UNBRIDLED
Hunted, 1
C. Tyler
Copyright © 2018
Chapter One
Fairy tales aren’t just stories. The creatures from nightmares and dreams exist in the world, walking around like everyone else. The Fay are gifted with nearly-immortal lives, secretive and keep to their own, but even amongst themselves there are outsiders.
The large, imposing figure of Detective Ryan Ursy leaned over his desk. Paperwork was the bane of all law enforcement. The tediousness of it was without equal, but it had to be done. Everything had to be logged away, regardless of the officer’s wish.
With a deep, rumbling growl, he sat up and stretched. He’d been slumped over his desk for the better part of the day and it was beginning to wreak havoc with his back.
“Here, man.” His partner, Detective Marcus Morrison, slid a cup of steaming coffee into Ryan’s peripheral vision before taking his seat at the adjacent desk.
“Thanks,” Ryan replied. He knew he could use the caffeine boost, but the coffee in the precinct was little better than muddy water. “How much more of this shit do we have?”
Marcus glanced to the left corner of his desk. There was still a stack of nearly half a dozen files. It was a great deal fewer than before, but it gave Ryan a little bit of heartburn to see.
“Awesome.” Ryan sighed heavily.
As he scratched his beard-covered jaw, a loud ruckus met his ears. Like most of the officers nearby, Ryan adjusted himself well enough to see what was coming down the hall. Only a moment later, a young woman emerged, hauling a rather angry man alongside her. Ryan arched a single brow.
“Someone get this bitch off me!” the captive yelled.
“Hey!” she snapped, shaking him sharply. “Knock it off, okay?”
“When I get my hands on you,” he growled angrily.
“You’ll what?” She dared him as she squared herself on the irate prisoner. “Huh? You’ll what? ‘Cause you already had your hands on me, and now they’re zip-tied behind your back. So why don’t you do us all a favor and just shut the hell up?”
He snarled hatefully but didn’t say another word. With a grin hidden beneath his facial hair, Ryan chuckled.
“Can someone give me a hand with this asshole, please?” she declared to the room.
“Mai!” Ryan called out.
The young woman’s crystalline eyes darted to him.
Dragging the obstinate guy with her, Mai soon joined the two detectives looking for any excuse to avoid their paperwork for a little while longer.
“Who’s this?” Ryan asked with his typically gravelly voice.
“Martin Ayers,” she said, shoving him down into an open chair. “Skipped bail six months ago.”
“And?” Marcus didn’t bother hiding his sarcasm.
Ryan and Mai both stared the young man, whose attention was only on the latter. Ryan knew Marcus didn’t like Mai, and she was clearly fully aware of the fact. She openly rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention to Ryan.
“I’ll take care of it,” the bearded man replied.
“Thank you.”
Ryan gave her a gentle nod and another smile. Mai drew her bottom lip between her teeth, grinning lightly at him. Ryan felt a nice little rush of desire wash through him that he knew she felt, too. He couldn’t help it. Mai was gorgeous, with her slight but strong body, her unnaturally blue eyes, full lips to die for, and head of platinum hair that framed her face perfectly.
Mai lowered her voice just enough Ryan could still hear while Marcus had to strain. “See you later?”
His response was nothing more than a silent wink. Mai smiled, but the action faded the instant she looked at Marcus. She departed shortly after giving him a loud and obnoxious scoff.
Ryan leaned back in his rolling chair and watched as Mai disappeared down the hall. He wasn’t above ogling, and his partner could easily see. Obviously annoyed, Marcus was sure to flag down a passing officer so Mr. Ayers could be processed and he could speak to Ryan in private.
“Seriously?” Marcus’s derisive tone brought Ryan back into the moment.
“What?” he asked with a chuckle.
“You know the rules, man.” Marcus shook his head disappointedly at his old friend. “We’re not supposed to interact with her kind.”
“Bounty hunters?” Ryan teased. He received a glare from Marcus and sighed, sitting upright once again and propping his elbows on his desk. “I know, I know,” he admitted. “But the Council isn’t going to find out.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that, man.”
“Who’s going to tell them, you?”
Ryan was only joking with his friend, but he knew that was part of what angered Marcus so much—Ryan seemed incapable of understanding the magnitude of what he was doing.
“You’re risking life in prison, or death.” Marcus couldn’t keep the edge from his tone. “For something like her? Really?”
Eying his partner warningly, Ryan chose to ignore the question and went back to his paperwork. He understood why Marcus was nervous—really, he did—but he didn’t care. The truth was, he wasn’t frightened of Mai, or her kind. And he definitely wasn’t scared of the Council.
He’d known her now for nearly thirty years and had been half in love with her ever since. Hard not to be as far as he was concerned. As a result, he didn’t give two shits what everyone else thought about his relationship with her.