Chapter 33

Pacing over to the window for the tenth time in an hour, Rayne looked out over the city, even though being in a city was more familiar, it didn’t comfort her. How had she gone from being startled in the wild to yearning for it in such a short time? Devin had asked her to stay inside, and she planned on listening, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t wish to be somewhere with trees and open spaces. Was this part of the changes he spoke of, or was she a complete wreck over everything because of Aiden? Hugging her arms around her waist as she decided it was probably a bit of both. Any other time she’d chastise herself for feeling so down, but considering how many changes had taken place in such a short time, she was more than entitled to having a woe-is-me moment or two.

Devin’s cell phone rang, turning she glanced down at the screen, it said Mom. Did she answer it? What if it was important? Before Rayne could change her mind, she picked it up. “Hello?”

There was a long pause. “I’m sorry I must have...”

“Mrs. Addison? This is Devin’s phone.”

“Oh. So, is this Rayne?”

For a few seconds, she wanted to deny who she was, but realized Devin had told his father, so his mother most likely knew. “Yes.”

“I’m so pleased you answered dear. Is my son somewhere close by brooding?”

Rayne had to smirk to that. “No. No, he isn’t. He had to go to the gallery and make sure they hung his paintings the way he wanted...”

“He dragged you to his showing? I had hoped he’d postponed it—considering everything that’s going on.” She paused and there was a definite male voice garbled in the background. “I hope you don’t mind, dear, but Devin’s father explained everything to me,”

Did she mind? It didn’t feel like she should. “No, that’s fine Mrs...”

“Please call me Irene.”

“Okay.” She paced back over to the window and looked longingly out it. “Its fine, Irene, and Devin didn’t drag me here, I insisted he not ignore his work because of... everything.”

“Well, aren’t you sweet.”

Rayne watched a bird land on the ledge and couldn’t help but wish she was out there with it in the open air.

“I’m not sure how well my son has explained things to you, but I want you to know you can ask me any questions, anything at all. I knew your mother, dear, and it would be an honor to guide you through this.”

Her attention was no longer on the bird. She’d forgotten that Devin’s mother would be like him, like her parents—like she was going to be. “Thank you.” She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Right now, I’m still trying to take all of this in, it’s quite a lot to find out all at once.”

Irene made one of those mother noises, the ones that let you know you had her attention and sympathies. “I can’t imagine I’d handle it as well as you seem to be, Rayne. I don’t want you to worry one second about that Tomas person, you will be kept safe.”

Her voice seemed harsher with that statement, and it almost brought tears to her eyes to hear that protective note her own mom used to have with her. “Thank you, very much.”

There was more mumbling in the background before she came back on the line. “I’m going to let you go, dear, tell Devin good luck tonight and to call me.”

“I will.” Rayne turned when she heard the door open, Devin came in and sent her a puzzled look.

“Call me if you need to talk.”

“I will, Irene and thank you.” Not sure if it was the way Devin’s eyebrows shot up or how big his eyes grew when she said his mother’s name, but she hung up the phone quickly before she laughed into it.

He looked at the phone before looking back at her. “You were talking to my mother?”

Rayne nodded.

“Why?”

“The phone rang and it said it was mom, so I thought I should just in case it was important.”

“Oh, it’s always important to my mother, just not to anyone else.”

She smirked at his annoyed tone. It was good to know that regardless of the details, like having a tail, that he seemed normal when it his mother was checking up on her son. “Your father told her about...me.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “What did she say?”

Rayne wasn’t sure why he sounded so hesitant when he said it, but she had nothing too interesting to share on it. “That if I needed to talk to anyone about—everything I’ve found out or I’m going to find out that I could talk to her.”

A surprised look crossed his face. “Oh.” He smirked. “That’s very out of character for her.”

“That’s because she’s your mother and I’m not her child.”

“I suppose.” Grinning, he walked over to her. “Now you need to get all fancied up, so we can go out to dinner before this whole-mingle-with-the-art-critics begins.”

“We’re going out?” She couldn’t help smile at the sparkle in his eyes, he was up to something.

He ran a hand gently down her arm and the flames started inside her.

“Yes. I can’t possibly face all those people on an empty stomach—and neither can you.”

“I’m not a moody artist, I think I can handle them better than you can.”

“No, you can’t.” The look in his eyes became serious. “You need to eat–often, to control what your body is going through.” He flashed a not so serious grin. “I need to eat to control the urges to bite one of the patrons that are going to be asking me annoying questions.”

Frowning, she took a moment to grasp what he was saying. “Eating regularly helps with control?”

He nodded slowly.

“Okay then, I guess we eat.”

When Rayne stepped out of the room Devin almost swallowed his tongue, beautiful didn’t come close to describing how she looked. The dress she had on looked like a hundred layers of sheer white cloth that hugged her but didn’t at the same time. Each movement she made brought his attention to the curves beneath it. She’d done something with her hair too, that made him want to go over and run my fingers through it.

She stopped and gave me an odd look. “Is this all right?”

He nodded, still not sure if he could speak.

“Then why are you looking at me like that?”

Despite his resolve to keep his hands off her right now, Devin started moving towards her with every intention of ignoring his decision. “I’m not sure I want to take you out of this room now.”

“Oh.” She laughed and backed up a few feet. “But didn’t you just tell me I had to eat to control myself?”

“Ignore me,” he whispered as he cornered her. “I’m not hungry now...”

Placing a hand on his chest she made one of those female sounds that let him know his was not going to get his way.

“Dinner. I don’t want to do anything that will embarrass you tonight.”

Taking a deep breath, he studied her, trying to find a way around the truth. Knowing he wasn’t going to, he kissed her soft lips lightly and took her hand. “With you looking the way you do, it will most likely be me that does something embarrassing.”

Devin was rewarded with a smile that made his heart swell inside his chest. How he was going to keep his hands off her, he had no idea.