Grabbing the knife, Jace loomed over the killer and let out a low growl. “Say hi to Dad for me.” He stabbed the blade straight into Robert’s heart, and scarlet arterial blood spurted from Robert’s chest.
In one last attempt to save his own life, Robert reached for Jace, going straight for his neck, but Jace simply twisted the knife. Robert’s body continued to twitch for several moments until finally he fell limp. Jace’s breath caught. Dead. Robert was finally dead.
He let go of the knife and leaned back. The intricate blue designs pulsated on his skin, then quickly faded. Energy trickled out of him as if he were a drained battery. Black dots swam in front of his eyes.
“Jace? Jace!” Frankie cried.
It was the last thing he heard.
FRANKIE THREW HERSELF to Jace’s side and gripped his hand. Her chest heaved as she fought to catch her breath. Sweat beaded on her forehead and chest, and she blinked several times to clear her vision.
“Frankie.” Jace squeezed her hand, his eyes wide. Without warning, he started laughing hysterically. “Frankie, I shifted. I shifted and I killed him.”
Despite the carnage around them, she couldn’t help but smile. He looked at her, and she could see him drinking her in as if she were a tall glass of Bushmills. Her heart thumped in her chest.
A moment of silence passed. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, but she didn’t know how to say them. She inhaled and started as simply as she could. “I was wrong, Jace. Really wrong. I don’t know how I ever could have thought you were involved with Robert. At the time, it just seemed like such an important detail that you were—”
“The same type of creature that killed your parents.”
“Robert killed my parents.” A lump invaded her throat, and she fought to swallow it. She was stupid. How could she have screwed this up? “I’m sorry, Jace. I’m really sorry. I need to...” She couldn’t take this. She started to turn away.
“No.” Jace grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her toward him. “I don’t blame you for feeling that way. I would have been suspicious of me, too. I hunted your kind and took you captive when we first met. I threatened to kill you.”
She stared at the floor. “And I made you lose your job and nearly your life when Robert took me. So we’re even.” She glanced up at him.
He nodded. “I’ll get my job back—I hope. They saw me kill Robert, so I think I redeemed myself. But I want you to know that even if I’m hunting rogues, I won’t lay a hand on any law-abiding member of your pack. You have my word.”
She forced a smile.
Another lull passed between them, one that seemed to stretch for hours...months. She examined his body, and heat boiled through her. Damn, she loved him. And there was no way on earth it could ever work out for them.
She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb as she stood. He quickly followed suit.
“I should help David take care of Allsun, and the other hunters will have a lot of questions for you. Even if we’re enemies now, it’s been nice knowing—”
Jace grabbed her hand again and pulled her toward him. “Wait. Frankie, I have something I need to say.”
JACE HAD NEVER felt more nervous in his life. His stomach flipped as he clutched Frankie’s hand in his, drawing small circles across her tanned skin with his thumb. He inhaled a deep breath. This was it.
He cleared his throat and prepared for the worst while hoping for the best. “Knowing I caused you pain hurts me more than you can imagine. This is the thing, Frankie. I don’t want to be enemies. I have to have you. I want all of you, every inch of you. If this ends right here and now, I don’t know if I’ll ever be capable of caring for anyone again. I know I’m not perfect, not even close. I’m more flawed than anyone I know. I’m uncontrollable, stubborn, hardheaded and proud. I smoke, I swear and I drink like a fish. It takes a brave soul to love me. I don’t know how you ever managed it. I sure as hell couldn’t have.”
He drew her closer to him. “Whether you hate me or not, I want to be with you. I need to be with you. Because I don’t care if you’re a werewolf, I don’t care if you’re packmaster or if you were supposed to be someone else’s, because I want you to be mine. The day I marry you will be the happiest day of my life. If you’ll have me, I want to spend a long and happy life with you.”
Tears clouded her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. He brushed one aside. He hoped they were tears of happiness. He didn’t know if he could stand it if she rejected him. He sighed. “I wanted to let you know that I love you more than the world, and I think you are the most beautiful and intelligent woman I’ve ever had the fortune to know. I adore you, Frankie.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed her flush against his body before she could protest. Leaning down, he kissed her deep, their tongues intertwining in an erotic dance. Relief washed over him when she didn’t pull away. Instead, she melted against him.
When the kiss finally broke, he held her tight in his arms. “Please don’t continue hating me. I want to spend forever with you. I want to be your destined mate.”
She buried her head in the crook of his neck. The gardenia smell of her hair filled his nose. The scent was intoxicating. He could get drunk just from being near her.
She whispered against him, her words and lips brushing over his neck, “I’d like that.” She ran her hand down his chest, and his body stiffened in response. She pulled back and smiled at him, lighting up the room. “I didn’t mean it when I said I didn’t love you, or when I said I hated you. I
He snaked his hand down to her lower back and pushed her hips against his. A soft moan escaped her lips. Before she had time to protest, he scooped her up into his arms and held her close.
A grin spread across his face. “Let’s get you cleaned up before I show you the true meaning of Skinwalker.”
* * * * *
Wow. I can’t believe I’m already getting to write another one of these—not that I’m complaining. Who doesn’t love to write acknowledgments? I’d like to give huge thanks and my deep gratitude to the following people:
Foremost, thanks to my friend Britt Marczak: thank you for pushing me through the first drafts of this book. You were the very first person to read about Jace and Frankie, and you loved them and this series before anyone else did. Without you, I don’t know if I would’ve pushed through this. You encouraged me every step of the way. I can’t thank you enough for being my friend, my mini-editor, my personal cheerleader, and for dishing out the tough love when I needed it. You’re going to make a fabulous editor someday.
To my friend and agent, Nicole Resciniti: for giving me a chance when no one else would and for making this novel the best it could possibly be. Nic, you changed my life with a single phone call, all because you fell in love with Jace the same way I did. You believed in his story immediately, and there is no way I could ever express my gratitude for all you’ve done to ensure that this book and this series would make it to publication. There aren’t words to express how truly grateful I am. It is a blessing to have you in my life and to always have you by my side, fighting for my best interests. Thank you.
To my editor, Leslie Wainger, and to Tara Parsons, the former head of the HQN line: thank you for pushing this debut author and her little manuscript through acquisitions and for believing in this series. Leslie, thank you for all the hours of work you’ve put in to make sure
To my fellow authors and friends Kate SeRine and Cecy Robson: thank you for being the best BFFs around.
