Chapter 32
Jade
Rafe still slept on the couch downstairs, even though I had insisted he could sleep in the same room with me. I could keep my hands to myself. He had insisted that he could, indeed, not keep his hands to himself and would have to be an entire floor away from me in order to do so.
With the closure of his words, I felt myself relax for the first time in a while. He had been the villain in my story but when did he start to become the hero? It had happened before I knew the truth. He had become my friend and someone I enjoyed spending my time with. I was thankful that he hadn’t claimed me. I imagined that would have been more traumatic than anything else I had gone through.
When my eyes finally drifted closed, I didn’t dream. Nightmares ran rampant in my mind instead. I tossed and turned all over the bed until Damian stood over me once again. Except this wasn’t a nightmare, it was a memory. He held his knife up and watched me with a wicked look all over his face. The scene blurred in and out with my consciousness that night. The press of the blade on my stomach had me jerking up but my body wouldn’t listen to my brain’s commands. Would I live the rest of my life in this limbo of fear?
A scream tore from my throat as he dug the knife down my stomach. Something jerked me awake but I fought all the same. I didn’t bother with opening my eyes. I kicked and punched at the intruder in my bed.
“Shhhh,” Rafe’s scent wrapped around me. “It’s okay, I’m here.”
I blinked my eyes open in the darkness and sure enough, there he was pressed against my back. He rocked us back and forth slowly. “Please tell me it was just a nightmare, and he’s not back.”
My body shook ferociously as I untangled myself from my mate’s arms. I pulled my shirt up to reveal the silver scar on my stomach and my body relaxed slightly. A memory, nothing more. Rafe pulled me back to him and tucked my head under his chin. “Just a nightmare.”
He ran his hands down my hair and then waved at something on the other side of us. The door clicked closed and I took a deep breath to figure out what Guardian had accompanied him. Knox carefully tiptoed down the stairs and his scent disappeared quickly. I leaned my head back and finally allowed myself to fully relax against him.
“Do you want me to stay?” Rafe whispered into the dark. His voice was careful but hopeful. He wanted to be here for me.
“Please,” The word escaped me in a breathy sigh.
“I will be here for as long as you need me.” He brushed my wild hair away from my face before he planted a kiss on the top of my head.
That was how I fell asleep, wrapped in Rafe Crimson’s arms.
The next morning when the sun was blazing through the windows, I finally opened my eyes and stretched. The bed was empty beside me but it still smelled like my mate. My eyes closed with contentment before I remembered the conversation we had at dinner the night before. I kicked my legs over the side of the bed and marched to my suitcase. Lucas had been right when we were being held captive together. Rafe did have a good reason for changing me against my will. I just had to wait a little while for him to finally tell me. I yanked my clothes on as quickly as I could then my tennis shoes. I could faintly hear Knox pacing outside of the bedroom door.
“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep it up,” I called out. It took him two seconds after that to knock. “You can come in.”
My hair slid through my fingers easily as I braided it on either side of my face and ignored the makeup bag that had also been packed. His hair was also braided but not in two sections like mine. I beamed at him and pointed to my own hair. “Great minds think alike.”
He grinned back. “They certainly do! What’s on the agenda today?”
My cheeks inflated as I thought about the plans I had made just five minutes ago. “I need to see Tracey and Lucas then I probably need to check in with Rafe’s mom, Alice. I haven’t been the best employee lately.”
He waved his hand. “No one cares about work in a time like this.”
“Why are you tailing me today?” I asked as I skipped down the stairs. I could still smell Rafe in the home but it was starting to fade. It had been hours since he had left. I grabbed an apple off of the counter and a bottle of water from the fridge.
“I’m here to make sure that you process the information dump okay.” He shrugged then locked the door behind us. I finished off the apple quickly and took a few sips of water. I finally had my appetite back.
“You knew?” I asked around a mouthful of apple.
He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. The movement forced his shirt up his belly where I noticed several knives tucked into the waistband of his jeans. Always prepared. “He never told me you were his mate, though I assumed. Rafe isn’t one to do impulsive things. Changing you against your will was a huge flag to the entire pack.”
“So I’ve heard.” My little cottage came into view and I practically ran to the front door. I tried to open it but it was locked. I frowned then knocked on the door.
Lucas pulled it open with a smile. “How are you feeling?”
I tilted my hand from side to side.So so. “Why is the door locked?” I didn’t want to ask that question but it was my home. It also wasn’t very early in the morning either. Based on the food and stack of work on the table, Lucas had been up for a while.
Lucas peered over my shoulder at Knox. “To keephimout.”
A laugh bubbled from my lips. “Excuse me? Why?”
Lucas pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. “We keep catching his scent inside of the house.”
