Page 28 of Stolen Choices
“Goodness me, a long time now.” Jane smiled and leaned against Kas who wrapped his arm around her. “I grew up with the twins and my late husband. We used to run around in the fields together during the summer. It was a bit cold for me in the winter. I could never keep up with them. Kas had to give me rides on his back when he was in polar bear form.”
“You grew up with shifters?”
Jane nodded.
“Of course. Other humans are now joining packs too like Isobel and even her brother Kingsley. He’s with another pack and mated to the alpha and Lily.
“Lily?”
Jane placed her hand over her mouth.
“I’m sorry. I forgot you knew her. She’s a lovely girl who suffered so much, but she’s flourishing with Hunter and Kingsley. They adore her.”
“She’s happy?”
“Beyond doubt.”
“Nuka told me things. I mean...”
“He said she’d betrayed you. He told you we’d brainwashed her, and she was being used by us for our own selfish needs, am I right?” Kas’ responded. The look of anger on the polar bear’s face was telling. “We helped her, Jackson. We weren’t the ones to use her for sex.”
Jackson blanched at the comment. He’d always felt like an older brother to Lily and had tried to protect her from the world as much as he could. He believed the same of Nuka and Ciaran, but looking back on it now, the pair had been using her body purely for their own pleasure. They didn’t care for her one bit. That was why Nuka didn’t want to go after Lily and bring her back into the pack. She’d served her usefulness to him. Just as Jackson himself would one day, and he’d be discarded like a dirty rag. Everything was falling into place. He’d been such a fool. Yes, he’d been under a spell for an indeterminate amount of time, but he’d wanted to believe in Nuka, his savior, far too readily. It was the last mistake he’d ever make.
Without another word to anyone, he walked straight up to Isobel. Zain took a protective stance in front of her.
“No,” the black bear ordered. “You stay away from her.”
Jackson could understand Zain’s reluctance to let him near the human woman. Only hours earlier, the panther was dreaming of sinking his sharp teeth into her throat and savoring her blood. His stomach turned at the thought now.
Isobel popped her head around Zain and pushed the reluctant bear aside with a surprising strength.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Zain frowned at Isobel.
“Moving your stubborn backside out of the way. I do believe Mr. Gates wanted to talk to me.”
“Stubborn backside? I do believe I know a cute backside that might deserve a spanking later.”
Isobel rolled her eyes at her mate. “Promises, promises. Now move.”
Zain stepped aside but kept a protective grip upon his woman.
“Mr. Gates.” Isobel smiled at Jackson politely.
“I owe you an apology for earlier. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, but that is no excuse. The fact you are prepared to go into battle for your friend, a shifter, tells me all I need to know about you as a person, a human. You’ve taught me a valuable lesson.” He turned around to where Jane was still standing with Kas. “As have you, Mrs. Dillon. I was wrong. I admit it. The humans who killed my parents were bad ones, but you are not all the same. There are those out there who would welcome us and live peacefully alongside us. It’s those we need to focus on. Not the ones who would destroy us. Nuka was wrong. He’s blinded by his quest for power. If we show kindness and tolerance, it will be rewarded.”
The entire pack around him clapped at the end of his speech. Isobel leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Welcome to the real world. We’ll go rescue Katia and then sit down for a family meal. It’s our way, and we won’t change any part of it whether we’re human, shifter, witch or any other magical creature that exists and hasn’t been discovered yet.”
Jackson’s heart warmed at her words. But when Kas shouted for them to get ready to go, his mask of battle slipped into place. They had a pack member to rescue, and they weren’t coming home without her. Jackson couldn’t help hoping he’d be allowed to return with them, because for the first time since his parents died, he felt truly happy.
Chapter Sixteen
“Get moving.” Weston shoved Katia forward. He didn’t need to force her, though. Her body obeyed his every instruction against her will. She never hated magic as much as she did at this precise moment. If she could rid the earth of anything, it would be the type of power that bound her to Weston’s control. It was more degrading to her than being beaten into submission. At least then she’d be able to fight against what was happening to her. This way she had no choice but to do what she was told. It was the worst feeling in the world.
It had been a few hours since Jackson had walked out on her. During that time, she’d been washed and had her hair styled by some of the other ladies in the brothel. She still didn’t have any clothes on. None of the women had spoken to each other. It was an unwritten rule that they kept their thoughts to themselves. Katia’s thoughts were incredibly chaotic anyway. She should hate Jackson with a passion, but she knew deep in her heart he wasn’t responsible for what was happening to her. It was the spell controlling him. She just hoped he’d realize it before he did anything stupid. Nuka must be struggling to find loyal followers if he had to control his minions with magic. Maybe there was hope that not everyone thought the same as the crazy polar bear. If…no, when she got out of here, she’d make sure Nuka paid for this.
Weston continued to push her down the corridor toward where she knew there was a room for private shows. It was a little larger than the room she was being kept in. All the walls were covered in dark wall hangings, and there was a a bar in the corner. It was where the brothel parties where held.