Shadows of the Past (25 page)

Preston agreed, “Neither do I.” He turned to Hayden. “You should go to her. Apologize. Explain. She’ll understand.”

“She was pretty broken down over this. I don’t know if she’s ready.” Hayden pushed his hands through his hair. “I don’t want to make it worse.”

“You’ll make it worse if you
let her wonder what you’re thinking. Trust me.”

Robert gripped Preston’s shoulder. “I know you hate this, but you look wiped out. I think you could use some rest.”

“Yeah, but I can’t go back to Jamie’s. I just can’t.”

Robert nodded. “There’s an extra bed in my room at the hotel. You’re welcome to it.”

“Mind taking us?” Mathis asked. “We have a room there, and I guarantee that Zack won’t be able to heal Dacia enough to have another go at anyone tonight.”

“Sure.
You okay, Hayden?” Robert asked.

“Guess I’ll find out when I get to Amethyst. Where did you take her?”

“Her apartment. Just be gentle with her.”

“I will.
”

Amethyst was curled on her bed. The tears had stopped, but she still sniffled and hiccupped occasionally.
How was she supposed to explain that she had to do what she did to finally let Preston go? So he could let her go?

Hayden
had whispered her name in such anguish that she realized she had betrayed him, betrayed them both. What other choice did she have? She couldn’t have watched Preston die.

There as a knock at her
door and she wished it would go away, but it only got louder. She wasn’t ready to face anyone. If she hadn’t been on the second story, she have would have slipped away to the lake and hid at the bottom for the rest of the night. No one would have been able to get to her. Well, no one but Mathis and Paavo, but she had a feeling they understood that she needed time.

The banging stopped, but then her phone buzzed. When she ignored it, it buzzed again.

Frustrated she dug it out of her pocket. The only reason she looked was to make sure that Izackarus hadn’t made an appearance. She was pretty sure she was the only one who could send him to the Abyss once and for all.

Her heart stopped as she read Hayden’s message.
I understand, Amethyst. Please don’t shut me out. I love you.

Four messages, all the same. A new string of tears fell down her face, but she picked herself up off the bed and ran to the door. She flung it open and Hayden stepped inside
. He scooped her up and kicked the door shut.

She wrapped herself around him as he carried her to the couch. “You don’t hate me?”
she whimpered.

“No, of course not.”

“You sounded….”

“
Shh,” he kissed her softly, his fingers threading through her hair. “Shh. I’ll admit I didn’t understand at first and it ripped me open to see you with him. I trust you. I even trust Preston. I hope he’s never gravely injured again, but I get it.”

She kissed him until she couldn’t breathe and then rested her forehead against his.
After a moment, she said, “I have to tell you something, and you need to listen to all of it.”

“Of
course, and without judgment.”

She stared into his molten chocolate eyes an
d took a deep breath. “Preston has been around me my entire life. I’ve always loved him. I was never in love with him, but I thought I was. Ten years ago, I tried to seduce him.” She wiped at her eyes. “He was so sure he was in the wrong that he walked away. It crushed me then, but I got over it. I even understood after some time.” She chewed her lip. “At the bar, after Zack took control of Dacia and hit me, Preston figured out what he felt for me. He felt it all along, but he was so sure it was wrong, he wouldn’t go there.”

“He’s a fool,” Hayden
growled.

Amethyst smiled a little. “He’s not in love with me. It’s just that he finally realizes that he’s loved me all this time
. He saw what you and I share, even before I did.”

“Why do you say that?” he whispered.

“I was blinded by the fear that you would take everything over. I had I fought so hard to keep myself when I was with Carl.”

“I want you. I don’t want to control you,” Hayden promised.

“I know. I figured that out. I also know this isn’t going to be easy, because you’re going to want to protect me, but I know how to send Izackarus away for good. I mean really away for good. It’s going to go against every instinct you have to let me do what needs to be done, but I just need you to trust me.”

“Then explain now, so I know what you need when we
get there. I can do it for you if I know what to expect.”

She smiled then. “First, promise me that after we discuss this, you’ll take me home and make love to me. That we can worry about Izackarus tomorrow, that tonight you can have me, all of me
. I’m falling for you, Hayden.”

He
slanted his mouth over hers, brushing his tongue against hers, pouring all of his emotion into the kiss.

* * * *

After heaving his guts, since he hadn’t eaten all day, Preston fell onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He hoped that the reason Jamie wanted him near Amethyst was so he lived. There was no way he could handle watching her fall apart when he knew she couldn’t choose him.

Robert disappeared as the door opened. Preston looked up to find Jamie rush
ing to the bed. She climbed up next to him.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so scared
,” Jamie sniffled.

He pulled her close even though he knew what he had to do was going to hurt like hell. “Please
, don’t cry.”

She looked up at him, her pale blue eyes shining. “I know, Preston. I’ve always known we were never going to fall in love.”

“You did?” he whispered. “I always thought we would.”

“No, baby.
We don’t. You just needed to figure it out yourself. What we have is good, but I think we’ve run our course.”

His words left him, but he nodded because it was the heartbreaking truth.

“I’m just glad you’re okay, because one day you’ll be happy and in love with someone who loves you more than I can.”

He brushed her hair off her face.
“And what about you?”

“I’ll get there.
Sooner or later. Don’t worry about me, babe. Just promise you won’t hate me.”

“Oh, Jamie, I can’t hate you. I want to love you. I do, but it’s not enough. I just didn’t realize it before.”

“I know. So don’t worry about me, because I’m fine. I promise, and I know you will be.” She placed a gentle kiss on his lips and got up to walk back out the door.

He felt empty, but it didn’t hurt as bad as he
’d expected.

* * * *

The plan wasn’t as bad as Hayden had assumed. In fact, he was pretty comfortable with it, though he may never tell Amethyst how much so. He was still worried.

He almost told her that they should just stay in her tiny
apartment, but he wanted to have her in his home where she could get used to the idea of living in his house.

Hayden parked the SUV in his garage
, and moved around the vehicle to get the door for her. She smiled back at him as he lifted her, bringing her against his body to slide her to the ground.

“
Mmm, if you do that, we won’t make it to your room,” she purred as he let her go. She moved quickly to the door and slipped inside.

Amethyst
turned back to him. “Do you have a bath?”

A slow smile pulled at his lips.
“A big one.”

“Then let’s go.” She raced off down the hall, and through his bedroom door
.

The tub was bigger than any bathtub had the right to be, but he
’d always loved to soak in steaming hot water. He’d never imagined using it for anything more.

He slowly stalked her. The sound of running water
drowned out his hammering heart as he made it to the bedroom where he found one shoe, the next, her skirt and then her shirt in a trail to the bathroom door.

Before he followed, he kicked off his shoes and rid himself of his clothes. He stepped into the bathroom that was
full of steam. His eyes found Amethyst as she stepped into the tub and slid into the water.

Her smile grew as he watched her. She shifted onto her knees and beckoned him to her.

“What do you have planned, little nymph?” he murmured.

“
Come here and you’ll see.”

He stepped just in front of her and her tongue swirled over his crown
. His shaft jumped in reaction. Her small hand wrapped around the base tightly, and then her lips closed over him, sucking just right.

His hands tangled in her hair, but he didn’t push, didn’t dictate
, he just needed to hang on for the ride.

“Oh, slow down, sweet,” he groaned as he looked down at her. Her gorgeous eyes locked on his and he fell deep into them as his hips jutted forward and she pulled harder, taking more of him
into her mouth.

She hummed as she pulled
off of him, doing something wicked with her tongue that shot pleasure to every last inch of his body. He came and before he could pull away, she drank him down.

* * * *

Amethyst lay back in the water, staring up at her big warrior. Hayden stood there with his eyes closed as he tried to catch his breath.

When his muscles finally relaxed, he stepped into the water and sank down between her legs.
The water came up to his chest and she was already floating in front of him.

Hayden reached
back to turn off the water before sliding his hand up her inner thigh to run his thumb over her slick folds. “So juicy, little nymph.” He pressed two fingers in deep, turning just right to catch that patch of nerves.

Her release was like quicksilver as
her hips bucked, her head dipping under the water. She screamed his name as he drew out her pleasure with his big talented fingers.

His tongue slid over her clit in tight circles until she was lo
st to another orgasm that came on the heels of the last.

Her hands latched onto his thighs as her body bowed and her nails broke skin.
She rode her pleasure with her little heels digging into his back.

Beads of water trailed down her glistening skin
. When she finally relaxed, he laid her back in the water before pulling her close.

She reached between them as she sat up and pressed down over his
straining length. The feel of him deep inside made her whimper. His hands caressed up her back until they gripped her shoulders as she rose, only to glide back down.

“Amethyst.”
His voice was strained, his gaze burning into her as she rode him. “Only you reduce me to a man full of need and desire. Only you make me crave you like no other. I want to be everything for you.”

Her heart squeezed tight and burst as everything he felt poured into her. It released the floodgates and everything fell into place. The water swirled up around them, dancing across their skin as the whole house rumbled.

Warm autumn colors shined through Hayden’s skin as the colors of the ocean danced through hers. Her pleasure erupted into something greater as their bond solidified and their magic intertwined, drawing them closer than she had ever believed possible as they both found their release.

Izackarus found himself fused into Dacia’
s body. He couldn’t heal her, and he couldn’t escape the pain her body was in. He sat at the edge of town in an abandoned house. He had to peel the melted material from her blistered flesh.

He screamed in agony, Dacia’s voice echoing in his head.
Feeling particularly cruel, he walked to the mirror and stared at her ruined face. Her hair was mostly singed away, her face was half melted, and a nasty gash oozed puss from the slice in her cheek.

Beautiful Dacia was now trapped in her own hideous face without the control to use her own glamour. I
t made her crazy with rage, pain and humiliation.

That strengthened him, even if he couldn’t find a way to retreat from her body, even for a little
while. This had never happened before.

He couldn’t even access Stacey or Darla whom he
had tainted with his touch. They were cut off from him. Something was wrong. Not only could he not push so many people in Edenton, his ties to his victims were evaporating, leaving him weaker than he could remember.

With Dacia’s body so damaged, he was unable to phase out to travel. He dug through the kitchen drawer and found a set of keys to the old Lincoln in the garage.

A cruel smile twisted her lips but another wave of pain rolled through her face. He went into the only bedroom and dug around in the closet. He found a hoody several sizes too large, but put it on and pulled the hood up to hide the mess Dacia had become.

As he climbed into the car, a thought struck him. If he couldn’t leave Dacia’s body, how would
he manifest? For the first time real fear gripped him and Dacia laughed. It was a bitter sound.

“Keep laughing, bitch. I’ll make
them think you’re repenting and Amethyst will heal us. Then I’ll rip your soul from your body before I strike her down.

Dacia didn’t stop laughing though, and that worried him
further.

* * * *

Amethyst woke up to her phone playing Witchy Woman and groaned. That was Jess, who still checked on her from time to time. Big arms were wound tight around her, a muscled leg pinning her down.

She brushed her mouth over Hayden’s and whispered, “I need to get that.
”

He groaned but shifted so she could slide free. As soon as she had her phone in her hand he pulled her back into his embrace. “Don’t go,” he whispered.

“Oh, honey, we covered this. I’m not running. I just need to answer the phone.” Hitting the talk button, she answered, “Morning, Jess. Dare I ask what time it is?”

“Five, listen. You need to get to the
bar. I’m calling Robert next so he can bring Preston, but you two need to get here, and do it now.”

“The bar?
What’s going on at the bar?” Amethyst yawned.

“It’s shadowy, just get here, please. And don’t trust a word out of Dacia’s mouth. It’s not her. It’s… it’s
… fuck, I don’t know, but it’s not her.”

“It’s a Shadow Fae. I know what I need to do. I’ll be there.”

“We’ll be there,” Hayden growled. His eyes were glowing warm pools of brown light. “I won’t let him harm you.”

“We talked about this, Hayden. You have to trust me,” she warned.

“I know. I do.” He sighed. “But I really hate this idea.”

Jess giggled. “I’ll let you two go.” The phone went dead.

Hayden untangled himself and sighed heavily. “I know, Amethyst. I have to go through with this.”

“Yes, you do, and so do I.” She forced a smile, but she wasn’t even sure what was going to happen. She only thought she knew what would happen, but not even Sapphire, the strongest of their line could pull this off, or they would have done it forever ago.

However, Hayden did not need to know that. It would do nothing but get his back up, and she was done dealing with Mr. Gruff unless it involved a whole lot of naked playtime.

She climbed out of bed and hurried into some clothes.
After he pulled his pants up, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “No shower? You know you smell of me now. Of us, and everything we’ve done.”

“Yes, but you smell like me too,” she taunted and pushed his hands away. “So
, just remember that when you start to worry.”

He half-laughed but it was sad. “No one said I had to like this. After what I’ve seen you do, I have to trust you.”

* * * *

“Are you sure you can do this, Preston?” Robert asked.

He bent over to tie his boots. “I won’t let anything happen to her.” Preston scrubbed a hand over his face as he sat up. “Look, I realized way too late that I love Amethyst as a man loves a woman, not as a man loves a part of his family. It’s too late. They’re bonding, Robert. It’s strong, and it’s just the beginning. I can’t take that from her.”

“You’re a better man than I.” Robert sat on the opposite bed.

“Bullshit. You walked away from a woman you’re still in love with because she told you that’s what she needed. And like the dumbfuck you are, you believed her and did just that. You won’t even go back to see if that’s really the case.”

“It is. She wouldn’t lie to me. She doesn’t love me.”

“God, Robert, she does. She faked her own death and ran from the Council to spare you from seeing her after your brother ruined her life. She thought she was doing the right thing when she walked away. All so you could keep your fucked up sister’s damned respect.”

Robert got to his feet and paced away. He stared out the window without a word.

“And besides a few sad attempts at being with another woman, it falls apart because you can’t let Liz go. It’s been twenty-one years. Either go to her, or get over her, but do something before it’s too late.”

Robert’s hands clenched into fists.
“It’s too late. She’ll wind up with Tremaine. I know she will. He’s been there for her all this time, and he’s only staying away because he’s afraid he’ll hurt me. That will end, it has to.”

“You’re wrong. You two belong together.” Preston shrugged as he stared at the wall. “If I could have just realized the difference between
the Fae and humans perception of age, I could have had Amethyst. I thought it was wrong. I pushed her away for so long that she found her man. It’s too late for me. Not for you.”

“Drop it, please. Let’s just go.” Robert didn’t wait for an answer, just stormed through the door. Preston followed.

* * * *

Hayden parked behind In 2 Deep. Amethyst climbed out of the SUV before he
shut the engine off. She moved around to the back but waited for Hayden to catch up.

Preston and Robert were at the back door, waiting. They were deep in a quiet conversation. Both men looked miserable.

Amethyst glanced up at Hayden. He smiled down at her and she looked away before making her way to the back door.

H
ayden would do anything to take away her misery, but she’d already told him there was nothing to be done.

“Hi, guys,” Amethyst
said as she moved past them to open the door.

Hayden honestly felt bad as Preston’s head dipped and his eyes closed. Robert patted his back and
stepped inside.

“You okay?” Hayden asked.

“Yeah. Just cherish her. She deserves that.” All signs of the cocky mage were gone.

“I will.” No matter what Hayden did, he would cherish Amethyst with everything he was. “And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“My own fault. Live and learn.” Preston headed in, and Hayden followed.

* * * *

Amethyst spotted Tomahawk sitting at the bar, filling a shot glass full of Patron. He looked like crap. Tom set the bottle aside and glanced up.

“What happened?” She asked softly as she climbed onto the stool beside him.

“She’s gone,” Tom answered, and he sounded empty.

“Who?”

“Darla. Left a note.” He pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his back pocket and slid it her way.

She opened it carefully and saw the tearstains that blurred the ink. Amethyst glanced over at Tom and watched a single tear fall down his face.

Dearest Tomahawk,

You are
my everything, and it shatters me to do this, but I must. I feel tainted by what that thing did to me, what it made me do. I need to find myself again.

I love you. I have from the moment I saw you. If you have to let me go to move on, I will understand. I don’t know how long I need, but I must walk this path alone.

From the bottom of my heart, I hope to find my way back to you. Whatever you decide, I will always love you.

Yours if you will have me,

Darla

“Oh, Tom.”
She took his hand and looked into his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I did what I could.”

“I
know, kiddo. You did everything right. She still has the memories. She couldn’t shake them.” He squeezed her hand back before gulping down his shot. “I’ll be okay, just maybe not today.”

Hayden stepped up behind her to look over her shoulder at the note. He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I can look for her if you want.”

“No. She needs time. I’ll give her all the time in the world. I just can’t let her go.” He poured another shot.

Amethyst felt the chill of Izackarus creep up her back as his eyes landed on her. The feeling was gone for a second until
the door opened and Dacia stumbled inside. Her hood slid back as she fell to her knees.

She couldn’t hold back a gasp as she slid
off the stool. Half of Dacia’s hair was singed away, her face was badly burned and oozing puss from the deep gash down the right side of her face.

Izackarus was there, under the surface, but she felt Dacia too.
Whatever Amethyst had done to break his ties to Darla and Stacey had weakened him. She knew she could do it again.

It was Dacia’s voice that let out the wretched cry. “Help me, please.” Dacia’s voice was cracked and harsh.

Hayden squeezed her shoulder and she met his gaze. He nodded.

She
walked to Dacia.

“No
.” Preston rushed forward but Hayden caught him around the waist to hold him back. “That’s not Dacia anymore. Don’t let him hurt Amethyst.”

Amethyst knelt down in front of Dacia’s body and took her face in both hands as she shoved her light as hard into Dacia
’s ruined flesh as she could. There was no resistance.

A
primordial scream tore free of Dacia’s mouth, it echoed through the building as the lights went out and darkness filled her vision. The temperature dropped but she kept pushing her light.

She felt Hayden’s hands on her s
houlders, offering her strength. Violet light poured through Amethyst’s hands and eyes. It danced over Dacia as she writhed.

Hayden’s magic washed over her and Amethyst channeled it with hers, streams of warm autumn colors
danced through her light. The shadows faded, and sunlight streamed in through the windows. Izackarus’ cries faded as shadows were sucked through a tiny hole and into the Abyss.

In a last effort, Izackarus
pushed a wave of fear and hate at Amethyst, but she shoved it right back as the purest white light exploded around them, sealing the portal into the Abyss. Dacia fell to the side. Amethyst held her face and moved with her.

Hayden placed a kiss on her shoulder before letting go.

Dacia lay on the ground whimpering and crying but there was no sign of Izackarus. He was gone for good, stuck where no one and nothing could call him back.

Amethyst wasn’t done yet, she pulled all but her healing magic back from Dacia. She closed her eyes and envisioned Dacia as she was when she first saw her; a beautiful, stunning woman, with long luscious hair.

A ragged sigh escaped Dacia’s lips as her skin mended and her hair filled in and grew in seconds. When Amethyst could do no more, she sat back on her heels and let go.

Dacia’s hand flew to her face and tears filled her eyes
. She looked up at Amethyst. “The pain, it’s gone.” She sobbed and smoothed her hands over her hair. “And my hair, you even fixed my hair.”

There was still a jagged scar that started just below the inner corner of
Dacia’s right eye, and cut down across her cheek to her jaw bone. It was pale white like an old scar.

Amethyst took a deep breath and sighed.
“I couldn’t fully fix what the mana blade did. I’m sorry. I did try.”

Dacia sat up, her fingers running over her face. Her onyx eyes closed, and her appearance shifted as glamour filled in the scar and gave the appearance of perfect makeup.