When Worlds Collide Ch 07

Rafe sighed with relief when he was finally able to escape from the meeting hall with Lacey clutched tightly to his side. He glanced down at her, his heart turning over in his chest as her beautiful eyes rose to meet his. She smiled softly at him and he sucked in a deep breath as his gaze roamed greedily over her perfect features.

She was so beautiful both inside and out. It tore at his heart that she had known such pain at the hands of Richard Graves. Every time he thought about it his wolf dissolved into a black rage and he had to fight the need to go looking for the vampire on his own. Logically he knew he wouldn't last a second against the ancient vampire, that he needed the pack and Caleb and Annie to help protect his woman. But that didn't stop him wanting to rip the vampire apart. That didn't stop him from wanting to sink his teeth into the disgusting creature's neck and feel his hot blood sliding down his throat.

"Rafe, are you trying to squeeze me to death?" Lacey asked with a little laugh.

Her voice shook him out of his thoughts and he realised he was holding her a little too tightly. He gentled his touch instantly, his expression turning regretful. "I'm sorry, baby," he sighed leaning down to catch her mouth underneath his, his tongue lightly tracing her bottom lip before he dipped inside to taste her more fully.

He groaned as his body hardened instantly as he stopped dead in the middle of the compound and moulded her soft body very intimately with his. His hands roamed hungrily down her back as she responded with a fiery passion which knocked him a little off guard. He had expected some reticence as they were out in the open but she surprised him with her eagerness.

His wolf howled loudly, his body became harder and his kiss deeper, more demanding, crushing her soft lips under his determined assault. She was perfection and she was all his. His beautiful, amazing woman. He growled loudly and slid his body sensuously against hers, letting her feel his desire, his need for her.

Lacey couldn't breathe. The instant Rafe's lips touched hers she had gone up in heated flames, desire exploding deep within her, an urgency to get as close to him as she could get overtaking her. She was vaguely aware that they were in the middle of the compound but she didn't care. All she cared about was her need for the wonderful man holding her so tightly, rubbing his achingly hard body against her with a fierce need as his mouth mauled hers almost desperately.

She felt something click into place deep inside her. It happened so fast and was so strong she was momentarily stunned by it and stiffened in his arms.

"Lacey?" Rafe's voice was thick with passion, his brown eyes smoky with need as he pulled back and looked down at her with a confused expression on his handsome face.

She stared up at him, her eyes widening slightly with surprise, her swollen lips parting to allow her to lick her lips in a nervous gesture. How had this happened so fast? It didn't seem possible but as Rafe kissed her she just suddenly knew that she was in love with him. She knew he was in love her even though he hadn't said the actual words. It was all part of being a wolf for him. That instant certainty that he'd met the woman he would love forever.

For her it was different, wasn't it? She wasn't a wolf. She didn't have those same instincts. So how could she be staring into his gorgeous face and feeling such deep, intense love for him? She had only known him two days!

"Lacey?" Rafe said again his expression turning slightly anxious when she didn't answer him immediately. "What's wrong, honey? You can tell me. Whatever it is I'll fix it for you."

Lacey let out a long slow breath and blinked slowly. "I'm in love with you, Rafe." It didn't come out quite how she intended it to. Her tone was so disbelieving, confusion reining on her very expressive face. For a moment she thought he hadn't heard her or maybe he thought he'd misheard her words. Then a slow smile crept across his face and his deep brown eyes began to almost glow with joy as he reverently took her face in his hands.

"Well, it's not the most romantic of ways for my woman to tell me she loves me for the first time, but I'll take it anyway," he laughed softly as his leaned down to lightly brush her lips in a fleeting kiss. "You do know that I'm in love with you too, don't you, baby?" he murmured against her lips. "I would have thought after last night and this morning that I'd made that abundantly clear."

His light tone and teasing touches settled a little of her confusion and she smiled against his mouth, sighing softly at the thought of their lovemaking and how fantastic it had been. Her slight relief didn't last long though and she frowned as she tried to work out these new feelings inside of her.

"It just seems too fast, Rafe," she said quietly, pulling away slightly to look in his eyes. "I know it makes sense to you this mating thing but what if what we have isn't what you think it is? What if my feelings for you are a reaction to my life being threatened and you protecting me? It's been known to happen before. Relationships built on danger invariably fail. Then we have to consider my appalling lack of judgement when it comes to men too."

Rafe growled low in his chest and his hands tightened around her face as his expression turned fierce. "Don't you dare let that bastard do this to you, Lacey," he ground out angrily. "Don't you dare let him inside your head for even a fraction of a second more. You were not to blame for what he did to you. It wasn't your fault. Don't lose faith in your judgement because he turned out to be an abusive prick!"

Lacey felt her eyes fill with tears as Rafe trapped her gaze with his. His rage was plain to see but it wasn't directed at her, he was furious on her behalf. She saw no condemnation in his eyes, not even a little hint of disapproval that she'd taken so long to be free of Richard. It suddenly occurred to her that they had never spoken about what had happened to her, that maybe they should.

"Lacey," Rafe groaned as the tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks. He pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly as she clung onto his shoulders and her body began to shake with the emotions ripping through her. He muttered a curse under his breath and swept her into his arms, striding quickly towards his own small private cabin which was the closest building to them.

He had them inside and sinking down onto the old leather sofa in a matter of seconds, his hands stroking her hair soothingly as she wept quietly in his arms. "It's not your fault, baby," he whispered gruffly. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, Lacey. I wish I'd known you sooner, that I could have been there for you. I won't ever let him hurt you again, I swear it, baby. No one will ever hurt you again, not as long as I live."

Every sob was like a knife wound to his heart as he cradled her gently, rocking her soothingly and whispering to her over and over again. She cried quietly, her body shaking as the pain poured out of her in endless torrents. She clung onto him as if her life depended on him and Rafe thought his heart would surely break if her sobbing didn't cease soon. His own eyes filled with tears and he found himself weeping along with her, his hands stroking through her hair as he kissed her cheeks softly.

"Lacey," he groaned hoarsely, his tears sliding down to join hers on her cheek. "Baby, everything's going to be okay. I swear it! Please don't cry anymore, Lacey. It's breaking my heart. I'll protect you. You're my whole world now, honey. I love you so much and I won't let anyone take you away from me. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

His words washed over Lacey as all the pain, misery and fear erupted out of her. She had held it all back for so long, having to be strong to withstand Richard's many abuses and then having to be strong to protect Jen. She'd never let herself really think about what she'd been through. She had always been too scared to, too afraid that if she let go she would lose herself completely and never find a way out of the black hole which had been her life with Richard Graves.

And now she had Rafe, her handsome, strong wolf who was holding her so protectively, who was claiming her as his life's mate. Who loved her and accepted her and didn't judge her for the poor choices she had made in life. She could hear his love in every word, she could feel it in the gentle touch of his hands even as his strong arms crushed her so protectively. She could hear it in the anguished tone of his voice and she could feel it as his tears fell on her face and he wept openly and unashamedly because he ached for her pain.

"Rafe," she sobbed her mouth seeking his urgently, needing to connect with him so desperately. She whimpered as his mouth met hers, their lips moving frantically against each other as she dug her fingers into his silky long hair. There was an urgency inside her she didn't understand, a deep, overwhelming need to be as close to him as she could. She gasped pulling back from him, staring wildly into his eyes and seeing a feral glint in their smoky brown depths.

The intensity of the emotions they were both feeling was triggering Rafe's wolf. She could see it so clearly in his eyes and her body was responding to it wildly. For the first time she consciously looked at him and recognised him as her mate, even though she wasn't a wolf yet. That was what had clicked inside her earlier. That was what had made her realise she loved him. She was meant to be with him, forever and for always.

She laughed. She threw her head back and laughed loudly even as her tears still fell, but they weren't tears of pain any longer, they were tears of joy. Her laughter shook Rafe out of his feral side and he held his woman and watched her with a quizzical expression on his face. Her head tipped forward again and her silvery blonde hair fell forward across her shoulders.

Rafe had to remember to breathe when he saw the look of joy on Lacey's face. She looked so stunningly beautiful even though her eyes were red from weeping and her cheeks were still wet. Something within her was shining so brightly it was quickly displacing all the heartache she had just been suffering. Her face was practically glowing with wonder and she literally took his breath away. "Lacey," he breathed softly, his voice catching as she reached out to wipe at his wet cheeks.

"I love you, Rafe," she whispered, her tone full of wonder and awe as she laughed lightly again. "I am your mate."

Fresh tears filled his eyes as a wide smile crossed his face. "You are my mate," he whispered back. "My beautiful woman, my heart's desire, my life's partner and I love you with every fibre of my being." He dipped his head to kiss her again, a long slow, sensual kiss full of his love for the amazing woman who had been to hell and back and was still standing. Despite everything she still had the capacity to love and to reach out and take what was rightfully hers. Him.

"I want to be with you, Rafe," Lacey whispered urgently against his lips. "I want to be a wolf, your mate in every sense of the word. I have no doubts. Please make me a wolf, right here, right now."

Rafe trembled violently at her words, his wolf howling so loudly that for a brief second he lost all control of his human side and he started to shift, his powerful body shimmering wildly. NO! His human side screamed loudly, urgently calling his wolf back and with a loud roar Rafe practically threw Lacey away from him onto the sofa and fell forward, fighting wildly to stay human.

He was vaguely aware of Lacey's startled gasp as he struggled furiously with his wolf. He clawed his way back up into control, a feeling of exhaustion washing over him as he finally won the internal battle and remained human, sinking down onto the wooden floor beneath him.

"Rafe?" Lacey whispered, her voice so quiet for a moment he thought he had imagined she'd spoken but then she whispered his name again and he took a deep breath and turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were wide with surprise, her teeth worrying her bottom lip as she stared down at him in confusion.

"Don't you want me?" she asked , her voice breaking, her beautiful eyes filling with tears again and he growled loudly and turned to gather her into his arms.

"You're all I want," he ground out hoarsely, holding her so tightly he was afraid he was hurting her with his fierce possessiveness. "But not like this, Lacey. Not when an axe is hanging over our heads. When we mate I want it to be so beautiful, so perfect, baby."

She trembled against him and he buried her face in the side of his neck and squeezed his eyes shut tightly. He prayed silently she would accept his reason, that she wouldn't push him, wouldn't question him. If she knew of the real reason he couldn't mate with her she wouldn't understand. She would be frightened and he didn't want her to be frightened anymore. He wanted to keep her safe.

Lacey felt Rafe tremble against her and she knew he was holding something back. His reaction to her thinking he didn't want her completely dispelled that little moment of insecurity. She had wanted to drag the words back the moment they came out of her mouth because she knew the answer to the question she had asked. She'd known it the moment she had looked up in Wicked and stared deeply into his dark brown eyes. Rafe Hanlon would always want her.

There was another reason and it wasn't the one he had given her. He hadn't lied to her. She knew him well enough that he would want their mating to be beautiful and perfect. No, he hadn't lied but he hadn't told the whole truth either. "Rafe," she said softly, pulling back and sliding out of his embrace. For a moment he held onto her and then he sighed and let her go, his expression turning closed and slightly guarded.

"Tell me the real reason we can't mate right now, Rafe," she asked quietly, her green eyes intent on his face. She saw a muscle tick in his clenched jaw before he dropped his eyes from hers and stood up, crossing the room and turning to look back at her. He leaned against the wall and folded his arms as if preparing himself for a battle of some kind.

"If Graves gets past me, Lacey, if he gets past Caleb and Annie, the only thing which will keep you alive is you still being human. If I fully mate with you and you become a wolf, he will kill you. I can't put you in that danger." He watched her digest the words and saw her beautiful face mar in a deep frown. He had expected to see fear but instead he saw anger in her beautiful eyes.

"You're telling me that you won't mate with me because of Richard?" she asked in a level voice. "You, who stood outside not half an hour ago and told me not to let him get inside my head anymore? What do you think you're doing right now, Rafe? Protecting me? Or are you letting Richard mess with your head imagining all of your 'what if?' scenarios?"

"Lacey," he growled softly pushing off from the wall and moving back to the sofa. He sat down beside her. "This isn't the same thing, baby. If Graves gets past me then it will mean that I'm dead because that's the only way he'll ever get near you again. The only chance you'll have is if you're still human. He won't kill you, he'll take back what he sees is his. And even though I don't ever want to see you in his hands again at least if you're alive there's a chance Caleb and Annie can come rescue you. They will come for you, Lacey. They will protect you from him."

Lacey took a deep breath and reached for Rafe's hands. She could see he was determined to have his way about this. But she could be just as determined when she wanted something and right now she'd never wanted anything as badly as she wanted to be joined with her wonderful man completely.

"Rafe, I appreciate your reasoning," she said softly. "I understand where you're coming from but you need to listen to me and really hear me. Until this very moment I was willing to go back to Richard." Rafe growled loudly at her words but she squeezed his hands gently, diverting him from his initial reaction.

"I would have done so knowing that he would eventually kill me because I could have stopped others from being hurt," she continued. "You won't allow that. The pack won't allow it so that's an option not open to me anymore. Jen is safe now with Aaron. She has him to take care of her so now I get to think about what I want. I want to be with you Rafe. I won't go back to Richard, not ever. If he kills you then I'll do my damnedest to kill him. I'll make him kill me, Rafe. There will be no rescue by Annie and Caleb because I'll fight him to the end whether I'm human or not. So your argument doesn't work. There is no good reason to wait for us to mate properly."

Rafe felt his heart thump painfully hard in his chest as he watched her determined face. The thought of Richard Graves ever touching her again filled him with a black rage. The conviction in Lacey's words, the set expression on her face, told him she meant what she said. She would make Graves kill her and the thought of her dying ripped his heart to shreds. If she was a wolf vampire venom could kill her in one bite. If she was human vampire hands could crush her neck with no real force being applied. Either way she was vulnerable to the vampires that were coming.

He didn't know what to do and it was ripping him apart. He hadn't felt this level of anguish since the day he'd woken up in that white room and realised he had been changed into a wolf and been told he would never see Annie again. He stared into Lacey's beautiful green eyes and swallowed hard. "Will you give me until the end of today to think about it, baby?" he asked quietly, his hand reaching up to stroke her cheek gently. "It's not that I don't want this as badly as you do because I do, Lacey. I want this so much it's hard to say no to you. I just need a little time to think about it."

Lacey could see his indecision. If she pushed a little bit harder she could maybe tempt his wolf to act now. The moment she thought it she dispelled the thought. She wouldn't do that to Rafe. There was something in his eyes, that same haunted look she had seen when she woke to find him in bed with her. She still didn't know what demons haunted Rafe, what it was in his past which brought him such pain when he thought about it, but whatever it was it cut him deeply. She couldn't do anything that would increase his pain. She only hoped they would both live long enough that he would open up to her and tell her what it was.

"I can wait," she answered moving back into his embrace to give him whatever comfort she could. It was the right thing to do because he held onto her so tightly, as if she were his life line. "Just not too long, Rafe, okay? I know what I want and I won't change my mind. I hope you can tell me what it is that hurts you so much too."

Rafe groaned and buried his head in the side of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. "I will, Lace," he whispered. "Soon. I just need a little time. Everything has happened so fast. Meeting you, Aaron being hurt, the impending war, the pack meeting. I just need to regroup a little, gather my thoughts. I promise you we'll talk about this again tomorrow."

She sighed and stroked his head. "Then I can wait until tomorrow," she breathed softly. "But we will have this conversation tomorrow whether you feel ready to have it or not. Am I making myself clear, Rafe?"

He laughed and raised his head, the haunted expression melting away to be replaced with one of such love it took Lacey's breath away. "Yes ma'am," he chuckled lightly before he gave in to the temptation to kiss her soundly.

_____

Rhianna ran lightly through the forest trying not to laugh out loud. It was exhilarating to run at such speed, flying over the forest floor and weaving in and out of the trees. She had been doing this for months now, ever since she made the change from human to vampire. Caleb had insisted on it, as had Rafe. Once a week she pitted her skills as a vampire against the wolf pack, sometimes twice a week if Caleb felt she hadn't performed very well.