In Too Deep (23 page)

“
You better not be doing what I think you are.” He sounded pissed. Well, that wasn’t what she was going for.

“
And what would that be?” she asked as she sat on the bed, facing the window with her legs spread wide, trailing her fingers up her thigh.

He let out a vicious snarl.
“Attempting to seduce me is not going to work. You should know that.”

“
Fine.” she sighed and flopped onto the bed.

“
Get dressed. You know I’m only watching you because you attempted to kill Brody’s mate.” He snapped.

Maybe another tactic would work. She sat up and crossed her legs, trying for a subdued tone.
“Fine. Are you hungry? May as well eat, and you can keep a better eye on me.”

“
No, I don’t want to be any closer to you than I need to be.”

“
Asshole.” She hung up and went to the closet. Maybe he’d follow her into the bar and something would inspire her. Besides, she could use a drink or dozen.

The last box was empty, all the chili was gone, and Fallon was ready to go get Brody. “We’re all done. Right?” Fallon asked as she sat down on the steps to pull her boots on. She didn’t really care if they were done. Somehow they managed to stay off any personal topic, and she knew the topic was coming if she didn’t sneak out, like now.

Fallon wasn’t much of a talker. She was a much better listener.

“Oh, you can’t leave yet. We hardly got to talk.” Jamie pouted.

Well, there went her easy out, but she should have known better.
“What about?”

“
I have a confession to make,” Jamie whispered conspiratorially.

Fallon forced a smile. She didn’t want to ditch Jamie, especially if she wanted to talk about herself. She nodded.
“Shoot.

“
I uh… I’m sort of having a fling with Preston. And since he’s up here, and you have history with him, I felt I should warn you before Preston could surprise you.”

“
I see.” Fallon sighed and tried to think of a non-bitchy response. She didn’t always hate Preston. Hell, she didn’t even hate him now. There was a time he was fun to hang out with, but sleeping with him sort of messed that up. “I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into. You know how he can be.”

“
It won’t be weird?” Jamie sat down beside her. “I know he screwed up with you.”

“
Seriously, Jamie, I never had a claim on him, good luck. I just don’t want to see you hurt,”

Then again, Jamie knew a person’s true emotions, and managed to avoid sticky situations most of the time.

“Good.” Jamie grinned.

Jess marched over to stand right in front of the stairs with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at Jamie.
“You slept with Preston after what he did to
her
?” Her fury filled gaze landed on Fallon. “Tell her what he did.”

“
That was forever and a day ago, and Jamie knows. She’s an adult. She can make her own decision. Besides, having a naked play-date with Preston is safer than her moving her ass up here when the Dales are just around the corner. Not to mention that Malachi is back in the ringleader position. I don’t know why you’re freaking out over something as simple as a booty call.”

“
Yeah.” Jamie glared back at her sister. “We’re not serious. He’s not all bad, and neither of us wants more than a good time. Besides, he’s too all over the place with work, and I’m not going anywhere.”

“
Fine.” Jess leaned against the wall. “If he hurts you, Fallon and I will put the hurt on him. You know we will.”

“
I know Fallon will.” She giggled. “I’m not so sure how you’re going to stand up against fireballs and the like.”

Fallon gave Jess a pointed look.
“He also has three blades like mine now.”

Jess and Jamie both turned her with wide eyes, and simultaneously asked.
“You inked him again?”

“
Yes, and he even played nice. I think he made friends with Brody.” Fallon shook her head. After the bullshit Preston pulled when they showed up at the shop, she just didn’t understand. She didn’t hear what they discussed after she went to her station but they seemed cool with each other by the time she came back out, which was weird.

Jamie breathed in deep and let it out slowly.
“I bet I know. Preston has the biggest crush on you. He’s such a little boy about it.” She giggled. “He was mean to you because he wanted you back, and knew you would never ever let him back in your bed.”

“
Please, he didn’t want me. He wanted….” She frowned and looked over at Jamie. If she was going to be friends with Preston again, she should play nice “Whatever, if you’re… uh… sleeping with him, I won’t bad mouth him.”

“
I will,” Jess exclaimed. “He cheated on Fallon with Natalia.”

Fallon shook her head.
“Actually, it was a misunderstanding. I called Natalia and cleared that night up because I just didn’t believe Preston. That was all Natalia, not him. For the record, I wasn’t even seeing Preston. He was just a couple drunk fucks.”

Jess glared back at her.
“Really? So, now you’re defending him? What about the last time you did work on him?”

Fallon pushed her fingers though her hair.
“Jess, that’s water under the bridge. We cleared things up. Preston and I are cool.”

“
Don’t be mad Jess,” Jamie pleaded. “You both are mated and can have all the hot monkey sex you want. Me, I need someone to tide me over until I find someone. You figure out who my soulmate is yet?”

“
No. I haven’t. Sorry, sis.”

“
You knew Fallon was going to hook up with Brody two years ago. How come you can’t get a read on me?” Jamie pouted.

“
See Jess, Jamie’s only into Preston for the sex.” Fallon giggled. “Although, how do you not know about her and Preston?”

Jess
groaned. “I was hoping I was just having nightmares.”

“
Have you seen anything bad between them?”

“
No. Just that they don’t last. Their fling ends amiably. He even hurts a little when Jamie kicks him to the curb.” Jess grinned a little.

Fallon smiled at Jamie.
“Good luck, Jamie. Love you two, but I’m out. I’m just going to go sneak over to Slater’s and surprise Brody.”

“
Fine. We’ll have to do a girls night sometime soon.” Jamie slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug.

“
Deal. See you both soon.” Fallon hopped up and squeezed Jess before she hurried for the door.

“
You could just call him. There are at least two acres between here and there. He’d come get you,” Jess said.

“
But then I couldn’t get some fresh air, or surprise him.”

“
Be careful,” they both called as the door shut.

Funny, she was older than both of them by almost twenty years. What was the worst that could
possibly happen between Jamie and Slater’s? The walk was only a couple acres, and the evening air was so much better than all of Jamie’s fancy smancy candles burning all night. Fallon’s sense of smell was normal. So if it was too much for her, she didn’t understand how Jamie, a werewolf, could stand the candles.

By the time she stepped onto the side of the road, she felt the presence of a vampire and werecat nearby. She shook off the concern. They were in Edenton
, and even though neither were common there, she had already run into one vampire and a couple of cats. Besides, the vampire wasn’t a Shadowstalker which would give her reason to worry.

S
omeone covered her mouth and dragged her into a vehicle that was tucked into the trees at the side of the road, one she hadn’t noticed. Fuck, why the hell hadn’t she paid attention?

She was thrown into the van
and rolled away from her abductor, to the other side of the empty space. The door was thrown shut with a slam and the tires squealed. She pushed herself into a crouch and saw Isaac across from her, and he looked pissed.

His long dark hair was stringy. He was filthy, like he hadn’t had a shower in days. There was a crazy gleam to his gray-green eyes. What the hell had Malachi done to him?

“Let me out,” she said coldly.

He lunged at her, knocking her to the ground, and crawled on top of her.
“No, you’re mine.”

Fallon slammed her fist into his skull before he pinned her arm down.

“Get off, Isaac.”

“
Plan to, red.” He dropped his face to her neck and sniffed her. “Now why does my little slut smell like a wolf?”

What the hell?
He’d never called her names, not even when she walked out on him.

“
None of your fucking business,” she snarled, raking her nails down his shoulder and arm as she struggled to get free. His hands were under her shirt, going for her breasts. Pissed, she head-butted him. There was a crunch and she grinned savagely, hoping she broke his damned nose again.

“
You’re mine, you’ll always be mine.” He bent down to kiss her, and she could taste his blood.

She bit
his lip and tore with her teeth until he screamed and jerked away.

“
Why are you fighting?” He gripped her wrists, yanking her arms over her head. His grip was so tight she knew she would be bruised.

“
I should have walked away before we ever got started. There were a thousand times I should have left, but finding you cheating was the last straw.” Her tone dripped with acid, and she wished like hell she could throw the bastard off her.

“
I love you,” he whispered, rage burning in his golden tiger eyes.

Shit, she needed to get out of there and fast. If Isaac shifted, she knew he would infect her.
She needed to distract him, to keep him talking, until she could figure out a plan. “If that were true, you wouldn’t have gone to someone else. I know it wasn’t the first time either.”

He shifted her wrists into one massive hand and turned her face to the side to bellow in her ear,
“You. Are. Mine. Until last night we were still connected. Let me guess. You’re fucking a new wolf?” He forced his knee between her thighs and pushed her legs open. “I can fix that.”

She heard the jarring pop the same time she felt her leg pull free of the joint. Agony washed over her, and she nearly blacked out while he tried to get her pants open.

“Fuck you,” she screamed and fought past the pain. Crying out, she wrenched one hand free and took a mana-blade that she slammed into his side as deep as she could. He rolled away and she sliced him open from ribs to pelvis.

She tried to get up but
pain ripped through her whole side as her vision started to gray out. With a cry, she flopped back down and pulled herself to the door. Nothing ever hurt as bad as she did just then, and she lost all control. The crackle of electricity filled the van, and sparks danced off her skin, causing strange shadows to play on the walls.

When she looked back, she saw Isaac slumped against the wall, trying to push his intestines back inside. He was in worse shape than she was
. She tried for the door again.

A roar ripped through the van, vib
rating all the way to her bones. “You’re mine.” She scooted further away and heard a thump. Then his hand wrapped around her ankle sending a new jolt of pain as he yanked. The smell of singed fur filled the air and his cry of pain rattled her, but Isaac let go and fell back with a thud.

Fallon slammed her hand into the door, and the metal shredded and curled outward as if to get away from her. She pushed herself out the door and shifted into a hawk, flying away. The explosion ruffled her feathers and she felt the heat at her back, but didn’t dare stop to look.

Malachi could be out there, or some of his mages. She didn’t want to drag them back to Brody or Jess, so she flew home and hoped she could find their house.

Her weight was off her leg, so the pain was a little better, but still ate at her awareness. Finding their house was tricky because she
’d never bothered to fly around Edenton. Everything looked different from the sky.

She flew over the woods, in the direction she knew was home and looked for his garage because it was big enough to easily see from the air. She finally found
it but circled around twice, looking for any sign of anyone or anything that shouldn’t be there.

When she couldn’t go on, she landed in a heap on the balcony and shifted back. Her whole side lit up with pain and she screamed, rolling to her side to get off her leg. Even that hurt, and she knew there was no way she was getting herself inside.

When Fallon shifted, her clothes and whatever else was on her person stayed with her. Her hands trembled as she pulled her phone from her pocket and she nearly blacked out when she barely shifted her leg.

Fallon took a few deep breaths until she was calm enough
that she could manage a coherent sentence. She didn’t want to panic Brody.

* * * *

Brody heard Fallon scream, not with his ears, but in his head and it was no less urgent. A van door slammed and tires screeched. She was in trouble. He was up and on his way out the door before he even realized what he was doing. He heard the vehicle in his head and on the road, echoing out of time.

Slater caught him around the chest and swung him around, sla
mming him into the wall outside on the porch. Slater got in his face and pinned him with one arm. Brody didn’t fight, he was too disoriented by his and Fallon’s combined senses.

Slater had the phone pressed to his ear.
“Jess, what the hell happened over there?” After a pause, he said, “Get over here now.”

He tasted blood and screamed. Pain exploded in his hip and Brody nearly fell to his knees, but Slater leaned into him, keeping him upright.