Page 46 of The Devil’s Feather

When had he done that? We were always together. Maybe before that big breakfast? I ventured out to the driveway and circled the Fiat. Nothing looked out of place. I opened the passenger door and bent over.

Strong arms grabbed me, a large hand clamping over my mouth. I screeched and thrashed, trying in vain to bite. My assailant lifted me into the air and carried me, kicking, down the street.

What the fuck what the fuck where’s my phone oh god I need Rafael!

A car door opened. I scratched at the muscular arm holding me. My fingernails skidded over an uneven surface beneath the sleeve.

Wait.

I stilled, inhaling a familiar scent of dragon’s blood resin.

“There you are,” Rafael said in my ear. “Sorry, I thought you would figure it out immediately when I told you to go outside.”

He tossed me into the back of the Escalade and climbed in after me, closing the back gate. Heart hammering in my skull, I stared at him; a bunny transfixed by a rattler.

“My flight came in this afternoon and I called you from here. I was planning to surprise you at the door, but you did not hang up when you thought you did. I heard you hoping I would kidnap you.” Rafael grinned. “So I thought of a sexy prank.”

A tremor caught me—the adrenaline dump. Tears blurred my vision. “You scared the absolute fuck out of me.”

His demeanor instantly changed from playful to concerned. “Elaine, I am sorry.” He opened the back gate and stepped out. “I really did not mean to scare you. I thought you would be startled at most and realize what was happening right away.”

My hands shook. My whole body shook—a meltdown was approaching. “Rafael, I thought I was going to be raped and murdered! How the fuck is that sexy or a prank?”

His eyes widened, and he pressed a hand to the center of his chest. “Fuck. You are right. How could I have been so thoughtless? Fuck!”

“B-because you’re still a fucking man,” I sniveled, trying to convince my brain I was not, in fact, about to be dismembered by a cannibal. “Even after everything you’ve been through, you’ll never see the world the same as me. Maybe you’re constantly looking for threats, but you’re so big and strong, you know you can fight them off. I can’t.”

“I am so sorry.” Rafael squeezed his eyes shut and hung his head. “I understand if you do not want to see me anymore.”

“Maybe not tonight, but I guess it’s a good sign that my first thought was wanting you here to protect me.” I rubbed my arms. The shivers slowly relented. God, somehow I still wanted to cling to him and kiss him.

“I will always protect you,” he breathed. “Always. Even from myself, if need be.”

“If I don’t go back inside, Deandra’s going to come out here and all hell will break loose.” I crawled out of the car. Certain timing dinged in my head. “Wait, when did you take those selfies?”

“Earlier today. I like to track the healing of marks.” He let me pass without reaching for me.

I stopped. God, I couldn’t just leave it like this. I weaseled under his arms. Surprised, he cradled me delicately as though I were a brittle sugar sculpture. Maybe I was.

I looked up at him, craning my neck. “If you were anyone else, I’d tell you to fuck off forever. But I like you way too damn much. Probably won’t move in any faster now, but I still want to be with you.”

Rafael expelled a relieved breath. “I am so sorry for frightening you. I do not deserve your forgiveness for being such a thoughtless asshole.”

My heart melted into mush, the useless thing. “We all fuck up sometimes. That instant shift when you realized I was upset made me feel a lot better. I think we’ll be ok. Just…please be more mindful. If we’d talked about it and negotiated limits ahead of time, I totally would have been down. But I had no idea you were actually here, and it didn’t occur to me in the moment.”

“I love you,” he said in the smallest voice a bass like that could muster. “I am sorry.”

Defeated by ineffable charisma, I sighed. “I love you too, asshole, and I’ll still come over on Friday.”

1 “#1 Crush” - Garbage

13

GREEN PEAS AND DISCIPLINE

The moment I stepped out of the Fiat in his garage, Rafael grabbed me around the waist and tossed me over his shoulder. I didn’t even have time to close the car door. I yelled and kicked and pounded at his back, but he completely ignored me and stepped into the elevator.

As soon as he’d left after the ill-considered abduction prank, I’d immediately regretted sending him away. We’d spent the remaining time apart in a texting flurry; with a solid 70% of those messages consisting of apologies from him. I’d gotten exactly zero work done, but Princess only rolled her eyes.