AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Exactly how she’d expected him to treat her.
Shame filled her, harsh and fierce. She opened her mouth again to speak, but suddenly, Jace was on his feet. “I need a minute.”
“Jace—” She reached for him, but before she could stop him, he’d left her alone in the room. Nothing but her own guilt-ridden thoughts and the memory of his pain there to linger. Pain she’d caused him. How could she have been so stupid?
Before Frankie had even sorted through her emotions, a tear ran down her face. It fell onto her hand, catching her by surprise, causing her to reach up and touch her own cheek.
What exactly was she crying for?
They’d made no promises, and yet...
She’d known there was something more between them. Therehadto be. Even though it was happening so fast.
But she hadn’t trusted in it. Not truly.
And how could she? How could she let this feeling between them grow without suffocating it? Let it take root in her heart, her life when she was already promised to another? When Jace still hated himself for what he was?
She wasn’t certain she knew the answer, or if she ever would, but before she could even wipe away the single stray tear, someone was nudging a hot beverage into her hand. Warm and comforting.
She glanced up from where she’d sunk down onto the floor.
One of the other hunters stood over her. What was his name again? Shane?
She accepted the steaming mug, uncertain what else to do. “Sorry, if you want me to clear out, I will. I don’t want to intrude.”
The only reason she was here at all is because Jace had wanted her to be, had agreed to be a team, but she wasn’t certain that was the case anymore.
“Oh, no, stay. Grandma stays out late. She loves her bingo.”
She glanced down at the mug he’d pressed into her hands. The chocolate liquid was steaming, speckled with tiny marshmallows. Cocoa.
“Gran says a hot drink makes everything better, and also chocolate is a woman’s best friend.” He shrugged. “I figure cocoa is a win-win.”
Frankie tried to smile at that, but that only prompted a fresh round of guilt.
There was something about him. This hunter. She couldn’t decide whether it was his gold-rimmed glasses, his hollowed-out cheekbones or the fact that underneath all the displays of intellect he was fiercely attractive—in a harsh, dark academic sort of way. But if he took off his glasses and put his hair in a ponytail, there was almost something... tender underneath.
Or maybe it was that he’d brought her cocoa.
She’d always had a soft spot for chocolate, despite the fact that too much wasn’t great for her wolf’s tummy, but one cup wouldn’t hurt.
“I don’t think I ever introduced myself. Dr. Shane Gray.” He nodded and gave her a smile, one that reminded her a little too much of a young Harrison Ford.
She smiled a little, though it likely looked a bit forced.
With a grin like that, she’d bet his classes filled fast.
“Frankie. Nice to meet you, Doc.” She blew on the steaming mug before she finally took a sip. The smooth chocolate liquid coated her throat, and she had to admit, itdidmake her feel a little better. Like her problems were a bit more manageable. “Thanks for the cocoa, and for fixing me up. Guess your years of med school and caring for people worked in my favor.”
“Actually, I’m not a physician.”
She lifted her eyebrows. “Then how did you—”
“I read…a lot,” he said.
She blinked at him. Why wasn’t she surprised by that? “So you’re a professor?” She lifted a brow to guess. “And a hunter, too?”
He bit his lower lip before he answered, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to share. “I don’t really work out in the field as often as Jace and David do. My doctorate is in the study of the paranormal and the history of religion, specifically the occult.” He glanced at his feet. “But yes, I’m a hunter.”
