The policeman nodded his balding head as he surveyed the damage. “What about the cameras posted outside your home?”
My dad scratched his head, confused. “I looked at them but there was no one on them. I don’t understand unless there was a blink where it didn’t pick anything up.”
The cop nodded his head before he picked the ball up with gloved hands. He put it into a baggy and then started his report on the clipboard that had been tucked under his arm. My mom pressed her hand to the small of my back and led me away from the broken glass in the kitchen. It was then that I realized I still wasn’t dressed. I brushed my mother’s light hair away from her face and took a deep breath.
“That looks nasty, please be careful.”You’re too fragile.My mom shrugged again and I felt a desperation rising within me. “Are you two still going to leave tomorrow?”
The front door closed and my father approached us in the spacious living room. “Yes, the police officer is checking around back but he doesn’t believe there was ill intent. We can’t change our flight but I’ll be having someone come out tomorrow to check the cameras first thing in the morning.”
I nodded my head and my mom kissed my hairline. “Go take that shower,” She wrinkled her nose. “You smell like sweat and,” She paused as she took another sniff at me. “Wet dog.”
I raised my eyebrows and laughed. “That’s gross, you’re right, I should get to the shower.”
My legs were slower going up the stairs as the adrenaline faded from my system. My muscles protested on the last step and I felt myself tilt sideways with exhaustion but before I could topple down the stairs Rafe was there wrapping his fingers around mine. He pulled me forward and into my room faster than I could blink. My door clicked closed behind us and my legs gave out. Every single muscle in my body ached. It felt like it was bone-deep. Rafe had me up in his arms before I could hit the ground.
“A forced shift isn’t easy on the body and then you rushed down the stairs like that.”
I didn’t care about what he was explaining. I would go over that later. “Did you see what happened?” My voice sounded tired and I didn’t know how I was going to be able to shower feeling like this.
Rafe’s eyes flashed yellow. “I don’t know what happened out there, but I will be getting that ball from the police station in the morning.”
I rolled my eyes as he once again brought me to the bathroom and then set me down in the tub. He turned the water on and checked the temperature on the back of his hand before he walked out. All I could do was sit there and stare as the water poured in around me and my robed body.Stupefied. That’s what he had done to me. Gone was the behemoth of a man that I was used to. Was I getting to experience the real Rafe? I leaned my head back in the tub and didn’t worry about the robe floating around in the water. I could hardly move my legs or arms, the last thing I was worried about was the wet garment. I would figure it out when the time came for me to get out of the water. I leaned forward, with all of my strength, to turn the water off then practically fell backwards in exhaustion.
Chapter 39
Rafe Crimson
The rogue wolves were closing in. Whatever they had planned, they would start to take it out on the most fragile part of the pack. The one woman that had no idea she was putting herself in danger. She smelled like the Crimson Pack so they had gone after her first. I leaned against her window as the water shut off and went over my options.
I would have to stay close in order to protect her house through the night but I couldn’t be in the woods. My wolf was powerful but not that much. I could only take on so much alone. I knew how to pick and choose my battles but I also knew that after a forced shift, Jade wouldn’t be able to do much for herself. There was a loud splash in the bathroom before I heard Jade curse. I had been so lost in thought I hadn’t heard her try to get out of the tub.
I didn’t bother with knocking as I barged into the bathroom. Jade was laying face first on the tiled floor and her hair was a wet mess stuck to her face. The pink robe I had given her was clinging to her body in a way I couldn’t even acknowledge at the moment. I forced my eyes away from her form and pulled a towel from the cabinet.
Before I could change my mind I wrapped the towel around her shoulders and pulled her from the floor. My lips tipped up in amusement. “How many times am I going to save your sorry ass?”
Jade squeezed her eyes shut and shook her wet hair against me. “You have a lot to make up for.”
“Don’t forget, I also gave you a lot too.” Her eyes flashed yellow and it took all the self-control I had to gently place her back on her bed then rifle through her drawers for her pajamas.
She let out a squeak and I felt awful. She didn’t deserve a forced shift and her wolf was probably freaking out right now. I grabbed the first things I saw and tossed them her way.
Chapter 40
Jade Rivers
Rafe Crimson continued to surprise me again and again. He kept his back turned away from me while I very slowly dragged my pajamas up my damp body and then waited until I told him I was decent. The panty thief I had known wasn’t present right now and it confused my foggy brain. When I was finished I didn’t have the strength or the will power to even move. My eyes started to slide shut and my body ached all over. I had zero fight left in me when the bed dipped beneath Rafe’s weight and he pulled the blankets over my body. I peeked up at him from beneath my lashes and there was a frown on his face. I wanted so desperately to tell him that he didn’t have to be here but the fight was gone. I had no will to even care if he didn’t want to be here and was doing this for Tracey’s sake.
A sigh escaped me as Rafe leaned back on the pillow beside mine. My shoulders relaxed and then as my consciousness was leaving me, I could have sworn he twirled a piece of my hair around his finger.
The night before slammed into me as I jerked awake to an empty bed. I had actually shifted, which was a great surprise, but Rafe had stayed the night and I had no idea when he had left. Then there was the part about the run-in with my parents and I still wasn’t sure if it was something I needed to be concerned about or not.
I dressed quickly and rushed down the stairs to find a group of strangers in my kitchen. Once again, the smell was off. It was wrong but I couldn’t place why. I pulled the fridge open and wrapped my fingers around a bottle of water. I didn’t bother with opening it as I listened to the conversation surrounding the window that had been broken the previous night.
The man beside the sink promised my father it would only take a few minutes to replace but his words stunk. They pulled at a memory from the preschooler’s class.We could taste lies. But why was this man lying to my father?
I leaned against the fridge and watched the men milling in and out of the house as the main man assured my father that the job would be paid for by insurance and they had already gotten in touch with them. My father didn’t look too relieved. His shoulders were straight and rigid. He wasn’t going to leave until they were done with the job. The man at the sink looked at me and for a brief moment, his eyes flashed yellow and Iknew. He was a wolf and that was the smell from the night before. I kept my face neutral as I leaned forward and kissed my father’s cheek.
“I’m gonna go for a run,” I rubbed my hand down his back and then walked away from the group of wolves that didn’t belong in my house. Why they were there, I didn’t know. But I needed to get to Rafe as soon as possible. I was thankful I had dressed in leggings and a loose shirt. I made a beeline for the woods and then let my body do the rest. I made it halfway through the woods when another body slammed into mine.
