Against All Odds (Shifters) (3 page)

He didn’t know how long he was stood there until John and Kathleen came out of the back door. By that time, most of the guests were sat waiting for the news.

John lashed out, punching him in the face. Taking the hit, Ben went down.

“She’s fucking human. You’ll be lucky if she survives the night. Get the fuck out.”

“John?” Kathleen said. “She’s his mate.”

“Not tonight, she’s not. She’s our family
, and I’m not letting him anywhere near her. Get the fuck off my property, and you call before you stop by.”

Clothes were thrown at him. Ben held them close, leaving John’s home. He couldn’t believe he was leaving his woman behind
, but he didn’t see any other choice. He’d hurt Heather, and he couldn’t even forgive himself, let alone expect others to forgive him.

Chapter Three

Heather felt the pain the instant she woke up. She’d never known anything like it. Her memories charged at her from all angles making it difficult for her to breath
e. Then she realised she couldn’t see. Her face was covered in darkness.

“Sh, don’t worry or panic,” Dana said, trying to calm her down.

“I can’t see.”

“I know. It’s some gauze
, and you’ve had stitches. You’re not a shifter, Heather. We’re doing everything we can to protect you, honey. I promise.” Someone gripped her hand. The hand was too big to be Dana’s.

She couldn’t contain her scream.

“No, it’s me, Heather. It’s Felix.”

At hearing his voice, Heather calmed down.
“I’m scared.”

“We know. The doctor will be here to see you soon. We’ve set up a room for you on the top floor.” Dana was the one who did most of the speaking. Felix kept hold of her hand.

“Please, tell me what’s going on and what happened. I remember everything. I just, I need to hear it from you guys’ lips.”

There was silence, which only made her nervous.

“I can’t see. I don’t know what’s going on, and both are you are making me freak out. Please, put me out of my misery.”

She felt the tears that were close to the surface. How could her friends be willing to keep this from her? She needed to know the truth.

“Ben told me the truth. You’re his mate. You’re the one who is supposed to be with him for life.”

“He told me that. I promise, Dana, I didn’t have anything to do with it. There was no encouragement on my part.”

Someone touched her hair. “I know, sweety. I know you. You’d never do anything like that. I trust you.”

The relief was short and brief
, but at least Dana knew the truth.

“What happened next?” Heather asked.

“I can’t. Felix, tell her.”

Felix cleared his throat. “You fought him. Ben lost control over his tiger
, and before he knew what was happening, he changed.”

“I remember.” Heather remembered the pain as his claws sank into her arms and back. His grip had tightened sinking his claws deeper into her body.

“I’ve asked Ben what else happened, and he said that his tiger had already lashed out at you before he got the chance to stop it.”

She tried to lift her free hand
, but Dana caught her before she could.

“Did he get my eye?” Heather asked, needing to know if she’d ever see again.

“No, he didn’t get your eye,” Dana said.

“The claw marks go across your face from your nose down to your neck. Also, he punctured a lung. At some time his hands must have grabbed you in such a way that his claw
s sank into your body. They were sharp. Malcolm, our doctor, was able to fix the problem.” Felix finished off the explanation.

“So, I’m scar
red on my face and on my body.”

“And down your front. Ben had clawed down your front
, but those marks were not as deep as others.”

The tears she’d tried to keep down came up. She couldn’t see
, and from what Felix and Dana said, when the bandages came off she wasn’t going to look any better than she imagined.

“Dad won’t let him in until you wake up or until you want him.”

“Wait? What?”

“You were losing a lot of blood
, and with your parents close by we had to move you. Malcolm called in some favours, and we transferred you up to the mountains. You’re in our holiday cabin. Everything is fine, and Malcolm is close by to check on you. We’re all here, and we’ve told your parents that you’re spending some vacation with us,” Dana said. “Ben has been asking after you.”

“Dana!”

“What? She has a right to know.”

She sensed a lot of hand movements going on above her.

“I don’t want to see him. Not at all. How long have I been here?” she asked.

“It has been a week since the initial attack. We didn’t think you were going to make it. You took us all by surprise,” Felix said.

Heather listened to them talk for several hours. Her friends didn’t want to leave her alone, and they only did when it was time for dinner. She was being fed a drip and wouldn’t need actual food.

Being alone in a room without her sight was frustrating.
Her sight meant everything to her.

Please let my sight be okay.

“Dana and Felix told me you were awake,” John said.

“I’m awake.”

“You’re not feeling good though, right?”

“No, I’m not feeling great at all.
When do you think these bandages can come off?” she asked. “There’s nothing wrong with my eyes.”

“Malcolm said a couple of weeks
, and he couldn’t be sure if infection has spread. The scars are too close to your eyes, and he doesn’t want to risk further complications. It’s only a precaution because we’re shifters. We don’t know how you’ll respond to it. He wants to be certain that there’s no chance of infection. You’re a delicate little thing, Heather. He’s concerned about you. We all are, and you’re human.”

She nodded. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Honey, I know you didn’t. What happened couldn’t be changed. You’re a fighter, and you’ll pull through this.”

“Will you be honest with me, John?”

“Yes, of course.”

“How bad will I look?” She’d never been a vain person in her life
, but her parents didn’t like anything that wasn’t perfect. Her weight had been a huge issue for them, or at least, Heather thought it was. They couldn’t stand for her to be overweight and would always make comments about it. “You know my parents. You’ve probably scented all kinds of stuff from them. Will they accept me like this?”

She didn’t have a home if they didn’t. Heather
lived with her parents in order to be closer to Dana.

“I don’t want you thinking about that.”

“Please, the truth.”

“I really don’t know, Heather. You could heal up fine
, but if you don’t, you’ll always have a family with us.”

She wasn’t heartbroken about her parents.
In her heart and mind, Dana’s family were her family as well.

“Before I go I also want to let you know that Ben is close by.”

“I don’t want him here, John.”

“He’s staying away. I should warn you, Heather, I can’t keep him away forever. You’re his mate
, and he’s going to come for you whether you like it or not.”

John left her alone to the quiet after his statement. She could never be with Ben. He’d hurt her, scarred her
, and there was no way she could ever love him.

****

Ben waited near the thick forest of trees. It was in the height of summer, and in a few short weeks fall and winter would be fighting for their claim. Every morning, afternoon, and night, he came and stood by these thick trees, waiting for Dana.

The only way he got information about Heather was by waiting for her.
He would wait for all eternity if he had to.

He heard the rustle of trees followed by the scent of Felix and Dana. They’d not long eaten
. He’d gotten good at recognising their timetable of activity.

“
How is she? Is there any change?”

John
wouldn’t let him near Heather or give him any information. This was the first time in his life since his parents’ death when he’d felt helpless. He was giving John what he wanted. It was only going to be a matter of time before his natural instinct to claim Heather took over. Until then, he was doing everything he could their way.

There was no way Heather would trust him.

Every other time he’d asked those questions both siblings would shake their heads. Now, they looked at each other, unsure what to say.

“
Tell me the truth. Is she okay?” he asked, needing to know the answer.

“She’s awake,” Felix said.

Ben cried out, happy his woman was finally awake. Malcolm had told him about the fears and concerns of Heather’s condition. For several days he’d been freaking out in case his woman took a turn for the worse.

“Heather’s awake.”

“She’s awake, but she’s not happy, Ben,” Dana said.

“What?” He stopped looking at both Dana and Felix.

“Dad went to talk to her, and we could hear them. Heather doesn’t want to see you,” Felix said.

He’d been expecting that. Ben had hurt her
, and it was going to take a long time to build that trust back.

“You don’t understand, Ben. When we were close we scented Heather’s feelings for you
, and it’s not good.”

“What do you mean?” Ben asked.

“Heather hates you. She doesn’t want to get to know you. You’ve hurt her and probably scarred her for life. She wants nothing to do with you,” Felix said.

The wor
ds hit him square in the chest, disabling any hope of a future he had.

“I want you both to get back home now,” John said, interrupting the moment.
John was older than all of them and knew how to cover up his scent. Neither of them had realised they’d been found out. John was that good.

Ben didn’t care. He couldn’t breathe. The pain inside his chest sent him to his knees.

Felix and Dana left without another word.

“I’m sorry. Please, don’t blame them. I asked for information
, and they were kind enough to give it to me,” Ben said, not wanting them to get in trouble.

“I knew what they were doing, Ben. I wasn’t stupid. They may think they were going behind my back
, but they weren’t.”

John took a seat on the bench that was next to him.

“Then why didn’t you stop them?” Ben asked.

“I mated Kathleen when
we were no older than children. We were both seventeen and in love. I know what it’s like to have the mating scent, Ben. I’m not cruel, and I won’t purposefully keep you away from your mate. Sit.”

Ben did as he was ordered. He wasn’t about to upset John. The older man had a mean right hook.

“I’m pissed about your lack of control over your tiger. I need you to handle yourself better. Kathleen is a leopard like me. I didn’t have to worry about losing control. Everything came naturally to us. We’ve been lucky and blessed with our relationship.”

“Heather’s not a tiger.”

“I’m not a tiger either, Ben. I know the truth about your past and the past of the tiger mating. The fact you’re giving her some time is a blessing.”

Ben looked down at his hands. He couldn’t bear for the other man to see his pain.

“Don’t be embarrassed or ashamed. We’re not to blame for our past. You’re the one responsible for your future, and you’ve got a long way to go to get Heather back on your side. You’ve hurt her, and she’s going to be a hard nut to crack.”

“I’ll do whatever I have to.”

John nodded. “The real test is going to come when those bandages are removed. She’s going to be different. They’re not going to be pretty.”

“I don’t care.”

“You might. I heard you like a pretty face.”

“That was all before I found the one. Heather is the one for me.”

John stared at him for several minutes. “You’re not in love with her?”

“Not yet.”

Ben wasn’t going to lie about his feelings. Love hadn’t entered into the equation, at least not yet. He was willing to open himself up to Heather, but that would all come in time.

“Heather needs love to be able to move on, Ben. She’s not going to be easy
, and with you doing this to her, this is going to be a tough road ahead.”

“I can do it,” Ben said.

“You’ve got to be sure. A lot of women can forgive a man almost anything, but forgiving the man who scarred them, now that’s a tough one.”

Tears filled Ben’s eyes.

Staring down at his hands, he felt his heart pound against his chest. “I hear her screams every day. I know she’s not up in her room screaming. I hear her in my head. For the rest of my life I’ve got to live with the knowledge of that noise and knowing I was the cause.” He stopped talking, running his fingers through his hair and trying to do everything to stop the fear that gripped him. “I’ve never hurt a woman in my life, not physically. I’ve got to handle that, and I will. John, I promise you, I’ll take care of Heather, and for the rest of my life I will live with the memory of her screams.”

John slapped him on the thigh. “You’ve got a tough road ahead. I’m so glad it’s not me.”

When he was alone, Ben allowed himself the real tears to fall, the tears of guilt and pain and above all loss. Finding his mother all those years ago he’d made a promise to himself to never hurt another person or to treat his own woman like that. The first chance he got to a woman, and he’d scarred her. What chance did he really have of winning Heather back?