The Hunted

Twenty-Six

Blake

"Order up!"

            "Come on, human.  You can move faster than that."

            "Shut it, werewolf," Blake flung back at Phillip as she swept by the pass and collected the plates that Phillip and another wolf by the name of Gus had placed there for her to distribute.  She set them onto her tray and moved swiftly around the counter to begin depositing the orders on tables for werewolves who actually smiled up at her in thanks.

It was her third shift working at the Diner and though her first two outings to the establishment had been wrought with tension, when she'd entered the restaurant that morning, the quiet hum of conversation hadn't halted or even stuttered.  They had simply continued on as if it had become a common occurrence to see Blake inside.

Reba had mandated that if Blake wanted to be useful to her, then she was expected to work at the Diner every other morning from seven until two in the afternoon and so that's what Blake did.  Red made sure to walk her from the packhouse to the front door of the Diner where he deposited her there and went to work in his office. 

Most afternoons they spent together, though Blake had spent one half day with the Alpha and Luna's daughter Annalise.  The child was young, guileless and sweet.  The day after she'd first met Annalise in the Diner, they'd encountered each other in the kitchen in the packhouse where Annalise had told Blake, "My daddy says that I'm not allowed to come near you."

And then proceeded to follow Blake around the house for the entirety of the day, to her father's chagrin and Blake's glee. 

There was just something about such a blatant sign of disregard for the rules that Blake couldn't help but appreciate.

Her days with Red though were less jovial, the time spent pouring over the case notes and autopsy reports from the murders of the humans.  Slowly, they began to build a rapport with each other.  Blake found that she enjoyed his company and the easy dialogue that had arisen between them. 

Slowly, she began to know pieces of him and the more they spoke, the more she recalled from her days in the prison.  The tidbits that he'd given her like his favourite colour – grey – and his favourite food – asparagus.  He loved to read and once she'd even caught sight of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves inside of his bedroom that were stocked full of volumes. 

The things Blake learned about Red, coupled with his tragic childhood, made it hard to hate him.  In fact, she found that the more she learned, the more she wanted to keep him firmly away from Malachi.  An impossibility surely – but it didn't stop Blake from thinking up ways that it might be possible.

At the pass, another order was up.  Blake strode to collect it as the bells above the door to the Diner clanged.  She set the plates she'd grabbed in front of two women – auburn-haired Jenny, who Blake remembered had made an appearance in her cell to discuss crafting of all things, the and blonde-haired Lauren.  They were soulmates, though Blake learned that the correct werewolf term was Mate.  Not just a word but a title, something to be respected and revered.  A bond of the utmost importance.

From the way they all spoke, Blake was sure that she should be more appreciative of whatever it was that existed between her and Red but since this bond was particularly one-sided, she typically chose to ignore it.

As Blake glanced at the door to see who had arrived and watched for where they might sit, she saw that it was just one patron who entered with hunched shoulders and hesitancy written across his face.  Familiar – with a head of dark hair and anxious brown eyes.