Forged in Dreams and Magick (Highland Legends #1)(53)
It dawned on me that Velloc had to have suspected something about my sudden appearance. In fact, that he’d never brought up the subject seemed odd, especially with his extraordinary intellect and intuition.
“Velloc, did you know the box could do that?”
“No,” he replied. His tone seemed thoughtful.
“What do you know about it? Why were you there with it?” I asked.
His impassive expression echoed déjà vu through my mind; Iain might as well have been standing there. I knew both men well enough to recognize their hesitation and hard countenance meant they were withholding information. And both men shared something else in common: each had possessed the box prior to my arrival.
What is with these men and their damn time-bending artifact? Didn’t they understand their box and its powers messed with my life? They weren’t the ones bounced from eon to eon with careless disregard for their emotional welfare.
I snapped, advancing. Above those stubbornly crossed arms, I jabbed my pointed finger hard into his sternum. He stumbled back, his mouth dropping open.
“You know, Velloc? I’ve had it. I’m tired of you and Iain thinking you don’t owe me an explanation. You do. I’m owed every bit of information you have. Quit holding your damn secrets so tightly to your chest. It involves me. I’m already eyeballs-deep into whatever it is you’re hiding from me. You love me? If you truly love me, prove it. Set this bird free. Trust in what we have . . . that she’ll fly back home.”
He set his jaw. My back talk had clearly overstepped a boundary in his world.
Whatever. I didn’t belong in his culture anymore than he belonged in mine, but we made allowances. He either accepted me now—with every asset and defect—or he never would. Either way, I refused to budge on my position. My very presence in his world proved a warp existed in the fabric of time, and I needed to get to the bottom of the reason. Their stupid secrets had unraveled the last thread of control I had . . . and I had no desire to repair it.
“Well?” Fury laced my tone, and his expression changed. Respect and pride filled his eyes. Maybe his society valued a woman standing up for her rights. What did I know?
He sighed. “Yes. We’ll go at first light.”
I threw my body into his chest, wrapping my arms around his waist. After the briefest pause, he embraced me back. I hadn’t gotten the valuable information I wanted, but I’d started us down a path of compromise.
“Thank you, Velloc.” I pressed my cheek against his shoulder, and he kissed the top of my head.
I didn’t know what tomorrow held for me, but then, neither did anyone else. The agenda of a reunion with an object that had caused me both misery and joy gave me a brief flash of anxiety. I tightened my grip around the man I loved, grateful for his support, his resilience bolstering my courage to continue on my quest of discovery.
Strong arms squeezed me back. “To prepare for the journey, we’ll need to go to bed early.” His playful tone hinted that he had no intentions of sleeping early.
“Animal.” I laughed, nipping at his neck.
He growled, his gaze roving over my body as if trying to decide what he wanted to devour and in what order.
“Catch me first,” I shouted, sprinting off.
Deep laughter boomed behind me as he raced to catch up, closing the distance, chasing me home.
CHAPTER Eighteen
I pressed my upper body into the warmth of Malibu’s back. Cool winds rippled through my unbound hair. A thick, morning mist veiled the dark gray landscape. Our horses slowed as we picked our way through increasingly congested forest. With solid focus, I centered myself, becoming one with Malibu’s breaths and heartbeat, joining my frequency with hers to quell the growing uneasiness lurking beneath my glassy surface.
Our return trip to the cave shed light on why Velloc’s men had traversed the distance on foot the first time I’d met them. Although the first time had been a difficult, full day’s walk, the trip today had become painstakingly slow, many sections barely accommodating the breadth of our horses. Dense foliage and tight turns hid the trail well, if there had ever been a trail at all. Thankfully, Malibu and I didn’t need to put much thought into the safest path—we followed Velloc and his stallion, mirroring every move they made.
Eventually, the near-impenetrable forest loosened its constricting hold, sparser growth giving us room to breathe. Within minutes, I discovered why the plants had yielded; the ground had turned into an obstacle course. Deep fissures opened up, running parallel to our southerly course. Boulders, ranging in size from SUVs to beach balls, were strewn about on the surface as if God Himself had tilled the steely gray bedrock. Malibu tensed, snorting her protest, righting her footing as loose shale slid away from every step.
The unforgiving landscape compounded my rising anxiety. I sucked in a lungful of air and exhaled through pursed lips, tamping down the unwelcome fear as we neared our destination.
Shafts of light speared through the treetops to the east as the surrounding rocks began to look familiar. Velloc led his horse into the same expansive area where his men had been waiting that first morning when he’d chased after . . . and then rescued . . . me.
Brilliant sunshine broke into the clearing, illuminating a mossy-green meadow. The tips of ferns peeked out from the forested edges. Granite boulders that stretched to the baby-blue sky sparkled as we approached.