Chapter 4

It had been three days since she’d told Rafe to get lost, and he’d actually listened. Ruby shifted her bag of leftovers to her other hand and peered into the darkness between the trees. Nothing. No hulking shape in the shadows, no footsteps on the leaves, no silver eyes flashing in the moonlight. She was back to being alone. Well, good. That’s what she wanted. Right? That’s what she asked for and surprisingly, he’d given it to her.

Ruby ignored the pang of disappointment in her chest and kept walking toward home. It was another hot night, humid and sticky, and sweat trickled down her back and between her breasts. The bar had been swamped, endless hours of pouring drinks and taking orders. Just putting one foot in front of the other now seemed to take an inhuman amount of energy. And focus to not crash into a tree. Her cell had died hours ago, depriving her of a flashlight.

She probably should have taken Macy up on her offer for a ride home but sitting in a car with her would have meant talking one on one, like about personal stuff. The thought made panic flare in Ruby’s stomach. Small talk freaked her out more than a large dark stranger following her through the woods. Her therapist would eat that shit up. Too bad she couldn’t afford to pay him anymore.

A stick cracked somewhere off the trail and Ruby’s heart lurched in … fear? Anticipation? Excitement?

“Hello?”

The only answer was the buzz of the cicadas.

“Rafe?” Ruby took a step off the trail. The moon was covered by the clouds that had been threatening a storm all day and the darkness was thick around her. She could barely see a few steps in front of her face but she inched further into the trees away from the trail. Her heart rammed against her ribs, warning her to stay away, stay out. But the thrill of danger only made Ruby move closer.

A rustle in the leaves to her left and she swiveled just in time to see silver eyes flash in the dark.

“Rafe, is that you? You can come out. I won’t be mad.”

A breathy huff stopped her in her tracks. She could make out the shape in the shadows now, and it didn’t belong to a human.

“Holy shit,” she breathed. Less than a few feet away stood the biggest wolf she had ever seen in her life. Although to be fair she hadn’t come face to face with any wolves in her life, but this one was huge.

Now what? Her panicked brain scrambled for an answer. Play dead? Run? Try to look bigger than she was? She had no freaking idea. Where the hell was the large man who so badly wanted to protect her when she really needed him?

The wolf hadn’t moved since she’d spotted him. He just watched her with those silver eyes. Ruby put up both hands and backed away slowly.

“I’m just going to go now,” she whispered. “No need to eat me. I’m sure I taste terrible anyway.”

The wolf gave a low growl. Ruby took another step backward. Her heel snagged on a root and she tumbled back. She hit the ground hard, knocking whatever shaky breath she had from her lungs. Her bags scattered around her and pain shot up her tailbone.

Everything stopped. Her heart, her breath, her swirling thoughts. This was surely how she died. She waited.

But instead of teeth tearing the flesh from her bones, she felt soft fur beneath her fingers. She looked up to find the wolf nudging her hand with his big head. He huffed a warm breath against the skin of her wrist and the sensation skittered up her arm. Holy shit.

Ruby sat up. She was vaguely aware of being covered in dirt and the dull ache in her back, but the looming animal in front of her robbed her of all coherent thought. The wolf cocked his head and the movement was so dog-like, the fear constricting Ruby’s lungs loosened. Maybe he was tame? A pet?

Ruby’s gaze took in the dark shadowy animal. Pet or not, he was huge. The wolf leaned down again and nuzzled Ruby’s hand. She lifted it from the dirt and ran her fingers through his thick fur. He made that breathy sound again like he was pleased.

“Good dog,” she whispered. The wolf seemed to narrow his eyes at that, in a look that was almost human. “Uh … good wolf.” He huffed again. Ruby got slowly to her feet, dusting the dirt from her butt and legs. She moved cautiously, afraid any sudden moves would upset the beast beside her. But the wolf sat patiently on the edge of the trail while she gathered her things. Macy had packed the leftovers so tightly, they hadn’t even spilled from the bag.

“Okay, well … I’m going to go home now.” Ruby straightened, glancing at the wolf. She took a few tentative steps along the path but the animal fell into step beside her. His head reached her elbow and every few steps she could feel his fur tickle the skin of her arm. She couldn’t help but reach out and sink her fingers back into the thick fur at his neck. It was coarse on the surface but delightfully fluffy underneath. She gave him a scratch and the wolf let out a low growl of contentment. Or she assumed he was content anyway when he didn’t try to kill her.

They reached the end of the path and the light from her windows illuminated the creature beside her. He was beautiful. Gray and black fur with white around his face. He cocked his head again and she scratched between his ears the same way she did with Lucifer. He pushed his head against her hand and she giggled.

“Oh, you like that, huh?”

Was it possible for wolves to smile? She didn’t know, but she was pretty sure this one just did.

“Such a good boy,” she crooned. But maybe that was a step too far. The wolf’s ears flattened against his head and a low growl emanated from his throat.

“What—” Ruby backed away, but the wolf was staring at the trees behind her. He wasn’t growling at her.

He was growling at the other wolf. The one that was lunging right for her.

* * *

In the blink of an eye, he’d gone from the heaven of Ruby’s fingers in his fur to the hell of seeing another wolf, teeth bared, barreling toward her. He’d let his guard down for one damn minute. Berating himself for that would have to wait until later. Ruby’s startled cry broke through the quiet of the night and sent him hurtling for the other wolf.

They met in a clash of fangs and claws, Rafe’s rage burning hotter than it had in years. For once he let it burn. He pounced on the other wolf and managed to roll him onto his back in the long grass of Ruby’s backyard. The wolf beneath him growled, exposing his huge fangs. Rafe’s claws dug deeper into the wolf’s flesh, pinning him to the earth. He tried to push up but Rafe grabbed the wolf’s neck with his teeth and thrashed his head. Blood filled his mouth, hot and metallic. A million memories flooded in with it. This wasn’t who Rafe was anymore. And yet…

Whoever this bastard was had come after Ruby and that was reason enough to tear his throat out. The wolf yelped and squirmed, his claws lashing Rafe’s flesh. The scent of his own blood filled the air.

Rafe was only vaguely aware of Ruby’s whimpering, too blinded by rage and fear to really remember he wasn’t alone in this yard. He dug his teeth in deeper. The other wolf’s pulse throbbed against his tongue. He could finish him off right now. But a movement at the periphery of his vision stopped him. He lifted his head, blood dripping from his mouth.

Ruby was on the ground. She must have been knocked over when the two wolves ran past her. Her eyes were huge. Huge and terrified. She scurried away from the fight like a crab on the shore, her legs already covered in dirt from her earlier fall. But it was her eyes that stopped him. She was looking at him like he was a monster. Like the monster he was. He hadn’t wanted anyone to look at him like that again. Especially not her.

For the second time that night, Rafe let his guard down for a moment too long. The other wolf reared up and latched on tight to Rafe’s shoulder, tearing through fur, skin, muscle. Pain seared through him, but it only incensed him further. The other wolf rolled him over, but Rafe refused to let him get the upper hand. They twisted and snarled, lashing claws and fangs. The other wolf was still bleeding profusely from the neck, but now Rafe had his own wound to worry about.

The wolves stirred up grass and dirt, their own fur and blood flying as well. It was all too familiar, too much like his old life. And Rafe was settling back into it all too easily. He tore at the other wolf, leaving another gaping wound on his front leg. The wolf yelped and backed off, limping. Blood streaked his mostly white fur, staining it black.

Rafe growled a low warning, placing his body between the wolf and Ruby. He didn’t dare look at her again, afraid of what he might see. The other wolf’s eyes narrowed, his gaze flicking from Rafe to Ruby as though assessing if she was worth the trouble. Apparently deciding she wasn’t, the other wolf backed down. Rafe didn’t take his eyes off of him until he had disappeared into the woods.

It wasn’t until he was gone that Rafe noticed his own wounds. His fur was matted with blood and each move of his shoulder sent pain slicing through him. He had to get home. He needed to lie down for a while and heal.

He took a step and stumbled, his shoulder screaming in protest. Damn it.

“You’re hurt.” Ruby’s voice was shaky but strong. She got to her feet and reached out a hand. He wanted with his whole body, no, his whole soul, to lean into that hand. But he couldn’t. Not like this. Not after what she’d just witnessed. He tried to back away but stumbled again, his front leg giving out beneath him. His face hit the dirt. The earth tipped. He’d lost too much blood. He was dizzy and nauseous. And too damn weak. He gave up and let his body collapse onto the cool grass.

Ruby dropped to the ground beside him. “Oh no, no, no,” she whispered, stroking between his ears. “I’m going to help you. It’s going to be all right.” He wanted to tell her he just needed a few hours to rest, to heal himself, and then he’d be fine. But of course he had no way to do that.

He nudged her hand with his head and huffed a breath across the delicate skin of her wrist. She smiled a little at the sensation.

“You saved me.” Her lips quirked up in the corner. “But don’t tell anyone. You’ll ruin my reputation.”

If wolves could laugh, he would have. But he had to settle for a low growl. Ruby scratched between his ears again.

“And now I’m going to save you.” She said it with such determination that Rafe instantly believed her. He had no idea what she meant but he had complete confidence in her ability to do it. She stood, giving Rafe an upfront view of her black boots. She looked like she could kick the shit out of someone in those boots and he liked that.

“I’ll be right back.”

The boots walked away, taking Ruby with them. Rafe drifted in and out of consciousness with Ruby’s words echoing through his head. You saved me. And now I’m going to save you. Wouldn’t that be nice, he thought before he slipped under again.