the steering wheel and literally shoved her mind into work mode. "So, the 'explore all options' stuff aside, what's your gut say on this? Alliance?"
"Has their trademark - or what we know of it." He stared out the windshield, his wolf very apparent in the tone of his voice. And this time, the edge was lethal. "Planned like clockwork," he continued. "Only mistake was Willow, and even that's not a biggie. She's a cub, was probably too scared to take much in."
"But if it is the Alliance, why would they be so stupid?" That, she didn't understand. "They have to know we'll come down hard - we took out their entire team last time."
Riley was silent for a few minutes. "What do we know about the Alliance?"
"We've had Keely doing some research," she said, referring to the Pack historian. "From what she found, it looks like it's a two-faced organization, but that second face - the paramilitary arm - is hidden so deep, most of their own members don't know about it, even though they're effectively funding it."
"That tracks with our intelligence."
"We don't know how long the militant arm's existed." She overtook a large truck with speed that made Riley's knuckles whiten . . . and the leopard smirk in unholy glee. "But obviously, they're beginning to get more open in their activities." Part of Mercy could understand why the humans were starting to act with such violence. Being considered the weakest race on the planet had to hurt. "What I don't get," she murmured, "is how the Alliance could sink so low as to attack women and children, families? Their business arm has always had a core of integrity."
"Been around a long time, too." Riley slammed a hand on the dash as she swung around a Porsche that was already going well over the speed limit. "Mercy." The dominance was back, dark and potent and thick in the confines of the car.
It was hard to breathe, but she kept her tone sweet, her leopard tightly held. "Yes, Riley?"
"I'm driving on the trip back."
"Nope."
"It wasn't a request."
"And I'm not a submissive." She bared her teeth at him, her own power flaring out in a scalding wave. "Suck it up."
The air filled with aggression. It skated over her body, along her spine, over her throat. And that quickly, she wanted him. He knew almost the instant she did, his indrawn breath harsh in a way that was utterly, erotically male. An instant later, his arousal mirrored hers.
"We are so not doing this," she said, having to force the words out past the constriction in her throat.
Amber eyes glinted at the periphery of her vision. "We already did."
She felt like she was drowning in the indelible maleness of him. "Once." Enough to take the edge off her need, to give her back control over her own body. "And it's going to remain that way." She pushed the button that lowered all the windows.
He took another deep breath, as if savoring the musk of her damp heat, and her hands clenched on the manual steering wheel. If she hadn't been able to sense his own arousal, she'd have thought he was just messing with her. But he very definitely wanted her - the brutal hunger of him was a pulse against her body, powerful and boldly masculine.
"Stop the car."
She made an undignified squeaking sound in the back of her throat. "No way in hell." The instant she did that, she knew full well she'd end up on top of Riley, riding him to erotic oblivion.
Silence from the passenger seat.
The leopard clawed at her, more than ready to sate its hunger. "You know I'm right."
"Is it the fact that I'm a wolf, or the fact that I made you whimper?" Controlled words, so damn controlled. Except for the pulse of heat that kept slapping into her body over and over.
"It's the fact that you aggravate the shit out of me." She set her jaw. "I'm not a slave to my hormones." It was a reminder to herself.
A bark of laughter from the wolf next to her. Close, so close. His breath - hot, harsh, male - whispered over her ear as he said, "I don't know any woman more in command of herself than you."
She shot him a narrow-eyed glance. "And that gets your panties in a twist, doesn't it?"
"Yeah."
Okay, she hadn't expected that answer. Sweat beaded along her spine as her body fought the urge to give in to the sexual flames licking