Page 53 of Rafe

Skylar opened her door, and as her foot set onto the cold pavement, a hand appeared. She peered up to Sebastian who took her hand in his. With cool, smooth, strong hands, he helped her out of the car.

“Thank you.” Skylar sensed he was a man of many secrets…ones she’d never know.

“You’re most welcome You’re sure that you don’t want a ride to your parents? It’s no bother.”

“No, thanks. I’ll be fine. This is as good as dropping me at my mom’s.” She brought her palm to her forehead as a tinge of embarrassment stabbed her. “I really appreciate everything. If you’re ever in New Orleans⁠—”

“Ah, yes.”

“Swing by the bookstore.”

“Verses, is it?”

“I’ll hook you up with all the bestsellers. It’s on me. Something tells me you’d like the classics.”

“Indeed.” Sabastian smiled.

She nodded. “Okay, well. Guess I’d better get going. It was great meeting you. Thanks again for the flight.”

She gave a wave and headed toward the steps when she heard him call her name.

“Do stay out of trouble, dove. Get some rest.”

“I will,” she glanced back at him and smiled.

Freedom from her ordeal breathed life into her as she made her way to the queue for tickets. I’m safe. Home.

Without Rafe. Alone.

Skylar reached for her grandmother’s quilt her mom kept folded in a basket next to the sofa and tugged it over her lap. She gazed into the fire, her mind still ruminating about what had happened in Las Vegas. With her thoughts spinning, guilt twisted through her.

She took another deep draw of her pinot noir, notes of cherry swirling over her tongue. Despite her best attempts to forget Rafe, thoughts of him persisted.

“Stop thinking about him. It doesn’t matter. You’re human and he is clearly not. He didn’t even tell you he was a vampire. Never mind the fact he’s got some other soulmate, some wolf chick waiting for him. Never mind you aren’t going to let someone bite you. Never mind you’re talking to yourself like a crazy person.”

Skylar brought her finger to her neck, recalling his lips on her skin, his touch. “Stop thinking of him.”

As she stared into the fire, her thoughts shifted to Sebastian. Safely at home, her mind raced with questions about the curious stranger who’d flown her to Seattle. What did he do for a living? Who was he meeting in the city? What was he doing in Vienna?

On the plane, she’d gone to the restroom, and as she returned she’d heard the tail end of a phone conversation. He’d been speaking to a girl who seemed extraordinarily displeased he wouldn’t be in Europe sooner. He called her Daliah. Her French accent didn’t hide the fury in her words as she pleaded with him to hurry.

She considered she was lucky he’d been kind enough to fly her to Seattle. Up until the minute he’d dropped her at the ferry terminal, he’d appeared confident, debonair, honest. Yet through the sophistication, his cool smile alerted her to the danger lingering beyond his lightly veiled flirting and she was grateful to have said goodbye.

With a final swig of her wine, Skylar set her glass onto the end table and curled into a ball on her side. Dizzy from exhaustion, she closed her eyes. The image of a wolf appeared in her mind. He howled, running wild through the forest. Rafe. As Skylar succumbed to sleep, she prayed her heart would recover.

9

“Where is she?” Rafe asked as they materialized inside the cabin. He glanced to a note on the desk and shook his head. “She’s gone. We need to go get her.”

“No we don’t. Let her go,” Greyson told him. “She doesn’t belong here. She doesn’t belong to you.”

“This is fucked.” Rafe pounded his fist on the desk. Though frustrated, he knew the vampire was correct. “I need my phone. I’m gonna call her.”

“Give it a rest, would you? She’s gone. We need to focus on what’s going on in this town. Why the fuck was Thorn with you?” Greyson roared.

“A simple thank you would suffice.” The half-demon brushed ash off of his deep purple velvet suit jacket and rolled his eyes. “This is why I don’t usually help people. Ungrateful shits. Things happen.”

“Things don’t just happen, Thorn,” Rafe shot back. “Someone. Something is doing this.”