Breaking Free (13 page)

Sarah scrambled away, hugging her legs to her chest as she stared into the little girls big deep-blue eyes. Her hair had the same golden hue as Brody’s.

“I want my mommy,” she whimpered as she flattened herself against the bars. “I want
mommy!”

There was a flash of blade, spilling the girl’s blood down her white
baby doll dress.

Something snapped inside Sarah, her hunger raging to life. She dissolved into shadows, swirling through the cage and wrapped around the girl as she reformed. She tore at the child’s throat, pulling a gurgled cry
from the little one as images filled her head. Santos had brutalized the girl’s mother before her very eyes.

Sarah tried to take comfort in the fact she was sending her to her mother, but
Malachi’s cruel laughter tore through her.

When she stumbled away from the dead girl, she looked over to find a mask of horror on Devlin’s face. Gone was his sympathy or caring.

He turned away, and from that point on, she lost who she had been.

Maybe Malachi was right. Maybe she was a heartless, cruel woman who had no right to love. Maybe Brody finally saw that and moved on. It had been too long, and he had mourned for four years. Time had slipped by so quickly for her as she committed one heinous act after another, stripping away what made her the woman Brody once loved.

“I wouldn’t mope, Sarah. You’ll have
your chance to tear your ex apart. He gave you up for another woman, it was bound to happen,” Santos chided. “You can chain him up and feed from him for years. Perhaps force his mate to watch as you take him over and over again.”

She knew
, in her soul, she could never do that. The man who had been there for her, always offering her support even when she started to question his loyalty. Four years of mourning, thinking she was dead. A family was all he ever wanted, and now he had that chance.

After it was all said and done, she didn’t have it in her to take that away from him.

* * * *

Fallon, Brody,
and Devlin sat in Jamie’s cabin. Jamie put together several pizzas, to quiet the thoughts swirling through her head.
Small world indeed. The woman who had been with both Brody and Devlin could tear apart everyone’s happiness.

“Fallon, I really do think you should stay out of this
,” Devlin attempted again. “Sarah wasn’t always so cruel, and I may have made her worse when I turned away from her.”

“Why would yo
u think that?” Fallon asked, thoroughly unconcerned.

“
I was helping her to control her bloodlust. Malachi took offense, and kept us apart.”

He rubbed his hand over his eyes and shook his head. “He kept us in separate cells, out of reach
of one another, and waited until she was a starved mess. I know he wanted to break Sarah. He did… I helped, unintentionally. I was so disgusted by what I witnessed, I couldn’t do it anymore.”

“What happened
?” Brody asked quietly. He was worried, sad, and scared. Jamie didn’t blame him, but she had to wonder exactly what was going through his head.

“Malachi threw a
young mage girl into her cell. Sarah all but ripped her apart to drink every last drop. There was nothing I could do for the child. At that point, I saw the last shred of the woman you may have known slip away. She turned into a beast, doing anything Malachi and Santos requested.”

“Th
at’s not the Sarah I knew,” Brody softly replied.

“She’s not even the woman I met. I don’t know that she can be redeemed. I’m not sure she wants to
be anymore.”

Fallon’s brow arched.
“How did you make her worse?”

“I turned away from her
, and wouldn’t touch her. I even avoided speaking to her after watching that display of brutality. Malachi started having her torture people to get me to do what he requested. That never took long. I can’t stomach it. Never could.”

“Shit, I want to kill that bastard,” Fallon growled.

“Yeah, well if she finds out about your baby, she may attempt to take it away to prove Brody can’t have a family. She’s warped, twisted.” Devlin walked to the window to stare out.

“That’s not going to happen,” Brody stated like it was fact, like he could prevent it. He took a deep breath and gave Fallon a look
that spoke of all the emotions churning through him. “I’ll kill her first. Sarah already killed my child. I won’t let her take another.”

Fallon didn’t say anything. Jamie couldn’t even decipher what Fallon was feeling. It was dark and mixed
with agony.

Devlin wasn’t much better.
His guilt and regret wafted through the room. Jamie wanted to help everyone, but had no clue where to start. The emotional disaster was weighing down on her, but she forced a smile and pulled the first two pizzas out of the oven. Vegetarian for her and Devlin, everything for Fallon and Brody.

Later
that night, Brody found Fallon staring out their bedroom window. He closed the distance and ran his hands down her sides to pull her back into his body.

“What is it,
Sugar?” he murmured against her ear. He wanted to prove to her she was all there was, before she had a chance to withdraw and put distance between them.

Her doubts were few and far between, but this was one of those moments. He could feel the whirlwind of questions swirling through her head. There was nothing he wouldn’t give to make her see
she was his future.

“Malachi made her a monster, Brody. He warped your real wife.” Her hand wiped across her face and her voice cracked. “She’s not totally at fault here.”

“I’m not mated to her. I never was, Fallon. Whatever I felt is gone. Do I want to kill her? No, but if it becomes a choice of saving you or her, you’re going to win. I’m not letting you go.”

“I know, but what if she could do what Victoria did? She could stop drinking Other blood and get clean. What then?”

“That would be great. Hell, I’d be happy for her. But it doesn’t change you and me. Did you hear the part where I said I wasn’t letting you go?
You
are my mate, Fallon. You, not Sarah.
You
are carrying
our
child.”

“If she wanted a child with you, a
nd I left the baby with you two…” He could feel her pain as the words left her mouth.

“Don’t, not even for a second, think I would
ever consider that. I am not letting you go. I don’t want her, even if she found a way to live as Victoria does. What do I have to do to prove that to you?”

She turned, tears in her eyes, and smiled sadly. “Nothing. I believe you.
Just had to ask. I had to hear it.”

“Oh, Fallon, you are the strongest woman I know. You just offered the biggest sacrifice
I can imagine because there was a chance it might’ve made me happy. That is the most absurd notion. I couldn’t give you up if my life depended on it. I’ve got news for you, Sugar. You’re stuck with me. I will fight for you until my dying breath.”

Her fingers tangled in his hair as she took his mouth in a heated kiss full of need, passion
, and love. He pushed her back to the bed, following her as he tore her pants open and yanked them down.

She
had his jeans open and pushed below his hips while she managed to wiggle the rest of the way out of her own. Then she was pulling him against her.

He sank into her
core, needing to feel their connection to drive away her pain and doubt. He took her mouth, tangling his tongue with hers.

Her arms held him tight, legs wound around his hips as she took every ounce of passion and love he had to give, offering
every ounce she possessed in return.

Brody broke the kiss, his forehead pressed against hers. “My heart, my soul, forever, Fallon.”

She shuddered beneath him, her ecstatic gasp as she found her peak. His release came with hers. She pulled him tighter, on top of her as her fingers threaded into his hair to hold him close.

“Ditto,” she answered breathlessly against his ear.

* * * *

“Why so tense?” Devlin asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

Jamie had slipped into the bath, hoping to let the stress melt away. Closing her eyes, she muttered, “Remember, I feel everything you all feel. Tonight has been an emotional rollercoaster.”

“I wish I could
help. Bad enough feeling guilty over the hell I’ve brought into everyone’s life. I can’t imagine feeling what everyone else does all the time.” She hated the hurt in his tone.

“It’s fine. I deal with it.
Right now, I need to decompress. You can help though.” She peeked up at him through her long lashes. “Join me and we could get lost in each other for a little while.”

He pulled his clothes off and stepped between her legs.

Her lids lifted, a smile curling her lips as she took him in. “You really are a gorgeous creature.”

“Not nearly as beautiful as you,
Precious.” He meant that, every word, but he saw doubt in her eyes. “Why don’t you believe me?”

“Old habits. Look, I trust you, I believe you.
But I don’t see myself that way, so it’s weird to hear it.”

“I’m going to have to do more to convince you,” he purred, confident he could make her forget the doubt
, at least for the night.

“Keep looking at me like that and you will,” she answered, sitting up.

The water sluiced down her delicious breasts. He leaned in to take one pert bud between his lips, laving his tongue over the sensitive flesh.

“God, Dev, you’re so damned good at that,” she moaned.

He looked up at her with a wicked smile. “That’s a much better expression on your face. Desire trumps doubt any day.” Trailing his fingers down her ribs, he took her other rosy tip into his mouth.

“Dev,” she whimpered. “I want you. Now.”

“All in good time. Let me explore. You’re my own personal paradise, and I want to memorize the map.”

She made a happy sound as he slid two fingers deep inside. Her body moved against him, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he gave in
to desire and made love to her. First, he wanted her to come. His thumb rubbed over her sensitive pearl and he felt her heat pulse around him.

* * * *

Later, after making love for hours, Jamie trailed her fingers up Devlin’s side and stared into his emerald eyes. “You keep surprising me. You say you’re not strong, but it takes strength to walk away from something you need. You were ready to leave. I’m glad you’re not.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, he shrugged a single shoulder. “
But leaving would have been a stupid move, as you all pointed out.”

“No
t really stupid, but it wasn’t the wisest decision. That doesn’t matter. You were willing to go when it went against everything you wanted.”

“I only want you safe.”

“No one is safe where the Dales are concerned. Plus, you impressed me with the way you stood up to Hayden. You didn’t flinch, you didn’t back down. I know he can be intimidating. He’s always a suspicious ass when anyone new shows up.”

He shrugged. “I didn’t think he was going to do anything in a room with you growling at him and Fallon threatening him.”

“You really need to stop doubting yourself and accept the fact you are stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

He smiled sadly. “Maybe I finally have a reason to be. Now I need to find a way to right all my wrongs.”

She groaned. “You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” he muttered, rolling onto his back.

Jamie sat up, threw a leg over his hips and stared down at her mate. “Don’t need to. The moment you found out Erik was down, you stepped into action, explained what you were doing, and then saved his life. You went beyond that and offered everyone else protection, and a way around the wards you created without even hesitating.”

“What else would I have done? I want to help. I want to make things right.”

“And there you go. Your knowledge will help us get the upper hand. We want nothing more than to be left alone, but they won’t let us. We have to fight. There is no other option.”

“I hate
that. I don’t know the first thing about fighting.”

“That’s easy enough. You need
to spend more time with your sister. She’ll teach you things no one else can.”

“
Our magic isn’t the same. No amount of training will help me do what she does,” he answered flatly.

“No. She is brilliant at coming up with strategies using your own strengths.
Hell, even Hayden, who’s more than five-hundred years old and was a general for a century, learned a few new tricks from your sister. She can help you.”

His brow arched but he nodded
. “Then I’ll have to talk to her.”

Opening herself up, she took a breath and explained,
“After Stephen attacked me, and then my sister, Fallon took it upon herself to teach us everything we might ever need to know to stand a chance against anyone bigger, stronger, or more powerful than us. If I can learn, you can.”

“All right. I’m convinced. We’ll call her in the morning. For now, knowing they won’t come back tonight, I want to learn
more about you.”

She smiled back at him, rolling to his side. Devlin turned toward her, wrapping his ar
m around her to pull her close. “Having you in my arms chases my past away and gives me hope.”

“I’ve never been with anyone who made me feel this beautiful, desired, or needed. You are the most romantic man I’ve ever met. I never thought I would love hear
ing such sweet words from anyone.”

“
I’ve never done the romantic thing before. Only you.” Sadness passed over his face. “I’ve been running so long I never had a chance to open up and let someone in. You bring that out in me.”

Jamie stared into his eyes for a long moment. Finally, she asked,
“Do you like to dance?”

He nodded. “Why do you think I brought you to that candlelit room?”

“I loved that room.”

“You tried to walk
away from me there,” he murmured.

“Only so we wouldn’t mate
. I knew what you were, but I didn’t want to forge a bond only to lose you. You said you couldn’t stay.”

“But you’ve changed my mind,
Precious. Now I’m keeping you no matter the consequences. I’ll fight to keep you safe.”

“Good, because I’ll tear
apart anyone who gets in our way.”