4. Helena

CHAPTER 4

Helena

T his place is so damn weird. I swear I keep seeing couples out of the corner of my eyes and they’re always making out and when I look at them…I swear their eyes are glowing! Why the hell would they have glowing eyes? Humans don’t have glowing eyes.

If Cece hadn’t asked me to do this job and begged for help, I’d be out of here right now. These people and the whole circumstances around here are just weird.

I think I even heard something growl when I walked back into the kitchen but before I could turn and find out what was going on, Raphael was right behind me and he was clearing his throat. His hand touched my back and I felt a sizzle all the way down to my bones.

My body feels like it’s on fire, my pussy clenching hard. Raphael’s face tightens and there’s a flash of gold in his eyes so quick that I almost think that I didn’t see it.

But I…I think I did. I-I’m sure I did. But human’s eyes don’t glow. And the more I’m around this guy and the more I see at this ball, the more I think that I’m missing something really big here and it has a lot to do with why this guy is hovering around me like he’s my nana and he’s guarding my chastity.

I’m not sure what exactly all of it means but it does mean something and I can’t wait until I’m done with this favor so that I can go home and forget all of this…including Raphael.

A sharp pang hits my chest and I rub it, muttering, “Heartburn. Gotta be heartburn.”

“Are you alright, mate?” I shouldn’t be surprised that his dark, rough voice is behind me. That’s where he’s been all night. Right behind me. Like my own personal shadow.

“I’m fine, Raphael. As a matter of fact, I’m finally done and I’m going home. And the next time any of my friends ask for a favor I’m going to tell them hell no! This has to be the weirdest job I’ve ever had.”

I walk away and he follows me. “I hate to ask this since you said that…but would you dance with me, Helena?”

I twirl around, my eyes wide, shocked. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am so damn serious it’s not funny, Helena. I want to dance with you. Want to hold you in my arms and just…relax.”

“I don’t that’s a good idea. I’m tired and I’d like to go home.”

He holds his hand out to me and just waits. He doesn’t push, doesn’t beg. But there’s a look in his dark eyes that makes me shiver all the way down to my toes. He just waits and for some reason, I can’t tell him no.

I sigh and hold my hand out for him to grasp, sighing. His warm hand cups mine gently and I close my eyes, a wild hunger rippling through me like the ripple of water after you throw a rock into a river. Expanding, extending and billowing outward until it seems like it’s never-ending.

He pulls me towards the ballroom floor along the very edges where the dark crowds out the light and the shadows swallow our bodies. He holds out his hand and I pause, gulping a swallow when I look up at him from under my lashes.

He’s so big. So dark and forbidding. And yet with his heat surrounding me I feel safer than I have all night long. I hold out a trembling hand and he clasps it gently, warmly. “Thank you for trusting me, little one.”

I nod my head, unable to speak past the lump in my throat. Emotion wells up inside me and I can’t breathe.

Panic slaps wings inside me like a butterfly trying to break free from a glass jar. It pushes up and out until I’m strangling on my own fears and inadequacies.

Why is this guy with me and why does he keep coming back for more even though I keep telling him that I’m not sure what he wants.

“What exactly do you want from me, Raphael? Because it seems to me like you’re going to a lot of trouble to keep an eye on me.”

“I’ve told you why. You’re my mate.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know what that means. Are you trying to say date and you’ve got some strange way of saying it?”

“No. Mate. Fated mate.” He stops spinning me around the floor and hauls me over to the huge glass doors out to the balcony that runs along the whole length of the ballroom. He tugs me outside even though I’m dragging my feet. He barely breaks his stride.

“I’ve tried to figure out how to tell you this but I feel like I’m just spinning my wheels until I tell you the truth.”

“Ugh! Just spit it out, Raphael. You’re driving me crazy with these half-sentences and all the rest of the cloak and dagger crap you’re spinning.”

“Okay. But it’s not exactly easy.” He stops when I shoot him a frustrated glare. The dark shadows cling to the jagged planes of his face and he sighs. “Do you know what a shifter is, Helena?”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t.”

“Some people are more than human. We have something extra. A wolf, a bear, a jaguar, hell even a peacock. Living inside us.”

My jaw drops and my brain freezes. “You are an animal?”

He shakes his dark head and his eyes flash gold. “I’m not an animal per se. I’m…I guess I’m what you call a hybrid. I’m part-human and part wolf. A shifter.”

“Like a werewolf? Do you turn into a wolf when the moon is full?”

He grunts. “You know I hate that damn shit. It always comes up when you mention shifters and it’s just stuff from books and old wives’ tales. I can shift into a wolf any time I want. It’s on my terms, not when the damn moon is full.”

“O-okay. You’re a little touchy about this which is pretty rich considering that you’re trying to tell me that you’re a werewolf and I’m just supposed to accept that at face value.”

“You want proof, little sprite? I can give you proof. But you’re gonna have to have a bit of an open mind. You can’t freak out. Not here, not now.” He nods his head towards the interior of the ballroom. “Those people in there are more dangerous than you know to a human like you and the only thing saving you right now is me. So do not run or hide. I will be able to find you…hopefully before any of these others do. Because it will definitely be bad for you if they do.”

“Stop trying to scare me and just show me what you want to show me, Raphael. I’m getting tired and I want to go home.”

“That works for me because I want to take you home.”

Pressing my lips together, I cross my arms and stare him down.

He shrugs his broad shoulders and says, “Fine. Just don’t freak out and for god’s sake…don’t scream or run. That’s a death sentence around this crew.”

I huff and roll my eyes. He’s more of a drama queen than I’ll ever be.

But my eyes widen and I squeak lightly before whipping around, my cheeks flaming. “What the hell are you doing?” I hiss.

“This monkey suit was expensive. There’s no way I’m ripping it apart at the seams. Not to mention that I’ve outgrown running out of places naked because I rip my clothes up when I change.”

“Okay.” My heart races in my chest and I’m struggling to breathe. It feels like I’m on fire and all I saw was the first strip of skin on his tanned, toned belly when he started to pull his button-down up to unbutton it. My brain has turned to total mush and I know that I should be asking more questions than I am but it feels like my tongue is glued to the roof of my mouth.

I don’t know exactly what to think when I hear what sounds like snapping and cracking behind me. But when I whip around and find myself face to face with a giant wolf with startling dark chocolate eyes, it feels like all the blood rushes out of my body and everything goes dark.