Betrayed: Days of the Rogue (49 page)

“Revenge?” Eve frowned trying to
recall what he’d told her. His wife had died in a gas explosion,
hadn’t she? Surely Damien didn’t have a vendetta against the
utility company.

“Yes. You see…she was killed.
Murdered because of what she was.” He looked her in the eye.
“Because of what you are.”

Eve felt her eyes widen. What was
he trying to…? Oh. “She was an…empath—Fae—like me?”

He nodded. “I don’t know if Rafe
told you or not, but there are certain factions of society that
have a hatred of the Fae. They feel they should be wiped from the
face of the earth.”

“No.” A chill went down her spine
and she looked at him aghast. “Rafe never said anything about that!
But why? What did the Fae ever do to deserve such hatred?”

“It’s too complicated to explain in
the little time I have here. But you need to be careful, that
Anti-Fae groups exist and could be looking for you.”

“For me!” Eve heard her voice
squeak in shock. “Do the police know this?”

“No. Just like most people know
nothing about the Fae, this other group is rather secretive as
well. If you told the police, most likely they’d have you in for a
psychiatric examination.”

Eve pulled her hand free of
Damien’s and stood up. “I don’t know what to say. What do I do? Why
didn’t Rafe tell me this? Is he in danger, too?” She looked about
wildly, not exactly sure why. Perhaps looking for the Anti-Fae
persons to come jumping out at her?

Damien stood up and caught her by
the shoulders. “Rafe is fine, and I don’t think he initially
realized how dangerous the situation was becoming. As for what you
do…” He paused and then shrugged. “You’re careful. You stay alert
and watch out for strangers, don’t go anywhere alone. It’s not much
different than what any single woman would do.”

Eve wasn’t so sure about that.
She’d lived by herself for quite a while and taken the usual
precautions, but there’d never been any reason to feel she was a
target. “Is that what the other Fae do?”

“They go about their lives. Many
probably don’t even realize they’re in danger. Your people don’t
exactly keep close tabs on each other, and sharing information is
sporadic at best.”

“Rafe mentioned something about
that.” Eve bit her lip, not sure what to think or do.

“There is one possible solution, a
way to make your life safer.” Damien rubbed his thumb over her
shoulder in a comforting gesture.

“What’s that?”

“Join forces with someone who knows
the danger you face, who can help watch out for you.” He looked her
intently in the eye, and Eve had the feeling he was trying to tell
her something. Was he insinuating that the two of them…?

“Damien, I—”

“Eve—”

His fingers tightened on her
shoulder, and for a moment there was a look about him, as if he
wanted to pull her closer. He wet his lips; the blue that rimmed
his silvery eyes seemed to grow darker. Was he leaning towards her?
The moment stretched between them and Eve held her breath, not sure
how she felt about the possibility that hovered between them.
Damien was so… But then there was Rafe. An image of him came to
mind, and she smiled. With him she felt…

Damien gave a short huff and shook
his head, dropping his hands from her shoulders. “No. It’s not
meant to be.”

Eve blinked. The air of expectancy
that had hovered between them faded away. It was sad but also right
as well.

Taking her hand, Damien began to
walk again. “There’s something between us, Eve. But I still love
my…wife; if I was with someone else I’d feel that I betrayed the
bond we had.”

“Bond?” Eve screwed up her face,
trying to understand his wording. “Oh, you mean the mental bridge
empaths form with each other.”

“Something like that, only I’m not
an empath.” He squeezed her hand and a shadow passing over his
face. “Even though I wish it were different, I can’t stay. My being
around you could bring its own sort of danger.”

“Because you’re an international
spy, right?” She teased him, trying to lighten his mood but he
didn’t smile. His expression was deadly serious.

“I’m not what I seem, Eve. Neither
is Rafe.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t say. It’s not my place.”
He stopped and turned her to face him. “What you need to do is go
to Rafe. You’ve started to form a bridge with him. Why not see
where it will take you?”

She tried to pull her hand free,
but Damien wouldn’t let go. Compressing her lips in anger, she
looked to the side, not really seeing the walking paths that wound
through the trees. “Rafe left without a word. I’m not going to go
chasing after him.”

Damien put a finger under her chin
and turned her face towards him. “He had his reasons. Ones he
thought were legitimate and might still be. It all depends on you
and how you’re feeling about what happened to you.”

“I was kidnapped by a crazed
empath!”

“And attacked by a wolf.” Damien
added. “Will you ever be able to forget that? To get over your
fear?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I
haven’t been thinking much about it. Wolves don’t figure
prominently in my life.”

“But what if they did?” He prodded.
“What if I told you that part of Rafe’s work involves wolves? How
would you feel?”

“Wolves?” She made a face, totally
confused. “I thought he was a psychiatrist or a psychologist or
something.”

Damien ran his hand through his
hair. “It’s…complicated, and I can’t say much. But I want you to
think about it.”

“Why are you so interested in
getting me back together with Rafe?” She narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not. But it’s the best
solution I can come up with given the amount of time I have. You’ll
be safer with him.”

“But Rafe’s an empath as well.
Won’t these people—these Anti-Fae, as you called them—be looking
for him, too?”

“Rafe is capable of taking care of
himself and you, too. Plus he’s surrounded by a network
of…watchdogs.” He laughed softly at what must have been some
private joke.

Eve was silent. The idea of simply
seeking out Rafe, with the hopes that he’d protect her, was
distasteful. If she went looking for Rafe—and it was a big if—it
would be because she wanted a relationship with him, not simply to
use him as a kind of bodyguard.

“Think about it, Eve. Please. I…I
need to know you’re safe. I can’t handle losing someone else.”
Damien looked at her, his eyes revealing his inner torment.

She laid her hand on his chest.
“Why do you care what happens to me?”

He wet his lips and reached out to
cup her face. “You’re special to me, Eve. I’ve always sensed a
connection with you. If things had been different, maybe you and I…
But I’m not capable of ever loving anyone else. My heart died in
that explosion.

“I understand.” She slowly spread
her fingers over his chest, feeling the warmth of his body, the
steady thumping of his heart. He rubbed his thumb over her cheek
and then as if one they drew apart.

Damien gave a crooked smile and
once again she was struck by his good looks. His wife had been a
lucky woman.

“If…if you don’t mind me asking,
what was your wife’s name?”

He glanced away, his eyes taking on
a distant look. Eve had the strangest feeling that he could
actually see the woman standing just beyond her, and she had to
resist the urge to turn and look. “Beth. Her name was Beth.”

“Beth? I had a distant cousin by
that name, but I lost track of her years ago.”

Damien snapped his head in her
direction. “What’s her last name?”

“Whitson, I think. What was your
wife’s?”

The brief look of excitement died
in his eyes. “Maynard.” He gave a bitter laugh. “For a moment I
thought maybe…” He let the sentence die and shoved his hands in his
back pockets.

“I know I have some distant Maynard
cousins. And I think my cousin’s mother had remarried, but I’m not
really sure.” Eve knit her brows together. “We moved around a lot
when I was younger, and my family’s not great on keeping track of
each other.” She shrugged, wondering if it was the Fae in her
family that had caused those loose family ties.

“It doesn’t matter.” Damien made a
face. “I just thought it would be nice to think I had contact with
a member of Beth’s family.”

“Her parents are deceased?”

“No.” He stared at the ground, idly
kicking at a weed. “They didn’t approve of me, though there’s
nothing new about that. It seems to be the story of my life.” He
gave a dark laugh. “They blamed me for her death, cursed me to hell
the one time I tried to see them.”

“That’s awful!” Eve stepped forward
to lay a comforting hand on his arm, but he shrugged her off.

“It’s the truth. I should have
protected her. That’s why I’m trying to watch out for you.”

“I’m not your responsibility,
Damien.”

“Perhaps not officially, but I’ll
feel better once I know you’re safe.” His cell phone rang then, and
he checked the number and swore loudly. “I have to go. I might not
see you again, Eve. Please… Be careful.”

“I will. “ When he would have left,
she grabbed his arm. “I don’t know what you’re up to, but I think
it’s dangerous. Promise you’ll not do anything foolish.”

“Now where would be the fun in
that?” He gave her a cocky grin, hesitated and then pressed a brief
kiss to her cheek. “Go see Rafe. He needs you just as much as you
need him.”

She squeezed his arm. “Try to stay
in touch. Please? I’ve sort of grown attached to you…in a sisterly
way.”

“I’ve never had much of a family. A
sister might be…nice.” He stared off into the distance, a lonely
look in his eyes. Pulling his arm free, he gave a brief nod. “I’ll
try to check in once in a while.”

Strangely enough tears were
stinging her eyes, and she blinked them away, forcing herself to
speak in a stern tone. “You do that or I’ll come looking for
you.”

“I bet you would.” He tapped her
nose, and before she could say anything else, he turned and walked
away without a backward glance.

Eve touched her fingers to her
cheek where Damien had kissed her. Her heart belonged to Rafe, just
as Damien’s still belonged to Beth, but she knew she’d never forget
him.

Chapter 52

After returning to the apartment,
Eve spent the rest of the day pondering what Damien had said. She
was adamant that she wouldn’t go looking for Rafe simply because
she wanted a bodyguard. But Damien claimed Rafe needed her just as
much as she needed him. Was that true? Was Rafe feeling as lost and
as lonely as she was? Or had Damien said that because he didn’t
want her alone and unprotected?

Eve nibbled on the end of her
pencil studying the drawing pad that lay in her lap. A sketch of
Rafe stared up at her. She’d been doodling as she thought, and now
realized she’d drawn a wolf in behind him. Cocking her head she
decided it looked natural somehow. Damien had hinted that Rafe
worked with wolves, but how could that be? Was he one of those
animal therapists who figured out why pampered poodles overate?
Laughter bubbled inside her at the idea of Rafe sitting in an
armchair taking notes while a fluffy white poodle lay on a couch
looking depressed. No, Rafe wouldn’t waste his time like that. And
Damien had specified wolves, not dogs.

“I’m ba-ack!” The door to the
apartment slammed shut and Caro bustled into the room, her arms
laden with containers of Chinese food and shopping bags. She dumped
all the packages on the island counter that separated the kitchen
from the living area, took one look at her temporary roommate and
sighed heavily. “Eve, I can’t believe you’re still moping around in
those dreadful clothes. Did you do
anything
at all,
today?”

“I went out for a walk,” Eve
protested.

“Looking like that?” Caro’s
eyebrows shot upward and she clasped her chest theatrically. “I
hope none of my neighbours saw you. They might have me evicted for
harbouring undesirables!”

“Aren’t you being a bit over
dramatic? I don’t look that bad!” Eve stood up and forced herself
not to glance at the mirror. Damien hadn’t thought she looked
awful.

Caro sniffed. “Perhaps.” She began
to take the food out of the bags. “But I do have a reputation to
uphold. You know, just the other day…”

Eve found some plates and cutlery
and set them on the table, letting the other woman’s words wash
over her. Sometimes Caro could be…well…Caro. Flamboyant and
dramatic and intense, it was what made her good at her job, but it
didn’t mean she was always the easiest person to be around. Having
a thick skin was a definite must as she seldom pulled her
punches.

“Did you draw this today?” Caro had
moved into the living room and was holding up the sketch of Rafe
with a wolf.

“I was just doodling.”

“I like it.” Caro narrowed her eyes
and pursed her lips. “It’s good. Very good.” She looked up at Eve,
a smile on her face. “I’ll forgive you your horrid fashion sense if
you can produce more drawings like this. Paranormal is big right
now and this is very marketable.”

Eve shrugged, not sure if she
wanted the picture to be marketable or not. Sometimes her quick
sketches were like another person’s journal; a way of expressing
her thoughts and feelings. It was personal and not meant to be
shared with the world.

Caro had no reservations of course.
“I’ll take this to work with me tomorrow and show it around.”

“No.” Eve hurried over and took the
sketch pad. “I’m not done with it yet.”

“It’s good enough for a sample.”
Caro moved to take it back and Eve actually hugged the picture to
her chest.

“Caro, I said no!” She hadn’t meant
to speak so forcefully but somehow it had slipped out.

“All right.” Caro held up her hands
in mock surrender. “Don’t have a fit. It seems that picture is more
than an ordinary exercise in drawing.”