Page 13 of Paws and Claws

6

TABITHA

Tabitha stepped back from her canvas. Her wild magic crackled at her fingertips as she put the finishing touches on her latest piece. The sunset streaming through her window cast a warm glow across the abstract swirls of color that danced across the canvas.

"Not bad, if I do say so myself." She wiped a smear of paint from her cheek, leaving a streak of blue that matched her eyes. "Though knowing my luck lately, no one else will think so."

Her gaze drifted to the clock on the wall. Almost time to head to The Hex. A smile tugged at her lips as she thought about running into a certain uptight sheriff again. There was something delicious about the way his jaw clenched whenever she pushed his buttons.

"Poor Dominic," she mused, pulling off her paint-stained smock. "Man needs to learn how to loosen up before he snaps in half from all that tension."

She danced across her cluttered living room to her favorite playlist, dodging canvases and art supplies scattered across the floor. The music pulsed through her as she rifled through her closet for the perfect outfit to drive Dominic crazy.

"Let's see how Mr. By-the-Book handles this." She pulled out a cropped leather jacket and her tightest jeans. His green eyes always seemed to darken slightly when she was close to him, even as he tried to maintain his professional demeanor.

Her wild magic sparked again, responding to her playful mood and making the lights flicker. "Down girl," she told her power with a laugh. "We're just going to have some innocent fun tonight. No property damage, I promise."

She posed in front of her full-length mirror, running her fingers through her purple hair to give it that perfect tousled look. "Though I suppose it's not really innocent if I'm deliberately trying to make him squirm." Her reflection grinned back at her. "But he's just so cute when he gets all flustered and alpha male about everything. 'Miss Moon, that's fifteen over the speed limit,'" she mimicked his deep voice.

The memory of his muscled form in that perfectly pressed uniform made her bite her lip. Shame he thought she was some kind of magical menace now.

Tabitha stepped out into the cool evening air, her keys jingling in her hand. Her front door hadn't even clicked shut behind her when a voice cut through her plans for the night.

"Tabitha Moon?"

A man in a sheriff's uniform she didn't recognize leaned against a squad car parked in her driveway.

"That's me. Though usually Dominic handles all my misdemeanors personally." Her wild magic bristled under her skin, setting off warning bells.

"Sheriff Bruce Meyers. And this isn't about your typical troublemaking." He pushed off the car. "Turn around. You're under arrest for the magical attacks around town."

"Wait, what?" Tabitha backed up a step. "Since when does this town have two sheriffs? And I already told Dominic I had nothing to do with those incidents."

"Hands behind your back, Miss Moon." Bruce advanced, his cuffs glinting in the dying sunlight.

"Look, buddy, I don't know who you are, but-" The cold metal snapped around her wrists before she could finish. Her magic surged in protest, but she forced it down. Getting slapped with resisting arrest wouldn't help her case.

"This is ridiculous." She twisted in the seat as Bruce shoved her into the back of his squad. "Where's Dominic? He's the one who's been investigating this."

"Sheriff Blackmane isn't handling this case anymore." Bruce slammed the door, cutting off her protests.

Through the partition, Tabitha watched him slide behind the wheel. Something felt off about this whole situation. Sure, Dominic could be a pain in her ass, but at least she knew where she stood with him. This guy? Her instincts screamed danger.

"So, what evidence do you actually have against me?" She kept her voice light, fishing for information.

"We'll discuss that down at the station."

"Right. Because you don't have any." Tabitha shifted uncomfortably against the handcuffs. "Does Dominic even know you're arresting me?"

Bruce's only response was to turn up his dispatch radio, drowning out her questions. Tabitha slumped back against the seat, her mind racing. Where the hell was Dominic when she actually needed him?

Bruce yanked Tabitha out of his squad car, his grip bruising on her upper arm. The metal cuffs bit into her wrists as he marched her through the station's back entrance. Her wild magic crackled beneath her skin, begging to be released, but she forced it down. The last thing she needed was to prove this jerk right about her being dangerous.

"Easy," she quipped as he shoved her onto the hard metal chair in the interrogation room. "I bruise like a peach."

"Shut up." Bruce slapped a file onto the table. "Four incidents. All within walking distance of your house."

"Yeah, and I've already been through this with Dominic." The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, making her head ache. "Where is he anyway?"

---