Rafe leaned against the light post in an alley alongside the bar. Besides his SUV, the alley was the most private spot he’d get. Since it was closer, he retreated to the shadows and dialed Devin.
“Talk to me,” Rafe demanded as soon as the call connected.
“The fire chief stopped by Josh’s parents.”
Rafe tensed. “Were you able to hear anything he said?”
“Every single word. Josh’s mother ushered the man onto the back porch so as not to disturb Megan.”
“And?”
“Seems Tony died from a broken neck, not smoke inhalation.”
Rafe cursed. “He was murdered?”
“The fire chief didn’t think so. In fact, he was calling it a tragic accident. Apparently, Tony was found lying at the bottom of the stairs with a fire extinguisher near his hand. The conclusion is he was rushing down the stairs and fell.”
“Why would he be running downstairs?” Most people kept a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. At least they did in the large home he shared with Kade.
“The fire started in Megan’s room. There was some indication Tony had tried to put it out. The fire chief is speculating Tony ran when the flames grew too intense and fell. The smoke would’ve been thick so it would make sense he missed a step or tripped.”
Rafe had rushed to save humans from burning buildings a few times over his long life. He knew firsthand how quickly a fire could spread. He dropped his head against the pole. “No other suspicious signs?”
“Not that the fire chief mentioned, but Josh’s mother had been crying by that point. The human gave his card to her and left.”
“I guess that ends our worry then.”
“I guess.”
The careful tone Devin used tensed Rafe’s muscles. “Has anything else happened that would make us think otherwise?”
“No.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just that…”
“Just what?”
Devin blew out a rough breath. “Megan. She acts strangely for a five-year-old.”
“How so?”
“She’s normal enough when Josh or his parents are around, but when she’s alone, she talks to herself.”
“Maybe she’s talking to her cat.” Rafe had remembered doing so as a child before he realized they couldn’t exactly understand him.
“She’s a single shifter. At five, her cat wouldn’t be strong enough to assert its will on her yet, and considering she’s been living with humans, she shouldn’t even be able to separate its emotions from hers, let alone talk to it.”
Devin would know. He’d devoted many hours to helping rescued shifter children adjust to the world. He knew where they were coming from. His childhood internment in a shifter prison had all but shattered his mind, leaving him a breath away from being crazed. Only his love and responsibility to his twin, Mira, kept him together.
“Do you think Megan’s unstable?” Rafe asked the obvious question.
Devin grunted. “We won’t know until we interact with her. She’s very clingy, though, especially with Josh. Whenever he’s in the room, she keeps him in her line of sight.”
“Or she’s protective of him. Being a white lioness, she’ll likely be a dominant when she grows up.”
“Could be.”
“Are the humans good with her?”
“Yeah. She seems comfortable. Not exactly happy, but you can’t really blame her.”
No. Rafe couldn’t. He sighed. “Thanks for letting me know about the fire chief. Call if anything else happens.”
“Will do, but I shouldn’t expect a quick answer, right? You might be… occupied.”
Rafe grinned. “I hope I’m occupied. All night long.”
“I hear she might be the one.”
Rafe gripped his phone tighter. “The one, huh? Did Kade tell you that? Because I don’t know what the—”
“Relax. Kade told me about the woman and your interest in her. I put two and two together. If I was wrong, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have snapped, but Kade was giving me a hard time about it. I’m a little defensive.”
“Finding your true mate is a blessing. If Jasmine is yours, you should be thanking the goddesses for bringing the two of you together.”
“Unless she can miraculously bridge me and my cats, it’s just lust.”
“Could be.”
Rafe licked his upper lip. He swore he could still taste her. “Once I have sex with her, I might lose interest.”
“True.”
“And even if I’m still drawn to her, there’s still the little issue of her being human.”
“Can’t argue that.”
Rafe paced from the lamppost to the edge of the building and back. “If she’s not my true mate and I try to mate her, my cats will reject her and she’ll die. That’s assuming she’ll even risk her life for me. I wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. Who wants to roll the dice with death just for a chance to be stuck with me for eternity?”
“Your true mate would.”
Rafe ran a hand through his hair. “I’d have to take her to the point of death. Hurt my true mate. What kind of male does that?”
“One who’s found the woman who can heal him. Give him peace. If Jasmine’s that female, you’d be a fool not to tie her to your soul.” Devin snorted. “I know I’d move heaven and hell if some woman could bring me even a little bit of comfort.”
Rafe squeezed the bridge of his nose. Guilt rushed over him. Devin had often talked about how he’d love to have a family, but he knew it wasn’t in the cards for him. He was too broken. Nobody would be able to fix him.
“She’d be a lucky woman, Devin. You’d treat her like a queen.”
“Yeah, well, I doubt there’s a female alive who’d want to share my broken soul or my crazed cats so I don’t think I’ll need to worry about pampering anyone. I’ll call if something comes up.”
The line went dead, and Rafe sighed. The men who’d ruined Devin’s life deserved to be punished. Too bad they’d died hundreds of years ago. There was nobody left to pay for what Devin had been forced to endure.
Rafe slid his phone into his pocket and made his way back to the bar. Each step he took eased the tension in his body and built his desire for the woman waiting for him. The only question remaining was whether it was her body that tamed him or her soul.