Mystical Xmas: Paranormal Romance Anthology Box Set

by Anthology

  Megan arched against him as his mouth, tongue and hand brought her to heights that she never before imagined and her body quaked with the force of her orgasm.

  She choked out his name, needing to feel him buried deep inside her and begged him to join their bodies as the lights from the tree twinkled and blinked before her eyes.

  Jax kicked off the flannel pants that he wore and slipped between her thighs, the tip of his manhood teasing her silky folds. She wrapped her legs around his hips and tried to bring him home, needing to feel that connection that only he could give.

  With a tortured groan, he slid inside, his body shaking from the force of being one with this amazing woman. He moved his hips, grinding against hers and their breathing panted out between them.

  He moved with smooth, fluid strokes until he felt her body clamping down around him, and increased his pace to bring him to that brink with her. He moved faster, the sound of her desire plunging him over that precipice and he tensed as his seed spilled forth and filled her, their bodies clinging to the others with the force of a hurricane.

  He collapsed onto his side and pulled her up against him, the aftershocks of their lovemaking rocking through them like an earthquake.

  “Megan,” he murmured against her neck, his tongue licking a path to her ear. “I love you.”

  Megan squeezed her eyes shut as his words hit her, breaking down that last brick in the wall that she had built. How this could have all happened so fast was a mystery…but it had. “I love you, Jax.” She responded softly, knowing that it was the truth. “And, thank you…” she glanced around the room as Christmas carols played softly, and the lights sparkled. “I can’t believe you did all of this.”

  “I didn’t get you a present,” he said against her neck and she smiled.

  “Yes, you did.”

  Whether he knew it or not, he had given her the best gift of all. He had given her the ability to trust again…to love. And that was worth more than any baubles on the planet. She giggled lightly as she once again looked over at the tree, shining like a beacon of hope, and happiness and…love. And she knew that she would now always find the wonder and joy in the Holiday’s - and it would be with this man by her side.

  Yes, this wolf had given her a gift, all right – and it was the most precious gifts of all…his love.

  Only the beginning…

  Cherished Gift

  (Book One of the Paranormal Hypnotherapy Files)

  By Jami Brumfield

  Introduction:

  Clara Jameson never suspected her world was going to be turned upside down when she went to work that day. She never thought a woman on suicide watch would lead her down a dangerous rabbit hole into a wolf’s den. There was no way she could’ve known that paranormal forces were at work in her new client’s life; terrorizing her sleep, haunting her soul, and destroying her will to live. Of course not, she didn’t believe in that sort of thing.

  But she did believe in the power of regression, and was open to the possibility that a past life was impacting Jenna Davis’s current life. What happens next will shake her core beliefs, and open her eyes to a world that very few are privy to. A world where monsters really do go “bump in the night”.

  Disclaimer and Copyright

  Copyright @ 2014 Jami Brumfield

  Proofreading and editing by Michele Gwynn

  This ebook (Cherished Gift – Book #1 in Paranormal Hypnotherapy Files by Jami Brumfield) is licensed for your personal entertainment and enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with someone else, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work. This book is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents depicted herein are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to my amazing editor, Michele Gwynn, who is also a very dear friend of mine, and an amazing author in her own right.

  Thank you to my remarkable husband, Gary. Not only is he an amazing support, he is my best friend, my love, and the most amazing man I’ve ever met in my life.

  I’d also like to thank my street team for all the wonderful support they have given me over the last year.

  And finally, I must thank you, the reader. Without you breathing life into the pages of this story it would only be words on the page. As each of you read the pages of this serial episode, please know I kept you in mind.

  Prologue:

  The nightmare came like it always did, clawing its way from the darkest recesses of her soul, maneuvering into the light, reminding her why she was alone, always around the holidays. Always torturing her psyche and robbing her from having a wonderful life, robbing her of the happiness she knew she deserved.

  She’d done her best to stay awake, certain the first holiday carol she heard on the radio that day would trigger the terrors she relived in her sleep. But the darkness beckoned her, pulling her under like a seaweed wrapping around her ankles in the middle of a lake. Deeper and deeper she fell, into the farthest, darkest space in her mind… and there he stood.

  Unbelievably handsome. Dark hair, mischievous green eyes, muscular body with chiseled arms and a corded stomach that gave new meaning to washboard. Instinctively, she knew he was hers, and she was his. She flung herself into his arms, fearful of the moments that would follow, but unable to deny herself the feeling of comfort that filled her, the belief that flooded her body that she was home. For this moment, she was safe in his arms, and nothing could take that from them. But a moment was all she got.

  Chapter One:

  Jenna opened her eyes, sleep teasing her and attempting to pull her back into the peaceful moments before her personal hell took over. She’d come to terms that the night terrors were never going away. They came back every holiday season and remained until late January, terrorizing her and destroying any chance she had of a happy life. Nothing she did made things better. The visions at night stole her life bit by agonizing bit until she was nothing more than a helpless shell without a soul.

  She couldn’t continue feeling the terrible loss… losing him night after night as he tried to save her and then, the pain of the knife sinking into her body, over and over again, burning her insides, ripping her to shreds as the evil cackle continued in the background. Her death every night was painful and inescapable. She was tired, tired of facing that horrifying reality any more. It was the reason she took the pills. She had hoped the drugs would numb her mind enough to kill off the dreams, but nothing helped. Nothing kept the evil at bay.

  “Miss. Davis?” A soft feminine voice forced her eyes open. She thought she’d been alone, she was always alone. She’d tried to live a normal life, but the dreams seeped into her waking hours, and sabotaged the idea of normalcy. The men in her life ran because they couldn’t help her. They gave up on her. Who could blame them? She’d given up on herself.

  “Miss. Davis, do you know where you are?” The voice was still soothing, but took on a sterner tone, jarring Jenna from her depressing thoughts.

  Jenna looked around, and finally noticed the woman who was speaking. She wore a pair of black slacks and purple blouse under a doctor’s coat. Her golden brown hair was up in a French twist, and her fingers were wrapped around a clipboard that she held close to her chest. The woman seemed warm and gentle, but the glasses she wore had fallen down the bridge of her nose and gave the impression that her blue eyes were looking down on her. Typical. No one understood her issue. This doctor was obviously of the same mindset.

  “Miss. Davis, do you know where you are?” Their eyes locked.

  Jenna squinted her eyes against the pain that was stabbi
ng her mind, the fuzziness of sleep had worn off. She tried to reach her hand to her head only to find it was restrained. “What the hell?”

  “I’m sorry. Restraints are necessary under suicide watch.” Her voice was soft, understanding and did nothing to make her feel better about being tied down.

  “No! You can’t keep me here! I did nothing wrong.”

  The doctor looked at her charts. “According to this you took a whole bottle of sleeping pills - which can be construed as wrong.” She closed the file and sat down in the chair beside the bed. “Can you tell me what you were thinking when you took those pills?”

  Jenna felt tears sting the back of her eyes. “I just wanted the nightmares to stop.”

  “Why did you take more than the prescribed dosage?”

  Jenna’s eyes snapped fire, “because the prescribed dosage did nothing but make the nightmares come easier.”

  “Can you tell me about these nightmares?”

  “Why? It’s not like you can help me. You’ll just give me more pills which don’t work. Obviously. No one can take the terrors away.” Acidic tears fell from her eyes creating rivulets in her already destroyed make up.

  The fact that she had makeup on made Clara believe the overdose of pills was an accident unless, of course, she was someone who enjoyed the attention, which she also doubted since the woman hadn’t had one single visitor since she was admitted to the hospital. It seemed more likely that Jenna took the extra pills believing they would help her find a more peaceful sleep-people make bad choices when they’re sleep deprived. It was the wrong prescription. She didn’t need pills. She needed help identifying what was really impacting her subconscious.

  “I think I can help you, without the use of medication.”

  “How?” Hope shone in Jenna’s eyes.

  “Hypnosis.”

  Jenna couldn’t help the laugh that erupted from her diaphragm. “I’m not interested in being brainwashed.”

  “Hypnosis is not a form of brainwashing. It’s simply a therapeutic tool that helps to open the subconscious mind to find out what is causing the night terrors.”

  “I’m not up to any mind tricks, doctor.”

  “I’m afraid there’s been a mistake. I’m not a doctor. I’m a hypnotherapist who works here in the hospital. My name is Clara Jameson”

  “And you think hypnosis can help me?”

  Clara shrugged, “you’ve tried everything else, right?”

  “Aside from becoming a candidate for a sleep study, yes.”

  Clara placed the files down on the bedside table. “Your subconscious mind communicates through pictures. Dreams are one of those avenues it uses to make a connection with your consciousness, your waking mind. There is usually an important message your subconscious wants you to get with reoccurring dreams. Maybe there are some messages in the nightmares you’re having that I can help you decipher through hypnosis.”

  “And you really think this will help?” Jenna gave her a doubtful glance.

  Clara’s smile eased onto her face, brightening her demeanor. “I think it’s worth a shot. What have you got to lose?”

  Clara jangled her wrist restraints, “will it get me out of these?”

  “You’re under a seventy-two hour suicide watch. I can set up a meeting with the psychiatrist who can determine if the seventy-two hours is excessive or not.”

  “I’d like that.” Jenna offered a weak smile. She was fairly certain the hypnotherapist was wasting her time but she’d try it. “So when do we start?”

  “Right now if you’d like?”

  Even though she’d made up her mind to try it, she was still hesitant. “What if the nightmare returns?”

  “When and if it returns let me know, and I’ll instruct you to remove yourself from the moment, and move to where you’re watching it as a television show; one where you have control. You’ll be able to stop, fast forward, rewind, and pause the show with a remote I’ll provide you in your mind.”

  Jenna eyes brows scrunched up together. The nonsense Clara was speaking sounded like hocus pocus, not therapy. “If it was that easy, I’d be able to do it myself.”

  “I can teach you self-hypnosis, but overcoming the fear of the moment to rationally remove yourself from it is very difficult, and sometimes having a guide like myself can help you manage better.”

  That made more sense. “Alright. Let’s try it, I mean, like you said, what have I got to lose?” She’d already been pushed to the brink and lost her sanity. This wasn’t going to take that away from her.

  Chapter Two

  Michael couldn’t remove the grin that spread across his lips as his knuckles made contact with the young pup’s face. That was going to leave a bruise, at least for a few hours, and maybe knock his ego down a peg or two. While Stephen was recovering from the head ringer, Michael maneuvered into position and flipped his trainee over his shoulder and felt immense satisfaction when Stephen’s back hit the mat. “That is how it is done.” He walked off the mat and nodded toward Isaac who was watching from the sidelines. “Again.”

  “Don’t you think he can use a break?” Isaac asked, obviously not enthusiastic about pummeling his partner when he was down.

  “Tyler, why do we not give our partners a break?” Michael barked at the redheaded, freckle faced student that was more into magic than his skills as a warrior.

  “Because the enemy will never give you a break in battle, sir.”

  Willow, the slender, leggy, female wolf cadet with flowing black hair snickered behind her hand, and Michael started wondering, not for the first time today, why he was stuck with the outcasts this go-round of training. “Do you have something to add, Willow?”

  “Only that Isaac knows this, he’s just scared to make his partner look bad.”

  “Then why don’t you show him how things are done.”

  “With pleasure.” An evil glint passed through her grey eyes as she bounded onto the mat with the agility of a jungle cat, bowed to her opponent, and began the sparring routine as instructed. She expertly handled the match with precision, dealing the least amount of damage to her cocky opponent who happened to be at least two times her size.

  Eventually, they’ll make a decent team. Then they’ll be released onto the world as protectors of the Order. Protectors of the shifters and the humans. It was a necessary evil. Trained warriors masquerading as monks. The fact that they hid their secrets behind a monastery only made things easier. Trained in multiple religions, negotiation, and handling ethical dilemmas with the ability to battle any supernatural threat that could harm the humans or shifters in their assigned territories. They’ll partner with the local authorities and alphas to keep the peace while maintaining the secrets of their world. It was the only way to allow both races to coexist without turmoil and possible extinction of one or the other.

  Working here, developing these whelps, was his self-subscribed penance for surviving and failing to protect his soul mate. When she died, half of his soul went with her. They were forever connected, forever bound, only she was dead, and he survived because of the wolf bite. Why he survived over her, he had no clue. Perhaps it was a cruel game the fates liked to play, but at least he was put to good use in training the new heroes of their world.

  “Michael, can you send them to seminary class an hour early. I have something to discuss with you.” Bruce entered the training area in his heavy brown robes with a file in his hand. Seren followed close behind, her long, golden-blonde hair and form fitting clothes were a far cry from Bruce’s dark brown skin and shaved head.

  Michael felt his lip involuntarily curl as his maker sauntered toward him. He knew he should be more respectful. She saved his life, tried to save his mate’s life as well, but she failed them both when his love died. Now he was forced to endure centuries on the planet alone, without the other half of his soul there to even him out. Instead of thanking Seren for her gift, a part of him despised her. It was an internal battle that he waged with himself, one he tr
ied desperately not to allow out of his mind, but she knew. She had to know. Their relationship was tense at best and heated at most. “They only have an hour left. I’d prefer to keep them sparring.”

  “I found her, Michael, and she isn’t doing very well.” Seren interrupted bluntly.

  Michael laughed, “You’ve supposedly found her four other times, too. Every time you were wrong. You’re undoubtedly wrong now.” He focused on his students, “Good, now all four again.” He commanded and they did as they were told. He preferred things here. He was obeyed. It satiated the beast that shared his mind and body. Besides, he was tired of being disappointed. Her soul was lost to him. He faced that bitter truth a long time ago.

  “Regardless, I need you to go to Chrystal Falls, New York, and investigate claims of misuse of power made on the wolf alpha.” Bruce handed him the file he was holding.

  Michael didn’t uncross his arms or take the file from his mentor. He knew going there was simply a ploy masterminded by Seren. “Send an operative. I left the field years ago. You were the one that benched me.” He looked straight through Bruce.

  “I’m sending you, and you’re taking my order unless you choose to challenge my authority.” Bruce’s words kept an easy, casual tone, but the threat was underneath.

  Everyone in the room froze. Michael turned his head very slowly toward his boss. He knew he could take him down. He was aged and tired. Just because they were immortal didn’t mean they didn’t weaken as time passed. It was only a matter of time before he was expected to challenge him and take the position, but that time was not now. He had no intention of taking over the monastery until it was necessary. Unfortunately, that meant he’d have to follow orders. The beast and the order expected it. He held out his hand and waited for Bruce to put the file in his open palm.

  The tension in the room deflated like a popped balloon as he leafed through the pages of the file. “These all seem fairly straight forward.” He closed his file. “I’d like to take my pupils on a field trip. Some real life experience in what we do may help them understand the importance of who they are to become.”