Page 249 of Cruelly Bitten

“A surveillance mission. Or maybe an opportunity to stop a war.” He’d shrugged. “That remains to be seen.”

“Stop a war?” I’d repeated, arching a brow. “Doesn’t sound like something I’d do.”

“It’ll likely involve killing some vampires and lycans,” he’d hedged, his turquoise gaze glittering with dark knowledge.

“Now that’s a bit more appealing. Keep talking,” I’d said as he’d led me and Willow to a waiting car.

An hour later, we’d boarded his private jet.

Khalid had strongly suspected the lycans were headed this way.

And he’d been right.

Roughly thirty minutes after our arrival, the lycans landed at an old airport outside of Rome—something we knew because of Khalid’s fancy technology. He’d placed a tracker on each jet back in the Deirdre City airfield, then he’d monitored the devices on his scanner.

We’d watched them all take off and follow our flight path. Only, we’d landed on an abandoned road just outside of the city rather than at the old airport.

Then we’d phased through the Vigil security line and separated into our teams, our primary focus on avoiding lycan detection since we knew Thida and Jenkins had some wolves on the ground.

Meanwhile, Lily, Hazel, and Keys had all remained on the jet, their presence concealed by some sort of protective shield.

Khalid’s penchant for advanced technology was beginning to impress me.

Including this pretty little toy he’d allowed me to borrow for Willow.

Much better than Lilith’s artificial intelligence shit and voice impersonators.

“I don’t see anything or anyone,” Willow whispered, her voice barely audible.

As a hybrid, she knew how to modulate her tones for supernatural hearing. We were high enough up and away from wind streams to avoid our scents being detected. But we needed to be careful with sound, too.

“It’s like they’re all underground…” She trailed off, her brow furrowing a little. “I understand the vampires because the sun is still up. But where are Thida’s and Jenkins’s lycans? Underground, too?”

I hummed against her ear, my body lying alongside hers as she stared through the scope. She felt strong and sensual beneath me, my leg casually draped over one of hers.

It really was too bad that we had to work. Fucking her up here would be quite enjoyable.

“Ryder…”

“Willow…”

“I can feel you,” she told me. “You’re supposed to be teaching me how to scout.”

“I am training you, pet,” I murmured, purposely changing the verb in my sentence. “I’ve been training you since the moment we met.”

She huffed, her gaze shifting away from the scope to glare at me. “Luka and the lycans should be here by now.”

“They’re likely drawing up a plan of attack. Or you’re not scouting hard enough.”

She gave me a look.

I gave her one right back. “For example, you’re staring at me, not at the city. That’s not a very good way to scout, mate.”

She growled, the sound going straight to my balls.

“If you would prefer to play in other ways, I’ll happily grant that request since we seem to have some time to spare,” I told her.

“I hope the sun gives you a sunburn,” she countered, drawing a soft chuckle from my chest.