Shadows of the Past (22 page)

“Please, don’t shut me out,” he pleaded.

“I’
m not, so don’t do that. You can’t just make things go away.” She turned her back. “Remember, I need to think sometimes.”

“Shit,” he muttered. “Look, I want to make this better. Not make it worse.”

“Start talking, but don’t tell me Darla is gone for good. I think… I think I know a way to save her.”

“I don’t have any good news about
Darla, Ame. You can’t blame yourself if there is no way to bring her back.

She sighed in frustration and narrowed her eyes at him.
“Leave her for now. What did he do to my mother?”

“
Opal seems fine, but she’s unconscious.”

“
She shut him out, and shut herself down. I can fix that.” Amethyst turned back to him with a slight smile. “I need to talk to Paavo and Mathis. They should know if what I want to do will work.”

Hayden stood and moved toward her. He stopped just out of reach and looked down at her. “We’ll talk to them, but if they decide it’s too dangerous, we h
ave to find a better plan.”

“That’s why I want to talk to them.” She glared up at him. “You don’t get a vote. You’re already going to say no
, no matter what.”

A little smile pulled at his lips. “Baby, I don’t want to tell you no if I can he
lp it. I don’t want to risk you when you aren’t to blame.”

“That’s not your call.
Whether or not you think it’s my fault, it is, at least partially. I need to do what I can, but if it opens me up to attack from Izackarus, I won’t. I’m not reckless.”

“I need to remember that.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “
I’ll try not to step in your way, but I won’t lose you, I can’t make that promise.”

A smile graced her lips as he opened his eyes. “Thank you.” She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. Her breasts jiggled free. She turned and looked over her shoulder at him.

“I think I know a way you can take some of the worry away.”

He licked his suddenly dry lips as
he heard the
pop
of her button and
slide
of her zipper coming down. Her hands hooked in her waist band and she paused.

“How’s that?” he murmured.

She pushed her jeans down her hips, bending over to reveal her already glistening core.

“Make love to me, Hayden.”

Hayden dropped to his knees behind her, and her hands landed on the wall with soft thuds as he trailed his nose against her slick heat. She whimpered as his tongue snaked out to take a long lick of her.

Her needy
groan made his cock jump as he explored her sweet folds. “Please, oh please,” she moaned.

He sucked
her little pink pearl into his mouth before delving into her with his tongue. She pushed back, grinding herself over his face as he thrust his tongue into her slick heat.

She came hard
and he lapped up every drop of her pleasure before he stood. She leaned heavily against the wall and he scooped her up to carry her back to the bed.

“Have I told you that you taste like paradise, little nymph?” He murmured as she fell back against the mattress and stared up at him with heavy lidded eyes.

She shook her head and smiled. “No, but you need to be inside me. Like now.”

He reached down to pull his shirt off, but she sat up and pulled him on top of her before she got his pants opened and yanked down his briefs, springing his cock free.

“Forget the clothes, I need you now.” She gripped him tight and positioned him at her entrance. “Now.”

He couldn’t help grinning at her command. No woman had ever demanded what she wanted from him like Amethyst. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, and if it was pleasure she wanted, he would be happy to give it to her.

Hayden pushed into her with one powerful stroke. Her back arched as he pulled out only to pound back into her. “You feel so damned good,” he groaned.

* * * *

“Ditto, now move,” Amethyst pleaded.

Hayden didn’t disappoint. His emotion washed over her
with each thrust, pouring into her as he burrowed himself deep inside both physically and metaphysically. This time she felt it all, passion, desire, love and all in equal measures. She let him flood out the doubt and fear.

“Hayden, yes, oh yes,” she cried, her body writhing as she
toppled over the edge, his climax following.

Her name left his lips as a desperate plea. That one word wrapped around her, binding them as he rolled onto his side, enveloping her in his arms.
So warm, so safe, so hers.

Scared, terrified really, but loved. She knew, deep down it was love he felt. She felt it too, but it was so soon.

An overwhelming urge to tell him nearly overtook her. She clamped her mouth shut and buried her head against his chest as he stroked her back in tender sweeps.

There was a knock on her door and she sat up, suddenly embarrassed. “Okay, I better get that.” Especially because she just realized they hadn’t used a condom, and
the pill didn’t work for nymphs according to her mother. Oh boy, best not to think about that, she didn’t want to do the math. She was on a totally different cycle than human women. Nymphs could only get pregnant every three years and she was pretty sure the timing was wrong but she was still on the verge of panic.

Amethyst hopped up and hurrie
d into her clothes. “Hold on,” she called as she rushed to the door. She was thankful to have a distraction from the flood of emotions. She didn’t know what to say to Hayden at that point.

She opened the door and found Brody there. Shoving her hands into
her pockets, she smiled weakly. “Hey, Brody. What’s up?”

“Good, you’re al
l
right.” The big werewolf blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Heard you screaming, and thought maybe something… bad happened.” Brody shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “Sorry.” He half laughed and glanced at Hayden. “Right, the thing that attacked Clint, tried to get to him again, about an hour ago. He couldn’t touch either of us for more than a moment.”

“Whoa, slow down
.” All embarrassment flew out the window, concern taking its place as she stared at Brody. “What’s going on?”

* * * *

Hayden stood there, stunned. “Couldn’t touch you?”

“Are you and Clint okay?” Amethyst asked.

Brody looked down at her with a slight smile and nodded. “We are. It was the damnedest thing. A shadowy form came through the door. It looked like he held a gun up and we both went to tackle him.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “It was like… like his limbs split into octopus legs and tried to wrap around us. It screamed and then vanished.”

“Fallon’s wards,” Hayden whispered. “We need to know who she’s tattooed. I think that’s what’s stopping Izackarus from causing even more trouble. Everyone with her ink should be safe from the possession.”

Hayden gently turned Amethyst and peered into her wide eyes as he brushed a hand down her side where the flowers were tattooed. “Is that Fallon’s work?”

She nodded. “Those are. Gabe did a few others on me.”

“Good. You should be all right. We still need to talk to everyone, because I don’t think that will stop him from using your blood.”

“Right.”
She took a deep breath. “We should probably get to your house.”

“Yeah, I should start the grill.” Hayden nodded at Brody. “Bring Fallon when you’re ready.”

“Will do.” Brody went back down the stairs and Amethyst slipped past Hayden to grab a bag and start throwing things in it. Everything in her apartment was neat and orderly, and yet she was shoving clothes and a few extra things into her backpack in a haphazard fashion.

She
made him smile.             

Izackarus didn’t have the strength to leave Darla’s body so soon, so he sent his feelers out for anyone still asleep. Just down the hall he found someone who was still under the effects of anesthesia from a recent surgery.

He wrapped his will around the man’s consciousness and seeped into his dreams. He found the man smiling down at his wife who was laid out before him.

She traced her fingers up his arms as he leaned over her. “Alex, you are so good to me.”

Izackarus took the opportunity to morph the pretty brunette into the corpse he didn’t get to play with thanks to the light that Lincoln emitted. It wasn’t just healing light. It was something that threatened to tear his existence apart.

Alex screamed and Izackarus
threw the corpse’s wrinkled arms around Alex’s neck and her legs around his hips as she tried to roll them over.

There was a real scream as Alex bolted awake, and Izackarus had to pull away from the dream, taking the panic and fear with him.

* * * *

Preston pulled into Hayden’
s driveway. He was wound too tight. Everything he had found out over the course of the day scared the hell out of him. The one person he had always protected was the only one who could bring this Shadow Fae to its end.

If it all went wrong, she would die and
the nightmare creature would not only manifest fully, he would bring his kind with him, making earth something like hell.

He shut his car off and climbed out. The
house was still dark and he was the first one there. Preston pulled out his phone, and considered calling Robert, but he appeared before him.

“Hey,” Preston said. He wanted to ask Robert about Liz.
She had been Preston’s friend once, but it looked like she ran from everything that had anything to do with Robert. Tremaine seemed to be the only exception. Robert wasn’t going to talk until he was good and ready anyway.

“
You okay?” Robert asked gruffly.

He snorted. “Sure. End of the world might be coming if we don’t find a way to let my favorite little nymph do what only she can do to stop it.”

“Finally figured out what you feel for Amethyst?”

“Don’t.” Preston rubbed a hand over his face. “
She’s off limits. Just like Liz.”

“Fair
enough.” Robert took a look around. “So, where is everyone?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” He really didn’t. He knew Amethyst was with Hayden, and that Brody
was still next door. Fallon wasn’t far, and there was another of the enforcers over there.

“When are Mathis and Paavo due?”

“I hope soon. They seem to be the most informed about what Zack is. Here’s the thing, he took another body, only she was alive. I don’t think we can get her back.”

“Is she possessed?”

“Yeah, but Mathis tried to explain. All I know is that they don’t know a way to remove the Shadow from her without killing her.”

Hayden pulled in. His SUV was full. Amethyst climbed out and gave Preston a weak smile and Robert a nod.

Brody hopped out and took Fallon’s hand. Clint walked around the side, and he looked a little shell-shocked still.

“Are you up for this?” Preston asked with a raised brow.

Clint grumbled, “It wasn’t like the damned bullet was silver. Let’s just figure this shit out.”

“Slater should be here in a minute,
” Brody said. “He wants to know what’s going on just as much as the rest of us.”

Preston looked to Amethyst but he didn’t know what to say. She met his gaze and quickly looked away. Preston closed his eyes and leaned against his car.

Robert gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before moving away.

“Come o
n, let’s go in.” Hayden said gruffly. “Mathis and Paavo already called to say they’re close. It won’t take Slater long to arrive.”

* * * *

Amethyst was suddenly nervous as she stepped into Hayden’s house. She almost wanted to ask to move the group back to Fallon’s. There was no good reason, other than she felt a little foolish.

Preston looked lost ev
ery time her gaze swung his way. Just a few days ago she would have done anything for him to feel this way. And now, she wasn’t sure what to say to him.

She
had long ago given up the dream of Preston being hers. It hadn’t stopped her from wishing and dreaming about him. No, it took Hayden stepping into her life for her to finally let go, and just in time for Preston to finally see her as a woman.

Hayden rubbed his big hand up and down her back before squeezing her shoulder. She could feel tension rolling off of him. Was she supposed to explain? Did he need to know? Preston gave Hayden a dark look before glancing away.

Fallon’s brow arched but she kept her mouth shut.

Amethyst
heard the car on the gravel and sighed in relief. The sooner her brother and Mathis were here, the sooner they could start.

It was already odd with everyone just standing around in the living room. She was almost worried he would ask her to go get everyone drinks, even though she had
n’t actually been in the kitchen yet.

Wow, things had moved fast.
She hadn’t seen much of anything but his bedroom the night before.

Clint still looked rattled as
he turned toward the door. He jumped as someone knocked. She moved to him and gently touched his face as she looked into his green eyes.

Amethyst
smiled sweetly and murmured, “Take a deep breath, hon.”

Clint’s chest rose and fell slowly as the fear and anxiety washed away from him.

“Another one,” she told him.

His shoulders relaxed and his face went lax.

“Better?”

“Mmhmm,” he answered
. A lazy smile crept onto his lips.

“Now just remember to stay calm even when we talk about Izackarus.”

“Of course.”

She patted his cheek and turned to open the door.

Mathis gave her a squeeze before Paavo pushed him aside and picked her up in a big hug.

“I’ve been worried about you ever since we ran into Preston on the plane
,” Paavo exclaimed.

Once Paavo put her down, she stepped back and glared up at him.
“You could have just called. Might have been nice to know more, but no, everyone seems to want to leave little Amethyst in the dark like some kind of kid.”

“I figured the big dumbass behind you would have filled you in.” He raised a brow at Hayden.

Amethyst blushed. “Oh, well, we were busy with other things.”

Mathis looked to Hayden and back to Paavo. “
She was right.”

“Oh, grow up,” she
huffed and moved back to a chair where she could sit alone. Of course Hayden followed and stood behind her. She turned in her seat. “You said something about starting the grill.

He gave her a suspicious look but nodded before goin
g out back. Brody followed him.

“How you holding up, kid?” Preston asked with some semblance of the old smile he used to give her.

“Holding. I think I know how to bring Mom back. I can break whatever hold Izackarus still has on Stacey. I even think I know how to release Darla from Izackarus.” She looked over at Mathis. “I just want to make sure that it shouldn’t leave me open to attack before Sheriff Eyeball decides I shouldn’t do it.”

Paavo
snickered. “That is certainly an appropriate name for Hayden, especially since you waltzed into his life.”

Preston sighed heavily and managed to look anywhere but at her. Her heart squeezed tight. He wasn’t her dream anymore, but she knew that he wasn’t in love with Jamie either, and Jamie had to know that.

Mathis glanced at Preston and then back at her with understanding in his dark eyes. He nudged Paavo who glanced over and they shared their silent conversation. At least Paavo took a more serious expression.

“You should be fine,” Mathis said. “We’ll be there every step of the way. What were you thinking to help them?”

“Well, first I want to see Mom. I think she just cast a spell to put herself under. Sapphire taught it to her.”

“Oh, shit.” Paavo answered. “She must have thought he was going to possess her.”

“Is that what he does when he wraps his tendrils around you?” Clint asked mildly.

“Yes,” Mathis turned to Clint. “Did he try that with you?”

“Yeah, but he screamed both times and retreated.”

“He did?” Mathis and Paavo asked simultaneously.

“Yeah, right after I found him this morning, and then when he attacked Brody and me.”

Fallon shot to her feet. “And I’m just now hearing about this?” She hissed.

Brody hurried back in. “Shit, sorry, sugar. Everything happened so fast and I didn’t think to tell you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, but there was a smirk on her face. “But you’re fine? He couldn’t breach my wards?”

Brody’s head tilted to the side. “I think maybe that was it. But why wouldn’t Opal be immune?”

Fallon snorted. “The only ink she has is the one tattoo Gabriel insisted on doing just after Amethyst was born. Back then, I
didn’t know I could ward anyone from a vampire’s gaze, and I sure as hell didn’t know about the Shadow Fae.”

Hayden leaned against the wall
, but his gaze was on Mathis, who was usually better informed than Paavo. “You’re sure Amethyst won’t be under more risk if she can wake Opal, and Stacey.”

“She’ll be fine,” Paavo insisted, always the first to stand behind her.

Mathis nodded his agreement.

“What do you need from us?” Hayden asked her. That was almost unexpected
, considering.

She gave him a smile
. “Just be there in case Izackarus comes back. First, I want to know everything that has happened, and then we should go to the hospital. At least, my brother, Mathis, and you.”

“Oh, we’re all going. Don’t even question that for a
second,” Fallon told her.

* * * *

Hayden didn’t like the plan, but every time he opened his mouth to argue, Fallon would shoot him a warning glance. Preston seemed to fully support Amethyst, which irked him, considering the man claimed he wanted to protect her from everything.

Then Slater showed up, somehow already filled in on everything.
He was willing to bet Preston had done that. He had to give it to the guy. It was obvious he felt strongly for Amethyst, but he was doing his best to avoid that subject.

Hayden almost felt bad for him. He wanted to ask, but didn’t feel it was his place. Plus, he
would rather not know how deep their feelings were for each other.

T
he whole group rode the elevator to the fourth floor and Hayden had managed to keep his hands to himself. Clint stepped out of the elevator with Amethyst.

Heaving a sigh, Clint gave Amethyst a cautious look. “L
ook, you’re the target, gem. So please, let one of us go first. We don’t know exactly what we are dealing with, or when he’s going to come back. So please, let us do our duty.”

Her lips
quirked up slightly. “Clint, I have the same protection you do. He’s going to have to physically attack me to do any harm. Between all of you big bad werewolves, a couple of sirens, mages, a druid, and an Earth Fae, I think I’ll be okay. Now, let’s see what I can do.”

She kept walking as Hayden’s stomach bottomed out.
He felt something in the air, something that wasn’t right. He didn’t like it.

Clint touched the
knob first and pushed the door open. Stacey was still banded down, and even in her unconscious state, she restlessly thrashed around.

* * * *

Izackarus felt Amethyst nearby. He moved to where he expected her. Once again, they had the nymph completely surrounded.

There had to be a way to get her alone. Without her, he would have to leap from body to body for eternity.
Having access to his host’s abilities was often useful, but there was so much more he could do in his own skin.

Just then
, he needed to go back to his host’s body, but she was so pure and good that he could hardly stand to stay. Why couldn’t he find someone who was naturally prone to the darker emotions?

Amethyst and her od
d group stepped into Opal and Stacey’s room at the same time Izackarus came face to face with a wall of shimmering magic that stretched across the hall, blocking his path. He didn’t bother trying to pass through it. He could feel the hum of power buzzing from the spell.

Perhaps he could make her come to him. He needed a distraction that would split her from the other group. First
, he had to find a way to do that.