“Elle Redfern.”
Winston frowned and scratched his chin. “Is she new in town? I don't remember...”
“Yes. She just bought over Baker's Hut.”
“Ahh.”
“I would like to request...”
“I'll get someone to cover your patrol. Get your report on my desk, and go.”
Aidan started, but Winston had turned back to his computer.
“Do you need someone to go with you?”
Aidan started. “No, sir.”
The Sheriff's Department was understaffed and shorthanded as it was. He could handle the hunt himself. And unless the suspect was a powerful paranormal, like a Master Vampire or an alpha shifter, usually only one officer was sent to apprehend the suspect.
The Sheriff's Department might be small, but every officer was more than worthy of the badge. The screening process for the job was stringent and rigorous. You needed a stout heart, a strong mind and a powerful body for the job. The strong arm of the law in this town was tough, muscly and packed a solid punch.
“Thank you, sir.”
Winston grunted. “Bring Miss Redfern to our Charity Ball next week. I'm sure the department would like to meet your mate.”
Aidan blinked but managed to keep his face straight and his mouth closed.
How the hell did Winston know that Elle was his mate? He stared at the observant, experienced Sheriff and saw his nose twitch slightly. The shrewd lion had detected the mating scent on him and his fierce resolve in hunting down Elle's attacker had clued Winston in to his relationship with Elle.
Aidan shook his head and smiled as he went back to his desk. He saw a half-eaten blood pie on his desk. He shared his desk with Derrick, a vampire who was on permanent night shift. Derrick was a conscientious, hardworking deputy. The workaholic vamp had probably worked till the last few minutes before dawn, then left the station in a great hurry.
Aidan binned the blood pie and settled down to work. Some officers were out on patrol, and others called out their cheery greetings and goodbyes as they walked in and out of the station.
The day was just starting and it was going to be a busy one. Aidan powered up the computer and started hammering out the report on Elle's case. He was the only officer at the scene, and he had to get all the details right.
Skinner shouldn't be out in society. He was a menace, a maniac, and he should be locked up for the rest of his miserable life.
He would hunt him down and make sure he was punished. It seemed that Skinner didn't learn his lesson the first time. Jail time was a bloody waste of time in his case. He wasn't repentant at all. Instead, he was bitter and vengeful.
Maybe a man like Skinner would never change. Did someone like him deserve a second chance, a third or fourth chance?
Aidan growled as he finished up his report.
He really didn't know what he would do to Skinner when he found him. He didn't know if he could control his beast. His bear would want to kill that piece of shit for hurting its mate.
He wanted Skinner's blood. But he thought of Elle.
Elle was a sweet, kind and gentle soul. Even after all her suffering and ordeal, she wasn't hard and bitter. She had a lot of love in her heart, and Aidan wanted to be worthy of her love.
Killing Skinner might be satisfying, but it wasn't worth it.
Aidan submitted the report to the Sheriff and stormed out of the station.
He snapped his shades on and checked his weapon.
The hunt was on.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Elle pointed at the bowl on the table and closed her eyes.
“No, no, don't close your eyes,” Gramma said, tapping her on the wrist. “It's important to look at the object that you're sending your energies to. Focus, Elle! Harder.”
Elle nodded and squinted at the bowl. “Communicate your intention to the bowl. Tell it where you want it to go,” Ne-ma instructed, sweeping up the broken fragments on the floor.
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and flexed her fingers. Gramma and Ne-ma made it look and sound so simple. They had flicked their fingers and the bowl flew from the table right into the sink. She had broken twelve saucers, ten cups and a dozen bowls and it wasn't even noon yet. But the big trunk that Gramma and Ne-ma brought with them seemed to hold an endless supply of fragile things. There were crystal globes, cups and saucers, bowls, mirrors, glasses and a whole array of colorful, psychedelic items in the trunk.
“Go on, just do it,” Gramma encouraged. “Don't worry about breaking it.”
Elle pointed all her fingers at the bowl and directed it towards the sink. The bowl wobbled and rose into the air. Ne-ma ducked just in time as it spun uncontrollably towards Ne-ma's head and smashed into the wall.
“I'm so sorry!” Elle cried. “Are you all right, Ne-ma?”
“I'm fine. You're too tense, Elle. You've got to relax and feel the magic,” Ne-ma said.
Elle wrung her hands. “I don't know how...”
Gramma came to her and said, “It's the opposite of casting a glamour spell. A glamour spell is about yourself. You focus on yourself and your flaws when you cast a glamour spell. You're trying to cover up your true self, hide yourself away from the world. What you're doing now is different. You're manifesting your wishes and intentions. Magic has to be worked with pure intentions and a good heart. You cannot interfere with another's free will. And that is why love spells always backfire.”
“L-love spells?” Elle's throat constricted. She had seen her mother cast love spells on her lovers, but those spells never seemed to have the desired effect.
“Yes. Come, I think it's time for a little break.” Gramma went to pour three cups of tea and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. “When you cast a love spell, you are trying to control and manipulate someone else's emotions,” Gramma explained as she sat down. “You are twisting someone's affections and intentions, and interfering with his or her free will. That's not how magic is supposed to work.”
Ne-ma joined her at the table. “Do you remember how we cast a love spell once, Glynda?”
“Ah yes.” Gramma shook her head. “We were young and foolish, and we thought too highly of ourselves.”
Ne-ma finished her tea and put the mug down on the table. “Good intentions, purity of heart and strength of mind. The basics of good magic,” she told Elle. “You can do it, Elle. You possess all these qualities. You just need to have a little faith in yourself.”
Elle gulped down her tea and looked at the three empty mugs on the table. “I'll wash up the mugs now. You might want to stand back, way back.”
Gramma and Ne-ma grinned and went to stand at the kitchen door.
Elle looked at their smiling faces and felt their love flowing to her. These wonderful women loved her and had so much faith in her. They wanted her to succeed, not for their own ego and pride, but to bolster her self-confidence and make her feel positive and proud of her own capabilities as a witch. She didn't need glamour to make herself beautiful. She was beautiful in her own right. Magic should be used to help others, not to hide herself from the world.
There was so much she could do, so much good and so much healing. She would start now.
Elle pushed away all her doubts and negative thoughts and just focused on clearing up the mess in the kitchen. She wanted the house to be well kept and uncluttered, clean and comfortable for Aidan and his family. They had all been so good to her, and she wanted to do a little something for them.
She spread her arms out and felt the air swirl around her. The mugs rose from the table and plonked themselves neatly into the sink. The dirty socks that Mason and Jackson had stuffed behind the sofa flew up and sailed towards the washing machine. And the remaining candy wrappers that Jackson had swept under the carpet marched out from their hiding place and dropped into the dustbin.
“Oh!” Gramma and Ne-ma clapped and came to hug her. “You did it! This is real, pure magic. You did it, Elle! We knew you could do it!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Aidan stopped in front of Elle's little bakery and glared at the reflection of the passers-by in the shop window. The bakery was closed today, and Aidan wondered if Skinner had been back during the night.
Was he lurking around the corner, watching the bakery, waiting for Elle to come in?
Aidan sniffed the air, but he didn't detect Skinner's scent. He remembered that faint wolf scent that he'd whiffed in the bakery, and he would use it to track Skinner down.
Aidan went to the back of the shop and checked. The premises were still secured. The locks hadn't been tampered with.
Aidan walked down the length of the street, his eyes scanning all the faces he passed. There were many familiar faces, but there were many faces he didn't recognize as well. The town had changed quite a bit in the few years that he and Mason had been living in the city. People had moved away, and new families had moved in. New shops and businesses had sprung up, and there were a few new shifter packs and clans in town.
Aidan made his way to the old walk-up building where Elle's rented apartment was. Skinner was probably keeping an eye on Elle's apartment as well.
Elle had given him the key to her apartment. He entered her apartment quietly and looked around. The place was sparsely furnished and dingy, and when he checked the cupboards, he saw that Elle didn't have a lot of clothes. She didn't have many things. There were no personal items and decorations on the tables and shelves, and she had a big duffel bag under her bed.
Elle had hoped to start her new life here in Shadow Point. She had bought a small bakery, and was working hard to succeed. But it was clear that at the back of her mind, perhaps subconsciously, she was preparing to run again.
Her apartment didn't look lived in at all. It was empty and unadorned. Elle was making it easy to just throw all her meager belongings into the duffel bag and leave town if she had to.
Aidan growled.
Elle wasn't leaving. Ever.
This was her home, her town.
The person who had to leave was Skinner.
And he was one sneaky little shit, all right. There was no trace of him at all. It was like he had just slunk into the shadows and vanished.
But shit floats. And Aidan just knew that the shithead was going to surface again. It was just a matter of time.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Elle walked into her bakery with Aidan. She smiled and looked around. Her shop had been closed for a week now, and she was really glad to be back. She had been practicing her spells and magic with Gramma and Ne-ma, and Aidan had insisted that she stay away from her bakery and apartment for a while.
Well, a full week had passed and Skinner hadn't appeared. She had enjoyed staying with Aidan and his brothers, but she had to get back to her life. She had a business to run, and she was losing money every day. The rent still needed to be paid, and she was losing customers.
Elle agreed to stay on in the house, but she wanted to get back to work.
“I won't work late,” she promised Aidan. “And you can drop by the bakery any time during the day. You can even escort me home.”
Aidan had tried to dissuade her but she wouldn't back down. She had mastered the basics of spell casting and the house was now as clean as a whistle. The whole garden was blooming with extraordinary, psychedelic flowers. She had even gone over to Tristan and Alisa's house and practiced her magic on their garden. Alisa had been thrilled to bits with the lovely, fragrant blooms covering their lawn.
But she didn't need to use magic to bake her delicious cakes and cookies. Baking was its own special kind of magic. It was fun and she felt good making something from scratch with her own hands. It was honest, wholesome work, and she loved it.
Aidan combed through the premises, shining a light into every nook and cranny. Elle shook her head and laughed. “Skinner's not hiding in a crack in the wall,” she said. “I think he's gone by now. He's got out of jail. He can make a fresh start, turn over a new leaf and have a real shot at happiness. He doesn't care about me. He shouldn't waste his life.”
She was no longer scared of Skinner. He was her past, and her past was exactly that. Past, and no longer relevant in her present. He had tried to hurt her, but she saw now that he was a very unhappy man. He wasn't satisfied with what he was, what he had. He wanted to be able to shift fully, be a real wolf shifter. He wanted to be accepted into a powerful wolf pack and obtain a high-ranking position within the pack. He craved power and influence. He was angry and frustrated at himself. And he vented his anger and frustration on her.
She had feared him before, but now she pitied him. He was a sad, bitter man, and she hoped that he would one day find what he was searching for.
She had.
She had found Aidan, her own growly, protective officer of the law. She let her eyes linger on her mate. Aidan was hot, and he looked really sexy in his uniform.
Elle started cleaning up the place so she could get down to baking as soon as possible. She chased Aidan out of the shop but he continued standing guard in front of the bakery. The display shelves started filling up with goodies as she pulled tray after tray out of the oven. She was on a roll. It felt so good to be back.
Peeking out the window, Elle smiled and grabbed a muffin. She walked up to her very own stud muffin and gave him a peck on the cheek. “You'll scare all the customers away,” she said, pushing the muffin into his hand. “Go. Go do proper police work. Skulking around a little bakery isn't proper police work.”
“I'm keeping you safe,” he growled.
“I am safe.”
A group of teenage girls stopped to admire the pretty cupcakes in the window. Then they pushed into the shop, pointing excitedly at the trays.
“See? I'm safe, and I have customers!” Elle chirped and skipped into the bakery. She popped her head out the door and shooed him away. “Go. It's a busy street. I'll keep the door open so people can hear my screams if anything happens.”
“If anything happens to you...” Aidan began.
Elle rolled her eyes at him. “Nothing will happen.”
“Elle...”
“See, the shop door is open and it will remain open. It's a nice, happy, busy day. I love you! See you later.” She blew him a kiss. “Go do your police work now.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Aidan blew out a breath and walked away. After a few steps, he stopped and glanced back at her shop. Elle was busy serving the customers, and chatting and laughing with them.
She looked so happy to be back in her bakery. Gramma and Ne-ma were right. He shouldn't stop her from going back to work. She clearly enjoyed what she was doing. And he could see that she had become more confident and outgoing. She was bubbly and chatty, and she opened up fully to his family.
She was candid about her past, and she no longer tried to hide her scar. It didn't bother her anymore, and she wasn't ashamed of how she looked, who she was, what she was. She was a half witch, and her magic would never be as powerful as a full witch. She could cast simple spells, and that was good enough for her. Clean-up spells, quick-grow spells, glamour spells—which she never used anymore. And she could grant simple wishes.
In fact, she made his wishes come true every single night.
The thought of having her again tonight made Aidan smile as he finished his muffin in two bites and got into his cruiser.
His brothers were right.
He was one lucky bastard.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Elle looked up as someone walked into her bakery. She started when the man turned and pushed the door shut. She had kept the door to the bakery open all day, and the delicious smell of baked treats seemed to have attracted an endless stream of customers into the shop.
“Excuse me,” she began. “But would you mind...”
The man removed his large hat and walked soundlessly towards her.
“Skinner,” she breathed.
“Yes. It's so hard to get you alone these days. You're a very busy woman, Elle,” he said, his
lips curving deceptively. Skinner leaned against the counter, nodding and smiling, so that anyone peering through the display window would only see a friendly customer chatting with the nice bakery owner.
Elle swallowed and said levelly, “What do you want, Skinner?”
Skinner's face twisted as he pretended to inspect his nails, nails which would never lengthen and sharpen into a wolf's claws.
“I want a lot of things,” he said. “I want vengeance. I want you to pay for what you did to me, Elle.”
Elle straightened her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. “And what did I do to you, Skinner?”
Before he could answer, she pointed at the long scar down her face. “Look at this. See this scar? You gave it to me.”
“You deserved it, bitch!” he hissed.
“No I didn't. I didn't deserve what you did to me. I never deserved any of the beatings and abuse. I don't deserve to be treated like a sad, worthless thing,” Elle answered.
Skinner snarled but she didn't back down. She had never stood up to him in the past but now she would. She should have spoken up a long time ago. Being meek and weak and keeping mum didn't solve anything. It made things worse and encouraged him to keep hurting and humiliating her. She wouldn't be silent anymore.
“I didn't deserve the beatings, the abuse, the pain you inflicted on me. I never did anything to deserve that. You married me but you never loved me. You despised me. I was weak and I reminded you of your own weakness. You wished you were as strong and powerful as a full shifter. It's not my fault that you're half human, but you used me as a punching bag. I used to be ashamed of myself, and I used glamour to hide my scars and bruises from our neighbors and my co-workers at the cafe. That—was a mistake. I should have let everyone see the truth.”
“You!”
Skinner lunged at her but she waved a hand and invoked a protective spell under her breath. Skinner's fist smashed against the invisible wall between them and he spat out a curse.
Skyfire Dragon (Dragons In Shadow Point Book 1) Page 19