by Kimbra Swain
She shook her head. “My desire for a friend doesn’t outweigh my desire to live,” she said.
“They would kill you for having a friend. For trusting me?” I asked. I knew the Sanhedrin controlled the Unseelie exiles that caused problems in the real world, but Grace had never caused a problem to my knowledge since I moved into Shady Grove. I was still confused as to exactly what my purpose was that they couldn’t do themselves. Clearly, they had her under their thumb.
“Yes.”
“But you can fuck Joey Blankenship?” I asked.
“Let me out, Dylan. Or take me to jail. I don’t care which,” she said.
“Help me understand,” I asked. “Let me help you.”
“No. If you get involved, they will cut you down, too,” she said.
“They could try,” I said. “Look. Your sex life isn’t my business, but I haven’t seen you with anyone since I moved to this town. Then I see you latch on to Joey at the Food Mart. The two of you made a mess of things along the powerlines, and then you leave barefoot and upset. I’m concerned. What did he do that pissed you off?”
“I’m not telling you, Dylan. So, forget it,” she said.
“Grace, we can sit here all night,” I said. “You will tell me what’s going on.”
“No, I won’t,” she said. She pushed on the door trying to get it open. I realized her cuffs were gone.
“What? Where are the cuffs?” I asked.
“On the floor. That shit doesn’t hold me,” she said with a smirk. “Let me out of here, or I’ll give you a reason to arrest me.”
“Fine,” I said. I opened the door for her, and she barreled into me as she flew out of the car. I backed away to let her fly to the safety of her trailer. “Grace, I’m sorry. I was just trying to help.”
“If you want to help me, cut my grass or something. Otherwise, leave me alone,” she said ducking into the trailer. I looked around at the grass. It did need to be mowed. So, I formulated a plan to get Miss Grace Ann Bryant to open up to me. I’d probably regret it, but that thing festering inside of me wouldn’t let go.
Grace
The low buzz of a mower awakened me from a fitful night of sleep. I cursed the air around me and covered my head with my pillow. The noise got louder, and I realized it was coming from my yard. I threw back the covers, rushing through the trailer. I threw open the front door to see a bare-chested Dylan Riggs cutting my grass. The sight stopped me in my tracks. He looked up at me and froze in place.
Suddenly, I realized, that even with his shirt off, he still had on more clothes than I did. I only had a t-shirt and panties. I ducked behind the door but saw him laughing through the kitchen window.
“Stupid asshole,” I muttered. Trying to find some shorts in the dryer, I tried to imagine every curse I knew to throw at Dylan. I could turn him into any number of animals. I could make his dick fall off, but that would be a waste. Slipping into the shorts I found, I brushed my hair back out of my face.
As I passed the coffee pot, I pressed the start button. When I went out the door, he continued to pace back and forth with the lawnmower. My lawnmower. Granted, I never used the damn thing. I always convinced Cletus and Tater across the street to cut my grass for me. Sweat rolled down his chest. The edge of his pants was wet where it had gathered. His chest only had a light covering of hair, and there was a trail of it from his navel to his waistband. I gulped. Dylan Riggs was fucking hot. After not getting the job done last night, my fairy hormones did crazy flips in my stomach.
He finished the last bit as I stood in astonishment. “What are you doing?”
“You said the grass needed to be cut. I’m cutting it,” he said.
“How much do I owe you? I’ve got some cash,” I said.
“Nothing. It’s a neighborly duty,” he said.
“You live in the trailer park?” I asked because honestly, I didn’t know where Dylan lived.
He laughed. “No, but I live in Shady Grove, so we are neighbors. I don’t mind.” He grabbed a towel from his cruiser and wiped the sweat off. “Don’t look too hard, Grace. I think you might get turned on.”
If he only knew. “I will not. I made coffee. Want some?” I asked.
“No, thanks. But I will take a glass of water,” he said.
“Sure. Wait here,” I said because the last thing I needed was a hot, shirtless man in my trailer.
He put the mower away in the small shed attached to the back of the trailer. I poured myself a coffee and made a glass of ice water for him. When I returned to the porch, he was sitting on the front step.
“Thanks, Grace,” he said, taking the glass from me. I sat down in my lawn chair not knowing what to say to him. He wanted to know what happened with Joey, but that was something I didn’t intend on telling him. I just couldn’t believe he’d go to this length to be nosy.
“I’m not telling you what happened,” I said.
“I can always count on you to be frank,” he laughed, sipping on his water. “I’ll come back once a week and cut the grass.”
“No, don’t you dare,” I said. “I can cut it.”
“It’s okay. It’s good exercise,” he explained. He clearly did plenty of exercising. I had always thought him to be handsome, but the sight of his bare skin made me wild with lust. It took everything I had not to drag him into my trailer and fuck his brains out. Of course, I’d have to leave Shady Grove, because he belonged to someone else. I’d already made that mistake once.
“Thank you,” I muttered. He looked at me in surprise. “What? I can be nice.”
“I know you can. I’ve seen it before, but it’s rare. Let me savor the moment,” he teased.
“Shut up, Dylan,” I said. “How’s the sheriff business?”
“Quiet,” he said. It had been several weeks since he called me to help him. We stopped going to breakfast a month ago. Occasionally he would call for lunch, but I supposed that he and his girlfriend were getting along. I had been a distraction when things were tough for him. Whatever. Like I had told him last night, I wasn’t allowed to have friends. No sense in crying over spilled milk. “I gotta get to work. If you ever want to talk, Grace, I’ll be happy to listen. We ain’t gotta be friends for me to listen.”
“I’m not telling you what happened, Dylan,” I reminded him.
“Not about that. About anything,” he said. His denim blue eyes pierced into me as if he were looking into my soul. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t have one. He needed to stop looking. Humans, good ones, always looked for the best in people. I didn’t want Dylan Riggs to see the real me.
“Have a good day, Dylan,” I said, retreating back into my trailer. I watched him through the kitchen window get in his red sports car and drive off. A part of me was sad to see him go. The other part of me said it was time to leave this town. This contract wasn’t what it was cracked up to be.
Dylan
When I got home, it seemed as though Stephanie had come in and left again. She wasn’t home after work last night. Lately, she had always told me when she was leaving. It concerned me, but I tried to dismiss it. We weren’t going to have trouble again. Things were better. I wanted to marry her if she would agree to it. I even bought a ring. I was just waiting for the right time.
I took a shower so I could get back to work. I decided to stop in Hot Tin and speak to Nestor about Grace. He always seemed to know more about her than anyone else.
“Mornin’, Sheriff,” he greeted me as I entered.
“Hey, Nestor. Got coffee?” I asked.
“Sure thing,” he said. He placed a small white cup on the bar and filled it with coffee. He placed the sugar on the bar next to it. “What brings you in?”
“Just your coffee,” I smiled.
“She’s giving you hell again,” he said. A knowing grin crossed his face.
“Not so much me, but I’m trying to understand her. She did something last night that I didn’t think was possible.”
Nestor chuckled. “She’s po
werful,” he said.
“Not like that,” I replied.
“Oh? Were you with her?” he asked.
“What? No. It wasn’t me,” I said. “How did you know she was with anyone?”
“I’ve figured out her contract,” he said.
“You have one?” I asked.
“Yes, but you know I can’t talk about that,” he replied.
“What are you?” I asked not knowing what kind of fairy Nestor really was.
“If you guess, I’ll tell you, but you can’t just sit here and name off known fairies,” he smiled.
“I’ll think about it,” I said. I liked a challenge. I wanted to know what and who the good fairies in town were in case I needed them. I wasn’t supposed to ask, but I was pretty pissed at the Sanhedrin for their stupid contracts. There were good fairies here. Keeping them under wraps would only be like a tight lid on a hot pot. Eventually, it will boil over.
“Did I see you cutting her grass this morning?” Nestor asked.
“Yes. Trying to make peace,” I grumbled.
“What did she do?” he asked.
“What do you mean? She eventually thanked me,” I said.
He waved his hand to stop me. He pulled out a stool from behind the bar that I had never seen and sat down. “Last night, what did she do?”
I shook my head. “She cried,” I said.
“Why was she crying?” Nestor suddenly became agitated.
“She wouldn’t tell me. It was after she ran off from the Blankenship boy,” I said.
“Did he hurt her?” Nestor asked.
“She claimed that he didn’t. He said that he didn’t,” I replied.
“Why don’t you tell me the whole story? Perhaps I can help decipher it,” Nestor said.
I told him about following them out to the powerlines, then seeing her barefoot and covered in mud. He sat quietly and listened up to the point when I told him that I took her home.
“Contrary to popular belief, Sheriff Riggs, fairies do have hearts. Especially that one,” he said.
“I have seen that, but I’d never seen her cry. It made me hurt for her. She couldn’t trust me enough to tell me what was wrong,” I lamented.
“Grace doesn’t trust anyone. Especially men,” he said.
“Why?”
“Her last relationship ended badly,” he said.
“What relationship?”
“She dated a fairy across town. He lied to her. He was married and didn’t tell her. She doesn’t mess around with men unless she knows they are single and human. Part of that is her contract. The other part is Grace is unique. How’s the crime rate lately?” he asked.
“We haven’t had anything more than some speeding tickets in the last few months. After she banished that troll back to the Otherworld, I’ve only had minor supernatural incidents,” I admitted.
“Why do you think that is?”
“What does this have to do with Grace crying?” I asked getting frustrated. I knew he was trying to work his way to something, but I’d lost my patience.
“I’m sorry, Dylan. For a moment there, I thought you cared about her. Forgive me,” he said, putting up the stool.
“I do care,” I said. “I just don’t want to be jerked around.”
“I’d never jerk you around, boy. If I did, you wouldn’t survive it,” he growled. Pausing to gather his composure, he added, “Forgive me.”
The door to the bar opened, and my lovely girlfriend entered.
“There you are,” she said.
“Well, hello, Princess,” I said. She crossed the room, leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss. “How are you, my dear?”
“I’m good, but I have bad news. We have a big case next week, and I’ve got to stay in Tuscaloosa this weekend,” she said.
My eyes darkened. “We talked about this,” I said.
“It’s work. I promise,” she lied. “Where were you all night?”
“Work. When I got home, you weren’t there,” I said.
“I had some casework to start early,” she replied.
“At 3 a.m.?” I asked.
“If you are accusing me of something, Dylan, then do it, but I warn you,” she glared at me.
“No. I was just concerned,” I backed down. We had our agreement, and things couldn’t be better right now. I didn’t want to ruin it because I suspected her of cheating. Again. She had lied to me just then, but I let it go. I wanted this to work.
“What were you doing?”
“I was working. I said that,” I responded.
“Following Grace?” she asked.
“That is my job, Steph. You know that,” I said.
“She did a number on that Blankenship boy,” Stephanie said.
I perked up. “How do you know anything about that?” I asked.
“He called me early this morning. She’s a real bitch,” she said.
“Why would he call you?” I asked.
“We are friends,” she claimed.
“Did you go see him?” I asked.
“No. You are being stupid again. I’ll see you Monday. Get your act straight or I will do as I promised, dear Dylan,” she said. She lied again. My heart sank. I was doing everything possible to make it work, but she wasn’t cooperating.
She stormed out of the bar, and I let her. Perhaps I’d just let her tell Grace what I was and deal with the fallout. Nothing was worth this torture. Nestor stood quietly behind me drying glasses from his wash sink. He had his back to me.
“I can never do right by her,” I said.
“You chose the wrong fairy,” Nestor said.
“Oh really? Grace is worse than she is,” I said.
“Look, Serafino, let’s be clear,” Nestor said using my real name. It shocked me. He stalked toward me. “Grace has a heart unlike most fairies I know, including myself. If you do anything to hurt her, I will cut you down. If you think she is worse than that one, then you don’t know her at all.”
“You can try,” I growled. “What is wrong with you, Nestor? You are threatening a cop!”
“You are hilarious. You are no more a cop than Troy Maynard. You are here for one thing, and that’s to keep Grace in check. But if you ever harm a hair on her head, there will be hell to pay. I don’t care if the Sanhedrin hunt me down. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” I said, storming out of the bar.
As I walked out, I saw Grace slip into the diner. I wanted more than anything to go eat lunch with her. We had stopped having breakfast, but occasionally we would have lunch. I needed to let it go. Reassess my purpose here. I’d already sworn not to hurt her. I opened the door back into the bar. Nestor looked at me. The fire in his eyes had died out.
“I swore on my life to never hurt her. I never will,” I said. “But someone made her cry, and I want to know why.”
“Perhaps you should ask Jeremiah then,” he said.
“I will,” I replied, then left for real this time.
The problem was, I hadn’t seen Jeremiah in a couple of weeks. He was out on one of his fairy hunting trips. If he found someone he liked, he would bring them back here to live. I called the number that I had for him. The call went to voicemail.
“Jeremiah, this is Dylan. I need you to call me. It’s about Grace,” I said.
Grace
Two weeks went by before I heard from Dylan Riggs again. I’d packed my bags to leave when Jeremiah showed up to threaten me. I decided to stay. Apparently, Mr. Riggs needed my help. It had better not be another trick. I was tired of Shady Grove and my watchers. I was sure that he called Jeremiah to report my shenanigans with Joey Blankenship.
“Hello,” I answered my cell phone sweetly.
“Hey, Grace. It’s Dylan,” he said.
“I have caller ID,” I said.
“Ah. Okay. Well, I found something I need your help figuring out. Can I pick you up?” he asked. He knew I hated riding in his cruiser. Especially now, after he arrested me.
I sighed, “Do I hav
e to ride with you?”
“Yes. Please,” he begged.
“Okay. How long do I have to get ready?” I asked. I heard a honk outside and looked to see him parked in my driveway. Bastard. “Give me five minutes.”
I quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt. Whenever he had me out to look at something, it was inevitably muddy, so I put on my duck boots. My pretty cowgirl boots were ruined from my night with Joey Blankenship. With a quick brush of my hair, I flew out the door to meet up with Dylan. To be honest, which was hard for me, I had missed him. He was the closest thing I had to a friend.
“Afternoon, Sheriff,” I said as I got in the car.
“Hey,” he said, quickly pulling out of the drive.
“What do we have today?” I asked eagerly. Too eager perhaps.
“It’s an abandoned farm, but there are crops growing outside. I’m not sure what they are. The whole place feels creepy,” he said.
“Okay. But my knowledge of botany is lacking,” I said.
“Just take a look, okay?” he snapped.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked.
“Nothing,” he replied. I left him alone because I told myself that I wouldn’t tell him either if it was me. I hated that I was finally happy to see him, and he was in a foul mood.
We drove way out on the state highway toward Montgomery to a dirt road I’d never noticed before. He slipped down the dirt road until it ended. There was nothing at the end of it. “What is this?” I panicked. “What are you doing to me? I didn’t do anything.” I reached for the door handle, but it wouldn’t open. I jerked hard.
“Grace, calm down. I’m not here to hurt you,” he said.
“Let me out!” I cried.
He punched the button to unlock the door. I bounded out of the car and started running back up the road.
“Grace! Wait! We have to sneak in the back side of the property. This is the way we need to go!” he called from behind me.
I turned to face him. He was telling the truth. My heart pounded in my chest. I thought he was turning me into the Sanhedrin, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. I also knew Jeremiah was out of town, so there was no one here to stop him.