Page 21 of Banishing Regrets

“Answer my question, Mr. President.” The journalist tried again. The room in which the press conference was being held fell silent.

“I would be concerned,” the president finally admitted.

Jane heard Isobel let out a little sob, and Zain pulled his partner closer to him and whispered words of comfort in her ear.

“And what if the shifter turned out to be a mouse or rabbit shifter?” Another voice spoke up—it was familiar to Jane.

The camera turned from the president to the owner of the new voice. Ethern Lennox, the leader of the shifter council and Jessica’s partner, stood in a crisp black suit with his arms folded across his chest.

“What about witches? Wizards? Mermaids? And even people beyond your power, like me, a reaper and the employee of Death himself. What about all of them?” Ethern asked.

The assembled crowd gasped, and people started to scatter, moving away from him. He stepped forward, gradually getting closer to the assembled leaders of the different countries. One of the secret service men stepped in front of the president while another pointed a gun at Ethern.

“That’s close enough,” the security detail ordered.

Ethern looked at him and then the gun. He waved his hand in the air, and the gun disintegrated into a pile of dust on the floor. Several people screamed loudly. Jane felt herself clinging tighter to Kas as she looked to where Jessica was sitting. The witch’s face was a picture of calm. She’d known Ethern was going to do this.

“You see us all as wild animals. You mistake us for the creatures you keep in zoos, but they don’t have the same abilities we do as supernaturals. Are you really going to round us all up? How will you catch us? You know nothing about us and haven’t even tried to learn. When Nuka Lincoln, the leader of the faction who is seeking to give shifters a bad name, first launched his attack on the humans, I asked to speak to you. I wanted to explain to you why you can’t simply ask shifters to move to a different country, but you didn’t want to negotiate. You decided we were all the same. You see the teeth of a polar bear in the middle of New York city, and you panic. I’m the leader of the supernatural council. I’m here, and I’m ready to talk, to prove to you that we’re not a problem—we’re not a risk to the human race. We live among you in all forms: teachers, cops, senators, royalty, actors. We’re already everywhere, and you’ll never be able to get rid of us all—it’s not possible. The fear mongering of a few has destroyed a coexistence that has been in place for millennia. I’m here offering you knowledge and details of what exists out there, and I implore you to listen to me. You’ll never get another chance like this. Don’t make us enemies, because we’re not.”

Ethern took another step toward the platform.

“Don’t move,” a guard shouted.

Ethern took one more step.

The guard fired, and the entire room held its breath as the bullet sped toward Ethern.

It hit him directly in the chest.

Jane brought her hand to her mouth to suppress the scream within, but Jessica didn’t even flinch, and a few seconds later Jane understood why. The bullet passed straight through Ethern as if he wasn’t there, and it hit the wall a short distance behind him. Looking down at his chest, he stripped open the shirt he was wearing to reveal that the bullet hadn’t caused him any harm—there was no blood, and no marks marred his skin.

“As I said, if you want to know more about us. Call me, and I’ll come.”

Ethern disappeared from the room in a swirl of black smoke. The television footage blacked out before the news report switched to the shocked presenters in the studio.

“The seed has been sown,” Kas stated. “Let’s hope it grows.”

Thirteen

Tyler crouched downlow in his wolf form and prowled closer and closer toward the hare. It was early evening, and thankfully, there were a few scattered around. Food was going to be a problem for the next few days. It wasn’t like they could walk into Target and buy a whole cow or even a shopping cart full of meat—that would definitely arouse suspicion. On the other hand, it was now impossible for any pack members whose animals weren’t native to Montana to hunt. This left Tyler pretty much hunting on his own while Zain caught fish.

Hunter was also a wolf and would help with fetching food in the future, but after his ordeal, he was still resting and trying to source enough food for his own pack members who were now refugees in the Glacial Park. It was down to Tyler to find food that would suit the carnivores in the Glacial Blood pack. Thankfully, he had a wonderful recipe for cordon bleu hare, which would come in useful. He’d already captured six but needed a few more. Scott alone would probably devour three or even four of them. Sometimes Tyler wondered if the lion was part pig, considering the amount he ate.

The hare came closer to him. Tyler crouched lower in the grass before pouncing and capturing the animal in his strong jaws.As he shook his head to break the hare’s neck, a rustling behind him caught his attention. He dropped the now dead animal to the ground and turned around, sniffing the air.

Humans.

There were three men standing directly in front of him. He searched for signs of a gun. Many people did carry weapons in the park, but unless they were concealed, he couldn’t see anything. One of the men had a can of beer in his hand.

“Do you think it’s a real wolf or a shifting one.” The man slurred his words as he spoke. “Hey, wolfie, you real or a freak?”

Tyler growled a warning.

“I think you pissed it off, Bill.” Another man crushed his beer can and threw it directly at Tyler. It struck him on top of the head.

The wolf shifter sounded another warning for the men to leave. He knew he should run but he didn’t want to leave without collecting his dinner. The pack was hungry.

“Here doggie, doggie, don’t get pissed.” The third man picked up a stick and threw it as if he wanted Tyler to chase after it.

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