Chapter 7 Cassie
Cassie
Iwatched my mate and her wolf friend run around the field, my mind racing.
Despite my conviction that I’d be able to resist having a mate, I was already completely obsessed with Ruby.
When the wolf touched her shoulder it had taken every ounce of self-control not to lunge forward and rip off her arm.
Ruby clearly didn’t know her friend was a wolf.
I wondered how much she knew about supes.
It wasn’t a secret that the supernatural world operated right alongside the human world, but most humans liked to pretend that vampires, fae, shifters, and other supes were just fiction.
Her father had clocked me as a vamp right away, and he seemed okay with it.
I couldn’t tell what Ruby thought though.
As the women played against each other on the field, I mentally reviewed everything I knew about the case.
Grabbing my phone, I shot off a message to Wanda asking her to send me everything she’d found about the other victims, as well as anyone else who went to Paris for the International Games last summer.
I wanted to see if there was a pattern, and also to know if any of the other Starfish players might be in danger.
After two hours of practice Ruby was finally done. I had to admit, she was an excellent athlete. All the women on the field were. There was none of the posturing and restrained violence I’d seen with the men’s teams, just some good natured competition and easy teamwork.
I stood outside in the hallway as the team went into the locker room for ice baths, showers, and debriefing. Fortunately there was only one way in and out, so I didn’t have to make up a reason to go inside. Within half an hour, the team started trickling out.
Ruby walked out with the wolf. Eleanor. She was a pretty woman, tall and thickly muscled, her frame more like a bear than a wolf.
“I told her,” Eleanor said as she walked by, not breaking stride. “Y’all have a good night.”
“Told you what?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew.
Ruby looked around before whispering, “She’s a wolf shifter. I never knew, although now that she told me, I can’t believe I never saw it before.”
I could. Humans were clueless about the world around them.
I gestured for us to walk. “Let’s talk in the car,” I said.
I’d feel better once we were not so vulnerable. The security here at the stadium was shit. I’d already decided to ask Lois to send the team to make some recommendations. Even without this stalker situation, everything was too open here. It put all the players in jeopardy.
It also pissed me off. I’d been in enough stadiums that housed men’s teams to see the disparity. There was no way someone could just wander over to the locker room in those places.
Once we were safely in the SUV, I turned to my mate. I inhaled sharply as I realized I was calling her ‘mate’ in my head. How was I supposed to keep my distance when I was already feeling so possessive?
“What do you know about supes?”
“Supes?” she asked.
“Supernatural beings. Shifters. Vampires. Witches.”
She looked upward, thinking.
“I’ve heard a bit here and there, mostly from my grandmother.
She comes from a very small village in Poland, and I always thought she was just superstitious with her talk of magical beings living among us.
But today when Dad asked you if you were a vampire, and then Eleanor told me she’s a wolf shifter, well now I’m looking at things differently.
I’m realizing you two are not the only non-human people I’ve met. ”
“They estimate about ten percent of the population is supernatural,” I told her. “More than that if you count the people who are mixed.”
At her confused look I clarified, “People who have one human parent and one supernatural one.”
“Ah.”
For someone just realizing that the world wasn’t what she thought it was, Ruby was taking it well.
A lot of people freaked out. I had a feeling that my mate was one of those people who took most things in stride.
Even when we were talking about the message that the stalker left in her apartment she was pretty calm about it.
“What happens now?” Ruby asked.
I realized I was just sitting in the car staring at her, my mind preoccupied with her sweet scent.
She’d changed into faded jeans that hugged her strong legs and a fitted white tee shirt.
Her long hair was wound into a messy bun on top of her head, but a few tendrils were already slipping out to frame her face.
“I’d like to do some more planning, and also it would look weird for me to go right home with you. Maybe we should go to my office.”
Ruby placed a hand over her belly. “I’ve got a better idea. I’m so hungry I’m ready to eat my own arm. Let’s go get food.”
She paused, giving me a cautious look. “You eat food right? Not just blood?”
“I love food,” I said. “How would you feel about Chipotle? It’s fast but healthy.”
“That’s perfect.”
On the way to the restaurant I told her about the first time my friend and former coworker Darla had gone to a Chipotle. We were guarding her mate, a doctor who’d got on the wrong side of an illegal experiment, and somehow Darla had never heard of Chipotle before.
“She was obsessed,” I said. “She kept going on and on about it. It was like that kid who found the chocolate fountain in Willy Wonka. The original movie, not the abomination of a remake.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ruby smile. She had a pretty smile, with just the perfect amount of teeth showing.
“Agreed. Gene Wilder is so cute in that movie.”
“Will your friends think it’s strange if you’re dating a woman?” I asked. “For our cover story?”
Ruby shook her head. “I haven’t dated any men since high school.”
Thank the gods, I thought, before reminding myself that she was my client and I didn’t want a mate so there was no reason for me to care who she dated. I inhaled sharply as I felt my vamp claw at my insides, clearly disagreeing.
“Are you okay?” Ruby asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, just had a little… cramp.”
A little while later we were ensconced at a corner table at Chipotle while we ate our food and I questioned my client.
“Do you know any of the other women who were stalked?” I asked, giving her their names as a reminder.
“I mean, I know them because they were on our team for the International Games and we all spent a lot of time together over the summer,” Ruby responded. “But I wouldn’t say that I know any of them well.”
“Who on the national team do you know well?” I asked.
“Jamie Dunphy. Lisa Jonsson. And of course Eleanor.”
“Your friend was on the team too?” I asked, scanning the list to confirm.
“Yeah, we were roommates in Paris and everything. That’s why I’m surprised that I never even had an inkling as to what… who she was.”
“Supes learn early on to blend in,” I explained. “It’s to everyone’s benefit if humans don’t freak out about us. No one wants some kind of a species war, especially when we can all get along together the way we do.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.”
Ruby was quiet while she finished her lunch.
I watched her covertly while eating my own food.
I needed to tell Lois that Ruby was my mate.
Then again, it felt weird to tell my boss before Ruby herself knew.
I hadn’t decided whether I would pursue Ruby or not yet, and if I did, I wasn’t sure when I should tell her, and how I should break the news.
Her wolf friend knew already, but she wouldn’t break the supe code and spill the beans before I did.
Maybe I should get a hold of Darla. I’d watched her dance around her mate, watched her juggle her urge to claim her mate with her job as bodyguard.
In both cases, she was obligated to provide protection, but we all knew that giving in to your inner demon’s desire to claim a mate made your judgement impaired.
At least in the beginning. Your entire body was focused on sex, and sex clouded your perspective, made you careless and sloppy.
I couldn’t afford to be distracted, not when this stalker was after my mate. Not when I didn’t know what I was dealing with. And not on one of my first solo protection gigs. No, I needed to keep Ruby at arm’s length, at least until we solved this case, then I could decide if I wanted a mate or not.
I frowned as I replayed our conversation. “You said Eleanor was in Paris with you, right?”
Ruby nodded.
“But she’s not had anything weird happen?” I confirmed. “No notes or messages?”
“No.”
“I should probably talk to her anyway,” I said. “She might not be aware that she’s being watched.”
Then again, if the stalker knew that Eleanor was a wolf shifter, he or she might know better than to go after her. Wolves were vicious fighters, especially if cornered or attacked. I mean, they weren’t as good as vampires, but they held their own.
“We have a home game tomorrow night. I could invite Eleanor to go out for a drink with us afterwards. We sometimes do that anyway, so it won’t look suspicious.”
“Do that,” I responded.
Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Bossy, are you?”
I leaned forward, then regretted it when the sweet scent of my mate only grew stronger, muddying my mind with pure, unadulterated lust.
“My job is to protect you,” I said firmly. “This isn’t a democracy. We are not making decisions by consensus. You do what I say, and I keep you alive.”
Most people were intimidated by my no-nonsense voice. Not Ruby. She burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?” I snapped.
“You do what I say and I keep you alive,” she mimicked, lowering her voice in what I assumed was an imitation of me.
“You sound like something out of a bad movie. For the record, I intend to follow your recommendations, and I understand that your goal is to keep me safe. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be polite. A please goes a long way you know.”
I stared at her for a long moment and then to my surprise, I laughed. I didn’t normally do a lot of laughing but Ruby was just so cute, like a ferocious little kitten, that I couldn’t help it.
“Please make arrangements for us to spend time with the wolf,” I said when I recovered.
“See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” Ruby teased. “I’ll text her now.”