Page 20 of Waste (Legendary Shifters #4)

Drew

P andora made him a cup of tea and then remained silent. She seemed to realise he needed this time to gather his thoughts and organise them. They sat together in perfect peace for two hours.

“Do the Hunters know about Shelley?”

“Not yet, I watch over her, but she is walking a very dangerous line. Her online activity has raised concerns, but as I mentioned earlier, not enough for them to investigate her. Shelley’s destiny is uncertain at the moment, Drew. She’s in a state of flux.”

“What does that mean, Pandora?”

Pandora held his gaze. “It means Shelley should have died and didn’t. Now her future is unknown.”

Drew leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “I was hoping that was not so. The Fates are responsible for the attempts on Shelley’s life.”

“No. They remain unaware Shelley cheated death. Something or someone hides her existence. The person behind Shelley’s accident meant to kill her. Why, I don’t know.” “Could it be because of her link to me?” Drew asked, dreading the response.

“I can’t answer that, Drew. All I understand is you need to keep her safe.”

“Why did you betray us, Pandora?” he asked suddenly.

Pandora held Drew’s gaze. “I had little choice in the matter. It was not of my free will. And should I be given a second chance, I would do exactly the same.”

Drew bit the inside of his cheek. “Who forced you?”

“I cannot say. There would be repercussions if I were to speak a name. More is at stake than you realise. In the end, the truth is bound to emerge, and actions will count,” Pandora replied.

“Answer me this, you’re not human any longer, are you?” Drew stated.

Pandora ducked her eyes before meeting his once more. “No. I’m as immortal as all of you, and again, it wasn’t by choice.”

“Who is the man you protect?”

Pandora shook her head and averted her gaze. Drew knew she wouldn’t say anything else.

“I know you walked alone for thousands of years. We abandoned you as punishment. We hurt you badly, Pandora, and I wish I could take back some of the things I said, even though you didn’t hear them.”

Pandora smiled sadly. “I heard, Drew. Every time my name was mentioned, I heard the comments. Even now, when you all worry about me, I hear.”

Drew stiffened. “What?”

“Drew, I don’t want to cause trouble. Just let me live in peace and guide events where I can,” Pandora almost begged.

Drew lunged forward and knelt at her feet, clasping her hands. “Are you telling me you’ve heard every negative thing that people have spoken about you?”

“Yes,” Pandora whispered.

“Oh God, Pandora, I’m so sorry,” Drew rasped out.

He was horrified. He’d said some awful things when he’d first been changed. And hadn’t held his tongue over the years either. And Pandora knew each scornful, hate-filled remark he’d made.

“I deserved no better at the beginning. I did betray you all. Drew, you only had the knowledge you possessed at the time. However, the future is constantly evolving and remains fluid. Which means many other foregone conclusions are no longer set in stone. Tight grips weaken, and the oppressed grow stronger. Faith, Drew, was never a Sin.”

“No, Faith wasn’t.”

“People think the Jar held the Evils of Humankind. What nobody realises is that the Evils are Sins. They are the adverse actions humans have committed against each other. Sins and the Evils are the same thing. A Sin is always committed with evil or negative intent.”

“What is Faith then?”

“A Blessing. That’s what God left humans with when he removed the Sins from them. Faith, love, kindness, generosity, respect, all those are Blessings. But Blessings can also corrupt.”

“We held the Blessings,” Drew said, furrowing his brow.

“Yes, but we didn’t recognise them as that. God saw them in us and wanted humans to have the traits we had. So, he shared them with humans. It was the greatest gift and the cruellest too.”

“How so?”

“For example, blind Faith. How many religious wars has it caused? How many deaths and cruelties are committed by zealots? And Kindness. Take the prison war camps when the prisoners were freed, starving and weak. Soldiers fed them, and people died because their stomachs couldn’t handle the rich food.

The Sins and Blessings balance themselves out.

Each Blessing and Sin has its own negatives and positives. ”

“I don’t see a benefit in waste,” Drew said, shaking his head.

“No? A man who cooks too much at a restaurant creates waste but donates the excess to a foodbank. He created waste but didn’t dismiss it. He turned it into positive action. For instance, lust need not always involve sex. A person could lust for power and use that to improve the world around him.”

“Elder abuse?” Drew challenged, and Pandora smiled wryly.

“Some Sins don’t have a beneficial side. Similarly, certain Blessings hold no negatives.” “You’ve given me much to think about,” Drew admitted.

“Maybe it will help you a little when dealing with Shelley.”

“One can only hope, and no pun intended!” Drew said.

Pandora smirked. “I hope not!”

◆◆◆

Drew returned to his room at the beach hut before sunbreak.

He’d caught up with some of his other siblings but had spent the majority of his time with Pandora.

She had given him much to think about, and when their conversation had died down, they’d sat in companionable silence.

Drew had offered her his ear and help if she needed it.

Pandora had smiled sweetly but declined.

Drew had left her and headed to Mary’s tower, where he had a quiet word with her.

Mary was as horrified as he was when she learned Pandora heard everything said about her.

How it hadn’t driven Pandora insane, neither of them knew.

Drew wanted to know why they’d been betrayed, but if today had taught him anything, it was that Pandora would reveal things in her own time.

Shelley

Something seemed off. Drew was slightly distracted, although he still stayed pleasant and talkative. Charlie remained his usual self, but inside, Shelley sensed something was wrong. She was unsure of what, but it was niggling at her. As she lay on a sunbed, she cautiously peered around.

The resort they were at was incredibly exclusive. Which meant there weren’t the standard crowds. There certainly weren’t the usual holidaymakers fighting over sunbeds and whatnot.

Even so, Shelley was uneasy. The feeling was as if someone was watching her. Shelley wriggled uncomfortably.

“You’re going to look weird,” Charlie teased, and Shelley poked her tongue out.

“Shut up.”

“No, I don’t think I will,” Charlie replied. Shelley rolled her eyes as she followed her brother’s gaze and discovered a blonde in a skimpy bikini. She’d noticed Charlie’s attention and had a smile on her face as she thrust out a hip and flicked her hair.

“Really?” Shelley said, and Charlie grinned at her.

“I’m a man!”

“You’re a pig.”

“You’re still going to look odd. All tanned apart from one white ankle and arm.”

Shelley looked down at herself in her modest bikini and frowned. Damn it, Charlie was right!

“Don’t listen to him. You’re perfect,” Drew interrupted, and Shelley beamed at him.

She’d found it a little hard to keep her eyes off him. Drew wore swimming shorts and nothing else. He gave Charlie a run for money even though he was slimmer than her brother. Drew had the perfect body: tanned, muscular, and lean. Shelley knew Charlie was a gym rat, and his muscles proved that.

Drew probably worked out, but not like Charlie. Drew’s well-defined chest had a light scattering of hair, which Shelley appreciated. She hated men with full-on fur rugs.

“Thank you,” Shelley murmured, realising she’d been staring.

Drew grinned at her, and Shelley felt her blush rising.

Damn it, she could never control that. With effort, Shelley tore her gaze away from the tantalising man in front of her and stared at the sea.

The calm, picturesque turquoise water lapped gently at the sandy beach, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.

It was a beautiful day, with a few fluffy white clouds and lush green palm trees. There was nothing that screamed danger, and yet Shelley was on edge. She scanned the waterline again and saw nothing.

“What is it?” Drew murmured, alert to her mood.

“It’s silly.”

“Nothing you say is irrelevant,” Drew replied, sitting up on his lounger and swinging round to face her. He placed a finger under her chin and turned her to look at him. Shelley bit her lip as Drew removed his sunglasses and stared directly at her.

“I sense something bad, almost like I’m being watched, and someone wants to harm me. It’s probably paranoia considering what happened at home,” Shelley admitted.

Drew’s body stiffened, and he held her gaze before nodding. Slowly, he gazed around, assessing if there was a threat. Shelley appreciated that he didn’t make fun of her feelings. She was growing antsy and really wanted to be safe behind four walls.

“Want to return to the hut?” Drew inquired.

Shelley withheld a smirk and snort. The beach hut was anything but. It was sheer luxury but advertised as a hut. The urge to tease Drew faded as she felt a prickling between her shoulders.

“Yes,” she gasped with such fear that Charlie was torn from eye flirting with the blonde.

“What is it?” he demanded.

“I sense danger; it sounds stupid, but I do,” Shelley whispered.

“Jon, we’re heading back. Shelley feels unsafe,” Drew said to the security guard who’d followed them from the ski lodge.

“Yes, sir,” Jon replied.

Drew helped Shelley to her feet, and she struggled with her crutch. Drew waited patiently before bending and scooping her up in his arms.

“You’ll have an accident using that thing on the sand,” Drew explained.

Shelley blinked at him, and Drew offered her a grin. Shelley almost winced as her body responded to his closeness and warm, naked skin. Her nipples hardened, and her pussy grew damp.