Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
really do—reject you as my mate. I
mean it this time.”
Pain unlike anything I’d ever experienced sliced through me. Sharp, intense, and abrupt. It hit fast enough that I couldn’t even scream. Instead, I clenched my jaw and slid to my knees. It was like my body was on fire, shattering to pieces and being cut in half at the same time.
Fear filled Ava’s eyes as she watched me writhe on the ground. She took a step toward me, a hand outstretched like she wanted to help me.
“No,” I grunted through gritted teeth. “Go.”
She hesitated, then dropped her hand. With one last, lingering look at me, Ava left.
The agony came over me in ever-increasing waves. My fingers dug furrows in my grass as I tried to control my body. It seemed like it would never end. As I lay on the cool grass, panting for breath and unable to shift, I tried to tell myself it was worth it.
SIX
AVA
When Blayne had hit the ground, writhing in pain, all I’d wanted to do was comfort him. I could see how terrible it was for him. As bad as our relationship was, I still couldn’t stand seeing him suffering in such agony. But even at his most vulnerable, he’d told me to leave. When all he had was pain and no one to help him, he’d rather be alone than have me take care of him.
I walked away. I knew when I wasn’t wanted. The sounds of Blayne grunting and hissing in pain followed me around the side of his house. By the time I crossed the road, the sounds had faded. It should have made me feel better, but it only filled me with sadness and shame.
Whatever the curse entailed, breaking it hadn’t changed anything for me. It seemed like Blayne was taking the brunt of things. Doing my best to forget what he was going through across the street, I undressed and slipped into bed. Hopefully, I’d slip off to sleep and deal with the fallout the next day.
Unfortunately, my brain wouldn’t shut off. I tossed and turned all night, even getting up once to peek out my curtain to see if I could catch a glimpse of Blayne. As much as he’d infuriated me, and as shitty as he’d treated me, my heart
wouldn’t let me give up. Taking care of people was ingrained in my DNA—even the people who hated me, it seemed.
I gave up on trying to sleep and read a book for the rest of the night. By the time the sun came up, I was already exhausted and the day hadn’t even started.
After a week of ignoring and avoiding Blayne, I headed back to my dad’s house to take him to his next chemo treatment. I’d wanted something to take my mind off everything that had happened with Blayne, but a trip to the clinic was not quite what I’d had in mind.
I hadn’t slept well since I’d left Blayne writhing in agony in his backyard. As I reward, I got to take my father to the clinic so he, in turn, would be miserable.
“Hey, sweetie,” Dad said when he opened the passenger-side door.
“Hi, Dad. How’re you feeling?”
Frowning, he shrugged. “Like shit. I haven’t felt good since that last session. I hate this.” He got in and slammed the door. “How is me puking my guts out for days supposed to cure my cancer?”
I reversed down the driveway. “You know how it works, Dad. The doctor explained it all to you, and I printed out all those papers for you to read. Besides, after today, you get a two-week break before the next one.”
“Oh, wow, what a reward,” he said sullenly. He focused on me and narrowed his eyes. “Ava, you look like hell. I thought I was the sick one. Are you all right?”
I didn’t look over at him, not wanting to give him a better look at the dark circles under my eyes. “Haven’t been sleeping well. No big deal.”
“Ava, if taking me to these appointments is too much for you, I can have one of your uncles do this. I don’t want to make your life difficult.”
I barked a laugh. “No way. You’d bail on them the first time you didn’t want to go. When it comes to you, they’ve always been pushovers. There’s no way I’m gonna let you take the easy way out.”
“Your uncles are not pushovers,” Dad argued.
“When was the last time any of them said no to you?”
He opened his mouth to retort, then closed it again. I grinned as he slumped back into his seat, grumbling about it, but he and I both knew I was right.
This time, I didn’t let him talk me out of sitting with him while he was getting the treatment. Seeing the weird port they put into his chest made my skin crawl, so I kept my eyes averted as the nurse hooked the IV up to it and then draped a thin blanket across his chest for him to stay warm. He’d already lost weight. His cheeks were starting to hollow, and he’d lost some of the pudge around his middle.
I sat and read a magazine while he flipped through the channels of the small television they’d set up for him. The volume was at its lowest setting, so he couldn’t hear what he was watching.
Finally, he put the remote down and patted my hand. “Have you heard anything from Blayne Walker? Liam’s brother. I wasn’t sure if you’d seen him since you came back to town.”
My hand froze mid-page-turn. Didn’t he know Blayne and I were neighbors? That told me exactly how worried he was about the cancer. Any other time, he’d have had his people find out the names, ages, and social security numbers of anyone living within three blocks before I even moved in. He’d have also done a background check and had some of his guys knock on the doors
of anyone who raised red flags, “suggesting” that they move immediately.
He’d find out sooner or later, and I had no reason to hide it from him. I decided to tell him everything. Well, everything minus the mating curse and the murderous hunter organization.
“Well, funny you should ask actually. Turns out that house I’m renting is literally right across the street from him.”