Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (5 page)

Of course, that hadn’t gone as
planned. At first she’d been a pain in the ass, calling for help
with one thing after another. Straight from the city, she’d had no
idea about using a generator or priming a pump and each encounter
had twisted the need inside him tighter and tighter. Just the sound
of her voice had him painfully erect and filled his mind with
images of her sprawled on his bed, begging for him to take her.

Thank God, after the first month
she’d seemed to have gotten the hang of things. Now their paths
seldom crossed. It wasn’t often that she went into town and if he
saw her in the store, he simply rearranged what he had to do in
order to avoid her. A casual wave as their vehicles passed on the
road, an aloof nod if they were both hiking the same trail; it had
allowed him to regain some control. It didn’t mean he’d forgotten
about her—erotic dreams still plagued his sleep—but he’d begun to
think the arrangement might work out.

Now this had to happen.

There was an intruder on his land.
He’d been aware of the fact the minute he stepped out of his truck,
the creature’s scent still lingering in the damp air. That
knowledge had caused him to slam the door of his vehicle more
forcefully than usual and he’d barely held back the growl that
rumbled in his throat. Professional responsibilities—assessing the
progress of a former patient—had necessitated that he was away most
of the past week. In fact, he’d only returned home late last night
and during that short absence someone had moved in.

The intruder was a werewolf, not a
regular lupus, and in ordinary circumstances he would have been
reassured by that fact. A real wolf watching a cabin might have
spelled danger for the occupant, but the presence of another
Lycan—while annoying—shouldn’t have been a problem. However, these
weren’t ordinary circumstances.

With one last glance in the
direction of the cabin, he manipulated the energy around him and
shifted into his wolf form. He took no time to enjoy the sensation
of shifting, merely giving his fur a shake before getting down to
business. Clinging to the shadows, he carefully circled the cabin,
sniffing the air for evidence. A few tufts of dark hair were caught
on a bramble and several sets of wolf tracks, some freshly made,
could be seen in the still damp soil. Other tracks, more protected
from the elements by the thick pine branches overhead, were several
days old. Yep, the shifter had been watching the cabin for some
time and—he sniffed the ground once more—it was rogue just as he’d
suspected. His hackles rose, and a growl rumbled in his throat at
the knowledge of what could have happened to Eve if she’d blundered
upon the creature.

Lifting his head, Rafe scanned the
area. The ground rose from the edge of the small lake becoming
gently rolling hills covered in dense stands of trees. Moss
encrusted rocks jutted out here and there hiding entrances to dens
and burrows. Small gullies, filled with water from the spring thaw,
created temporary ponds that drained into a meandering stream.
There were any number of places for a rogue to hide, and the game
would provide a plentiful food source. It made sense that a
transient werewolf would stop here for a while. But why was it
watching the cabin? Several possibilities came to mind, none of
them comforting. Rogues were notoriously unstable. Sniffing the
ground again, he puzzled over the scent; there was an element of
danger but something else as well.

Muttering with annoyance, Rafe
finished checking the area and then shifted back to his human form.
The rogue was well away from the area right now but would it
return? He rubbed his chin, debating the wisdom of immediately
tracking the creature before deciding against it. His professional
judgement as someone trained in dealing with rogues, came to the
foreground. Know what you’re dealing with, wasn’t that what he
constantly drilled into the heads of his staff at the Rehab Clinic?
Some research was needed first.

Pulling out his cell phone—he was
pleasantly surprised he’d remembered to put it in his pocket—he
called his secretary. “Annette?”

“Dr. McRae! I wasn’t expecting to
hear from you. Is anything wrong?” He could imagine the woman
immediately accessing his files on her computer, ready to respond
to his slightest request. Annette was a paragon and he often
wondered how he’d ever manage without her.

“No, nothing is wrong. At least I
hope not. Can you pull up the list of rogues that are known to be
in this area and send them to me along with a brief bio for
each?”

“Of course. Any particular reason?”
Her voice took on a chiding tone. “You know you’re supposed to be
resting.”

Rafe grinned, hearing the woman’s
motherly concern. She wasn’t that much older than him, but was the
kind of female who took everyone under her wing. That was one of
the qualities that made her such an asset at the clinic. When a
rogue reached the final recovery stages, Annette was always there
for them, helping them search for a suitable pack, preparing any
needed paperwork.

“Yes, I’m resting. The only thing
I’ve done is one follow-up visit and it couldn’t be avoided, so
don’t start fussing. It’s simply curiosity on my part. I think a
rogue might be in my area and I was just wondering who it might
be.”

“Do you want me to contact Rogue
Retrieval? They can send someone out. You know shouldn’t be
thinking about work at all. We were all so worried about you
last—”

He cut her off before she could
finish. “Annette, if I thought it was a dangerous rogue, I’d follow
protocol, you know that. All I need is a bit of information.”
Sometimes the woman’s fussing was annoying, but she meant well and
it was nice to know his team cared.

“All right. If you’re sure…” Her
voice trailed off as if she had doubts about the wisdom of this
course of action but then gave a resigned sigh. “It’s almost the
weekend but I’ll do my best to get the latest list and send it to
you before I leave tonight.”

“Thanks, Annette. You’re a
gem.”

“I know.” She hung up and Rafe
chuckled softly. The woman was a bit too brassy at times, but she
was damned good at her job.

He put his phone back in his pocket
and headed towards Eve’s cabin. Once he had some more definite
information, then he’d know what steps to take. With any luck, the
rogue wouldn’t be too difficult to deal with but, just in case,
he’d better take steps to ensure Eve’s safety.

As soon as he stepped into the
clearing, she was out of the cabin. He was pleased to note that she
didn’t step a foot off the porch, though. Did she even realize she
was still obeying his command? Probably not.

“Well? Did you find the wolf?”
There was a hint of anxiety in her voice. He fought the instinctive
urge to walk over to her and wrap her in his arms, offering comfort
and reassurance. She was such a tiny thing, it would be easy to
pick her up. Instead he stopped beside his truck.

“The wolf? No. But I did find
evidence that one’s been around. I’ll stay while you pack your
things and then follow you into town.” He gestured with his head
for her to go inside.

To his surprise, she continued to
stand there. “Why am I packing?”

“Because you’re leaving. You can’t
stay here with a wolf in the vicinity. Until I know it’s out of the
area, you need to vacate the premises.”

“You expect me to just leave?” She
gave him an incredulous look and planted her hands on her hips.

“Yep.” He folded his arms and
leaned against the side of the truck waiting for her to comply.

“And go where?”

“Home?” He didn’t try to keep the
hope out of his voice.

She pursed her lips and shook her
head. “My apartment is sublet for the next four months. I can’t go
back to Calgary.”

“Then rent another place.” He
shrugged his shoulders. The solution sounded simple enough.

“I don’t have any spare cash. I
paid you in advance, remember? Unless you’re prepared to give me an
immediate refund.” She raised her brows and looked at him
expectantly.

Rafe rubbed his neck; he’d already
spent most of the money on building supplies to repair the other
cabins. “Well, there’s the motel in town...” He frowned, recalling
an important point. “Except Wilf is renovating it.”

“Do you have another cabin? Closer
to town perhaps? If the wolf likes this one, I could move to
another one.”

He shook his head. “This is the
only one that’s truly habitable, the others still need
repairs.”

“Oh.”

Against his better judgement, he
offered the only possible solution. “I suppose you could stay with
me for a while. There’s a spare room.” Even as he spoke the words,
he mentally grimaced. While the oversized log house he presently
called home was spacious enough, having her around was definitely
not a good idea. He’d have to keep his guard up day and night. The
stress was definitely not what he needed right now.

“I don’t think so!” The appalled
look on her face stung his ego for some reason.

“Why not?”

She clamped her mouth shut and
folded her arms. A faint look of hurt marred her features.
“Because.”

He raised his brows and stared at
her, waiting for her to explain further.

Finally she gave an exasperated
sigh. “You don’t like me.”

He took a deep breath and prayed
for patience. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to. I can tell.
You always look grumpy when I’m around.”

“I don’t—” Rafe stopped
midsentence. He wasn’t grumpy, just reserved, trying to keep a
distance between them so he didn’t do something foolish. However,
that could be how she perceived it. And really, having her stay
with him wouldn’t work. Why he’d proposed the idea, he wasn’t even
sure. “So, what do you suggest?”

She frowned then brightened. “I’ll
get a gun.”

“A gun?” Fear spiked through him at
the idea of this little will-o-the-wisp holding a firearm.

“A gun. You know, a metal thingy
that shoots bullets. Bang. Bang.” She mimed holding a gun with her
hand, firing it in his direction. He wondered if she was imagining
shooting him, and decided it was more than likely.

“No. No gun. This area’s posted as
a no hunting zone.”

“I won’t be hunting, just
protecting myself.”

He barely suppressed a growl at her
logic. It made sense though. Even a rogue would take heed of a
shotgun pointed at its head. And with any luck, he’d have the
creature out of his territory within a day or two. It wasn’t an
ideal solution, but if she stayed inside the cabin...

“Okay.” Rafe went to his truck and
reached behind the seat. Unlocking the storage container, he pulled
out a shotgun, removed the trigger lock and then grabbed some
ammunition. Striding over to where Eve stood, he looked at her
doubtfully. “You ever use one of these?”

“Well, gee...” She fluttered her
hands and he rolled his eyes.

“You hold it like this.” He
demonstrated and then handed it to her.

Eve picked it up and held it
clumsily. Rafe shook his head and moved to stand behind her. God,
she was so tiny compared to him he was sure he could snap her in
two. Carefully, he encircled her with his arms, moving her hands
into the proper position. He could feel the warmth of her body
against his chest, and when he inhaled her light floral scent
filled his nostrils. His eyelids drooped and his body hardened in
response. Obviously, he’d been celibate too long.

Clearing his throat, he carefully
shifted his hips away. “Like this. Got it?”

She tilted her head to look up at
him and at such close range he could see faint specks of grey in
her light blue eyes. Her lashes were long too, and a few freckles
adorned the bridge of her pert nose. He lowered his gaze to her
mouth and saw the tip of her tongue wet her full lower lip.

“Yeah, I think I’ve got it.”

He gave a start when she spoke and
quickly released her; stepping back he hoped she hadn’t noticed how
intently he’d been studying her.

Eve adjusted her stance, tested the
weight of the weapon in her hand and then raised it into firing
position with practised ease. Rafe narrowed his eyes, suddenly
suspicious.

“See the knot in that tree?”
Without waiting for his answer, she gently compressed the trigger,
hit her target and then returned the gun to him. “Skeet shooting.”
She murmured the explanation with a sweet, innocent expression on
her face.

Rafe shot his gaze from Eve to the
tree and back again. He felt the corner of his mouth twitch at how
she’d suckered him in with her helpless female act. “I was being
condescending. Point taken.” He extended the weapon towards her but
when she would have taken it he held on. “You only use this if
the...wolf...threatens you. And you fire a warning shot first.
Injuring it is a last resort, understood?”

He waited for her to nod her
compliance before releasing his grip.

“So...if this is a no hunting zone,
why do you have a gun with you?” She leaned against the column that
supported the porch roof and quirked an eyebrow at him, the gun
cradled in her arms.

He could hardly tell her that as a
Lycan he had absolutely no use for a gun. That it was all part of
his ‘costume’ as he attempted to look like a human, outdoorsman
type so the locals wouldn’t question why a doctor was taking over a
set of fishing cabins.

“Same reason you have one now. Just
in case.” With that he turned on his heel and walked to his truck.
Before getting in, he called out to her. “I’ll be back tomorrow to
scout the area again. Don’t go wandering around outside until I can
be sure the wolf’s out of the area.”

As he got in the truck and drove
away, he was sure she saluted him. Brat!

Chapter 3

The wolf circled back towards the
cabin following the same path he’d used every day that week. In the
past months he’d travelled almost constantly, crisscrossing the
continent, never staying in one place longer than necessary. There
was a method to his apparently random roaming though it was
doubtful anyone would understand. Presently, he was moving
westward, tirelessly following a trail that tracked across the
continent. Rage and hatred fuelled him, spurring him onward when
others might have given up.