Page 38 of Cursed by Death

Either I could keep my secrets hidden away like I always did or I could show them just what I was made of. Probably not smart to go there just yet. Some secrets were made to forever stay hidden in the dark, it was the only way to keep me safe.

The men Rally had been with in the parking lot of the underground stood behind him now. They were the same ones who stuck by his side at the funeral. His closest pack members, the most trusted of his people. I really needed to learn their names because the only one I knew was Hunter and he’d taken the baby out of his stroller and was holding him in his arms.

I didn’t like that the baby was anywhere near this but as I looked through the crowd I realized there were children of all ages spread throughout the crowd.

I didn’t know how I felt about this but I didn’t think it was my place to judge them. Not with how I’d grown up, I really had no room to talk. And, besides, for all I knew it probably was always safe for them to be here. Maybe people were just going to be assholes because of my presence here.

Wasn’t that a delightful thought?

I usually wasn’t hated on sight like this and had to at least get the chance to run my mouth off first. Garth had taken one look at me and hated me immediately and I thought he’d been looking for me and had hated me before he’d actually ever laid eyes on me.

“Why’s this bitch here?” Garth said as he jerked his thumb behind him in my direction.

I had tried to warn him when I told him the last time that he wasn’t to call me a bitch again. So really it wasn’t my fault what happened next, he’d asked for it. Really.

I moved faster than a normal human, and in a bit of a blur. There was really no point in hiding myself here amongst these people. They weren’t going to hide what they were so I didn’t know why I should put so much effort into hiding myself.

I kicked the back of Garth’s knee and heard it make a sickening popping sound. He screamed as his leg buckled and gave out under his weight.

He crumpled to the ground in a whimpering ball as he clutched at his injured leg.

I stood over him with both of my knives out and in my hands. I hadn’t even thought about unsheathing them, I’d just done it. All the practice I had been doing over the last several years was really starting to pay off.

The crowd of shifters was deathly silent as I felt every single pair of eyes on me. I only had eyes for ole Garth crying like a baby. Never take your eyes off of your enemy until you knew they could no longer harm you.

I pointed the tip of the blade in my right hand down at him. “I told you, Garth, not to call me a bitch and I meant that. My name is Ruby Jane. Please, in future, do not forget it and I suggest you use it instead of bitch. Oh, and don’t ever talk to Ginger like that again or next time I’ll permanently maim you.”

“Did you see her move?” someone whispered in shocked awe.

“I thought she was supposed to be human,” someone else whispered but I didn’t see who it was because I wasn’t looking into the crowd.

I really wanted to tell them all that I was human enough but seeing as they weren’t human at all I didn’t want them to take that the wrong way or for them to be insulted by it.

“Ruby,” Rally said quietly and I looked at him. He was staring down at the knives held in my hands.

Well, shit.

I slid them safely back into their sheaths and muttered “sorry” under my breath. I really hoped I wasn’t blushing too badly. The red hair and pale complexion made it impossible to ever hide when I was feeling embarrassed.

Rally cupped my cheek very gently with his hand and his amused eyes stared into mine. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, baby. You’re my mate and tonight a guest amongst my people. If anyone should be embarrassed here it’s me, not you. If anything, it shows their lack of respect for me that anyone here would treat you so disrespectfully. To disrespect you is to disrespect me and my authority. Don’t you be sorry and don’t you be embarrassed.”

Nice words and I even knew he meant them. But I really did not want these people to end up resenting me after only my second interaction with most of them.

I realized then that I wanted them to like me even though I wasn’t sure why I cared. I barely knew any of these people, they shouldn’t mean anything to me.

But they did.

And I couldn’t even be mad about it.

Rally took me by the hand, threading his fingers through mine, and he pulled me along behind him through the staring crowd of shifters. We left Garth where he was, moaning and crying on the ground.

I reached back to grab a hold of Ginger’s arm, making sure I had a good hold on her so that she didn’t get left behind in the crowd. I had promised her I wouldn’t leave her alone and I always tried to keep my promises.

Rally stopped at the front of the crowd and turned to face all of the watching people, forcing me to turn with him. His guards or men or whatever he called them fanned out behind us but sticking close, close enough to reach out and touch us.

I did not want to be the center of attention and on display like this and I found myself again wishing that I hadn’t practically forced Ginger to come along because she looked just as uncomfortable as I felt. I had a feeling I was going to owe the poor woman some serious apologies after this night was over.

That is, if she’d still talk to me after this. I wouldn’t be able to blame her if she ran away and never looked back. It was a good thing she was moving into the guest house because it would be too damn hard for her to hide from me there.

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