Page 3 of Paws and Claws (Saltwater Grove Romances #4)
3
DOMINIC
D ominic rubbed his temples as he read through last night's reports. The morning sun filtered through his office blinds, casting stripes across the scattered papers on his desk. His coffee had gone cold, forgotten amid the growing pile of bizarre reports.
"Ghouls. In downtown Saltwater Grove." He shuffled through the statements again. "Eight witnesses all describing the same thing. Mysterious figures appearing out of nowhere, surrounding them outside Mario's."
The victims' descriptions matched - translucent figures materializing from thin air, creating mass confusion while personal items vanished. The magic residue readings were off the charts. Definitely wild magic. His lion stirred restlessly beneath his skin.
"Sheriff!" Connor burst through his office door, the handle banging against the wall. His deputy's usually neat uniform was disheveled.
Dominic's shoulders tensed. "What happened?"
"You need to see this. Right now." Connor's chest heaved as he caught his breath. "Two blocks from Mario's. It's... different from the others."
"Different how?" Dominic stood, his chair scraping against the floor. The lion inside him stirred, sensing trouble.
"I can't even explain it. But it's definitely magical." Connor ran his hand through his hair. "The witnesses are still there, and they're pretty shaken up."
"Give me something to work with here." Dominic quickly grabbed the keys to his squad car. "Was anyone hurt?"
"No injuries, but..." Connor shook his head. "Boss, I've been on the force ten years, and I've never seen anything like this. Same area as the crash two days ago and the ghost robbery last night."
Dominic's jaw clenched. Three magical incidents in two days, all within a few blocks of each other. The pattern was there, but the motive escaped him.
A low growl rumbled in his chest. "This is escalating. First the car crash, then the ghost robbery, now this."
"What do you think it means, boss?"
"It means someone's wild magic is running loose in my town." His eyes flashed with determination. "And they either can't control it, or they're doing this on purpose."
Dominic's squad car soon screeched around the corner, and his breath caught at the chaos before him. Five electrical poles lay scattered across the road, their wires dancing dangerously in the morning breeze. His lion's heightened senses picked up the sharp tang of ozone and burnt rubber.
"Get on the radio. We need utility crews here now." Dominic's gaze swept over the community park where children's swings swayed empty, the playground equipment mere feet from the downed lines. "And call for backup. We need this whole area closed off."
A group of mothers huddled with their children near the jungle gym, too close to a sparking wire for comfort. Dominic's protective instincts flared.
"Ma'am!" He rushed toward them, authority ringing in his voice. "Everyone needs to move back at least fifty feet from those lines."
"But our cars-" One of the women gestured toward the parking lot, now blocked by the fallen poles.
"We'll figure that out later. Right now, I need you all safe." The lion in him wanted to roar, to make them understand the danger, but he kept his voice steady. "Please move toward the basketball courts."
The crackle of electricity punctuated his words as another wire touched ground, sending sparks flying. The women quickly gathered their children, hurrying toward safer ground.
"Sheriff!" Connor jogged up, radio in hand. "Utility crews are ten minutes out. Fire department is on their way too."
Dominic nodded, already moving to redirect an approaching delivery truck. "Block off both ends of Cedar Street. No one gets through until this mess is cleaned up."
His nose twitched, catching an odd scent beneath the electrical burn - something wild and uncontrolled. Magic. Recent magic.
"Connor, you smell that?"
His deputy inhaled deeply. "Yeah, boss. Same as the other incidents."
"Set up a perimeter. Twenty feet back from any downed lines." Dominic's muscles tensed as he spotted an elderly man trying to navigate between two poles. "Sir! Stop right there!"
He jogged over, carefully guiding the confused gentleman away from danger. The lion within him paced restlessly, sensing the lingering magical signature all around them. Someone's power had done this, and they either couldn't or wouldn't control it.
The wail of approaching sirens filled the air as Dominic continued directing people to safety, his mind already cataloging the similarities between this and the previous incidents. This wasn't a coincidence.
Dominic soon crouched next to a young girl who clutched her stuffed giraffe. Her mother, Mrs. Chavez, sat nearby on a park bench.
"Can you tell me exactly what happened, sweetheart?"
The little girl's eyes widened. "The poles went snap! Like matchsticks!" She demonstrated with her hands. "Then whoosh! They fell down."
"Did you see anyone acting weird?" Dominic kept his voice gentle, though his lion prowled under his skin, agitated by the lingering scent of wild magic.
"No, sir. We were just playing tag."
Mr. Rodriguez, the head of the local monkey troop, approached with his characteristic bounce. His silver-streaked fur caught the morning light. "Sheriff Blackmane, my people are rattled. Three incidents in two days? This isn't normal, even for Saltwater Grove."
Dominic straightened to his full height, meeting the troop leader's concerned gaze. "You're right. The magical signature matches the car crash and the ghost robbery."
"What do you think we're dealing with?" Rodriguez's tail twitched nervously.
"Someone with significant magical ability." Dominic's jaw tightened as he surveyed the scene. The utility crews had arrived and were carefully managing the downed lines. "The power required to snap these poles... it's concerning."
"But you'll catch them, right?" Mrs. Chavez pulled her daughter closer.
"Ma'am, protecting this town isn't just my job - it's my calling." His lion rumbled in agreement. "I've already got officers checking security footage from nearby businesses. We're increasing patrols, especially around schools and parks."
Rodriguez nodded approvingly. "The troop appreciates your dedication, Sheriff. Some of us remember when law enforcement wasn't so... accepting of shifters."
"Those days are long gone." Dominic's eyes flashed with conviction. "Every citizen of Saltwater Grove deserves to feel safe, whether they're human, shifter, or magical."
A young monkey shifter boy tugged at Rodriguez's sleeve. "Mr. Rodriguez! Can we still have the troop picnic on Saturday?"
The troop leader looked questioningly at Dominic, who smiled. "We'll have extra patrols in the park that day. No reason to let fear change how we live."
"That's why we trust you, Sheriff." Rodriguez extended his hand. "You protect our right to be normal, even in a town that's anything but."
Dominic shook it firmly, his lion preening at the vote of confidence. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to coordinate with my officers. We've got a magical menace to catch."
Dominic gripped his steering wheel tight as he drove back to the station. His mind kept racing through the evidence from the past few days. The magical signature at all three scenes carried the same wild, reckless energy. His lion paced with agitation beneath his skin.
"Wild magic." The words slipped from his lips as a face flashed in his mind - dark purple hair, defiant blue eyes, and that infuriating smile. "No. She wouldn't..."
But the thought had taken root. Tabitha Moon was a constant thorn in his side, but this? This felt different from her usual rebellious stunts.
Back at his desk, Dominic pulled up her file on his computer. His shoulders tensed as he read her address - right in the middle of where all three incidents had occurred.
"Damn it." He ran his hand through his dark hair. "Connor!"
His deputy appeared in the doorway. "What's up, boss?"
"Pull the footage from Mario's last night. I want to see if there's any sign of purple hair in the crowd."
Connor's eyebrows shot up. "You think Tabitha Moon's behind this?"
"I hope not." Dominic's jaw clenched. "But wild magic that powerful in that specific area? We need to check."
While Connor went to retrieve the footage, Dominic studied Tabitha's record. Speeding tickets, noise complaints, the occasional magical mischief - but nothing malicious. Nothing that had ever put anyone in danger.
"She was pretty pissed about that ticket yesterday," he muttered to himself. His lion growled at the memory of her peeling out, nearly clipping him with her bike. "But would she really escalate to this?"
The image of those electrical poles snapped like twigs played in his mind. The terrified faces of those mothers and children in the park.
"Sheriff?" Connor returned with a tablet. "You need to see this."
The security footage showed the ghostly figures materializing outside Mario's. In the background, a familiar motorcycle was parked across the street.
Dominic's chest tightened. "Time stamp?"
"Ten minutes before the first 911 call."
"Doesn't prove anything." But his lion knew better. The wild magic signature, the location, the timing - it all pointed to Tabitha.
"Want me to bring her in?"
Dominic shook his head. "No. I'll handle this myself." He stood up quickly. "If it is her, maybe she doesn't realize what she's doing. Wild magic I hear can be... unpredictable."
"Since when are you making excuses for Tabitha Moon?"
"I'm not." But even as he said it, Dominic knew he was lying to himself.
Dominic's squad car soon crawled down Willow Lane, his lion's enhanced vision picking out every detail of Tabitha's cottage through the afternoon haze. Wild roses climbed the weathered trellis, their thorny embrace both beautiful and chaotic - just like their owner. The thought made him grip the steering wheel tighter.
"Focus," he muttered to himself, but his mind wandered to yesterday's traffic stop - the way her dark purple hair had danced in the wind, how her blue eyes sparked with defiance. His lion stirred restlessly, more interested in her scent than her crimes.
"She's a menace," he reminded himself firmly. "A beautiful, infuriating menace who's endangering my town."