Fenris' POV

It wasn't supposed to be my night to work, but yet here I was. My eyes scanned the crowd before I saw the most breath-taking woman I had ever seen enter the bar. I watched her as she slowly took in the room before making her way to the bar. Suddenly, I was glad that my boss had called me in. When she slid onto a stool, I slowly worked my way towards her. She was human, I saw.

"What can I get you tonight beautiful?" I asked her as I turned on my charm. Slowly she lifted her face. She was absolutely stunning up close. My eyes took in the scars on her beautiful face. I felt worry and pity wash through me. What had she gone through? I wondered silently. "I'd like a shot of Johnnie Walker Blue, please." She replies softly and I couldn't stop the shock that hit me. The only ones that ordered that were a few hunters that pass through, but I could see that she wasn't one.

I reach under the counter and grab the bottle. Taking a glass, I sit it before her and quickly fill it up. She tosses it back and nods for me to refill it. She repeats this several times and I start getting worried. "Rough day?" I asked her but she laughs. I could hear the bitterness in it and it peaked my curiosity. ""More like rough life." She answers and I refill her glass. I let my hand touch hers softly and I had to hold my breath as image after image hit me. I watched as her whole life laid itself out before my eyes.

But instead of tossing it back, she just stares at it. Suddenly, I felt a flash of fear and I look around. I could see a drunk wolf trying to kiss a human female and she was begging him to turn her loose. The angel in front of me turned around while holding her drink. She looked around the room before tossing it back quickly. I watched as she slid off her seat and made her way towards the couple. How had she heard the woman? The music was to loud.

I watch her as she toys with the wolf, taunting him to make his anger flare. A chuckle escapes my lips as I watch the drunken slob slam into the wall. She turns and speaks to the other, who quickly leaves. The wolf slumps to the floor, knocked out cold. The door opens and I see Darius, and he didn't look to happy. My eyes hurry back to where she stood only to find her gone. How in the world had she gotten away so quickly?

When Darius let out a confused growl, I watched as he looked around the room quickly. He was looking for someone but when he didn't find whoever it was, I saw disappointment and sadness was over him. Nodding towards Ben, I step outside and concentrate on her. Instantly I'm transported to where she was, and I find her leaning against a tree.

The smell of rouge wolf hits me and I see that it's coming from her. She must have hidden her scent before coming into the bar. "Well, that certainly explains a few things." I speak and I watch as she tenses before turning around. I didn't want to believe that this little slip of an angel was The Grimm Reaper. She growls at me softly but I let it slide. I wasn't here to start a fight with her.

"Explain what? And why did you come after me?" She asks, her voice cold and hard. I smile on the inside. "How you heard that woman, how you beat the wolf, and how you got away so fast. And yet, why did you run?" I say as I stare into her eyes, trying to access her thoughts. But I just kept hitting walls. I looked at her again, surprised. She must have run into a few of my kind to know how to keep us out. You've been around for a while, I see." I speak softly, keeping my body and face calm.

"Who are you?" I ask her when I hear Darius howl. He sounded upset and hurt. The Grimm Reaper perks up and flinched at the sound. Her wolf recognized his howl. She was his mate. The truth hit me and I was stunned. When he told me that he had found the scent of his mate the same time he found Rico's body, I didn't believe him.

I had recognized the card that lay on his body. The Grimm Reaper and killed the last of Delano's. And while Darius had sworn to kill the sob that killed his best friend, I could see that he wasn't so sure about that. I knew that he was wondering if his mate had killed Rico. Darius' howl sounded closer. The she-wolf shook her head at me, shifted and took off. I let her go, knowing that I could find her later.

I went back to the bar, but I couldn't get her face out of my mind. Letting her memories float back up, I felt my stomach weaken as I re-watch the murder of her family. I hear laughter and watch through her eyes as her head slowly turns. Rico stood over a young man, an evil grin on his face. He took the knife he was holding and slowly dug it into the boy's throat. He just stood there for several seconds before leaving the boy to die.

The Grimm Reaper's pain as she watched her brother die hit hard. She had lost her entire family to the Delano's. Rico wasn't who everyone thought him to be. The rest of my shift passed by without anything else happening. And by the time the sun rose, I was itching to find my mysterious woman again. For some reason, I felt the need to protect her, to ease her suffering. Once hidden in the woods, I again concentrate on her.

Seconds later, I find myself in a very modern looking apartment. Looking around, I was shocked and confused when I didn't see any windows. Seeing that she was asleep on the couch, I ease into the recliner and wait. Slowly my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep. Almost an hour later I went flying out of the chair. My body slammed onto the floor. My eyes pop open and I jump to my feet. She stood there glaring at me.

"What do you want?" She asked, keeping her eyes on me. "I wanted to make sure you were ok. What happened earlier?"

"Why do you care? Your kind doesn't really tend to worry about me." Curiosity hit me. What made her say that? My race was known for being peacemakers. It took an awful lot to get us mad enough for us to lose control of our anger and attack. "Is that so? And just who are you?" I asked again, hoping she would tell me. She suddenly turns and walks away. I didn't stop myself from following her.

"You know, I have never met a wolf quite like you before that's for sure." I say with a chuckle. She growl softly at me and I laugh louder. "I didn't mean anything bad by that." She ignores me and I watch as she starts to pull things out to cook with. It didn't take her long before the smell of eggs, bacon and biscuits filled the small kitchen. My mouth watered as she sat two plates down on the table. She motions for me to take the one across from her.

"You didn't have to fix me anything. I could have just popped over to my house and ate." And I was fine with doing that. But it had been so long since I had a cooked meal that I dug in. She looked at me and I shut my lips. "You're not very talkative are you?" I try to get her to talk as she took a bite of her biscuit, but with no luck. So, I drop it and we eat in silence.

"Why did you run when Darius Stetson howled?" The question left before I could stop it. I didn't miss the sigh that left her. "What do you know about Darius Stetson?" She asked me softly, and I knew that I had been right. They were mates. "Not much really. I know that he's the current alpha of the Dark Knights, and has been for the past seven years. He's single and looking, or so I hear." I quickly add when she gives me a dark look. I did not want to have to fight against The Grimm Reaper.

"I know that he's after the person who killed his best friend three years ago." I tell her and I could feel her interest, though she didn't show it. "What happened?" She asked. "Someone lured him into an alley. They must have known that Rico was a vampire because they emptied a whole clip of wooden stake bullets into his heart. The poor guy never stood a chance." Her anger rose and I watched as she made a fist, trying hard not to jump at me. "Who killed him?"

"The Grimm Reaper." A small smirk flashed on her lips but it was gone before I saw it completely. "Why should Stetson care so much about a vamp?"

"Rico saved his life when they were children. He has sworn that when he finds The Reaper, he or she will die very slowly." A wave of sadness flowed from her and I had to ask. "You're his mate aren't you?" She slowly started washing the dishes, and I knew that she was stalling. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. It would explain why you ran from him back there."

"Maybe I ran because I had just beaten the crap out of a pack wolf and didn't want to get thrown into a cell."

"Maybe. But I'm going with option A." I say as I smirk at her. She wasn't at all like I thought she would be. If I didn't know the truth, I would have sworn that this woman could never have been such a cold blooded killer. "What's it to you tinker bell?" She snaps at me and I couldn't keep from laughing. No one had ever called me names but I found that I liked it. Well, only if it was coming from her truth be told.

"Now that's a new one." I say and to my surprise, she smiles. My heart speeds up at the sight and I knew I was in for it. I couldn't fall for Darius' mate. If he found out that I had feelings for her, he'd kill me. She wiped her face, leaving behind a trail of soap suds. And I couldn't stop myself from taking a towel and gently drying her face. "I know why you keep running."

Her eyes meet mine and I had to hold my breath. Don't kiss her. Do not kiss her. I yelled at myself. "The second I touched you, I knew everything." She pales and steps away. Okay, that moment was killed. She slowly reaches behind her back and I knew that she was reaching for a weapon. Carefully, I raise my hands and back up, letting her know that I wasn't a threat. "I'm not going to hurt you Reaper."

She lets out a sigh and I could see it when her body relaxed. She looked as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. The name's Jewel."

"I won't tell anyone. They wouldn't believe me if I did." She smiles at that. And again I fought the urge to kiss her. "Why do you care so much anyway?"

"Because I can't stand to see people, human or supernatural, in the amount of pain that you're in."

"I'm not in pain."

"You are, you just keep it hidden to well." She glares at me, but I could tell that she wasn't upset. Suddenly she motions for me to follow her and we end back up in the living room. "Rico and his family wiped mine out thirteen years ago. It has taken me that long to track down each and every one of them to make them pay. Rico was the last one.

"But as you can guess, along my way, I made enemies. And they would love to see me squirm before I die. And the only way that they could get at me would be through my mate. Who, just as fate would have it, is now looking to kill me as well? He just doesn't know it yet. I can't let him find me, as bad as that sounds. It'll be the death of both of us.

"So, until I come up with some sort of plan, I'll have to stay on the run. And avoiding my mate at all costs."

"That sounds like a very lonely life." I couldn't stop myself from saying, but she just shrugs. "I've been alone my whole life. It won't be anything new to me." My heart went out to her. No one should be that comfortable with the thought of being alone for the rest of their life. "What's your name?"

"Fenris. But I go by Donny. Not many people in this world know of my real name."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"Because I know who you really are. I thought it only fitting that you knew my real name." She nods once and silence falls between us. She fell asleep and I sat there for half an hour just watching her. Knowing that I needed to check in with my boss, and take a quick shower, I left. It was a good thing that my boss was also my sister. I told her that I wouldn't be back for a while, that I had something important to take care of. She tried pestering me to find out what was going on, but I just popped over to my house.

If she knew that I was spending time with The Grimm Reaper, or Jewel, she would flip. Jewel, it fit her perfectly. I thought as I quickly jumped into the shower. I dressed and ran a few errands that needed to be done so I wouldn't have to worry about them when I was with Jewel. I had just finished the last one when I ran into Darius. He didn't look good.

"Hey man. What's wrong?" He looked at me and shrugged. "I found her trail again yesterday. The first time in three years Donny, I swear that I'm losing it. I will if I don't find her soon." He muttered and I felt sorry for him. But I kept my mouth shut. "I'm sure you'll find her soon, man. Don't give up on her just yet." He gave me a smile before heading into the store. With a shake of my head, I think of Jewel and find myself in a gym.

She was punching a bag in front of her like it was trying to kill her. Fascinated, I watched as she hit it one last time and the chains broke. She looked at me and I just smiled. "I brought pizza." I say as she walks past me but she doesn't speak. When I see that she's heading to her bedroom, I quickly pop out to Pizza Hut and back before she could know that I forgot to grab it. A smile played on my lips. Jewel was stunning. It didn't matter to me that her entire body was covered in scars. They only added to who she was.

She appears in a sports bar and yoga pants. She was absolutely breath-taking and she didn't even realize it. I struggled to keep myself where I was seated. As we ate the pizza, I could feel her eyes as they traced my scars. I knew that she wanted to know about them, but she didn't ask. "Thank you." She spoke up softly and I look up at her. "It's been a while since I last had pizza."

"Why do you keep running?" I ask suddenly, wanting to know. She laid down on the couch, sighing. "I stay on the run because if I were to stop, they would find me and kill me. While I don't care if I die, I don't want to be tortured to death either. So, it's easier for me to move from one place to the other often." I nod. "What's my mate like?" She suddenly asked, her voice a whisper.

My heart felt like something had squeezed it tightly, but I answered anyway. "He's a wonderful man. You'd like him I think, Jewel. He cares deeply for those who depend on him for protection. I've seen him take in those that other packs would deny. And I've seen him fight almost to death for someone in need that he didn't even know." She gives me a smile as I kept talking about Darius.

For hours I told her story after story of the things he had done. When I realized how late it had gotten, I stood to leave. "You won't tell him that you know who I am or where I am. Will you?" Jewel asked, and I met her gaze. This woman would be the death of me, I thought as I lost myself in her eyes. "I won't tell him Jewel because I think that should come from you. But I know it's not possible. So, no, I won't tell Darius who his mate his." And because I want you for myself, I add silently in my mind. But I knew that she wouldn't want to hear that.

She nodded her thanks to me and I left before I could kiss her. Jewel needed a friend. And while I knew it would be torture to be around her, knowing that I could never have her, I knew that I would prefer that than nothing at all. I hadn't been home for more than ten minutes when I heard my mom's voice. "So when do we get to meet her?"

I snap my head up and looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Your sister told me that you wouldn't be working for a while. So I could only assume that you finally met someone. So, I'll ask again. When do your father and I get to meet this woman?" I just shrug and I knew that my mother didn't like that. I sigh and rub my neck. "Let me see how things go between us Mom. I think she's special, but I don't want to rush her. She's been through a lot lately." My mother's face split in the biggest smile I'd ever seen. "I can live with that. Just let me know ahead of time though sweetheart, when you get ready to bring her over." With that she was gone. Letting out a groan, I flop down on my couch. Jewel's smiling face swirled around in my thoughts and I smiled. And I knew that I was in trouble.