Page 12 of Under Dark Skies

She didn’t realize that Rafe had gotten up from the elevator floor and was standing against the wall opposite her. His voice shook her from her crying fit.

“This place is completely safe, Layla. Nothing is going to happen to you here. It’s just somewhere we can rest and make a plan. Nothing is set in stone.”

She felt the anger burning in her again. She didn’t know how old this wolf was, but no matter what, she wasn’t going to be spoken to like an idiot.

“Tell me the truth Rafe.” She said between sobs. “Who the fuck are all of those fucking creatures, and wolves, and PEACE agents and whoever the fuck else!? Why are they after us?”

Rafe looked at her with empathic eyes. They were soft and dark. She did her best not to soften to them. “I honestly don’t know Layla. I had only spoken to another wolf who your letter suggested may have started a plan to uproot the Elders. He doesn’t like humans—he thinks wolves are far superior, and that humans should be annihilated.”

He was being honest, but she didn’t know if she was going to be able to take this level of honesty.

“That was what I sensed anyway. There was an Elder who I believed he may have been conspiring with, but I wasn’t able to get to him yet. That was when the PEACE agents showed up. If I find anything else, I will keep you updated.”

Layla sniffed. She suddenly wondered where her phone was, and if she had actually turned it off. She wondered about Amy, her friends, and the store keeper. She felt Rafe gazing at her as she brooded. She returned his gaze with a frown.

“So that’s really all you know?”

“So far, yes.” His voice was soft and gentle. She wondered if wolves had any other abilities, like hypnotizing the emotions of others around them. She certainly felt calmer, and more inclined to trust him. She felt guilt that she hadn’t done anything to help his clear physical injuries.

Layla motioned toward his hands. “Is that okay?”

Rafe looked down. He smiled wide, his fangs exposed. “Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. Just not for a long time.”

“Aren't you wolves able to heal yourselves?”

Rafe nodded. “I’m a bit older, so it takes me a bit longer. Plus I’m a bit more cynical. I’m sure that doesn’t help.”

Layla found herself smiling. There really was something about him. He intrigued her, and really, without trying.

“So your skin is just going to grow back?”

Rafe nodded again. “It just happens naturally rather than with treatment that humans use. I can still treat it, but it would almost be pointless.”

“Almost.” Layla whispered to herself.

Silence fell over them. Only Rafe’s puffs and pants were there to fill the hallways.

Layla stood up, aware of how she probably looked. She walked over to Rafe then stuck her hand out. “Thank you for saving me. I thought I was about to be wolf meat back there.”

Rafe looked at her hand, then took a firm grip of it. He was taller and heavier than her, but she was still able to give him the leverage he needed to stand up. He swayed slightly, and she caught him with his chest. She could feel his heart through his shirt, which made her own heart pick up rhythm once again.

Layla smiled, then looked down at herself. “Now if you could point me to the nearest bathroom I would appreciate it.”

“I will show you.” They walked down the hallway side by side. Her mood had calmed, like a still ocean.

Twelve

Rafe

Rafe wanted to run Layla a bath, but she asserted that she was fine. She wanted to make sure that his healing started fast, and soon. The truth was, healing was the last thing Rafe had to worry about.

He too had great concerns about the destruction of the world around them. He had been working as a private investigator for what felt like forever but was actually ten years, observing the goings on of humans and shifters alike. Every now and then, there were issues—light scuffles and low murmurs of non-threatening ideas of overthrows. But nothing ever of this magnitude.

The fact of the matter was that Griffen had placed him here specifically for the kind of shit he was dealing with now. But despite being placed, no one had ever figured out what to do when the revolution came.

There was a small kitchen and a moderately sized bedroom inside the hideaway. It was nowhere near luxurious, but it did the trick. They were hidden. It wasn’t likely that either the wolves or PEACE would figure out how to get the elevator back up, and even if they did, there was another way they could go to leave.

The thought of another high-speed chase exhausted him.

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