Page 33 of Aine

“We should get going,” he says, speaking to the few who remain as he places his hand on my back and leads me toward the exit.

The people at our table pause and wish us a good night before returning to their conversations. There’s a soft smile on my face when we leave the building, my excitement at how well the dinner went filling me with hope.

Damien was kind to me all night. Not once did a snarky remark leave his lips, making me wonder if there’s any truth to the things Jenna says about the mate bond.He drops his hand from my back the second we’re out the door, an audible sigh leaving his lips.

“That wasn’t too bad,” I say.

He glances at me with a frown before nodding once. I hurry to follow behind him, not confident about navigating the woods at night. It’s too dark to see the path.

“Is it like that every night?” I ask, jogging slightly to keep up.

Damien nods once more but remains silent.

I can tell he isn’t in the mood to talk, but the two glasses of wine I drank have me feeling chatty.

“Everybody seems to really like you,” I say.

Damien halts before shooting me a sharp glare. I take a step back, unsure what I’ve done to make him so mad.

“You humans are so desperate for attention,” he spits out.

My cheeks warm. What the fuck has gotten into him? “Excuse me?”

While I’m aware Damien’s not my biggest fan, I didn’t realize my presence was so upsetting to him. All I’m trying to do is be friendly.

“I’m nice to you for one hour and suddenly, you think we’re best friends. I sit you on my lap for thirty seconds and you’re scenting up the whole room with your arousal.” He pushes back my hair to expose my mark. “It’s pathetic.”

I jerk away from his touch, offended and humiliated by his words. I’m not exactly proud of my body’s reactions to him, and if I could turn off my misguided attraction, I would in a heartbeat.Regret fills me for having been fooled into thinking his friendly attitude during dinner would continue once we left.

He is not my friend.

Damien scoffs and turns away as my eyes fill with tears. I make sure to keep my distance as I follow him, silently wiping at my face as I will myself to stop crying.Olivia is waiting for him on the front porch, and I resist the urge to scoff. Jealousy isn’t going to get me anywhere.

She’s already wearing her pajamas, and she gives him a small wave as I break away from Damien and head to my cabin.

Chapter Nine

AINE

I hesitate withmy fist in the air, debating turning around and going home, before giving in and knocking on the door. There’s a clatter heard from behind the wood, and seconds later, Jenna’s pulling it open with a wide smile.

“Aine!” she shouts, pulling me into a hug. “What brings you by?”

I huff, holding out my arms to show her my red, peeling skin. I’ve grown a pretty bad sunburn these past few days, and I only managed to get an hour of work in today before Alex was shooing me away. According to him, I’ve grown too gross to look at and am not welcome in the garden until my body’s back to its regular color.

Jenna’s face scrunches as she looks at my burn. “Oh.”

Her quiet tone worries me, and I watch through narrowed eyes as she gingerly grabs my arm and pulls it toward her. Her fingers hurt where they dig into my skin, but I say nothing about it as she turns my arm over and inspects it. Her gaze follows the redness to my bicep, up my shoulder, and into my sleeve.

Before I know it, she’s pulling me inside and demanding I remove my clothing.

“Come on. Don’t be shy. Take it off,” she laughs, turning and searching through the cabinet that sits next to her small desk.

A quiet hiss escapes me as I wiggle my way out of my clothing, my skin burning as the fabric rubs against it. I manage to successfully rid myself of everything but my underwear and stand in front of Jenna with my arms held out to my sides.

“You look like an apple.” She winces. “Have you been wearing sunscreen?”

I shrug. “I don’t have any.”

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