Awaiting Fate by J. L. Sheppard Page B

admitted then paused, his eyes scanning her face. “Damn, you’re pale.” He pressed the palm of his hand against her forehead then cursed, “Shit, you’re hot.”
    She nodded. “I’m overheated.”
    He wrapped one arm around her waist then gripped the back of her neck with the other, pulling her face against his chest. “Close your eyes, Liv.”
    She did, and as she did she inhaled, his scent spread through her like wildfire, soothing every inch of her.
    “Open your eyes.”
    Glancing around, she realized she was at the demon compound on Cain’s floor. She had been there once before, the night he’d saved her.
    He disappeared then reappeared moments later with a wet towel. Pressing it against her forehead, he released a breath and said, “You’re scaring me.”
    “I’m fine,” she insisted.
    “You’re in shock. I feel it,” he said.
    Shock? Well, that explained it. She couldn’t blame herself either, having just realized she was in love for the first time in her life. “That’s very sweet of you, Cain. I’m fine.”
    As he continued to dab the cold wet towel on her forehead, she watched him. His face riddled with concern, his brows drawn together, worry lines marring his forehead. He anxiously and repeatedly scanned her from top to bottom.
    It was only natural that it dawned on her at that moment why it had been so easy to fall for Cain. He was sweet, kind, thoughtful and caring. It didn’t hurt that he was handsome, gentlemanly, joked often and never angered. Since the moment she met him, he’d taken her under his wing, patiently taught her about the immortal world she knew so little of but craved to know everything about. On the very first night they’d met, he risked his life to save hers. A week later, when Cameron, werewolf council member, lost his temper, and shifted, Cain had been at her side, blocking her from harm with his towering frame. When Jocelyn trained for battle, he stood beside her like a shield in case anything should go awry. He was her very own bodyguard, ensuring no harm came her way, ever. All of it had drawn her to him like a moth to a flame.
    She should have seen it coming. Every time he taught her, protected her, shielded her and encouraged her, she’d felt her feelings for him grow. Every night before she went to bed, she prayed for his safe return knowing as she drifted to sleep he fought Malums. Every morning, she dreaded finding out he’d been injured or worse.
    She should have known.
    Stupidly, she hadn’t.
    She was too naïve, immature and inexperienced to recognize it until it was too late.
    “Liv.”
    “I’m okay, Cain. I promise.” Just helplessly in love with you , she thought, but left it unsaid.
    He disappeared again and reappeared with a glass of water in hand. “Here, drink,” he instructed, taking a seat beside her.
    She took a sip of water, felt herself relaxing.
    “Sorry I haven’t been by to hang out,” he said. “I was in Treconomia, the demon plane. We’re trying to get new recruits.”
    “For the Guardians?”
    He nodded. “How are Joce and Landon? Are they getting along better?”
    She rolled her eyes. “You know how they are. They fight like cats and dogs and the next minute, they’re going at it like rabbits.”
    He chuckled. “Yeah, I’ve seen this mate thing transpire a couple of times already.”
    She had often wondered if the fighting was part of the mating or if it was exclusive to Jocelyn and Landon. If it was part of the mating, she wasn’t sure she wanted anything to do with it, but perhaps that was just the inexperienced part of her talking. She couldn’t help the question spilling from her lips.
    “Do Jenna and Lucas fight as much?”
    “I’m sure they have arguments just not in front of anyone…Jenna’s headstrong like Jocelyn but more laid back, too. She was more accepting of the mating thing. I guess she figured there was no use in fighting something you can’t control.”
    “And Jocelyn wasn’t accepting,”