Page 97 of Tainted Hearts

Chapter 25

Frankie

Abby has been reallyquiet today. She won’t look me in the eye, and she’s only been giving me one-word answers.I hate it.My stomach is in knots thinking that she’s mad at me, or maybe now that she’s in a good place with all her mates, she doesn’t see a use for me, doesn't have time for me.

I know I’m overreacting, and it’s not like Abby to be that kind of person, but I’m freaking out.

“Abby.” We’re at a park near Zed’s work, swinging on the swings as we wait for him to get off his shift. There's no kids here right now and the place has been overall empty since we got here. The only sounds are the swing chains squeaking, and my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

“Yeah?” she asks absent-mindedly, not bothering to look at me. It kills me, and now I’m in full blown panic mode. It’s like when she freaked out on me and ran away when she thought that if I wasn’t here to keep an eye on things for her dad, I’d go back to Hell. But that was never the plan. Lucifer gave me the go ahead to be with Abby, to stay here if she chooses me. Of course, she doesn’t know that.

“You're quiet today, and I don’t like it. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong,” she sighs, lifting her gaze to look out in the distance.

“Are you mad at me? Did I do something to upset you?” We were fine yesterday. Hung out after school, laughed, smiled, and swam until I went home for the night. It’s like everything changed overnight.

Her eyes snap to mine. “Mad at you? No, why would I be?”

“Because you won’t even look at me.” I hate how vulnerable I sound. I’ve killed hundreds of grown demons with my bare hands yet, this woman—this sexy, smart amazing woman has the power to bring me to my knees, to second guess everything in fear of not having her. Did I just convince myself that she liked me? Was I mistaken in the way she looked at me, the lust, desire and need in her eyes?

I sure as hell smelt it, that can’t be mistaken, but was it just a physical attraction?

Her eyes start to water, and I curse myself for saying something. “I’m sorry.”

My stomach drops. “Why? What do you have to be sorry for?”

“I don’t want to lose you. You're my best friend. I know I have the guys, but with you, it’s different. I love what we have.”

My heart is beating so fast. Good thing; if it stops, I won’t die, but it might feel like it. “Why would you lose me?”

She stops the swing, putting her feet down to the ground. Her hands grip the chains tightly as she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “Because if I tell you how I feel about you, and you don’t feel the same way, I could risk losing you.” Tears slide down her cheeks as a breath gets caught in my thought. “And losing you would put me in a world of pain I thought I’d gotten rid of.”

I stand, moving to stand before her. My fingers itch to touch her, but not yet, not until she tells me how she feels.Come on, Princess, just say the words, and I’ll give you the world.“And how do you feel about me?” I ask, emotion thick in my voice. It’s like I have everything I ever wanted within my grasp and all I have to do is reach out and take it.

Her eyes are still closed as she takes in a shuddering breath. In the smallest of whispers that my enhanced hearing allows me to hear, she says, “I’m in love with you.”

Who knew that one sentence could bring me so much joy. It’s like being handed everything good in the world, the universe, wrapped into one. “Princess,” my voice is low and husky as my body hums with the bond, begging me to touch her. She opens her eyes, blinking her bright blue stunning eyes up at me. “I love you too.”

Her eyes widen, but I don’t give her much time to think as I lean down. At the same time I grip her chin, I place my lips on hers.

She lets out a gasping moan, one hand coming up to grip the back of my hair while the other one grabs my wrist that's holding her chin. The spark explodes inside us, the bond flowing from me to her. Everything clicks into place. She’s my mate, and now she knows it. Only thing is, did I just fuck everything up? I should have asked her, but I was just so caught up in the moment; those weeks of being so careful not to touch her, no matter how badly I ached to, just gone.

She kisses me back, standing, so I can wrap my arms around her, pulling her flush to my body. Our lips part, tongues clashing, and it’s fucking magnificent.

Abby clings to me, kissing me desperately. The smell of her blood makes me fucking feral, my fangs aching to drop, to sink into her perfect creamy skin and drink from my mate. Animal blood keeps me going, but the blood of your mate is supposed to be like nothing else.

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