by Rinelle Grey
“Halt,” Hailey called out. “Police.”
The words only made them run faster.
But their efforts to escape were futile. Ted’s block was surrounded by a high fence, and the strings of fairly lights weren’t strong enough to help the fleeing shadows climb it. Hailey and Ted caught up to them as they were trying to climb.
Hailey put out her hand and grabbed the shoulder of, her whole body tense, ready to fight.
But she didn’t have to. The figure sagged in her hands, and stopped trying to flee. His friend, similarly tagged by Ted, did likewise.
As soon as they turned, she recognised two local youths, both about fourteen.
“What were you doing here?” Hailey said, her voice firm. “And why are you running?”
“We didn’t do nothing,” one of the boys said sullenly.
“Do you have anything to do with my vandalised lights?” Ted demanded.
The boy in front of him wriggled in embarrassment. He glanced at his friend, then back at Ted. “We didn’t mean no harm. It was just a little fun. No one got hurt.”
“Just a little fun?” Ted demanded. “You destroyed my lights. Who’s going to pay for those?”
“Destroying someone else’s property is never harmless,” Hailey said firmly. “What would your father have to say about this, Timmy?”
Timmy Hawthorne looked alarmed. “You’re not going to say anything to Dad about this, are you?”
“Vandalism is a serious crime,” Hailey pointed out. “I’ll have to take you down to the station, and of course I’ll have to call your parents.”
Both boys looked alarmed.
“Please don’t, miss,” Ryan Taren pleaded. “We won’t do it again. We promise. And we’ll replace the lights, won’t we, Timmy?” He looked at his friend desperately.
Timmy nodded. “Yes we will, we promise.”
“And are you going to help put them up?” Ted demanded. He looked a little mollified.
Both boys nodded immediately. “We will,” the chorused.
Ted looked over at Hailey. “Well, I’m satisfied with that if you are.”
Hailey glanced at the boys again, but they seemed truly scared. Maybe the fright would deter them from similar trouble in the future.
She glanced back at the car, but the door was closed, and she could see Patrima’s outline in the front seat. She didn’t really need to deal with any dramas tonight. He was enough.
“If Mr Orville is happy with that, then I am too. But make sure you do replace his lights,” she said sternly.
The boys scampered off up the street.
“Thanks for the help, officer,” Ted said once they’d gone. He shook her hand.
“If they don’t show up tomorrow to fix the lights, of if you have any further trouble, just let me know,” Hailey said.
She headed back to the car to where Patrima was waiting.
He didn’t say anything as she drove off. When Hailey glanced over, looked away, refusing to meet her eyes.
What was wrong?
Then she realised. He was probably worried she was going to get upset at him for not doing what she’d asked.
But she wasn’t in the least bit upset. His actions had reminded her too much of his actions out at the canyon yesterday, and she was happy to have it proved that it was his sullen behaviour that was the aberration, not his wish to help people.
This was the man she admired.
She turned to him and gave him a smile. “Thank you, for noticing those boys. Ted was determined it was the neighbour who had been sabotaging his light display. I don’t know how I would have convinced him it wasn’t if you hadn’t spotted them.”
His eyes met hers, and for a second, it was as though a spark of electricity passed between them, the flicker of desire echoing throughout her whole body, settling in the bottom of her stomach where it glowed with a pulsating heat.
Apparently they didn’t need to be even touching to create that weird, intoxicating.
“I was concerned that they might try to hurt you.” His voice was quiet, but sincere.
He was concerned about her? It made Hailey’s stomach turn somersaults.
He meant a general concern, didn’t he? The same kind of concern that had lead him to jump into a canyon to rescue a boy he didn’t even know.
But his words didn’t sound like that.
Hailey’s heart was warm and happy all the way back to the station.
Patrima followed her inside without a word, and sat down in the same seat he’d occupied earlier. This time though, Hailey noted that he winced.
“Are you all right?” she asked, concerned. Had he hurt himself while they were out? She hadn’t seen anything that might have caused a problem, but if he had hurt himself under her care, she needed to do something about it.
“I’m fine.” His voice was short. Terse. Completely different to how he’d been in the car.
Which probably meant he wasn’t fine.
Hailey stared at him for a moment, and he stared defiantly back. She couldn’t see any sign of an injury, but that didn’t mean much.
“You looked like you were in pain.”
This time he glared at her. “I’m fine. I… twisted my ankle. Yesterday, at the canyon. But it’s not serious.” His eyes shifted away from her face, a dead giveaway that he was lying about something. Was it the twisted ankle, where and when it had occurred, or both?
Hailey stared at him. Had he been hiding an injury all this time, or had he sustained one tonight in her care?
Either way, she was concerned.
“Show me,” she demanded.
He stared at her for a moment, before putting out his left foot. “Careful, it hurts.”
His bare feet were dusty and dirty, but didn’t look inured.
She bent down in front of him and twisted the ankle to the left, carefully watching his face.
He didn’t even blink.
She twisted it gently to the right, and he faked a wince.
She rocked back on her heals. “You’re not fooling me. Where’s the real injury?”
He raised his eyebrows, his expression almost haughty. “It’s not your problem.”
Like hell it wasn’t. “If you’re injured, I need to get you to a hospital so it can be checked.”
His defiance disappeared in a flash. “There’s no need for that,” he said roughly. “It’s just a scratch.”
“Where?”
He stared at her for a moment, then one side of his mouth lifted. “On my buttocks.”
His… Oh.
Hailey felt her whole face burning.
“Would you like to take a look?” His voice was silken.
Damn him.
That would be totally unprofessional, even though she was sorely tempted.
“I’m not a doctor. But I should get you to one.” She was aware her voice shook a little.
How had she missed that he was injured? It hadn’t even occurred to her to ask. And she couldn’t see how it could have happened in her care, but still…
She reached for the phone. “I’ll just call Mike and ask him to come down…”
His hand over hers was firm. “Don’t do that.” His voice was calm, but it had a note of steel. Her skin, where he touched her, felt like it was on fire. A good kind of fire. She was finding it hard to breathe.
She glanced up to meet his eyes, and for a second, she could have sworn they glowed.
And they looked as intense and hot as she felt.
She pulled her hand back, just as he did the same. He took a step back, and Hailey willed her heartbeat and breathing to return to a more normal rhythm.
“Look, if you’re injured, you need to see a doctor.”
“I already have.”
She stared at him, hesitating. Could she believe him?
He stared back, then heaved a sigh. He pulled a few buttons undone, to reveal a white bandage on his chest. “It’s all been treated. I’ll heal. At least, that’s what my…
doctor… assured me.”
The bandage looked very large, but it was clean and white. No sign of blood seeping through it.
Hailey hesitated.
This man was a disaster waiting to happen. If it were anyone else, she’d ring Mike now and take him straight to the hospital. If he had a serious injury that hadn’t been properly treated, it could come back to bite her later, whether it had happened in her care or not.
How could she have missed it up until now?
It was her fault. She’d let herself get too involved. She wasn’t just doing a job here. Somewhere along the line, this had become personal. She wanted to help him, not just because it was her job, but because, hidden under all that bravado, she saw a gentle, kind, honourable man.
One she could really come to care for.
That was why this was dangerous.
The way she’d felt when he touched her… Every time they touched it seemed to grow more intense. More addictive.
How much she wanted to feel that again scared her.
It was also what stopped her reaching for the phone again.
She cleared her throat. “Um… well… if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure.”
His voice was final. Decisive.
Hailey wished she could be convinced.
She stared at him a while longer. At the white bandage. “What happened?” she asked curiously.
“None of your business.”
It wasn’t. Not really. She’d offered treatment, and he’d refused. She couldn’t see any reason to take him to a hospital if he refused to go.
That did nothing to stop her curiosity.
He was a man of many mysteries. And Hailey couldn’t stand mysteries. She liked answers. Concrete, definitive answers.
She hadn’t had a single one since she’d met him yesterday.
It was maddening. Frustratingly, annoyingly, deliciously maddening. If only there was some way to get him to open up. To trust her enough to tell her what his story really was.
Hailey hesitated. “Well, if you ever need to talk…” She let the offer hang, almost regretting it as soon as it was out of her mouth. Her curiosity was another thing that got her into trouble.
“You humans always want to talk.” His voice held a slight sneer. But it was his comment that bewildered her the most.
“You… humans?” She stared at him, then gave a short, slightly nervous laugh. “What are you then, a dragon?”
She expected him to laugh. To say something to explain why he’d referred to her as a human, as though he wasn’t one.
She didn’t expect him to stare back at her so seriously.
Her heart thumped in her chest.
What was going on?
Chapter 8
Patrima stared at Hailey, struggling internally.
Why did he feel this overwhelming urge to tell her the truth? Did it have something to do with the sparks he’d felt every time he touched her? From the way her breathing had deepened, he thought she felt the same way.
There was something about her…
“What is going on?” Hailey asked, her voice soft and breathless.
The answer was on the tip of his tongue. The truth. It was so hard not to just blurt it out.
Why? Why did he want to admit it to her?
Oh, sure, he wouldn’t be the first one to tell a human the truth. Many other dragons had told their intended mates.
But he didn’t intend to mate with Hailey. He barely knew her. And she was a human.
He’d left his clan because of their involvement with humans. With human customs. How ironic that he was tempted by one himself now.
Not that he had any issue with dragons mating with humans. It was just that human customs were distracting them from their purpose—fighting for their right to love who they choose, even if that was a human.
Hailey was fighting for her people too. Not with teeth and claws, but with words.
He kind of liked that way of fighting.
He kind of liked her.
His breath caught in his throat, and he stared at her.
This wasn’t just some strange physical attraction. It went far deeper than that.
That was why he wanted to admit the truth to her. He wanted to share who he truly was with her, in the hopes that she would similarly share her truth, whatever it was, with him.
His heart thumped hard in his chest.
Maybe he should mate with her. That would be ironic, wouldn’t it? But since the dragons had cast him out, what place did he have other than among his mother’s family? He could pretend to be one of them, with Hailey’s help.
He could enjoy spending time with her, getting to know her better.
Figuring out why his body crackled with desire when he touched her.
Wanting to see if it would happen again, he reached out a hand towards her, sliding his fingers across her cheek.
Feeling flooded through him, through his fingers and hand, down his arm, almost on a beeline straight to his heart, causing it to thump like it was out of control.
Her eyes widened and flew to his.
Patrima couldn’t help it. His whole body was responding to her. His eyes slipped into their dragon form, almost unbidden. The increased perception they gave him meant he could see her lips part in almost slow motion. See her pupils dilate, and her skin flush.
She was inviting him, as surely as if she’d begged him.
Patrima leaned forwards and kissed her.
His lips touched hers, the intimate connection sending his desire soaring high.
For a second, she responded, her lips moving against his.
Then, abruptly, her hands were on his chest, shoving him away.
Patrima wasn’t sure which hurt the most, her rejection, or the pain of her hands putting pressure on his wounds.
“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded. Her face was flushed, and her voice shook with emotion.
“I would have thought that was obvious.”
That earned him a glare. “What made you think you could kiss me?”
He stared at her, bewildered, her sudden rejection leaving him reeling in shock.
Why was she rejecting him? He'd thought she’d wanted it as much as he had. The physical signs had been unmistakable.
He could have explained. He could have detailed all the reasons he knew she wanted to kiss him. But he didn’t need too. She knew exactly why he’d done it.
She just didn’t want to admit it.
He’d rushed things. If he was really considering mating with this human, he needed to take things more slowly, to woo her.
To give her time to accept the inevitable truth he’d already accepted.
That they were meant to be together.
He’d always thought that realisation would come with some sort of fear. Fear of the level of commitment that came with a dragon mating. Fear of forever. Fear that if something happened to her, he would die.
But he felt none of that.
What he did feel was a keen awareness that she knew none of that. Humans were different.
So instead he inclined his head. “My apologies. I… was overcome with our closeness. It won’t happen again.”
“Do you kiss every woman you’re near?” she demanded, her voice high and indignant.
“Of course not,” Patrima shot back. How dare she accuse him of that. “This was different, and you know it.”
She did know it. He could see it in her eyes. “Don’t do it again,” she said firmly.
He could see her focus shift as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She stared at him, at his eyes, and her own eyes were wide. “What was that?” she asked softly. “Your eyes… they…” She trailed off, staring at him uncertainly. “Who are you?”
He could imagine what was going through her mind. Had she really seen his eyes shift, or was she imagining it? If it was real, what did it mean?
He stared back at her solemnly. “Do you really want to kn
ow?”
Wanting to know meant she wanted to know more about him. If she agreed, then she was admitting that. It was an acceptance, of a sort.
And she knew it. He could see it in her eyes.
Along with the curiosity.
That would be her undoing. She wanted to know.
Patrima didn’t blame her. He’d feel the same way in her shoes.
“I want to know,” she breathed, her eyes shining.
“I am a dragon.” He watched her face closely as he said the words, wanting to see how she reacted.
Her eyes widened. He could see her mind trying to reject the truth her heart already knew.
He held his breath. She could get past that. He was certain she could.
“That’s nonsense,” she said firmly. “There’s no such thing as dragons.” But her voice wavered on the last word, uncertainly creeping in.
“Are you sure about that?” Patrima didn’t even have to try to make his voice low and husky. It did that all by itself.
“You can’t be…” Her voice was uncertain.
His injuries weren’t serious, but they were enough to stop him transforming completely. It would interrupt the healing process. But he could manage a little.
He held out his hand, letting the scales creep across his skin, letting his fingernails elongate into claws, and letting his hand grow…
She gasped, and scrambled to get away from him, knocking over her chair and falling to the ground in her haste.
Patrima let his hand return to its human form, and stood up and offered it to her to help pull her up.
She stared at it suspiciously for a moment, then at him.
He gave her his most disarming smile.
Hesitantly, she let him take her hand and help her to her feet.
When she was standing again, Patrima kept hold of her hand, and she didn’t protest. In fact, she put a hand against his chest, as though to steady herself.
This time, the contact with the bandage that covered his wound didn’t hurt. It did throb, but it was a different kind of throbbing.
Suddenly, her heartbeat filled his ears, and he could feel his own beating in time.
It was Patrima who pulled back, breaking the connection, his hands shaking.
What was going on?
He’d never had his heart sync with someone so easily before. True, he’d only entered the Mesmer a couple of times, but it had always been a strain to make the necessary connection. At least one dragon had claimed it was because of his half human parentage, and Patrima had secretly wondered if that was true.
