Falling Into Place (37 page)

The ground rumbled as Hayden closed his eyes
and tried to make sense of the smells in the shop. He followed the
most recent trace of her scent out the back. He saw the tire marks
from a van pulling out. His vision faded to red as he reached for
his phone.

He dialed Robert and prayed that Preston was
either with him, or where Robert could bring him to the shop. He
knew mages had been there. There was only one mage he knew who
wanted anything to do with Amethyst, but he had never met the
bastard.

Two rings later, Robert answered with a
yawn. “Morning, Hayden.”

He heard sheets rustling around and bodies
moving, then Tremaine’s voice. “What does Hayden want?”

“Don’t know,” Robert muttered. “What’s going
on?”

“You mentioned that piece of shit mage that
wanted to hurt Amethyst was involved with your brother. I think he
might have her, and I need your and Preston’s help. Please.” Hayden
slammed his hand against the wall and the whole building shuddered.
“She hasn’t been gone long, but I can’t risk losing her.”

“We’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Preston
will be with us.” Robert hung up.

Hayden only cared about one thing. Getting
Amethyst back. If he had any idea where to start looking he would,
but the tire marks had faded, and any trace of the van or the
people in it were gone, including Amethyst. He knew magic was
blocking their connection, and it scared the abyss out of him.

“Hey, we’ll find her,” Fallon told him.

“You might want to call your man. Just to
let him know what you’re getting up to,” Hayden warned her.

She rolled her eyes. “Already did. He’s on
his way.”

Brody came around the corner, concern plain
on his face. “Don’t look so surprised. I got your back,” Brody told
him.

* * * *

Liz yanked on her clothes and turned back to
glare at Robert. “Don’t give me that look. Of course I’m going.
It’s my fault that sick fuck has Ame. I’m not letting anything
happen to her. Besides, I’m not going to stand by while you go
after James.”

Tremaine laced up his boots and cast Robert
a dark look. “We stand a better chance together than apart. Do you
really think Liz would ever leave you behind if she were planning
to go? She let you come with her when she still thought you might
try to stop her from killing James all those years ago.”

Robert pulled a sweater over his head, and
smoothed down his jeans. Liz normally found it amusing how he was
so at home in his fancy tailored suits, but uncomfortable in casual
clothing. He looked good no matter what, even when he was scowling
at her, and pissed because she refused to stay where it was
safe.

“I’m worried.” Robert directed his attention
at Tremaine, as if Tremaine was going to take another side but
hers. “I don’t want anything else to happen to Liz.”

“Then watch my back and make sure nothing
else does, but you are not leaving me here,” Liz snapped as she
slammed her feet into her boots.

“You’re right,” Robert grumbled, rubbing a
hand over the scruff on his normally shaved face. She really liked
this roughed up version, but now wasn’t the time to think about
that.

“Thank you,” she smirked and started for the
stairs.

Robert growled. “For the record, Trem, I
know I can’t talk her out of going, but damn it, I want her
safe.”

She heard Tremaine as she walked down the
stairs. “Ditto, but that’s not how she works. She doesn’t do safe
at home, she goes in with spells crackling and is always the one
who comes out the winner. I wouldn’t stress so much. She will be
fine.”

Liz found Preston in the kitchen, already
dressed. “So, I know things between you and Amethyst are a little
strained of late, but she’s in trouble and Hayden could use your
help. We all could.”

Preston shot to his feet. “What happened?
What the fuck is going on?”

She shook her head. “Robert got a call a
couple minutes ago. I guess she was at Inktastic but she’s not
there now. There were mages. That’s all I know.”

“Of course. Okay, yeah, I’m in.”

She smiled sadly. “You know, she told me a
little of what’s going on. She misses you.”

He nodded. “She has Hayden, and they’re
right for each other. I just needed time to accept the fact that I
had plenty of chances to figure out what I felt and I blew it. It’s
too late, but you know what? The bond she shares with Hayden, I
can’t compete with that, and I don’t want to.”

“Doesn’t mean she has to lose you as a
friend.”

“She hasn’t. I know that I need to man up
and deal with it. I’m done wallowing in my own stupidity.”

“Good.” Liz grinned. “When you aren’t being
an ass, you’re a good guy to have around.”

Preston snorted. “Yeah. Don’t let that get
out. It’s easier when everyone thinks I’m an ass.”

* * * *

The sound of rushing water was close, the
air was muggy like they were outside, but sheltered from the early
August sun. Amethyst could hear the mages arguing somewhere
nearby.

She was careful not to move and kept her
breathing slow and easy. The longer they thought she was asleep the
better off she was. Or so she hoped. She had a headache, the iron
binding her to the chair irritated her skin, but she didn’t think
she suffered any worse injuries than that.

“She can heal me,” a vaguely familiar voice
snarled.

“And do you really think it will be as
simple as her healing you?” There was something dark and twisted in
his voice. “Healer or not, she isn’t going to heal you out of the
kindness of her heart. She’s was fighting against you. Didn’t you
say she froze last time you saw her?”

“She did. She was terrified last time.
She’ll be terrified again.” There was a dark promise there, and
then her blood ran cold because she remembered who the voice
belonged to.

Jarvis. Her mother had told her exactly how
he had lost the majority of his power, and why he still preyed on
her kind, hoping to gain back what was taken.

“
Jarvis held me for a week. I was tired
of trying to dodge his advances.” Opal had shuddered, but carried
on with the tale. “He kept me trapped in a very beautiful room,
offering me jewels, clothing, whatever I wanted, except my
freedom.”

Amethyst knew how much her mother hated to
be cooped up, and how much she detested being locked down by anyone
with the exception of Gabriel who never forced his will on her. He
was happy to be at her side, and Opal was in love with him.

“
What did you finally do?” Amethyst
asked.

“
When he last came to me, I dropped to my
knees and took him into my mouth. Before long he was finished, and
most of his power was drained, but to take all of a mages power is
to either kill them or condemn them to the ways of dark mages. I
didn’t want his death on my hands, so I left him weakened.”

“
It seems to have backfired.” Amethyst
winced at her own words, but only a few weeks had passed since she
came face to face with Jarvis.

“
Yes, I realize that now. I should have
drained him dry, and left it at that.” Opal’s eyes were cold and
icy as she said it, as if taking the mage’s life would have been no
different than squashing a bug. “Unfortunately, he has hurt many of
us, trying to find his gifts again, but he can’t ever have them
back. What he did to others with his power was even worse than the
crimes he commits now.”

Amethyst still didn’t understand how that
could be. Honestly though, she didn’t want to dwell on it. She
didn’t know much about the victims before Opal took his power, but
she knew her mother would never give his power back.

“Pretty little Amethyst,” Jarvis murmured.
He was closer now, and she fought not to jump at the words. It took
every ounce of her will to sit there, her neck hanging loose. “I
thought you only strangled her until she slipped into
unconsciousness. She should be awake by now,” he growled.

The cloth bag was yanked from her head and
she let her head roll forward again. His hand tangled in her hair,
yanking it back up. She felt his acrid breath on her face as
something rough brushed her cheek. “Wake up little one.”

Doing her best to act, she fluttered her
eyes opened and tried to pull back. Jarvis winced, his dark eyes
filling with pain. He caught her jaw in his hand and forced her
gaze to him. “Our time was cut short last time.”

Amethyst glared back at him. This time, she
wasn’t afraid of what he might do. Now she was more worried about
what she would do to keep him from touching more than her face.

“Ooh, now you have some fight?” His brow
arched as he let go of her hair, but she didn’t try to jerk away,
she held his gaze, trying to think of anything she could do with
the iron firmly locked around her ankles and wrists.

“I told you, she’s not afraid,” the stranger
said, an amused tone coloring his words.

Her gaze shifted to his scarred face. She
quickly took in his appearance. It looked as if he’d been set on
fire years ago. She only had one question. W
ho the heck is
he?

“Brave little thing, aren’t you.” His smile
reminded her of Freddie Krueger having a bad day, minus the bladed
nails.

She fought the urge to wet her lips as she
took a quick look around. She was in a three walled shack near the
river. She had to wonder whose plan it was to take a water nymph to
water. That had stupid written all over it.

“Oh, now, don’t get any ideas. You can’t do
much with Iron wrapped around your delicate skin,” Jarvis taunted.
“That is until you help me with this.” He held up his hands. The
skin was blistered and oozing, his fingertips blackened.

He had a point. At least the iron didn’t
burn as bad as it had in the past. It wasn’t very comfortable, and
it dampened her magic, but something about her connection to Hayden
lessened her reaction to iron. There were things Hayden gained from
their bond, like a limited control over water, but thankfully her
weakness didn’t affect him.

Her head tilted to the side as a smirk
graced her lips. “Can’t heal you either.”

Jarvis’ eyes narrowed. “And what guarantees
you’ll do that? Heal me, and not run?”

“I told you this was a ridiculous idea,” the
other man growled.

“Shut up, James,” Jarvis said sweetly but
the irritation rang through. “She will do it, or I will do much
worse to her than I intended to during her stay with the Silver
Council.” His gaze was cruel and heated. “Out here, there are no
wards to protect you, and you can’t run if I tether you to the
shack with a spell.”

“No, I suppose not,” but thanks to Fallon
she had protection from that kind of magic. “I guess I have to heal
you then.”

His grin widened as he leaned closer,
placing his damaged hand on her knee. He slid his hand up her
thigh. Now she wished she had worn pants, because she didn’t own a
scrap of undergarments.

“If you play nice, I’ll reward you,” he
promised darkly.

She barely managed to keep the repulsion
from her face. “Release me, or I can’t work any magic,” she
purred.

“I have no desire to see this,” James
muttered before stalking off into the woods.

That was a relief. Jarvis wasn’t scaring her
yet. She could hardly feel his magic. James was freaking her out.
He was twisted, there was no love, no light in his soul. The
darkness seeping off of him was nearly suffocating.

She squeezed her thighs together, blocking
his hand as she looked up into his eyes. He squealed in pain,
jerking away from her.

Her brow arched. “That’s not going to help
your hands.”

“You don’t want your reward?” He murmured as
he dropped to his knees to release her ankles. “You may fight in
the beginning, but your kind always enjoys it in the end.”

Her stomach rolled over at the thought of
Jarvis touching her any more than he already had. She closed her
eyes as his hands caressed first one arm as he released that wrist,
and then the other. As soon as the last cuff fell, she shot to her
feet as he stood. Amethyst jammed her knee into his junk, grabbed
his ears, and slammed his face down on her knee before she shoved
him back. He fell on his butt and she darted for the river.

Roots reached for her, trying to trip her
but as she looked back down, they moved out of her way. She sent a
silent thank you to Hayden and Fallon for their magic lesson.

She heard the spell as she reached the river
and willed the water up around her in a shield as she dove into the
current. She was thankful that the river was flowing strong as it
carried her away.

Hayden gripped the wheel tighter as
Amethyst’s senses flooded his own. He felt like he was falling and
then heard the splash as relief washed over him. For whatever
reason he could feel his tie to Amethyst and knew she was out of
danger for the moment.

“Turn,” Preston barked, pointing to where a
vehicle had barreled into the woods not long before. “Through
there.”

The sounds of the vehicles were silenced as
a heavy fog rolled in around them. Hayden only had ten or so feet
of visibility before the thick mist took over.

Gritting his teeth, he slowed his speed to
watch for the tracks of the mages vehicle. It wasn’t long before he
pulled to a stop beside the beat up gray van. He jumped out of his
cruiser, as everyone else did.

Preston motioned to the right and they all
followed. Liz took the lead, Tremaine shook his head but followed.
Robert was right beside her with a look of concern.

Hayden knew all about worrying about his
woman. Amethyst seemed prone to trouble, though she hadn’t been in
any since that damned Shadow Fae.

On the drive over, Preston filled Hayden in
on Amethyst’s stay at the Silver Council and what he assumed were
Jarvis’ plans for Amethyst.