Forged in Dreams and Magick (Highland Legends #1)(72)

Highlands of Scotland—First Century AD, Five Days after My Return



Warriors, hundreds strong, moved across the field like a single large predator hunting its prey—all sleek muscle, stalking gait, and focused eyes—as their leader and his mate rode proudly at the front of the pack, guiding them to their common goal: the solace of home.

A sleepy village snapped to life before my eyes. Women who were hanging fish and meat, carrying baskets, and preparing fire pits dropped everything midtask, rushing to greet us. Not a single man in our pack broke rank, but I could feel their pent-up energy building behind us. A massive spiritual and physical collision happened when bodies connected with bodies, shouts ringing out in joy.

I dismounted Malibu and stood among them. I’d become one of them in every way, and yet, a chilling detachment seeped numbness into my heart.

Homecoming fell bittersweet onto my shoulders, my arrival counting down the coming of my departure . . . back to another time. The melancholy of a great vacation ending too soon doused my mood, and I plunged into an empty abyss, circling aimlessly, needing to find my North Star.

All the travel had made me weary. I’d become a wandering vagabond without a home, searching for my place in the vastness of my new reality. However, my despondency lightened somewhat as I thought about another man . . . a thousand years forward and a day and a half away . . . who held my heart.

A dog nearly knocked me over as a child chased after the reckless beast. I wandered from the frenzy of activity toward the nearly completed broch. The circular stone structure had a large square entrance. Rough-cut rocks had been dry stacked, but the roof still opened toward the sky. Stepping inside gave me no more indication of its use than the ruins left to taunt us in the twenty-first century. My fingers skimmed the jagged surface, a heavy sigh escaping my lips.

My purpose had clouded. Uncovering truths lying hidden in time had been my singular goal for so long. But well along that path, I’d begun to struggle for a reason to reveal history’s secrets. To what end would it serve?

Velloc’s scent hit me seconds before disturbed air changed the echoing sounds of the ocean. His warm arms wrapped around me.

Emblazoned brightly, my path lit up like a spotlight-lined landing strip in the darkest night. The lost traveler’s way stood behind her.

I’d gone from an historical interpreter to a vibrant thread woven into the tapestry of time. I had two guides who held integral pieces of the puzzle as to how and why I’d been chosen. Velloc didn’t hold all the answers, but since I knew he’d stolen the box from another tribe, I had an idea of where I could find them. And Iain knew a hell of a lot more than he’d been willing to share.

One question remained: would both men cooperate in my task? I had to find out. I had to know one thing more than anything. Why me?

“How do you feel about my having to go back?” I asked.

He bent down and touched his lips to my ear, murmuring, “I don’t like it at all. What if I don’t let you go?”

I laughed. “You act as if that’s an option. None of us have total control of what we want in life, but when I travel in time—and where I’m destined to go—is governed by that box.”

“Without the box, you’d have no way back.” The edge in his tone loaded his threat.

“You would do that? Take away the box?” I asked.

His pause dragged heavy between us. “Yes. You’re everything, Isobel. It doesn’t matter that someone else waits for you. What matters is that you seek to be with him rather than stay with me. You are mine. I won’t let you go.”

“Velloc, please. This is bigger than my wants or yours. I know what happens in history. Maybe my travel through time has already happened and charted the historical record that I’ve read. I don’t know. What I do know, to my very core, is that my next step is to learn about the box: from where it derives its power, who controls it, and why I was chosen. You’ve no right to deny me, just as I have no right to deny my fate.”

The sudden release of his hold knocked me off-balance. I spun around, but he’d disappeared. I darted out of the broch just as he entered our home. I marched after him.

My eyes adjusted as I searched the darkness of the room, and I spotted his bent form kneeling at the head of our pallet before the box.

He spoke softly. “This box brought me you.” He stared down at the artifact.

“Yes. Without it, I wouldn’t be here,” I replied.

“The thing that brought peace and joy back into my life will take it away . . . take you away . . .” His quiet voice drifted.

I went to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I will be back, Velloc. Often. Iain’s agreed to a certain amount of time spent with him. Can’t you do the same? I will give you all of my heart when I’m here. Know and trust in that.”

Velloc shook his head. He struggled with the same fears Iain had. They each risked losing me forever. Velloc had already lost his first wife. He’d also had less time to adjust to the concept of my traveling between two men than Iain, and Iain had demanded that time.

Between Velloc’s calves, I knelt behind him. I wrapped my arms around his waist, sliding my hands up his chest, kissing his bare shoulder. “We have a saying in my time: ‘If you love something, set it free.’ A bird is meant to take wing, not be caged. Let me fly, Velloc. I love you. My love for you alone will bring me back.”