Breaking Free (10 page)

Finally finished with a last minute repair, Brody turned to find his past standing at the garage door. He felt nothing but shock as he met Sarah’s
cold gray eyes. Not even a twinge, of the love he once harbored, surfaced.

He could sense it. She was different. Not human, but she wasn’t a wolf. Her heart
rate was too slow, her breath almost nonexistent as she watched him with a cold gleam in her eye.

She wore a black dress she never would have been caught dead in when she was alive
. The skyscraper heels looked wrong on her, and yet fitting now. Her once golden skin was pale as ivory.

That last call she made came slamming back into him.
“I’m coming home. I’m pregnant.” She’d been so excited.

Shortly after, he received the call she was dead.
Their caravan had been blown to bits.

Now he understood
. She chose to become a monster, killing their chance at a happy future.

“Was there even a bomb?” he asked coldly.

Sarah’s smile turned cruel. “That’s how you greet your wife?”

“Wife? You’re not technically alive, are you? Doesn’t that null
ify our vows?” God, he certainly hoped so. He couldn’t be with her.

“I dealt with you becoming a beast. You can deal with my new diet,” she answered sweetly, stepping closer.

Fury tore through him. He stepped back, shaking his head. “Oh, don’t you dare come near me. I want the truth. Was there a bomb?”

Her eyes flashed, swirling, “You don’t really need to know. Do you?”

“Yes,” he fired back, glaring into her eyes. There was no sway, no urge to forget his questions, but he knew she was trying her damnedest to use her powers. Fallon’s warding held.

She screamed her frustration as her gaze slid to his bare arms. “Tattoos? You weren’t going to get anymore after that atrocious piece. Now you
r arms are covered?”

“Courtesy of my
mate, my wife.
You are dead to me.” He took another step away.

Her face crumpled,
blood tinged tears leaking free. “Yes. There was a bomb. I was given a choice. Die in the caravan, or become something stronger. Something that could keep up with my husband.”

“
Not
your husband,” he replied as his heart turned to steel against the woman who was supposed to be the mother of his child. “So you turned? Effectively killing our child?” Life couldn’t be born from death.

“The baby would have died in weeks. It’s not often a werewolf’s child is carried to term. Or don’t you remember the stories.”

“You’re wrong. It’s harder for a woman to get pregnant by a werewolf, but miscarriages are extremely rare once they conceive. Female wolves are the ones who can’t carry a child.”

“Wishful thinking,” she spat.

“You didn’t even try,” he whispered harshly.

He heard Fallon’s gasp, and spun
, only to see her hawk fly away.

Spinning back, he roared.
“Out,” Brody took a step toward her, ready to shove her out of the building.

Preston came charging
through the back door. “Shit, I told her to call you.” He flung his hand out, casting a blinding spell.

Brody blinked, but only saw white. He heard the click of cuffs being locked into place. Then he felt a hand over his eyes as a quiet spell was whispered in a breath.

His vision cleared, and he was met with Preston’s clear blue gaze. “Go. I’ll take care of super-bitch here. Fallon is probably worried you’re going to choose this piece of work over her.”

“As if I would choose a woman who killed our child.” He hopped
into his truck and tore out, heading home, hoping to God she would go there first.

* * * *

Fallon glared at her phone that was ringing with yet another number.
How the fuck fast will the news spread?
Her heart was crumbling into a zillion pieces. She needed to be close, but stay out of reach. Maybe she could hide in the apartment.

She grabbed her backpack, tossed a few sets of clothes in
, and hightailed it outside and up to the apartment above the garage. As she closed the door, she heard Brody’s truck on the gravel.

She paused.
Did he bring his wife? His real wife? Or is she following?

Holding her breath, she watched Brody rush into their…
his
house. If he chose Sarah, if he chose his real wife, it was theirs. She would leave Edenton, right after she made sure the Dales couldn’t touch her brother.

A stab of pain tore through her heart as she sank against the door. She dialed Gabriel, who was staying at Victoria’s Bed and Breakfast with Opal.

He answered on the third ring. “Hey. I know this is likely bad timing, but I have to ask you a few questions. Right now.”

“Shoot,” Gabriel told her.

“Devlin O’Shea and my father. Did you know?”

“Shit,” he whispered and she heard his fist slam into something hard. “You weren’t supposed to know.
Declan forced me to take a bloodoath so I would never tell you.”

“Yeah, well I know. Devlin’s in town, and the fucking Dales are after him.”

“Where are you?” he asked quietly.

“Doesn’t matter. I need to hide out,” her voice broke and she furiously wiped at her eyes. “I can’t be found. Okay?”

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“Oh, don’t fucking pull that shit.
I don’t want to hear it. You kept too many secrets from me, and I know you could have found a way around it if you wanted to. So you know what? Fuck you!” She hung up and powered down her phone, letting herself fall apart.

* * * *

Brody stormed into their house and knew immediately she wasn’t there. Now he was starting to worry. Her scent was fresh. He followed her trail up the stairs, into their room.

The closet door was open, several empty hangers hung above where her backpack always sat. His heart thudded into his
ribs as he took a look around.

Finally, in
the bathroom, he found a simple note:

Brody,

I love you. Always will. You need to decide what you want in your life. She was your
first wife. I won’t blame you for choosing her.

Love always,

Fallon

Tear stains smudged the barely dry ink. Pain tore through his chest. So much worse than when he lost Sarah, or thought he had. He needed to find Fallon and show her there was no choice. Fallon was his, he was hers. There was no one else.

Then he caught the
faint scent. Hormone rich urine and his heart nearly stopped. It wasn’t by the toilet. The smell came from under the sink. He dropped to his knees and threw open the door. There was a plastic bag wrapped tight around something.

With a trembling hand he snatched it out and tore it open. Tears filled his eyes.

How the hell could she think I would leave her… and… our child?

His thoughts were a jumble as
he stared at the positive pregnancy test. After fumbling to get his phone, he dialed Fallon. It went straight to voicemail.

Brody took a long deep breath, feeling like he was going to pass out if he couldn’t get the oxygen moving.

His phone rang. He clicked talk, but couldn’t speak to save his life.

Jess
blasted him. “What the fuck is going on? I saw a flash of Sarah, and then Fallon flying away.”

“
Fallon thinks I’d choose Sarah over her and my baby,” he managed to get out.

“She’s in the apartment, but she’s hiding. I’m willing to bet she shifted, and
is a mess. You better convince her, or I swear, I’ll whoop your ass.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.
I’m not letting Fallon go for anything.” He hung up, got to his feet with a burst of energy, and tore off for the apartment.

* * * *

Fallon was curled up as a cat under the couch in the far corner. She barely contained the yelp when she heard Brody charge up the stairs.

She squeezed her eyes shut and curled tighter around herself. He seemed pissed, and she wasn’t ready to hear he was leaving her.
He’d loved Sarah, and she was back from the dead.

Anyone else and Fallon would have torn them open.
His wife was a different story. Fallon didn’t think she could compete with his first love. It took him four years to get over her after thinking she was dead. What if she’d been in a coma? Her heart was shredding to pieces as all the reasons he should choose Sarah spun through her head.

The knob jiggled furiously
. When it didn’t open, the door was kicked in. Brody stepped inside and paused.

“Fallon,” his voice was softer than she anticipated, but laced with fear.
Her heart pounded in response. “Fallon, please come out, Sugar. There is no choice. You’re all I need, you and our baby.”

She
held her breath until the couch was lifted. A small startled sound escaped her as the furniture was shoved aside. Brody dropped to his knees and crawled toward her. She shifted back with tears in her eyes.

“You chose me?”

“Oh Sugar, there was no choice. I felt nothing but shock when Sarah stepped through the door. That love is dead and gone.”

“But you loved her. You mourned her.”

“I did, and now I have you. You’re all I need, Fallon.”

“
What about your baby with her?”

Brody’s eyes slid shut as his teeth ground together
. Rage, and sadness colored his words. “She killed our baby to become a vampire.”

Her mouth fell open, her eyes blinked wide. “She didn’t
!”

“Yeah,
she did. The baby hurts. But her choice to be a monster, doesn’t. Not at all. She’s as good as dead.”

“Except, she’s here and wants you. I saw the way she
looked at you.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re my heart, my soul, my entire world, and I’m not letting you go, or our little one.” His big hand curled over her stomach, a smile spreading on his face. “When did you find out?”

She swallowed hard. “Yesterday morning. I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t have the words. I couldn’t find the right time or way to tell you.”

He kissed her, drawing her against his body, and wound her in his embrace. When he broke the kiss, he demanded. “Don’t ever walk away like that. I’m not giving you up. Not for anything.”

“Promise,” she answered, sliding her hand down his abs to open his belt and pants. “Now claim me, because right now, I need to feel you inside me.”

He stood, scooping her up
, and carried her back to their house, to their bed, to their lives.

Bright lights woke
her from sleep. Sarah’s eyes flipped open and the scent of magic and Others in the room churned through her, increasing her bloodlust.

She snarled, charging for the
cage bars only to be flung to the floor with a burst of magic.

Hayden’s deep voice landed on her, the floor shaking
in response. “Good, you’re awake. Don’t worry, sun can’t get down here, but the floodlight can.”

Taking an unnecessary breath, she took a slow look around. Hayden towered over her, rage clear on his hard face. Slater stood near the cage, his arms folded over his chest
, but his expression was unreadable. The mage from earlier stood there with a scowl.

And then she realized Devlin was
there, in Edenton. Where Brody was.

He said mate. There was no love in his deep blue eyes. Shock, then anger, and then rage. He was mated.

Oh no. I will break that bitch and take Brody as my slave until he learns to love me again. To hell with the child that would have died anyway. Brody is mine.

“Why are you here?”
Slater asked. His stare was cold, detached.

“Where’s Brody?” she
pleaded, turning on the crocodile tears. “I need to talk to my husband.”

The mage snorted. “He doesn’t want you. He’s perfectly happy with his mate.”

Her eyes snapped to Slater. “Who stole Brody from me? What’s the she-wolf’s name?”

“She’s no werewolf.”
The look in his eyes chilled her. “And vampire or not, you do not want to mess with Fallon O’Shea. Wait, I’m sorry, Fallon Dean as of yesterday.”

She couldn’t contain her shock. The very woman DeMarco needed to complete his rituals was the woman bound to her man. She’d heard rumors about what the druid was capable
of doing.

Devlin was nothing like his sister.
Completely opposite. Fallon was worse than any battle mage she’d ever heard of. Even DeMarco feared her. Once, long ago, Fallon nearly killed him. Why he was attempting the impossible of swaying this woman was beyond her. Surely there had to be someone else who would be more likely to help.

She turned on her tears, and looked up at Hayden. “I need to speak to Brody. I need him. I’ve missed him for years.”

The damned mage spoke up, “Don’t call him. He’s trying to repair the damage this one did when Fallon walked in on them.”

Hayden’s brow arched as he looked back at the mage. “What happened?”

“Not sure, but Brody will fix it. Fallon didn’t wait around. She probably assumed he would choose this monster over her.”

Hayden gave her a cruel smile. “
Had you come back a few months ago, you may have had a chance. Brody mourned you four long years. Considering what you gave up to be a vampire, I’m pretty sure that killed any lingering love he may have felt.”

“What choice did I have?”
she whispered harshly. When she first found out about the pregnancy, she had been excited. Malachi shoved reality in her face. Werewolves rarely had children. Pregnancies happened, but more often than not they ended in painful miscarriages.

“What choice?” Hayden shook his head. “You were a soldier, a fighter. I used to admire your courage and drive. But to let a vampire take your life and your child’s? I’ve lost al
l respect for you.”

“I need to talk to him,” she insisted, forcing the tears again.

“He’s not interested, lady,” the mage quipped before walking away.

“I’ll let him know, but Sarah,” Slater warned darkly, “he’s not going to take your side
, or take you back. Brody loved you, he wanted a family, and you clearly chose another path. You broke him, and he’s finally put himself back together again. Fallon accepts everything about him. She even loves his beast. You started to turn away from him the day he was attacked because he became a monster in your eyes. The thing is, he’s the same man he was the day I met him, werewolf or not.” Slater followed the mage and disappeared behind a heavy steel door.

Hayden pulled a chair over and sat down, out of reach. He stared directly into her eyes and she tried to sway him with her powers.

The bastard had the nerve to laugh. “Don’t bother. You’ll find nearly everyone in town is immune to you. Including Brody, especially Brody.”

“And why is that?” she sneered.

“First, tell me why you’re here. The real reason.”

“Brody,” she answered automatically.

“Ah, but if that were the case, Preston wouldn’t have run into you at the Silver Council Headquarters.”

“Who says he wasn’t lying about that?”

“The man may be many things, but a liar he is not.”

She sniffed, and humor danced in her eyes. “Why do you smell like something exotic and sweet?”
Had the man of stone finally fallen for a woman? Was it possible?

He grinned. “What makes you think I’ll answer any of your questions? Answer me, why are you really here?”

“Brody.”

“That might be part of it, but you had four years to come back for him. So what’s really going on? Are you after Devlin?”

She heard herself gasp, her eyes widening before she could get herself under control.
How much did they know? What stories had Devlin been spreading? And how the hell did Brody wind up with that goody-goody’s little sister?

Everything she heard
about Fallon was so far from what she could imagine her husband going for. Red hair, curls, tattoos, piercings, and deeply immersed in the magical world.

The
tattoos decorating Brody’s perfect physique made more sense now.

Several
months, that was it, and he had full sleeves? What else was hidden on his body? Her stomach would have turned if she were still human. She never could stand tattoos.

“He’s not the same whipped young man you wrapped around your little finger, Sarah. You can’t beat Fallon either. Trust me on this.”

“You’re a fucking asshole. Always were. I bet you can’t please your little woman. I bet she’s all over every other man she can get her hands on.”

Hayden shook his head.
“You can’t shake me. You should know better by now. Let’s try again, why are you here?”

“Fine, the Dales sent me to Seattle on an errand. I’m supposed to collect my pet Devlin, and bring him back to DeMarco. I figured while I was here, I would take what’s rightfully mine.”

“I’m going to enjoy watching Fallon tear you apart. I guarantee he’s with her now. Likely making love to her. Reaffirming their mate bond in the way a true couple would.”

“He wouldn’t. He loves me
!” she screamed.
But did he still? Apparently not.

“No, Sarah. You can’t give him what he needs. Fallon can.”

“If you say child, I will laugh. Druid or not, she’ll still miscarry as easily as I would have.”

“How would you know?
How many werewolves in this town have children?”

“And how many did they lose before that happened?”
she flipped back.

“None
. Human women may not conceive by a werewolf easily, but they generally carry to term, with no problem.” He smiled viciously. “You let the enemy get into your head and warp you. Brody deserves better. He was lucky to find a woman who truly accepts every part of him.”

“
I knew one of her exes.” Her smile was cold. “She’ll never give Brody a child. Damon wanted her to move in with him, and she wouldn’t even do that. So, how the hell will marriage work, let alone a baby?”

“
That pathetic lion had issues before he ever met her. You should learn that you never trust one of the Dales. They are full of Shadowstalkers and dark mages who feed off other people’s power, because they have none of their own.” He tapped his chin. “Which reminds me. You’re one of them.” Hayden stood up and walked to the door where he flipped a switch that turned on five more spotlights shining at her from different angles, including from the floor.

The light effectively removed any shadows from her reach, and blinded her. The
glass cell was alive with buzzing magic. There was no way out.

She screamed her rage.

* * * *

Jamie was kissing her way down Devlin’s flat stomach, pulling him from sleep. Her nails scraped over his nipples and his eyes
flipped open as his breath caught.

“Oh, P
recious, come here,” he growled low.

She kept moving down his body. Her cheek brushed against hi
s already straining length. Until her phone played “Leader of the Pack,” and her head popped up, a frown on her face.

“Shit,” she whispered, springing from the bed to go in search of her phone.

“Do you have to get that?” Devlin asked with a raspy voice.

“Yes, unfortunately
. It’s my alpha, and with the Dales coming anytime, it’s best if we know what’s up.”

He flopped back on the bed with a sigh. He hated this. They could have
run, gone far away. Jamie insisted they were safer there, and maybe they were. They had the whole town behind them, according to Fallon and Brody. For the first time ever, he honestly felt welcome.

“Hello,” she answered and paused a few moments. Her face wrinkled as she walked back with an arched brow. “Yeah, okay
Slater, but warn him if he threatens my mate, he will regret it.”

A smile lifted one corner of her mouth as she nodded. “Good to hear.” She handed her phone to Devlin
making sure Hayden could hear her say, “Sheriff Hunter wants to talk to you. I won’t tolerate him giving you any shit.”

He’d already heard about the hulking
earth fae warrior who was presently the sheriff in Edenton and a force to be reckoned with.

Somehow, he managed to keep his nerves out of his voice. “
Hello, Sheriff Hunter.”

A deep voice filled his ear.
“Hi, I wanted to warn you that Sarah Dean,” he growled the last name, “made it out here and apparently is looking for you. She’s definitely more evil than last I saw her, but considering her new diet, that doesn’t come as much of a surprise.”

Devlin’s stomach knotted, turning. He couldn’t quite catch his breath. “They’ll come for her. Where do you have her locked
away?”

“No offense, but it
’s better if you don’t know. Until I trust you, I’ll only give you the pieces you
need
to know.”

“Right.” He took a slow breath and tried to remember
, like the rest of Edenton, Hayden had no reason to trust him. “I get it. Look, if there is some way I can help, I’m happy to. Now that she’s in custody, I suppose I don’t need to hide behind extra wards.”

Jamie’s brow ached as she slid onto the bed next to him.

“We need to know what to expect. I’m heading to A Good Book with some others. Preston found a way to permanently kill the liche.”

Jamie nodded. “We’ll be there. Sooner he’s dead and gone, the sooner we can figure us out.”

He looked into her eyes, ignoring whatever Hayden was saying and gave her a sincere smile. “The only thing I know for sure, Jamie, is I’m staying with you.”

Hayden cleared his throat. “Meet us down at the shop. Don’t be long.” The phone clicked off.

He dropped the phone to find his clothes. “I assume you heard?”

“I did.
Please, ignore Hayden. I doubt Amethyst will be there, and he can be a total ass without her.”

Devlin chuckled. “That
’s his…” he frowned, running a hand through his hair, “is she his fae equivalent of a mate?”

“She is.”

“You know, I really haven’t seen healthy mated pairs. The Dales have a way of twisting and tainting the bond. Whatever they do, don’t let them take your necklace, Jamie. Don’t let them know it came from me. I don’t want to lose what we have.”

“Stop worrying. We’ll find a way to end it.” She pulled on a pair of old jeans and tank top before slipping into tennis shoes. He
wore the same linen outfit, though freshly washed.

“
On the way back, we should pick up my stuff. I don’t have much, but it’s in the car I have hidden.”

“
Tell me where, and we will.” Jamie tiptoed up to place a soft kiss on his lips. “Sorry we got interrupted, but this seems to be important.”

* * * *

DeMarco wanted to tear his way out of the damned airfreight container. It was the safest way to travel to the USA and not freak out simple humans.

As his body failed, he found himself growing more claustrophobic. He was running out of time.
Fallon and Devlin needed to complete the rituals their parents started so long ago.

The closer he got, th
e further it all seemed. Sarah was nowhere to be found. She disappeared after checking in with Santos, fading into the shadows and no one was able to track her. Probably thanks to some piece of jewelry Devlin created.