Page 3 of Unsanctioned
Audor didn’t know if he felt better. Waylon still considered their relationship as wasting time. He stole a kiss and gave himself a minute to think. Audor needed to sort out his feelings. Did he feel better when he was with Waylon? That was what relationships were supposed to be about. He didn’t. It hurt his chest being here, and he didn’t know why. He shouldn’t feel anything. They honestly had only been sleeping together for about five months. Unfortunately, being with Waylon made him realize a person could fall in love with someone not meant for them. All the way in love. He felt dumb as hell and Waylon was right to keep reminding him they weren’t meant for this. They weren’t. The longer he waited to make a clean break, the more it would hurt. It already hurt. There was only one way to cauterize a wound. Quickly.
Audor swiped his lips across Waylon’s and dissipated, ripping out his own heart. They weren’t meant to be, and pretending otherwise was killing him. It was best to move along. As Waylon claimed, Audor wasted his time. He wouldn’t any longer.
Chapter Two
Everysecondofhisconversation with Audor ate at the back of Waylon’s mind all day and night. He kept hoping they would cross paths, but no. With Audor working the daylight hours, his powers were dulled. He had to drive like a human, which should have made it easier for Waylon to find him. It was a small town of just over twenty-five hundred residents. Waylon drove around, keeping an eye out for Audor’s truck. It didn’t seem like there were too many places he could hide, but Wulfe was on the edge of Gifford Pinchot National Forest. That gave Audor over a million and a half acres to disappear. Still, his job was supposed to be shadowing Frost. He shouldn’t be too far.
Waylon scanned the hospital parking lot as he walked toward the door. He didn’t see Audor or his truck, even though Frost was parked in his usual spot. It took Waylon a few minutes to find Frost, which gave him the excuse he needed to search every corner.
Frost was all smiles—the way he always was—when he saw Waylon headed his way. “Sheriff Black.”
“How long are we going to have to be friends before you call me Waylon all the time? Not just when I’m off duty.”
A nice-sounding chuckle rumbled from Frost. “I just like making you feel important while you’re in uniform.”
Despite the way his chest ached, Waylon laughed. “I don’t know. At this point, I think I’d feel a lot more special if I wasn’t the least bit important any time of the day.”
Frost’s smile disappeared. He eyed Waylon. While Frost was mostly human, Waylon wasn’t sure that was true at all. According to Audor, he had magic in his blood. Waylon had never been sure how much Frost saw in other people. For all he knew, Frost could read everyone’s mind.
“Do you want to go to lunch?” Frost’s offer caught him off guard, but not in a bad way. He had planned to hang around the hospital and hope he caught Audor. This was better. Audor’s responsibility would be in Waylon’s care.
“I’d love that. I’ll drive.”
“Sounds great. Just let me send a text so hospital staff knows to text me if they need anything. Then we can go anywhere you’d like. I’ll buy.”
Judging by Frost’s gorgeous five-bedroom cabin, he could afford it, but Waylon had lived a long time and he could too. Plus, he was the alpha here. “Nah. I’ve got it.”
Frost smiled and shook his head. “You may be the alpha, but you’re not my alpha. Let someone else take care of you for once.”
Damn. That sounded a hell of a lot like Frost had read his mind. If that was the case, then Frost saw his feelings. He couldn’t hide. “I’d like that.” No one knew what that confession cost him, but it was Frost. He wasn’t just anyone, and Waylon didn’t know how to explain that.
Thankfully, Frost didn’t let his pride sting. He simply sent his text. When he was done, he met Waylon’s stare. “I’m ready when you are.”
Together, they headed for the door. Waylon’s gaze never stopped moving. He knew if he could just see Audor, talk to him, then he could explain he wasn’t good with words. He hadn’t meant to insinuate he wasted his time on Audor. Waylon massaged his chest. Fuck. Why was he so dumb? He opened the passenger door for Frost before climbing into his patrol car, ensuring Frost was safe first.
“I can feel your pain.”
Waylon’s head whipped around at Frost’s words.
Frost flashed him a sad smile. “I didn’t want to say anything inside where we might be overheard. While I’m not sure aboutanything that comes with this new role, I know it’s growing stronger. I feel when people are hurting. It’s like I’m being called to action. I can’t really explain it. I just know you’re hurting and that I could probably help in some small way. But I need to know what’s wrong first, and I’m not sure you care to tell me.”
Waylon took a deep breath and started the car. “Let’s run through the drive-thru of that new sandwich shop and find a quiet place to talk.” While Waylon absolutely did not want to bare his soul, Goddess Celeste had sent Frost to their town for a reason. He would trust in that.
Still, as he ordered their food and then drove to the parking lot of a nearby hiking trail, Waylon couldn’t think of what to say or where to start. He picked through every inch of his mind and came up short. Waylon wasn’t much of a conversationalist. Talking about his feelings sure as hell was off limits, but he kind of had to.
“I upset Audor and now he’s ignoring me.” Waylon had spent the entire night and day begging Audor to listen. His texts and mental pleas had gone ignored. He felt only a black spot when he tried to feel him.
Frost munched on the corner of his sandwich while looking lost in thought. It was as if he turned inside himself to find an answer Waylon didn’t have. “Tell me a little more.”
Waylon wanted to growl at Frost’s demand. This was already more than he discussed with anyone else. Still, Waylon took a deep breath and tried to pick a place to start.
“I guess you probably know we’ve had a bit of a thing since he came to town.”
Frost nodded.
Waylon kept going. “I guess I didn’t take it too seriously or think he did either, since we can’t be mates.”
“Why does that matter? I mean, obviously, I know how different a mate feels from just dating someone. But before I met Gemini, and I didn’t know he existed, there were times when I still believed I’d been in love. I still had the excitement and passion and turmoil. It just wasn’t what I have now, but I hadn’t yet experienced this to diminish that. From what Gemini says, not everyone has a mate. If that’s the case, then maybe you can feel just as strongly as you do for a mate for anyone you want. Maybe you just get to choose.”
