In Too Deep (13 page)

He rubbed his chin, and took a deep breath.
“Was she upset with you?”

“
No, but she didn’t like any living thing to die. She was all about natural everything. She’d probably roll over in her grave if she saw my ink.” She smiled a little. “She used to tell me Gabriel would be so handsome if he didn’t have so many tattoos.”

Brody’s head tilted
. “Were they together?”

Fallon couldn’t help laughing.
“No. I can’t imagine the two of them as a couple. Gabriel likes his women bold, and fearless. Mom was quiet and reserved. They grew up together and were best friends, but not at all romantic.”

“
And your father?”

She shrugged.
“I don’t remember him. He died when I was just little but Mom was always in love with him. She made him sound like a fairytale.” Somewhere along the way she started thinking Mom had to build him up to ease the pain of losing him.

“
You must miss her.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “My parents are alive and I miss them, but I hardly see them.”

Man, Brody was such a sweet guy, and she was all wrong for him. He was so domestic and ready for a family.
She had a feeling she’d scar a kid for life, and she had never settled down with anyone. One man asked her to move in with him, but she always turned him down. The only positive would have been easier access to sex, and that wasn’t a good enough reason.

Fallon sighed.
“This is going to sound harsh. I don’t miss her unless I think about her, and I rarely do. I tend to leave the past in the past.”

He nodded, and glanced away.
“Sometimes I wish I could be more like you.”

“
About Sarah?” she asked softly.

He nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting.
“It’s funny, I haven’t thought about her much the last few days.” His eyes came back to her. “I spent the last four years missing her. I just went through the motions but I wasn’t alive. And then…” He looked back outside again.

She froze, too terrified to prompt him. Brody was so pure and good. She could only hurt him in the end.

Fallon needed a lighter subject. “So, what got you into Harleys?”

“
Motorcycles in general.” He perked back up.

She arched one brow.
“You can’t deny you favor Harleys.”

“
True.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “My uncle ran the shop in Edenton. I apprenticed for him when I left home and eventually took over the shop when he retired.”

* * * *

Brody ran a finger through the condensation on his glass and looked into Fallon’s sparkling eyes as she finished off her last bite. He really didn’t want the evening to end. She made him smile like he hadn’t in years, made him laugh easier than he had in a long time.

Glancing at the empty pizza platter, Brody said,
“I have dessert at home, if you’re interested.”

Fallon nodded enthusiastically.
“As long as it involves chocolate, I’m in.” She stood, and he followed. They walked so close their arms kept brushing on their way to the exit.

Before he could push the door open, she caught his hand and dragged him back down the hall.
“Wait.” Fallon whispered. She closed her eyes and tilted her head.

“
What is it?” Brody asked.

“
Shadowstalker. You really pissed them off, didn’t you?”

“
Apparently.” Brody ran a hand through his hair, and wished he hadn’t put her in danger in the first place. “Can you sense them?”

Her eyes popped open and she nodded.
“Yes. There’s only one. Do you know why they’re targeting you specifically?”

“
My guess is because I’m Slater’s second and I haven’t been a wolf as long as the rest of the enforcers.” He wanted to hunt them down, but Slater forbid him patrolling for the Dales.

“
Wait.” Her brows knit together and her head tilted. “How long have you been a wolf?”

“
Seven years. Didn’t exactly choose to be either.” He muttered.

“
You can tell me about that later.” Her eyes flashed as she looked toward the door. “Anyone contact the Silver Council?” They were the policing force for all Others and run by mages. Most of them had a stuffy holier-than-thou attitude from what he’d heard.

“
Yes, but as far as I know, no one has gotten back to us.” He started for his phone, but she whipped hers out first and dialed.

A sophisticated male answered.
“Good evening, Fallon. How are you?”

“Good.”

“I heard you left San Francisco and Isaac.”

“
Yeah. Listen, Robert, I’ve run into some trouble with the Dales up in Edenton, Washington. Is the Silver Council on that?”

She knew someone on the Council?

“The case is being processed. I should be headed out there in the next couple days. Why? What’s going on?” The other man was obviously worried. Brody ground his teeth together as he wondered who the hell this guy was.

“
About to be. I killed a couple of them when I got to town.” Her brow furrowed and he really wanted to smooth his fingers over it. “They attempted to make a werewolf a snack, and I couldn’t let the bloodsuckers come back for him after he crashed into my bike.”

“
What?” The guy gasped. “Are you okay?”

“
Fine. Great actually.” She looked back toward the door, a smile playing on her lips. “So is he. The vampires are dead. But here’s the thing, these assholes had silver capped fangs. It seems to me that they’re targeting the wereanimals.”

“
You took care of them.” He sounded sure of that.

“
Of course I did. You know me. I can’t wait for the big guns. I’m too impatient, and I didn’t have much choice. Just wanted to make sure you knew. I’m hoping you’re coming out to put a stop to the Dales.”

Jealousy swirled through Brody.

“I should be there in the next couple of days. If you need me sooner though, don’t hesitate to call.”

Brody felt his hands crank into fists.

Fallon’s laugh was cold. “Oh, I can handle this one. Just want to make sure I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes or screwing up an investigation.”

“
You won’t. Take care of yourself first. Just be careful Fallon, I remember the last time you got involved with the Dales. That was a nightmare.”

“
Yeah, but we took care of them. Don’t worry so much about me. I can take care of myself.”

Brody couldn’t help wondering what
the mage was talking about.

“
All right. If you run into trouble, let me know. I can be there faster, if need be.”

“
Thanks, Robert.” She hung up, and slid her phone into her pocket.

“
The vampire’s coming. We better go outside,” Brody said.

She nodded and went through the door, heading toward his truck. She froze and Brody walked right into her. The scent of her fear hit him. He couldn’t stop himself from putting his hands around her waist. He leaned his head toward her shoulder.
“You okay?” he whispered against her ear.

“
Don’t look him in the eyes, Brody.” There was a command in her steady tone and he automatically obeyed, burying his face where her neck met shoulder and closed his eyes. He wanted to put himself between her and the danger, but he trusted her completely. Her shoulders relaxed just a bit. Then he felt the same sensation from the other night, when she threw up the protective barrier.

“
What do you want, Malachi?” she snarled but didn’t move away from Brody. The smell of her fear was replaced by hatred.

“
You. But you’re not going to let your new man fall for that, are you?” The miserable bastard cackled. “I did enjoy watching those two mages attempt to tame you. Too bad it didn’t work. You would be such a fun little toy if you would just learn your place.”

Brody didn’t know what the hell was going on, but he was pissed for Fallon.

“Oh, please. I’ve heard your bullshit before. You’re not going to scare me. I already took care of your two minions. So, why are you here? I know you don’t like to get your own hands dirty.”

“
Just to make sure the rumors were true. That you were in town and warding the wolves.” Malachi’s voice grew colder. “Let’s not forget I want to offer you one last chance to work for me willingly. Things would be so much easier on you, if you just play along and ward my pets. Why not take my offer?”

“
Fuck you Malachi.” She spat the words, her whole body rigid. “I won’t do a damned thing for you, except maybe kill you.” Her anger rolled off her in waves and Brody could feel her inner struggle to hold herself together.

“
We’ll see about that,” the cold voice replied.

There was a whoosh of air. Brody glanced up in time to watch the bastard takeoff
, and by takeoff he meant straight up into the sky like a fucking rocket.

She started to tremble
and her knees gave. Brody caught her, pulling her close. “I got you.”

Fallon melted into his arms. He smoothed his hands up and down her spine.

At least until she pushed him back, shaking her head. “No. Don’t.”

His hands froze
. “Don’t what?”

“
Don’t help me. Don’t care about me. You’re safer if you don’t.” She whispered before climbing into the truck and pulling her legs to her chest. Brody wasn’t sure what to say or do. He shut her door and hurried to the driver side to get her home, where he could keep her safe.

* * * *

Hayden sat in his SUV, eating a sub when he saw something streak up into the sky from behind a row of shops. It was already dark, but whatever he saw seemed to be made of swirling shadows. He set his sandwich down and hurried across the street, to the parking lot behind the shops to investigate. He had a bad feeling.

When he came around the corner he found Brody holding Fallon
, next to his truck. Fallon was visibly shaken which was a surprise. Hayden had done a little digging and found out what he could about her past. He felt guilty for expecting the worst from her, but suspicion went with the job.

In fact, the Silver Council claimed the Dales had been disbanded by two mages ten years
before. They only showed back up a few months ago. A friend in Seattle told him about some missing werecats, and several Others who kept to themselves.

Mathis and Paavo were
a couple of water fae he had known for centuries. They seemed to know everyone. They had nothing but good things to say about Fallon O’Shea. In fact, they had been held captive by the Dales the same time Jess was. They also told him Fallon was the one who killed the leader of the Dales, and helped the mages get everyone out.

Fallon met Mathis and Paavo about eighteen years ago. They ran into
trouble with the council and were wrongly accused of brutalizing women during dark magic rites. Fallon was the one who kept them out of the Council’s reach while she found evidence to clear them. She led the council to the real culprit.

Everything Paavo told him suggested that Fallon was one tough broad, always in control, and never leaned on anyone. But there she was, letting Brody, a relative stranger, comfort her. At least until she seemed to get a hold of herself and push Brody away.

Mathis did say that Fallon never believed Malachi was dead. Maybe she was right. Maybe she hadn’t killed the vampire. Malachi was supposed to be thousands of years old, and only the oldest vampires could fly. Shadowstalkers could manipulate shadows and he just saw a shadow.

Fallon had gone through hell to free a lot of people at great cost to her. She did the right thing because she could, and Hayden had to respect her strength of character. He would do everything he could to find out what the hell was going
on and stop it.

He had a few contacts he could call, and a few places to start. If Malachi was still alive, he wouldn’t be easy to find. There was a good chance the bastard would go to Dacia. He needed to at least check on her. She might just be obsessed enough to join Malachi to get Brody. He just hoped he was wrong about her.

Fallon was barely holding herself together in the front seat of Brody’s truck. Her hands trembled as she pulled her phone out of her pocket.
Shit
, she took a deep breath and hit redial.

Robert answered immediately, his tone grim.
“Worse than you thought?” She could just see him dragging his fingers through his perfectly styled blond hair.

“
Yeah, Malachi came to give me an offer.” The sick fuck thought she could ward his combatants in his fighting ring so he could use them longer. Her wards could make killing an individual harder but most of them were brainwashed, blackmailed, or forced into fighting. If anything, she’d help put a stop to the whole setup. He’d been trying to “recruit” her for the better part of 30 years, but because a vampire couldn’t enthrall her by eye contact alone, she’d had better luck staying away from them than most.

“
No.” He gasped. “He’s supposed to be dead.” She heard his fingers racing over a keyboard.

“
Yeah, I remember. I told you he wasn’t.” She squeezed the phone so tight her hand hurt. “I told you he survived. No one wanted to believe me.”

“
You should get out of there Fallon. You don’t need to deal with this.”

That just pissed her off. She was the only reason any of them survived the last round of hell
. The bastard had mindfucked Robert and Tremaine into raping her. She shut down the memories squeezed her free hand into a fist, her nails cutting past skin. “He’s not going to win. I’m going to make sure that bastard is dead. I’m not running.”

“
I didn’t think you would, but I had to try for your sake.” She could hear the guilt in his voice. “I still have nightmares about what that monster forced us to do to you. I would do anything to change what we did. You know I would.”

She did, but she didn’t want to go there.
“Stop, Robert. I don’t blame either of you. Neither of you had control. It was all Malachi because you couldn’t resist his gaze when I could.” She took a shaky breath. “I need to go.”

“
I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. Stay safe. I mean it.”

“
You too.” She hung up and buckled her seat belt. She was afraid to look at Brody. He had to be wondering what the fuck was going on, but she couldn’t talk about that chapter of her past.

“
Are you okay?” Brody asked softly, his voice chasing away the memories when she didn’t think anything could.

“
Yes,” she answered automatically, and his eyes widened in disbelief. “No.” Fallon looked away. “No, I’m not.”

He reached over and took her hand.
“Want to talk about it?”

She wanted to trust him, to confide in him. But she couldn’t. Could she?

“No, but I’m not sure being alone is a good idea just now.” She looked away as a fear that had nothing to do with Malachi skittered along her frame of mind. “Then again, it might be better if I am.” She wanted to stay numb, keep control. She couldn’t let Brody get too close because that evil son of a bitch would use him against her.

Brody drove, and let her have her silence. She wish
ed he would talk, distract her, but she didn’t want to depend on him for anything, even comfort. When he parked, she hopped out and started for the stairs, thinking alone was safer. She was too close to falling apart and she didn’t want him to see.

He caught up and took her hand, pulling her to a stop. His warmth traveled through her, straight to her heart. He chased some of the fear away
. She didn’t know how to resist when he was giving her exactly what she needed.

“
I’ll make us some hot chocolate, and I have some chocolate cheesecake if you want.”

She
hesitated, thinking about the last time she dealt with the Dales and Malachi. How Damon, her lover of five years couldn’t handle what she did to free everyone. He saw the shape she left Tremaine in when she defended herself. He saw how she killed the dark mages and Shadowstalkers. After everything Fallon went through to get him out, he called
her
the monster. That hurt, even if she didn’t agree, but she had risked so much to save him, and all he could do was cut her down.

Fallon asked, “
You aren’t freaked out?”

“
Of you? No.” Brody shook his head, his hand tightening around hers. “For you? Yeah, maybe a little. Malachi is bad news. That he used your friends against you, well, that’s just fucked up.” He gently tugged her hand, and she followed him to his door.

“
Yeah, you can say that again.” She couldn’t resist. She had a weakness for anything chocolate, and he offered a sense of security. There was something about his touch, even just his nearness that made her feel safe, and Fallon needed the comfort he offered more than she wanted to admit.

He opened the door and pulled out a stool
at the counter before going to the refrigerator. She took a seat and watched him prepare everything. She never would have guessed such a strong man would have such a sweet tooth.

“
So, you know some of the council?” Brody asked casually as he poured milk into a saucepan. He reached into the cabinet for the cocoa, and it was the good stuff. Damn, he was full of surprises.

“
Yeah. I’m friends with a few when I’m not making trouble for them.” She licked her lips, wondering what the chocolate and caramel would taste like smeared across his skin.
Oh Goddess.
She either needed to stop fantasizing or give in. He was just too tempting, and maybe he would be different than all the ones before.

His brow quirked up and he licked his lips.
“Trouble for the council?”

* * * *

Brody wanted to comfort Fallon but all he could smell was her sweet scent, and he sure did love caramel. He tried to banish the thoughts of drizzling warm sauce over her skin so he could tease and taste her.

Damn
him. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking that way when she was still shaken up from whatever memories plagued her. He stirred the cocoa and tried to rein in his desire.

“
The Silver Council and I don’t always see eye to eye.” She shrugged all nonchalant. “I’ve been known to help the wrongly accused stay out of their reach. Certain Council Enforcers assume the first likely suspect must be guilty. Then again, they can be rather prejudiced against anyone they don’t understand.”

Brody didn’t know much about the Silver Council. Just that
they were run by mages and were the most organized groups of Others. They easily pass for humans where vampires or werewolves couldn’t always. So the Council was sort of like the Others governing force, police, FBI and CIA all in one.

“
Prejudiced against who?” he asked.

“
Fae, vampires, wereanimals, I’ve even caught hell from a few specific council members for being a druid.”

“
Yeah, Tomahawk had some trouble with them in the past. They don’t seem to mind Dakota, but his gifts are obviously healing based. Until your talk with Tom I was under the impression that druids and shaman were basically the same.” He glanced over at her with a sheepish shrug. “But the more I think about it, the more I realize that even Dakota and Tom are at the opposite ends of the spectrum where shamans are concerned. You gave me a whole new perspective.”

“
I probably bored you with too much information.” She dropped her eyes.

“
Not at all.” He looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile. “Actually, I’m interested in everything about you.” Her green eyes sparkled when she met his gaze.

“
What? Ask.” She bit her lip in anticipation for his question.

Better to get it out of the way
. He aimed for a casual tone. “Robert, was he someone to you, other than just a friend?”

“
No.” She laughed but was a little startled. “We were never attracted to each other.” She looked away though, and he knew there was a story there. One she didn’t want to remember, and one he wouldn’t ask about. She trusted Robert, and Brody trusted her, so that was enough. Her smile was forced when she met his gaze again. “He’s nothing more than a good friend. He isn’t over his first love, and I honestly don’t think he’ll ever be.”

That stung and his face fell.
“You can love again.” He knew without a doubt he was headed there with Fallon.

“
I didn’t say he couldn’t.” She held his gaze. “But they have a complicated story. I still think the day will come when they’re back together. Elizandra is still alive, just blames herself for things that aren’t her fault.”

“
I see.”

“
So, you mentioned you didn’t choose to be a wolf.” She leaned forward and watched him. “You’re obviously one of the most powerful in the pack. How did that come about?”

He ducked his head and let out a sigh.
“It was seven years ago. I was at the bar having a drink with Slater, discussing the work he wanted done on his Harley. Some out-of-towner was flirting with an enforcer’s girlfriend. She politely brushed the guy off but her boyfriend saw the tail end of the conversation. Raj went ballistic and beat the shit out of the guy.”

“
I bet you stepped in to stop the wolf from killing him.” She smiled like she approved.

Brody nodded.
“Yeah. The stranger had apologized but Raj couldn’t leave it alone. He nearly beat the guy to death, and I just couldn’t let that happen. I pulled Raj off the guy, and he swung at me, so I fought back.” Brody shook his head and looked back at her. “Raj was mean as a snake, but he wasn’t really a fighter. Adam and I use to box in a gym, not anything special, but I know my way around a fight. I overpowered him, and I guess he realized he didn’t stand a chance. Raj shifted and tried to tear my throat out. I probably wouldn’t be here if Hayden hadn’t shot him through the head with a silver bullet.”

Wincing,
she turned away a second. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

“
I don’t regret stepping in. I didn’t choose the outcome, but I would make the same choice again.”

“
I believe that.”

“
Anyway, I didn’t wake up until the next day. When I did, I found Slater and Sarah standing over me. Sarah was livid. She blamed Slater for not stopping Raj. She wasn’t very happy with the fact I became a werewolf, but she lived with it.”

Brody
still remembered the way she screamed at Slater, the way she cried, the arguments they had about how much time he wasted on the pack instead of them. In reality, her being in the army took more time from them than the time he spent dealing with the pack.

“
She didn’t like you being a wolf?” Fallon’s eyes narrowed and she looked a little ticked off on his behalf. “That doesn’t change you. Hell, it made you stronger, more resilient. Sure, you didn’t choose your circumstances, but shit happens.”

Brody had never looked at his situation like that. He almost felt guilty for agreeing with Fallon.
“What we shared didn’t change, but we wanted a family and that’s harder to achieve as a wolf.” He ran a hand through his hair, not wanting to think about the past. Fallon was his present, and hopefully his future.

Her eyes fl
ared, and she covered her mouth. “Shit. Sorry, I didn’t….”

He held his hand up and shook his head.
“Don’t apologize. Things were strained for a time, but she accepted it. She never blamed me, she blamed Slater. That was a long time ago, though.”

“
Right.” She looked down at her hands resting on the counter.

Hoping to relieve some of the
tension, he filled two mugs and brought them to the counter. “Here. Let’s get back on a better topic.”

Fallon’s eyes landed on the cheesecake.
“Mmm.”

“
I’m guessing you like chocolate?” Brody chuckled and grabbed of couple plates. He put a generous helping of cheesecake on each dish and brought them to the table. Once he sat, he drizzled the sauce over each piece. He took a bite, watching as she took her own with a nearly ecstatic moan.

“
Goddess, this is divine,” she purred.

They didn’t say another word.
Fallon was too busy enjoying the cake and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Fallon ate with erotic abandon. She closed her eyes and savored every last morsel she sucked off the fork.

There was no thought, just compulsion as he held out his last bite for his temptress. Her eyes opened and she took the
offering into in her mouth.

He slowly pulled the fork
away. All he could do was lean in and kiss her softly. When she didn’t pull away, he licked across her lush bottom lip and she opened to him, her tongue caressing his. Her taste mingled with the chocolate and caramel consumed him with need stronger than anything he’d ever felt.

She climbed into his lap and molded herself to his body, her
fingers tangled in his hair as if she couldn’t get enough. His hands glided down her back. When he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth she moaned. He squeezed her ass as he stood up. Her long shapely legs locked around his hips as he put her back against the door, grinding his length against the seam of her jeans.