I stepped out of the large antique shop on Main Street—The Dragon’s Hoard—and forced back tears. I couldn’t believe I’d really sold my mother’s bracelet.

The lady who owned the shop, Violet, had been very sweet about it, and she’d offered me quite a bit of money for it. She’d immediately recognized its value, even though she couldn’t possibly have known its magical heritage. Still, her generous offer and her respect of the value made it a little easier to part with it.

My heart was breaking, but I knew more than anything, my mother would be happy I had found a way to escape Dominic’s imprisonment. She would have given anything to see me free, even her own life. If her bracelet could help me stay safe and hidden, she would have wanted me to sell it.

Violet had given me two thousand dollars for the emerald bracelet. Considering its magical properties, it was priceless, but two grand was more than I expected. I hoped it would be enough to find a modest place to stay for a couple of weeks and to get my car fixed.

As long as the car was ready, I would be able to get back on the road at the first sign of Dominic or his men coming to town. I needed to stay alert and be careful not to get too close to anyone in town.

Thinking of it now, I should have glamoured myself from the beginning, but maintaining a glamour of that magnitude for more than a few hours at a time would be exhausting. I would just have to take my chances.

I needed to find some new clothes to wear and a place to stay, but sadness still weighed heavy on my heart. I didn’t feel much like shopping, so I decided to take a few minutes to walk around the town.

I’d barely paid any attention to it when I first walked up. I’d been searching for a jewelry or antique store that might buy the bracelet, so everything else just kind of passed by in a blur.

Now, I took my time, studying each shop window and taking in the quaint arrangement of the town square. Besides the antique shop, there was a bookstore, Ida’s Bakery, and the Urban Grind coffee shop, both of which had provided that amazing breakfast this morning.

Most of the town was decorated with jack o'lanterns, wreaths with skeletons or spiders, and cobwebs. I had completely forgotten it was almost Halloween, but maybe this year it would actually be a fun holiday. I’d never gotten to watch children dress up in costumes and go trick or treating. I was kind of looking forward to it.

A building on the corner by the bookstore caught my eye, and I walked a little closer, realizing that it was the public library. The architecture was incredible with its stately columns and large windows. A few people sat on the front steps eating their lunch.

This place was the opposite of Vegas with its sky-high buildings and lights everywhere. You couldn’t walk two feet down the Vegas strip without someone handing you a flyer or a free drink coupon or a card with a picture of a naked woman on it. The city was a buzz of constant energy that sometimes wore me down.

But this place was different.

It was quiet and peaceful. The shops in the center of town were arranged in a large square, with its centerpiece a huge span of green grass with a large willow tree at one end.

I smiled, realizing this must be the tree Brandon had mentioned. I’d thought it was odd for him to give directions based on a tree, but now I understood why.

It was magnificent, like a piece of art right here in the heart of the town.

I stepped onto the grass and made my way toward the tree, taking in its towering branches and hanging streams of leaves that seemed to call to me. Its fall leaves were golden in the autumn sunlight, and the moment I walked under its canopy, I felt all of the sorrow and fear that had become a constant part of me lessen and fade.

I couldn’t explain it, except to say I felt peace as I stood under the willow tree.

I didn’t have a blanket or anything to lay over the grass, but I didn’t care. I sat down and lay back carefully, staring up at the golden leaves that hung down toward me like arms stretching to envelop me in their embrace.

I felt my heartbeat settle and pulse against the ground at my back. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of the grass beneath me and salty air of the ocean nearby. I could feel the power inside me strengthen and flow like a river through my veins. I had never felt so connected to it, so powerful.

I wanted to stay here for the rest of my life. Right here under this tree.

I could imagine if things were different, and if Dominic wasn’t out there looking for me, I would choose to stay in this town. I would spend my days walking along the beach with my toes in the sand. I would walk down Main Street every morning, waving hello to the friendly people. I would grab a cup of coffee at Urban Grind, check out a new book from the library, and walk here to the square where I would lie down under the tree for hours, just reading. Not a care in the world.

As I daydreamed, I imagined Nik walking beside me on the beach, the way he had this morning. I imagined what it would be like to lay against his chest here by the tree, his fingers in my hair.

The image was so clear in my head, it was as if it had come from outside of me. As if it had been whispered in my ear or gifted to me by the universe. It seemed so real, it sent chills down my spine.

But that was ridiculous.

I could never have that life. It was silly to even daydream about it. And why was Nik a part of my perfect daydream, anyway? I barely knew the guy. Sure, he’d been extremely nice to me, and he was the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen in my life, but that didn’t mean I needed to go fantasizing about a life with him in this stupid small town.

I’d just gained my freedom after thirteen years in captivity. The last thing I needed was another guy thinking he could control me.

I frowned and someone above me laughed.

My eyes flew open to find Nik standing over me, smiling as if he’d been reading my thoughts.

I sat up so fast, it made my head spin. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

He sat down beside me in the grass. “I was walking by when I saw you lying here, so I thought I’d come say hello,” he said. “But when I got here, it was like you were having some kind of strange conversation in your head, and I didn’t want to disturb you. You went from smiling the most peaceful smile to suddenly angry.”

“And that made you laugh?” I asked, embarrassed to know he’d been spying on me. I hadn’t intended to daydream about him, and now I wished I hadn’t.

“You have a very expressive face,” he said.

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“Like that right there,” he said. “Indignant with a touch of embarrassment.”

Well, that was annoying. I didn’t like that he could read my emotions so easily. No one had ever been able to do that before, and it made me feel exposed. Had he been able to tell I’d been thinking of him, too?

God, I hoped not.

Still, seeing him here beside me, smiling, tugged at some part inside of me I thought was stolen from me as a child. It was the hope of something more.

Maybe it was the peaceful feeling of the willow tree or the sadness of selling my mother’s bracelet that had me so mixed up. I couldn’t help but feel something for this guy. I couldn’t help but wish I had the freedom to stay and get to know him.

A gust of wind blew my red hair around my face, and I laughed. What was I thinking?

Dominic wasn’t here to tell me what to do. No one was controlling me right now. If I wanted to stay, that was my decision.

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. A huge smile broke out on my face, and I couldn’t hold it back, even though I knew he was watching my every expression. I leaned back on my hands and let my head fall back as I laughed.

I had almost forgotten I was free, and right now, I didn’t care if it was only for a day. I was here now, and if all I did with my freedom was run in fear, then it wasn’t freedom at all.

I knew it couldn’t last, but for today, I wanted to enjoy myself. I wanted to go wherever I decided to go, without someone else barking orders at me or locking me away in some penthouse suite.

“What?” Nik asked, his smile mirroring mine. “What’s so funny?”

He probably thought I was crazy, but I couldn’t contain myself.

“Let’s go do something fun,” I said, standing. “It’s still early in the day. What’s fun to do around here?”

Bewildered, he stood with me and looked around. “You are the strangest woman I have ever met,” he said. “One second, you’re scowling, and the next, you’re laughing like a schoolgirl. This morning, you acted like you wanted nothing to do with me, but now, you want to spend the entire day with me?”

“Do you want to find something fun to do, or not? Because I just realized that for the first time in my life, I can actually do whatever I want,” I said. “And what I want is to have a real adventure.”

His eyes flashed in excitement, and he stood up. “Okay,” he said. “It’s my day off, and I’ve just gotten some bad news I’d rather not dwell on, so why not?”

“Great, so this is your town. What’s the absolute, most interesting or amazing thing to do around here?” I asked. “I’m up for anything.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Anything?” he asked, a huge grin spreading across his face. “Come with me. I can show you something incredible.”