Authors: Jeanette Battista
Lenore watched the young man lope up to the car. He hadn't noticed her yet, on the passenger side as she was, so she got to see him without him being all self-conscious. He had a rangy look to him, not the powerfully muscled look of the guys in her family. And his run was a little funny, not the smooth even stride that she was used to seeing with her family; his had more of a roll to it. It wasn't displeasing, but it was very different from what she was used to.
He stopped when he came around the back of the car and saw her, brought up short by her presence. She smiled at him. "Hi."
Rafe looked around wildly for a second, making Lenore wonder if there was something behind her that might eat them both. Then she realized he had no idea how to react to her. "I was going to go to the beach with you and Finn." She wasn't sure why she felt like she needed to explain what she was doing there to him, but she did.
"Oh. Um, sure." He didn't sound enthused.
"Come on you two," Finn called, already behind the wheel and anxious to be gone.
Lenore climbed in the backseat of the car, trying not to take Rafe's less than enthusiastic response personally. He was strange, but she chalked it up to the usual boyish awkwardness around girls his age. Besides, she was going to the beach; whoever came with her was immaterial.
Rafe climbed in the front seat and Finn pulled the car out of the garage and out into the street. Lenore looked out the window at the houses they passed and the change in neighborhoods as they got closer to their destination. When she was coming in with Cormac, she hadn't been in the mood to notice anything. She'd been too worried about what her parents were going to do to her and too wrung out from the train ride and car trip to do more than stare blankly out the window. Now she could sit back and enjoy herself.
She heard Finn and Rafe talking in front. The boy could talk then, it just seemed he wasn't really adept at talking to her. Or rather, he was, when the proper situational criteria were met, but Lenore was stumped as to what those ideal criteria might be. He frustrated her just as much as he attracted her. She guessed he might be shy since he never initiated a conversation with her or actively sought her out, but he never objected to her company either.
Finn pulled the car into a public lot and they trooped down to the sand. Lenore flung her beach bag on a likely spot and began to set up her towel. Rafe and Finn dropped their shirts next to her and took off running. She didn't watch them go, instead popping her sunglasses over her eyes and looking out at the waves crashing against the shore. They could go be boys together, while she would focus on getting a tan.
She sent Wyatt a quick text, informing him of where she was so she could rub it in just a little, then began to apply sunscreen. She wiped her hands on her towel and settled down on her back, determined to empty her mind of all minor annoyances and think about nothing but warm sand and hot sun.
She didn’t know how long she'd been lying there when she felt a light dusting of sand kick up next to her. Lenore turned her head and cracked open an eye to find one of the annoyances sitting next to her. Rafe was flushed and dripping with sweat. She propped herself up on her elbows, but there was no sign of Finn.
"You're done with the run already?" She hoped that didn't mean they'd be leaving soon.
Rafe nodded, his shaggy hair falling in his face again. He should really pull that back or get it cut. "Got a side cramp, so I came back. Finn's still going though."
"Oh, good." Lenore lay back down. Then she realized what that sounded like. "I mean, not good about the cramp—good about Finn still running."
Rafe smiled, a genuine one. "Hope you don't mind me hanging around."
She rolled onto her side, sliding her sunglasses a little farther down her nose to look at him. "You look hot." She tried not to blush at the way that came out. "There's a couple of bottles of water in my bag if you want one." She watched as he went rummaging through it and came out with two. He passed one to her.
"Thanks." He downed his in one long pull. Lenore watched the muscles in his throat work as he swallowed. His pale skin positively glowed out here. She wondered idly if he used SPF125.
"No problem." She rolled onto her stomach, but kept her head turned so she could watch him. Rafe looked out at the ocean, seemingly entranced by the swimmers out there. She studied his profile for a few minutes, her eyes safely hidden behind her sunglasses. He looked thoughtful, but relaxed, more relaxed than she'd seen him at the house. She thought again about Cormac's warning to be careful around him, but she couldn't figure out why. If he was so dangerous, why was he staying at Kess' house in the first place? He didn't look dangerous to her.
Lenore had an idea. "Hey, can you do me a favor?" Her voice started him out of whatever reverie he was in. He looked at her, cocking a brow. "Can you put some sunscreen on my back? I don't want to burn." She'd already applied some, but it was possible she might have missed a few spots.
Rafe stared at her, looking like he didn't know whether to agree or run. Lenore waited for him to say something, then prompted, "Sunscreen's in the bag."
He blinked rapidly. "Uh, okay." He rummaged in the bag and came up with the bottle.
She felt him move her hair out of the way, his touch gentle. She pillowed her head on her arms so he had full access to her back. His hands were tentative at first, spreading the lotion lightly over her warm skin. His hands started out cool, but they warmed quickly. He began to press down firmly, working the sunscreen into her flesh with strong hands. Lenore sighed. It was like getting a massage. It was everything she could do not to curl her toes into the sand in pleasure.
"Do you need me to do your legs?" His voice sound kind of breathless and a little tighter than normal. She turned her head to look at him and saw that he sat on his knees beside her, carefully looking at the bottle in his hands.
Lenore fought down a grin. How nice of him to offer. "That would be great. Thanks." She put her head back down and concentrated on nothing but the sensation of his warm hands on her skin.
He started at her ankles, slowly working his way up her calves. He was being very thorough, making sure the sunscreen covered the backs of her legs completely before moving on to the backs of her knees. Lenore wiggled a little when he hit the sensitive spot behind her kneecap, laughing a little.
"Sorry about that."
Now Lenore's voice sounded a little breathy. "It's fine."
She heard him snap open the bottle again to get another handful of lotion. He had just begun to rub sunscreen in to the backs of her thighs when a new voice interrupted. "Hands off my cousin, perv."
Lenore rolled over to find Finn standing over them. Rafe had sprung back like she’d suddenly ignited. He looked uncertain as to what to do with his hands full of sunscreen. Lenore sneered, "God, Finn, give it a rest. I asked him to put sunscreen on me. That's all."
"Yeah, well, I can take it from here." He flung a spare towel at Rafe so he could wipe his hands.
"Ugh, no thank you. I can handle it." Lenore took the bottle from Rafe and finished applying it herself.
"I'm going for a quick swim to rinse off." Finn looked at the two of them, and then grinned wickedly. Lenore knew she was in for trouble. "Try not to molest each other while I'm gone."
She flung sand at him but he was too quick, already setting off down the beach toward the water. She looked over at Rafe who had been silent and saw he was a deep shade of red. "Ignore him," she told him. "He's an idiot."
"I should probably go rinse off too," he said, not looking at her.
Lenore tried for nonchalant, but it was difficult when all she wanted to do was smack the both of them. "'kay. And thanks for the sunscreen." She made a point to roll over before he left to join Finn at the water's edge. It had been going so well, too, at least until her idiot cousin came along and his big mouth ruined the moment. She would make sure Finn suffered for this stunt. Oh, yes she would.
Chapter Nineteen
The mall was pretty busy when she and Cormac dropped off Rafe and Lenore. They two of them were meeting up with a group of kids for a night out. Kess watched the group leave her sight. Rafe and Lenore looked safely ensconced with Nina and Rose, siblings of Kess' old friends, and a couple of their friends. Kess was glad she had taken the time to get back in touch with her old high school friends. It was good to reconnect with them, but even better because it opened the door for Rafe and Lenore to do something with kids their own age. She'd introduced Rafe to them earlier, but he hadn't been much for going out. That all seemed to change when Lenore arrived.
It had taken the combined efforts of Kess and Lenore to get Cormac to agree to the outing though. Kess had let Lenore handled the pleading and wheedling, which the girl was remarkably good at. Kess had handled the security arguments, assigning a guard to watch the group unobtrusively. Lenore would be in a large group of teens, in a public place. Cormac and Kess would be at the same location, a phone call away. And if the intel Kess was getting from the other cats was accurate, the hyenas were gathering their numbers for a full scale attack; they wouldn't want to waste resources or risk retaliation before they were ready. Cormac had grudgingly agreed.
Kess slid her arm through his and tried to lead him away in the other direction. She had hoped they could catch a movie themselves or do something else suitably coupley until it was time to meet back up with Rafe and Lenore, but he was still watching after the gaggle of teens with his eyes narrowed. Kess watched him watch them for a few moments before interrupting his staring.
"What exactly are you hoping to accomplish with the glaring?" She nudged him in the ribs to get his attention.
He blinked, and then looked down at her. She smiled up at him, hoping to get their night underway on a good note. "I still don't like this,” he muttered.
Kess felt her smile fall away. So much for the two of them having a nice night out. She tucked herself closer to him and began to walk, trying to move him along with her. She had to stop after a few steps because it was like towing an anchor. She sighed. "What don't you like?"
He looked down at her and she knew from his dark expression that she wasn't going to like what he had to say. "Rafe hanging out with Lenore."
Yep, that was what she thought. She tried to be reasonable, to reassure him. They'd done everything they could think of to protect Lenore, short of locking her up in the house for the duration of her stay. "They're with a group of kids in a public place. Nothing is going to happen."
He shook his head and she poked him. Head shaking was not going to cut it--this was a conversation that had been building for weeks. "She's only going to be here a little while longer. It wouldn’t be good for her if she got…attached."
Kess cocked her head and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Attached? Really? That couldn't possibly why he was behaving this way. "Seriously? That's your reasoning? That can't be all there is to this." She
knew
it wasn’t, but she wanted Cormac to admit it.
Cormac rubbed the back of his neck, a sure sign he was thinking something over. She waited him out, until finally he said, "Fine, Kess. You already know it. I don't trust him. And you shouldn't either."
She began to walk slowly and he followed after her. She waited until he was beside her to sigh, "We've been over this."
He gave her a look like he was assessing whether she'd suffered some kind of head injury in the last ten minutes. His voice was a growl. "That doesn't keep it from being an issue." He stopped, raking his hands through his hair. "You're the clan leader! If you're wrong about Rafe, the damage he could do is serious. How can you just ignore that possibility and act like there's nothing to worry about?"
Kess looked at him, trying to keep her temper. "Because I don't think I'm wrong about him, Cormac. What has he done since he's been here that makes you think I'm wrong?"
"Besides the fact that he's a hyena? The son of the woman who wants to kill you? Or how about because he disappeared on us in the swamp and four hyenas magically appeared?" His voice was fast and low. Kess pulled him over to the side, away from people walking. If they were going to have a conversation about the were situation, it would probably be better if they had some cover.
"Cormac, I…" Kess began, but he cut her off.
"Kess, he's a hyena." Cormac's voice was surprisingly gentle. "From a pack that wants to take over your territory..."
"From a pack that abandoned him. Just to clarify." She shouldn't need to keep bringing that up with him.
"...from a pack that left him here, maybe to spy on you. Or worse." He stopped and gave Kess a warning look. "I don't want my sister involved. I don't want her getting hurt."
"Rafe isn't a spy." Kess could feel her shoulders tense and she tried to relax them. They were getting into topics she thought best left alone.
"How do you know? Laila didn't trust him."
Of course he'd bring up Laila. "Um, Laila doesn't trust anybody--she's an assassin. And she's a complete pain in the ass, so not helping your argument there." Kess wrinkled her nose at the thought of the Keeper. She wasn't fond of the werejackal and not just because she'd killed Sek.
"That doesn't mean her instincts are wrong. Or that mine are." Cormac sighed and leaned his head against the wall. "There's a lot we don't know about this kid."
Kess moved closer to him. "So mine are?" She overrode his protests. "My instincts are telling me that Rafe's a good person. I'm not going to treat him like an enemy when he hasn't proven to be one."
Cormac dropped his head down to hers, his eyes an intense, wicked silver. "I'm not talking about that. He's Samara's son, Kess. He's not your do-over brother."
"What did you say?" She could tell her pupils had grown larger, a sign of her were nature asserting itself.
"I'm saying that he's a likely enemy, not a chance for you to work out your family issues." His voice was hard and he wasn't backing down.