She stopped at a sunken bit of sidewalk where water had collected. Stepping around, she paused to see her reflection looking back at her. No one special. Just her. Her life. She was in charge of her life.
"Sweetheart? What are you doing?"
Raine looked up to see Gran.
"Wallowing in self-pity. Where have you been?"
Gran floated around. "Well, where I have been isn't anything for you to worry about. Why aren't you with Kian?"
Her mouth opened, but Raine didn't know what to say. Tell Gran he'd left her? Or tell Gran that they just weren't meant to be? What? What did you tell an old woman who loved you and seemed to need to move on?
"I. He. I. I don't really know. Guess, I just needed some fresh air?"
"Really Raine? I think we've established I am not a senile old lady. Now tell me why you are out here? Where exactly are we anyway?"
The night sky above offered her nothing as she tried to look away from Gran. Could she just run away? At what age would it be considered weird to run away? Probably when she had her own apartment and wasn't running away from anyone.
Pulling in air past the constricting pain winding throughout her body, she finally spoke.
"Gran. You were wrong." She sniffled. "I know you didn't want me alone. I know that the last wish you had before you leave me was to see me not alone. But what if alone is how I’m meant to be?"
The tickle of cold air around Raine made her smile at a distant memory of how her Gran used to hold her.
"Sweetheart. You aren't meant to be alone. I would not have gone through all the trouble to have you find Geri if you were meant to be alone. Whatever he did, just go give him another chance. Men are little boys at heart, just with a whole lot more testosterone."
As Raine tried to squeeze Gran's hands, the chill a simple reminder that Gran wasn't really there.
"That doesn't really help Gran. But thanks. I think I just need to go home and start new tomorrow. I'll get past this pain. I always do."
Starting back to her car, Gran intersected her path making it hard not to listen.
"Raine. You won't get past him. He is your soul mate. He can't get over you either. He is a shifter, and his cougar will not let him forget you. Just give him time."
Raine's pace sped up. "I don't want to think about it anymore. He told me to leave. So I did. Gran. Don't worry about me. I'll always love you, but I will be fine alone."
Without paying any more attention she started to run. The pounding of her heart, the sirens and horns of the city, the tears starting to fall were all too much. The voice of Gran drowned into the noises of the night and all she could do was run. Faster. Harder. She would not lose it. Although perhaps she already had.
Raine slowed as she got to her car. The burning of her lungs was nothing. Nothing could pull her out of the loneliness of her life. One more day and she would be another year older, and she would still be who she always was.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she didn’t want to talk to anyone. She didn’t want to share her pain, not yet.
* * *
The blackness of her apartment parking lot matched her mood. She was bad at love. That was it. Parking in the same spot she always parked, she cut the lights and pushed open her car-door.
Reaching across the passenger seat she grabbed her purse. With her hand still on the inner armrest of the door, she was startled by a too-strong grip to her forearm.
"Ouch. What the?" The cold fear shot through as eyes as dark as molten coal met hers. A freezing fear splashed across her senses, a familiar face she wanted to forget stared back at her.
"Get out of the car, Raine."
Swallowing past the restricting fear within her throat, she spit back at him.
"Never. You'll have to drag me out."
The scar running from temple to chin wrinkled as he sneered at her. "With pleasure, whore."
Raine repositioned her bag in her hand, ready to swing. He was a wolf shifter, any shifter was stronger than most humans. She wasn't going to win for long, but if she could get him in the temple, knock him off balance, scramble his head, anything would help.
"Just get out. No reason to hurt you. You're lucky my brother's dead. I don't think he'd have thought much of a woman that goes around with a cougar."
Her heart skipped a beat, forgetting for a moment to fear for herself. "What are you talking about?"
His jaw muscles flexed as she studied his face. Absently she braced her feet under the pedals of her car, anything to slow their removal of her.
"We saw you with him. A cougar shifter. We did not like the way he touched you. Doesn't he know you're already taken? If you'd just accept your own destiny, this would be a lot easier."
With each word, Raine found it harder and harder to keep her breathing even.
We, who was we? His wolf? Creepy.
What did she always tell her students? Keep calm. Know your strengths. What were her strengths?
A quick inventory and she realized her legs. Although she was sitting, she could easily kick him out of the way. If she did it right, maybe she'd be able to get his head and disorient the guy.
"Bitch. Get out of the car. You might have been hard to track, but you couldn't hide for long."
All her training came into play. With his hand still secured around her arm she twisted and was able to quickly move her body, giving her legs the opportunity she needed and kicked as hard as she could.
He might have been a shifter, but he was still a guy and she'd just nailed him where it counted. Hard. He grunted and wheezed as she pushed past him and made for freedom.
Her next breath gurgled in her throat as a hand closed over her neck.
"You bitch. First Jay, and now you're attacking Rob."
She scratched at his hands, trying to get him to release. She kicked out backward and heard the thud, but it didn't seem to faze him.
"You killed my brother, and you're going to pay."
Her words came out high and strangled. "He killed himself."
A sharp pinch accompanied her panicked need for air. Trying to dig her nails into his hands, the focus had her holding back the panic, until he didn't loosen his grip.
"He had a pack, why would he kill himself? You had to interfere with the pack. What did you do? Pay for some kind of love spell, make him crazy over some sad little whore like you?"
His grip loosened enough she was able to swallow. Her feet felt the ground for the first time in seconds. She chose her next strangled words carefully. Or rather not too carefully, but enough to get her point across.
"He died of a drug overdose, you moron."
She slammed the heel of her boot into his foot. He hissed but his fingers clung even tighter. She tried to squeeze her own fingers under his grip. No matter how hard she struggled, this wasn't a fair fight.
"You just stop struggling and this will all be easier." A long wet tongue trailed from her ear to her chin. "We need a new pack member, and Rob and I decided it would be appropriate to have you give us one."
Breathing had become urgent. Her lungs ached, and all she could think was how badly she needed to take in even the smallest breath. She knew the words coming from his moving lips were anything but encouraging, but his words sounded tiny, as if he were a mile away.
"Now. Be a good girl and let's go to your apartment."
"Fucking bitch," she noticed Rob next to her as the pressure around her neck eased. Everything hurt. She coughed.
"Stay quiet and I won't have to hurt you anymore."
Raine couldn't clear her throat, let along scream. Her throat burned with each gulp of air.
"Very good. Now you can make a few choices. But in the end, they all involve us and you making up for killing our brother. We need a new pack member and Jay handpicked you to help with that. We see it fitting you will finish his work."
Fear raced over her, her body shivering past the terror as his hand ran between her legs.
A silent gasp, a puff o
f air on her lips, all she could do as his hand pressed hard at the seam of her pants. She winced at the unwanted pressure.
In all her fear she'd suddenly realized her phone was still in her back pocket. There wasn't much she could do with it, but if she were lucky she'd be able to activate the emergency button.
The two shifters encroached on her, their eyes dark, more animal than human. Every step they took she started to counter. Her apartment wasn't large, but there were other people. She should be able to at least alert someone. A loud knock at this hour would catch someone attention.
Her mind was reeling. First things first. She fumbled with her phone behind her back, watching the two before her and trying not to trip.
Raine had no idea what she was pushing but she tried to find the spot that would autodial for help. After she had no idea if that worked or not, she pushed her fingerprint to the home button unlocking it and praying she dialed someone. At that moment calling anyone was better than nothing. Her back slammed into the wall next to the door into her building.
She couldn't yell. But damn if the back of her head didn't throb as it ricocheted from the bricks.
"You're like a little scared bunny," said Rob.
"Yeah. It's my favorite scent," said the other bother.
She closed her eyes. Everything she knew about self protection wasn't going to work well with two massive shifters. Not when her throat refused to cooperate and no one seemed to be coming or going from the parking lot.
She smelled the sweat of wet dog before she felt the hot breath against her neck. A long suppressed memory of the scent of stale beer made her gag. Instinct drove her to press into the wall harder, even if it wasn't going to do any good.
Tires squealed somewhere in the night, not rare for a city, but God did she hope it was someone coming to the parking lot.
She needed help.
"Bitch. We need to go."
A jolt forced her eyes open as her feet left the ground. As if she weighed nothing, she dangled over the shoulder of the tallest of the two. Without thought, she tried to punch him in the kidneys. He just laughed. Without any stability she knew it wouldn't be effective.
As the two guys fought her into the car her head hit the frame of the door. She blinked a few times and lost her edge. Dazed she was stuffed into the car. Raine felt her ass hit the leather seat before it registered she'd lost.
"Oh sweetie. Just hold tight."
Raine rubbed her head and blinked in the direction of her Gran's voice. "What? Hold tight? No. Why would I do that?"
"Who the fuck are you talking to?"
Raine didn't bother answering. A loud thud against the car had her attention as Rob slid across the trunk of the car.
"Fuck," was all the other brother said before he disappeared from the doorway.
"See dear? I said don't worry."
Raine ignored Gran as a familiar feeling raced through her. Kian was there; she could feel his essence. Raine could hear a conversation.
"Hey. This doesn’t concern you. Pack business."
Her vision clearing, the car came into focus, and Gran seemed to disappear again. No one stood guard that she could see, so she took the opportunity and darted for the other door. Like hell they would take her.
"Hey, asshole. Didn't you hear me? This isn't your thing."
Raine felt a pang of worry that the two meat-heads might hurt whoever it was, and she prayed it was Kian out there, the feel of him so close it had to be. She needed to get out of the car though, she couldn’t be any help stuck inside. Raine needed to get back to her phone, hell she just needed to run into the apartment.
As she reached the other door no hands reached in after her. She yanked on the handle as she scanned for the lock. Finally finding it she pulled.
"Son of a bitch."
"Raine, stop. There's a child lock or something. Don't worry though. Just sit tight."
Raine started to climb to the front seat as she jumped at an unexpected thud.
She paused.
A second thud and a lot of moaning.
Her heart kicked up as a figure covered the open door. A large animal crept in slowly. Instinct screamed run, but her heart said she knew the tawny colored animal.
She watched as he placed one massive paw on the seat and sniffed the air. He puffed air as the golden eyes morphed green.
“Kian?”
A low rumble in his chest an acknowledgement.
He approached closer, his massive form blocking the door entirely as the car sniffed closer. He licked a scrape on her hand she hadn’t noticed. Reaching out she put a hand on his head. The cougar’s eyes closed. A slow hesitant scratch before she started to explore the feel of his fur, coarse but soft.
The words entered her mind as the cat vibrated, purring. “You’re okay?”
She moved closer and rested her head against the cat’s massive shoulder and back and whispered, “yes. I am now.”
Under her touch he shifted. She pushed back as she heard a snap and the fur began to retract.
Blinking against the car lights still shining into the car, she tried to make out the features. A familiar face of Kian came into focus. A naked form she knew almost every inch remained crouched on the seat.
"Is that you Kian?"
His hand extended towards her. "Yes. Now take my hand so we can get out of here."
Without a second thought, she put her hand in his and he pulled her out.
"You sure you're okay?" He asked for the millionth time. Raine had a bruise along her jaw line and another disappearing into her hair.
"Yes. I told you I was fine."
He smiled down on her.
"The hospital wouldn't have released me if I wasn't, Kian."
He looked away. "I. Well I might have mentioned I was an EMT and could watch out for you.I think it helped that they were overly full and didn't really have the beds to spare."
Raine lay next to him in her bed where they had been since she'd been released from the emergency room with a concussion. The police report had been quick and simple. Even sitting in the waiting room had been simple. Everything had been simple until now. He'd been emotionally tired, after he'd stopped two dick-heads from kidnapping Raine. He didn't give a shit who'd they'd been, he only cared that they couldn't hurt her.
Even with everything that had happened, he still hadn't slept. He couldn't sleep. Raine had passed out once she'd laid her head on a pillow. He on the other hand watched her. Watched her breathing. Watched the bruises purpling across her throat. She was strong. Stronger than him.
"Kian. Stop starring at me. It's sort of creepy."
He cleared his throat. "Sorry. You sure you're okay?"
He watched her face contort as she pushed herself up and leaned against her headboard.
"Kian. I am as good as I can be."
Her voice was raspy and hard to hear, a constant reminder he hadn't protected her. He'd failed her.
"Raine. I. I am so sorry."
He squirmed under her own scrutiny.
"You came back. You didn't fail me. You came back."
Without being mated he didn't know exactly how she could hear him, but she seemed to be in sync with him. Even after he'd walked out. He should never have walked out.
Crawling over to her, he raised his hand. His fingers tracing the marks left behind. All he'd wanted was to keep her from this. To keep her from a fate like his mom. And here she was, no better.
"Kian. Stop. I can tell what you are thinking. It's written all over your face. This has nothing to do with your mom. Nothing to do with your dad. This is my fault. My life."
"Those guys won't ever come for you again." He ground his molars together as the memory of seeing them touching her, hurting her. She was his. She was meant for him. The cops had accepted his actions because he'd stated she was his mate and the other two shifters had intended to hurt her. Now he had to follow through or things could be dicey for him. That and the fact, in the midst of everything he could
n't live without her.
As he dragged in a long slow breath her scent filled him, instantly calming him. Instantly driving him crazy. Instantly making him grow hard.
"Kian. What are you thinking?" She reached out to him. He took her hand as he moved closer. He took his time, worried he’d shake the bed. He didn't want to hurt her.
"Seriously? I am not some china doll. Just come here."
He raised on his knees and sat next to her.
"Kian. Thank you."
He couldn't look away. The way she saw him wasn't the way he’d ever thought anyone would see him. The soft curves of her face and the sparkle in her eyes sucker punched him in the heart.
"Raine. If anything had happened to you, I would have died. I am sorry for making you leave. Sorry for ever thinking you weren't strong enough for me. In the end you've proven me wrong on every level."
She smiled. "You're such an ass, you know that?"
His eyes grew wide. He'd just said he was sorry. What the hell? Was he that bad at apologies?
"Kian. You just assume I am a woman and I can't possibly be strong enough to handle you? You’re more like a tiny cat that purrs whenever you scratch his tummy; pretty sure I can handle that."
He allowed a smile to cross his lips. "I don't think you mean tummy."
Her mouth dropped. "See? An ass. Ugh. I am trying to be serious and all you can think of is sex."
His cougar started to scream at him. There was no time like the present.
"Raine. Be mine. Agree to be mine. We can do whatever humans do, a huge wedding or whatever later. Right now though, we need you. I need you to keep me in check. I need you to control the animal within me, to control the anger. You make me a better person."
His cougar sat on its haunches, waiting for her response. He didn't realize that he too was kneeling over her on all fours.
"Kian. What does it mean to be your mate? What does it mean for me?"
He pushed back. What did it mean?
"It means that for as long as I live I will live to protect you. I would live for you. It means that your soul would be part of my soul."
She thought for a minute. "I've heard that human woman who mate with a shifter become that shifter, is that correct?"
When It Raines, He Purrs (Move Over Fate Book 2; Paranormal Dating Agency) Page 9
