Page 302 of Secret Shifters Next Door

I laughed. “Well, after…you know…I left town. I had a few more classes left to finish my degree. I transferred schools and spent my last year as a resident student. Get the whole experience before it’s over, you know? I’d been doing online stuff mostly. While I was there, I met the other guys in passing. Steff and Miles were walking around a food court at a local mall, and we sort of sniffed each other out, so to speak.

“They seemed cool. We hung out and eventually they introduced me to Tate. We were all born alphas, but for one reason or another, had lost or been exiled from our packs. We all hit it off, and by the end of that month, we were one big happyfamily. A little alpha pack. Which is good. Did Liam ever tell you about shifters going feral?”

Ava nodded once. “He did. I guess you guys need to be around your own kind to stay, like, sane or something.”

I nodded. “Close enough. Anyway, after I graduated, Tate and Miles had this big idea to use all our specialized skills to open a security firm. High-end personal security, private investigation, security system design and install. Steff and I are the tech dudes, Miles the investigator, and Tate the bodyguard.

“We did a few jobs and helped out this bigwig in Denver. His partner was embezzling from the company and sleeping with his wife. We gave him all the evidence he needed to kick the guy out of the company and divorce his cheating wife without paying alimony. He was ecstatic and gave us a massive bonus for the job. We used that to open the office in Lilly Valley hired staff to assist. That was years ago. Just been cruising along since then. We do pretty well.”

The conversation drifted off and we ate in silence. It was nice being able to talk so pleasantly. A question burned on my tongue. It was a heavy topic, but I’d never had the chance to ask before. There had been too much hate, anger, and distance. I hoped it wouldn’t ruin an otherwise pleasant night, but I had to get it out there.

Finishing my potatoes, I put my fork down and rested my elbows on the table. “Ava, I don’t want this to sound weird, but can I ask you about the night Liam died?”

She froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. After setting it down on her plate, she glanced warily at me. I could see the fear in her eyes. She was probably afraid that I was going to start chewing her out for it like I’d done a hundred times before. Along with the fear, there was also a sad dread in her eyes. It was the first time I really understood how much that night had hurther. I felt like a dick for acting like I was the only one who’d lost Liam.

I reached across the table and took her hand in mine, squeezing gently. Ava returned my grip, a sad smile forming on her face. After a few seconds, she nodded and pushed the remainder of her food aside.

“Liam and I got into an argument that night. Before he went on the job.”

“A fight?” I couldn’t remember Liam ever fighting with Ava. Nothing that he’d told me about, anyway.

She nodded somberly. “It was about him going on the run. I didn’t have a good feeling about it.”

I stiffened. My mind drifted back all those years ago, and I remembered that I’d had the same feeling. “We had the same fight. Before he left the house that night. Almost the exact same fight, it sounds like.”

Ava sighed out a joyless laugh. “Well, that would explain why he was pissed when I brought it up. I told him he needed to take my dad’s offer of the same money, but for a behind-the-scenes job. Something safe and secure. He got really angry and told me he had something to prove. I asked who he was trying to impress—if it was me, or Dad, or even you. He wouldn’t say, but then he started going on about this extravagant lifestyle he wanted for us. I argued that he didn’t have to do the dangerous jobs to achieve that. Dad had offered him a way out, but he wouldn’t listen to reason.”

“That sounds like Liam,” I murmured.

“Yeah? Anyway, until the other day, I didn’t know he’d told Dad he wanted to hunt down the people who killed your parents. I guess it sort of makes sense now. Money was a big factor, but revenge was the main thing. He wanted to keep doing dangerous stuff to prepare himself for going after them one day. That night, though? I thought it really was all about money. I yelled at him,said I didn’t need a mansion on the lake or a sports car or any of that shit. I didn’t care about material things.”

Ava stopped talking and gripped her hands together. I watched as she twisted her fingers. Anxiety and fear pulsed off her—I could sense it and smell it. She was working up her courage to say something she didn’t want to say. I clamped my teeth together, not wanting to break whatever spell she was under.

Tears clouded her eyes when she looked at me. “One thing I’ve never told anyone? Not my uncles or even my father? Liam and I broke up that night. Before he died.”

It was like I’d been kicked in the chest. The world seemed to go gray, all color vanished, and all I could see was Ava. “What? You broke up?” The words tumbled from my mouth like ashes.

She nodded and a few tears rolled down her cheeks. “I told him that if he went on that run, we were done. It was dangerous and he was being reckless, and I told him so. I said that if he went out that door, it meant he loved the danger more than he loved me.” The tears came freely now, dripping from her chin onto her clenched hands. “I only wanted him to stop.”

I was beyond pissed, but for the first time, it wasn’t at Ava or her family. It was at Liam. For being a stubborn dumbass. For throwing away the love of a good woman for some weird vendetta.

Unable to control myself, I stood, slid my chair next to Ava and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. She resisted for an instant, then collapsed against me, sobbing into my chest.

“I’m sorry, Blayne.” She sobbed. “I tried to stop him. I’m so sorry. I think…e-e-e-very day that by me breaking up with him…that it messed his head up. Th-th-that he wasn’t in his right mind, and that’s why he got killed that night. I have nightmares about that fight every night. It feels like I killed him.”

“Don’t say that,” I hissed, running my hand gently over her hair.

From her tone, I could tell the regret and sadness were eating at her. She was telling the truth, that was undeniable. Knowing that, all the resentment and anger flushed out of my body and mind. Everything changed. I’d been pushing all my sadness and anger onto Ava all these years, when it should have been directed at my brother. He’d done things his way, and damn everyone else. The two people who’d loved him more than anyone else in the world had begged him to stop, yet he’d turned his back on both of us. I still loved Liam, but for the first time in the decade since he’d died, a new emotion flooded my heart. Pure bitterness. He’d been selfish, and by being selfish, had taken himself from both of us. Forever.

I put a finger under Ava’s chin and lifted her face. “You don’t need to apologize. I should be apologizing. I never gave you a chance to tell your side of the story. I’ve been such a dick to you.”

Ava's breath hitched as she tried to stop crying. “I promise, Blayne, I never wanted him to get hurt.”

I slid a thumb across her cheek, wiping away tears. “I can see that now. I understand. I’m sorry.”

One moment, I was comforting a friend. The next, something inside me changed. As I stared into her eyes, an overwhelming sensation filled me. All I wanted was to comfort Ava. To hold her and make her happy. Another urge swelled within me, one I couldn’t push out of my mind. A desire I had to act on. Damn everything else, I had to. I’d question it later, but I needed it more than anything I’d ever needed air.

If she pushed me away, that would be it. I’d let her take the lead. But as I drew my face closer, she didn’t flinch or push me away. If anything, she movedtowardme. When our lips touched, it was like lightning struck my brain. An explosion of extreme emotion. My panther practically roared with delight.Our lips spread apart, our tongues gently sliding across each other. Something more intense stirred from the depths of my soul.

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