In Too Deep (18 page)

“
I’m sure you have your own talents.” She looked him up and down. Fallon knew enough to watch the ground because most Earth Fae could cause mini earthquakes. She expected Hayden to use compounds which are rocks formed out of dust and other particles. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be incredibly powerful and unbelievably strong.

“
Come on, old man,” Brody dared Slater. His voice pulled her attention. She watched him circle Slater. Both men were in battle stances, hands at the ready, and each looked lethal as they eyed each other.

Slater made his move. He stepped forward and swung hi
s arm at Brody, who ducked down and came up on the alpha’s side. Brody caught Slater’s wrist and wrenched him around, just like she did to Brody only moments before.

A groan echoed from Slater, but he pulled a fancy move that shifted into a roundhouse kick, pulling him out of Brody’s grasp. Brody leaned back just in time for Slater’s foot to sail past where his head had been. Brody caught Slater’s leg and used momentum of the kick to spin Slater into the floor so
he could pin his alpha. The thud and Slater’s grunt reverberated in her ears.

“
I give, I give,” Slater rasped out and winked at her.
Crafty bastard.

Brody jumped to his feet, and pulled Slater to a stand. Fallon really wanted to cheer, but watched with the same expression she watched everyone else. Brody met hers gaze and she nodded but looked away before she could give him a warmer response.

It was killing her to ignore what she felt. She wanted to throttle Slater for swinging at Brody, and she couldn’t, especially with Dacia giving her the hairy eyeball.

* * * *

Hayden had seen the way Brody and Fallon reacted to each other the night before. Brody was mating in a big way, and Hayden to had wonder if Fallon even realized it yet. After hearing about some of her past relationships, he wasn’t sure how she’d take the bond. He wished Brody luck, but women were nothing but trouble.

Right now, he was a little worried about how Brody was going to react to watching him spar with Fallon.

Hayden had no intention of hurting her. Honestly, he wasn’t sure he could. Fallon was fast, knew how to throw a punch, and was willing to use any advantage she had in a fight. She fought dirty and didn’t seem to be a stranger to fighting out of her league. That wasn’t right. Fallon was in a league of her own. She dominated every sparring match. Hayden suspected that Brody only managed to pin her because he saw a pattern.

The way
she taught each person to use their own specific strengths to their advantage was brilliant. What she taught Dakota and the other two healers was very different than what she taught Tomahawk and the offensive casters. She varied what she taught the wolves based on size.

Hayden had been his king’s general for a century and knew a million tactics. Fallon came up with things he had never even imagined.
There was no doubt she was a warrior.

Brody came up beside Hayden
, the warning clear in his gaze. “Remember your strength.”

Dane, the nearest wolf, perked up.

Hayden gave Brody a look, but didn’t bother saying anything. He’d keep their secret, but Brody was going to blow it if he kept up the attitude.

“
You wanted to see what I can do?” Fallon asked as she moved into the ring, a smirk on her mouth. She had every right to be cocky.

He whipped his hands up as he stepped into the ring, summoning all the loose particles in the mill. Rocks the size of marbles formed above his hands, spinning and gathering mass. They grew to the size of bowling balls in seconds. He
heard several gasps and knew Brody was either nervous, or flat out pissed.

Fallon snorted. She cupped her hands together in front of her mouth and blew air into the space. Her hands spread out as lightning danced within the circle of her hands. The crackle set his hair on end.

He flung his hands forward, hurling the rocks toward her. She shot one hand out, flinging the boulders right back. One landed at a wolf’s feet and the other hit Hayden in the shin with more force than he threw the spell in the first place.

She drew her other arm back and threw the lightning sphere like a ball. He ducked, but she slashed her hand toward him
and the spell zagged, hitting him square in the chest, knocking him flat. Thankfully he was resistant to most magic. Still hurt, but he absorbed the spell and sprung to his feet just in time for her to dart in and sweep her foot low, putting him right back on his ass.

He slammed his hands into the ground, and she did a backwards somersault as the ground rippled under her. She sprung to her feet with a grin. The floor kept rolling and knocked several werewolves down, Slater included.

“That all you got?” Fallon circled him as she breathed deep. Wind swirled through the building and spiraled around her, whipping loose tendrils of red hair around her. “Come on, Sheriff Hunter. You can do better than that.”

He threw his hand out, feeling for energy under her feet, and then yanked his hand back, pulling the ground toward him.

Fallon stumbled, but managed to stay on her feet. Then she spun like a dervish. The wind formed a tight whirlwind around her, and then whipped toward him almost too fast to see. The compact tornado lifted him off his feet, spinning him into the air. A startled cry burst free, and then he was falling. He landed hard.

H
ayden bolted up and threw his hands out, boulders forming as they hurtled toward her.

She stopped spinning on a dime, and spread her hands. Her eyes closed and her chest heaved as a brilliant flash of light blinded him. When his vision cleared, he saw the small piles of ash directly in front of the sheet of shimmering shield before her.

Hayden just blinked at her. “I’ve never seen anything like that.” A slow smile pulled at his mouth. “I’m impressed.”

“
Me too. I knew you’d be able to manipulate the ground, even create those compounds, but your last spell was nearly too fast.”

A laugh exploded from him.
“Please, you countered before the rocks were close and nearly blinded me in the process.”

* * * *

Brody’s heart pounded in his chest. Watching Hayden come at Fallon was hell even though she countered everything he threw at her and knocked him on his ass repeatedly. He still wanted to beat the hell out of Hayden for pulling any of that shit.

Fallon impressed him
, though. She was better than anyone could have imagined, and the things she managed to do blew his mind. Then again, he never considered Hayden might have any magic.

Brody moved to the platform to lean against the railing. He watched as Fallon taught a simple maneuver to block a vampire from biting. Pretending they were only friends was killing him.
He needed to get a handle on himself in a major way.

“
She’s not coming on to you,” Dacia said and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He never saw her come up. “But you’re thinking about pursuing her.”

He glanced over at Dacia.
He knew there was no point lying. He’d been watching Fallon all day and couldn’t hide his brewing temper. “Would it matter if I did?” He was so tired of Dacia’s games.

She pouted back at Fallon.
“She’s nothing like Sarah.”

“
No. She’s really not. But she’s nothing like you either.” He went back to watching Fallon.

“
What is it about her that has
you
, the man who hasn’t looked at another woman in years, completely enthralled?”

“
She’s full of life, funny, easy to talk to, incredibly talented, thinks of everyone but herself, and she doesn’t give a damn what anyone else thinks about her. It’s refreshing.” There were a million more things he could say about Fallon.

“
You didn’t mention how beautiful she is.” Dacia’s eyes narrowed.

“
Well, she is,” he admitted. “And that would have warranted a first look, but beauty never kept my interest. I need substance, and Fallon has substance. She fits into everything in my life”

“
Just like Sarah?” She snorted, obviously missing the point.

Better than Sarah, but he felt like an ass for thinking it.
“It’s not about Sarah. It shouldn’t be about her. Besides, Sarah wouldn’t want me to do what I’ve been doing the last four years. I wasn’t living. But since Fallon showed up, I’m not so empty. So can you fault me if I’m considering it?”

Dacia scowled, and her hands wrapped around the railing until her knuckles were white.
“Yes. You were supposed to get over her and want me.” She shook her head. “Fallon’s not right for you. She’s trouble.”

His gaze slid back to Dacia.
“Why? Because she wouldn’t take your bait? Because she didn’t want to play your games?” One brow arched as he coldly stared at her.

“
Fine, you’ve made your point. I will laugh when she won’t take you. Hell, she barely looks at you.” Dacia laughed coldly. “She hasn’t made a single move. Has she?”

Thank God she doesn’t know about last night
. “I suppose we’ll see.”

“
Hmph.” Dacia stomped off.

Brody turned his attention to Fallon. She had moved on to ways to evade spells. Dacia stalked up to the circle of people surrounding Fallon. She disappeared and Fallon spun as she dropped to her knees, sliding out of the way. Dacia reappeared right where Fallon had been, with a long curved dagger with glowing red etching. There was an acrid smell of strange
magic.

Brody was over the rail and on his way to them before he even thought about moving. A growl rumbled out of him that was all about protecting his mate.

* * * *

The longer Dacia talked to Brody the more she realized what a fool she’d been. He wanted Fallon because she was stronger than his dead wife.
Fallon could fight, she could brawl, and she could protect herself. Dacia should have known. His wife was a damned soldier after all.

How the fuck did I miss that?
Dacia seethed.

Well, she was going to show him a strong woman. One who could take Fallon down a few notches. Oh
, Dacia wouldn’t kill her, but she would cut the bitch who managed to outmaneuver the wolves, even Brody. She couldn’t believe Fallon managed to overpower a fae warrior.

Fallon
was too damned smug, and Brody only had eyes for her. That was going to change right now.

Dacia stalked back down to the group where Fallon was in the center giving some stupid speech about
…who fucking knew. She was going to prove just how ineffectual all of the druid’s bullshit techniques were, and how weak she really was.

Tapping into her fae
side, she started to fade out, feeling lighter. She would disperse into the air and take her shape in time to harm Fallon, only enough to stop this unnecessary training session. They didn’t need an outsider to protect them

When Brody realized Dacia was the stronger woman, he would finally see she was worthy.

* * * *

Fallon kept an eye on Dacia from the moment she walked into the building. She didn’t trust the woman, half-fae, witch, or whatever. She had an unhealthy obsession with Brody and there was no way she was giving up so easily.

It came as no surprise when Dacia went to talk to Brody, or that she didn’t like whatever he had to say. Fallon wasn’t even surprised when Dacia started for the circle with a vicious and totally psycho gleam in her dark eyes. The closer Dacia got, the more warped her image became. Then she just disappeared.

Fallon knew what was coming because she had seen that trick before. Dropping to her knees, she spun away in a blur and came up behind Dacia. Fallon clocked Dacia upside the head hard enough to put her on the floor.

Dacia went down but was only there a second before she pulled another disappearing act, fazing into thin air.

Fallon reacted automatically, sending out a pulse of energy, knocking several wolves back, but also forcing Dacia to rematerialize. Dacia flailed and desperately tried to keep her balance. When she finally fell, Fallon sprung forward, snapped the blade out of her hand, and slammed the hilt into her temple. Dacia was dazed.

Cold magic hummed through the blade. Fallon jumped back out of Dacia’s reach. There was an abundance of built up energy from all the of Others in the building. She closed her eyes and breathed in the energy, then used the extra power for a burst of magical strength to drive the blade straight into the concrete floor.

Fallon stood and walked back. Dacia kicked and screamed even as three wolves held her while Hayden put iron cuffs on her. Certain types of fae had the same problem with iron as werewolves did with silver. Dacia was the only one in the mill with that problem, so Hayden must have expected trouble. Iron cuffs weren’t exactly standard issue.

“What the fuck.” Fallon demanded. Dacia blinked up at her, her face red with fury. “I’m trying to help you. If those vampires come after you, I won’t be your enemy, but if you keep that bullshit up I’m not going to help you either. Is that what you want?”