Shattered (the Spellbound Series Book 2) by Rene Lanausse Read Free Book Online Page B

It feels like the past year of my life has been a lie. I may throw caution to the wind when I’m confronted in public, but in the back of my mind, I’ve always wondered what would happen if spellcasters, werewolves, vampires, and everything else were to become common knowledge. I’ve always worried that the government would round us up, run tests on us, segregate us. But it turns out they’ve known all along, and I’m reasonably sure they have been doing exactly what I expected quietly for years. Now isn’t the time to process that information, though; Nick and I weren’t invited here to talk about government cover-ups. I clear my throat, and ask, “Why did you ask us to come here, Mr. Navarro?”
                  “Please, call me Gene. You could also call me Senator, but only when I’m on duty.” Navarro waits expectantly for us to laugh, but Nick and I don’t even break a smile, so he says, “Right, okay. Down to business. I have a proposition for Nick here, and information for Heather.”
                  “For me?” Nick shifts uneasily in his seat, and says, “I’m not even a vampire anymore, what could you possibly want from me?”
                  “That’s just it. People have been working diligently for centuries on a cure for vampirism, but you just happened to come by one organically… I want to know your secret.”
                  Nick and I share a look. Neither of us knows exactly what happened the night he became human again, but we both assume it has something to do with me. At least, I’m sure that’s what he thinks. We’ve never actually spoken about it. But Navarro can’t know that I might be the cause, no one can. So I’m relieved when he says, “I don’t know what my secret is, sir. I just remember feeling this intense pain in my chest, and then feeling my heart start beating again, like it had never stopped.”
                  “I figured you would say that, which is why I have an offer for you. I’d like to run some tests on you, see if we can’t figure out what’s going on in your body that caused the change.”
                  “And what’s in it for me?”
                  Before answering, Navarro reaches into an open drawer on his side of the desk, and pulls out a gray folder marked Brandt . He drops it on the desk in front of Nick, and asks, “How would you like to know who turned you?”
                  This time, when I look at Nick, his eyes are trained on the ground. He’s never talked about how he became a vampire, at least not with me. I never pried. But I can see the gears turning in his head; I imagine he has a list of things he’d like to say and do to whoever turned him. Nick lifts his head a little, and asks, “How could you possibly know who-“
                  “Again, it’s my business to know. And naturally, we’ll turn a blind eye to whatever you decide to do with that information. What do you say?”
                  There isn’t even a hint of hesitation in Nick’s voice when he replies. “I’m in.”
                  I stare incredulously at the man sitting next to me. Surely he considered that whatever tests they run on him, they’ll eventually lead back to me. Meaning that when it comes to him meeting his maker, I come second. Even if he doesn’t realize it, he’s willingly throwing me under the bus to get his hands on that information. I thought I was upset with him before. Now I’m furious.
                  “Now for you, Heather.” I direct my glare at Navarro, who carefully slips the folder back into his drawer. “I’m sure the past few hours have been hard on you, but I’m going to put your mind at ease. You’re not turning into a vampire.”
                  Nick and I let out a simultaneous, “What?”
                  “Under normal circumstances, you should