CHAPTER FOUR
Rafe was shocked to realize he was actually overjoyed to have found his mate. The old apprehension and decision to go it alone evaporated in an instant when he first held Noah in his arms. He’d never before felt such electricity in the air and an overwhelming and compelling desire for someone.
The fact that his mate was human was drawing him up short in that he feared he wouldn’t know how to take care of a human mate. He spent so much of his life avoiding and criticizing the humans in his life that he never learned much about them on a personal level or any level, truth be told.
The Circle had been fairly isolated back on the Islands and humans were in the vast minority. They tended to be tribal, dishonest and self-serving back in the day and Rafe never grew out of that opinion. He didn't hate them as many have stated, but he didn't want them as friends either because he didn't believe they were capable of true honor and devotion. He preferred the paranormal communities, he understood them. Now here he was face to face with Fate's gift and being forced to reconsider all of his previously held beliefs.
Rafe pulled into the driveway and drove the SUV up close to the garage and parked. He jumped out and rounded the vehicle just as Noah was getting out. He took Noah by the forearm and lead him to the back deck well away from the road and main entrance. He didn’t know if the jackals had followed or how many of them there were, but he wasn’t taking chances. They entered the kitchen through the large glass doors off the deck.
He gestured to one of the chairs at the table and Noah sat down. “Are you hungry or thirsty?” He asked.
"Water would be good, thanks." Noah looked nervous but not scared, which was good. Rafe brought him a bottle of water and sat down next to him at the table. The kitchen was empty at the moment, so it gave them time to talk before the others descended.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry?” Rafe pressed figuring the guy hadn’t eaten since last night.
Noah shook his head. "No, I'm fine, really."
"Okay, do you have questions? I'm sure you do." Rafe decided to put it in Noah's court rather than try to explain himself in general. Instead of shotgunning the information, he could tell Noah what he wanted to know.
“Are you a shifter?” That was his first question and it surprised Rafe, he thought the guy would go more in the direction of, “where am I?” Because the Lodge was a massive structure on acres of land on the edge of the city.
“Yes.” He answered the question.
“You’re not a regular shifter, you’re something else.”
“Yes.” Rafe wasn’t sure how much he wanted to elaborate at the moment and so chose to continue answering briefly, Noah didn’t object. He observed him as he opened his water and took a long drink. Rafe found himself captivated by the soft gleam of water on his lips and the rhythmic movement of his throat as he swallowed. The vision had an immediate physical effect on Rafe. He shifted in his seat as things got tighter but never took his eyes off Noah.
"You're not a snake-shifter, are you?" Noah's eyes got wide and he leaned away from the table.
Rafe gave an indignant shake of his head. “God no, those things give me the willies.” Rafe chuckled at Noah’s pronounced relief. So maybe he did need to do some general explanations because this was going too slow.
“I’m a dragon shifter and so are my friends and family who live here and up on the mountain.” He just threw it right out there. “We are originally from the Shetland Islands in Scotland but found a new home here in Laramie and are in the process of putting down our roots. I know some of what you are going through. One of the mates here at the lodge is a brilliant computer technician, nothing is kept secret from that man. He did a background check on you for me.” There that should get things moving a little.
“Holy shit, you said dragon?” Noah looked like he was hyperventilating as his eyes ate up every inch of Rafe’s appearance. Rafe gave a brief nod. “That’s why everyone gets out of your way.” Rafe gave another nod and at that moment Calum entered the kitchen along with Bryn and Forbes. Rafe hadn’t seen a lot of Forbes, he and his twin Flynn owned and ran the Red Lion along with their mate Hunter Davis, the brother of Lyle, the King’s Consort. The three resided together in one of the garden houses out back.
Rafe waved his hand indicating for them to come over. They all took a seat around the large kitchen table and waited for Rafe to make introductions. “This is Noah Owens who I spoke to you about this morning. Noah this is Calum the Chieftain of Clan Keith and this is his brother. Bryn and Forbes both warriors of the Clan.” They all nodded at Noah and then turned a speculative stare to Rafe.
“He already knew about shifters, so I saw nothing to be gained by playing games with him.” Rafe defended his position.
“Cameron shared the report with me, so I have an understanding of his circumstances.” Calum began. “First I must ask,” he said and turned to regard Rafe directly. “Is he who we thought he might be?”
"Yes, he is," Rafe answered clear and without hesitation.
Noah wasn't sure what was going on but for some unknown reason, he trusted this Rafe guy and knew he'd have his back. The other men around the table were fierce and intense looking but not a one held a candle to Rafe. He was sure that if things went south, Rafe could get him out of there easily. Yeah, he'd put his money on Rafe, every time.
Calum might be more difficult, but he too lacked the darkness that Noah could see on the edges of Rafe. It wasn't a judgment, Rafe was a true warrior and warriors need a hint of feral darkness to survive and prevail. Noah wasn't sure how he knew all of this, but he'd always been good at seeing people if he looked closely. The problem was, he didn't always look closely when he needed to. He tended to take people at face value
Noah sat quietly and listened as the men discussed the jackals, the fire, the detective but it was when they mentioned Justin that he had to break into the conversation. “What do you know about Justin Morley?” Everyone at the table gave him their attention but it was Rafe who spoke.
"He and Jamison Ralls, the detective, are half-brothers." Noah just sat and stared at him for a moment, speechless. How did he not know this?
"We believe it was Ralls who hired the jackals to kill you and your cousin," Calum added.
“The detective was in a relationship with Joe. Justin is my best friend why wouldn’t he tell me Jamison was his brother?” He glanced around the table. All the times he spoke with Justin over the past two weeks about Detective Ralls and not once did he mention that the man was his brother.
“Joe and Ralls were seeing each other, not openly because Ralls thought it might affect his career, but Joe was under the impression they were getting serious.” Noah looked around the table again at every face and tried to find something there to contradict what was becoming obvious.
He turned and rested his gaze on Rafe and the pain of Joe's death came back to him. He hadn't had time to grieve Joe with every day being a constant struggle to survive he'd pushed the pain of losing Joe to the back of his mind. Now the reality of his loss was front and center and it was overwhelming him.
"This isn't right, Rafe." He pleaded. "Fuck, this is so messed up." He bent over and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to stop the sudden flow of emotion. "Joe was crazy about that guy. He wouldn't kill Joe. How could this happen?" He felt the tears and vigorously wiped them away. "Poor Joe, he loved Jamison, he would have done anything for him." His words were ragged and thick with sorrow. "Fucking shit!" He shouted and covered his face with his hands and started to cry.
He felt arms come around him and he was picked up and cradled against a hard-warm chest secure as he unleashed his pain. There was talk going on around him, but he just blocked it out. He didn't want to hear anything else right now.
He broke down in front of these men, but he couldn't stop himself, the memory of the events of that night came back to him in a rush. Rafe was holding him pressing his face into the crook of his neck, shielding him from t
he view of others in the room.
Rafe wasn't sure how to do this, so he just went with his instincts. He'd never held a crying human before; he'd always left such coddling to others. But this was his mate and his tears struck Rafe in a place in his heart that had never been touched before. Emotions came to life and a need to protect and defend this young human was the only thing on his mind.
Rafe could feel that Noah was bothered by the fact that others were witnessing his weakness. Rafe turned to the side and tucked him closer into this chest to hide him as much as possible. This was a strange new world for Rafe rife with confusing needs and emotions.
“Bryn, Forbes go get Angus and canvas the town. Find the jackals and kill them." Calum stood and the others started towards the door. "Be sure and get them all, there may be more than just the two." With that, they left and Calum turned his attention to Rafe.
"Rafe why don't you take your mate to your room and let him rest." Rafe gave a brief nod and stood with Noah still in his arms and left the room. He had accepted one of the larger rooms on the second floor when he arrived and now that he had Noah he was glad he had. It had a large bedroom, an attached bath, and a comfortable sized living area. The Clan had been very generous in allowing him this space.
He walked across the main room to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed with Noah still in his arms. The man was pulling himself together now and trying to sit up but Rafe wanted to hold him a bit longer so ignored the subtle hints.
"Sorry for making a scene," Noah spoke softly and lifted his head from Rafe's chest. "Thanks for helping me." Rafe let him go at last and Noah stood beside him. Rafe patted the bed beside him and Noah instantly sat down.
"I'm sorry about your cousin," Rafe told him.
“Yeah.” Noah still sounded emotional. “He was a good guy, just wanted to be loved.” Noah took a shaky breath and then turned to look at Rafe directly. “They beat us really bad and when the fire started Joe threw himself on top of me. He saved my life.” Rafe moved to wrap his arm around Noah and slid him closer to his side.
“Why would Jamison want to kill Joe? Why would he hire people like those jackals to brutalize and kill him like that?” Noah asked and leaned into Rafe’s side the contact was welcoming and warm. Rafe was finding himself studying the many new and interesting sensations he was experiencing. It wasn’t just pity or empathy, he felt connected to Noah actually felt his suffering and wanted no needed to help.
“We don’t know why he did it, but we know that he hired the hit on your cousin and you. Do you recall anything that you saw or heard, or perhaps Joe might have told you that Ralls may have wanted to keep hidden? Something so serious he’d kill to keep it quiet?” Rafe ran his hand up and down Noah’s arm settling the young man’s nerves and also giving Rafe a sense of peace.
Noah appeared to be thinking very hard, but in the end, he just shook his head. "I can't think of anything. I only ever saw them together a few times. He never came to our house, Joe always had to go to his place or meet him somewhere. It was all very undercover. Ralls didn't like being gay."
“What do you mean he didn’t like being gay.”
“He dated a girl in public. She was his official girlfriend. It really bothered Joe even though he tried not to let it show.”
“Do you know her name?”
“Joe never told me, and I never bothered to find out. I honestly thought Joe would get tired of being treated like he didn’t matter and would dump Ralls, but he never got that chance.” Rafe felt Noah’s sadness coming back and pulled him in and placed a kiss to the side of his head. It might be presumptuous, but Noah was his mate and he needed to comfort him.
Rafe was beginning to understand now how his brother felt when he met Lyle and also why he felt it important for Rafe to be re-educated. Mates are very powerful even when they appear to be helpless innocents.
“We will avenge his death. I promise you the people responsible for this will pay.”
“I am so tired.” Noah groaned and dropped his head until his chin was nearly resting on his chest. Rafe moved to stand and then lifted Noah back into his arms and laid him out onto the large soft bed. He then removed Noah’s boots and slipped the backpack from his shoulder and place them on the floor near the bed. The guy could barely keep his eyes open and Rafe suddenly felt bad for making him talk when obviously all he wanted was to sleep.
“I am so exhausted.” He reiterated and rolled to his side and was soon snoring softly. Rafe covered him with a light blanket and then stepped out of the room and closed the door. He called Dane who had a particularly kind way about him and asked if he would sit with Rafe’s mate while he was out. Rafe needed to do some investigating of his own. So many things were not adding up and the thought that jackals would constantly be coming after his mate, because jackals never gave up on a contract, was unacceptable.
He would have to get to the root of it all and end the contract on his mate’s life. Jackals would just continually send more and more until the job was done not caring how many of their own died in the process. They were a despicable breed.
It wasn’t but a few minutes and there was a knock at his door. “Thank you.” Rafe began and Dane waved off the sentiment.
"Glad to help. I heard what's happening and I promise to keep him safe while you're gone." Dane smiled and Rafe was touched afresh by the loyalty and generosity of the humans within Calum's Clan.
"He just fell asleep and he should sleep for a while. You have my number, so if he wakes and needs me just call. Otherwise, I should be back in a couple of hours."
"Take your time and don't worry about Noah, he's safe here," Dane assured and Rafe couldn't stop himself from thanking him again before leaving.
CHAPTER FIVE
Rafe met up with Bryn and the others and helped to capture the jackals. It was easy enough; jackals were no match for dragons. Before disposing of them, the dragons discovered the name of the person who hired them. The jackals were offered a quick clean death if they told and they did not hesitate in immediately offering up the name.
Jackals held no loyalty to anyone and loved nothing but money and power. They were very simple creatures if you thought about it, horrible, disgusting, and vicious but overall simple. The jackals were beheaded and their remains seared by dragon fire to a fine ash. They ceased to exist, but more would be dispatched soon enough. It didn't matter because Rafe would kill them all.
The men sat together in one of the back rooms of the Red Lion and discussed the job and the way forward. The goal was securing Noah's safety by eliminating the threat. The takedown of the two jackals was just the beginning. There had only been the two in town at present.
"The jackals claimed they were hired by Justin Morley to kill Joseph, Noah was included simply because he was home at the time of the attack. With Noah's eyewitness account, Justin and his brother Jamison wouldn't be able to credibly sell their version that Joseph’s death was an unfortunate accident.” Bryn recapped the information.
“Justin hired the jackals?” Rafe was still baffled by the discovery that it was Justin and not Jamison.
Bryn nodded. “Jamison wanted him dead apparently, but it was Justin who had the contacts and hired the jackals. They’re in it together however you slice it.”
“It’s unfortunate that they had no information as to the reason behind the contract?” Forbes commented.
"They don't care why they're hired; they just want to make sure they're paid. Justin gave the jackals Jamison's name as a backup or co-signer on the contract to pay the remaining half of the contract price once the job was completed." Bryn looked at Rafe with a deep, thoughtful expression which was mirrored by every other man at the table.
"We can go to Idaho and deal with Justin and his brother so that you can stay here with your new mate. Noah is going to need a lot of your hands-on time and care, considering what he's been through."
"I thank you for your offer, but Noah needs to be a part of what happens with Jamis
on and Justin," Rafe spoke slowly and looked around the table at his friends. "Noah is not a weak person and for all of his days dodging and running for his life, it is important that he be involved in the end. He needs the personal satisfaction.”
“He’s human, Rafe. I know you’ve come a long way in the past month in recognizing and appreciating the value and strength of the humans among us. But with that said, again, he is a human and may not have the fortitude to take out bad actors like Jamison and Justin. You may be asking and expecting too much from him.” Forbes gave his opinion and the others looked on in agreement.
“I understand your doubts in this instance, but I know that Noah will need to feel that he, in some part, saved himself. The breakdown you witnessed earlier was not a usual occurrence for him. I felt his humiliation at losing control in front of all of you. He hadn't had the time to grieve his cousin and then to find out that someone his cousin loved was responsible was more than he could handle, and he lost control of his feelings. There is no shame in that.” Rafe defended is mate’s reaction and his mate’s right to be there when justice was delivered.
They nodded their agreement accepting that Rafe knew what was best for his mate.
…
Noah woke and rolled over on the large bed, wondering where he was. The confusion only lasted a few seconds and then he came fully awake and sat up. This was Rafe's bedroom, he checked his watch and noticed he'd been asleep for nearly two hours and it had felt good. His usual panic was not there, and he didn't feel the need to check his surroundings as he usually did.
He was at Rafe's home, he called it the Lodge and his friends and family lived here as well. Noah felt safe, he actually knew very little about Rafe and his people, but he knew they were dragons, and no one fucks with a dragon shifter. He'd never considered such beings, but at present, he was glad they existed. "Jackals were toast in a fight with dragons or rather toasted." Noah chuckled to himself.
The moment he allowed himself to laugh the sadness came rushing back in. How could he laugh after so much pain and loss? Joe was dead and he was running for his life, what did he have to laugh about. Guilt snuffed out the light and he drug himself to the edge of the bed and sat there staring at the floor.
Rafe: The Dragon Knight (Dragon's Blood M.C. Book 10) Page 4