By
USA Today Bestselling Author
Dale Mayer

When something happens that shatters a life beyond recognition, what becomes of the soul?

Trapped in a gilded cage for as long as she can remember, Hannah has tried to escape numerous times, in countless ways. She’s been told all along that there’s something wrong with her, something that her doctors can’t diagnose. But what is life without freedom? Hannah would rather die than stay imprisoned forever.

Another escape, once more the door slams shut with her locked behind it. Then Trevor offers her a way out, one that might actually mean permanent liberation for her. But at what cost? Trevor doesn’t know the truth about her. Despite her fear that he’ll be like all the others and turn away from her in horror, she longs to share her secret with him.

Trevor has worked hard to make up for all the mistakes he’s made in his life. Helping Hannah feels like the right thing to do – more than anything else he’s ever done. But, to free her, the risks he takes asks more of him than he thought possible.

After all, enemies aren’t only outside in the world. Some are inside us… we just don’t know it…

After showing up on Stefan’s doorstep bloody and believing him to be dead, Hannah wakes in the hospital. She’s not certain how she got there but knows it’s only a matter of time before her father finds her and locks her up again. She doesn’t want it to happen but knows it’s inevitable, her father always gets his way.

Stefan is intrigued because Hannah’s energy is coiled so tightly against her and not just anyone can get to his home. He calls in Dr. Trevor Johnson, a psychologist who works with energy, and also a lawyer which will come in handy in this case. After an initial greeting and then being dismissed by Hannah when the nurse arrives. From the hallway they watch as Hannah devours the food, but its once she’s done that they see it a dark shadow, a someone they need to identify.

When Hannah’s father shows up, Trevor immediately steps in to prevent him from moving Hannah. He does take this a bit to the extreme though and I have to admit it was brilliant. With Stefan and Celina as witnesses, Trevor marries Hannah which overrides her father’s wishes.

This is a favorite scene.

In a firm hand she signed the papers, then several others Trevor handed her. She didn’t even read them, but inside she knew she could trust him. She had no reason to, and the lawyer in him was probably rolling over in his grave, but she had no time. Her father was storming down the hallway, ready to destroy the building if they didn’t produce his daughter now.

“Let’s get you back to your room,” Trevor murmured.

“That would be good.” She thanked the minister. As she turned to thank Stefan and Celina it was to see them holding the door open for Trevor to wheel her out.

“Not too many brides get married in the hospital,” she muttered low enough only Trevor could hear her.

“You’re wrong. For many reasons hundreds of weddings are performed in hospitals every year.”

She thought about that and realized how many scenarios were likely a whole lot more serious and devastating than hers. “Thank you.”

He laughed. “Don’t thank me yet. We have some rough patches to get through first.”

“Maybe, but for the first time I don’t feel quite so alone.”

“While I’m here you won’t be.”

Out in the hallway he took her to a large elevator. “This is a different way than I was brought down.”

“We took you the back way to make sure no one saw you. Your father and his men have been tearing the place apart looking for you.”

“And why is it they didn’t find me?” she asked curiously. She couldn’t imagine something as simple as getting lost having stopped her father from doing what he wanted to do.

“He couldn’t find the chapel.”

“But why not? It’s on the signs.”

He chuckled. “Well, it was there, but apparently they couldn’t see what was right in front of their eyes.”

He exchanged a knowing look with Stefan that she really wanted to ask about, but he was already wheeling her into the room. Her very full room.

“There she is,” her father cried. “What did you do with her?”

Stefan and Trevor stiffened, their glare locked on her father. Trevor was the first to speak. “Just what are you implying?”

“I’m not implying anything,” her father roared. “I’m accusing you of kidnapping my daughter.”

“Kidnapping,” Hannah gasped. “What are you talking about?”

Her father glared at Trevor then turned his temper on her. “You weren’t here when you were supposed to be. We were told you were in the chapel but couldn’t find it either. Then when one of my men found the chapel, you weren’t there,” he shouted.

She stared at him. Had she ever seen him lose control like this? No. She wondered just what the hell he’d do when he found out the truth.

She wouldn’t have long to wait.

“Sorry if you had trouble finding the room. It’s a popular place, and being on the main floor, I was sure there’d be no trouble finding it,” Trevor said helpfully. “I’d have sent someone to show you the way if I thought you’d get lost.”

Her father’s face turned red, and it appeared he was ready to have a stroke.

“Daddy, calm down,” Hannah cried out. “You look like you’re going to have a heart attack or something. For heaven’s sake, I got married, that’s all.”

Silence.

As in not even a spider dared take a step.

And her father went from beet red to a pure icy white. In a very soft, very scary voice, he asked, “You what?”

Well, she was in the soup now. And she’d damn well better make this look good. “I got married,” she cried. “We wanted a simple ceremony first and thought that we could do a bigger celebration later for the families.”

She beamed up at him. “That’s why I was hoping you’d make it to the chapel. We were so short on time we couldn’t wait for you. But you’ll be there for the second one and can give me away then.”

“And the urgency?” Will asked in a deadly voice.

“You and Daddy of course,” she said smoothly. “Do you really think I’m going to be locked away in an asylum for the rest of my life at your whim?”

“You were going to marry Will,” her father roared. “It was all planned out.”

“Did you also plan to ask my permission in that deal?” She gasped in shock. “Or was I going to be railroaded into that as well?”

Her father straightened his back. “Make no mistake,” he snapped, “you will regret your decision here today.”

And he strode out.

Will stopped in front of Hannah. “Nice try. It won’t last.” He bent down and whispered, “And you will be mine but will no longer hold a position of respect, bitch.”

He turned and walked out behind her father.
Mayer, Dale. Psychic Visions: Books 7-9 . Valley Publishing Ltd. Kindle Locations (9126-9165). Kindle Edition.

Life for Trevor and Hannah gets very interesting as they discover with Maddy’s help, large blocks in her mind. Some were old but others were newer. Her father also brings Trevor’s past to the fore, one he’s already proved his innocence in, it just makes things annoying.

Stefan also hints at Trevor and Hannah having history together, but Trevor can’t imagine where or when he might have met her before.

There’s something that happens with Hannah that is unique and as she begins to break down the barriers in her mind it is even more apparent.

Plenty of suspense, some interesting interactions with her father’s henchman Will and a revelation that will wrap everything up very nicely.

I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, it’s on my TBR pile and I really want to catch up on this series before the new book in January.

5 Contented Purrs for Dale!

Dale Mayer

Dale Mayer is a USA Today bestselling author best known for her Psychic Visions and Family Blood Ties series. Her contemporary romances are raw and full of passion and emotion (Second Chances, SKIN), her thrillers will keep you guessing (By Death series), and her romantic comedies will keep you giggling (It’s a Dog’s Life and Charmin Marvin Romantic Comedy series).

She honors the stories that come to her – and some of them are crazy and break all the rules and cross multiple genres!

To go with her fiction, she also writes nonfiction in many different fields with books available on resume writing, companion gardening and the US mortgage system. She has recently published her Career Essentials Series. All her books are available in print and ebook format.