Page 49 of Grace of a Wolf 1
Jack-Eye frowns at the girl's gauze-wrapped hand.Didn't think a simple grab would do that much damage, honestly.
"Jack-Eye will take you back to your room. Try not to get in trouble on your way there."
The girl tests her bandaged wrist with careful movements. A small wince crosses her face, and she lets it rest in her lap. Her eyes drift past my shoulder, toward my bedroom door.
"Is that..." She points with her good hand. "Is that my pillow?"
My spine stiffens. Heat crawls up my neck as I recall the soft bundle lying haphazardly over my comforter, still radiating her scent.
Jack-Eye clears his throat beside me. His face remains neutral, but the sharp tang of amusement floods my nostrils. That bastard. I'll make him run laps until his legs fall off.
"No." The denial comes out too quick, but she doesn't seem to realize it.
"Oh." She bites her lower lip. "Could I maybe have my pillow back, though? It was my only one."
"You'll get a new one." I wave my hand dismissively, refusing to acknowledge the burning in my ears. "Jack-Eye, take her. Now."
Jack-Eye's amusement spikes higher as he gestures for the girl to follow him.
I didn't think you'd be quite this hopeless,Fenris sighs.At least learn how to talk to her.
"Shut up," I growl under my breath, watching them leave. The pillow's scent is a weak echo of her warm blueberry scent, but I'm still not going to give it back. She can have a dozen new ones for all I care.
Chapter twenty-five
Grace: Changing Overnight
The bodies are gone, leaving only a large, dark stain on the ground.
The sight is enough to bring me back to my senses, though. The moment I walked into Caine's suite, my brain was scrambled. There's only one thing I can pinpoint as the cause of my strange behavior: The man is just too attractive.
It's stupid. I know it's a stupid reason. But…
God. Was I always this type of person?
The window is cool and soothing as I rest my forehead against it, my sigh deep enough to wilt my entire body. I always considered myself a good person, someone with morals and loyalty.
My head thuds against the glass again. What kind of person am I becoming? Alpha's blood stains the ground below, yet here I stand, thinking about the way Caine's fingers felt against my skin.
"You're disgusting," I mumble to myself, shuddering at my lack of humanity.
This pack helped raise me. Fed me. Gave me a home when I had none. Sure, they cast me aside the moment I proved useless, but still—they were my family for years.
I press my palm flat against the cold window. The chill helps clear my head, but not enough. My thoughts keep drifting to steel-gray eyes and calloused fingers, sending tingles through my body.
"Stop it, Grace." I smack my forehead against the glass again. It's oddly comforting. "He's a murderer. A monster."
But my traitorous mind replays how gentle his touch was while wrapping my wrist. How his presence made me feel safe despite everything he's done. How he fed me, even if he seemed irritated about it.
What's wrong with me? The pack members who died have families. Children who'll grow up without parents. Mates left alone. And here I am, swooning over their killer like some deranged groupie.
My breath fogs the glass as I keep muttering to myself. "I'm going straight to hell. The deepest circle, where they keep the worst of the worst. Even Satan is judging me right now."
The strange part is how removed I feel from all this death. Like watching a movie instead of living through a massacre. Shouldn't I be crying? Screaming? Something other thanthinking about the way Caine's jaw clenches when he's angry? And maybe, just maybe,notpaying any attention to the tiny corner of my brain that almost feels smug someone stood up to Alpha when he was so cruel to me.
Now that I acknowledge the feeling, it grows a little, stabbing holes into my conscience. It doesn't care about the dead people, it's primally satisfied the Lycan King stood up for me.
My stomach churns. This detachment isn't normal. Neither is this pull toward the Lycan King. It's like my moral compass shattered the moment he walked into my life.
