing her gently until she calmed, then raised an eyebrow at him.
“You know babies cry, Taco. It’s their only mode of communication.”
He dragged a hand through his messy dark hair. “I tried! I fed her, burped her, changed her. I even sang to her, like I caught Alpha doing the other night!”
Riggs’ head snapped toward him, a scowl forming, but Taco only laughed. “It was sweet, Alpha. That’s all I’m saying!” He held up his hands as if to ward off a beating. “I had no idea you had such a soft side.”
“Taco?”
“Yes?” he asked, grinning unabashedly.
“Go pull weeds.”
Taco’s face fell. “Pull weeds? Where, though?” His voice slipped into a full whine.
Riggs’ eyes went flinty. “In the forest.”
I snorted, appreciating the creativity, and when Taco stared at him in outright horror, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“In the forest?”
Riggs nodded.
“But—but—”
Riggs held his gaze, his expression uncompromising. Taco’s shoulders sagged. “Yes, Alpha. For how long?”
“Until I tell you you’re done.”
I was fully biting my lip now as Taco looked completely crestfallen.
“Yes, Alpha.” He dragged himself toward the door in slow motion, like he had concrete blocks strapped to his feet.
The moment it shut, I burst out laughing, which only made my mate smile. “I cannot believe you did that,” I teased. “Poor Taco. He’s not a teenager, you know. What’s next, threatening to take away his keys?”
Riggs stood and held out his arms for Alanna. She immediately reached for him, and I handed her over. In his arms, she quieted at once, gazing up at him with her fist in her mouth.
Were both of us doomed to be fascinated by him?
“I’ve actually taken his keys before,” he said mildly. “And Taco is a teenager.”
I scoffed. “He’s gotta be… what? Thirties?”
He shook his head, that small smile still in place. “Some people are perpetual teenagers. He’s one of them.”
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 you will like 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.
This wasn’t that, but it was clear the king was worried about bringing a possible threat to his home with his wife there.
“I’d feel more comfortable if you allowed Indie to pop you and Mesmer into Devotion. You would be safe there.” His tone was gentle, but the strain beneath it was obvious.
Guilt tugged at me. We were bringing danger to their doorstep, and I felt terrible about it.
Clearing my throat, I stepped forward. “I think that’s a good idea.
” I could clearly hear the extra heartbeat within Consort Mia.
She was pregnant, and her husband had every right to be cautious right now.
“Alanna could go with you, if you want. She’s never been through the ether before, so I don’t know how she’ll handle it, but I think she’ll be fine.
And she’ll certainly be safe at Cupid U or Cupid Inc. with all those cupids around.”
Mia bit her lip, uncertainty flickering across her face as she looked at her husband. “Will you go with us? It’s not that I’m afraid for myself, but they might come after you, thinking you have Alanna.”
I nodded. Barrett would absolutely do that.
A gargoyle stepped forward. “I can call her, if you’d like.”
King Draven pinched the bridge of his nose, then sighed and nodded. “That might be best. Be sure to ask if I can come as well.”
The gargoyle gave a sharp nod and stepped back to make the call. I could hear it, most of us could, but I ignored it, turning instead to my mate.
Riggs went still for a second, his attention shifting inward.
His mouth twitched slightly before his focus returned to me.
“Someone on the Clan Link?”
He nodded. “I was telling Taco he could stop weeding now. If I didn’t, he’d be out there all night.”
I laughed. “You’re such a benevolent alpha.”
My smile faded, and we stood there in silence for a moment before I finally asked, “King Draven came out to the Lodge the other day. If I can be nosy… what was the reason? Unless it’s private,” I added quickly.
Riggs shifted, and I clocked it immediately, because Riggs didn’t do that. He was too controlled, too aware of every micro-movement he made. Whether that came from his personality or something more, I wasn’t sure.
“He’s my psychiatrist,” he said at last, and my mouth snapped shut. “My bear has been depressed. I have as well. I called him to the Lodge to see if I needed a prescription.”
Oh.
I didn’t know what to say to that. A sinking feeling settled in my chest, because I had a strong suspicion I was part of the reason he’d needed to see him. I nodded shakily and let the subject drop.
We stood in a brief, awkward silence while the others prepared to leave for Devotion.
Consort Mia approached us with a small smile. “Sorry,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Everyone is just a little protective of me right now.”
“No problem,” I said.
Riggs handed over the diaper bag. “Everything’s in here. You have our number in case of emergency, and we have yours. We’ll call when we’re done. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours.”
Mia nodded, though her brow furrowed. “Alpha Riggs,” she said gently, “I’m confused why this is necessary. I know you have capable enforcers guarding your Clan property. Why… all of this?”
Riggs glanced at me, then away. “Piper feels that Barrett is playing the long game, and that we have a better chance of drawing him out if we step away from the safety of the Lodge.”
Mia nodded thoughtfully. “I see. Well, stay safe, the both of you. And don’t worry about Alanna.” Her expression brightened. “She’s so sweet, and such a good baby.”
King Draven slipped his arms around his wife. “Everything is set. Indie is on her way.”
He had barely finished speaking before a cupid popped through the ether into the room. The gargoyle immediately pulled her into his arms, murmuring something too low for me to hear. Riggs probably could, being an alpha.
I blinked. Were they mated? Married? Huh. I wouldn’t have paired them, but they were kind of adorable, him all in shades of gray, and her bright with pink hair, pink wings, and even pink Converse.
They separated when they realized everyone was watching. Indie grinned; Mesmer went completely still.
“Hey, Mia and Draven. I hear you need a lift to cupid-land.”
Mia laughed and hugged Indie with one arm, still holding her husband’s hand with the other. “I’m so glad we get to hang out with you today! Can we go to the University?”
“Yep. I’ve got permission to take you across the ether to Cupid U. If we have time, I can give you a tour of Cupid Inc., too. There are only a few places I can’t show you.”
A small part of me wished I were going with them. I didn’t want to be bait for Barrett, but it felt like the right move. The enforcers were excellent, but Barrett didn’t care about them. He wanted me, and he wanted Alanna.
Indie met my eyes. “I need to hold Alanna. Babies are more sensitive to the ether, so I need to keep her close.”
I nodded, kissing her cheek one last time before handing her over.
“Be good for the cupids,” I murmured, then looked at the group. “Thank you. Please keep her safe.”
They all nodded. Then I blinked, and they were gone.
I turned back to Riggs, feeling like part of me had gone with them. With so much tension in my life, any time Alanna was out of my sight, I tended to unravel.
Last night had been the first time I’d been able to relax, even a little.
And I knew why, even though I’d become an expert at pushing both him and thoughts of him away.
I felt safe with Riggs. More than that… I was falling in love with him.