Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (12 page)

The wolf didn’t move and Eve took a
sliding, sideways step towards the door. A sad whine emitted from
the beast and she paused, studying it carefully. It
looked…lonely.

“Do you want some company?” She
took another step towards the door while still talking. “Is it
lonely, being a wolf without a pack?”

Shadows passed over the wolf’s
eyes. Eve had a fleeting impression of the café man. He’d been dark
and lonely looking, too with the same unusual eyes. “At least
you’re more sociable than he was,” she muttered to herself, still
thinking of how he’d disappeared without a trace.

The wolf cocked its head and Eve
could almost swear the animal understood her. She chuckled softly
and found herself explaining her encounter with café man to the
animal.

“I don’t know what I would have
done if I’d actually caught up with him.” Eve shook her head. “I
could hardly tell him the real reason. I mean, who would believe
it.” She paused and then continued in a conspiratorial tone. “You
won’t tell anyone my secret, will you, Wolf? You see, I have a
gift. My gran told me about it when I was little, but I didn’t
really believe her. I mean, who believes in being Fae in this day
and age?”

The wolf raised its brows as if it
didn’t believe her either.

“It’s true, Wolf. I’m not making it
up. It started a little over a year ago. I’m an empath. I can feel
other people’s emotions.”

The wolf shook its head, ears
flapping, and she laughed.

“Yeah, that’s sort of what I did
when I first figured out what was happening. I thought I was going
crazy…some days I’m still not so sure!”

Inside the cabin, the phone started
to ring.

“I’ve got to go now, Wolf.” She
stepped closer to the door and this time the wolf hung its
head.

“Why don’t you go find a lady
friend? Start your own pack?”

A shuddering sigh escaped the wolf
and it sank down, resting its chin on its paws, the picture of
dejection.

Waves of heart-breaking sadness
washed over Eve and with a start, she realized she was reading the
wolf without even trying. She stared at the creature wide-eyed,
unsure what to do. The phone continued to ring, its peal sounding
more and more insistent.

“I’m sorry.” Tears welled as she
experienced it anguish; a horrible, heart-wrenching ache that had
her clutching her chest. Its pain was more than she could bear.
“I’m sorry, Wolf… So sorry…. I…” Her voice broke and she shook her
head not knowing what to say; no words of comfort could ever be
sufficient. Inside the phone quit ringing only to immediately start
up again somehow conveying the anger of the caller. “I really do
have to go… Come back and we’ll talk again.” With that she slipped
inside. Closing the door, she took a moment to wipe the tears from
her cheek and blew out a steadying breath before reaching for the
phone. As she picked up the receiver, she looked out the window and
watched as the wolf got to its feet and slowly padded into the
shadowed forest.

“Hello?” She answered distractedly,
still staring the spot where the wolf had disappeared.

“Eve, where were you? I thought I
told you stay inside the cabin.” Rafe’s voice barked down the
line.

“Oh. Hi, Rafe. I was
inside…mostly.”

“What do you mean, ‘mostly’? If you
were inside it shouldn’t have taken you that long to answer the
phone.”

“I just stepped out on the porch to
do a bit of sketching. But don’t get all huffy. I took the gun with
me and nothing happened.” She was sure she’d kept her voice even
but something must have given her away.

“You’re not telling me everything.
What’s wrong?” His tone was demanding and despite the distance that
separated them she reacted as if he were right there, staring at
her with those soul searching, chocolate brown eyes.

“Nothing. I drew some trees…” Her
voice trailed off.

“And?” How he managed to convey the
arching of his brow through that one word, she’d never know.

God, she was a lousy liar. “All
right. I saw the wolf again.”

“I’m coming right over. And stay
the hell inside this time!” He hung up before she could
protest.

Eve set the phone down with extreme
care. If she hadn’t, she might have thrown it. How dare he bark at
her like that! The usual nervous quivering she felt when thinking
about him began to fade as her temper started to rise. The more she
thought about it, the angrier she became and she began to pace the
length of the living room anticipating what she’d say to him when
he arrived!

Chapter 8

As he drove towards Eve’s cabin,
Rafe fumed over her reckless behaviour. Twice now she’d left the
safety of the cabin after he expressly told her not to. Didn’t she
realize she was dealing with a wolf? A creature that could easily
take her down and rip her to shreds! And that was only if it was a
normal wolf. But this was a rogue. Twice as deadly as a normal wolf
because of its size and strength, let alone the human intelligence
that controlled all that power.

While he might work with rogues,
even firmly believe in and advocate for their rights and the chance
to integrate into society, he was under no illusions about them. No
rogue was allowed near someone he ca—

Rafe stopped himself mid-thought
and took a calming breath. Slow down, he told himself. He didn’t
care about Eve; he was concerned. It had been obvious in her voice
that she was upset. As her landlord, he had a certain
responsibility for her welfare. She might be cute and have a lot of
gumption, but that was immaterial. So what if her tiny size brought
out all of his protective instincts. He wasn’t interested in a
relationship with her.

He brought his vehicle to a quick
stop in front of her cabin, gravel spewing to all sides, and jumped
out not even bothering to shut the door. His muscles were tensed,
ready for an attack. He’d grappled with more than one enraged rogue
and wasn’t about to let his one take him unaware. If it was Damien
Masterson then the man had more tricks up his sleeve than most.
Briefly, Rafe thought of the small vial he’d tucked in his boot.
The syringe inside that plastic container held enough tranquillizer
to take down a rogue if need be, but he wasn’t keen on using it if
Eve was around. She’d question how he came to have such a strong
drug in his possession. How could he explain it was part of a
professional medical kit he kept with him at all times?

He tested the air. Yep, it was the
same rogue as before and he’d been here recently. Rafe was about to
start patrolling the area when Eve called his name.

“Rafe McRae, what do you think
you’re doing?” She stood on the porch, hands on her hips. That in
itself was noteworthy—Eve usually seemed more submissive in his
presence—but that wasn’t the case today. It was obvious that she
was peeved with him over something but he didn’t have time for that
right now.

“Checking to see if the wolf is
still around. Get back inside.”

“Quit ordering me around.”

“Eve, go inside where it’s safe.
Now!”

“While you do what? Go looking for
the wolf just like that?” She flicked a derogatory look from his
head to his toes and back again. “If this wolf is supposed to be so
dangerous, shouldn’t you be taking a gun with you?”

He opened his mouth to say no but
then stopped. She didn’t know he was a werewolf—well,
three-quarters—and he couldn’t tell her the gun was all part of the
‘costume’ he’d assumed upon moving here. With a sigh, he turned and
headed for the cabin.

As he approached, she began to give
vent to her ire. “Honestly, sometimes you men act so stupid. What
makes you think you can go looking for a wolf without even a weapon
to defend yourself? You’re angry because I went out on the porch,
but look at you!” She threw her hands up in the air. “You did it
the other day and I was too upset about the wolf to question it but
now…” She paused, shook her head and then stomped into the
cabin.

“No need to concern yourself, Eve.
I’m well acquainted with the ways of wolves.” He followed her
inside.

“So you’re a wildlife expert now? I
thought you were a counsellor.”

“A bit of both.”

“Yeah. Right. Lots of call for wolf
counsellors.”

He clenched his jaw at her snarky
comment and slowly counted to ten.

“So how did you get so wise about
wolves? Watching the nature channel?” Sarcasm oozed from her as she
leaned her hip against the island that separated the kitchen from
the living area. Rafe noted the way her worn jeans hugged her
slight curves and accentuated her thighs. It distracted him enough
that his temper began to subside. He could imagine holding her in a
tight embrace, then slipping his hand under the back of her leg and
hitching it up around his hip.

“I have a wide variety of
interests.” He murmured, his concentration now focussed on her
chest. She’d crossed her arms. The action pulled her t-shirt taut
over her pert breasts, and he watched as they moved with her
agitated breathing. They were exactly the right size to fit in his
palm.

Realizing the folly of his
thoughts, he jerked his eyes up and looked at her face. Luckily she
hadn’t noticed the direction of his gaze and was still warming on
her topic.

“An interest?” She snorted.
“Everyone has ‘interests.’ I have an interest in sky-diving but I’m
not about to go jumping out of a plane without a parachute!” Her
cheeks were turning pink and he wondered what it would feel like to
cup her face and gently rub his thumb over her skin. Was it as soft
as he imagined?

Something she said suddenly caught
his attention.

“Parachutes?” Rafe blinked, not
following her line of thought. “I thought we were talking about
wolves.”

“It’s an analogy. Sky-diving
without a parachute is like looking for a wolf without a gun. It’s
reckless of you.”

While he loved her spirit, she was
beginning to irritate him. “I’m not the one that sat on the porch
with a rogue wolf in the neighbourhood.”

“
I
had the shotgun with
me.”

Rafe exhaled loudly. The argument
was pointless and a waste of time. “All right. Fine. Have it your
way. If it means so much to you, I’ll take the damned gun with
me.”

Eve stormed across the room and
picked the gun up from its resting place, then got the key for the
trigger lock. She couldn’t believe she’d had to argue with him over
such a simple precaution. Stalking back to where he stood, she
thrust the shotgun at him.

“Here.”

“Thanks.” He snapped the word, not
sounding thankful at all. Reaching for the weapon, his hand ended
up over hers.

His touch made her breath hitch,
tingles of awareness springing to life and shooting right to her
core.

“You’re welcome.” Eve responded
distractedly, forgetting they’d been arguing. She stared at their
joined hands, somewhat surprised not to see actual sparks shooting
into the air. Rather than pulling away, she allowed her hand to
remain in his. He rubbed his thumb over the back of it and heat
crept up her arm before spreading throughout her whole body.

Eve dragged her gaze to his face.
He was looking at her, his face as implacable as ever, his eyes
bottomless pools that she couldn’t begin to interpret. Why did that
turn her on, the fact that she had no idea what he was thinking or
feeling? She’d tried to read him before but always came up against
a blank wall. Was it the thrill of the unknown? Or the challenge of
trying to make him lose control?

A naughty imp inside her had her
parting her lips and wetting them with her tongue. He seemed
fascinated by the action, his already dark eyes now almost black.
Was it her imagination or had he moved closer?

It had been ages since she’d kissed
a man. What would it feel like to brush her lips over his? To feel
his warmth? To taste...?

One or both of them must have moved
for suddenly the gap that separated them was gone.

His lips brush over hers. Once.
Twice. Gently testing, teasing… Soft butterfly kisses were
exchanged before he lighted in place, tracing the seam of her lips,
asking for something deeper. She opened to him and their tongues
touched.

A kaleidoscope of colours and
sensations exploded in her mind. It was wonderful…glorious…
Feelings she’d only dreamed about were being set free, washing over
her, filling her with need. She stood on tiptoe, sliding one hand
up his chest to his neck and then the base of his skull, urging him
into a harder kiss, needing more.

Rafe wrapped an arm around her
waist, pulling her closer. She wanted to feel her breasts crushed
against him, to have her hips cradling his groin. Caught up in a
whirlwind of escalating desire, she tried to press closer.
Something incredibly long and hard dug into her belly and for a
split second she thought it was…

Damn. The gun was in between
them!

Reality crashed down around her,
and Eve jerked backwards, abruptly ending their contact. Her
breathing was harsh, her heart was pounding. A faint hum
momentarily filled her brain, slowing her thinking as if she were
drunk. She blinked and gave her head a shake. Wow, was this what
people meant when they said they were kissed senseless?

She looked up at Rafe, still dazed
and wondering if he had been similarly affected by the overwhelming
passion that had struck her. Exactly what she expected she wasn’t
sure but it definitely wasn’t him scowling at her and muttering
curses.

He cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

Sorry? The best kiss she’d ever
experienced in her entire life and he was
sorry?
His bland
reaction doused her desire more thoroughly than a bucket of ice
water. She clamped her mouth shut and shrugged then looked down for
fear he’d see the hurt and anger in her eyes. Her gaze fell on the
weapon that, amazingly enough, they were both still holding.