Riley clenched his hands into fists. "You think I'm completely incompetent!" He snapped slightly unnerved by the look in Tao's eyes but more enraged by the way that the vampire had dismissed him out of hand. "I have a right to do what needs to be done to protect my people, and you have no right to tell me otherwise." He bared his teeth at Tao, "Like it or not, you're going to have to accept that I'm going to be here. I have the human woman's scent, and you can't keep me from following her." His brow furrowed, "It shouldn't be you, it should be me. There's less risk if it's me, I'll heal as soon as I shift!"