Breaking Free (3 page)

She sighed. “
When I asked what he was, he told me he’s a Dreamwalker. So that’s all I have to go on.”

“Interesting. Well, if he winds up
being real, I’d like to meet him.”

Jamie stuffed her hands in her pockets, and whispered, “So
would I.”

* * * *

Containing her excitement was futile. Jamie could hardly wait to receive the keys to her new gym. Finally, something truly her own, that she could run.

She
’d helped an old friend manage his gym back in San Francisco, and she missed a good workout designed specifically for a wereanimal’s increased endurance and strength. In fact, there had been plenty of Others in Edenton who were interested in the facility.

Pulling up to her building made owning her own business feel real.
Tangible. For the moment, it was an old empty warehouse, but she already knew what she planned to do with the space.

There would be weights and
a cardio section, a sparring area, and the parkour obstacle course. She could hardly wait to have the track set up. She missed freerunning in Leon’s gym, or all the places he would drag her to late at night for practice in a real environment. There was nothing like the feeling you get from propelling yourself across rooftops and such. A course was typically designed with obstacles one would find in a busy city.

Dacia pulled up in her silver Aventador LP 700-4 Roadster. Jamie didn’t generally care about expensive cars, but she had to admit it was pretty. Too damned expensive, but it fit Dacia.

Jamie jumped out of her powder-blue Mini Cooper with a big grin. She held out her hand as Dacia made her way over.

Dacia shook her head. “I don’t understand why you’re so excited over something that’s going to take a lot of physical labor, just so you can wear yourself out. I thought the whole point of being a werewolf was that you were naturally stronger and faster.”

“I didn’t realize there had to be a point.” Jamie thrust her hand toward Dacia and wiggled her fingers, anxious to go inside. Even Dacia’s foul mood couldn’t bring her down.

Then again, Jamie
really couldn’t think of a time when Dacia was in a better mood.

When Dacia didn’t
immediately comply, Jamie tapped her foot insistently. “You don’t have to like it, and you don’t have to come work out, but don’t knock it. Some of us like pushing ourselves past our limits to find new ones.”

Rolling her eyes, Dacia dropped the keys into her hand and marched back around her car.
She snorted. “Have fun,” she scoffed before climbing back into her car, taking off.

Jamie didn’t hesitate
. She ran to the door, opened it and stepped inside. Yup, still empty, but it was hers. The equipment was scheduled for drop off later that day.

Breathing deep, she walked through the open space. It was dusty, and stale.
Easy fix,
she smiled to herself, opening windows and doors to get the air circulating. She went through her mental checklist of everything she’d ordered and when it should be there. Her to-do list was growing, but she was ready to get to work.

It wasn’t long before the door opened. She turned around to find Preston and Leon standing there.
With an excited squeal, she rushed over to hug Leon. “What are you doing here?”

He tipped his head toward Preston. “An old friend mentioned you might want a hand setting everything up. When
will the equipment start arriving?”

“An hour or so.”
She hugged Leon tighter before releasing him. It was good to see one of her dearest friends. They had been close for the last eighteen years. Before she even became a wolf. He was the one who got her into the gym.

“
Should I go?” Preston feigned sarcasm, but Jamie felt his doubt.

Smiling bright, she turned to pull Preston in for a hug. “You better not. You’re as welcome as Leon any day. That is, if you’re here to work?”

“You know I am.”

After a long flight to Las Vegas, and driving most of the day and evening, Devlin was exhausted. He finished the array of junk food he grabbed at the last gas station and fell back on the motel bed, ready to give in to sleep and find his little wolf.

He closed his eyes and seconds later, he was swept into the past, searching for his father at the local pub.

Devlin waded through the tables, looking for
Dad. He wasn’t there, Devlin couldn’t sense him at all. Instead he felt the presence of dark mages and his blood ran cold.

Shifting into a black cat
, he wove his way through the legs of people littering the bar, slipped through the kitchen, and into the alley… or so he thought.

He’d walked right into the black bag, and he felt the wards bearing down on him, blocking his magic, and keeping him trapped in the small animal’s
body.

The moment he’d feared almost as long as he could remember had
come to pass and there was nothing he could do but accept his fate.

He still remembered the story of how Dad saved Mom and what he saved her from. Dread filled in the blackness as his imagination
churned out the most horrible images.

The air stirred, going from warm to chilled as he was tossed onto
the stone floor. The bag was ripped open and he was unceremoniously dumped on the unyielding surface.

His father screamed, “No, Devlin! You should have run.”

A silver clawed hand raked across Dad’s chest, ripping open the tender flesh as crimson blood spilled down his pale skin. He grunted as he dropped to his knees, but gritted his teeth and held back any further reaction.

The nightmare was barely
getting started, and he tried to close his eyes, to hide in the corner, but the Shadowstalker grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Evil black eyes trained on his terrified face. “Shift now, or I will find a reason to continue the torture.”

“No
more!” Jamie screamed, scooping him away. She threw her arm out, sending Malachi flying through the air.

“I’ve seen enough.” Jamie’s voice tore through the memories, transporting them to a meadow of wildflowers. She sat down, pulling him close and looking into his eyes.

“Devlin?” she asked softly, scratching behind his ear.

He leaned into her touch and nodded.

A tiny smile pulled at her lips, but he saw the terror in her eyes. “You are adorable.” Her sigh was full of regret. “I have questions though. I promise to pet you later if you’ll shift back and talk to me.”

It was the least he could
do, she’d saved him from being trapped in his nightmares. He climbed out of her lap and shifted beside her. “Thank you,” he offered a smile but he was still unsettled.

“
As terrifying as that was, I’m glad I stumbled into your dream.” Jamie took his hand. “I take it that was part of your past? They’re the ones coming for you?”

“How much did you see?”

“I heard someone scream at you. I saw you in that monster’s grip and I had to make it stop.”

“That was my
past. When the worst of it started anyway. They’ll come for me, Jamie. I don’t want to bring them to you. I’ll run to keep you safe.”

She looked away and took a deep breath. “You aren’t coming, are you?”

“I’m coming, but I can’t stay. Bringing them to Edenton is too dangerous. I won’t risk them learning about you.”

“Why come
at all then?”

He gently took her face, pulling her gaze back. “I can’t resist you. I need to see what this is between us.
And maybe I’ll find answers to break free from my past.”

“Tell me what you need. I can get it for you, before you get here.”

Devlin shook his head. “Oh no, Precious. I don’t want you involved. The less you know, the safer you are. If I can sever the ties, I will come back to you. If you still want me.”

“I don’t believe there is anything you can say to change my mind.
I want you to stay. Knowing you’ll leave is breaking my heart.”

“I’ll do whatever
it takes to keep you safe, no matter how bad it hurts me.” He took a breath before asking, “Would you rather I stayed away?”

“No. Come to me.” She placed a tender ki
ss to his lips before vanishing.

* * * *

Jamie sat up straight, desperately trying to catch her breath as tears streamed down her face. She pressed her fingers to her lips and let out a heart-wrenching cry.

The beginning of his
captivity was worse than she imagined.
What the hell did he go through?
How do I keep him?

Devlin
was a cat when she found him, with glossy black fur and the same emerald green eyes.

Every instinct urged her to take away his pain,
to push away his memories with something better, but she knew it was deeper than that. From experience, she knew that forgetting the past was easier said than done. Besides, it made him the man is now, and she wanted to know that man, not change him. Everything in her needed to help him find a way to heal from the damage they’d done to his heart and soul.

There was a shred of comfort in what she learned.
The only people she knew who could shift into a domestic cat were druids. At least she had a better understanding of what he was. She had spent the day reading the ancient tome Liz loaned her.

Jamie had
learned Dreamwalkers could be anything from strictly human, to mages, and everything in between. There were even rare reports of vampires holding Dreamwalker powers. It was similar to telepathy but generally only worked while both parties were sleeping.

Climbing from the couch, she started for her car. There was no way she was going to manage
falling back asleep. Not with all the questions swirling through her head.

The biggest one was the fact
this time she stumbled into
his
dream. It confirmed her suspicion they shared a connection. They were bound to be mates, and if he came, she was going to have him. There was no way she was letting him go once he was truly hers.

She stepped outside and ran straight into Preston’s hard chest. His hands wrapped around her shoulders with a laugh. “In a hurry, Jamie?”

“Sorry, distracted,” she muttered. “I’m on my way back to the gym. I couldn’t sleep, so I figured I would get some more work done.”

“Want some company?”

“Always. Maybe you can help me stop thinking so damned much. It’s not doing me any good.”

He threaded his arm through hers, leading her back to his car. “Let me drive.”

She nodded, letting him open the Maserati door for her. It made her feel guilty for the millionth time. He wanted to see her happy, but he wasn’t the answer and they both knew it. So, she put on a smile and brought up the latest Marvel Comic movie, because it was fun to watch him fanboy.

* * * *

Finally worn out, only hours before dawn, Jamie slipped under the covers with a smile. She wasn’t sure she could find Devlin again, but she certainly hoped to.

Before she could open her eyes, she felt his fingers comb through her hair and his breath on her ear as he
closed the distance, bringing his body against hers.

Devlin’s voice was a purr. “I thought you were mad at me, Precious. I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back.” His insecurity flared around him, but his desire was stronger.

Her hands flattened on his chest and she tiptoed up to catch his earlobe between her teeth.

He groaned as he pulled her closer. She could feel his length
against her stomach.

Assertively pushing him down, she climbed
into his lap. “You sure about your no sex rule?”

He rolled her over, taking her hands to pin them above her head, and dropped his mouth to hers. Devlin took a slow
, leisurely kiss as he shifted to rub against her heat.

“I shouldn’t be doing this.” He sounded torn, but kept grinding against her as his hand slipped under her shirt to cup
a breast. “Feels like heaven.”

“Would be better
if you made love to me, Dream-man. I don’t want to wait for you.”

“Tomorrow, Jamie. I’ll find you tomorrow.”

She froze beneath him, afraid to hope. “Really? Tomorrow?”

“I swear to you with everything I am, I will find you tomorrow. Do you trust me?”

Her heart thumped in her chest but she nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “I do, against all logic, but I need to believe you.”

“Can you wait for me?” he whispered, his eyes delving into hers.

“Only for another day. You better be here.”

“I will
. I swear it, little wolf.”

She lifted her head to steal another kiss. “Stay with me a little while. Please.”

“Mmm, but not long. I need to get on the road if I’m to keep my promise, Precious.”

“Then I should let you go.” She gently pushed at him. “Until tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait.” And he was gone.