Chapter 3

She was back.

Rafe pushed away from the tree he’d been leaning against, waiting. Waiting like a goddamn stalker. He still didn’t know what the hell was wrong with him, but again he’d been pulled from his cabin and back to this spot. He would swear to anyone who asked that it hadn’t even been a choice. He needed to be here.

Or that’s what he’d told himself, anyway, as he’d hurried to the place where he usually saw her, cutting in from town through the overgrown trail at the edge of the forest. He’d had a choice, of course. There was always a choice. But not going to see her meant staying home and being tortured with thoughts of her, her scent drifting in through his windows, seeping in through the cracks in the house even when he closed everything up.

His wolf side had never come with more than the instinct to run and hunt, increased senses, and an occasional anger that he struggled to keep tamped down. But it was different with her. His need to throw himself around her and not let anything harm her was stronger than anything he’d felt in hundreds of years. Stronger than what he’d felt for a different human woman, so long ago he’d thought maybe he’d finally forgotten. Except he could never forget how things ended with Scarlet, and now here he was repeating his mistakes.

But he couldn’t stop.

This woman called to him.

Maybe if he was still with his pack, things would make more sense. Or at least he’d have someone to ask, but Rafe hadn’t seen his older brother in years and he barely tolerated the younger one, not that he would admit any of this to them. His father was dead, a fact he liked to remind himself of whenever he felt anxious. And he’d never known his mother.

He was raised by his stepmother, and the thought of Nell left Rafe with an ache in his chest. She would have something to say about this woman, some bit of advice for him. But he hadn’t been brave enough to see her in years either.

Rafe had been alone for so long, without his pack, without his family. It was what he wanted. It was necessary. But maybe he was forgetting what it was to be a werewolf. Maybe he was losing more than just his people.

The woman moved down the path and Rafe followed just out of sight, his feet silent on the soft leaves. She strode purposefully tonight, her purse thumping against her hip, her skirt flapping over the curve of her ass. He refused to look at that ass. This was not about sex. It was about … protection. Safety. She looked small, walking through the towering pines. Her hair was piled on her head with a few stray pieces trailing down the delicate curve of her neck. Her blood red lips were set in a firm line, a crease between her brows.

He wanted to know what upset her. He wanted to make sure it never did again. He was losing his mind.

Rafe followed along beside her, far enough from the path that she couldn’t see him, hopefully couldn’t hear his footsteps through the leaves, but her scent pulled him along as though he were on a leash. He nearly cursed out loud at how much he didn’t hate that idea. What the fuck was wrong with him?

“I’m not afraid of you.” Her voice cut through the relative quiet of the woods, rising above the sounds of crickets and cicadas. She stopped on the trail and turned to face him, staring into the shadows.

Rafe froze. For a moment it seemed she could actually see him, but then he noticed how her eyes scanned the darkness. She was just guessing at where he was.

“I’m not afraid so you might as well come out and stop being such a creep.” She put a hand on her hip, waiting for him to emerge. He thought about last night, the fear on her face when she’d seen him. What if she ran again? If she was smart, she would. He shouldn’t have come.

He stepped closer and he could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, her eyes wide in the light of the moon. Her words might claim she wasn’t afraid, but her body betrayed her. He moved slowly, not wanting to startle her even more, until he was finally out of the shadows. Only a few feet separated them and her eyes widened further when he came into view.

“What’s your name?” she asked. The pulse in her neck jumped wildly even as she kept her voice steady, strong. He noticed the pepper spray clutched in her fist and he almost smiled to know she was ready to protect herself.

“Rafe.” It was more like a sound than a name. His voice was rusty from disuse. It had been days since he’d spoken to another human. He cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

She scowled at him. “Oh really? So stalking women through the woods at night is a friendly neighborhood service you provide?”

He winced. God, he was a monster.

“I, uh … I never meant to…”

She waved his stuttering away with a flutter of her hand. “Never mind. Just cut it out, okay?” She turned on her heel and continued down the path. Cut it out? He wished he could. The leash tightened and he followed her.

“I will use this pepper spray if you get any closer,” she told him without turning around.

“Understood.” He dropped back a few paces but couldn’t stop his feet from continuing down this path. It was as though she held him by the throat. He couldn’t breathe and yet he knew without her nearby it would be even worse.

She didn’t look at him again until they reached the end of the path. Light from her windows spilled into the yard like the night before, and for the first time he wondered who was home waiting up for her.

She turned to him, that same defiant look on her face, the one that dared him to hurt her. She looked like she might say something but his question slipped out before she could.

“Why aren’t you afraid of me?” He hated the growly edge to his voice, and he tried to soften it. “You should be.”

Her eyes widened slightly at that, but she didn’t run. “I’m not scared of most things,” she said, rolling her shoulders back, and he believed her. He wanted to ask why. He wanted to know what had made her so fearless, but she had her own questions.

“Why have you been following me?”

Rafe hesitated. How could he possibly tell her that he was drawn to her like a magnet, that her scent called to him every night, that he was convinced she was in danger? He couldn’t. Not without sounding like a complete psychopath.

He ran a hand through his hair. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe.”

Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say.

Her mouth turned down and her dark brows drew together. Her fingers tightened around the pepper spray. “I don’t need your protection.”

He took a step toward her, but she held up a hand to stop him. He froze, his heart thundering in his ears. The urge to touch her was so strong, he jammed his hands in his pockets and prayed for strength.

“I don’t need anyone’s protection.” Her dark eyes flashed in the moonlight. “I’m not broken. I’m not helpless.”

Of course she wasn’t. Anyone who thought so was clearly blind. That wasn’t what he meant at all. It was just this damn feeling he had, this horrible sense that she was in danger. He opened his mouth to tell her that, but snapped it shut when she glared at him.

She adjusted her bags again. Whoever was waiting for her, she was bringing them dinner. He could smell it. “Quit following me or next time I’ll call the police.”

The police. He’d dealt with the police enough in his lifetime and it never ended well.

He held his hands up in surrender. “I’m sorry. You won’t see me again. I promise.”

Some shadow of an emotion crossed her features but it was gone before he could figure it out. “Good,” she said, turning away from him again.

“Just be careful.” He couldn’t stop the warning even though he knew it would piss her off even more.

“Will do, Grandma.” She tossed the words over her shoulder and he couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face. She was halfway across the yard now, but he needed one more thing from her.

“What’s your name?” His voice was quiet, not wanting to wake anyone, and for a second he wasn’t sure if she’d heard him. Or maybe she just didn’t want to answer. She got to the back door and put a hand on the knob. The thought of never seeing her again tore through him like claws across his skin, a pain he knew all too well.

But then she turned, and offered him her name.

“Ruby,” she whispered into the darkness.

Ruby.

* * *

Protect her? Protect her! Who the hell did he think he was? How dare he! Ruby tossed the leftovers onto the counter and plopped into a kitchen chair. She yanked off one boot and then the other and sighed in relief.

Protect her. What a dick.

She wiggled her toes and let the cool night air skate across her skin. She considered getting up to close the window. There was a man stalking her through the woods after all. But she hadn’t lied to him. She wasn’t afraid.

Curious.

Intrigued.

Attracted.

One thought about his broad body emerging from the shadows, his silver gaze on hers, raised goosebumps up and down her arms. Okay, maybe a little afraid. But in a good way. God, she found the weirdo stalking her attractive. What the actual hell was wrong with her?

It didn’t matter anyway. He’d ruined it as soon as those words’d left his mouth. Words about protection and safety. The last words she wanted to hear from her dangerous stranger.

His eyes on her these last weeks had made her feel alive. Exhilarated for the first time in a long time, maybe ever. Like finally her existence was more than just a series of long hours at work and even longer hours taking care of her sister. Like maybe someone saw her for her bared-down self. The self that walked home every night tired and frustrated. The self that was both eager to get home and dreading what she would find. The self that wasn’t the sad goth girl. She had somehow convinced herself that whoever was watching her had seen all of it and still found her interesting, desirable.

But she was wrong. He was just another man who saw her as a small and broken woman. One that needed protecting. One that needed fixing.

Ruby got up from the table and poured herself a tall glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge before she had to head upstairs to check on Lena. In the back of her mind she knew she was being unfair to this Rafe character. She’d told herself repeatedly that it was stupid and reckless to walk alone at night on that damn path. He was only telling her what she already knew.

Or maybe she was being too fair? Maybe had she been a normal woman she’d have called the police a long time ago. But she wasn’t and she hadn’t.

And now even her creepy stalker had disappointed her. There was no end to the ways she was screwed up.

Lucifer circled her feet and she nearly tripped over the silent cat.

“Damn it, Lucy. Are you trying to kill me?” The cat gazed up at her with yellow eyes and an expression that said he just might be plotting her demise. Wouldn’t that be ironic? Survive her nightly strolls through the woods just to die tripping over her own cat.

Lucifer continued to stare until Ruby took the hint and filled his food and water dish.

“There. Now let me live to see another day.”

Lucy set to eating, not bothering to glance back in her direction, so Ruby grabbed her boots and dragged herself upstairs, praying her sister was lucid tonight. Complicated feelings for a stalker were enough drama for one day.