The heck is this!
Gianna's face contorted in mild irritation, her eyebrows shooting up as she dramatically appraised him from head to toe, utterly rejecting the desperate plea.
"No," she said, her voice dropping into a hard register. "I told you before, Zane. I can handle it myself. I don't need a shadow. I don't need you, absolutely."
"Gianna, please," Zane begged softly, reaching a hand out toward her before freezing and dropping it back to his side.
The sheer vulnerability in his tone caught her completely by surprise, but she forced her expression to remain frozen. She stood her ground, refusing to budge an inch.
"If that's all you wanted to discuss, I'll be leaving now."
Zane didn't move to stop her. He simply stood in the center of the spice-scented kitchen, watching her with a broken intensity as she turned her back on him.
But… walking out of the cottage and stepping into the cool night air, Gianna's chest heaved with a chaotic storm of mixed feelings.
