Chapter 3 #2
“Yeah, I’m angry. I had a life. With Hunter. Now I have nothing. Nothing here at all. No offense, Greyson. I appreciate you. Julian. And Viktor. Sometimes.” He paused. “It’s just that my entire being is different than everyone. I’m not meant for this.”
“I’m sorry, mate. You’re gonna have to accept it.” Greyson told him.
“But do I? If it weren’t for Ilsbeth, I wouldn’t even be here. She owes Viktor a million times over and would she really kill her son?” He held up his hand. “Don’t answer that.”
“She owed Viktor a favor. You read too much into it.”
“You know I can play her. Witchy momma isn’t going to hurt her prodigy.”
“Number one, she doesn’t care. Number two and the most important point of all, no one plays the High Priestess.”
“She likes me. I think. Okay, I don’t know for sure, but I can see it in the way she looks at me. The way she treats me. She’s a ball buster, yeah. The stuff with Dimitri? In all fairness, love makes you do crazy things.”
“She’s been telling you tales. Do not justify the witch,” Greyson growled.
“But I’m her only child per se. If she has another one, I don’t know of them.”
“You’re her child by blood only. You have a mother. She’s a wolf. End of story.”
“True. And I’d better call her soon before she gets to me first.” Rafe hadn’t spoken to her often since he’d become vampire. She’d also been traveling and so they hadn’t yet talked in person. Becoming hybrid was a painful burden he didn’t want them to know about.
“You’ve been busy.” Greyson sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. “Look, I know it’s been a rough couple of years, but things are going to get better. Just stay away from the witch.”
“Ilsbeth could be the cure to my problem. She’s the one who snatched me off that mountain in Japan.”
“That’s how it always is with her. Tit for tat. Quid pro quo. Dude. You need to just stop with all this nonsense talk. She’s gonna get you killed,” Greyson insisted.
“I just brought it up because—” Rafe listened. Her voice echoed through his mind.
“What’s wrong?” Greyson whispered.
“Shhh. Listen.” Rafe held up his hand.
“What are you talking about?” Greyson stood still. “I don’t—”
“Do you hear her? She’s out there.” Rafe’s eyes lit with excitement.
“Here, doggy doggy?” Skylar called.
The faint sound of her voice lit his body with arousal. “It’s her.”
Greyson looked to Rafe. “Jesus Christ, you need to wear some fuckin’ clothes.”
“Shhh. She’s outside.” Rafe smiled.
“Here buddy. It’s okay.” Skylar’s voice drew closer.
“You showed yourself to her?” Greyson put his hands on his hips and glared at him. “Really? You could have just bitten her and been done with it.”
“Eh.” Rafe shrugged with a smile as she called out louder, looking for the lost animal.
“Holy mother of—” Greyson shook his head in admonishment. “She lives at that house? That guy tonight?”
“Yeah. He was a stalker. Where’d ya take em’?”
“He’s in the tank. Gave him to Kade. You know I don’t have time for this shit.”
“She lives about seven houses down.”
“You are beggin’ for trouble, aren’t you?”
“Shh.” Rafe brought his finger to his lips.
“You realize she’s looking for a dog, right?” Greyson laughed. “The human’s reduced you to a dog. Classic.”
“It was dark. She couldn’t possibly see that I’m a wolf,” Rafe whispered as he crossed to the front door and looked through the peephole. “It’s her.”
“Ignore her. She’ll go away.” Greyson shook his head in disapproval.
“She sees the lights. She’s coming up the walk. Oh shit.” Rafe jumped away from the door.
“Just ignore her.” Greyson peeked through the peephole. “She doesn’t know you’re here. Just because the light’s on that doesn’t mean I’m talking to anyone.”
Bang. Bang. Bang. Knocking sounded at the door.
“Answer it,” Rafe demanded in a whisper.
“No.”
“Yes!” Rafe laughed.
“Why?”
“Just do it!”
“Why me?” Greyson shook his head. “Now a human’s at my door. Jesus, Mary and Joseph.”
“Open it. Now!” Rafe insisted. “Play along.”
Transforming to his wolf, he jumped up at the door and barked. The knocking grew louder.
“Mother fuck—” Greyson opened the door and stared at the woman with the flashlight in one hand and a sandwich in the other. He forced a smile. “Hello, how may I help you?”
Rafe whined.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry; it’s so late.
I, um, I’m Skylar Hemlock. We’re kind of neighbors.
I’m about seven houses down. I thought I saw a stray dog come up toward your walk.
Then I saw the lights on. Thought I’d ask if you saw it.
I foster dogs sometimes. I couldn’t leave him outside. So, yeah…I’m really sorry.”
Rafe padded past Greyson and sniffed her hand, his wolf soothed by her scent.
“Oh, my goodness. Poor baby.” Skylar knelt and dropped the flashlight and sandwich, running her hands over the wolf. “You’re so…so…big.”
“Everything okay?” Greyson asked.
“Yes, yes. Sorry.” Skylar stood and extended her hand to Greyson.
The wolf growled at the vampire, baring his teeth.
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I apologize. He’s untrainable.”
“I’m so embarrassed. I was just so worried about him. I’m really very sorry.”
Rafe licked her fingers, tasting her skin. His wolf demanded more, his tongue lapping over her cheek.
“Bad dog!” Greyson chastised.
Fucking vampire. Rafe sat staring up at him, content as Skylar ran her hands through his thick coat.
“I’m so glad he’s okay. Gee, what a beautiful boy he is. I’ve never seen such a big dog. And so sweet.”
Yes, I am. Rafe looked up to Greyson who frowned.
“Is he, uh, a special breed?” she asked.
Oh, I’m special all right. Rafe barked.
“No, he’s just your everyday mutt.” Greyson’s eyes lit with amusement.
“He looks like…” She cocked her head with a curious smile, “a wolf! A big…”
“Bad wolf, that’s what he is.”
“Seriously, I think he’s a wolf or maybe one of those wolf dogs. Where did you get him?”
Rafe’s body warmed as she gave his head a soft stroke. His wolf howled, relishing each rub to his ears.
“The pound. But don’t worry.” Greyson looked to Rafe who took off running. “He’s fixed.”
“Where’s he going?”
“I uh, I’m not sure. So yeah. Everything’s okay. Thanks for checking on him.” Greyson glanced over his shoulder. “Dick.”
“Dick? You named him Dick?” She laughed.
“Yeah, yeah. You know. Short for, uh, Richard. But, um, we couldn’t call him that because his dad, Viktor, is a Richard too. Middle name, but still. There can only be one Dick.” Greyson glared at Rafe.
Skylar’s laugh morphed into silence as Rafe entered the room.
Wearing only a towel around his waist, the wolf’s eyes locked on hers. He couldn’t explain the attraction to her.
“Fate brings us together once again.”
“I…I saw a dog. Your dog.” She laughed and cocked her head. “Right after you left.”
“Hmm. Well, it must have been Adonis. That beast is nothin’ but a loverboy.” He shot Greyson a beaming smile and laughed.
“I thought his name was Dick?” Skylar wore a confused expression.
“Adonis died by a wild boar.” Greyson rolled his eyes.
“Don’t listen to this guy. He’s working on looking at the positive.”
“So, is this your…friend?” She wore an amused smile.
“Sometimes.” Rafe laughed.
“Well, hello, neighbor.” She smiled at Greyson. “You really were telling the truth.”
“You doubted me?” Rafe feigned injury, his palm to his chest.
“No, it just seemed. I dunno. The bar. My house.” A wide smile crossed her face. “And here I am. At three in the morning. Yeah, I’d better get going.”
“I do some of my best thinking at three in the morning. I love the night. Especially a full moon.” He winked at her.
“Are you speaking for yourself or your wolf?” Skylar looked to Greyson. “Your friend said it was a mutt, but I know a wolf when I see one.”
“He’s an amazing creature, for sure. Greyson is more of a cat person. Yep. He'd have a whole house full of em’ if he could.”
“I’m afraid I’ve gotta go.” The vampire turned to Skylar and nodded. “Nice meeting you. I’ll definitely keep Dick on a short leash from now on.”
“Nice meeting you too.”
Rafe’s gaze painted over her, wondering if she sensed he was supernatural. Some humans knew and stayed far, far away. Others sought out the supe kink, getting off on the occasional mystical hookup.
“You didn’t tell me you had a wolf. He’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. Yeah, don’t believe a word Greyson says about him.” Rafe took a deep breath, willing his cock to behave. Down boy.
“When I saw him...” Her face beamed as she spoke. “He looked at me like he knew me but then ran off. I had to go look for him.”
“Thank you.” Rafe smiled.
“Where did he go?” Skylar peeked around him. “I’d love to say goodbye.”
“Oh yeah, well, I think he wore himself out, so I put him in his bed. He’s out.”
Skylar looked back to the door and then focused back on Rafe. “I guess I better get going.”
“Let me walk you home.” Unable to resist the scent of the lovely human, he’d invented one more reason to spend a few extra minutes with a woman who could never be his. “One minute.”
Rafe disappeared down the hallway and made quick work of throwing on a pair of sweatpants and his t-shirt. He plowed his fingers through his unruly hair, his thoughts racing. She’d risked her life walking up the block to look for him, so it was his responsibility to see her home safe.
“Thanks for walking me home,” she commented without looking up at him.
“My pleasure. Besides it’s my fault for letting Adonis outside. No way I was letting you walk back alone.”
“Our neighborhood is usually safe. Tonight however…” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I probably shouldn’t have gone back out looking for the dog.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. You seem like a caring person to me. Sometimes that makes us do things we might not usually do.”
“It’s been a crazy night, hasn’t it? I didn’t even want to go out but I was celebrating with friends. And then I meet this good-looking guy and here we are.”
“Really? That sounds very sane to me.” Rafe’s eyes painted over her as they stopped in front of her house. Their gaze locked, and he imagined his lips on hers.
“I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like I know you,” she confessed.