Alpha Protector (Shadow Sentinels World #3)

Chapter 8

S tone

My body was utterly fucked. I didn't sleep at all last night. There’d been no downtime as I organised the patrols of Hope’s boundary and kept watch over Rawson’s house. Part of me was thankful that I’d been kept busy. It had stopped me from falling asleep and, more importantly, prevented me from giving in to my instincts to head right back to Shannon's side.

My body ached, exhaustion making my muscles heavy and my body twitchy. Stretching my neck and unfurling my fingers from my death grip on the steering wheel helped a bit. I had to keep going. I’d been there for Rawson when the sun rose. He’d walked out of his house with a determined air. One look at my brother’s face and I’d known where he wanted to go without him saying a word. We’d driven in silence until I’d dropped him at Becca’s clinic. As he climbed out of the SUV, he’d asked me to be there for Ava when she woke up, and I knew how hard it was for him to leave her only a few hours after getting her back, so I agreed. Rawson was broken in ways I couldn’t fathom.

I hoped with all my heart that, with Becca’s help, Rawson could learn to forgive himself and move on. Maybe Becca could help Shannon, too. First, she needed to break the cycle she was in. Besides, I had no intention of letting her stay in this world, one that had hurt her so much. She needed to get far away from everything she knew, including the echoes of her past, somewhere she could empty her mind and heal her soul.

I pressed my foot harder on the pedal, accelerating towards the Orchid. Eli had rung me while I was driving Ava to find Rawson. Understandably, Ava’s focus was on my brother, but after the phone call from Eli, her worry about Shannon had been as evident as mine. I’d admitted that I knew Shan carried the weight of what their father had done, like a weight around her neck. But there was more to her pain than that. Shan needed time to come to terms with her demons, but she couldn’t do that with everything that linked back to her father hitting her in the face every day. Even Ava. I knew it, and so did Connor. It was why he’d tasked me with caring for Shannon, that and the fact that our blood bond gave him an idea of the confused feelings I’d had towards her.

Air escaped my lips. I wasn’t confused now. I was pissed off. And worried. I’d thought Jed would come through for me, but the fucker hadn’t rung to say she wasn’t at Becca’s this morning—unless he’d taken her to the damned club. But no, it would have been shut by then. He’d just fucking ignored his orders. The stupid shit needed a pasting. This was why I still didn’t trust him.

My fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Eli had said she was in a state again. A growl vibrated my chest. I should have been there for her… But Rawson had needed me, too… Shit, why did everything always happen at once? It had been the same when Gwen died. I’d been too distracted with finding us somewhere to live and a way to earn money and feed us to sense the danger until it was on us.

On our short journey, Ava told me Shannon had admitted to pushing me away because she didn’t think she was good enough. That was a load of horseshit if ever I’d heard it. More like I wasn’t good enough for her. She just didn’t know enough about my past life or my weaknesses to make that connection. No, because I constantly let her push me away. Mainly so I didn’t have to admit to her that I’d failed my mate and wasn’t as strong as people thought.

My wolf grumbled his dissatisfaction at my thoughts. He was right. I’d promised Ava I’d disabuse Shan of the idea she wasn’t good enough, but maybe I needed to work on feeling like I was good enough for her, too. A good place to start was to protect her and stop allowing her to run to the nearest club and get drunk. And I knew exactly how to do that. We’d go somewhere where there was no alcohol. Right after I’d gotten her through what would probably be the most challenging time of her life.

I’d thought about taking her back to the compound in Scotland. We’d made the beautiful estate on the west coast of Scotland our home after the war with Berith had been won. But as much as I loved and missed my brothers and their young ones, I craved a break from this life almost as much as Shannon did.

The Winter forests called to me. I craved the clean air and pine smell, the caress of an icy breeze through my fur and the touch of snowflakes on my cheeks. My wolf rumbled his agreement. First, I needed to get to Shannon.

The inside of the Black Orchid was quiet. There were a few staff members around, but the bar was shut now, so, no patrons. I wondered when Eli actually slept. Or perhaps he wasn’t usually here until closing at dawn.

The staff nodded their heads before averting their gazes. I ignored them, not feeling in any way sociable and confident that my reputation would keep them away, not to mention the glower on my face. I inhaled deeply, taking a moment to scan the room and check for threats. It was second nature to me now.

On a table near the bar, Shannon sat staring into a glass that contained a clear liquid. Jed’s head swung my way, his eyes widening as he realised he was in deep shit. He was sitting right beside her watching her fucking drink? Fucking idiot! I stormed forward. He jumped up, lifting his hands in supplication.

“Hey man… She’s…”

My fist connected with his jaw, my punch reinforced with magic, and he flew back, legs and arms flailing before he slammed against the bar. Gorilla shifter or not, he would never be as strong as me. Not just because I was a Sentinel and carried Connor’s blood, but because I was Fae, and I was pissed the fuck off.

“Jesus, Stone!” Eli yelled and vaulted the bar, standing in front of Jed. He kept his gaze trained away from my eyes, not wanting to antagonise me further. Too late.

I grabbed his throat. “What the fuck were you thinking serving vodka to a fucking alcoholic?”

His face turned purple, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to speak. He made desperate noises, yet it wasn’t fear I scented from him but frustration. He tapped my shoulder, gesturing behind me.

Shit! I dropped him immediately and faced Shannon. Fuck. I was a selfish bastard. I’d given in to my fury rather than checking on her first. I shoved Eli away and spun, landing on my knees next to Shannon. Her blonde hair was lank and damp with sweat, her shoulders hunched, and her elbows on the table. Desperation leaked from every pore, her hands speared into her hair, her face downturned like she was hiding from the world. Me included.

Two small pools of wetness gathered on the tabletop, and seeing her crying did something to me. My chest squeezed so hard I couldn’t breathe, and I wanted to punch my own lights out for being such a dick.

“Hey?” I gently touched her upper arm. I was furious with her for leaving Becca’s, but it wasn’t her fault. After all, what had I expected? She was an addict, and she was hurting. Her body and mind craved the oblivion of alcohol enough that she wasn’t in control of her actions anymore. This wasn’t the fierce female I’d grown used to; this was someone who couldn’t resist her demons alone.

She flinched away from my fingers, her tears falling faster.

A shuffling from my right caught my attention. I snapped my gaze to Jed, who moved slowly, warily. His jaw was red, but it’d heal quickly. I snarled at him, pulling enough magic to the surface that he’d see it. A warning to stay away if he wanted to remain conscious.

“That isn’t vodka, man. It’s water. When she wasn’t at Becca’s this morning, I knew she’d try to come here. I should have let you know, but I thought you had enough on your plate, being responsible for the town and our Alpha. I found her on the ground in the car park out back. She was freezing, so I carried her in here. She hurt her ankle and couldn’t walk. When she started to come around a bit, she kicked off, threatening to remove my balls if I told you where she was, so I didn’t. I got Eli to ring you.”

Eli stepped closer, his voice apologetic. “She’s not drunk. She didn’t even ask for alcohol. It really is water in that glass. And she’s still not touched it.”

Silence fell as I absorbed their words. “Fuck.” I ran my hand through my loose hair and met their gazes. “Sorry, man, I…shit.”

Jed dropped a hand on my shoulder. “Forget it. I understand. Just…she’s really fucked up.” He glanced at her, his face softening before looking back at me. “Take care of her.” He nodded at Eli and left the club. I’d never really trusted the guy. He’d proven himself more than once after he’d come to our side after working for our enemy, but I’d still been suspicious. Maybe it was time I gave him a break.

Eli disappeared behind the bar, giving us space, and the staff had all vanished. Yeah, an Alpha losing his shit wasn’t someone you wanted to be around. I pulled a chair closer to Shannon and sat, then leaned forward, gently pulling on her wrists to untangle her fingers from her hair. She complied, dropping her hands to the table. “Shan?”

She still wouldn’t look at me. She sniffled loudly, the sound tugging on something in my heart.

“I wanted to drink. So badly. But I….” She shivered, and a sob burst from her.

Fuck. Seeing her like this? I hated it. Her body didn’t stop shaking. The Fae-engineered clothing should keep her plenty warm enough, but her body shook in violent waves. I quickly unbuttoned my jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

“I-I saw him. In the dark. He-he wouldn’t leave me alone…”

“Who?” I fisted my hand out of her sight, keeping my voice even. I’d kill whoever had frightened her like this. Rip them apart with my bare hands.

“My-my dad.” She sobbed again. Big heaving gasps and wrenching sobs that annihilated any illusion of restraint I had. I quickly pulled her into my lap, unhappy with any distance between us. Her fingers twisted into my shirt as she hid her face in my chest. I wrapped the coat around her shaking body and held her tightly against me, trying to understand.

She wasn’t bullshitting me. There was no hint of a lie. She really saw her dad. And she was scared shitless. I didn’t like it. At all.

“Shh, it’s okay. He’s not here…”

She curled into a tighter ball. “He is. He’s on that table next to me. He’s there. He’s there. He’s there.” She repeated over and over.

And fuck me if I didn’t look just to make sure. Her trembling turned to full-on wracking muscle seizures, her head stretching back and her jaw tight.

“Shan? Baby?”

Shit!

“Eli!” I bellowed while activating the communication device that would tell B’nar I needed to leave. I just hoped he wasn’t busy. Shannon needed medical care, and that was best done in Faery. Her body went limp in my arms, which was one of the scariest feelings ever, but at least her fit had stopped.

Eli came running out of the bar at full speed.

“Oh, fuck. Is she okay?”

“No! Get the doors. I’m getting her out of here.”

With my heart pounding, I stormed out into the early morning air just as B’nar stepped from a portal.