Betrayed: Days of the Rogue by Nicky Charles
“Stress then. It’s too much for her.”
“No.” Rafe was starting to lose his patience with Reno. What gave him the right to put Eve down like that? “Look at how she freed herself from Grant. She could have given up or had hysterics, but instead she found a way to drug him and—”
“Exactly.” Reno gave him a hard stare and left.
Standing in the middle of the room, Rafe wondered how Reno had managed to turn the tables on him.
He ran his hand through his hair. Yeah, Eve wasn’t fragile. She was resourceful and adaptable. But how to tell her he was a Lycan? Could she get over her well-deserved fear of wolves? And what about the fact that they were both empathic? Would that cause a problem? Or was he creating reasons to justify his own concerns?
Sitting back down at his desk, he stared at the neatly outlined budget displayed on the screen. This was the reality of his life. He had no business thinking about Eve. People were depending on him, whether he liked it or not. His hand hovered on the mouse and then he flipped to a web browser. Just out of curiosity he wondered if there were any seats available on flights to Calgary. Not that he was necessarily going to book one and visit Eve, but…
Chapter 54
Eve sat in her rental car staring at Rafe’s home. It was a dark, red brick building, two stories with black shutters and neat shrubs. Not overly posh, considering he was doctor, but definitely upper middle-class. It suited him though, sort of strong and reserved. The rest of the neighbourhood had similar homes that spoke of quiet stability.
It was all very normal looking and not at all what she’d expected. Didn’t werewolves live in packs? And if so, then where were the others? Somehow she’d envisioned…well, not a cave but maybe a large commune?
Did other werewolves live in the houses that lined the street? And if they did, what happened when it was a full moon? Did they have block parties to celebrate and shift into wolves at the stroke of midnight? She tried to imagine being part of such a group; the only human while furry, four-legged creatures swirled about her.
She shivered at the idea of being surrounded by wolves, the memory of the three beasts fighting still as vivid as ever. Their growls and snarls had filled the air, bits of gravel and dirt flying about as their claws had dug into the soil. Slashing teeth, blood dripping from ripped flesh… Her vision blurred and she forced herself to breath calmly and slowly, fighting off the faintness that had threatened to overtake her.
Don’t concentrate on the fighting, she told herself. Remember how they’d knocked the attacking wolf off her. At the time she hadn’t thought of it as being rescued but now she could see that’s what had been going on. One of the wolves must have been Rafe. And perhaps the other had been Damien? She frowned wondering if werewolves were a plentiful species or if, like the Fae, they were few in number. She clung to the hope that it was the latter. They seemed less intimidating if they were an endangered species.
Her panic subsiding, Eve decided it was time to make her move before she lost her nerve. Arriving on a man’s step, announcing you wanted to pursue a relationship with him, and 'by the way, are you a werewolf' just wasn’t something she did every day. Before she could change her mind, she opened the car door and stepped onto the sidewalk. Slinging her purse over her shoulder she marched up to Rafe’s house, rang the bell and waited for him to answer.
While she waited, she tried out several possible opening gambits, then rang the bell again when he didn’t answer the summons. More time passed with no sound of approaching footsteps coming from inside. Eve tried to peek through the small window in the door. There was no sign that anyone was at home but seeing the foyer brought back memories of her first time with the man. Her belly quivered and a feeling of emptiness spread through her as if her mind were reaching out, searching for some sense of him but coming back painfully empty.
With a sigh, she decided Rafe mustn’t be home and turned to leave. So much for confronting him on his own turf. Rather disgruntled that her plans had gone awry, she began to walk towards the car, only to have a vehicle pull into the driveway before she even reached the end of the walkway.
It was Rafe and through the windshield she could see that his face held as much surprise as she was feeling.
Eve waited in place as Rafe parked his SUV and climbed out. The vehicle was quite a step up from the battered truck he’d used in Grassy Hills. Shutting the door with a decisive thud, he stood staring at her, the epitome of a professional in his tailored suit. It was a far cry from the jeans and t-shirts she was used to seeing him in. A chill ran through her; he almost seemed like a stranger—a gorgeous stranger—but not the man she knew.
He didn’t say anything, and Eve had a sinking feeling that he wasn’t happy to see her. Somehow she’d envisioned something more movie-like where he’d hug her and immediately declare what a mistake he’d made by leaving. Maybe she was the one making the mistake. Perhaps he’d decided she didn’t suit his professional lifestyle and that’s why he hadn’t contacted her.
Nervously, she glanced up and down the street taking in the neat row of houses, the carefully tended lawns. The residents were likely all highly educated, with manicured nails and designer clothes. Eve smoothed her bargain rack sweater over her hips and then curled her fingers trying to hide her blunt, paint stained finger nails.
Well, it was too late now to change her mind. She was here and might as well go through with her plan…if that’s what you could call it. Pinning a brave smile on her face to hide the nervousness she was feeling, she walked over to Rafe.
“Hi!”
“Eve.” He looked wary, his body stiffening as if preparing for some verbal or emotional blow. “I’m…surprised to see you here.”
She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “I was in the area and I thought I’d stop by.”
“In the area?” He quirked an eyebrow. “We’re several hundred miles from Calgary last time I checked.”
“It’s an expression, as you’re well aware.” Compressing her lips, she resisted the urge to snap at him. She hadn’t come all this way for him to be difficult.
He waited a beat before nodding, a resigned look on his face. “Since you’re here would you like to come inside?”
It was a rather back-handed offer, but she accepted though the bubble of hope that had grown in her during her long flight from Calgary was rapidly deflating.
He unlocked the front door and then stood aside to let her enter first. His face was expressionless. It reminded her of when they’d first met. She’d thought him cold and stone-faced, and she’d been a bundle of nerves stumbling over her words whenever she’d tried to talk to him. Hopefully, she’d do better today than she had then.
The house was tastefully but sparsely decorated with glass and chrome and fine fabrics. There were no real homey touches though. No newspaper left half-read on the sofa, no afghan or comfy cushion for curling up and reading a book. Was this how Rafe lived? It gave the impression of being cold and uninviting. Rather like the owner was at the moment, Eve thought as she tried to come up with a neutral comment. “This looks…um…like a photo shoot from a magazine.”
Rafe was removing his suit coat but paused and gave the room a careless glance. “I had it professionally decorated. I don’t spend much time in the main rooms.” He hung the jacket up on a coat tree and walked towards the back of the house, gesturing for her to follow. “When I’m home I spend most of my time in the den that’s off from the kitchen.
Upon entering the room, she immediately felt herself relaxing. It was rather like a spinoff from his place in Grassy Hills with a stone fireplace, wood flooring and oversized leather chairs. Soft lighting spilled from wall sconces and several paintings depicting the outdoors decorated the walls. One, in fact, was hers! She recalled that it had been purchased by an anonymous buyer at the gallery that was hosting her show in a few weeks. The owner had been ecstatic at the pre-showing sale, feeling it was an omen of great things to come.
Rafe noted
Sinking down into the comfortable chair he’d indicated, she folded her hands in her lap and tried to decide how to start the conversation.
“Can I get you anything? Tea? Wine? A glass of water?”
“No, I’m fine.” She declined his offer and then watched as he sat down in a recliner directly across from her. Rather than leaning back, he propped his elbows on his knees and, loosely clasping his hands, stared at her intently.
“You’re looking better.”
The comment struck Eve as humorous. “Damien said the same thing to me just the other day.”
“Damien?” Rafe sat up straighter. “He stopped by to see you?”
“He was warning me about the Anti-Fae.” She frowned. “I was surprised you didn’t mention them to me. Apparently, I could be in danger from them.”
“A lapse on my part. I hadn’t realized the extent of the danger.” A troubled look passed over his face. “I’ve been trying to think of how—”
She interrupted him before he could finish. “He said you could be in danger, too.”
He shrugged. “I don’t really think about it. I guess over the years, it’s something I’ve grown used to. It’s you—”
“But that’s awful.” She stopped him again. “No one should be used to the fact that there’s a group of people out there that might want to kill you simply because of some genetic quirk. Someone needs to do something about this!”
“We’re trying. Reno and Brandi—remember you met them at my place?”
Eve nodded, recalling how she’d awoke at Rafe’s to find him gone and two strangers there in his stead. They’d explained they were friends of his and that he’d been called away because of a fire at his workplace. At the time she’d assumed they’d come to deliver the news to him, but apparently they’d been there for another reason.
“They, and quite a few others, belong to a specialized kind of police force and they’re continuously working on the problem.”
“So they were at your place because…of Gordie?”
Rafe paused before answering. “Grant was one of the reasons. It’s…” He rubbed his neck and sighed. “It’s rather complicated to explain.”
“I guess I just want things fixed but it’s not that easy, is it?”
He gave a rueful smile and shook his head. “No. Unfortunately, not.”
“And how does Damien fit into all of this?”
Rafe hesitated and when he spoke, he seemed to be choosing his words carefully. “He was part of the same police force for a while. When his wife died, he decided to look at the problem from a different angle. It’s not a method that’s generally approved of.”
“Oh.” It was a rather cryptic answer and she furrowed her brow wondering what he was hinting at. “And he was at your place because…?”
“He was doing a job for his…employers. It just happened to coordinate with something Reno was asking me to do.”
Eve sensed there was a lot that he was leaving out but decided to abandon the topic. It wasn’t really why she’d come here anyways. What she needed to do was to swing the conversation around to werewolves and why he hadn’t contacted her since leaving Grassy Hills.
“You left awfully fast.” She tried to keep any accusation out of her voice. “I was surprised to find you gone when I got up the next day.”
Rafe stood and walked to the adjoining kitchen, answering her over his shoulder. “My clinic had caught fire. I was needed here. Didn’t Brandi tell you?” He opened the fridge. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”
“No, I’m still fine.” Eve narrowed her eyes at his obvious avoidance tactic. “Brandi told me about the fire. How are things at your clinic now?”
He opened a bottle of what looked like an imported beer. “They’ll be starting demolition soon. The architect has a set of blueprints for me to look at.”
She nodded and silence lapsed between them. Eve nibbled her lip. This was going to take forever. There had to be a simpler way. Maybe she should just ask him. Flicking a glance his way, she saw he was studying her over his beer bottle. Their gazes met and they both glanced a way.
Rafe sighed and set his beer down on the counter with a faint thud. “Eve, I…”
At the same time, she got to her feet. “Rafe…”
They both looked at each other.
“You go first.” Eve inclined her head towards him.
“I was just going to ask what really brought you here. It wasn’t to ask about the Anti-Fae or Damien or the clinic, was it?”
She fought the need to squirm under his intense gaze. It would be so much easier if she could just drop her mental wall and let him know how she really felt. But if he didn’t reciprocate, it would be so awkward. Yet if one of them didn’t make the first move...
“I…I was wondering if…” She paused and wet her lips while trying to get up the nerve to say what she needed to say.
“Yes?”
“I…” She closed her eyes so she couldn’t see his response, took a deep breath and then said it. “Are you a werewolf?”
Silence met her question. She opened one eye and looked at him warily. He was staring at her, mouth ajar, eyebrows raised. Definitely not what he’d been expecting to hear. Eve wished she could disappear; turn back time and erase what she’d said. God, this was embarrassing. No doubt, he thought she was crazy.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Spinning around, she ran towards the front door.
Chapter 55
“Eve! Wait.” Faster than she’d have thought possible, Rafe caught up with her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him. She tried to pull away but it was quickly obvious he was much stronger than her. Trapped, Eve kept her eyes fixed on his chest. She could feel her cheeks getting hotter and hotter by the minute.
“Whatever put that idea into your head?”
Shrugging, she kept her eyes firmly fixed downward.
“Eve.” His voice deepened taking on a commanding quality. “Answer me.”
She dared glance upward unable to resist that tone of voice. His brows were lowered and the stare he had fixed on her turned her blood to ice. The telltale muscle was ticking away in his jaw. She looked away, and swallowed hard, faint trembles of fear shaking her. “It…it was some crazy idea Caro had. I…I should never have listened to her.” Once again, Eve tried to escape, but Rafe was having none of that.
“Caro, you say?” Rafe was silent and she dared to sneak a peek up at him. He appeared to be thinking, his eyes fixed on some distant point. “It appears there’s more to your Caro than meets the eye.”
He suddenly glanced down and caught her looking at him. His eyes weren’t quite as cold and she relaxed a bit, slowly exhaling.
“I guess she reads too many paranormal books.” She shrugged one shoulder.
Rafe released his grip on her and gave her a considering look. “But you believed her.”
“Well... Not really. At least, not at first.” She twisted her fingers as she tried to explain. “I mean, being Fae can sort of be understood, right? Scientists haven’t completely mapped the human brain. Maybe what we call being Fae is a normal function that most people don’t use.”
He inclined his head, not really agreeing or disagreeing, so she continued.
“But then she mentioned…I don’t know…a certain look that you had. And then for some strange reason I’d doodled a picture of you with a wolf superimposed over top. She made it seem significant.” Eve felt her cheeks heating again. “I guess I was just looking for an excuse…”
“An excuse for what?”
Staring at the ground she mumbled the end of the sentence. “To see you.” God, this was awful. When she saw Caro she was going to—
“I missed you, too”
He s
“That’s what I said.” The corner of his mouth slowly curved upward and she felt an answering smile appearing on her lips.
“Really?”
He nodded while oh so slowly reaching out to brush her hair from her cheek and tucking it behind her ear. “I missed your smile and watching you concentrate on a painting. I missed seeing the expressions flit across your face when you get engrossed in a book you’re reading. The way you look curled up on my sofa with your bare feet shoved between the cushions to keep them warm.”
“I miss watching you exercise.” She reached up and touched his jaw. “And I missed the way this muscle flexes when you’re upset.”
“It does that?”
She nodded and laughed, placing her hand on his chest. “And I missed that funny rumbly growling sound you make sometimes.”
The smile that had been spreading across his face started to fade and he cleared his throat. “Um, about that…”
“Yes?”
He seemed about to speak and then changed his mind. Instead, he pulled her closer and slowly kissed her. It was soft and gentle, a tender I-love-you kind of kiss that had her rising to her toes to maintain contact when he began to pull away.
“Eve…” He exhaled her name and cupped her face, his thumb brushing over her cheek bone. “How do you feel about me being an empath? I mean, after what Grant did to you, are you afraid to open your mind to another?”
“No.” She turned her face into his palm, pressing a kiss to it. “Not if that person is you. You’d never hurt me. Gordie tried, but the pill I slipped him knocked him out before he got past my mental wall.”
“Are you sure?” He looked at her intently. “I’ve dreamed of forming a bridge with you again but I wouldn’t want to upset you.”
“It wouldn’t. It won’t.” She stared directly into his eyes, willing him to see the sincerity of her words.