I removed the barrel from his nose. 'You have no idea of my authority. Get out of my damn sight.'
I watched the deputy guide his partner's horse back into the woods away from us. I doubted they were the type of people who kept their promises, and I wanted to be far away before they decided on a repeat performance. I walked over to the boy and looked down at him. A murderer and thief. He opened one eye-the other was already swelling closed.
'Who are you?' he asked, his words broken as he spoke through the pain.
'Nathan Garrett,' I said. 'You're safe now.'
'I'm Sam,' he said softly, before passing out once more, and leaving me with one burning thought.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Chapter 1
Basingstoke, England. Now.
She lay on the floor, panting. Her chest rose and fell quickly in an effort to get as much oxygen into her body as possible. Her bare midriff, the muscles taut and inviting, the skin tanned and beautiful, glistened with sweat. Only one thought entered my mind. Oh crap.
'You want a drink?' I asked, picking up a bottle of water from the floor.
Sara sat up and caught the cold bottle in one hand when I threw it to her. As she drank, water dripped down her chin, landing just above her sports bra and trickling down between her breasts. I stared at my bottle of water and considered tipping it down my pants. I settled for drinking it, while ensuring that my gaze fell on nothing that could be considered sexy. A stack of blue mats sat at the end of the huge gym hall. There is nothing sexy about a blue gym mat. That did the trick.
'So, you want to go for another round?' she asked.
I turned back to her just in time to catch the half empty bottle of water she'd thrown at my head. 'That's not nice,' I said with a smile. 'You're going to have to be taught a lesson.'
Sara got back to her feet and put herself in a fighting stance. 'Come on, old man; let's see if you've still got what it takes.'
I tossed both bottles aside, and deflected the punch I knew was coming. I pushed her arm aside and stepped around her, keeping my distance, making her do the work. Sara might have only been human, and only been fighting for a few months, but what she lacked in experience, she more than made up for in sheer tenacity and quickness.
Her foot spun round, trying to catch me in my ribs, but I blocked it with ease. Unfortunately, she knew what I was going to do and quickly switched tactics, throwing a punch, which I wasn't positioned to block effectively. I took a glancing blow off my cheek as I dodged aside. 'Good shot.'
Sara smiled. She'd remembered not to get dragged into a conversation with the person you're fighting. Concentrate on the person trying to knock you out, not on trying to chat them up.
She threw another punch, this one meant to distract from her attempt to knee me in the stomach. I wasn't distracted. I grabbed her thigh, falling back and using my momentum to drag her over and dump her on her back.
What I hadn't expected was for Sara to grab my arm as she went over, pulling me with her. So, I was the one who ended up on my back, with Sara straddling my chest. Her smile beamed as she undid her ponytail, letting her long blonde hair fall loose over her shoulders.
'Old man,' she said
'You learn quickly.' I tried to sit up and she pushed me back.
'Not yet. You must learn patience.' She laughed, mocking a familiar speech I'd given to her when she'd wanted to learn more quickly than she was capable of.
I pushed her hand away, which caused her to lose her balance. She fell forward, her face coming close to mine. She inhaled sharply as our mouths almost touched. Her pupils dilated and she licked her lips invitingly. I looked into her green eyes and wanted to take her, wanted to feel her naked skin against mine, to feel her moving around me as I entered her. The moment lasted longer than it should have.
'Would Nathan Garret report to Thomas Carpenter's office? That's Nathan Garret to Thomas Carpenter's office.' The loudspeaker announcement brought us both back to our senses.
'We should go,' Sara said, and rolled off me, going over to grab her bottle of water.
I lay on the ground a moment longer, and tried to think of something calming. The gym mats weren't going to be enough. When finally ready to move, I got back to my feet and made my way to the intercom by the main entrance, pushing the button and informing whoever was on the other end that I would be half an hour. Tommy could come find me himself if it was that important. I didn't work for him.
'You okay?' I asked Sara, who hadn't spoken in a few minutes.
'I have a boyfriend,' she said softly. 'I love him. I love being with him, he's fun and sweet and treats me well. Something I've not had much experience with.'
'I know,' I said.
'So why do you make me forget all about him? How is it that you have this effect on me? That I want to do incredibly bad things to you every time I see you?'
I shrugged. 'I'm sorry, Sara. If you want me to stop training-'
'No,' she snapped. 'Tommy and you have told me that if I'm going to be his assistant, I need training. And more than one person has said you're the best to do that. I just want to be able to train. Without the desire to rip all your clothes off and fuck you on the floor.'
'I don't know what to say. Maybe we both need a cold shower, and to try and keep it as professional as possible in future. No matter how difficult that might be. I don't want you to do anything to jeopardise the happiness you have at home.'
'I won't,' she said, sounding certain. 'I can control this. I just need to avoid draping myself over you in future.' She picked up her bag and slung the strap over one shoulder. 'I'll go shower and tell Tommy you'll be up soon.'
'Thanks,' I said, and then she was gone leaving me with a great desire to bathe myself in ice cold water for the foreseeable future.
As it turned out, once I'd showered and dressed, any longing I felt was buried deep inside me as I walked through the busy office building owned by my friend Thomas Carpenter.
Technically it's two buildings, one was three stories and the other twenty-five, joined together by a walkway above the staff parking area outside. I looked out of a nearby window, down at the smaller of the two buildings. It's the only entrance to the larger building, and includes enough security to make getting into the White House seem like a walk in the park. Six lifts, all glass except for the floor and ceiling, each containing a thermal imaging unit and metal detector. Runes, carved into the very structure of the building, ensured that no one could use their abilities unless authorised. I looked down at the small bracelet on my wrist; the runes carved into the wooden beads allowed me to access my magic. Each staff member wore one, even the humans, so that no one could be identified from appearance alone. Each bracelet was designed for that person only, and not all bracelets were created equal.
The larger building had a similar rune structure, carved into the steel and concrete. And it wasn't overkill. My friend Thomas, or Tommy as he liked to be known, was a Private Investigator, or used to be. Now he runs his own investigations firm, and he's managed to piss off a lot of powerful people in the process.
But none of the measures were there to protect him. As a six-hundred-plus-year-old werewolf, he's quite capable of taking care of himself. But he'd never have forgiven himself if his people got hurt because of a lack of care and protection.
I made my way through to the lifts, saying hello to the various people who knew me, and gaining a few odd glances from those who didn't. When everyone else is wearing smart suits, the man wearing jeans, a hooded top, and carrying a leather biker jacket sort of stands out.
As the lift doors opened, revealing the mirrored walls inside, another loudspeaker announcement sounded. 'Can Mr. Garrett please go to the employee parking lot?'
I stepped into the lift and pressed the button for the ground floor. I had no idea what Tommy wanted, but I
