Page 22 of Tethered

“Almost. I just need to finish checking the closet.”

“Alright, I’ll take these to the car. Nobody will get in here without me seeing them.”

“Okay. I’ll be quick.”

He opens his mouth to say something else, but thinks better of it.

I wait until he walks away before I press the tip of my finger to the wedding dress’s gauzy material. A spark ignites under my touch, and within moments, the dress is aflame. I focus on controlling the burn—something I’ve been working on in small doses since my powers came back online. Not so much controlling the fire, but the air feeding it. Turns out, electricityisn’t the only element I have an affinity for. Once the dress is completely engulfed, I let it burn for a moment before I snuff the oxygen feeding it. I watch in fascination as the flames die down until they flicker out completely. Sweat beads my forehead, and I’m ravenous by the time I’m done. But my nose isn’t bleeding, so I’m calling that a win.

I put the charred dress back where I found it, then turn to leave, shutting the closet door behind me. Everything in there will reek of smoke. I walk downstairs with a smile on my face, picturing his expression when he returns and realizes Dawn isn’t coming back this time.

I’m only sad I didn’t think to ask David for a spy camera. It would have made for some entertaining watching.

Chapter Seven

When we get back, I climb out and reach into the back, grabbing the file I nabbed and covering it with my jacket over my arm.

“I’ve got this, Calliope,” Shepard says as he walks around the back of the cruiser to me.

I shrug. “Suit yourself.”

I head up to the house just as the door opens and Riggs steps out.

“How did it go?”

“We got what we needed. How are Hannah and Dawn?”

“They’re okay. Dawn is napping, and the girls are watching a movie in the den. David is with them while he does whatever he does from his laptop.”

“Okay. I’m gonna take a shower.”

I take a step to pass him, but he stops me, his eyes zeroing in on my neck and the mark on my throat left by Shepard.

“It’s okay. I was bound to fuck this up anyway. I get it if you can’t stand to look at me now. I?—”

He yanks me closer and kisses me hard. “Didn’t I tell you I wasn’t going anywhere?”

I take a shallow, shaky breath and reach up to cup his face. “I…” I don’t actually know what to say.

He places a kiss on my temple. “Go shower. We’re fine. You can tell me all about it later. Let me get rid of him first.”

I chuckle and head inside, glad to be away from Shepard, even though this is far from finished between us.

I head straight upstairs, then to my workshop to stick the files in the safe. Once I have them locked up, I brace my hands on my desk and take a deep breath as the day’s events catch up to me. I can’t believe I fucked Shepard like that, especially out in the open. If anyone saw us, all I’ll hear is how I corrupted the sheriff with my witchy fucking ways. Riggs figured it out the second he saw the mark on my neck. I might not have seen it, but I can feel it throbbing.

For a while there, it seemed they might both be open to exploring something—not with each other but with me. Yes, it might not be the norm, but it felt right. I let that spill over into today. But now, with a clear head, I’m worried I crossed an invisible mark in the sand. I sure as shit should have spokento Riggs first. Though, in my defense, none of that had been planned. Still doesn’t make it right. The fact that he barely blinked…I can’t pretend that I’d have given him the same grace if the tables were turned. And that makes me feel wholly unworthy of Riggs. He deserves someone who will treat him with a fuck of a lot more respect than I just showed him.

“Fuck.”

Instead of heading for a shower, I head back down, making my way to the front door while keeping out of sight, trying to find the right words. It isn’t until I reach the door, which is still open, that their raised voices filter up to me.

“You had no fucking right.”

“Don’t make it sound like I forced her. She was the one who pushed. She wanted this. You’re just gonna have to deal with that,” Shepard snarls back.

“You know what else I have to deal with? Her pain, her heartache. I’m picking up the pieces of a heart I didn’t break. You did. And yet you run away like a little bitch with your tail between your legs. Where were you when she needed you?”

“I don’t owe you an explanation. I owe her one, but not you. You’re just fucking jealous that she chose to fuck me, but you have to be unconscious for her to fuck you.”