Page 25 of Cursed by Death (Ruby Jane #1)

R ally remained in wolf form, which just seemed strange to me. We couldn’t talk like this and I didn’t know if I was supposed to let him out so he could go to the bathroom or what.

Just to be nice, I filled a bowl of water for him in the kitchen and left it on the floor in front of the sink so he could have something to drink. He didn’t drink from it but he did sit down and stare at me.

I shrugged and gave up on him, deciding to go about my business as if he weren’t here.

He followed me all throughout the house.

We went up to my bedroom where he laid down at the foot of my bed with his head resting on his front paws. He laid like that and watched me as I took off my weapons and laid them out on top of my dresser. I got out a silk pajama shorts and cami set that were black, a pair of clean panties, and carried them into my bathroom. I changed my clothes, washed the makeup off my face, and brushed out my hair.

I was glad Rally didn’t follow me into the bathroom because I wasn’t quite ready to pee in front of him just yet. I’d likely never want to cross that bridge because I thought having boundaries was a really good thing and there were some things he never really needed to know about me, thank you very much.

When I left the bathroom, he got up off the bed and trotted after me back down the stairs and into the kitchen. I found leftover pizza and cheesy bread in the fridge and heated some up in the microwave for myself. I put some cold pizza on a plate and sat it down on the floor next to the bowl of water for the wolf.

Rally still didn’t touch either of them but that was okay, it didn’t hurt my feelings. I was just trying to be nice and I had no idea what he liked or needed in this form. I was just happy he hadn’t tried to eat me.

I took my plate of pizza and carried it down to the basement stairs. I unlocked the door and held it open for him. Rally went down the stairs first and the lights flickered to life overhead as he went down.

I sat down on the couch and he climbed up beside me. I ate my pizza as I clicked the camera footage of the night while I’d been away from the house. There had been no surprise visitors while I’d been gone.

I didn’t know if I should be relieved or disappointed by the lack of activity at my house. I didn’t know if I’d ever see the twins again and even though I was trying not to admit it it was really starting to piss me off.

I didn’t know what to do with Rally being in my house and my special, secret space, and I wasn’t quite sure how to act around him now.

I decided to do what I always did when I was down here recently and get drunk.

I switched some of the screens to the cameras outside so I could keep an eye on the guards outside the house and everything else going on out there. I pulled up Netflix on another screen and found a movie for us to watch. Not that I was going to watch it. I didn’t watch much television and never really had.

I put it on for Rally just in case he got bored with watching me and wanted something else to do. I also didn’t like the quiet while he was down here with me. It made me feel like I needed to talk to fill the silence and I knew nothing good would come from me rambling. I would end up telling him all of my secrets.

I dragged out one of the boxes my grandmother had full of information about my father and demons. There wasn’t much in it. Mostly it was about all of the horrible things he’d done in his life so far.

Rally laid down on the couch and watched me sift through papers while I proceeded to get drunk. Oddly enough, I wasn’t uncomfortable with him watching me.

I woke up groggily as I was lifted off of the couch. “What’s happening?” I mumbled sleepily.

“You’re not sleeping down in the basement, on the couch,” Rally murmured quietly. “I’m going to carry you up to bed.”

“It’s not just a basement,” I whispered, still sounding groggy. “It’s my safe room.”

“I think your whole fucking house is one giant safe room. Christ.”

He wasn’t exactly wrong. You couldn’t get inside unless I let you in or you had the codes. But, still, the house could burn down and still the basement would hold strong.

It made me feel terrible because if I had taken care of the guest house the same way I had my house then maybe Thomas would still be alive. Probably not though because it wouldn’t have been able to stop him from opening up the front door to a complete stranger.

I didn’t bring any of this up to Rally because it was not his burden to bear.

Rally laid me down on my bed and tucked me in beneath the blankets. When he didn’t get into bed beside me I had to say something. “Rally. What are you doing?”

“There’s a problem at home that requires my attention. I’ve got to go. I wouldn’t leave you if it wasn’t important. Just being near you all night has given me more peace than I've felt in a very long time. I wanted to spend the whole night with you, by your side until you woke up in the morning. I’m sorry, Ruby Jane. This happens often, when my people need me I have to go. It’s all part of the job. My people always come first. My wants and needs will always come second to that.”

That was terribly sad for him and I hated that. But I also completely understood it. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Rally. Your people come first, that’s totally understandable. Just promise me you’ll be safe and you’ll check in with me later. Otherwise, I will worry about you.”

He pulled my hair back away from my face and pressed his forehead to mine. “If I can, I'll be back tomorrow night. What’s the code to the front door?”

I hesitated before telling him. The more people who knew the code the less safe my home was. Hopefully he didn’t give the code out to anyone else. I got that his house was open to all of the shifters but I wasn’t so sure I wanted my house to be the same. That was a lot for someone who spent all of their time alone. I wasn’t ready for all of that kind of change just yet. I might never be ready for something like that.

That was Rally’s life, it wasn’t mine.

“Thanks, baby,” he murmured as he pressed his lips to mine in a barely there and then gone again kiss. “I’m going to leave Fox here with you today. Be nice to him.”

My eyes flew open but he was already walking away with his back to me. “What? I don’t need a babysitter. He’s your guard, Rally. Take him with you.”

He didn’t respond and I knew he wasn’t going to listen to me, no matter how hard I tried to convince him. Some people just didn’t listen.

Fuck. He couldn’t leave Fox here to spy on me all day. And eventually I would have to invite him inside because I’d feel sorry for him being stuck outside all day long. I’d have to feed him. And, what if I went somewhere? Would I be expected to take him with me? Like, on a field trip? I didn’t like the sound of that.

Rally and I were going to have a serious conversation about this later.

I had to draw the line somewhere and I thought I might have just found it.