New Beginnings (26 page)

“Fine, how much time off?” Simons bit out.
Any second now, and the man’s head would explode, his face was so
red.

“Tonight and tomorrow. Paid, and I will
check on you then. We’ll figure this out.” Hayden nodded toward the
door, “Go, and when you see her next, apologize. I will check her
car, but I can guarantee she won’t have a weapon. Piercing gear
perhaps, but that’s her profession.”

“All right,” Simons growled and turned to
leave. Hayden just hoped the other man would get his shit together
before he did something he would regret and couldn’t just apologize
for.

* * * *

Amethyst fought back tears. The cuffs were
really hurting now. The longer they were in contact with her skin
the worse it was going to be. She wouldn’t cry though. Simons was a
big brute of a wolf. He was tall, with brown hair, and muddy brown
eyes, and just a big bully.

She refused to give him the satisfaction of
seeing her cry.

The sheriff came back in. “I’m Hayden
Hunter. Here,” the deep rumble of his voice caressed over her ears,
and she had to fight back a shiver, “stand up so I can get those
damned things off of you. I am sorry about his reaction, but he
knows squat about fae and their possible reactions to steel.”

She stood up and turned her back to him, not
really wanting to. He felt like a predator, but she didn’t think he
would hurt her either. She was drawn to him, but she didn’t trust
that instinct

The cuffs fell from her wrists. She turned
around with a frown, rubbing her blistered wrists. “Thank you.”

“Sorry, I would have removed them faster,
but I know most of us don’t want everyone knowing exactly what we
are. I’m lucky enough to not have an aversion to metals, but I’m
guessing you do.”

“You’re not like me.” She shook her head and
took a shaky breath as she looked up into his eyes. And yes, he was
Other, fae in fact, but not any type of water fae. His eyes were
deep, dark, almost black, and his gaze was irritatingly soothing,
but she fought her reaction. His tousled hair was the color of dark
chocolate drizzled with caramel, and his skin was the color of
honey. He smelled of musk and dark spices that reminded her of a
home she only knew from ancestral memories. She had to fight her
instinct to lean into him so she could breathe him in.

“You haven’t been to faerie, and yet you
are.” He smiled a little. “How old are you?”

She backed up without meaning too, and found
herself against his desk, “Twenty-five. My family was exiled before
I was born. But how did you know?”

“It’s all right, Amethyst, I won’t bite.
Slater told me enough to know that you were born and raised down in
California. Now come on, I’ll take you back to your car.” He held
out her keys and license, which she took hesitantly. “And for the
record, I am a different type of fae from you. Earth fae, but I’m
not one of the elitist.”

“Oh, um… good.” She didn’t want to trust
him, but she sort of was anyway. Goodness, he was almost a foot and
a half taller than her. His shoulders were broad and defined. In
fact, he was built like a warrior. He was all solid muscle, no fat,
but he wasn’t built like a freakish body builder.

Still, he dwarfed her, and it was a little
intimidating in all the right ways. Swallowing back an unsettling
mix of emotions, she looked up into those dark mesmerizing
eyes.

“I’m sorry I was speeding, but after the day
I had, I just,” she sighed, “I wasn’t paying attention to the speed
limit, or my speed. I swear, I didn’t argue with him.” She blushed
because he flustered her so badly, but she kind of liked it, which
was just wrong.

“And yet, I think you could have fought him
off if you wanted too.” he grinned. “You seem a bit skittish, but
from what Fallon told me, you have a right to be. She also says you
can protect yourself quite well.” His eyes delved into hers, and it
felt way too intimate for a stranger.

With a shrug, she shook her head. “I really
don’t want to get into my past. Officer Simons didn’t hurt me, and
he didn’t do anything wildly inappropriate. If he had, I would have
stopped him, but I don’t want everyone knowing what I am. I’m
really not sure I could fight off a werewolf who is nearly two feet
taller and more than three times my weight.”

“From what Fallon says, you did a couple
times in San Francisco,” he murmured.

Blushing, she shrugged slightly. Fallon had
taught her a few nasty tricks, but she didn’t like resorting to
them.

“Do you trust me?” Hayden asked her softly
as he stepped right in front of her, leaving her nowhere to go as
he looked down into her eyes.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. He was
just so big and edible, that he made her crave things she didn’t
want to crave.

* * * *

Hayden just wanted to put her at ease, but
he had a feeling that no matter what he did, she was going to be
skittish. Well, there were a whole lot of things he wanted to do to
the little woman, but she was a fraction of his age. And whoever
her parents were, it seemed she was raised as a human.

Shit, now he was curious who her family was.
He only knew one fae who shared her last name. Paavo was from the
water realm, and in a solid relationship with another fae of
similar background.

“Well? I just want to help,” he said softly,
hoping she would say yes because he was only going to heal her.
Besides, her delicate little wrists were raw and blistered, and he
knew they had to burn. If she would just let him, he could fix it
easily.

“Why should I trust you?” she breathed the
words, barely whispering as she stared up into his eyes. Amethyst
was mesmerizing. So little, and temptingly seductive without
trying. Even in the cargo pants and plain tank, she was still so
feminine.

Of course she was afraid of him. Her lack of
trust after being held by the Silver Council for two weeks for
something she didn’t do made perfect sense. Other than Fallon, he
imagined it would be a long while before she put her confidence in
anyone.

“I just want to help you. I can take the
pain away,” he promised.

Amethyst shoved her hands behind her back
and shook her head before looking down at the ground.

It dawned on him then. Did she assume all
fae healed with lust or love? “Which are you? Nymph or siren?”

She didn’t answer, just shook her head
again.

“Amethyst, I don’t heal that way, I
promise.”

“Nymph,” she muttered. “My brother is half
siren. I know how we all heal.”

“Paavo?”

She nodded slowly. At least he knew her
brother. Worst case, he could call him and have him talk to
her.

“I only have to touch the injury, not even
all of it. I can get Paavo on the phone to see if he can explain. I
assume you trust him, and he is an old friend.”

“All right.” Her voice was soft, delicate,
and her pouty lips turned down in a frown. One delicate little hand
came out, held in front of her, but she still wouldn’t look at
him.

“Is that a yes?”

She nodded, and he wished he could see her
eyes, but she wasn’t looking at him. He sighed and gently took her
arm with one hand, tracing over the burn with the fingers of his
other.

* * * *

The big sheriff was oh so gentle, sweet
even. His magic felt good, soothing the burn almost instantly.
“Tha…oh…I,” then she remembered you weren’t supposed to thank the
older fae, and he seemed old. Not how he looked, just the feel of
his magic that wrapped around her like a blanket.

If he was even half as old as she thought,
she probably shouldn’t want to lick him like a giant lollipop. And
she didn’t have much experience with too many fae outside her
family.

“I may be older, but I’ve been here long
enough to live as a human. Thanking me won’t insult me.” His smile
was genuine and pleasant, his gaze stayed on her eyes when she
finally looked up at him. “Can I see your other hand?”

She swallowed hard and let him. Again, he
was gentle, nothing sexual there. She could have done it by
stealing lust from someone, or well… she wasn’t going to think of
that. Then again, he didn’t seem to desire her which was
disappointing, even though she was not going to be getting naked
with him, or anyone.

“Thank you. I should go to my jeep. Fallon
wanted me to meet her at In 2 Deep. She has the key to the
apartment.” By that point, Amethyst could really use a drink, or
few to relax.

“I’ll drive you to your car, and then show
you where the bar is. Then, if you’d like, I’ll show you where they
live after you unwind a little. I’ll even help you unpack.”

“I can manage,” she frowned, tired of being
treated like a stupid little girl, “but I would appreciate the ride
to my jeep.”

“I’m off duty, unless something comes up and
I’m called back. Just give me a minute to change.”

“All right.” She managed a tiny smile before
he left the room.

Her phone buzzed again, her text messages.
Crap
. She pulled her phone out and saw several texts from
Jess, Jamie and Fallon.

With a sigh, she texted them all back and
told them she was coming but was delayed.

Her phone rang almost immediately, and she
answered Fallon’s call. “Hi. Sorry. I’ll be there soon.”

“Why is your car abandoned on the side of
the damned road?” Fallon was ticked, and rightfully so.

“Uh, one of the policemen had a bad day,”
she muttered sheepishly, “He brought me down to the station because
I was going eighty in a forty.” Feeling stupid, she sighed. “I just
wasn’t thinking, and before you start, I wasn’t rude to him.”

“Stop, I think I know who you’re talking
about,” Fallon sneered. “Simons caught his wife cheating. He
probably saw your purple hair and thought you might be related. The
bastard does have purple in his hair, but it’s dusky, almost a dark
gray.”

“Oh, okay.” Amethyst shook her head. Some
people just didn’t like anyone different. “Sheriff Hunter is taking
me back to my car.”

“And escorting you to the bar,” he said
mildly.

Her eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips.
She didn’t need him taking her anywhere. “That’s totally
unnecessary.”

“May I?” He held his hand out for the phone,
and she gave it to him with a scowl. His lips quirked up in a grin.
He told Fallon, “I’ll bring her to the bar as well. I’ll make sure
she gets to your place if she leaves before you do. I’ll even help
her bring her things up to her apartment.”

He paused and nodded, but amusement danced
in his eyes, and that made her wonder.

His smile was warm. “Don’t worry. I just
want to make sure Simons’ welcome to town hasn’t rattled her too
badly. She seems awfully nervous.”

There was only kindness and protectiveness
in his gaze and tone. The jerk, but then she realized that wasn’t
fair. Why should he want someone like her? Hell, Fallon or Brody
probably warned him already. Not to mention that she was just a
baby in comparison to the big delicious sheriff.

His deep, warm voice snapped her out of her
thoughts. “We’ll be there soon.”

He handed the phone back to her and locked
his firearm in the desk.

Amethyst finally let her eyes graze over his
big body. He was scrumptious in his boot cut jeans that hugged
those long powerful thighs. His worn tee shirt did the same to his
very impressive abs, sculpted chest and let’s not forget his big
bulgy arms. Hayden didn’t look like a steroid junky, but he was
powerfully built, with each muscle well defined.

She just wanted to trace every ridge with
her tongue.
No, no I don
’t
, or so she told
herself.

Devouring his appearance with her eyes was a
bad idea when he was not on her menu. Hell, she was fasting, and he
was like an eight course meal with something spectacularly sweet
and tempting for desert.

Right, she needed to get off the phone and
to her jeep. “See you soon, Fallon,” she couldn’t keep the
irritation out of her tone, so she hung up before Fallon could
reply.

“Come on. I’ll let you sit in the front
seat, no cuffs involved,” he winked, and there was just a hint of
something dark and salacious in his gaze.

She swallowed her first snarky remark and
followed him to a giant SUV. “Does it need to be so big?” She knew
she blushed when she looked back at him. It didn’t just go for the
truck. His wolfish grin left her feeling all shivery.

“Here,” he opened the door and picked her
up, much too easily, as he sat her inside.

“You didn’t need to do that.” Her voice
squeaked

She could feel his chuckle dance over her,
and it was much too inviting. “You look nervous, and I don’t want
to keep Fallon waiting. I’m afraid of what she’ll do if Simons
shows up at the bar.”

“Right. That might not go over so well.”

He nodded. “She is very protective of her
friends. In fact,” he frowned and touched her arm, just above her
elbow.

She flinched at the gentle contact, but saw
the bruise in the shape of Simons’ hand when she looked down. His
magic washed over her in a caress, and she had to bite back her
whimper. Oh, that felt so good she closed her eyes against it, and
she tried her darnedest to fight off any reaction.

* * * *

“Amethyst,” he said softly, trying not to
spook her worse, but she flinched every time he touched her. “Are
you okay?”

Her laugh was nervous. “Sorry Sheriff
Hunter….”

“Hayden, call me Hayden, please. Most
everyone knows me as Hayden.” Damn it, his voice was low and husky,
he tried to dial back his lust back, but it wasn’t happening. She
was just everything he craved, and it had been a long time since he
craved anyone.

“Hayden,” she sighed and opened up her
beautiful eyes, but she still looked nervous. “Can we just go get
my jeep, please?”