Page 23 of Paws and Claws (Saltwater Grove Romances #4)

23

DOMINIC

D ominic woke to sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. The first thing he noticed was Tabitha's scent - wild magic and jasmine - surrounding him. His body tensed as memories from last night flooded back. Her lips on his, her soft skin under his hands, the way she'd cried out with pleasure...

He turned his head to look at her sleeping form. Her purple hair fanned across his pillow, her face peaceful in sleep. His chest tightened at how right she looked there.

Last night was incredible. The way they'd worked together to take down the Hunters, how naturally they'd fallen into sync both during the fight and after. He couldn't deny his feelings for her - she challenged him, excited him, and made him feel alive in ways he'd forgotten were possible.

But the responsible part of his brain kicked in. He was the sheriff. He should have shown more restraint, taken things slower, done this properly.

"You're overthinking again," he whispered to himself. "Like always."

His lion prowled restlessly inside him, wanting to curl back around her warm body and keep her close. The animal part of him had already decided she was his after claiming her last night. But the human side needed time to process, to figure out if he could balance his duty as sheriff with these mounting feelings for her.

Carefully, he slipped out of bed and pulled on clothes. At his home desk, he quickly scrawled a note: "Had to head into work early. Didn't want to wake you. - D"

He stared at the paper, wanting to write more but unsure what to say. In the end, he left it simple.

He paused at the bedroom door, looking back at her sleeping form. The morning light painted her skin golden, and his lion purred at the sight. She was beautiful, wild, and completely unsuitable for someone like him. And yet...

"What are you doing to me, Tabitha?" he whispered, before quietly closing the door behind him.

The morning air hit his face as he stepped outside, and he took a deep breath to clear his head. He drove to the station in a daze, his lion's heightened senses still picking up traces of Tabitha's scent on his skin. The morning traffic crawled by as his mind kept drifting back to purple hair spread across his pillow.

At his desk, he attacked the paperwork from last night's Hunters arrests with fierce determination. Forms needed filing, evidence needed cataloging, and statements needed recording. But every time he tried to focus, memories of Tabitha's laugh, her touch, the way she'd looked at him with those mischievous blue eyes, kept interrupting his concentration.

"Get it together," he muttered, shuffling papers more forcefully than necessary.

By lunch, he'd made minimal progress on his work. Frustrated with himself, he headed out to grab something to eat, hoping fresh air might clear his head. The sidewalk was busy with the usual lunch crowd when rough hands suddenly grabbed him and yanked him into an alley.

His lion surged forward instantly, his muscles tensing for a fight. He spun, his fist already swinging, only to pull back when he recognized Bruce's face.

"What the hell?" Dominic growled, his voice carrying the lion's rumble.

"Official police business," Bruce said, producing handcuffs. "You're under arrest."

"This is ridiculous." Dominic's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Whatever game you're playing-"

"Turn around," Bruce ordered, cutting him off.

The lion in Dominic wanted to resist, to show this upstart exactly who he was dealing with. But years of respecting procedure won out. He turned, letting Bruce cuff him while keeping his muscles coiled tight, ready to act if needed.

The metal clicked cold against his wrists. His lion prowled restlessly, not liking being restrained. The beast wanted to break free, to remind Bruce exactly who the alpha was in this town. But Dominic held it in check - for now.

"Care to explain what this is about?" Dominic's voice was deceptively calm.

"All in good time, sheriff." Bruce's tone dripped with satisfaction as he gripped Dominic's arm. "All in good time."

Bruce soon marched Dominic through the station's main floor, making sure every officer saw their sheriff in handcuffs. Dominic's lion seethed at the show of dominance, but he kept his expression neutral. Inside though, his predator nature simmered with barely contained rage.

"Conference room is that way," Dominic said as Bruce steered him toward interrogation. "If you want an audience, you might as well go all in."

"Shut up." Bruce shoved him into the cramped interrogation room.

The metal chair scraped against linoleum as Bruce pushed him into it. Dominic's wrists ached from the too-tight cuffs, but he refused to show discomfort. His lion wanted to break free and put Bruce in his place, but years of control kept the animal in check right now.

"Going to tell me what this circus is about?" Dominic's tone held a dangerous edge.

Bruce slapped a file on the table. "Playing dumb doesn't suit you, Blackmane. We know you've been working with the Hunters."

"What?" Dominic's laugh held no humor. "I'm a shifter. Why would I work with people who want us dead?"

"Money talks." Bruce spread photos across the table - doctored images showing Dominic meeting with known Hunters. "These say you've been quite chatty with them."

"Those are fake." Dominic leaned forward, his eyes burning with intensity. "Just like the ones you used to frame Tabitha."

"We also have audio." Bruce played a recording of what sounded like Dominic's voice discussing plans with the Hunters. The quality was poor, obviously manipulated.

"Getting sloppy with your fabrications." Dominic's lion prowled closer to the surface. "First Tabitha, now me. Running out of people to frame?"

"You led us right to them last night." Bruce's smile didn't reach his eyes. "How else would you know where to find them?"

"Because unlike you, I actually investigate instead of fabricating evidence." The lion's growl leaked into Dominic's voice. "You're going down for this, Bruce. Both the frame jobs and working with the Hunters yourself."

"Big words from someone in cuffs."

Dominic's lion clawed at his insides, demanding retribution as he stared Bruce down across the interrogation table. "You don't have enough evidence to hold me here and you know it."

"Maybe not for the Hunter charges." Bruce's smirk made Dominic's blood boil. "But resisting arrest? That's another story."

The pieces clicked into place. The ambush in the alley, yanking him around like a common criminal - it had all been calculated to provoke a response. Dominic's fist clenching and swinging had been exactly what Bruce wanted.

"That's why you grabbed me off the street," Dominic seethed. "Trying to manufacture probable cause."

"You raised your fist at a police officer." Bruce shrugged, but his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "That's resistance in my book."

"We both know that's not what happened."

"My report will say different." Bruce hauled Dominic up roughly by the arm. "Let's get you settled in your new accommodations."

The basement holding cells smelled of stale air and desperation. Bruce marched him down the dimly lit corridor, his grip unnecessarily tight. Dominic's lion roared for release, but he kept his expression calm. He wouldn't give Bruce the satisfaction.

"I will make you pay for this," Dominic promised, his voice deadly quiet.

Bruce yanked the cell door open with a metallic screech. "Good luck proving anything." He unlocked the cuffs, shoving Dominic inside. "Your word against mine."

The cell door clanged shut with finality. Bruce wrapped his hands around the bars, leaning in close with a vicious smile. "Oh, and don't worry about that little witch of yours. I'll make sure she goes down hard for everything - might even arrange for her to disappear altogether."

Dominic's lion surged forward with protective fury, his hands gripping the bars until his knuckles went white. The metal groaned under his grip as he fought to keep the beast contained. The thought of Bruce anywhere near Tabitha made him want to tear him apart right now.

"If you touch her," Dominic's voice dropped to a dangerous growl, "there won't be enough left of you to arrest."

Bruce just laughed and walked away, his footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. But Dominic had seen the flash of fear in his eyes at the threat. His lion purred with satisfaction. Bruce would learn soon enough - you don't threaten what belongs to a lion and walk away unscathed.

Dominic paced the cramped holding cell, his boots scuffing against the concrete floor. The lion inside him hated being caged, making his skin crawl with restless energy. Six hours had passed since Bruce locked him in here, and his thoughts kept circling back to Tabitha.

"Damn it all," he muttered. The memory of leaving her asleep in his bed that morning made his chest ache. He should have woken her, warned her about Bruce.

His lion lurked closer to the surface as he imagined Bruce going after her. The metal bars creaked under his grip as he fought down the urge to shift and break free. But that would only prove Bruce's accusations right.

"Come on, think," he told himself, forcing his breathing to slow. "She's smart. She'll figure out something's wrong when you don't show up or call."

The thought of Tabitha brought an unwilling smile to his face. Just yesterday he would have worried about her causing any unnecessary trouble, but now? Now he hoped she'd raise hell looking for him. His troublemaker witch with her wild magic and wilder heart.

"Who would have thought?" he mused, leaning against the cool cell wall. "The rule-following sheriff falling completely in love with the town's biggest rebel."

The admission settled something in his chest. His lion roared with satisfaction - it had known all along she was meant to be theirs.