Breaking Free (16 page)

She turned back around
, wiping away the tears and opened the door to storm inside. She threw her keys on the kitchen counter.

Tempted as she was to hit the whiskey, she grabbed a bottle of water and
dropped onto a stool at the counter.

Gabriel sat down beside her and
took her free hand. When she looked over he gave her a grim smile. “Look, I wanted to tell you a million times. I couldn’t. I was bloodsworn by your father. I
literally
could not tell you.”

“
Fine, I get it. Look at it from my point of view for a second, Gabe. I would have found a way around the damned bloodoath, and you know it.” She dropped her head into her hands and tried to breathe deep.

“If I had known Declan had been captured, I would have fo
und a way. I didn’t. That bloodoath kept you from hunting them down and getting you killed, so no, while I thought Declan was still running, I let it be. If you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty partial to you.”

Brody stepped
in behind her, and gently massaged her shoulders. “You okay, Sugar?” he asked in his slight drawl, making her toes curl.

“Yeah.
I want to understand.” She let out a sigh and turned to Gabriel. “Can you tell me what happened? Mom never really told me anything but impossibly amazing stories.”

Gabriel grinned,
“I told you an old friend taught me how to make a mana-blade, right?”

Fallon nodded.

“Your father was that man. He also could make a promise hold more meaning through a spell, and he didn’t need a tattoo to do it. It’s how he made it so I wouldn’t tell you unless you found out. ”

“
Yeah, I get that,” she answered.

“
Well, your mother told you about meeting Declan in a dream. That was true. He tracked her down, and let them capture him. The man has guts, I’ll give him that. DeMarco forced Moira and Declan to perform the ritual. Malachi was going to take Moira away and keep her as his blood slave. Your father was smart though, they started the process, but he didn’t finish it. Once DeMarco passed out, Malachi tried to drag Moira away. Declan gave the bastard a quick and dirty castration, courtesy of his mana-blade, and they flew out of there.”

“I want to kill that son of a bitch so damned bad I can taste it,” Fallon answered.

Gabriel nodded. “Hmm, me too.”

“What happened?” Fallon pressed even though Brody was obviously tense and not tak
ing the conversation very well.

“What do you mean?” Gabriel asked.

“Why did he leave?” Fallon asked, her voice softer than she meant it to be.

“The Dales made their way to California. It was close enough to Montana
that Declan decided it was time for him to split you all up for everyone’s safety.”

“Why did Dad take Devlin
if I’m more like him?”

“Because I could train you. I was better at
offensive magic than he was, and so that made it easier for me to help you. There aren’t many Dreamwalkers left, so he took Devlin. He was the only one who could train him to use his gifts.”

“Which he couldn’t use for the last twenty years.” She didn’t bother mentioning Jamie and Devlin
recently sharing dreams.

If she were being honest, she was a tiny bit jealous he hadn’t come to visit her, but only because they had such adventures in their
dreams, and she really did miss him.

Maybe one day, after things calmed down, that would be an option again.

“I didn’t keep secrets to hurt you, kiddo. I kept them because I had no choice. Honestly though, you would not have been able to get your dad out of where they likely kept him. The Dales have much better protection in Europe. They’ve had years to build up their wards, and fortifications. It’s not like the holes they’ve dug out here in the States.”

“Devlin hasn’t really said whether or not Dad is alive. I’m almost afraid to ask.” Fallon sighed. “Do you think he is?”

Gabriel shrugged. “I haven’t had a visit from him in over twenty years, Fallon. I don’t know, but if the Dales have had him for that long, and Malachi was anywhere near him, I’m fairly certain there’s not much left of his sanity.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was afraid of.”

“So, the baby,” Gabriel shifted the subject. “You two lovebirds happy?”

“Extremely,” she answered automatically.

Brody gave her a radiant smile. “More than words can say.”

“There’s a problem though,” Fallon admitted. “I’m pretty sure the asshole is going to use Brody’s wife against us.”

“Isn’t she dead?” Gabriel asked.

Brody’s teeth audibly ground together. “Not exactly. Apparently Malachi changed her. She’s now a goddamned
Shadowstalker.”

“Oh, shit,” Gabriel muttered. “Any chance Victoria could take her under her wing and maybe guide her away from the dark side?”

Brody shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I care. She knowingly killed our unborn child to become what she is.”

“Is that why you were hiding, Fallon? Did you see something you didn’t understand and run?”

She looked down at her hands. “Yeah. I guess I did.” A smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she turned to look back at Brody. “At least someone talked some sense into me.”

“Good. You two are perfect together
.”

“Hey, if you and Opal want to come for dinner, it’s a big chili night. I expected a lot of company so there are two crockpots going. We need a shower first.”

Gabriel shrugged. “I’d like to see Devlin. He was a thoughtful kid. I’m sure he turned into a good man.”

“
I hope so because he’s mated to Jamie. I’ll see you later.” Fallon gave him a hug.

A stupid smile appeared on his face.
“We’ll be there.”

Fallon nodded, not sure how she felt about possibly seeing a father she
’d thought dead for the last 64 years.

* * * *

Jamie came out of her closet in another sexy little sundress that hugged all the right places. Devlin lit up as she made her way to him.

“I wish we had more time,” she purred. “I’m never going to get tired of making love to you.”

His smile dimmed slightly. “Do you like it better when I’m rougher, and less contained?”

Jamie frowned, her head tilting to the side. “Oh, I’m going to kill that fucking cocky mage.
Son of a bitch.”

Devlin shot up, caught her by the shoulder and slammed his mouth down over hers. She melted into him, like she did every time
they touched in any way.

He broke the kiss,
his eyes twinkled. “I’ll take that as a no?”

“You have nothing to worry about,
Dev. I’ll take you any way I can get you. Sweet and gentle, hot and horny, rough and tumble, slow and methodical. It really doesn’t matter. I only want you, all of you, all to myself, all the time.”

He dipped his head down again for a slow
, easy kiss. “Good, because I like having you every which way, and I want to explore all the ways we haven’t tried yet.”

“Mmm, but I’m hungry for real food, so let’s continue our quest to make love every
way known to man, and discover a few new ones of our own, once we get back.”

He nodded. “You’ve got it,
Precious.”

Preston slid onto the stool
at In 2 Deep and waved Lincoln over. He took a glance at the fruity cocktail Dacia was drinking. “Double shot of Patron, and another of whatever sweet poison she’s drinking.”

Dacia’s eyes flicked to his and caught. Her head tilted, but her normal flare of attitude was missing. “Why are you being nice to me?”

After opening his mouth, he promptly shut it. He didn’t want to remind her about the scar he gave her while a shadow fae possessed her. It was hidden beneath glamour, but for some reason he could still see it if he didn’t look straight at her.

He
found it incredibly sexy, though he wouldn’t dare tell her that. She was too vain to appreciate the compliment. He smiled, and dodged the question the best he could. “No particular reason.”

She groaned. “What is it, Preston? Why are you bothering with me?”

Shit, she was depressed.
He wanted to make it better. “Want to go to Fallon and Brody’s with me? You need to do something besides drown yourself in alcohol and sugar, and I guarantee Fallon makes the best chili you’ve ever had.”

Dacia snorted and gulped down the last of her drink before Lincoln pushed another in front of her. She looked down at the
cocktail and then back at Preston. “You want to bring me?” she balked.

He leaned closer. “Is there a problem with wanting to bring a beautiful woman to a
get-together with friends?”

She blinked at him, clearly not believing a word he said.

“What?” he asked with wide eyes.

“You are so full of shit.
” She turned back to stare at her drink.

Thing was, he wasn’t lying. Gently grabbing her knee, he turned the stool back so she was facing him and leaned in. “You, Dacia, are a gorgeous woman who needs to smile more. Come with me, please. I want to see if I can rid you of that perpetual frown you wear lately.”

One corner of her mouth lifted slightly. “All right. I’ll let you try to convince me you aren’t full of shit, which I highly suspect. However, if this is a ploy to make either Jamie or Fallon jealous, I’ll permanently maim that pretty face of yours.”

“So would they, plus it wouldn’t work. They’re
both mated.”

Her mouth fell open. “When the hell did Jamie bond with someone?”

“Shortly after Fallon got hitched. You don’t know him. Come on. You offered a challenge, one I aim to win.”

“Good luck. I’m hard to please,” she smirked before slamming back her drink.

* * * *

“I’m nervous,” Devlin murmured. He sat, staring out the window as Jamie drove them to Fallon’s.

“Why?” she asked, confused.

“I did some real damage to a few of
your friends. What if I pissed them off?” He still didn’t look back at her.

“Well, I’m sure Preston deserved it. The wolves like physical combat, and don’t do it enough. Trust me, they’re fine. Fallon, if you did anything to her, I guarantee she would have repaid you. So really, you have nothing to worry about.”

“And Hayden? I kicked him in the nuts hard enough to put him on the floor.”

Jamie laughed. “Good,
serves the ass right. I bet he respects you even more now.”

Devlin finally turned to her with wide eyes. “Why the hell would you say that? I injured him.”

“Exactly. You injured a mountain of a man, who is solid muscle. I guarantee you’ve earned his respect. That’s not easy to do, either.”

“I don’t know
about me. But I know he respects you.”

“Doubtful. He has never done anything to make me think that.”

“He respects you more than you know. He said as much.”

“I have no clue why.”

He grinned. “He told me you went toe-to-toe with some asshole who used to give Amethyst trouble. One who had a pretty rotten reputation.”

Jamie frowned as she glanced over. “Oh, shit. How the hell does he know about that? That was five years ago.”

Devlin took her hand and kissed it. “Apparently his woman told him. It’s funny to see him light up every time her name is mentioned.”

“Isn’t it? Unexpected, but it works for them.” Jamie squeezed his hand back.

She pulled into Fallon’s driveway, behind Preston. She was surprised to find him walking around his Maserati to help Dacia out.

Before Devlin caught her shock, she climbed out.
From her peripheral vision, she caught Devlin’s brow arch as he took in her blank expression. It was the best she could do. Dacia was a bitch more often than not. Lately, she’d been down, but everyone expected her old attitude to come roaring back any day.

Devlin gave her a curious look
.

Jamie managed a smile. “Hey Dacia, want to meet my mate?”
Jamie’s whole face brightened at the word.

Dacia turned back and swept her dark eyes over Devlin.

“This is Devlin O’Shea. Devlin, this is Dacia.”

“How are you related to Fallon?” Dacia
blurted out.

“He’s her long lost brother,”
Preston answered.

“Uh, hi.” She turned to Preston. “You sure I should be here?” she asked quietly. “After what I tried to do…”

“Don’t start with that. I wouldn’t have invited you if I thought there would be an issue. Besides, you stepped up and saved the day when the Dales had us all.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t help with that damned
shadow fae.”

“
You were possessed at the time, that wasn’t you,” Jamie offered. She pulled Devlin past Preston and Dacia. She wasn’t sure what he would think about how Dacia welcomed Fallon to Edenton.

Once they stepped onto the porch
, Devlin whispered in her ear, “You okay seeing your ex with that woman?”

“Very. They both need someone. Honestly, they’d be sort of
perfect for each other,” she whispered back. They had issues to work through first, but she could see them being awesome together.

“Is it so easy for you to let someone go?” he asked thoughtfully.

“Not you,” she responded immediately. “Not even the same ballpark.”

Jamie
tiptoed up to steal a quick kiss. Jess threw open the door and pulled her inside.

“Wait,” Jess whispered. “
Is that… Dacia with Preston?” Her brow pinched as she tried to take a peek outside.

Jamie nodded, a smirk quirking her lips.
“Yup.”

Fallon came down the stairs
with a frown. “What’s wrong, Jess?”

“Nothing,” she wore a funny look as she brushed past everyone to
join Slater.

“Wonder what she saw.” Fallon shrugged and pulled Jamie and Devlin further inside. “
Hope you like chili, Devlin. I know Jamie does. And there’s someone here who would like to talk to you.”

He looked up to find Gabriel looking exactly as he had 62 years ago, when Devlin was
still a boy. “Gabe?” He smiled lamely. “I… wow. It’s good to see you.” Though he wasn’t sure it was.

Gabriel pulled him into a hug. “You’re still that
caring boy I knew back then. You didn’t let the Dales ruin you.”

“I’m not sure that’s true,” he answered softly.

“I am. It’s in your aura. You’re still you. I missed you.”

Finally feeling relieved
, he grinned back. “I always thought of you as an uncle.”

“You are family. Blood or not. Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of my family.” He put his arm around Devlin’s shoulder and led him toward a white
-haired nymph.

* * * *

The evening flowed by with easy conversation. The people of Edenton truly seemed to get along and support each other. Even Dacia, whom a few seemed a bit leery of, was accepted. No one gave Devlin a reason to feel uncomfortable.

He felt as if he belonged in the tight
-knit community. Something he hadn’t experienced in ages. The foreign feeling was a good one. He only hoped he would keep it.

“So, you’re the one who gave Preston a black eye?” Dacia asked, her high-pitched voice startling him when it came out of nowhere.

He nodded slowly.

Dacia persisted,
“He told me he mentioned something he used to do to Jamie and you lost it.”

Embarrassed, h
e dipped his head slightly. “I did. He’s the one who helped me find the inner fighter.”

She smiled as she looked back at Preston. “For being such an ass, he sure does have a heart of gold.” Dacia half-laughed as she turned back. “I didn’t think he’d make me smile tonight.”

Jamie placed a flute of champagne in Devlin’s hand and nodded to Dacia. “The whole cocky mage thing is a front. Underneath it all, Preston is a big teddy bear. At least to those he considers friends.”

Dacia stole another glance at Preston and nodded. “So I’m learning.” Her smile dropped off her face
when her phone rang.

She pulled it from her pocket and stared at the number as all the blood drained from her face. She turned away and disappeared
.

“Fucking bitch,” Jamie muttered under her breath.

“Did she just ditch Preston?” Devlin asked, completely confused.

“Looks that way.
Whoever that call was from better have been important.”

“She didn’t look happy to be answering.”

Jamie shook her head. “It could be a well-timed excuse. Probably thinks she can’t have what she wants after the last two men she attempted to get.”

“Who was that?”

Hayden groaned, then chimed in. “First Brody, then me. She was a bit obsessive in both cases. More so toward Brody.”

“That’s why she wasn’t sure she should be here?” Devlin asked.

Amethyst nodded. “She’s welcome. It wasn’t her who attacked me a few months back. And she made up for attacking Fallon.”

Fallon nodded her agreement. “Took her awhile, but she’s growing. She needs her confidence back.
”

Preston finally looked up, and then scanned the room. A frown appeared on his face as he walked over to the rest of the group. “She up and bailed, didn’t she?”

Amethyst nodded, her smile grim. “Afraid so. Think the fact you were getting under her skin scared her off.”

“What the hell for? The whole point of bringing her was to bring back some of her spunk. Not make her run off and hide,” Preston grumbled.

Devlin stated, “I don’t know. Someone called her, and she looked angry.”

“That could be anything.” Preston heaved a sigh.

Fallon’s brow arched. “You’re into her, aren’t you?”

He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “She’s not into me. Fuck, she bailed.” He took a slow breath and looked toward the door. “I should run. I have a few things I need to do in the morning. The Dales may stay away for
the night, but I doubt they stay away any longer than that.”

“What makes you so sure?” Devlin asked.

Jess raised her hand. “I agree with Preston’s hunch. Saw her ditch Preston, and then Preston moping in his new apartment tonight. I know we aren’t called away tonight either. I mean, I could be wrong, but what little I did see shows daytime.”

Preston
’s eyes narrowed at Jess. “You couldn’t warn me that I was wasting my time?”

“Would you have listened?” she challenged.

“Probably not.” Preston started for the door. “See you all later,” he called over his shoulder before stepping into the night.

Fallon turned to Jess and asked,
“Think they work out?”

Jess shrugged. “I know they get horizontal eventually. I haven’t seen anything more than that.”

“I think we should head home,” Devlin told Jamie.

Fallon grabbed his arm and hugged him for the first time, in person.

When she released him, she smiled. “It’s good to have you around. Really. You can ask Brody. Before you showed up, I told him I missed you. That was when I thought you were a friend. Now that I know you’re my brother, I don’t want to lose you.”

“
You won’t. We have a fight to finish, and people we care about to protect. It’s the only way, as you said yourself.”

“It’s true,” she answered. “Now go home, and take care of your mate.” She winked.

“That I will.”

Jamie took his hand and waved to her friends, their friends, and walked out the door.

Once they were in her Mini-Cooper, he turned to her and asked, “Are you happy?”

“Back to that? What do I have to do to prove that you’re all I want?”

“I don’t know. My heart believes you, my head still can’t figure it out.” He turned to her with a smile. “Let’s go home?”

“Maybe I
can find a way to convince you.” Jamie murmured.