Read Online Whispered Visions (Shifters & Seers Book 3) by Tammy Blackwell - Free Book Online
Authors: Tammy Blackwell
Ads: Link
as welcoming as possible. We’ll bring you whatever you need to make it feel more like home. But unfortunately, we cannot allow you to leave just yet. We’re working towards a greater purpose. Once you understand the true beauty of what we’re doing, you’ll see why your role is such an important one.”
“A greater purpose?” Bile stung the back of Lizzie’s throat. “You’re talking about killing people.”
Alistair opened his mouth, but Lizzie cut off his reply with a raised finger. Normally, she would never be so bold, but Layne’s outrage was amplifying her own. It was as if his emotions were a warm cocoon around her, protecting her and lending her bravado she didn’t naturally possess.
“We know who you are and what you’re capable of. I was there when two of your members burned down a building with people inside. They were my friends, my family, and they almost died.” It had been Layne’s uncle who had endured the worst damage. There was a period of time when they weren’t sure he would make it. That night she had sat with Layne as he cried, assuring him he wouldn’t be left alone yet again, both of them knowing there was a chance she was wrong. “Do you honestly think I’m going to willingly condemn the people I love because you’re willing to make sure I have silk sheets or a cup of hot chocolate every night before I go to bed?”
“It’s not like that—”
“Sure as hell seemed like it was like that when you torched the Donovans’ house a few months ago,” Layne said, referring to the fire that robbed the Alpha Female’s parents, who happened to be human, of their home. The day after the house had been reduced to ash, the Alpha Pack received a note from the SHP taking responsibility for the blaze, claiming that humans who supported supernaturals were no better than the supernaturals themselves.
“Those were all actions my father put into motion before he died.” While they were talking, Alistair had moved further into the room. He now stood in the middle of the sitting area, directly in front of Lizzie and Layne. Behind him, Caroline’s piggy friends jumped about in yet another muddy puddle. “My father was callous. Cruel. His vision isn’t my vision.” He knelt down so their faces were level, effectively cutting Layne out of the conversation. “Please,” he begged, “don’t judge the son based on the sins of the father.”
“Your father isn’t the one who had me kidnapped, nor is he the one holding me here against my will.”
“I know it seems extreme, but I’m trying to do something important. Sometimes it is necessary for there to be questionable means to get to the justifiable end. I’m not asking for you to fully embrace what we’re doing, but merely to give it a chance. To be open to the change we’re seeking to bring to this world.”
Lizzie hadn’t had much interaction with crazy cult leaders, but she was pretty sure this was exactly what they sounded like.
“What change are you looking for?” she asked. “If your vision isn’t to kill off every Shifter, Seer, and human who happens to support or love a Shifter or Seer, then what is it?”
A slow smile spread across Alistair’s face. “Knowledge,” he said as if it was a grand epiphany. “My vision is a world where everyone has knowledge of the supernaturals who walk among us and what they’re capable of. I want a world where you can openly be who you’re supposed to be without having to hide in the shadows. A world where your friends can run under the full moon without fear of discovery. I want a world where human and nonhuman can live side by side.” He reached towards her, but at the last moment he remembered why that wasn’t a good idea and jerked his hand back. “Don’t you want to live in that world, Elizabeth?”
Definitely a cult leader. That thing shining in his eyes was fervor, and not the good kind. Alistair was willing to burn cities to the ground to bring his vision to life.
“A greater purpose?” Bile stung the back of Lizzie’s throat. “You’re talking about killing people.”
Alistair opened his mouth, but Lizzie cut off his reply with a raised finger. Normally, she would never be so bold, but Layne’s outrage was amplifying her own. It was as if his emotions were a warm cocoon around her, protecting her and lending her bravado she didn’t naturally possess.
“We know who you are and what you’re capable of. I was there when two of your members burned down a building with people inside. They were my friends, my family, and they almost died.” It had been Layne’s uncle who had endured the worst damage. There was a period of time when they weren’t sure he would make it. That night she had sat with Layne as he cried, assuring him he wouldn’t be left alone yet again, both of them knowing there was a chance she was wrong. “Do you honestly think I’m going to willingly condemn the people I love because you’re willing to make sure I have silk sheets or a cup of hot chocolate every night before I go to bed?”
“It’s not like that—”
“Sure as hell seemed like it was like that when you torched the Donovans’ house a few months ago,” Layne said, referring to the fire that robbed the Alpha Female’s parents, who happened to be human, of their home. The day after the house had been reduced to ash, the Alpha Pack received a note from the SHP taking responsibility for the blaze, claiming that humans who supported supernaturals were no better than the supernaturals themselves.
“Those were all actions my father put into motion before he died.” While they were talking, Alistair had moved further into the room. He now stood in the middle of the sitting area, directly in front of Lizzie and Layne. Behind him, Caroline’s piggy friends jumped about in yet another muddy puddle. “My father was callous. Cruel. His vision isn’t my vision.” He knelt down so their faces were level, effectively cutting Layne out of the conversation. “Please,” he begged, “don’t judge the son based on the sins of the father.”
“Your father isn’t the one who had me kidnapped, nor is he the one holding me here against my will.”
“I know it seems extreme, but I’m trying to do something important. Sometimes it is necessary for there to be questionable means to get to the justifiable end. I’m not asking for you to fully embrace what we’re doing, but merely to give it a chance. To be open to the change we’re seeking to bring to this world.”
Lizzie hadn’t had much interaction with crazy cult leaders, but she was pretty sure this was exactly what they sounded like.
“What change are you looking for?” she asked. “If your vision isn’t to kill off every Shifter, Seer, and human who happens to support or love a Shifter or Seer, then what is it?”
A slow smile spread across Alistair’s face. “Knowledge,” he said as if it was a grand epiphany. “My vision is a world where everyone has knowledge of the supernaturals who walk among us and what they’re capable of. I want a world where you can openly be who you’re supposed to be without having to hide in the shadows. A world where your friends can run under the full moon without fear of discovery. I want a world where human and nonhuman can live side by side.” He reached towards her, but at the last moment he remembered why that wasn’t a good idea and jerked his hand back. “Don’t you want to live in that world, Elizabeth?”
Definitely a cult leader. That thing shining in his eyes was fervor, and not the good kind. Alistair was willing to burn cities to the ground to bring his vision to life.
Similar Books
