Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (29 page)

He returned to where Eve was
working and strove to keep his tone from sounding too demanding. “I
need to get back to work. Would you mind finishing your pictures
another time?”

She nodded and gathered her things
without a word.

Not quite forgiven yet, he decided.
But at least she wasn’t ripping a strip off of him either. Once
inside, she went to her room and shut the door. He stared at the
closed panel before sighing and turning away. It was for the best.
Two empaths in a relationship weren’t a good idea. It was too
intimate, too intense; they became lost in each other to the
exclusion of the rest of the world. Little wonder pure-blooded Fae
were almost unheard of anymore; over the centuries, they’d avoided
breeding with their own kind in order to maintain some
individuality.

He walked across the room and
noticed the throw rug was still bunched in the corner of the foyer.
He’d meant to deal with it yesterday, but the arrival of Eve’s
friend had caused him to forget. It was muddy and needed a good
washing. Intent on throwing it in the laundry, he paused, his hand
on the wall. The plaster was smooth and cool under his palm, the
white surface reminding him of Eve’s fair skin. He’d taken Eve in
that very spot less than forty-eight hours ago. Even now he could
recall the sensations; the feel of her limbs wrapped around him,
her scent filling his lungs, her soft cries as he buried himself in
her over and over…

His body hardened at the memory.
Damn. Grabbing the rug, he stalked to the laundry room, trying to
ignore the ache in his groin. He needed to concentrate on keeping
her safe, not sex. Damien was up to something…or another black wolf
was in the area and what were the chances of that?

Reno might claim he knew nothing
about a mole, but the man wasn’t being totally honest with him, he
was sure of it. A black wolf that was hiding its scent… Rafe rubbed
his chin and tried to figure out what the hell was going on.

Chapter 26

Reno, Brandi and Brad sat in the
Lycan Link cafeteria. A spring thunderstorm was raging overhead.
Wind whipped the rain against the window panes. The pounding of
millions of tiny drops combined with the rumble of overhead thunder
to make a cocoon of white noise that effectively blocked out the
conversations from nearby tables. It would seem the gods were
providing some measure of security for his meeting, Reno mused. The
Anti-Fae group weren’t the only ones who could find signs in mere
coincidences.

“You’re sure?” Brad gripped his
fork tightly, concern evident in the way he ignored his meal.

Reno took a swig of his coffee.
“Given what Rafe told me, I have no doubt.”

“We’ve been wrong before, with
deadly consequences.” Brandi looked at him with concern, lines of
strain showing on her face.

“This operation is a crap shoot,
Babe. You know that. We gamble and hope we’re right, but there are
no guarantees.” Reno met her gaze and wished he could offer her the
assurances she wanted, but he couldn’t. She was too tender hearted
for this kind of operation. Hell, it ate away at him too and he was
supposedly a trained, emotionless Enforcer. Every time he thought
of the victims they’d failed to save bile rose in this throat.

“Well, if this is our best bet,
then we need to move before it’s too late.” Brandi began tapping
her foot, obviously wanting to do something. Reno placed a calming
hand on her arm.

“We have to move cautiously. If we
go rushing in, guns blazing, we’ll scare them off. Catching some of
the key players in this operation is paramount.” He could feel her
muscles tense under his hand; she’d always had soft spot for Damien
and would find this next bit difficult. He knew he would. Sitting
back and letting things unfold as they must ate away at his gut,
but this was how Captain Fielding had orchestrated the plan. And
with the captain on special assignment, making sure it played out
as it must was his responsibility.

“It’s the only way,” Brad agreed.
“Given what Rafe told you, the fact that Damien is in the area, and
a part Fae female as well, I’d say it’s highly likely that we’ve
found the next target.”

“Do we know anything about her?”
Brandi asked.

Brad shared what he’d learned.
“Information is scant, but it appears she’s just entered the
awakening phase, and possibly hasn’t even made contact with another
of her kind. There’s no record of who registered her, which is a
bit unusual, though it could have been some elderly family member
who saw potential in her as a child. Anyway, her name’s Eve—”

“This is awful.” Brandi
interrupted, scowling. “The poor girl is being targeted for what
she is, and she’s barely even realized it herself.”

“Rafe is in the area. He might know
her.” Reno rubbed his neck. “Thing is, do we tell Rafe what’s going
down or not? He could become overly protective of her.”

“And we need the attempt to be
made, otherwise all we have is speculation.” Brad finally took a
mouthful of food and chewed thoughtfully. “I wonder if they’d try
to go after him as well?”

“Dr. McRae is registered as a
Lycan, even though he’s one-quarter Fae.” Brandi shivered and
wrapped her hands around her coffee cup. The outer door near where
they sat had opened and a blast of cool, damp air washed over their
table. Several Lycan employees walked by, complaining about the
change in the weather.

Reno grunted. “That’s right. It’s
not the common knowledge you might think it is. It’s only recently
that he’s been more open about the fact. In the early years, it
actually hindered him professionally.”

“So his presence is likely
immaterial to the operation in the eyes of the Anti-Fae group. We
can keep him in the dark about the girl, but what about from the
standpoint of his relationship with Damien?” Brad asked. “You asked
Rafe to keep an eye on him. Can you now tell him to back off?”

Reno chuckled. “He and Damien have
been locking horns since the moment they met. I’ve had several
phone calls from Rafe asking when I was coming to get Damien out of
his hair.”

“But will he turn a blind eye? Let
things unfold as they must, or would he feel professionally
obligated to step in?” Brad spoke in a lowered tone, watching out
of the corner of his eye as the table beside them filled up with
Lycans.

Reno noted how a few of the
newcomers stared speculatively at them. Idle curiosity or something
more? Hell, he was suspicious of everyone lately. It would be good
to have this over with. Apparently, his mate felt the same way.

“I don’t like this, not one bit,
but if it has to go down, I want it to work the first time.” Brandi
compressed her lips and sat up straighter. “Perhaps we should think
of a reason to have Dr. McRae recalled, to ensure he’s out of the
way and doesn’t unintentionally interfere with the operation?”

“Good idea.” Reno playfully tugged
a lock of her hair. “I can come up with something based on the
investigation into Rogue Retrieval. Rafe initiated it, so perhaps
he should be here for an interview.”

“Sounds good to me.” Brad nodded.
“Send out an urgent request for him to be here as soon as possible.
I have a feeling things are going to start to happen fast.”

“Me, too.” Reno said staring out at
the storm swept sky. “Me, too.”

Chapter 27

Rafe lay in his bed staring at the
ceiling. He’d counted the wooden beams, studied the plaster for
cracks and noted the cobwebs on the overhead light fixture. Rolling
his head to the side he checked the clock. Damn. Two in the morning
and he hadn’t slept yet. Sadly, it wasn’t that unusual anymore.
Ever since Eve had come into his life, he and sleep were, more
often than not, mere passing acquaintances. Soft sounds from her
room revealed that she was turning in her bed. Was she awake as
well or perhaps plagued by erotic dreams of the two of them
together? He almost hoped she was. Why should he be the only
tortured party?

He tried to concentrate on
something other than the woman who slept on the other side of the
wall but as running out of options. He’d already gone over his
latest funding proposal and reviewed repairs for each cabin. What
else was there? His last case, but that was a road he didn’t want
to walk down, not just yet. Guilt still ate away at him over the
rogue’s death; not that he’d directly caused it, but he still felt
there must have been some sign that he’d missed, something in the
man’s history that he’d overlooked. Of course, the rogue’s future
hadn’t been a promising one. Accused of killing a young woman, the
man would have faced High Council once he was considered stable
enough. When the were had come to the clinic, he’d had severe
injuries due to resisting capture; indeed some staff were surprised
he was alive at all given Rogue Retrieval’s recent history.

Yet the man had survived, though he
claimed to have no memory of killing anyone. Amnesia was a clever
defence, of course. Or he could have had a blackout, his wolf
taking complete control, but somehow Rafe had never felt that quite
fit with what he’d observed. Idly, he traced the scar on his
abdomen. Everything about the case had seemed wrong, even down to
Annette warning him the man was agitated…

Rafe felt himself tensing up the
more he considered the case, and forced himself to put the matter
aside. He was trying to relax, to get to sleep, and this wasn’t the
way. With a sigh, he threw off the thin sheet that covered him and
got up.

Wandering over to the window, he
opened it and let the cool air wash over his naked body. It was a
still night, the waning moon large enough to illuminate the meadow
beside his home. Frost glistened on the new grass and tree
branches, while the musty scents of the spring thaw drifted by.

His wolf stirred restlessly. The
beast hadn’t been for a run in ages; he’d even foregone the full
moon in favour of guarding Eve. Plus, being in wolf form around an
empath was dangerous; werewolves had no defence against empathic
abilities when they were in their animal state. Cocking his head,
he listened for any sounds coming from her bedroom. Soft, rhythmic
breathing meant she was sleeping. Perhaps, if he stayed near the
house…

After a moment’s hesitation, he
swung his leg over the windowsill and slipped outside, avoiding the
front door in case she heard him walking down the hallway.

His breath was visible as the cold
night air wrapped around him causing goose bumps to rise on his
flesh. He didn’t care though, enjoying the feeling of freedom, of
having the moonlight bathe his body in its pearly glow. The beast
inside was impatient, sensing its release was close at hand.

Rafe gave a half smile and relented
to its urgings. Closing his eyes, he gathered the energy within
him, pulling it in tighter and tighter, drawing out the exquisite
moment when he hovered on the edge of conversion. Then he let go,
the release of energy washing over him with a speed that would have
left the untutored breathless. A deep sigh escaped him and he
settled back, content to let his wolf roam unrestrained.

The ground, that moments before had
chilled his bare feet, was barely noticeable to leathery wolf paws.
Indeed, it splayed its toes, digging its claws into the frosty soil
while giving a huff of pleasure at finally being free. Cool air
rushed into its lungs as it stretched its muscles and shook out its
fur. Freedom after such a long confinement was a heady thing and it
wagged its tail while staring about with keen eyes.

Steam from its own breath faintly
blurred the animal’s vision. The world was starker as a wolf,
shades of grey replacing colour, but also granting an increased
acuity, the slightest movement easily noticed. Nothing did move,
however; there were no sounds of scrabbling claws or the near
silent beat of owl wings. On this early spring night, he appeared
to be the only creature about.

A whine of disappointment escaped
as it had hoped for a hunt, but no game was apparent. That didn’t
mean the night was a complete loss however. Lowering it head, the
wolf began to move, snuffling the ground, searching for a trail to
follow. The musty scents of mould rose from the soil as last year’s
vegetation began to thaw and decompose. His human’s scent lingered
from earlier in the day, as did the female’s and...the rogue’s.

He snorted pushing the traces of
the other male animal from his nostrils. His wolf had no great love
for the interloper. Shaking its head vigorously, so it’s ears
flapped against its skull, the wolf erased the thought of the rogue
and set off to explore in another direction. Field mice had been in
the area earlier, a rabbit as well. For several minutes, the wolf
happily explored the meadow.

When it came to the location of the
scentless tracks from earlier in the day, some time was spent
trying to determine how such a thing was possible. The beast longed
to follow the visual trail, to see where this other wolf had gone,
but that would mean leaving the female unguarded, and he wasn’t
about to chance that. All too soon his human signalled it was time
to go home, and with a sigh the wolf turned and loped back towards
home.

About half way back, a light
appeared in one of the windows and the silhouette of a woman could
be seen. He froze in place. The female must have woken up and was
now wandering through the house. Dropping to his belly, he began to
commando crawl through the grass. Both wolf and man prayed its
height was sufficient to hide their presence. When they came to the
shelter of a bush, they shifted forms, the wolf only too pleased to
let the man figure a way out of this predicament.

Rafe crouched in the shelter of the
bush. He needed to sprint from his present location to the side of
the building, and then slink under the windows until he reached the
one for his room. Eve was still visible, which was good as it meant
she likely hadn’t realized he wasn’t in his room. Unless, she’d
already gone looking for him first and was now wondering where he
was…