I took a deep breath before knocking on the mahogany door. It had been a few days since I woke up in the werewolves' tunnel, surrounded by the nude men who would unexpectedly treat me with kindness and respect. Forrest had taken to me quickly, bringing me food in the evening when I would wake, and accompanying me out for my midnight meal. In the same way I enjoyed him, I also enjoyed Zane. The two were incredibly intelligent, attractive, and rather pleasant to be around.

When I passed the women in the recreation room, I picked up a few stares. They eyed me curiously, but kept their hands busy either reading or sewing. I still hadn't met the young ones. Perhaps my senses a few nights ago were wrong about there being children around. I wasn't used to these powers.

I raised my hand to knock again, but the door swung open and Zane greeted me with a familiar smile and a nod.

“Come in,” he instructed.

He pulled back the door to reveal a round table in a large office. The table held a few shifters who I did not initially recognize. They watched me walk in with Zane whom sat me on the opposite side of the table next to him. I gulped and rested my hands timidly on the table.

“Meeting will commence,” Zane announced. “Riley, this is my council. From the left, we have Leo, Warren, and Wyatt. Gentlemen, please, welcome our guest.”

The three nodded to me and I offered a polite smile, keeping my gaze steady while trying to figure them each out individually.

“We're here to discuss the situation in which we find ourselves. Our rivals across the forest intend to hold a ceremony in the coming weeks called the Centennial de Sang. Riley has explained to me what exactly this entails and I have offered our allegiance in taking down that coven in order to prevent it,” Zane continued.

“What is this ceremony?” Leo asked. His coloring was much lighter than the rest, his hair a little brown and eyes a bright amber.

He was looking at me. I swallowed hard and licked my lips before replying, “They kill one-hundred humans every one-hundred years as part of some sacred custom. The reason is beyond me, but they were trying to make me part of the council on my twenty-first birthday.”

“Is Sirus still the head of the coven?” Warren inquired.

“Yes.”

“And do you have any information about the coven that might be useful to us?” implored Wyatt.

I nodded.

“Anything you might need to know. I'm fairly certain I can tell you.”

The three men exchanged glances and then looked back at me.

“So, Riley, what bright idea do you have about taking down this coven?” Leo inquired.

I stared blankly at him. Idea? I didn't have any idea. They were too powerful for me to fathom, their powers ranging from mind-reading to physical manipulation. It would take more than me and a pack of wolves to destroy them.

“I'm not entirely sure, to be honest,” I replied. “But I could potentially sneak back into the coven and take them down from the inside.”

“And how would you propose taking them down?” Wyatt asked.

“Well, we could start by discovering how they source the humans for their ceremony. That information would be on the hard drive of Sirus's computer,” I explained.

“Why have you not fully transformed? Why is it you refuse human blood?”

My eyes fell to the table. A flash memory of Sirus almost forcing me to bite that unconscious human appeared over my vision, causing a heavy bout of nausea. I frowned.

“Because it's not right,” I whispered.

“But you're a vampire,” Warren insisted.

“It's not in my nature, okay?” I snapped. “I was a vegan as a human and I'll be vegan as a vampire, at least as much of one as I can.”

Zane patted my shoulder.

“This is ridiculous, Zane. How do we know this is even half true?” Warren asked.

“She's not lying,” Leo rebutted.

Warren glanced over at Leo curiously.

“Really?” he asked sarcastically. “Because she won't bite a human? That's a laugh.”

Leo shook his head.

“Her color is different. Fangs who feast on humans are relatively pale and odorless. She's more of a pink hue and she still smells like a human,” he explained.

I peered down at my black clothes and secretly sniffed at my blouse. I couldn't smell anything other than the shifters in the room.

“I don't smell anything,” I whispered.

“You can't, but I can,” Leo replied. “You don't smell like rotten blood either. Most of those fangs reek of it.”

I shrugged, returning my gaze to the three men still peering at me. It was eerily quiet in the room. I wasn't sure if they were reading my mind, or even if they could read my mind. To prevent any unwanted poking, I raised my mental gates and attempted to keep my focus on the situation at hand. I glanced at Zane who was watching his family.

I suddenly felt vulnerable. Turning to Leo, I tried to read what was going on behind those mischievous eyes of his. If he could smell my blood, chances are he could smell the arousal that had plagued me since first waking up here. By the way his eyes narrowed and breathing quickened as he met my gaze, I knew that he could.

“All in favor of infiltrating Tempest Legion in order to prevent the inhumane ceremony say, aye,” Zane said, pulling me from my daze.

“Aye,” Wyatt and Leo spoke in unison.

Zane raised an eyebrow.

“Warren?” he asked.

“I'm sorry, sir, but this just doesn't seem right to me. I'm going to have to say nay,” Warren replied.

“Two to one. Majority rules,” Zane stated boldly.  “Alright, gentleman. We have about a week to get a tactical team together in order to penetrate the castle.”

Leo and Wyatt smiled to each other.

“We'll need more practical intelligence on their security. Riley?” Zane asked.

I rolled my eyes to the ceiling, trying to recall the layout.

“Well, the doors of the courtyard are typically unguarded. I know Sirus has a security system set up with cameras in most wings of the castle, notably around the entrances. The servant staircases are small, but accessible which would cloak us briefly from being discovered by anyone else in the coven,” I explained.

“Any weak points?” Leo asked.

As I opened my mouth to speak, I pictured Sirus in a rage. I closed my eyes and shook my head.

“None that I can think of. They are very well guarded, even if it doesn't appear that way,” I whispered.

“We'll have to infiltrate their security system. Wyatt, you are the local tech. I'll have you research what systems they use so that we may disarm it,” Zane announced.

“You got it, boss,” Wyatt replied.

“And Leo, I'll have you work closely with Riley on penetrating forces,” Zane went on.

Leo smirked and peered at me over his hands that were folded neatly under his chin. A wink followed the smirk and I flushed while I averted my gaze back to Zane. I tried to smile. It ended up coming out as a bit of a grimace. Embarrassed, I covered my face and forced a yawn.

“My goodness, it must be incredibly late for you,” Zane commented as he looked at his wrist watch. “And just look at the hour! Warren, we're late for our morning hunt. Gather Forrest and head to the fields. Wyatt, I'd like for you to begin your research immediately.”

As the three men stood, I followed suit and stretched out my arms.

“What should I do, sir?” Leo asked while standing next to the table.

The other two men were already out the door, chatting away about the project. Zane looked between Leo and me with some interest, smiled, and then said, “You can accompany Miss Riley to her room. We don't want her wandering about unwatched.”

I gulped again.

“I'm still under lock and key, eh?” I joked.

“For the next week, yes,” Zane replied. “But when you prove you aren't a bargaining chip for Tempest Legion, we'll get along just fine.”

I chuckled timidly and turned to head to the door, peering behind to see if Leo was following. He was right at my heels. I gasped and jumped forward as the knot in my throat formed again. I heard him chuckling behind me, clearly amused by my stumbling as I made my way back up the hall and into the recreation area.

Forrest waved at me and jumped up from the couch, hopping around the others to come and hug me.

He smiled. “How did it go?”

“It went well,” I replied.

“That's great to hear. I'll be sure to catch something special for you,” he grinned.

I flushed and waved as he spun around me and left with the other men to start their hunt.

Damn, what did I do to deserve such special treatment here? I thought to myself. I then wondered if they felt the same betraying arousal toward me that I felt toward them, or whether that was just a stupid product of my weakened state as a fang away from her coven.

Another yawn took over my face, this time an authentic one, and Leo tugged my hand towards the opposite end of the room.

“I didn't realize the time,” I sighed.

“Well, we'll get you tucked away in bed before you know it,” he assured me.

While we walked down the hall, he didn't release my hand. It made me grin with excitement, his thumb fixed over my knuckle as he benevolently pulled me to my bedroom. I raised a curious brow when he opened my bedroom door.

“How do you know where I sleep?” I inquired with a grin as I walked through the threshold.

“You're a fang in the middle of a werewolf pack, darling. There's no possibility of you being able to hide from all of us,” he replied while shutting the door.

I sat hesitantly on the bed as my fingers trailed over the soft cotton, debating whether I should invite him to sit. Feeling bold, I patted the fabric next to me. He obeyed instantly and sat at my side, smiling like a puppy who had just found its new owner.

“You look tense,” he said.

I shrugged, rolling my shoulder back. My muscles still ached, he was right.

“Do you mind?” he asked as he reached over and brushed my hair aside.

I bit my lip and shook my head, turning my back to him so he was in a better position to massage me. “Not at all.”

His warm hands pressed to my skin and I hummed, relaxing into his firm grip. This was definitely something I could get used to. I felt like a spoiled brat. One shifter was out fetching my food while this one was rubbing my shoulders.

Could it possibly get any better than this?