When Worlds Collide Ch. 07

Her vampire was such a hard taskmaster at times. He was determined that she be the best trained youngling to ever walk the planet. It all boiled down to his incessant paranoia that someone was going to come along and try and hurt her. It irritated her no end but she let him have his way. It made him feel better so she could put up with his over protectiveness. Rafe wasn't much better. If she didn't successfully evade a minimum of six wolves then he gave her a stern ticking off and scheduled another training session.

She jumped up high and grabbed onto a branch and swung herself effortlessly into one of the tall oak trees. She settled back on the long branch and cast her lavender eyes over the forest floor. She'd already managed to outrun most of the wolves. There was only Rafe and one other still tracking her and she was sure she had whittled it down to just Rafe now. Usually it ended up with her pitted against Rafe and Aaron but Aaron was still in the medical centre so it was just her brother who still stalked her ruthlessly.

She watched Rafe enter the clearing below her in wolf form. Her brother was impressive as a wolf, so big and strong. She loved that she could run with him like this, that they still had their strong bond despite being of such different species now. Rafe had been more of a father to her than a big brother, having taken care of her since she was three and their parents had died.

She loved him so much and was so frightened he'd do something silly to try and protect Lacey. She had asked Demetri to have some of his friends keep an eye on Graves' haunts to make sure Rafe didn't try and take him out on his own. It would be just like Rafe to do something that silly and she needed to protect him from himself sometimes. She shuddered slightly as her thoughts went back to last year. Rafe didn't always think of what was really best for him. Sometimes keeping Rafe alive was a lot of hard work but she would always be there to stop him from doing something stupid.

She watched Rafe leave the clearing and hopped down nimbly from the trees, reaching around and dropping her rucksack from her back. She dug inside it and pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a flask of coffee. She poured herself a cup as she waited for her brother to come back.

She was on her second cup by the time the large brown wolf returned to the clearing. "You've got something on your mind," she said with a small smile tugging at her lips. "It's not like you to be so bad at tracking me."

Rafe shifted into human form and reached for the sweatpants. His sister was used to seeing him naked by now and she didn't fuss as much about it since she had become a vampire, but he still insisted on having something to cover up with when they trained together. He dressed and sat down beside her, reaching into the rucksack and pulling out an apple. "Your skills are improving dramatically," he answered quietly. "You outran eleven wolves this time."

Rhianna raised an eyebrow in surprise, but her face split into a wide smile. Eleven wolves? Now even Caleb would have to be impressed with that! She shot a sideways glance at Rafe. Something was really bothering him. He bit silently into the apple and she stifled down a deep sigh. "Do I have to drag it out of you?" she asked.

She met his gaze as he turned to her with a little smile tugging at his lips. He reached over and ruffled her curls just to annoy her. "You see too much," he said gruffly.

"I always will where you're concerned, Rafe," she answered softly, her lavender eyes full of concern. "You're not thinking of going after Graves alone are you?" She couldn't quite keep the fear out of her voice. She let out a relieved sigh when her brother shot a look of such surprise at her. At least that wasn't the issue.

Rafe sighed deeply and rested back against the tree they were sitting in front of. "No, I'm not that stupid, Annie," he said softly, his eyes turning to stare straight ahead into the forest. "It's Lacey. She wants to fully mate with me and I can't work out what to do about it." Rhianna's beautiful face lit up with such a huge smile that Rafe couldn't stop his own smile from tugging at his lips.

"That's wonderful, Rafe! I'm so happy for you. I don't understand what the problem is though. Lacey is your mate, isn't she?"

He snorted loudly at the question and didn't even bother to answer it. He didn't really need to anyway because his sister knew him well enough to know he would never endanger lives unless there was a very good reason to do so.

"So what's the problem, Rafe?" Rhianna sighed nestling against him.

He automatically collected her little frame into his embrace, cuddling her securely to his side and smiling as she wrapped her arm around his stomach and settled her head onto his shoulder. She had always been an affectionate, tactile little thing. Being changed into a vampire hadn't cured her of that. They never really got enough of this one on one time together anymore and he was loathe to talk about his problems and spoil the moment. But he knew his sister well and she wouldn't give up until he spilled his guts.

"If Graves gets his hands on Lacey and she's a wolf, he'll kill her, Annie," he said hoarsely, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "If she's human then you and Caleb can rescue her from him and keep her safe."

He felt her stiffen in his embrace and he dropped a quick kiss on top of her head. "I'm not planning on dying," he reassured her, knowing she had put two and two together without him saying anything. "BUT, just in case something awful did happen, it would ease my mind knowing that you and Caleb would help Lacey."

"You know we would," she whispered quietly. "But it won't come to that, Rafe. It can't come to that. I can't lose you again, not ever." Her voice broke and Rafe felt a deep pain lance through him as he heard the tears in her voice. He felt like a complete bastard for doing this to her. It didn't matter how fast she could run, how much stronger she was physically, she was still his baby sister and it was still his job to take care of her along with her vampire.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he breathed softly. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm going to move heaven and earth to make sure we all come out of this safely but I need a contingency plan in place, Annie. I need to know that Lacey will be safe no matter what happens."

Rhianna struggled to get control of her emotions. She'd been avoiding having this type of conversation with everyone she loved. She knew they were all thinking the same thing, all working out contingency plans to kick into place in the event that one of them was killed. No one had spoken about it though. Everyone was keeping quiet until there was no option left but to have the conversation they were all dancing around. Rafe needed to talk about this now and she would be strong for him.

"Lacey disagrees with you?" she finally asked, clutching him tightly but being very careful not to hurt him.

"Most definitely," Rafe groaned. "She wants to mate and says we can't let Graves mess with our heads. She essentially turned something I'd said to her around and hit me back with it. Kind of reminded me of you a bit when she did it." He smiled fondly and kissed her head again. "In fact the way I feel about this took me right back to meeting Jared for the first time, when he told me what I was and explained how I could never see you again, Annie. I feel the same way now as I did then and I don't know what to do about it."

Rhianna's mind whirled frantically as she too slipped back to the dark time when she had thought Rafe was dead and then discovered he wasn't. The anguish he had gone through then had been heartbreaking to watch and the thought he was feeling those same feelings again was a huge blow. Finding Lacey should have been the catalyst to finally help him accept who he really was. Instead it was turning out to be the opposite.

"Rafe, when you died last year my heart broke," she whispered softly. "Caleb picked up the shattered pieces and he very carefully glued them back together. While he was doing so, I relied on every single thing you'd ever taught me as I grew up. Always shining through that dark time was how you taught me to accept whatever happiness I could no matter how bad things looked. Between the two of you, you kept me sane and helped me through the worst experience of my life. I found happiness despite the terrible blackness within me.

Things are dire right now. We both know that. Take your happiness, Rafe. We might not know how long we have but you deserve to know true joy even if it will only be a fleeting moment. That's what Lacey is trying to tell you. That's why she's so determined to be joined completely with you."

Rafe uttered a strangled sob and his arms tightened around Rhianna. He buried his face in her hair and his big body began to shake as he wept for the second time that day. His beautiful little sister had been through so much and he had only added to her pain when he had tried to kill himself. Yet she readily forgave his selfishness. She stood by him no matter what and she always would do. Now he had another beautiful woman in his life and she was ready to do the same and he didn't deserve either of them.

"Forgive yourself, Rafe," Rhianna sighed softly, stroking his hair lightly and leaning up to kiss his tear stained cheeks. "It was a moment of madness. It doesn't define who you are. We couldn't love you the way we do if you weren't a good person who deserved to be loved. Stop living in the past. Talk to Lacey. Tell her about it. She will still love you and she will still want to mate with you. Take your happiness, Rafe. Please! Don't punish yourself any longer. Stop hiding behind the half truths you're telling yourself about why you won't fully mate with Lacey. You know it's not only because of Graves. Whether Lacey is a wolf or not when he comes is academic. He will kill her if he gets his hands on her and you know it. If he gets past you, Caleb and myself to reach her then you know we will all be dead, because neither Caleb or I would ever allow him to take her from this compound."

She was crying too as she spoke, her heart aching for her wonderful big brother who hurt so badly inside despite the mask of acceptance he had worn for the last year. He had never truly healed from that time though he had been happier, slightly more accepting of his new life.

"Trust Wolfie," she whispered tearfully. "Trust in him that he knows what is best for both of you and that's Lacey."

They sat together in the forest, both weeping quietly for a long time as Rhianna tried to help Rafe through his pain, knowing that the only person who could really heal him was sitting back in the compound. Rafe had to go to Lacey and had to go to her before the vampires came. If he wasn't completely sure of himself when Graves arrived then she feared that she would lose him forever this time and she couldn't bear the thought of never having Rafe in her life again.

Rafe's tears finally eased and he kissed Rhianna gently and wiped at her own tear stained face. She was so amazing, his beautiful little sister. So very wise for her years, so full of love and forgiveness for everyone. He looked into her lavender eyes and he knew that she was his greatest achievement in life. He had helped shape her to become the woman she was today and she was outstanding in every way. If he could do such a good job bringing up such a wonderful woman then maybe he did deserve to take the happiness which was waiting so impatiently for him to reach a decision.

"You keep yourself safe, baby girl," he whispered tremulously. "You're not expendable under any circumstances. Do you understand me? Losing you would be just as bad as losing Lacey, Annie. So you'd better damned well keep yourself safe when the shit hits the fan."

She smiled, her beautiful face glowing with her love for him as she cradled his face gently between her small hands. "The same goes for you, Rafe," she said softly. "No needless heroics. I want us both standing at the end of this. I want to meet my nieces and nephews when you and Lacey get around to giving me some. Now, don't you think it's time to go and have that talk with your mate?"

Rafe laughed and rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. "Women," he grumbled under his breath but he gave his sister another huge hug and another kiss before he rose and set her feet to the ground. "Love you, sis," he said gruffly ruffling her curls and making her laugh.

"Love you too, Rafe," she sighed as she watched him head out of the clearing. She hoped she had helped him enough that he could now talk with Lacey. She thought she had but her brother had a habit of appearing to look like he was heading in one direction but swerving in a completely different one once he was out of sight. Smiling fondly Rhianna packed up her rucksack and slipped back silently into the trees.

_____

Rafe headed to his own small cabin when he got back into the main compound. His first instinct was to go looking for Lacey but he needed a shower and he needed to mull over his conversation with his sister. She had an uncanny knack of putting things into perspective, of knowing just the right thing to say. He couldn't stop the smile that tugged at his lips. Damned woman was always trying to fix everyone.

He took a quick shower and changed before he stepped back outside and scented the air. Lacey's scent was coming from the medical building so he headed there, his footsteps light for such a big man. He was walking quickly as he felt his mate's pull as if it were a physical thing. His wolf was starting to get impatient with him. He was starting to feel as antsy as Aaron was.

He found his friend in much better spirits when he entered his room. Jen was perched on the side of Aaron's bed and Lacey was sitting in a chair beside it. He quickly took on Aaron's better colour and the way he brushed lightly against Jen with barely a hint of pain on his face. Aaron was healing quickly and it was probably because of his need to protect his mate.

Rafe was surprised when he took a close look at Jen. Her eyes were shining and her expression was so much more relaxed than it had been since he'd met her. She was smiling more and it really did suit her. She was a very beautiful woman when she relaxed and wasn't so distrustful of everyone. Aaron was good for her and it was more than obvious that she was good for Aaron.

His gaze finally turned to Lacey and he found her watching him with a faint smile as well as a touch of concern on her face. Did she know that he had been upset not so long ago? Was the mating instinct really taking a hold of her now she knew it was what she really wanted? His greedy gaze roamed over her beautiful face and he felt his body start to react. He stifled down a groan and smiled at her, pulling a chair up beside her and reaching out to idly pick up her hand. He just needed a little contact with his woman.

"Rafe, I told Aaron and Jen about the meeting," Lacey said slightly worriedly. "I hope that wasn't wrong of me?"

He smiled gently at her and brushed his lips over the back of her hand. "No, that's fine," he said soothingly. She should have waited for him to do it but he didn't have the heart to say so. He wanted her to feel part of the pack. Not just any part of the pack but the most important person in it because that was what she was to him. He stared into her amazing eyes and made his decision. Annie was right. They didn't know how long they had or if they even had a future at all. It wasn't wrong to take what he wanted, to feel the joy of being joined with Lacey completely.

Aaron cleared his throat loudly shaking Rafe out of his reverie. "So, Millie's pregnant," the blond man smiled drawing Rafe's attention. "I guess that means she's going to need protecting when she evacuates." He was sitting up in the bed, one arm loosely wrapped around Jen's waist as she leaned against him gently.

"Yes," Rafe answered dragging his eyes away from his mate and turning back to his friend. "Cedar will be going with you when you leave. You won't be fully fit Aaron so take your lead from her and Millie. I know it will be hard but you're to be backup on this one. Cedar's in charge."

Aaron's expression turned pained and he muttered a curse under his breath. "She's going to love that," he grumbled with a mock scowl on his face. "She was so pissed when I was made a beta and she couldn't get to boss me around anymore."

"Well, that's how it's to be," Rafe laughed shaking his head. He looked at Jen. "I take it you have no objections to leaving with Aaron?" he asked.

Jen frowned slightly and looked at Lacey. "Oh, I have objections alright but these two have bullied them out of me," she sighed with resignation. She was torn about leaving. She wanted to stay with Lacey so badly and yet, she wanted to go with Aaron too. She felt Aaron's arm tighten around her waist and she sighed again. He wouldn't leave if she stayed and as Rafe had pointed out, he wasn't fit to stay.

"Jen, it's fine, really it is," Lacey said softly. "I'm going to have the rest of the pack protecting me. There's nothing you can do to help here anyway. It's best for you to go with Aaron and keep him out of trouble. Plus it will give you some time to learn about pack life without worrying about vampires descending on you any minute. Leaving is the right thing for you, Jen. I want you to leave."

And she did. Lacey hadn't wanted anything so much in her life than to have Jen safely away from Richard when he came looking for her. Just knowing her friend would be protected soothed Lacey's soul just a little. She wasn't happy about what was coming, about being the catalyst for this war but she was resigned to it now because the Weres wouldn't have it any other way.

Her friend sighed and nodded her head, still clearly unhappy about the turn of events but unable to argue with her or the wolf who was clutching her so tightly to his chest. "Aaron," Jen groaned, a mild rebuke in her tone as she heard his breath whistle out painfully as he clutched her so tightly. "You have to stop hurting yourself."

"Yes, ma'am," he grinned down at her, loosening his hold slightly and dropping a kiss on the tip of her nose as his eyes danced with a mixture of pain and laughter at her irritated expression.

"Luke said I can get out of here later on," Aaron told Rafe. "When does the evacuation start?"

"It's already started," Rafe answered. "The children and their parents are being moved to Jared's other strip of land as we speak." He didn't mention where it was. Not because he didn't trust Lacey and Jen but because it was just prudent not to mention exactly where the evacuees would be. Aaron knew of the place he was speaking of so he didn't need to elaborate.

His friend nodded his head before lowering his mouth to the side of his mate's neck and brushing his lips over her soft skin in an almost helpless gesture. Jen giggled at the soft touch and pushed his head away gently.

"I'd tell you two to get a room but I think Lacey and I are the ones in it at the moment," Rafe chuckled lightly as he saw the heated gleam in his friend's eyes. He could see his wolf too, so very close to the surface. Aaron was having a hard time keeping the animal at bay. He would be mating with Jen at the first available opportunity. That was plain to see.

Aaron laughed and rubbed his face in Jen's hair making her giggle again and smack his arm lightly in a mild rebuke. "Behave," she said trying to keep a stern expression on her face as it coloured at Rafe's words.

Aaron groaned in defeat and settled back against the pillows, shooting Rafe a meaningful look which all but screamed at him to piss off and take Lacey with him. He wanted to be alone with his mate. He needed to be alone with her. His body was healing rapidly now and he wanted to touch Jen. He wanted to taste her sweetness, mark his claim on her. Not that he was up to anything too adventurous but he could give her pleasure. Such sweet, delicious pleasure which would have her crying out his name in sheer bliss. His body practically hummed at the thought of it and his expression turned even more heated as he gazed at his mate with open adoration on his face.