Breaking Free (11 page)

It was how
Devlin managed to get away in the first place. He was able to somehow cloak himself, and his scent, long enough to get past all the shifters who guarded the inner catacombs.

The plane hadn’t taken off yet,
when his cell rang. He answered it.

Santos
’ words were clipped. “Did you know your Shadowstalker’s husband is nearby? Think she went there?”

“I do, but unless you, or one of yours
, can sneak in and get her out without being caught, it would be best if you wait until I arrive. I’ll be there before tomorrow.”

“Yes, but if she got herself caught, do you think they’ll know how to keep her trapped?”

“Oh, I’m sure they do. The people of Edenton will keep her well-guarded. We do not want to tip them off, so if you go, there will be no deaths and no prisoners. Let them think she found a way to escape on her own. If you can’t handle that, then let her be. I’m sure she’s been captured, and she deserves it at this point. I plan on making her pay dearly for her disobedience.”

“Should I pull Malachi from his prison realm? Or leave him?”

“Wait for me. He’s not going anywhere.”

Devlin stood in the back corner of the room, ready to shift and hide if need be. The room was full of people
who oozed power in one way or another. He would be lying if he tried to claim he wasn’t nervous.

One mildly reassuring fact was h
is sister was the scariest of them all. He could feel her magic wrapped tight around both her and Brody. Then there was the woman with the colorful hair. Liz. She was neither mage nor druid, but rather some combination of the two. She watched the whole room, a look of concentration on her face. Two powerful mages flanked her, Robert and Tremaine.

The same two
mages who were forced to harm Fallon. Somehow, they all trusted one another. They even seemed to be close friends. Devlin was having a hard time wrapping his head around it all.

Slater and all of his enforcers surrounded him
, in the corner. Jess and Jamie stood off to the side, Jess wasn’t letting anyone tell her she wasn’t a part of this if Jamie was. He had to admire the way the sisters supported each other.

Jamie contained the same level of power as Jess, but she held it back, in
-check. She wasn’t interested in leading, but he already sensed she had the ability to step up if need be.

Jess was every bit the alpha her mate was.
Together they were unstoppable.

T
he wolf with the most power was Brody. He hadn’t realized it yet, or maybe he wasn’t interested in taking the lead.

Preston sat on
a stool, looking arrogant. It was a show, and a damned good one. Devlin could almost feel the mage’s mind working, collecting data, memorizing details, plotting out a plan. And yet, he was apart from it all, a misfit in his own mind when no one else saw him as such. Preston was only half mage, his DNA mixed with fae. Devlin was curious exactly what his other half was.

Hayden
’s pacing made him more nervous. The big brooding earth fae moved back and forth, making the ground rumble beneath his feet.

Hayden came to a stop,
and turned toward Devlin. His eyes lasered in on him, his voice harsh. “Why exactly did you come here of all places?”

Jamie took
Devlin’s hand and gave him an encouraging nod.

He
took a breath and answered, “I escaped from the Dales a week ago. I’ve been through hell and needed to see my sister happy. I needed proof there was hope for me.”

Devlin
took a look at Jamie and pushed his fingers through his hair before meeting Hayden’s gaze again. “I didn’t expect Jamie, I was drawn to her in the dream realm. Before I could think the situation through, I promised to come to her.”

N
ervously, he ran his free hand down his thigh, but didn’t look away from the sheriff. “I’ve had so many promises broken, I couldn’t do that to her. I knew she was special, I knew I was drawn to her, but I never imagined why.”

Hayden glared at him.
“How did you
not
know it was possible to wind up mated to her?”

Fallon took three steps forward and jabbed her finger in Hayden’s chest. “I didn’t think I would mate Brody. It never o
nce crossed my mind because I’d been with other wereanimals, and it never happened. I honestly didn’t believe it could.”

Devlin’s eyes swung to her and she smiled back at him. “Yeah, I had no clue. I’ve been around other
weres all my life. You would think I would freaking know.”

Devlin
continued, “I have little experience with mated pairs. The Dales like to tear them apart and corrupt them when they have the opportunity. I’ve never seen one that worked, and like Fallon, I never imagined me bonding was even remotely possible.”

“Point taken,” Hayden conceded.

“Look, he came, and now he’s mated,” Fallon redirected the conversation. “He’s family, and he’s staying, unless he chooses to go.” Her green eyes blazed back to him. “You better not leave Jamie without talking to her first. I will track you down if I have to.”

He nodded, realizing there was a very good chance
the tattoo she gave him likely created a way for her to find him. He wasn’t sure if he should appreciate that or not.

“You can all stop worrying about me leaving.” He turned to Jamie and caressed her face. “I’m not going anywhere. If it were the
only
way to keep you safe, and it was guaranteed, I would do it in a heartbeat, but it would tear me apart. I thought running was the only option. Honestly, I’m glad I was wrong.”

The door slammed open and a
brunette walked in with fury on her face. She shot a glare to Slater. “Another round of Shadowstalkers, and once again you want me out of the fight? Why don’t you ever remember I could actually help in times like these?”

The vampire’s gaze swept through the room then boomeranged back to
Devlin. Her brow arched. “Who are you?”

“Devlin.”

“Victoria,” Slater stated, grabbing her attention, “you were still asleep when I put this together. Last time I tried to leave a message, your voicemail was full.”

She gave him a sheepish shrug. “I haven’t caught up with technology. You could have left a note.”

“Been busy. And yes, we have a Shadowstalker in the holding chamber. Don’t worry, she’s secure.”

“
Sarah has ways to get out of nearly anything,” Devlin offered lamely. “How are you containing her?”

Hayden grinned. “Spotlights. She’s surrounded by light,
and can’t touch the cage, thanks to some fancy wards from Liz over there.”

“That’s actually brilliant,” Devlin answered. “She needs shadows to escape.”

“I know. Thanks to Victoria,” Hayden gave her an apologetic look. His attention swung to Slater. “It would be wise to include Victoria. She knows best how to defeat the Shadowstalkers.”

Fallon cleared her throat, “I’m all for Victoria’s insight and help even, but I know plenty of ways to kill
Shadowstalkers and dark mages.” Then her eyes widened as she looked to Brody. “I’m not referring to Sarah, unless she goes after someone in this town.”

There was
sadness in his eyes, but no hesitation from Brody. “She’s not the same Sarah I knew. I don’t know what happened to her, but she didn’t even look at me the same way.”

Fallon moved to her mate,
and placed a hand on his face. “I’m sorry. I hate that she hurt you.”

“Hey, don’t. You’re all I care about.” He gave her a sweet smile,
his hand grazing over her stomach, which no one seemed to miss.

Everyone,
but Jess, burst in with questions.

“You’re pregnant?”

“When are you due?”

“When did you find out?”

“Are you sure you want to be part of this battle?”

“Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?”

And more.

Fallon let out a shrill whistle. “Stop, fuck, I just found out. I’m pregnant, not sick or dying. And yes, I’m going to be a part of this.”

Brody closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head as his hands twisted in her shirt. He took a several deep breaths and let them out. “I won’t ask you to stay out of it, but please, for my sake, try to be careful.”

“Of course,” she answered automatically, pulling his face back to hers. Her lips brushed over his. “I want this baby as much as you do.”

His arms wound around her, crushing her to him. “Fallon, I love you, Sugar.”

“You two need a room?” Jess commented lightly.

They broke apart. Brody wore a slightly embarrassed grin, while Fallon’s eyes flashed to Jess. “
Hello!
Our honeymoon was interrupted. Give us a break.”

“Thankfully you didn’t run far,” Jess quipped.

Fallon flipped her off.

Victoria cleared her throat. “I can help you with
more ways to stop my kind. Keep in mind there’s a reason I don’t drink Other blood. Mainly, I don’t want to be like them.”

Slater squeezed her shoulder. “You know I trust you. Most of us do.”
He gave Hayden a pointed look.

Devlin wasn’t sure he trusted any
Shadowstalker, but this woman was obviously a part of Edenton.

Preston cleared his throat, cutting to the chase.
“So, Devlin, how do you think they’ll come for Sarah? We already know they will.”

Devlin nodded. “If
the Dales know anything about her, they’ll expect her to come here, for Brody. I hope you have someone watching her because I wouldn’t be surprised if they were already on their way.”

“Oh, she’s b
eing watched all right. I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her. Never have,” Hayden growled.

Brody shook his head but kept his mouth shut.

“They won’t want to draw notice until they are ready to make their move. I know DeMarco is planning to travel to wherever Fallon is, and I assume he already knows where. He needs us both, and that’s why I worry about being here.” He gave Jamie a grave look. “I get it. I’m safer here. I’m not arguing that or planning to leave, but I am worried about bringing more trouble for you all.”

“Well stop. It’s bound to happen, but we can deal with it,” Fallon insisted. “Running doesn’t work. We need to take them out.
Apart, we’re easier to take down, together,” she made a motion around the room, “we are a hell of a lot stronger.”

Devlin nodded. “I agree. I’ll help any
way I can, but I’m not you. I’m not a fighter. In fact, I’m so different from you I don’t know where to begin.”

Preston
shrugged. “Don’t worry about that. No one is like Fallon. Do what you can, and we’ll cover the rest. We’ll figure this out together, as a group.”

He paused, and really looked at the mage. Instead of the brooding jealousy, or mistrust, he seemed to simply accept Devlin.
He wasn’t sure when the change happened, but he wasn’t about to argue.

There was another part of his past he would prefer to forget, but they needed to know
. With Sarah in custody, he was surprised it hadn’t come out yet.

Devlin scrubbed a hand over his face.
He gave Brody an apologetic look, then took Jamie’s hand. “Sorry Jamie, Brody, but it’s best to tell you all now. Several years ago, not long after Sarah was brought to DeMarco’s headquarters, she and I were together.” He swallowed hard. Brody gave him a long hollow look. “It was brief, and she never mentioned a husband. I’m sorry. She lost her humanity quickly, and I didn’t know anything about her life prior to the Dales until after she changed.”

Brody quickly put him at ease.
“You said it yourself, you didn’t know. I only spoke to her for a minute, but she’s different. I really can’t fault you for whatever happened.”

Fallon laid her head on his chest and wound her arms tighter around her mate.

Jamie sat there, staring at Devlin. He turned to her. “Hate me yet?”

“No. Surprised. Seems like such a small world
.” She let out a tight laugh. “No, I’m not upset.”

“
Figure it’s better to cover that now, before she has a chance to throw it in your face. I know, for a fact, she’ll take great pleasure if she can shake your faith.”

Jamie
nodded, gave Brody a fleeting look and then smiled back at Devlin. “Well, it’s out of the way.”

“Do you think they know
where to find Sarah?” Slater asked seriously.

“If she was at the Silver Council earlier, there is a good chance she said something to someone. They can find out.
The Dales have ears everywhere.”

“Do you know who on the council might be their contact?” Robert asked. He’d been mostly quiet so far.

“I’ve heard of Lamar in Seattle. There are others across the world, but he’s the only name I know in the Pacific Northwest. They’re planning something, but I’ve no clue what.”

Preston looked to Robert. “Should we take him in now?”

“Let’s give him a chance to slip up. I can put Gwen on it. She’ll be able to find out what he’s been doing and how far this goes. There is a chance he’s an unwitting pawn.”

Preston
countered, “Doubtful. Lamar is a piece of shit who is only out for himself. He was relegated to archives because he couldn’t do the job of enforcer.”

“Lamar?” Liz snickered. “He’s not capable of thought on his own. He always had his strings pulled. Now that
Jarvis is out of the picture, I wouldn’t doubt the Dales have their hooks in him.”

“This is true,” Tremaine
added. “If Gwen has trouble getting to the bottom of this, I can assist her.”

“Who do you have watching Sarah if all the enforcers are here?” Fallon asked Slater.

It was Hayden who answered, “Erik. He’s there with Tomahawk who insisted on keeping an eye on things.”

Fallon sighed.
“At least you left a necromancer. Hopefully he’ll sense any other Shadowstalkers coming.”