Chapter 16
sixteen
RAE
I went to Kat's house to watch more of the security footage the next day.
And the next.
And the next.
We graduated from talking about our mates and stalking, to talking about our childhoods. Kat was bizarrely good at getting information out of me.
If I hadn't enjoyed it, I would've been suspicious, but she was fun to talk to.
I'd grown up sheltered in the Shadow District while she was running wild on farmland in the Shifter Borough, so our lives had been extremely different. But our personalities did seem to work together.
She told me about her sister betraying her. Gave me details she admitted she'd never told Callum, knowing he'd get murderous over it.
I told her about the cellar. Some of it, at least. Things Grayson and Darius didn't even know.
Our eyes watered together, and we both played it off.
When she said she thought we might be soul-friends, I agreed.
She was more out of it as she got closer to heat, so Callum ended up stalking Darius with us on and off on over the last two days. More on than off, on the last one.
I didn't mind him either, somehow.
Even though he didn't pretend to approve of what I was doing, he helped anyway. He knew how to turn the cameras, so we could see better after he adjusted them.
Kat was in heat the day after that, so hanging out and stalking together obviously wasn't an option.
I decided to take out the target Grayson had sent me. He lived across the city, all the way out at the far end of the Shadow District, which was the longest drive I'd ever done.
I’d already figured everything out that I needed to as far as the guy went. Darius and I spent hours driving after his shift ended every day, so I was confident in my ability not to crash, too.
Somewhat confident, at least.
Confident enough.
Darius needed me to stay alive if he was going to stay somewhat sane, so I figured I couldn't have been that bad behind the wheel. If I was, he wouldn't have let me drive, and he definitely wouldn't have left me one of his cars to use.
I got back from work a little before Darius did. My hair was wet from the shower and I was already back to my favorite video game, when he showed up with food.
We hung out all day, and he stayed the night.
Again.
I didn't want to admit aloud that I slept better with him there, but I did.
The next morning, Kat texted me, and we ended up chatting over messages for a few minutes. She was through heat and resting, which was good for her.
But it left me alone again.
In the hotel room me and Darius were now sharing.
For hours.
I couldn't focus on video games. Or food. Or the internet. Or anything else.
My ridiculously obsessive brain just kept going straight back to Darius, in a coffee shop, with tons of people shamelessly flirting with him. There were threads on the forum posts where people were asking why he was still working at the shop and accusing me of not making him happy.
I saw the posts before Callum and Dare's people managed to take them down.
I really needed a distraction, so I asked Grayson if there was anyone else he needed me to kill.
There wasn't.
I asked Mia and Charity if there was anything they needed help with.
There wasn't.
So, when I couldn't deal with my own brain anymore, I texted Kat again.
Me
I have a terrible idea
Kat
It's probably not that terrible
Me
It is
Kat
***
Me
I think I need to hang out with Darius at the café
Kat
I've been saying that for days!
Me
That's not the idea
I can't just go and sit at a table
I'd have nothing to do, and people would stare
Kat
So...
Me
I think I need to work there
Kat
Oh
That's not a bad idea either
Making drinks isn't hard, you could do it without having to socialize much and keep an eye on Darius while you did
Me
You probably don't have any openings, right?
Kat
I will make an opening for you ;)
Me
Damn
I was hoping you'd shoot me down
Kat
LOL
It'll be fun
Worst case scenario, you just leave when you get tired of it
Me
I guess
What do I wear?
Kat
I'll text my manager, she'll give you a t-shirt and apron when you get there
Me
People will take pictures of us
Kat
Yeah, that's unavoidable
Me
I could just ask Darius to leave work
Kat
You definitely could, he doesn't need the coffee shop job
He only agreed to it in an attempt to find you, and he already told me he's going to quit whenever you're comfortable with it
Me
What did he do before?
Kat
Odd jobs for the cabinet, the fam, and their businesses
He always stayed busy, but never did the same thing every day
Me
Oh
Would he like that more?
Kat
Idk
But it would be pretty epic if you walked in as the new barista without warning him
I'd totally stalk that
My lips twitched.
Me
You'd have to record his reaction for me
Kat
Deal
Should I warn my manager?
Me
I guess
I'll probably be there in twenty
Kat
Yessss
I'll need to show Liv the video, or she'll show up to watch you guys working there together when she hears about it from Callum
Me
Please send her the video
Kat
Haha okay
Good luck!
Me
I'll need it
Putting on my dark eyeliner and lipstick didn't take long. My hands shook a little as I went down to the lobby, then got in the car Darius had loaned me.
I let out a harsh breath as I pulled away from the hotel.
Was I seriously doing this?
It was insane. I was aware that it was insane.
But the alternative was sitting in my hotel room, without him. Which I should've been fine with. I knew I should've been fine with it.
I wasn't, though.
I hadn't been, since that day he propositioned me in his kitchen a few minutes into our first actual conversation.
So I started the car.
And drove.
I barely heard a word the manager said as she showed me around the back part of the café, including the kitchen, break room, and bathroom. When she led me out into the space behind the counter, where everyone was making drinks and taking orders, my gaze lingered on Dare's back.
I followed her—until I realized she was leading me straight to him.
Shit.
Mayday.
This was a bad idea.
I wanted to leave, but my shadows no longer worked for transportation. And the manager was already calling out, "Scorch, I need you to train someone."
"Carla, you know I don't—" Dare cut himself off when he glanced over his shoulder and saw me.
I tried not to fidget.
Totally failed.
I was going to have a fucking meltdown.
His lips stretched in a slow, sexy smile. "Hey, Shadow."
My throat swelled.
Dare ditched the counter, handing a coffee cup to Carla before he grabbed my hips and kissed me.
"Missed me?"
"Maybe."
"Good. You're all I can fucking think about when we're apart."
My throat swelled a little more.
He kissed me again.
My gaze flicked to all the people behind him, but I refused to let myself look at them. Most were probably staring at us, but it didn't really matter.
The internet thought we had already sealed a bond because my shadows clung to him, and the scars on his throat from my fangs were pretty obvious too.
"Ready to learn how to make a drink?" he asked.
"Not really."
"You'll be fine. We've only got an hour left in our shift."
I hadn't asked Kat how long I'd need to stay, but she'd told me to leave if I wanted to. And Darius had said repeatedly that he didn't have to work there.
He stayed close to me the whole time, his arms and legs brushing mine every chance he got. We were crazy slow with the drinks, and I had a small panic attack every time I accidentally made eye contact with someone other than Dare, but he stayed calm and steady.
When I got overwhelmed, he pulled my back to his chest and turned me directly away from the crowd of customers behind us. He literally blocked me from their view with his body.
After the hour was finally up, he dragged me out to his car and pushed me gently into the passenger seat. He took the driver's seat and turned the car on, too.
Instead of pulling out of the parking lot, he turned toward me.
And lifted me onto his lap.
Snuggling in close to him was instinctual. The feel of his thick, solid arms around me was more calming than I expected.
I pressed my face to his throat, and he tipped his head to the side. He didn't say anything, but I understood what he wanted.
I sank my fangs into his skin, and he groaned quietly, his erection coming to life beneath me. I drank deeply from him, and his hands slid beneath my shorts, gripping my ass.
We were both breathing fast when I pulled away, licking the wounds and watching them close up.
I felt better, after feeding.
I always did, but the effect was getting more dramatic. I was pretty sure my transition from shadow to vampire was almost complete. My hair and skin had changed more, too.
"Thanks," I whispered, tucking my head beneath his chin again.
"Any time. What happened to make you brave the café?"
Guess there was no way around that conversation.
"Callum killed the Scorch Tracker website after he ended up in the holding cell. Kat and I were watching the security tapes so I could keep stalking you, but she went into heat, and anxiety bested me." I let out a long breath. "I don't think I can do this again, though. Working at the café."
"It's basically your definition of hell."
"Yeah."
He ran his fingers through my hair lightly, playing with my ponytail. "I'm sorry he killed the site. If you want me to keep working here, I'll talk Kat into giving you the login."
"She said you had a different job before this one."
"Yeah. I always had to stay busy, but the apathy gets worse if I'm doing the same thing over and over. I was the odd job guy."
"You could go back to doing that," I suggested. "Ditch the café. Unless you want to keep working here, then—"
"I quit the day after I met you, remember? I only went back to make you more comfortable."
My face warmed. "Your life isn't supposed to revolve around me."
"I know you think that, but it's bullshit. Mates' lives always revolve around each other. You saw Kat and Callum."
I had seen them.
Revolving around each other hadn't seemed nearly as bad since I spent half a day watching security footage of Darius with both of them while she sat on his lap in an office chair and he held her close.
It hadn't been sexual, even though they clearly loved each other.
It had kind of just seemed like intense friendship.
"Okay, let's try you going back to your old job," I said.
"After we move tomorrow. I'm taking two days off, remember?"
"Right." He'd told me he was going to do that. It had sounded amazing before. Now, I was slightly terrified. But when was I not terrified?
"I think I can drive myself back to the hotel now," I admitted.
Darius made a noncommittal noise. "I'd have to let go of you for that."
"Yeah."
He tightened his arms around me. "I'm pretty good like this."
My lips curved, just a little. "We could sit like this with significantly less clothing on if we were at the hotel."
"Or we could sit like this with significantly less clothing now."
"You want me to strip in a parking lot?"
"The windows are tinted enough that no one can see inside." He used his grip on my ass to move me just a little, grinding me against his erection.
"What do you propose?" I breathed.
"You ride my fingers here, and now."
"Sounds scandalous."
"Scandals are fun." He rocked me against his erection again.
"I have a counteroffer." I was on edge, and too off my game to suppress my thoughts on the subject at the moment.
"I'm listening."
"I could ride you."
A tense moment of silence passed.
"You've been dodging sex, Dare. You haven't even given me a reason for it. All we do is foreplay."
He let out a harsh breath. "Your first time needs to be perfect. I haven't come up with a good enough idea yet."
"What if I don't want it to be perfect?" I buried my fingers in his hair, and he closed his eyes as I tugged lightly on the strands. "What if I want to get it over with in this car, right now?"
"You're not getting sex over with."
"Why not? It's looming over us, and I'm tired of it. I just want you to fuck me."
"We're mates, Rae. I'm not giving you a quick fuck in this car for your first time."
"Fine." I opened the car door, feeling more than a little rejected.
He gripped me tighter, holding me where I was.
"I'm going to drive out to my old apartment to grab the rest of my stuff. I'll be back tonight. We can share the bed again, so your magic isn't too difficult to deal with."
"I'll go with you."
"I want to be alone right now, but thanks for the offer."
"You don't want to be alone." His voice strained. "You just fucking propositioned me."
"I changed my mind." I used my shadows to push his hands off my ass and slipped off his lap quickly. "See you tonight."
Dare stood up, stepping out of the vehicle but not following me.
I waved over my shoulder, fighting off emotions I didn't recognize or have labels for. "See you tonight."
Packing my shit would be a good way to ignore them.