Page 6 of Banishing Regrets

“I’m so sorry. Are you hurt?” he questioned, looking her over to ensure he hadn’t harmed her in any way.

“No, I’m fine, it’s all right. Honestly.” She smiled up at him. “I was looking for Heath. I believe he lives here.”

Kas’ heart pounded faster.

Heath was his best friend.

“I’m Jane,” the girl offered up her name by way of introduction.

“Kas,” he replied, and she gasped, placing her tiny hand over her mouth.

“I’ve heard so much about you. I’m sorry. I’m probably completely in your way. I should let you get on.” Jane stepped away from him, and his polar bear lamented the loss of her touch immediately.

He nodded at her, and without another word or a look back, he made his way as fast as he could to the Western Grange. His mind was a mess, a torment of emotions, and he needed to shut it down. He was being rude not telling Jane where Heath was, but he needed to get away from her.

Today was too bittersweet. He’d met his mate, but he knew he couldn’t have her, because of his responsibilities as the future alpha. He decided at that moment he would never marry.

As he knocked on the door of the fox shifters’ house, he quietened his brain. He resigned himself to his duty, which was to his pack and not to himself. The pack was his future, and that’s the way it would be from now on.

Three

Jane relaxed backinto Heath’s arms as they sat in the lounge of the Glacial Blood mansion. An action movie played on the television, but neither Jane nor Heath paid much attention to it. Heath told Jane stories about some of the adventures he’d had, and she lapped them up with excitement. Being a shifter was so much better than being a human. She wished she had something special about her, but she was completely human and as boring as they came.

“Does it hurt when you change?” Jane asked.

Heath had been the one to introduce her to the pack. Her parents had died last year when she was only sixteen. She’d been sent to live with her uncle close to the Glacial National Park, but her uncle was a drunk who’d neglected her, and she’d eventually moved in with the pack. Her affection for Heath was growing every day. She felt herself falling for him, but something nagged at the back of her mind. She knew it was because of the grandson of the alpha of the pack—the way he watched her sometimes.

It scared her because he was so powerful.

Heath made her feel safe, but Kas was different.

He was all consuming.

His intensity made her want to know more about him.

“Sometimes,” Heath explained. “I’m so used to it now I don’t even think about it. The first time is always the worst.”

“It just sounds like it would be excruciating.” Jane screwed her nose up at the thought of changing into a shifter. She wasn’t sure she’d have the courage to do it. Maybe something a bit less painful would be nice, a witch or something like that, but changing into an animal was beyond comprehensible for her body.

The door of the lounge opened, and Kas entered. His imposing figure seemed to fill the room.

“Sorry to disturb you both. Heath, my grandfather needs your skills.” Kas nodded his head.

Jane knew of the silent conversation that passed between the two shifters, even if they thought she was ignorant of it. Heath was an assassin for the Glacial Blood pack. It took Jane a while to come to terms with the fact Heath was a murderer, but the way he explained it, she realized it needed to be done to protect the pack.

“Damn it,” Heath swore. “Would you stay with Jane and watch the film until I can get back.”

Jane watched as Kas blinked rapidly. She witnessed the tension flooding his body at the prospect of being with her. Every muscle in his body was taut.

“It’s okay. I can watch it on my own. I might go to my room and sleep instead.”

“No, it’s all right. Kas could do with a break, and besides, Die Hard is one of his favorite movies.” Heath got to his feet and pushed Kas to sit down next to her. The hulking polar bear shifter looked more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment. “I won’t be long.”

Heath disappeared from the room, leaving Jane alone with Kas. The young man she found both complex and fascinating.

“I think it’s getting to the good part,” Jane offered. “All the explosions have just started.”

Kas looked at the screen and then back at her. He didn’t reply.

---