Page 55 of Dominion
“Do you have any shifter blood in the family?”
She gaped at him. “You mean…?” Her mind raced, instantly arriving on Grandma Jane, who had given birth to her dad out of wedlock. It had been a scandalous family secret, and her father had been raised believing Abe Bell, his stepfather, was his real father until he saw his own birth certificate when he went off to college. The line for father had been filled in as ‘unknown.’ He’d confronted his mother and she’d refused to tell him anything, other than that Abe Bell loved him as his own and that was all that mattered.
Had Grandma Jane had a fling with a shifter?
Ashley considered how her father had always bragged that neither he nor his daughters ever got sick. It was true, their mother had her share of colds and flus, but Ashley and Melissa rarely caught anything, and when they did, it was mild in comparison to other people’s.
“Maybe I do heal fast,” she said slowly, remembering times when she or Melissa thought they’d sprained something only to have the swelling and pain be gone by morning. “I think I just always thought I was lucky.”
“It would explain Ben’s fascination with you.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”
He waved his hands as if to ward off her temper. “I didn’t mean any offense by that. You’re gorgeous and smart, anyone can see that, it’s just that alphas don’t usually choose humans as their mates. Biology would demand they choose the strongest or most suitable female for breeding.”
She sniffed, her anger with Ben returning full force.
“Listen… it’s none of my business, but—” He broke off when she whirled to glare at him.
“What?” she demanded.
“Just—don’t be too hard on him. He looked about as miserable as I’ve ever seen him this morning. I don’t think he meant to hurt you and I know he felt terrible about it.”
Some of her anger lessened, which for some reason made her feel weepy. She drew in several breaths to get control. “Well, why in the hell did he leave?”
Zolla shrugged. “I don’t know. My sense is that he carries around a lot of guilt—something to do with Leon’s death. He feels responsible for some reason. And I think hurting someone else he loved just made him tuck tail and run.”
Hearing that Zolla believed Ben loved her made her nose burn. She rubbed it.
“Honestly, Ashley. I know he didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She looked away to hide the emotion in her face.
His phone rang and he answered it. “How’d it go?” He listened for a moment. “Do you need cleanup?”
She strained her ears to hear the other person talking, wondering if it was Ben.
Her question was answered with Zolla’s next reply. “She’s okay. No major arteries, the wounds are healing well… No, she won’t need to see a doctor, unless she wants to.” He raised his eyebrows in question at her and she shook her head. “Okay.” Zolla held out the phone to her. “He wants to talk to you.”
She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head.
Zolla spoke into the phone. “Hey, man, she’s not feeling up to it, yet.” He turned away as if having a private conversation with Ben. “Give her a little time. It was a little shocking for her, that’s all.”
“Alittle?” she muttered.
Zolla hung up and turned back to her. “He thinks it’s safe for you and Melissa to return home.”
“What happened with Jack?”
“Ben took care of him. He had taken a job at Suma Games and wanted to ruin Stone and steal the code before he left.”
“What did Ben do?”
“He finished it,” he said with a finality that made her shiver. “He thinks it’s safe for you and Melissa to go home now.”
Though it was irrational, disappointment at once again being dissed by Ben sent bile into her throat. “Great,” she said in a strangled voice. “Is Mel still at your place?”
“Yeah, I’ll head back and let her know. Do you want her to call you or anything?”