Page 11 of Shattered Fears

CHAPTER FOUR

Zain saw the tension in Isobel’s shoulders when they left the restaurant. The dinner with her brother hadn’t gone well. Usually, they were close. He wondered what was wrong. He watched Kingsley’s Mercedes pull up to his father’s house. Isobel kissed her brother on the cheek, she got out of the car, gave him a wave goodbye, and disappeared into the house. Kingsley whacked the steering wheel and pushed the accelerator to pull away. The car meandered down the driveway and out onto the road. Zain stepped out from where he had been hiding in the bushes. Kingsley saw him instantly and swerving toward the curb, he wound the window down.

“You’d better get in.”

“I’m surprised you’re allowing me.”

“I made my peace with your reasons for leaving her, years ago. Shame you two haven’t.”

Zain climbed into the car and pulled the seat belt over him, clipping it securely. “I’m surprised those things fit you. You’ve bulked up a lot in the last few years.”

“Comes from having little to do all day but exercise. The bear genes don't help either.”

Kingsley grimaced at the mention of the secret that lay between them and shifted the car back into drive to pull away from the curb. Isobel’s brother knew exactly what he was. He knew of the existence of most of the Glacial Blood pack because he’d helped them on more than one occasion with information about his father. It wasn’t always this way. He hadn't known when Zain left Isobel. The big bear had shown him the truth when Kingsley had found Zain and come to beat the crap out of him for abandoning his sister. The second Kingsley saw what he was, he knew why Zain left and supported his decision. To make Isobel choose between her family and the man she loved was too much. Zain made the decision for her.

“You going back to the mansion?” Kingsley questioned.

“You know I can run it in less time than it takes you to drive.”

“I know. I’m just humoring you.” Kingsley sighed.

“What was wrong with her?” he asked.

"The usual, no, worse than that. It’s been five years, and she still thinks you left because she was no good in bed for you.”

“We sent her that letter?” he queried and looked out of the window. Isobel’s scent was in the car. He allowed it to wrap around his nostrils and inhaled deeply to memorize it again. They wrote a letter to Isobel a few months after he left. He said in it that he was struggling with his parents’ deaths, and he needed time and space, and that she should move on with her life. She was still the same beautiful girl he fell in love with, but he was broken by the accident. It was all a load of crap. He missed his parents more than he could express, but he left first and foremost to protect her. After the letter, his love of honey escalated to the overwhelming proportions it was today. It brought home to him just how much he missed her and wanted her in his life but couldn't. He replaced one honey for another, this was now his philosophy in life.

“She never truly believed that.”

“I can’t go back to her now. You saw your father’s campaign talk the other day. People may still laugh at him, but it’s hitting home. He’s a dangerous man. If he found out what I am, it would put Isobel in danger.”

“I know, but we have to do something. She’s drowning. She’s not living anymore. She goes from one day to the next with a broken heart, which won't heal. You can't leave her like that any longer.”

“What do you expect me to do?”

Kingsley looked in the rearview mirror and indicated to pull over to the side of the road. They were in the middle of nowhere. If Isobel’s brother had doubts, similar to his father’s about Zain’s nature, he was indicating his trust with this one decision.

“You need to tell her face to face to move on.” Kingsley turned toward him.

“I can’t. It’s too risky.” The big bear shook his head. They’d had this argument far too often, and he wasn’t going to budge. He was as stubborn as he was massive.

“Then, you’re sentencing her to death. Judge, jury, and executioner. I can't allow you to do that anymore, Zain. I can't watch my little sister waste away. If you have feelings for her, you’ll put an end to it, or I’ll tell her why you ran away.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Zain growled at his friend. He had this unbelievably protective streak when it came to Isobel even if he, himself, was the biggest culprit when it came to her suffering.

“This time, I will. I can’t watch it any longer; it’s killing me too. I asked her to come to a party I’m holding, and she said ‘no’ because she still hopes that you might come back. She hasn’t seen you in five fucking years. That’s crazy, man. How can you bear to watch her like this? You're selfish. It’s a case of ‘if you can’t have her nobody can’, and that isn’t fair. If you’re truly doing this to protect her, then you need to let her go properly. You need to see her, tell her you’ve moved on, and that she needs to do the same.”

Everything stilled in his mind. The years he’d been watching Isobel. She’d go to work, go home, and the next day the same in an endless cycle. She never went out with any friends. For kicks, she read books. Her phone lay silent, except for calls from her family. She really did have no life, and he’d made her that way. He knew what he had to do.

“I’ll talk to her,” he told Kingsley.

“Thank you,” his friend replied and started to drive again.

Zain leaned his head back against the rest on the seat, watching the world zoom by. He’d talk to Isobel then walk away forever. The big fight was coming, and he needed to concentrate on that. He’d make sure that she’d be able to move on with her life and truly live it, even if his ended.

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