Page 29 of Under Dark Skies

Rafe took off his coat and sat down on the bed next to her. She noticed that his clothes were torn, and that he more than likely had broken a few more bones in the fight with that wolf. She realized she had yet to ask him about it.

“I haven’t asked you if you’re ok yet?” She spoke through tears. Rafe placed a finger on lips, while the other rubbed her hip.

“Don’t worry yourself with that. You’ve been through a lot. Tell me, what’s on your mind right now?”

It would take hours to describe what was exactly on her mind right then and there. Her first thought was that she wanted him to make love to her. Thinking about his skin, his thick and powerful muscles on top of her massaged her soul. It wouldn’t just be fucking either, it would be real love making.

The first time she ever actually made love.

But she knew that that wasn’t what he meant.

“I’m thinking about Darla. My family. I haven't spoken to Darla in years before I got that letter. I knew that she was a PEACE agent, but that was it. I was never really interested in any of that until meeting you.”

Rafe nodded, his eyes boring deep into her. She adored the feeling of his attention.

“She chose that life, and it was fine. But I feel like I didn’t realize how much I actually missed her until I found out that she was missing.”

Tears began streaming down her face. Rafe rubbed her cheeks as she spoke.

“We were so close as kids. She was always so outspoken, stood up for herself, for me. I wanted to blend into the background and be like everyone else. I really wish I could just talk to her right now.”

Her face crumbled, and she began sobbing. Rafe took her into his arms, but never forced her emotions away. He was willing to take whatever she was willing to give, which allowed her to open up more and more.

“She wanted to be her own person, and I admired her for that. I wish I could have told her that. Now I’m so worried about the danger she is in Rafe.”

Rafe soothed her with his hands, moving them up and down her arms. She still has her coat on, so he suggested that he help her take it off.

She sat up and allowed him to pull the arms off. He tossed it aside, then guided her head onto his chest. They sat for a few moments while Layla cried.

“You’ve been through a lot.” Rafe spoke, his chest rumbling at the same time. “I know I keep saying that, but going from a human life to a potential shifter and human war is a lot to deal with in a few days. It’s a kind of trauma. So I want to hear all about how you are feeling.”

She nodded into his chest. He was warm, and the beat of his heart was a pleasant song. She knew she could fall asleep right then and there, but she also knew she needed to eat, and perhaps have a shower.

She lifted her head from his chest to face him. He looked at her with wide eyes, waiting on her every word. “Rafe, I know I’ve only known you a little while, but I feel something going on here. I feel like I lost so much, but within that loss I found something profound.”

She took his strong, veiny hand. She lifted it to her mouth and kissed each finger individually. He watched her like a hawk, those pointy features melting away with comfort.

She sighed, feeling her own heartbeat pick up. She was scared, but she knew she had to say how she was feeling. It mattered then more than ever.

“Rafe, I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

Twenty-Six

Rafe

Rafe couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He had had women in his life proclaim love for him before—he was a very easygoing wolf who anyone felt comfort talking to. He’d grown close to both human females and wolf females, but never anything beyond the physical existed for him. He used to think that it was because of his work and his loyalty to Griffen that he didn’t have time for things such as love.

Lying there with Layla staring at him in the most authentic way, he knew all of that was bullshit. He loved her too, and he had fallen during one of the most chaotic times in his life. He breathed in deeply. He didn’t want Layla to think that the feeling wasn’t mutual, but fuck, he was terrified.

He touched her face. She kissed it. “Layla, I truly can’t believe that this is happening right now. I am feeling so much that it is hard to describe.”

She placed one of her hands on his chest, and she smiled when she felt it beating fast. He felt exposed, but in the most glorious way possible.

He gulped. “Love is something that has always just felt like words to me. I have loved family, my pack, but never a mate.”

Layla’s smile grew larger. He didn’t mean to use that word, but she seemed to respond to it well. He continued in hopes that everything he was feeling was something she wanted to hear.

“I’ve been alive for almost a century, and I’ve never found anything like this. You mean so much to me, its almost unbearable.”

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