Page 58 of Demon Rejected

“I missed you."

His long lashes touched his sharp cheekbones. My fingertips touched his beard. I remembered how soft it was and how much I liked to kiss Matt. Heat built up inside me. It wasn’t a sexual feeling, but it was desire and love burning slowly inside me, an energy that never left me — my flame.

My wolf pushed me to shift. I shifted without undressing. My reddish-golden wolf took over. She was feeling Matt. I could see the threads of light that connected us. My wolf lay on Matt’s feet. I allowed her to take over. She did everything she could to connect with his wolf. He was there, sleeping. She licked his skin and whined softly. Her call was clear. Wake up, wake up, I miss you, wake up.

Matt was too far gone. It felt as if not even my wolf was able to reach him and bring him back. My wolf was lost. She left and I shifted back. Wherever Matt was, I was unable to reach him. My jeans and my t-shirt covered me and I left the room barefoot. Cold.

The guard stood up and greeted me. I don’t know if he watched the scene unfolding or if he heard my wolf cry for her mate, the mate who rejected me, the mate who killed the last Fire Alpha and who still loved me. The mate who decided what’s best for me without even asking.

Exhausted and sad, I walked out of the medical area on the thirteenth floor. There was nothing left for me to gaze at.

I took the elevator and pressed ground level. The ride was smooth, the clock inside the elevator showing 4 in the morning. There was enough time left.

I walked out through the main entrance of SN in Las Vegas. The strip was animated, but I wasn’t interested in parties or casinos. My wolf needs rest and freedom. I saw one of our security guys parking a car. It was a small black jeep, nothing special, the type of car that isn’t staying in anyone’s memory.

“Hey, I need the keys." I called over, looking probably like a crazy woman with my unruly red hair spilled down to my waist, walking barefoot on the street. He felt my scent and knew I was a shifter, too.

“Scarlett, right?" he asked with a huge grin.

I shrugged, way too tired to have a witty comeback.

“Listen, I can’t just give you the car, and I don’t think you are in any shape to drive, but what about if I drive you?"

I jumped in the passenger seat. “Take me out to the desert. I need to wolf out, my good man."

He grinned at me fully. To his praise, he was silent, not feeling the need to push away the perfect silence with endless chatter. The morning air brought calm to my heart. He drove out there until the sky started to crack, looking like dark, bleeding skin. I started to undress, and he did the same.

“You mind?" he asked with a smile.

“Suit yourself."

I was out of my clothes, shifted as fast as possible, and started running, running so quickly that my paws felt like floating over the desert sand. The silence of the morning filled my heart.

I found a small rabbit and hunted it, and then I ate it raw its tiny heart was still twitching when I swallowed it whole. Cleaning my paws of blood, I closed my eyes and allowed everything to shift a bit. No need to focus on anything, the beast had a way to take over.

The night air woke me up. I had slept all day in wolf form out there in the desert. There was no trace of the other wolf that left with me. I hope he’s okay.

Since I learned to shift, it was what I did when life became too much. Matt always said, when civilization makes it hard to breathe, allow the beast to take over. I did just that. The beast was awake and hungry. All the years of self-harm could have been avoided if my parents didn’t leave me. I would have grown up like other shifters, knowing my place, knowing who I was, and not being scared of myself and my powers.

Sparky appeared next to me. She liked my wolf. There was no problem. I can touch fire in all my forms.

I know, girl,a soft loving thought flew to her. I know you never wanted to scare me. All you did was try to protect me, trying to make everything right for me. I know.

Sparky curled around me in the same protective way she did when I was a lost girl scared of her mama. She tries to tell me something, and I opened up to her. We got up and hunted together, another rabbit that ended up in my belly. The beast takes over. The moon looks so close. I throw my head back and release a cry. I cry for my parents, for the girl at the clinic, for my clan, for Matt. I cry for myself, understanding how lonely I was, lost, unable to find peace.

Grayson let me know that I’m prey. That’s all I am, and that many want me.

My cry fills the cool desert, scaring away potential game. I’m not hungry. There’s a deep hole inside me that will never be filled. The emptiness of not knowing who I am, who I belong with, and where my family is.

A large brown wolf jumps in front of me out of the blue. I know him, but I bare my teeth towards him. If he wants a fight, he gets a fight.