40. Sina
It was another slow Monday night at Jack’s. The kind of slow that didn’t feel peaceful so much as suspended. Ever since learning about vampires—and realizing I had one stalking me—I’d been on edge.
The atmosphere at the bar had felt different all week. That hadn’t stopped our usuals from spending their weekends partying here, though. Not even a murder could keep them away.
I counted out the till for the second time, fingers moving on autopilot as I lined the bills into neat stacks. We still had about an hour until close, and there was a couple playing pool in the corner. I’d already checked on them at last call, refilled their drinks, and closed out their tab.
I glanced down at the cash with a sigh. The numbers came out different. I frowned and began recounting, irritation flaring. I hated how distracted I’d been lately.
My eyes drifted toward the far left corner booth.
Rafe had been there the last four nights.
Always the same booth. Always with a book he never seemed to finish.
He didn’t drink. Didn’t talk much. Just existed in the space like an anchor—one I couldn’t stop myself from gravitating toward.
There was something about him that calmed the storm of anxiety inside me.
I couldn’t explain it, but I felt safe in a way I hadn’t in a long time.
Between him at work and Kiron—and sometimes even Harlow—at my apartment, I was never alone anymore.
And I found that I liked it.
Though I wouldn’t admit that out loud. Harlow would never let me live it down.
During the day, Kiron barely left my side, and Ghost followed me everywhere except when he went away to hunt or whatever it was he did when he left for a bit.
And he’d decided he hated Kiron with his entire tiny body.
The giant of a man looked genuinely offended every time Ghost bared his teeth or growled when he got too close to me .
Like earlier this evening.
Kiron had leaned down to kiss me goodbye when Rafe picked me up for my shift. Ghost immediately wedged himself between us like a furry barricade. I’d found it endlessly funny.
Kiron muttered something under his breath about a ‘cock-blocking furball’, while Ghost looked smugly victorious. Watching them circle each other, both territorial in their own way, was the closest I’d felt to normal in months.
Harlow had spent part of the last week with me too, fixing my heater, the elevator in my building, and installing what he proudly called a state-of-the-art security system. Not to mention the new heavy-duty locks on my door.
I smiled to myself as I finished counting the till for a third time and finally got the same number, then dropped the sealed envelope in the security box under the bar.
I didn’t know why Harlow insisted on fixing everything in that shitty apartment complex, but I was grateful.
I knew they all wanted me on the island with them, but I just couldn’t take that plunge.
For one thing, the apartment was mine. I was proud of it.
Proud that I’d gotten it and kept it on my own.
And then there was Nikolai. The asshole alpha of a vampire hive hadn’t been around since the night he threw me to the wolves. Maybe I should change his name in my phone.
Niko-lie?
Nick-the-Prick?
I snorted quietly to myself.
No. Sir-Niks-a-Lot was still funnier, and accurate. Though, calling him sir was a heady fucking feeling. Praise from Nik was addictive as hell. There was something sexy as fuck about pleasing someone like Nik .
I shivered.
My smile vanished just as fast. Nope. Absolutely not thinking about that. Not when he’d been a complete asshole compelling me about Keith. I was still pissed about that, plus he hadn’t spoken to me all week. He told me about vampires, then left me to wake up alone.
Who does that?
“Stupid fake vampire therapist alphahole,” I muttered under my breath, which I still hadn’t gotten the chance to call him out on.
“Hey Sin,” Danielle said, sliding in beside me and interrupting my internal rant. “You good?”
I blinked and looked up. “Yeah. Sorry. Just… tired.” Hopefully she hadn’t heard me talking to myself.
She hummed softly like she didn’t believe me. I glanced at her, taking in the dark circles beneath her eyes. She’d taken the murder hard. Poor thing. I worried about her.
“What about you? That ex of yours still giving you shit?”
She shook her head. “Nah. Jackson pretty much scared him off.”
I snorted. Sounded like something Kiron would do. Yep. They were definitely brothers. I didn’t know how I’d never made the connection before. They were built the same too. Same dark eyes. Same dangerous edge—even if one was a vampire.
My gaze drifted back to Rafe, drawn there like a magnet. Every few minutes, without meaning to, I found myself checking his corner of the bar.
He was here because of the rogue. Because Jack and Danielle were human. Because someone needed to keep an eye on the bar until the threat was dealt with. At least… that was the reason I told myself .
He wasn’t looking back this time. His attention was buried in his book, posture relaxed. If he heard us, he pretended not to. I knew better. That man heard everything that happened in this bar.
Vampire hearing.
Danielle followed my line of sight. Her eyes landed on the corner booth, then flicked back to me with a slow, knowing grin.
“So,” she said casually, grabbing a clean glass and starting to pour, “is he one of the Fantastic Four?”
I snorted. “Took you long enough to ask.” Despite myself, my mouth curved. All week I could see the question in her eyes every time her gaze landed on the muscular man in the corner.
She rolled her eyes. “Spill or I’ll ask him myself.”
“Don’t make me regret telling you about them.” I swatted her playfully with a towel as she slid a drink toward me, her laughter infectious.
“Did you finally tell them how you feel?”
I shook my head. “This drinking and ‘sharing our feelings thing’ is becoming a habit. I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
I clinked my glass with hers and downed the shot. It burned a path down my throat.
“Fine,” Danielle said, lifting her hands in surrender. “If you won’t tell me about them, I’ll just go straight to the source.”
My stomach dropped as she turned, the grin already forming. “Hey, Rafe!”
Oh no she didn’t.
I regretted telling her his name immediately. And confirming he was one of my four. Fantastic Four. I snorted incredulously.
Rafe looked up from his book, his eyes finding mine first. Even when he wasn’t looking directly at me, I knew he was watching. Something in my chest loosened just from that alone before his gaze flicked to Danielle .
“You want a drink?” she waved a bottle at him. “It’s Jackson’s good stuff.”
He smirked, giving me a slow once-over that sent heat sliding somewhere inconvenient. Damn , the man was gorgeous. The sleek fall of his long black hair, the tribal tattoos framing his throat and mouth, the calm confidence he wore like a second skin.
He marked his page, closed the book, and rose to his feet. I stepped out from behind the bar without overthinking it and met him halfway.
“You don’t have to entertain her.” I found myself protective of him. My soft-spoken, quiet vampire. I didn’t want Danielle making him uncomfortable.
“It’s fine, honey, I don’t mind.” he smiled softly, taking my hand and turning me gently back toward the bar.
My blush deepened at the nickname. Over the last week, the silly but sweet endearment had been growing on me. Just like him. My big teddy bear.
Danielle leaned an elbow on the bar. “So Rafe—” Before she could continue, the front door creaked open.
The last two patrons laughed softly as they shrugged into their jackets and waved goodbye, heading out together into the night.
“I’ll be right back. Just going to lock up,” Danielle said, already moving.
She crossed the bar quickly, flipped the sign to Closed, and locked the front door. While her back was turned, Rafe stepped closer, his kind eyes searching mine. “You okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I just keep waiting for him to show up.”
We both knew who I meant. His gaze flicked briefly toward the door, sharp and assessing, then came back to me. “He’s not here, Sina. I can’t smell another vampire.”
My shoulders dropped before I could stop them .
“You’re sure?”
“I am,” he said without hesitation.
Something in my chest unclenched. I hadn’t realized how tightly wound I was until that moment—until the constant brace in my body eased just a little.
Out of all of them, Rafe made me feel the most at ease. And somehow, the closer he was, the less my body felt like it was preparing for impact.
Danielle returned, bottle in hand, eyes immediately zeroing in on the way he hadn’t let go of me yet. She poured him a shot and slid it toward him. His forearms flexed as he reached across the bartop for the glass. He tipped his head back and downed it in one smooth swallow.
I watched his throat work.
Damn.
Why was that so hot?
He set the glass down and lifted his gaze back to mine. Heat flared in his light-brown eyes, flecks of green catching the low light now that he was closer.
Closer than he’d been before.
Without really meaning to, I leaned in, resting an elbow on the bartop, caught in that look. It was pulling me forward one inch at a time and Rafe didn’t look away until Danielle spoke.
“So Rafe. What are your intentions with Sin? You’ve been here for every one of her shifts since what happened in the alley. And I gotta say, I’m curious as to why.”
My heart hammered. I was curious too.
Rafe was a man of very few words—and every time he spoke, he had my undivided attention. And if I was being honest, I really wanted to know what he was about to say. I knew he was here because of the rogue. Protecting Jack and Danielle as much as he was protecting me .
But was that it? Duty? Was he here because the hive asked him to be? Or was there something more going on between us?
“She needs to feel safe,” Rafe's answer was simple, but it had a lingering effect. Kiron had promised the same that day at the diner. It was a strange and new feeling having them all care about me. Except Nik. I was pissed at that jerk.
Danielle’s brows lifted. She clearly hadn’t expected that to be his answer. Her gaze flicked to me, checking my reaction, and I just shrugged, darting my eyes away. Truth was, I had no clue how Rafe felt. Not really.
“Wow,” Danielle said after a beat, smiling. “That’s sweet. Making sure she feels safe after what happened.”
Rafe just grunted.
This time, all three of us drank. I focused on the burn instead of the way his words curled low in my chest and stayed there.
“And when she feels safe again?” Danielle pressed. “What then? Will you go?”
“ Danielle ,” I hissed, not wanting to hear the answer to that.
Rafe’s hand closed around mine. Just like that, the tight coil of anxiety in my chest eased. Just that smallest touch put me at ease.
“I’m hers as long as she’ll have me.”
“Okay, I’m swooning now,” Danielle said, fanning her face dramatically. “If you don’t want him anymore, Sin, let me know.”
I knew she was teasing, but jealousy flared hot and fast at the thought of anyone else having Rafe. Or any of my vampires, for that matter. They were mine. I glanced up at Rafe’s honey-brown eyes and caught a knowing look there. Fuck.
Does he know I’m jealous? Did he really mean to say he was mine?
I bit my lip, looking anywhere but at him. Rafe didn’t let go of my hand, just stroked the back of it with his thumb.
Now I was even more confused.