Page 46 of Rafe

“Shh. Hold up.” The room fell into silence as Rafe went on alert. An ominous foreboding crawled over his skin. His wolf urged him to shift, but he resisted.

“What?” Xavier whispered.

Rafe whipped his head around as Skylar and Kenji entered the room. Her focus fell to the lifeless naked body sprawled on the floor. Her eyes widened in horror, her fist balled with tension.

“Oh my God,” Skylar gasped.

Greyson moved to block her view and shook his head at Rafe. “Kenji. We gotta get her outta here.”

“This isn’t for ladies such as yourself,” Xavier insisted. “We shouldn’t have brought the human.”

“Shhh. Something’s off. Listen,” Rafe told them. “Can you hear that?”

“I don’t hear anything.” Xavier stepped closer to Skylar and sniffed the air. “Death.”

“I heard something.” The hair raised on the back of his neck.

“It’s not quite just death.” Greyson sniffed the air. “It’s something else. It’s sickness.”

“The stench of Hell.” Kenji noted.

“No heartbeats. But something…something’s in here,” Greyson warned.

“Stay back,” Rafe’s wolf released a low growl, his instinct warning him of an unknown danger. Something in the room was alive.

Greyson nodded. “We’re not alone.”

“What is that?” Skylar asked, her voice but a whisper.

Rafe whipped his head towards the noise in the corner and took a step forward.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The familiar scent of Hell rushed into the room. The evil washed over Rafe, its demonic tendrils crawling like bugs over his skin. In the corner a body bag slowly swung back and forth.

Rafe’s heart pounded in his chest as he scanned the room. Multiple bags had begun moving. No longer able to restrain the beast, his vampire emerged, demanding to be released.

Skylar released a blood curdling scream as the body bag closest to them dropped to the floor, ripping at its seams. Demonic energy pulsated through the room as the bag tore open, green fluid oozing onto the ground.

“Keep her back,” Rafe commanded. “You need to go now. Greyson will take you.”

“I’m not leavin’ you.” Skylar reached for him.

“Stay away, Sky.” Rafe froze as her hand brushed his arm, concerned his beast could lose control.

“What is it? It’s getting out,” Skylar cried, sucking a breath, on the verge of hyperventilating.

Rafe readied for attack. His gums ached, his fangs piercing through his gums.

“Get her out!” Rafe shouted at Greyson, shielding her view of his fangs.

A headless burnt corpse sprung up from the floor, teetering as it reanimated. It lunged at him, and Rafe attacked without hesitation. A crunch sounded as Rafe smashed his arm through its torso. shattering it. Blood sprayed into the air as shards of its crust scattered across the floor.

With his eyes glowing red, Rafe growled with rage. As he glanced back to Skylar he caught the look of shock on her face. Time ground to a halt, her gaze lingering on his fangs. He registered her fear, the veil of shame he carried weighing heavily upon him. Vampire.

Skylar gasped as Greyson laid a hand on her, yet she never took her eyes off Rafe. Her face drained of blood, glaring at him as she and Greyson dematerialized. She fucking knows.

Rafe’s stomach tightened as her expression morphed to anger. A wild roar raged from his gut, a pain deep within his soul, stirring the hate for the evil that plagued his existence. A piercing screech to his left called to him. The slime covered red humanoid blob slid directly toward him, leaving a gooey trail in its wake.