Page 12 of Waste (Legendary Shifters #4)

Shelley

G etting out of the hospital wasn’t as easy as she wished.

Her parents were coldly furious with her, and Charlie didn’t appear none too amused either.

Drew had left after sending her an expressionless glance.

Shelley didn’t know what that meant, but she had a bad feeling she’d not seen the last of him.

She didn’t understand why the handsome man was being so pushy. She wasn’t anything special.

Shelley leaned back in Charlie’s car. He’d insisted on driving Shelley home. After her blowout at them, it was the least she could do. Closing her eyes, Shelley wondered if anybody had contacted Jo.

“Charlie, did anyone call my job?”

“Yeah.” Charlie’s voice was brimming with disgust.

Shelley’s eyes popped open. “What happened?”

“She’s a real pain in the ass, that bitch.

How you work with Jo is a bloody mystery.

Dad and I stopped by the coffee shop to inform Jo that you had a bad accident and were in hospital.

At first, she was full of faux concern. Until Dad innocently mentioned Drew.

Jesus, Shelley. I had never seen anyone turn like Jo did. ”

“Yeah, the mere mention of Drew would have done it.” Shelley sighed. Now that Jo had a bee in her bonnet, Shelley wasn’t looking forward to returning to work.

“That bitch is certifiable. After throwing a hissy fit that Drew was at the hospital with you, she insisted on knowing if you’d been together when it happened. Dad, being Dad, was confused and explained, no, Drew had come across the scene of the crash and recognised you.”

“Let me guess, Jo twisted it,” Shelley murmured.

“Yeah. Jo actually demanded to know if you’d caused the accident on purpose. Then she ranted about how they wouldn’t pay you for self-inflicted injuries and your time off. Dad was lost for words,” Charlie replied.

“Wow, she needs help,” Shelley agreed.

“She’ll need a new job. Seems Jo is very unpopular with the staff, and one of them recorded the whole rant and sent it to me. Dad has emailed it to your head office. He’s contacted the company solicitor as well.”

“Oh, I wish he wouldn’t cause waves. I want peace and quiet,” Shelley responded, upset.

She didn’t enjoy working in a negative atmosphere.

She wasn’t a doormat, but Shelley had a really bad vibe about Jo.

If Jo wasn’t sacked, then undoubtedly Jo would make Shelley’s existence a misery.

Perhaps while she was off, Shelley should apply for other jobs.

“Look, Shelley, I’m sorry about the other day.

You were correct; we all got carried away.

Drew’s charismatic in a quiet, understated way, and he was being very generous.

There was no doubt Mum was hearing wedding bells, and okay, I fancied some skiing.

But none of us considered your opinion,” Charlie said and tugged on his ear.

While he was a great older brother, Charlie hated apologising. This was a big deal for him. I opened my eyes and saw the red tinge on his ear. Yeah, this wasn’t Charlie’s strength—making amends.

“It’s fine. You’re all just used to me being the easy-going one.”

“You tend to go with the flow,” Charlie replied.

“That doesn’t mean you can run roughshod over me.”

“I guess we all learned a lesson. Honestly, Shels? That’s the first time you’ve ever pushed back.”

She pursed her lips as she considered his words. “You know, you might be right. I should get hurt more often,” Shelley teased.

Charlie blanched. “I think twice is plenty. What about the police concerns?”

“What can I do, Charlie? I can barely beat a paper bag up. Do you believe DI Wilson’s theory is correct, that somebody tried to kill me?”

“Shels, for someone who loves peace and quiet, you’ve had an eventful few months. I can’t imagine who you’ve ticked off, but someone tampered with your brakes. Does nothing spring to mind?”

“No, I’ve got zilch. Hell, Charlie, I didn’t even consider the possibility that John Saville would become a stalker. He was just Mr Black Americano.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay for a few weeks. You’re going to need assistance, and while Mum said she’d come and help, but do you really want her in your face?”

Shelley considered Charlie’s words. He was right. They loved their mum, but she could be overbearing at times. Gail didn’t understand why her children hadn’t settled down early, just like she had. Even worse, neither Charlie nor Shelley had begun having babies yet. It wasn’t even on their minds.

“Sure. If you insist,” Shelley said and shut her eyes again.

Drew/Ghoul

He watched Shelley as she leaned back. Drew shifted on his seat. He was outright stalking Shelley now as he peered through the wing mirror of Drew’s car. Beside him sat Marie, looking bemused, but Drew’s focus was on Shelley.

“I don’t get it. She could have had an all-expenses-paid trip and instead threw a full-on tantrum,” Drew muttered.

“Did you consult with her or just make plans?” Marie asked, and her tone gave away that she knew Drew hadn’t.

“Are you spying on me?”

“Like you are on Shelley? Maybe.”

“Does everyone know?” Drew demanded, swivelling on his chair to peer at her.

“No. This is your business, Drew. I may witness a lot, but I’m not one to start gossip. Of course, I love a good chinwag, but I never spread rumours. And neither does Pandora.”

“Something is wrong with her,” Drew stated as his gaze slowly moved back to his mirror, and he began watching Shelley.

“Pandora? Yes, there is. I’d say her Sins are acting up, but there is more to it. I’m worried about her. She looks so ill—in both forms,” Marie agreed.

“And she won’t talk to the board?” Drew asked.

“No. Until Vladimir found Emmaline, Andie shied away from her Pandora form. However, she now seems to embrace it more. I am greatly concerned. And then there’s this huge secret Andie is keeping from us.

Why, after thousands of years, has Pandora admitted it?

I agree with Vladimir; something is brewing. ”

“But the question of what is hard to determine, as there’s little evidence to formulate an idea,” Drew said, his gaze flicking back to Marie.

He studied her calm visage. Was she hiding stuff from the rest of them?

Marie had information at her fingertips.

She could spy into anyone’s home and listen in on private conversations.

As much as he wished to accuse Marie of withholding knowledge, Drew witnessed the concern in her eyes. Marie didn’t know.

“This mystery person, that Pandora is protecting…” Drew mused and trailed off.

“Again, no idea. Pandora was never fully open when first arriving here. Thousands of years of distrust are hard to overcome. None of us, apart from Kraken, gave Pandora a chance after The Betrayal. That’s how she came to absorb Lust. She was with him when he was attacked.

Pandora was badly scarred by how Kraken died; it harmed her deeply,” Marie said, considering.

“Which means Pandora might be frightened of losing someone else she loves or cares about,” Drew agreed.

“Yes. And trust me, Pandora knows more about what happened and is coming than she admits. Yet, I don’t believe she intends us harm. I doubt she did initially.”

“Was Pandora forced to open the Jar of Fate?”

“What was the Jar of Fate? Think, Drew. It was a vessel that held all the negatives humankind had created. God removed them to make the humans better. Why would Pandora, a human, willingly unlock something that would curse mankind? Pandora was a curious girl, but not evil or cruel. She was kind, gentle, and joyful. Somebody made her open that jar; it wasn’t of her free will,” Marie said, and Drew gazed at her.

“What do we know of Pandora?” he mused.

“She was beloved of God and us. Pandora was the true epitome of what the human race could become. Until she released the Sins.”

“That’s it?” Drew questioned, wracking his own brain for some other knowledge.

“Yes.”

“Well, damn,” Drew muttered. He honestly couldn’t think of anything either. There were things he understood concerning Pandora after The Betrayal, but not before.

“But the question that bugs me is who had the power to hide Pandora from us. Because Pandora was purely human, she had no magic,” Marie said.

Drew blinked. “That is something I’ve considered many times. Pandora couldn’t have snuck past us the way she did. Someone either made her or helped her. I’m unsure which.”

“Knowing Pandora like I do now, I would consider it forced.”

“That is likely, but she wouldn’t be protecting that individual today. Why would she?” “It could be Stockholm’s. Pandora might be covering for her abuser because that’s what she was conditioned to do.”

“I’d agree except Pandora’s nearly rabid about it. One could almost say she loves this person.”

“What is true? It’s a mystery for another day. What are you planning to do about Shelley?” Marie inquired, changing the subject.

“I don’t know. Pandora came to me and told me to watch over Shelley. She claimed that Shelley had raised a marker with the Hunters. And quite frankly, Marie, I don’t want an innocent death on me. There’s been enough of them…” Drew’s voice trailed off.

“Drew, those were the early days when we weren’t in control of the Sins. You cannot be blamed for them,” Marie said, sitting up, looking worried.

“Can’t I? It was my hands that killed them,” Drew retorted and wiped a palm over his brow.

“But not of your choice, Drew. That is something we must remember. Those early days were dark for all of us. We were dealing with so much. The Sins were stronger than us back then and ran riot. It was a frightening time for everyone involved.”

“Marie, I see their faces every day and hear their screams.”

“As do we all, Drew. You’re not alone in that. We were Protectors of the Jar of Fate, and we majorly failed. That will haunt all of us. But you didn’t answer me. What are your plans with Shelley?”

“I’ve no idea,” Drew replied honestly and helplessly. He truly didn’t have a clue!

Pandora/Andie