Authors: Samantha Leal
He breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he realized that she wasn't injured badly, and covered her with a tartan blanket. He spoke soothingly to her, even though he wasn't sure she could hear him, dabbing her head gently with his cloth.
“Looks like I didn't know what I was doing, love, pulling you out of thin air like this. Seems you're in a totally different world, somehow. I hope maybe you'll be able to meet me halfway.”
He pressed a gentle, reverent kiss on her forehead and sighed loudly, backing away to find someone to help him watch over her throughout the night.
Alisa opened her eyes, expecting to wake up in Blane's dim tent. She narrowed her eyes in confusion and disappointment when the blinding fluorescent light of her bedroom flashed in front of her. Carl must have turned it on to ready himself for bed.
She watched him as he loosened his tie in front of the mirror, grinning at himself as if he had the world's juiciest secret and only he would ever know what it was. She felt a hot anger surge through her when he undressed and saw her rustling on the bed. He hopped under the covers.
“Could you get the light, babe?” he asked. She groaned, irritated and tired. Still, like a fool, she got up and turned the light off. When she came back to bed, Carl was looking at her thoughtfully.
“What?” she asked, pursing her lips to bite back the unkind words and accusations that were stirring in her mind.
Instead of answering, he kissed her and climbed on top of her body, rubbing his erection against her middle. She sighed as she felt a twinge of longing despite herself, and allowed him to slip her nightgown up. She gripped him, frowning privately. His small body seemed to be lacking something she was craving, something raw and powerful. Something like Blane.
Blane? She laughed and chastised herself for referring to a figment of her imagination by name. There was no way Blane was real, he was just a dream. She might as well try and enjoy her husband while she had him.
Carl pushed inside her, thrusting just a couple of times before he grunted and pulled away, rolling over to his side after kissing her politely on the cheek. Soon he was snoring with his back to her. Alisa was left frustrated and aroused, furious at Carl and seriously wondering if she was having a nervous breakdown.
***
“You're there,” Blane said, his deep, smooth voice relieved.
“Yeah,” Alisa answered, pursing her lips. She was lying on his cot, looking into his gentle eyes. His skin was illuminated by a crisp, golden firelight. His dark hair was pulled back and his full lips were smiling at her. He had crouched beside the bed, probably all night, and after having a healer sent for and dismissed, discovered that she was fine. They had whispered in the corner before the healer left, promising to bring someone knowledgeable to help her in the morning.
“I missed you,” he said, breathing a soft laugh that conveyed she might never know how much he had missed her. And yet he still didn't have her back, not completely.
“I'm not that special,” she scoffed, snuggling back against his pillow. He raised his eyebrow at her, a comical look that made her laugh. “Really though. You know, my husband is cheating on me.”
“Your...what? Who is this man? What has he cheated you out of?”
Blane was looking at her again, suddenly serious, dabbing her forehead again with the cloth.
“Happiness,” she murmured, her loins still aching from the brief tease she'd endured earlier in the night. She wanted more than anything to pull this handsome man on top of her and satisfy her needs. But how could she do that with a stranger? Even if he claimed to love her, and even though his touch sent thrills all throughout her body, it wouldn't feel right. Not until...
Not until what? She got her memory of the highlanders back? As if that were possible. Anything she thought was a memory was still a dream. But since it was a dream, that meant it wasn't real and she should be able to do whatever she wanted. It wouldn't actually be cheating if she had sex with Blane, not if he wasn't even real. Maybe she was reluctant to let go of Carl. Even though she was miserable and tired of him, she wasn't sure he had cheated or if it had simply been her imagination.
“Your cheeks are flushed, love,” Blane whispered, his voice low. She shivered, trying to take her mind off of her longing.
“I still don't remember you,” she said. “I'm sorry. I want to.”
“I know,” he said, his Scottish lilt maddeningly sexy. “But don't worry. You will in your own time. There's plenty.”
But there wasn't. She sat up suddenly, her heart thudding in her chest. She felt like there was something she had to tell him, something urgent, but she couldn't remember what it was. She brought her hand to her head, the blood rushing to it rapidly, and groaned in frustration.
“No, no, it's all right lass. Don't trouble yourself. I'll get you whatever you need.”
“It's just...there's something...”
“Shhh. Lie down. It's going to be all right.”
“But last time I did that, I lost you again,” she murmured, raising her hand to touch his face. She fingered his strong cheekbone and he stared soulfully into her eyes, smiling comfortingly until she fell back to sleep.
When she stirred back into consciousness, she was terrified that she had lost Blane again. She was afraid to open her eyes, but the smell of campfire made her heart thud in her chest. She was still there. Thank goodness. But wait, did that mean she was slipping further into insanity? She would have to be sure to schedule an appointment with a therapist when she was back in her own bedroom.
“Alisa,” a familiar woman's voice rang out. The accent was more pronounced than she remembered it, but she sat upright so quickly she nearly howled in pain. Her head had been aching terribly ever since she had been feeling like she'd been experiencing two lives at once, and now the thudding was back.
“Mom?” she gasped, squinting through the pain to see her mother, dressed in a beautiful dress.
“Atta lass,” her mother said with a wink. “Looks like I've some explaining to do.”
Alisa swallowed hard. What was going on?
“This may be hard to believe at first,” her mother said. “So drink this now, it will help with the headaches. And things will be more clear. You'll need to drink an equivalent when you go back, too.”
“Go back?”
“You know, to California. With Carl.”
Her mother said Carl's name with a wrinkling of the nose.
“How will I...? I don't understand.”
“It's all right, sweet one, just drink this for now. When you're back, go visit your brothers. They'll know how to help you.”
Alisa's head was spinning and she drank the vial of pink liquid her mother had proffered. The headache suddenly disappeared and she felt whole for the first time since she'd begun reading that highlander romance from the library.
“You remember that legend I told you about Lord Blane Wyndham, yeah?”
Alisa nodded dumbly.
“The woman he loved was – no,
is
– you. You know it. You've just hidden the truth from yourself so well that it's taking a wee bit 'o time before it can come back. You sure surprised us all.”
“What are you talking about?”Alisa asked.
“During the wedding! Blipping out of there like it was nothing. Taking your
whole self
and not just your awareness. That's never happened before. All along the line, our family has had this power, but you're the first to completely disappear. I wanted to tell you so badly for so long, but you begged us to take the memory of your lost love away so you wouldn't come back and put him in danger. You were that afraid.”
“I'm still afraid,” Alisa said. “How do I know I'm not going crazy?”
“There will be signs,” her mother said with a wink. “But you may always wonder. That's probably normal.”
Alisa shook her head. Blane entered the tent, and suddenly the look he fixed upon her nearly brought her to tears. She believed it, deep within herself. Blane was the man she had loved, beyond time and space. And they had found each other again, despite her immense efforts to avoid that.
“They ambush you,” Alisa whispered urgently. “They take away everybody you love and you die. Don't ask me how I know. But I was in the future. I just feel it. We have to get out of here, now, and take everyone. We have to get somewhere safe.”
“What are you talking about?” Blane asked, suddenly pale.
“Lord Todd, he isn't just a pain in the ass. He's powerful. And I already tried telling you, those men, at least one of your men works for him. We have to smoke him out and save your clan. That's got to be why I came back.”
Her mother gazed at her proudly.
“You never fail to surprise me. I'll be waiting here with your true love.”
And with that, her mother left the tent and disappeared with the sound of galloping horses.
“There's no way this is true,” Alisa whispered to herself when she sat up in bed. She stood shakily, still able to taste the sticky cherry flavored mixture her mother had forced her to drink. Water never sounded so good. It would wash the taste out of her mouth. Maybe it would wash out her crazy too.
When she felt a little more refreshed, after a long shower and some breakfast, she called her brother Simon, who she was closest to, both in age and geographically.
“Hey sis,” he said. She could tell he was smiling on the other line. “Been a long time.”
“Can you tell me if I'm crazy?” she asked, examining her reflection in the mirror.
“Certainly. But I have the feeling we shouldn't discuss this over the phone. Can you come by today?”
“Sure, Simon. No problem. We'll talk soon.”
“Great, bye!”
She hung up, feeling considerably more nervous than she had to begin with. She hurriedly got ready to leave and sped off toward Simon's house. He lived an hour away, so it was quite a trek, but she was willing to make it to discover the truth. Carl had left for work so he wouldn't be asking her what she was doing, not that he'd had much interest in her life lately.
She turned up the radio and began singing to herself, her mind swimming with images of Blane. His handsome body, rippling with muscles brought her heart rate up, and she closed her eyes for a moment to calm herself. She looked back at the road and cursed, realizing that she had missed her exit. She sped up to the next and did her best to turn around in a suburban area that she had never been in before.
Suddenly, there was Carl's car. There was no mistaking his bumper stickers, trying to make accounting fun. He was parked in the driveway of a small bungalow. She peered closely at it and could make out his form, kissing another woman passionately. Angry tears sprung from her eyes and she groaned, speeding away and heading to her brother's house.
“We all told you he was no good for you,” Simon said matter-of-factly when he opened the door and saw her in tears. “Mom always knows what's best.”
“That's actually why I'm here,” she said, sighing.
“She told me you'd be coming. Before you say anything else, here. Drink this.”
Simon disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared holding a small vial. The look on his face took her aback. It was as if he were saying, “Yes, it's exactly what you're afraid to believe it is.”
She took the vial and examined it.
“Where did you get this?” she whispered.
“Mom made it. When you got stuck here and told us all to make sure you didn't go back for Blane. None of us understood why until...well. We just thought you missed him too much and felt guilty or something. But it was more than that, you wanted to save everybody. It makes a lot more sense now. The potions have kept you from merging your selves under one primary consciousness. I mean, you shouldn't be too surprised. Mom is a highlander married lowlander so we're kind of a mix. You knew that though.”
“Slow down Simon...”
“Right. Sorry. Drink it and you'll see for yourself. You won't give a crap what happens to the California you when you're back with Blane though,” he said with an annoying, brotherly smile.
“I can't believe this is really happening,” Alisa sighed. She brought the vial to her full lips and drank deeply. Soon, the world was spinning and she felt like she was being torn in half. It didn't hurt, but it was strange enough to make her groan.
Suddenly, there was Blane.
“We've rounded up the clan, lass. We're moving camp.”
“They come from the north,” she said, taking his strong hand in hers. “We have to hurry.”
Blane paused and took a double take at Alisa. Her eyes were hard and serious, no trace left of the confused California girl who had been in and out of his life for the past week. He nearly wept when she leapt into his arms, allowing him to squeeze her and spin her around the room joyously. She was fully present, not just on autopilot as she had been before, when she went back into the future to visit her life with Carl.
“Let us go then,” he said, running forward.
“The best hope we have is to find an ally,” she said. “To the east. Your brother lives there. I think they would help us. We would outnumber Todd's men by at least 80. They'll know better than to bother us again.”
“Right,” he said, holding her hands in his.
“Any word on the spy?” she asked.
“I gave him a chance to turn himself in. We figured it out by learning who disappeared in the night. He had false information, Todd will be heading East.”
He mounted a steed and hollered for everybody to follow him. The clan moved swiftly on foot, able to cover a lot of ground in a single day. They made camp, leaving several men to keep watch over the clan as they migrated.
Blane made camp a little away from the rest of the clan, inviting Alisa to join him. He planned to stay awake for the whole of the night and wanted her to keep him company, but they hadn't been fully together in so long that he wanted some time alone with her. The rest of the clansmen understood and gave them their space.
“Where have you been?” he asked in a hushed whisper, once they were finally alone.
“The future,” she murmured. “I live a completely different life. The world of the Highlanders is where I originated, but my family, as you probably know, can bring any point in time to our awareness. I live here, but leapt into a new time altogether to protect you. We exist in all places and times at once. I mean, we all kind of do. We tap into them, but in the future, I couldn't find you there. My family protected me from you because it would be too risky and I made them promise.”
“I've missed you so much,” he said, tears brimming in his eyes.
She told him everything about her life, and the lore that her mother had told her about, and the actual experience she'd had when Lord Todd confronted her before the wedding, and showed up in the bushes as they were about to perform the ceremony. He listened intently, holding her hand tightly. When she was done, he pulled her close to himself, kissing her passionately.
She'd been waiting for longer than she knew, and melted under his skilled fingers as they roamed her body.
“Blane...” she moaned as his hot mouth kissed the sensitive flesh around her neck and down to her breasts, where he fingered the brass buckle over them and pulled the cloth down, exposing one and taking her pink nipple into his mouth. He groaned appreciatively and she could feel his urgent longing, pressed hard and growing against her thighs.
She slipped her hand up his leg, allowing herself to take the fullness of him in her hands. He shuddered in her grip and he slipped out of the kilt, fully naked and more beautiful than anything she had ever seen. His strong, rippling muscles glowed golden in the firelight, and nobody had ever looked so perfect.
She stroked his cheek as he stripped her slowly, devouring her body with fervent kisses and pulling her body on top of his when she was finally unwrapped. His large hands stroked her breasts, resting on the mound between her legs, toying with her clit and making her moan with deep pleasure.
And then he was on top of her, sliding inside, strong, powerful, and perfect. She closed her eyes and uttered a low moan, winding her fingers in his long hair and buckling under his body as he pulled out of her to thrust again. They both hissed with pleasure as her body enveloped him, his thick, engorged rod penetrating her again and again, filling her with more pleasure each time.
He spoke soft Gaelic into her ear, sending shudders down her body as his loving words pushed her over the edge and into her climax. He cried out as she contracted around his throbbing erection, coaxing him into a full explosive release. They came together, panting heavily and clinging to one another, kissing passionately.
Alisa sat up and felt the remnants of his powerful orgasm leak out of her body and onto the ground, and held her arms open for him to embrace her. They dressed lazily and curled up together, and she fell into a deep, sound sleep, better than any she'd had in years.