Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (45 page)

Cocking his head to the side, he
listened intently. Classical music played softly, but there was no
conversation. Heavy breathing and an indistinct mumble reached his
ears instead. More importantly though, he could scent Eve. She was
definitely here.

It was all he could do to keep from
rushing inside, but he forced himself to circle the building,
cautiously sidling up to each window then peering inside. It was
the fourth window that finally revealed some of what was going on
inside. There was a large bed with ropes tied to the head and
footboard and…Grant. The man was half on the bed and half on the
floor as if he’d woken up and tried to move but fallen asleep
during the process.

A further scan of the room showed
no sign of Eve and, given that her abductor was incapacitated, Rafe
abandoned stealth for speed. Gripping the aged window frame, he
wrenched it open and climbed inside.

“Eve!” He called her name, stepping
over the now snoring man. “Eve? Are you here?” There was no answer,
but a sound from the window had him spinning around, moving into a
defensive crouch. When he saw Damien entering through the opening,
he relaxed.

“I’ll check the house.” Without
waiting for Rafe to agree, Damien left the bedroom.

Rafe fingered the ropes and zip
ties that lay on the bed, rage growing inside him. Faint stains of
red showed against the white plastic and minute drops of blood
showed on the bedding. It was Eve’s. Once he found her, he was
going to make Grant pay for every scratch and bruise she’d endured
at the bastard’s hands.

Crouching down, he grabbed the man
by the shoulders and shook him roughly, his voice so gruff it
almost hurt his throat. “Where is she? What did you do with
Eve?”

Grant mumbled indistinctly, his
head lolling from side to side, but he continued to sleep. After
trying once more with no success, Rafe snorted in disgust and let
the man drop onto the floor. Getting to his feet, he wiped his
hands on his pants not wanting any reminders of the filthy scumbag
on his skin.

“The bastard must be a junkie as
well as a pervert.” Damien commented as he returned. “He has a
stash of drugs in his bedroom. No sign of Eve, though. I checked
everywhere—the closets, the crawl space under the porch—nothing.
It’s a small house, not many places he could hide her.”

“Damn.” Rafe prodded the man with
his toe, anger and frustration eating away at him.

“Look at this.” Damien was picking
up a collection of newspaper clippings scattered on the floor. He
handed one to Rafe while skimming the contents of the others.
“Seems Grant’s made a habit of abducting women.”

“And Eve was his next intended
victim.” Rafe crumpled the paper in his hand. “Where the hell is
she?”

“Check this out.” Damien was
sniffing a can of cola and passed it over. “Drugged. Maybe Eve
somehow managed to slip some to the scumbag.”

Pride swelled inside Rafe at her
resourcefulness. “So she drugged him, somehow managed to get out of
the restraints—”

Damien interrupted with a short
laugh. “The little minx used a paperclip as a shim.” He held up the
twisted bit of metal as evidence.

Rafe chuckled softly, a hint of
relief beginning to grow inside him. “So all we have to do is find
her. The car’s still in the yard so she’s travelling by foot which
means she won’t have gone very far.”

“I’ll track her down.” Damien began
to move towards the window, but Rafe grabbed his arm.

“I’ll do it.”

“I’m the better tracker.”

For a minute they stood glaring at
each other, both with narrowed eyes and jutted chins.

Rafe exhaled noisily. “Fine. We’ll
both go.” Damien had a point, but he’d be damned if he was going to
let the other man play the hero. Eve was Fae like him, and she was
his!

Damien nodded. “I’ll tie up the
bastard and call Reno. Then we’ll start searching.”

“We seem to be making a habit of
working together lately,” Rafe commented, moving to examine the
items on the top of the dresser beside the window.

“Yeah. Go figure.”

They exchanged glances, and a wry
grin tugged at the corner of Rafe’s mouth. While they might not
exactly like each other, no one could deny they worked well
together. It made him feel slightly guilty about what he was about
to do, but not enough to change his mind.

As Damien expertly tied the man’s
hands and legs, Rafe shifted forms and leapt out the window. The
sound of Damien swearing followed him, but he didn’t stop. He
needed to find Eve, and he needed to do it now. The partial bridge
he’d formed with her was tugging at the edges of his mind. She was
terrified, and her wall was slipping, letting hints of her emotions
free. He could sense the panic swelling within her, the pain that
was throbbing through her body. Nothing was going to keep him from
her. Nothing.

Chapter 47

Eve swatted the tree branches that
tugged at her hair, swearing once or twice as she stumbled over
exposed tree roots. The soles of her feet were cut and bruised and
her arm vigorously protested the many times she’d been forced to
use it to keep herself from falling.

About the only good thing about
being in the woods was that so far no one seemed to be following
her. Whether it had really been Gordie or not she had no idea, but
the possibility had been enough to send her into a headlong flight.
Now she was thoroughly lost, tired, and cold with absolutely no
idea what to do about the situation she found herself in.

For possibly the hundredth time,
she stared at the setting sun. It was her only guide, the only
thing that let her know she was heading west rather than wandering
in aimless circles. Unfortunately, it was dropping quickly in the
sky, and a mist was forming over the land as the night air met the
warmer ground. Once darkness fell she’d have no idea which way to
go.

She’d tried tuning into the
earth—Rafe had told her about the affinity Fae supposedly had with
nature—but the comforting hum was missing. There was no murmuring
from the trees, no sense of energy being offered to her; strange
how she’d become so used to the sensation.

Now, she just felt alone and
abandoned, as if creation had even turned its back on her. Perhaps
it was because she was so emotionally distraught. Maybe it was
plugging up her receptors or something. Whatever the case, the
thought of spending the night alone in the woods, with the
temperatures hovering around the freezing mark, had her throat
tightening with unshed tears. She refused to cry, but that didn’t
mean the feeling wasn’t there. It was already cold, and she
couldn’t imagine how she’d survive in just a t-shirt. What she
needed was some form of shelter, a convenient cabin or even a cave,
but nothing appeared to be in the offing.

She snuffled and wiped her nose on
the hem of the t-shirt, shivers beginning to wrack her body. Her
legs were covered with scratches from the bushes she’d stumbled
into, and despite the encroaching darkness, she could see the
smears of blood and spatters of mud that covered her. If she ever
made her way out of this the first thing she was going to do was to
take a hot bath. The warm water would sting in the cuts, but she’d
welcome the small pain as a sign that she’d survived this
ordeal.

Survive.

That’s what she had to do but
how?

Not knowing what else to do, Eve
kept walking. Step after step after step. Occasionally a stone
would cause her to wince in pain, but mostly her feet were too cold
and numb to notice anymore. Mist floated about her casting the
trees into ghostly shapes and creating an eerie atmosphere that did
nothing to improve the downward spiral of her spirits. She wrapped
her arms around herself hoping to hold in her body heat, but it
wasn’t enough to stave off the chilly dampness that was creeping
into every inch of her body.

She was so tired. Pausing to lean
against a tree, she wiped a stray tear from her cheek. Not allowed,
buddy, she told the errant drop. For a minute she closed her eyes
and tried to imagine she was someplace else. Somewhere warm and
comforting. An image of Rafe’s home sprang to mind. The fireplace
would be crackling merrily, and the two of them would lounge on the
rug in front of it. He’d wrap his arms around her and hold her
tight. She’d trace her finger over his mouth and then stretch to
brush her lips over his. Their eyes would meet, and she’d allow her
mental wall to relax. A bridge would form with practised ease
between their minds, and she’d know how he felt, sense his love and
concern. It would fill her with warmth, and she’d push her own
feelings towards him, wanting to give as well as receive…

A sound intruded on her pleasant
reverie. The mere snap of a twig, but in the silence of the woods
it echoed like a gun shot. Eve’s eyes flew open, and she looked
around, her heart pounding. Was it Gordie? Had he finally come
after her? She searched for signs of movement and thought she saw a
flicker of something in the distance. It was indistinct, barely
noticeable through the swirling mist, but there was no doubt in her
mind as to what it was. Wolves!

Her mouth opened in a silent scream
as memories of the creature attacking filled her mind. The weight
of it knocking her to the ground, the pain of its teeth piercing
her flesh, horrible snarls filling her ears... Was she caught in
some horrid dream where one terror faded away only to be replaced
by another? Pushing off from the tree, she started to run, her only
intent to put as much distance as possible between herself and the
terrifying beast.

She ran blindly, stumbling and
crashing into trees. Her breathing was harsh, yet the sound of the
wolf chasing her was even harsher. It must be near; it was as if
she could hear the beast inside her mind. The creature was angry
and worried and…

Eve shook her head, pressing a hand
to her temple. Somehow the wolf seemed to be inside her head, her
mind picking up on its feelings. And Rafe was there; present and
yet…not. A mental image came to mind, his face morphing into that
of animal. He was the wolf and the wolf was him. Oh God, was she
going crazy?

“Eve!” She could hear his voice
now, sense him close at hand, but surely that couldn’t be.

She glanced over her shoulder and
was totally shocked to see Rafe actually there! She skidded to a
halt, stumbling into a tree and then holding onto it to keep
herself steady. For a moment indescribable joy filled her only to
be twisted into fear when a black wolf appeared behind him.

“Rafe, look out!” Eve screamed the
words and moved to lunge forward, her only thought to somehow
protect the man she loved. Her foot, numb with cold, caught on a
tree root, and her ankle twisted sending her crashing to the
ground. As her injured arm took the brunt of the fall, a sharp pain
shot up her arm and darkness descended.

Chapter 48

Rafe rushed forward, landing on his
knees beside Eve’s prone body. He hovered his hand over her, almost
afraid to touch her. She was covered in dirt and scratches, bits of
leaves stuck in her hair, smears of blood stark against her pale
skin. Two tear tracks showed on her cheeks, and his heart broke as
he recalled the terror he’d felt emanating from her. Gently, he
reached out and brushed strands of fair hair from her face. She was
so pale and cold, her lips almost blue, dark shadows under her
eyes.

He wanted to gather her to him, to
cradle her body and infuse her with his warmth. Instead, he donned
his professional mask and proceeded to examine her with clinical
detachment. A bracelet of bruises could be seen around her one
wrist and ankle. Her feet were cold and badly cut. Neither leg was
injured beyond surface scratches, but one arm definitely was. Blood
had dried where it had seeped through the gauze, and a bandage
bound her wrist. Her finger tips were swollen where they peeked out
beyond the elasticized material, but the colouring was good;
unwrapping it could wait until he was somewhere with better
lighting.

“How is she?” Damien crouched down
beside him, lines of concern etched on his face.

“All things considered, I think
she’s okay.” Rafe eased his arms under her. “I’m going to carry
her. You head back and get the truck, meet me halfway.”

Damien nodded but didn’t
immediately go. Instead he stared down at Eve, a myriad of emotions
passing over his face. Hesitantly, he reached out and brushed his
knuckles over her cheek then let his hand drop to his side. Closing
his eyes, he swallowed hard.

Rafe fought not to growl
possessively and pull Eve away from Damien’s touch. The man was
obviously going through his own personal hell. When Damien opened
his eyes, Rafe stood, adjusting Eve in his arms. “You all
right?”

“Yeah. Just memories. Fucking bad
memories.” Damien slowly got to his feet, his hands clenched into
fists. A heavy sigh escaped him and then, after a moment, the air
shimmered, and a black wolf stood in his place. Without a word, the
animal ran off disappearing among the thick trees.

Rafe watched him leave wondering
what the future would hold for the man. There were more demons in
the man’s life than he cared to contemplate. And whatever the man
had been up to these past months was causing some major battles
with the animal inside. There was still a hesitation when Damien
had wanted to shift, a sign his wolf continued to fight him. Did
Damien even realize how close he was to the edge of losing complete
control?

Eve murmured in his arms, and Rafe
pushed Damien’s problems to the side. Damien wasn’t his concern
right now. Eve was. With sure strides, he made his way towards the
roadway. The sooner he had her someplace warm where her wounds
could be properly tended, the better.

An hour later, Rafe watched Eve
resting in his bed. With Brandi’s help, he’d washed and dressed her
in one of his shirts then applied antiseptic and bandages. He
didn’t think her wrist was broken, but it would have to be x-rayed
in the morning. And the bites on her arm, while deep, showed no
signs of infection. All things considered she was lucky. Whether
she’d feel that way once she woke up would be another story.