Marissa is running for her life. Her father plans on marrying her off to one of his cronies so he can steal her inheritance. She has been able to avoid her father for five years, but somehow he finds her. She knows she needs to grab her things and run. She never expects her recluse neighbor to volunteer to help her.

In all his years as a Dreamwalker Dom has never met anyone like Marissa. There is something about her that makes him break the rules his kind lives by. Lots of rules. His magical side knows he should walk away but the human side tells him to stay. She needs him and he is going to be there for her.

Dom realizes he needs to tell Marissa the truth about him, and Maressa needs to face her father. The problem is they learn the man her father wants her to marry knows about the magical world and plans on using her to access that world. That is why he’s willing to give her father Marissa’s inheritance.

That changes everything. Now Dom needs to stop this man before he and Marissa can have the life they want.

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Release Date: September 14, 2026
Genre: Fantasy Romance

~ A Red Satin Romance ~

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Excerpt

Chapter One

Marissa Sullivan drove her dust-covered, mostly black 4x4 truck up the dirt road to the cabin she had just bought. The blue passenger door was the reason she thought of it as mostly black. She could have painted it but felt it gave the truck character.

She had done her research and knew the cabin was perfect. Remote enough to hide from her father, yet close enough to a small town so she could get groceries and other things she might need to make her life more comfortable.

She was frustrated that her life had come to this. Her father wanted to marry her off to the highest bidder like she was property instead of a person. Something she didn’t want, so she ran. Over the last few years, she had rented cabins wherever she felt comfortable, moving on when she felt it was time.

In the beginning, she had been terrified, even after she’d left, and would jump at every creak or snap. She moved constantly. But the longer she successfully hid from her father, the calmer her nerves became. She realized that as long as she stayed off the grid, she was safe but was still careful so moved about every five to eight months. She still had nightmares in which her father found her.

Now, each time she moved from one place to another filled her with excitement. What would she find? What would she learn? She climbed out of her truck and faced the small building. One of the first things she needed to do was find a large generator. Even though the cabin had electricity, she needed to be completely off the grid. She had loaded her prepaid card before she left her last location, so it would cover all her big initial purchases. Thank goodness her mom had hidden the account her grandfather left for her from her father. She would have gotten it on her eighteenth birthday, but her mom passed before then. Mom had set up this private account so she could access it when she needed it. A life saver after she ran away.

She unpacked her items, including candles for her to use until she had a running generator. Marissa also pulled two cages from her truck and let her pets out. Friends she had gathered along the way. Once she was done with that, she walked the grounds that came with the cabin.

She was happy to find a plot that had been used as a garden. Kneeling, she worked a little of the soil to find it loose, grateful she wouldn’t have to rent a tiller to loosen the earth. This past winter had been bad, and she had been trapped in her cabin with nothing to do but read. A lot.

She was excited to try her hand at growing vegetables and herbs. The spring air filled her lungs. It was warm during the day, and the nights didn’t drop below freezing anymore. She had bought seeds before she left her last hideout. Maybe she could plant before she got a generator. Her candles should last a few days.

* * *

Dom stretched his arms and inhaled. The scent of the earth and the foliage around him made him smile. He and his brothers loved coming here. The place many dream of but only the special few could enter. He and his brothers were half Magic and half human. He knew he had sisters as well, but he and his brothers were banned from seeking one out. They were Mother Nature’s sons, and they helped her keep the world alive.

He had lived in both worlds as a child, but he couldn’t live in the Magical realm full-time now that he was an adult; his human side couldn’t handle it, but he did spend as much time as he could there. He was safe in Mother’s world. He had everything he needed there.

So why was he building up the courage to ask his family for permission to step away from them and their realm to focus on the human one? Why did he suddenly feel the need to spend more of his time, or even all of it, in the human world?

Dom shook his head. He knew why, yet he was questioning if it was the right thing to do. It would help him to have someone to talk to, but he knew his brothers would just tease him before telling him to follow his heart. Dom wasn't sure what his heart wanted to do yet, though.

His mother suddenly stood beside him. A human would have probably fainted, but Mother Nature could create a body when she needed to. Her Magic was so old she could be a whisper on a breeze, a piece of dust on a kitten's whiskers, the warmth you feel from a ray of sunshine. “You seem pensive, my son.”

“Sorry, Mother.” He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek once she solidified beside him. “I’ve just been thinking.”

“You want to leave.” She gestured for him to walk with her. They walked through her garden.

He should have known Mother Nature would know his innermost thoughts. “I just want a little time to myself.”

“You have all the time you need here.”

“I know.” He looked at her. He was one of her oldest sons. “Have you ever felt you needed to be somewhere? Not here?”

“I have...” she murmured. “But you have always been happy here. What has changed?”

“I don’t know. I just have this feeling that I need to spend time in the human world, alone. I promise I will still do my work as a dreamwalker.”

“I know you will.” Mother raised her hand over some flowers and smiled as they bloomed. “Did your brothers or I do anything to bring this on?”

“Of course not.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure if I can explain this correctly, but something is calling me. I’ve been hearing it for several weeks by Earth measurements. I need to find out what it is.”

“You know you don’t need my permission.” Mother was quiet for a moment. “Each of you boys was created to help me keep this world from dying. As time has gone by, I have created more sons to help take some of the burden. To give you time to follow these things that call to you. We’ve all had something, something that grabs for our attention. It seems that it’s your time.”

Dominic nodded. He was the first dreamwalker Mother had created. He was the oldest of his group. The leader of them all. He trained each of his fellow dreamwalker brothers and helped them find their specialty, the types of dreams or dreamers who called to them and their magic. When one needed help, all would volunteer. Maybe that was why he was questioning what he needed to do. It didn’t mean he was going to shirk his duties. Dom just needed to find this person who was calling out to him.

He would talk to the other walkers. Make them aware of what he planned to do. How would they react?

He knew they were good at what they did and would thrive without his constant presence. Maybe this was a good thing. Give them time to shine. One of his brothers dealt with night terrors, another dealt with the fear of dying. Something he was glad he didn’t have to deal with anymore. He realized his brothers didn’t need him, which freed him to find the person trying to reach him.

He met Mother’s cool eyes. “I hear someone crying out. They need my help.”

* * *

Mother decided to celebrate Dom’s upcoming adventure and invited all of Dom’s brothers. She knew that this was one of the last times she would have just her sons surrounding her.

She had made sure her sons were not inclined to search for love. Their Magic nature would draw women to them. They needed to keep their Magic hidden or they would spread it everywhere and wreak havoc in the human world. Mother Nature told them that if they fell in love and it didn’t work out they would lose part of their Magic to the women they had relationships with. They in turn would suddenly have Magic they wouldn’t know how to control. Although the information was true she didn’t tell them everything to protect them.

They sat around a huge table. Mother didn’t want any son to feel he was less than his brother so she always had gatherings and celebrations in her grove. The Magical world allowed all to hear each other, and no matter how large the table was, it felt intimate.

“Children.” That was all Mother Nature had to say to quiet them. “Tonight, we’re celebrating Dominic. He wants to take a new step, and we’re here to support him.”

“Decided to play human for a while?” asked one of his brothers.

“Better than pretending to be a man, Nick.”

“I see. This is how we’re going to play this?”

The rest of their brothers started laughing. Then, someone threw a piece of fruit. That started a friendly food fight filled with good-natured teasing and insults that ended only when Mother froze everything in mid-air. “You are my children and I love you, but a food fight? I raised you better.”

“Sorry, Mother,” they said in unison. Magic flowed as the food suspended in air disappeared, leaving the area as spotless as it was before the meal started.

She laughed. Dom enjoyed hearing her express her joy. He knew that having so many boys who could get quite physical when roughhousing would cause more disorder than she wished for this world of the Fey, but she loved the fact that her children respected her and loved each other above all else.

They made fun of each other as they ate, laughed, and reminisced, but when the meal was done, each wished Dom luck on finding what he was searching for, and all said they would help him if he needed it.

* * *

Marissa had spent the last couple of weeks settling into her current cabin. She drove into town when necessary but avoided it for as long as she could. She needed some supplies and a warehouse store had just opened. The idea of a store where everything was in bulk intrigued her. Why would people need bulk items? She could understand the practicality for paper products, cleaners, and things like that, but what about fresh produce? Meat? She wanted to see for herself. She decided to stop at a local diner for a quick meal before her shopping and was confident that the luxury would be unremarkable.

She made sure she had her hair up in a ponytail and a baseball cap low on her brow. Her mask lay on the table since she couldn’t drink or eat with it on. COVID gave her an excuse to wear it all the time while in town. Even after the pandemic, it was not uncommon to see them used. It gave her an easy way to hide her face.

“Hey, Hon.” The waitress stopped beside her table. “What would you like?”

“Coffee for starters, then a tuna salad sandwich with fries. Please.” Marissa handed her the menu she had been looking at. She hated giving it back but keeping it would draw more attention if she used it to hide her face. Her hat should do the job.

“You got it.” The waitress headed behind the counter and came back with her coffee. Just as the waitress turned to leave, she paused. “Morning, Sheriff.”

“Morning, Rosie.” He sat in the seat on the opposite side of her booth and smiled at Marissa. “How are you? Hear you bought the Conlin place.”

She just stared at him. What the hell was going on? She felt fear snake up her spine. Did he work for her father? She was in deep trouble if he did. Her fight-or-flight instincts kicked in and she remained silent, hoping to ignore the man so she could eat in peace and make her escape.

Once the waitress left to get another order, the sheriff set an old newspaper clipping on the table. Marissa looked at it and felt the color drain from her face. It was a picture of her standing next to her father at some function.

“Why don’t you stop by my office before you head back?”

“Sure.” Her answer came automatically. Not a promise she planned on keeping. She was definitely going to have to move again. And sooner than expected. Damn.

The waitress set a cup of coffee in front of him. He gave her a slight nod then added a little cream to his coffee. “I bet you’re thinking you need to start running again,” he conversationally, without looking up. “That’s up to you. But you might find someone here willing to help you. Let you know if someone might show up.”

“Why would you do that?” she asked softly.

“Let’s just say I know where you’re coming from. Come to my office. I’ll explain everything.”

* * *

Marissa walked into the sheriff’s office like she was going to the gallows.

“Miss Sullivan, I promise I’m not working for your father,” were the first words out of his mouth.

“And why should I believe you?” She remained standing, trying to relax her body out of the instinctual tension that filled her by wrapping her arms around herself.

“I’ve dealt with situations like yours more than you could realize. I got tired of that life and came here to retire. I recognized your situation the moment I saw you weeks ago, but needed to know who you were, what you were running from, and how I could help you. I know enough to know that unless you want help, and you could trust me, no intentions will do anything at all.”

“And what could you do that would make me trust you?”

“You’re right. You don’t know me. I was a bodyguard for some of the richest families in our country. There were plenty of people who wanted to get away from that life. Like you, they knew they would lose everything, but the freedom they wanted was worth more than any inheritance. I helped those who were serious about leaving the life they felt trapped in.”

She just stared at him.

“Okay, how about this? Your father is Francis Sullivan. A man of new money. Your mom was old money. He married your mother under the pretense of growing the family's money.”

He knew a lot about her family. Her grandfather liked her father because he saw potential in him. He thought their marriage would be a good match.

“In the beginning, your father did grow your family’s wealth, but as time went on, he made poor investments. From what I read, your grandfather cut off his ability to access family money. When your mother died, you became his access to the wealth, and he’s been working hard on finding a way to get his hands on it permanently. The latest one is he has been courting men much older than you to find one to be your husband.” He leaned back in his chair. “Do you know why?”

“No, I found an opportunity to get away and I took it.” She didn’t mean to sound snide but couldn’t help herself. “I didn’t stop to ask questions.”

The sheriff smiled. “You’ve been missing for several years. Has he ever gotten close to you?”

“No.”

“Because you keep moving?”

She gave him a nod.

“Is that how you want to live your life? Running for the rest of your life?”

That was a question she didn’t expect. She blinked.

“You think you can do this by yourself, but everyone needs help from time to time.”

She wasn't sure about that.

He escorted her back to her car. “I can see you don’t trust me, and hell, I don’t blame you after all this time on the lamb, but if you need anything,” he slipped a business card into her hand, “you call me. I still have resources that I keep connected with for situations like this.”

He tapped the hood. “You did good with this truck, though. It don’t look like much but it is a sturdy thing.”

* * *

Dom drove his truck into town. This was the first time he had done so since he had bought his cabin. Magically, he could move between realms seamlessly, moving in and out of the human realm to give him a history in the area. By human standards he had been here for about a year. Using his Magic, he had only bought the place a few days ago. Humans wouldn’t understand how he could do this without messing with the timeline. They were thinking linear because that was how they saw time. He could step through the veil that separated their worlds and go anywhere in time. Being Magical, when he and his brothers stepped through the veil they entered where and when they were needed on Earth. In this instance he was only corporal once, when he bought the cabin. The rest was all Magic, whispering where needed to make it look like he had been there the whole time.

Dom had studied the small town before picking it, learning about the people who lived there. There were several who had dreams he had walked through. The sheriff was one of them. He pulled his truck into a slot in front of the town’s only restaurant. A small bell rang when he opened the door and stepped inside.

The place was busy. He went to the counter and sat down.

“What’cha want, big boy?”

He grinned at that. “Coffee?”

“Sure. Sugar or cream?”

“Do you think I need them?” He was so used to using Magic to make his coffee the way he liked it but he was pretty sure the humans around him wouldn’t understand if he tried that in front of them. They might not see the Magic, but some might feel its presence. It all depended on how much Magic they might have in their blood.

“I’ll bring both, just in case.”

“I see our hermit has decided to grace us with his presence.”

Dom felt a wave of relief as he turned to see who spoke to him and found the sheriff sitting beside him. “Afternoon, Sheriff.”

“Dominic AnDulra, correct?” He nodded his thanks to the waitress who set a coffee in front of him before he turned his attention to Dom.

“Sure is.” He offered the sheriff his hand. “Sorry, I haven’t been by before. Been settling in while working.”

“And what do you do?”

“I’m a psychologist. I decided I needed to take a step back from city life. My little cabin is a wonderful getaway for me.” He smiled at the sheriff. “It’s nice to have a haven to escape to.”

“Heard you paid cash for your little piece of heaven.”

“And you want to know how I could afford it and if I’m doing anything underhanded. Understandable.” Dom turned toward him. “Between my research and my clients, I had a nice little nest egg. My mother told me you can’t take it with you.” He shrugged. “I had the money and the family who sold it to me cried and hugged me when I gave them cash. I got the impression they really appreciated it.”

“They did. They were able to pay off a lot of bills, including their house.” The sheriff picked up a cup of coffee the waitress set before him. “Also heard someone bought them a new truck and gave them free groceries for a year.”

“Really? Hadn’t heard. Looks like luck is turning around for them.” Dom turned back to the counter and tasted his coffee. He added a little bit of sweetener and a little bit of cream and took another sip, then did it a second time.

“You’re going to find that you’ll need plenty of both in the beginning,” the sheriff said good-naturedly, nodding at Dom’s cup. “Carl likes to make it strong, but after a while, it grows on you.”

“It’s strong enough to grow on you? How soon before everyone here starts to sprout coffee trees out of their ears? I want to know how much time I have.”

The sheriff busted up laughing. He slapped him on the back. “I think you and I are going to get along fine.”

* * *

Marissa pushed her grocery cart around the large warehouse store. After her first visit she came at least once a month. She felt like she was in heaven. Toilet paper, paper towels, and an assortment of cleaning products already filled the cart. She overheard two women while she continued to peruse the store, wondering what else she might find.

“Heard our city hermit came into town today.”

“What hermit?” The second woman perused the baked goods before picking up a box and putting it in her cart.

Were they talking about her?

“You remember that handsome city man we saw going into the bank about a year ago? Susan told me he bought the Carlsons’ old hunting cabin and has been holed up in it for the last year.”

“Now why do you want to start some gossip on a man who never comes into town? He bought that place because he wanted to be left alone. Not have a bunch of lonely women banging on his door.”

“Who says I’m starting gossip?” The first woman placed her hands on her hips. “I’m just making conversation.”

“You’re stirring up trouble, that’s what you’re doing. The sheriff told us to leave him alone. You might get shot if you decide to visit him.”

“I’m still curious as to why he decided to come into town after all that time.”

“Perhaps the man simply needed to go shopping for supplies,” a deep male voice answered.

The two women talking whirled toward the voice. Their mouths dropped open when they looked at the man they were talking about.

“Oh! Um…”

Marissa felt the same way when she saw him. There were no words to describe him.

“Ladies.” He gave them a smile that took Marissa’s breath away and moved on.

“Now that shut you up,” said the one who had been trying to stop the conversation.

“And you stuttered when you saw those gorgeous brown eyes,” her friend hissed.

“I didn’t stutter. I was caught off guard.” She looked at her friend. “And he did have gorgeous eyes.”

Both women laughed as they moved on.

What a smile! It stunned her. She read in her romances that the heroes had smiles like that, but she had never seen one in real life.

She sobered as she realized that, based on the women’s conversation, she could have wandered onto the man’s property and been shot for trespassing.

* * *

Dom sensed something while talking to those two women. He wasn’t sure who it was but one of the souls in the building cried out to him. Was it the one he had heard weeping? He turned to look and noticed another woman a little further back. She was slender, but he didn’t know what she looked like because her cap was angled so it hid her face. She had dropped her head the moment he looked at her, but he felt his attention going back to her. There was something about her. Was she connected to the soul calling out to him? Was she connected to whatever it was that was going on? He needed to find out. He wondered if the sheriff could shed a little light on this woman.

* * *

Several days later, Marissa rested her head against the back of the wooden chair on her porch. Her back hurt, her nails had seen better days, and her knees were screaming at her, but she was proud of herself. She had made it as far as the small porch of her cabin before collapsing into the wooden rocking chair there. The air was cool, but it felt good after all her hard work.

Her garden was coming along nicely now that summer had arrived, but so were the weeds. Cleaning away those stupid things was tedious, but it needed to be done. She groaned as she pulled two green tomatoes from her pocket. That was probably more than she could eat by herself, but it was tonight’s dinner. One of her newest favorites, fried green tomatoes. As much as she wanted to stay where she was, the sun was starting to set, and she still had work to do. She grimaced at the pain she felt as she stood and whistled.

Two feral cats came running to her, barely pausing to rub against her legs before heading into the cabin.

Where was Precious? She whistled again then smiled when she heard a howl. A few moments later, she had two paws on her shoulder and a big shaggy face inches away from hers. As much as her body felt overworked, she was happy to see her furry friend.

“There you are.” She scratched Precious between the ears. Marissa had found her best friend as a cub. He had been injured by a gunshot wound and couldn’t keep up with his pack, so she took him in and nurtured him to health. When it came time for him to go back to his family, he had refused and had been her companion since. “I’ll be fixing your meal in a minute. You need me to top off your water first?”

The wolf licked her face.

“Come on.” She laughed as she petted him again. “Let’s go inside.”

* * *

Dom slung his rifle over his shoulder. He picked this place because he felt something powerful when he stopped and let nature’s quiet power fill him. It would help him keep his Magic at a peak level so he could do his job as he promised. He missed his family and their realm, but he had decided to stay here alone until he could solve this. When he missed them like this, all he had to do was immerse himself in nature, and he forgot everything but the beauty around him. The gun was more to scare people away from his place than to hunt.

He had gotten into the habit of walking the perimeter of his land every night. Dom wasn’t sure why, but his instincts were never wrong. He heard the sharp whistle before he heard something rustle nearby. His jaw dropped when he saw a wolf running toward his neighbor’s place. Although they hadn’t crossed paths, the sheriff had filled him in on her and knew she wanted her privacy as much as he did, but if that wolf meant to hurt her, he would have to stop it. Moving fast, he followed the wolf to the clearing around her cabin.

Another whistle filled the air and the wolf barked.

That made him blink. Was she calling the wolf? Why?

“There you are.” A feminine voice floated through the air.

Dom wished she would turn toward him so he could see her face. He came close to laughing and giving himself away when he saw the wolf resting his paws on her shoulders so she could scratch him behind the ears. How she domesticated a wolf was something he would love to know.

 

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