22. Shattered Bones & Mended Hearts
Chapter twenty-two
Shattered Bones but you are going to deal with it in a healthy way. Therapy, talking to your family, whatever way you decide to do it. Kadi and I are here for you. Hell, you can take your anger out on me whenever you need to. I deserve it after the way I treated you and the other witches all these years. The guys and I have always had each other to fall back on for things like this. They don’t call it ‘Brothers in Arms’ for no reason.”
She stares at me for a long time while she thinks. I don’t know what she’s looking for. Maybe to see if I mean what I say. But whatever she’s searching for, she must find it because she closes her eyes and a tear drops slowly down her cheek.
“Am I a bad person now?” she whispers quietly, fiddling with her own fingers in her lap.
“Never. You didn’t go there with the intent to kill her, Shasta. You killed her in self defense. You killed her trying to get your father away from them. You did it saving someone you love. That is never a bad thing. But you can’t let it eat at you forever and if you do nothing to come to terms with it, that's what will happen. It will eat you alive,” I say gently.
I lift her into my lap and just hold her while she cries. Kadi looks at me in the rear view mirror, sorrow etched into his features for our mate.
“Do you know what the lionesses in the pride do, Shasta?” he asks her.
She shakes her head and looks up at him.
“They hunt, they take care of the pride, and they are the main leaders of the Pride. But the biggest role they play is to defend our Pride. You did today what any lioness would do. You protected your Pride. You protected the weakest member and you showed them that we aren’t to be trifled with. What you did wasn’t wrong, but not feeling bad about it is. You don’t have to feel bad for her, but I want you to feel bad for yourself and not take that death lightly. I could give two fucks about that bitch. But I care about you. No, we care about you. You did what you did to protect, not out of malice. That’s the difference. You understand?”
I can feel the emotions loosen inside of her. She is still angry, but the loathing is not as bad as it was, and it confirms my suspicions that the loathing was directed at herself. I felt that way for too many years not to recognize it in someone else. She can act tough all she wants and pretend like it didn’t bother her, but it did.
I squeeze her. “Are you ready to go see your dad?” I ask her.
I feel her emotions rise again.
“He…seeing him like that was…” she trails off. “I need to make sure they get him somewhat taken care of before my mother sees him. She can’t see him like that.”
“We are pulling in now. The quicker we get to Jessa the better. We can see how he is and go from there ok?” I say.
She nods and scoots off my lap, wiping at her face and trying to dry her tears. I can feel the resolve to not let her father see her upset. Gods, this woman. She is one of the strongest and most resilient people I have ever met.
We park and Kadi comes around to open her door and hug her. He fixes her hair and tucks it behind her ears. Shasta straightens her clothes and then holds out her hands for both of us to take. Feeling her tiny hand in mine, knowing that she trusts me to be there for her through this, it’s more than I ever thought I’d have.
Kadi opens the door to the building and we walk in to help my little mate with one of the biggest things to ever happen in her life. Going to meet her not actually dead father.