Unbound: Shifters Forever Worlds(12)

“Frank want3ed to be sure you try to get revenge.” Mr. Shelby tucked the handkerchief back in his pocket then clicked the briefcase shut. “Now, I’ll take my leave and allow you both the time to do the talking Frank clearly wanted you to do.





8





Glory watched Mr. Shelby leave through the front door. Her mind was still reeling from the information they’d received. All the manipulation, all the deception.

Then to learn that the same shifters that killed Dane’s father and Uncle Brad were the ones that slaughtered her family.

She walked back to Dane still seated at the table, looking at the note Mr. Shelby had given him.

She wanted to know what it said, but not at the risk of invading his privacy. “Do you mind?” she pointed to the plastic-encased paper.

He held it out to her, his hand gripping it tightly, his knuckles white. When he released it, his fingers shook.

She studied the writing.

It was written in pen and that was definitely blood on it.



Same bastards that killed Brad, Greg and Aleman family.

Call Mae.



There was no signature, but who else would have written it?

Dane forked fingers through his hair, then held his head. “Too much to process.” His face was pale, his mouth drawn.

Did he even realize she was still there? His gray eyes looked into the distance, through the window that overlooked the woods where they’d hung out when children. The same woods that led to the walled garden.

An overload of emotions flowed through Glory at his presence and her memories.

“I should go.”

“Please don’t.” His tone was haunted. “I thought you were dead.”

“When?”

“After your family was killed. No one told me you’d survived.”

“I don’t think anyone knew one way or another. I didn’t know your uncle knew, but clearly he did, because he wanted me to be at the reading of his will.”

“I couldn’t believe that you’d deceived me. That you were some other man’s.”

“Dane, I wasn’t. I never gave that a thought. I’d learned about it when I was a little girl, probably when I was five or so. But I never took it seriously, nor did it influence anything I did.”

“So you are mated now? I’m not picking up a scent that you belong to another. No couple bond scent at all.”

“Ivy shifters don’t have the same couple bond as the bears, wolves, and leopards do.”

“So you are mated.” His hands vanished beneath the table, but it was clear from the way his tendons popped out, he was clenching his fists.

“Not yet. I’m to be mated next week.”

His jaw muscles worked “I see.”

You don’t see at all. This is the last thing I want. But you’re so busy being happy as a Hollywood movie star, with all those girls around…

“I’m glad to see you’re well, Dane.”

She tried to revive the hate she’d felt for him all these years — a hate countered by the love she’d never been able to kick from her heart.

“Thanks.” His tone was cold and dismissive. He glanced down at the note, rubbing the plastic between his thumb and index finger.

His expression changed while he studied the writing. She wanted to leave, to run away from his coldness, but she couldn’t, not with what she saw on his face.

“What are you planning?” As if she didn’t know.

Gray eyes, the color of thunderclouds, and equally angry rose to meet hers. “Who said I’m planning anything?”

“As if I don’t know you.”

“Do you, Glory? I don’t think you know me anymore. I’m not sure you ever did.”

That cut deep. She didn’t deserve that. Tears prickled in the back of her eyes. She closed them tightly for a second, took a deep breath. “I thought I did.”

“Seems I’m the one that didn’t know jack shit, doesn’t it? You never thought to mention to me you belonged to another man?”

“I never gave it much thought. Those were the machinations of grownups while I was a nothing more than a baby.”

“You were mine, Glory. Mine. That should have meant something.”

It still does. “You don’t seem to want to hear what I have to say on this. You’ve got your mind made up.”

“I’ll drive you home.” His words cut her to the core.

“I can walk. Thanks.”

She turned swiftly, giving him her back so he couldn’t see the tears that beat her and welled, pooling in her eyes, clouding her vision.

She headed toward the door, her back stiff, her gait stilted, and her heart broken.





* * *



Dane clenched his fists, watching her as she walked away, her spine straight, shoulders thrown back. She wasn’t fooling him. He could scent her emotions. She was troubled, confused, angry, and still had feelings for him.

Last time, I walked out on her. Never gave her a chance to explain. Never gave us a chance.

Had she stayed in Woodland Creek all this time? Had she thought of him? Why was she still going through with this mating? It’s not like she didn’t know he was still alive. It’s not like his face wasn’t plastered all over the foolish human magazines.