Page 52 of Shattered Fears

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Isobel watched as Ethern and Jessica worked together to heal her brother, tears streaming down her cheeks. His hand was mutilated with a finger missing. His beautiful tattoo of a dragon ruined from the flesh carved away from his side. He’d not woken since they had come to Hunter Windsor’s land in Kansas. Kas had deemed it wasn’t safe for them to return to Glacial Blood lands until he’d looked into the consequences of what had happened in her father’s laboratory. Kas informed them that the building had indeed burned to the ground with all data and samples lost. Her father and all his men had escaped without injury. The only casualty had been the doctor, shot by her father’s own hand. All Kas knew about the incident, at the moment, was that the government was keeping it all hidden from the wider public. The burning of the building was being reported as a result of faulty wiring. He believed a line of communication between the Shifter Council and the US government was on the verge of being opened up, though. The world for shifters and humans was about to change. Nothing could prevent it, now. Too many people knew of their existence to keep it hidden. Evidence existed, no matter what she had destroyed in the building, or the cyber attack, which Tyler was currently launching on the server.

Zain entered the room. He’d showered and changed.

“How is he?” her lover asked.

“Still unconscious.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, and she looked up at him from her seat by the window overlooking the forest outside.

“Why?”

“I didn’t do as they asked the first time. This was done to punish me for not giving them the information they wanted.”

“No, this was done on my father’s orders. It’s not your fault at all.”

“Izzy, your father…”

“Is not the man I thought he was,” she interrupted. Her father had broken her heart. She’d always been a daddy’s girl, but to know he’d treated the people she loved in such a despicable way had destroyed that. She’d never forgive him. He was dead to her. She wanted nothing more to do with him ever again.

“But he’s still your father,” Zain kneeled in front of her.

She shook her head.

“You need to grieve for him, if you’re going to give him up.”

“No. I can’t. The anger is still too raw. He lied to me. He never loved me.” A tear dripped down her cheek. She wiped it away. She wasn’t going to let herself cry for that man.

“Even with everything he’s done, I don’t believe that. I think in some misguided way, he thought he was doing the best thing for you. He just didn’t listen to what you wanted, in the end.”

“He’d have killed you. He’s nearly killed Kingsley. It’s his right hand, Zain, that’s his writing hand: the one he uses to tattoo. My father knew exactly what he was doing when he ordered it to happen. He knew he was destroying my brother. It will affect Kingsley emotionally. My father’s evil.”

“Even if a lot of his evil is due to ill-conceived beliefs, I can’t deny that.”

Zain brought her into his arms and cradled her against his chest.

“This isn’t over, is it? He’s going to be a thorn in our side. He won’t stop until he gets rid of shifters. I’m scared.”

“I don’t know. Kas delivered a good threat, and if communication is opened between the shifters and the government, then your father could be told to stand down. But I fear this will become a personal vendetta although I wish I could say it won’t. What I do know is that I’ll fight for you to the death.”

Kingsley groaned from the bed. Isobel was on her feet and at his bedside in an instant.

“Kingsley,” she whispered.

“Izzy,” he groaned.

“I’m here.”

“Where’s here?”

“Kansas.”

“Kansas, always wanted to go there.”

“How are you? Are you in pain.”

“A little.” He moaned again and tried to shift in the bed.

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