Temporal Shift (Entangled Select Otherworld) (15 page)

They couldn’t hang around—the wormhole would shift and they’d be stranded. And she had an inkling that Rico would dump her before he allowed that to happen. She and Thorne were still the only ones armed, but she suspected that really only gave them an illusion of being in control. Rico had allowed it for the moment, but if anything might stop him getting back to Skylar, then nothing would prevent him taking over. She fingered the pistol at her waist. Should she take him out now? While he wasn’t expecting it?

He glanced over his shoulder and eyed her. “I can feel your eyes burning into the back of my head. It’s making me twitchy.” His gaze dropped to the weapon at her waist. “I suggest that if you’re going to attempt to use that thing on me, we get it over with now. Because I suspect you won’t like me if I get too twitchy.”

“I don’t like you now,” she muttered.

“Very sensible. Now are we ready to go?”

She nodded and her grip loosened.

“Good.” He turned back to face the front.

Devlin came up to the side of the vehicle. Reaching inside, he curled a hand around her neck and pulled her closer, kissing her briefly on the lips. He spoke into her ear.

“Don’t try and take him. You won’t succeed.”

She frowned. Was she really so transparent?

“Yes,” he answered, kissed her again, and stepped back.

“Good advice,” Rico said. “Right, we’ll see you later—fix my ship.”

Devlin nodded. “Yeah, have fun. I’ll be here.”

Saffira gripped the edge of the seat as the speeder lifted slightly into the air to hover above the floor of the docking bay. They glided forward and down the ramp. Once outside, Rico hesitated for a moment before heading into the darkness of the trees.

“Don’t we have lights?” she muttered.

“We don’t want to alert anyone that we’re here.”

“Is there anyone to alert? This place looks deserted.”

Maybe they’d come too far and this was the aftermath of whatever catastrophe was going to hit Earth. It had already happened and there was nobody left. Nobody to save. But if that was the case, why were
they
still here?

The vampire’s eyesight must be phenomenal, because somehow they managed to avoid crashing into anything. They moved swiftly about three feet off the forest floor, winding between the thick trunks. Finally, they reached the tree line, and he slowed the vehicle and gently put her down on the ground.

“Why’ve we stopped?” she asked.

“Because we’re going to be a little conspicuous from here on in.”

“Don’t they have these vehicles on Earth?” she asked.

He cast her a grin. “Not right now, they don’t.”

There was that bad feeling again. Rico was already climbing out of the speeder. Daisy jumped down beside him, positively bouncing with excitement. “I can’t believe we’re actually on Earth.”

“There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot to get excited about.” Thorne climbed out and stood looking around. Saffira followed him. He was right.

“You,” Rico said, pointing at Thorne. “Stay with the speeder.”

Thorne glanced at her and back at Rico. “Why?”

“Because, until I’m sure what we’re up against, I’d rather attempt to stay inconspicuous, and the wings are hard to hide.”

“And where are you going?”

“Over there.” Rico waved out beyond the tree line. She followed the direction and at first could make out nothing. But as she gazed into the darkness, a structure started to take shape. About half a mile away, she reckoned, what had to be a manmade wall rising up out of the grassy plain. Not big enough to be a city, but maybe a small town.

But there were still no lights.

“You want to stay or go?” Thorne asked her. She glanced again at the forbidding dark shape. “I’ll go.” What choice did she have? She had to find out where and when she was, and something told her Rico wouldn’t be forthcoming with the information.

“Okay,” Rico said. “If we get separated meet back here.”

Saffira glanced back at Thorne as they left and tried to give him an encouraging smile. A frown of worry dragged his brows together, but he nodded. Rico strode in front, Daisy at his side, and Saffira brought up the rear. Her back twitched as though she could sense something watching her. But when she looked back there was nothing but darkness, and Thorne had vanished from sight in the dense forest.

They didn’t take long to cross the open ground between the trees and the wall. It rose up far above her head, turreted along the top. A ditch ran parallel, preventing them getting closer. Rico guided them around until she made out a flicker of light illuminating what looked like a huge gateway. A track led over the ditch and up to the gate, which appeared locked up for the night.

“Wait here,” Rico said.

He made his way alone and halted, not in front of the great double gates, but at a small door to the side. He banged on the wood with his fist and a second later, it opened. Saffira held her breath as he disappeared inside only to emerge a minute later and gesture to them to come.

The door led into a small tunnel, which took them into a stone-built room. A man lay on the floor, unconscious or dead, she couldn’t be sure.

“I did ask him nicely, first,” Rico said.

Crouching down over the body, he tugged at the belt at the man’s waist. It came free and he straightened and wrapped it around his own waist. Then he checked the weapon, a sword about four inches wide and long enough to bang against his knee-length boot.

He bent again, this time he pulled out a knife and tossed it to Daisy, who slid it down her boot. Finally, he tugged the man’s cloak free and threw it to Saffira. “Put that on.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re yellow.”

“Oh.” She was still wearing one of the jumpsuits she’d appropriated and it was actually very…yellow. “Don’t they have yellow on Earth?”

He didn’t answer. “Cover up.” He looked to Daisy and frowned. She was dressed all in black. “Just keep your head down if we meet anyone.”

Once again he led the way, this time out through a small door in the wall opposite where they had come in. It opened into a narrow street, the ground rough under her feet and the buildings tall on either side. But there was still no sign of life. At least the guard had proved that there were humans here. Or had been until Rico killed him. If he was dead.

She breathed in, wherever they were—it stank.

So far, she wasn’t impressed. “Where is everyone?”

“I think we’re going to find out,” Rico replied, coming to an abrupt standstill so Saffira almost banged into him. Then he stood, head raised as if listening. Straining to hear something, she caught a faint murmur in the distance. Rico headed off again, this time taking a twisting road that led upward. The sound was louder now, like a crowd of people milling together.

Someone hurried past them from behind. They stepped to the side and he passed them at a run. She caught a glimpse of a dark-skinned face, rough clothes, and heavy boots before he disappeared beyond the curve up ahead. They followed and around the bend, she saw the first flickering lights. Torches were stuck in sconces on the walls, lighting the street. They passed under a stone arch and Rico halted, putting out a hand to stop their forward momentum.

Beyond the arch, the street widened to form a large square with buildings on all sides. The place was crowded, there must have been hundreds of men and women, and she wrinkled her nose at the rank smell. None of them wore yellow and she hugged the cloak tighter around herself. A few people closest to them had turned, and Rico gestured her and Daisy back with a wave of his hand, then followed them into the slight cover of the archway.

She hugged the wall and tried to make out what was going on in front of them. A large dais had been built in the center of the square.

“Shit,” Rico muttered from beside her. She glanced at him and saw something flicker in his face. Pain, anger, hatred. Then his expression blanked.

“What is it?” she asked.

“A burning.”

“What does that mean?”

“See that stake?” He nodded to the dais in the center of the square. “They plan to tie some poor fucker to it and set fire to him.”

Nausea rose in her throat. “But why?”

He shrugged. “Probably because he or she believes in something slightly different than the rest of the people here.”

“Can we stop it?” Daisy asked.

He gave her an incredulous stare. “Of course we can’t fucking stop it.”

A wail rose up from the crowd. They parted and Saffira caught sight of a small group opposite. A woman—or rather a girl—held between two men who half led her and half dragged her toward the dais, pushing her up from behind. As she caught sight of the pyre, she struggled. Her cloak fell back revealing her long black hair and a face with high cheekbones and dark eyes etched by pain and exhaustion. The men controlled her with ease, but then, her legs were chained at the ankle and her hands tied in front of her. They dragged her to the pyre, pushed her to the center, sliced the rope that bound her hands, and tied them behind her, holding her to the stake.

Saffira gasped. No way could they stand by and watch this happen. “Rico, do something.”

He flashed her a look of hatred. “We can’t fucking save her. What do you suggest we do? Go right in there and say, excuse me but please don’t do this? They’ll take one look at Daisy and throw her on the fucking fire as well.”

“There must be something…” She gasped as a man carrying a flaming torch climbed onto the dais. Another started speaking in a language she didn’t understand. She took an instinctive step forward, but Rico halted her with a hand on her arm.

“What happens to you saving the whole of mankind if you die here?”

She stopped.

The man lowered the torch to the pile of wood surrounding the bound woman. At first, Saffira thought it wouldn’t burn, then little flames ran through the smaller twigs, blue and yellow. The woman twisted away. The flames weren’t on her yet.

“Bastards,” Rico muttered. “If they make the fire big enough, she dies from suffocation before the flames reach her. If they’re feeling mean, the fire is smaller and she burns to death. I once saw someone take two hours to die. He screamed the whole way through.”

Saffira bit her lip. There had to be something they could do. The flames reached the hem of the woman’s dress and licked up over the skirt. A wild piercing scream—more of terror than pain—that wouldn’t last—filled the square. The crowd had fallen silent, concentrating on the spectacle. Saffira gazed around her and searched frantically for something she could do. What was the point in saving humanity if this is what they were capable of?

The tenor of the scream changed and she knew the flames must have reached the woman’s flesh.

Beside her, Rico swore. He turned to her. “Give me the fucking gun.”

“What?”

“The pistol. Hand it over.”

She didn’t know what he meant to do, and she didn’t care, as long as it stopped the screaming. She pulled the pistol from the holster and handed it to him.

“And get ready to run,” he said.

Chapter Fourteen

Rico aimed the laser pistol at the woman, and a red beam of light flashed out. The screams stopped abruptly. He shifted slightly, took aim, and the man who’d carried the torch fell to the ground followed quickly by the two men who had dragged the woman to her death.

He turned with a fierce scowl and slammed the pistol back into her hand.

The crowd appeared stunned, all silently gazing at the dais with its pile of bodies and the fire taking hold. Still held upright by the ropes, the woman burned now as though she danced in the flickering flames.

“I suggest we get out of here,” Rico growled. “Now.”

Shoving the pistol back into its holster, Saffira turned and ran back the way they had come. Daisy was at her side and Rico behind her.

“Faster would be good,” he shouted. And she sped up, concentrating on taking the same route back and keeping her footing on the uneven ground.

A loud clatter from behind made her stumble. Daisy dragged her to her feet and she turned as a huge animal bore down on them, the man on its back wielding a long sword. Rico whirled, kicked out at the animal’s chest so it rose up on its hind legs and crashed backward to the ground. The man fell beneath it. Rico whirled the huge sword over his head and cut him through the throat, the sword sparking on the stony ground.

He looked up at them, and his eyes glowed crimson. “Get the hell out of here.”

“We can’t go without you,” Daisy said. She’d drawn the knife from her boot and looked ready to fight.

“I can look after myself, sweetheart, but it’s easier without you two, so run. I’ll hold them back and meet you at the speeder.” He glanced at Saffira. “And don’t fucking leave without me or I’ll fucking kill you even if I have to wait a thousand fucking years to do it.”

She nodded, grabbed Daisy’s hand, and dragged her away.

“He’ll be fine,” she said. She wasn’t so sure about everyone else, though. The muffled sound of feet—a lot of feet—sounded from behind them.

She raced on the uneven ground, pulling Daisy along with her. It hadn’t seemed this far on the way there. Screams rang out in the night. Ignoring the sound, she hurried on, gasping for breath. Finally, they reached the wooden door. She pushed Daisy into the room and glanced back. More screams filled the air, but she could see nothing, the streets too twisted. She followed Daisy into the room where the man still lay on the floor. He twitched and started to push himself up. So Rico hadn’t killed him, after all. She didn’t think the men following them would have fared as well. As they passed, Daisy lashed out with her boot, and the man crumpled to the ground.

Then they were through the other door, beyond the walls, and into the night.

She took a moment to catch her breath, leaning against the stone and inhaling deeply. Beside her Daisy did the same, the knife still clutched in her hand.

“Will he be all right?” Saffira said.

Daisy gave a weak grin. “Yeah. He’s probably enjoying himself. And at least we won’t have to worry about him being hungry anymore.”

“Ugh. Let’s go.”

They made their way along the edge of the ditch and around the outer wall. She stared, trying to work out exactly where they had come from. But the night was dark, and she could see nothing but blackness.

Pausing, she turned to Daisy. “Can you remember where we reached the wall?”

Daisy chewed on her lip. “Maybe a little farther?”

She didn’t sound sure, but Saffira led the way another fifty feet or so. “Are those trees out there?”

“Maybe.”

“Come on.”

She headed out across the open ground. As they half walked, half ran, the moon rose behind them, lighting the way. She glanced back. She wasn’t sure it was an improvement; if anyone was about or had gotten past Rico, they would be spotted easily. Ahead were trees, but she didn’t recognize anything. All the bloody trees looked exactly the same.

“Is that where we left the speeder?” Daisy asked, pointing at an opening in the forest.

“I think so, come on, let’s go look. I don’t like being out in the open.”

She heaved a sigh of relief as they took cover in the shadows at the edge of the forest. But the speeder was nowhere in sight. Had they come too far around? Panic clawed at her insides.

“This way, I think.”

She kept to the edge of the trees. They had to hit the speeder sooner or later. Providing they were going in the right direction. At least Daisy had a comm unit. If all else failed, she could call and they could track her on that.

But before she could make the suggestion, a figure stepped out of the shadows ahead, and her breath caught. “Thorne?” But she realized as soon as the word left her mouth that it wasn’t Thorne. Not bulky enough.

“Rico!” Daisy had come to a halt beside her. “Thank God.”

“How the hell did he get there before us?” Saffira muttered. He couldn’t have passed without them seeing.

A shaft of moonlight spilled down between the trees, illuminating the tall figure. Something was wrong. It was Rico…but not Rico. The clothes weren’t right, tight cream stockings and a brown tunic—he couldn’t have changed his clothes that fast
and
gotten here. His hair was a wild tangle around his shoulders, and his eyes held more than a hint of madness.

“Rico?” Daisy’s voice echoed her confusion. She took a step toward him, but Saffira stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“Wait…”

Too late. Rico focused on them and a growl left his throat. Leaping forward, he covered the distance in seconds, hurtling into them and tearing her from Daisy. Saffira crashed to the forest floor, her head striking a tree trunk, and for a second everything went black.

She scrambled onto her knees and tried to make sense of the scene. Rico’s face was buried in the curve of Daisy’s neck. Blood was everywhere, black in the silver moonlight. Daisy’s eyes were closed, but she was struggling, kicking out feebly as though her strength was leaving her. Saffira backed away, fumbling for the pistol at her waist. Her hands were trembling and she forced them to steady, aiming the laser. But she couldn’t get a clear shot, not without endangering Daisy. She aimed just behind them, hoping to shock the vampire into releasing her. The shot scorched the air, hitting a tree behind them, which burst into flames, lighting the clearing. The fire leaped from tree to tree.

The vampire glanced up, his lower face daubed in blood, his eyes glowing crimson. He snarled but returned to feeding. Daisy had stopped struggling now.

“What the fuck?”

She whirled around as Rico’s voice came from behind her. Their Rico.

He took in the scene in front of him and she could see the tension in his figure as he readied himself to leap.

“No,” she screamed. “You can’t. I don’t know what will happen if you touch yourself. Maybe we’ll all implode.”

He gritted his teeth. “Give me the fucking gun.” Grabbing the weapon from her, he pointed it at the feeding vampire. “Hey, asshole.”

The other Rico glanced up, and the laser blasted him in the face. He crashed to the floor, releasing Daisy, who sprawled, unconscious, on top of him. Saffira ran forward. Daisy’s neck was an open bloody wound from which a sluggish pulse of blood oozed.

“Is she alive?” Rico asked.

“Just.”

“We have to get out of here. The whole place is going to go up in flames. Drag her away from…me. And I’ll carry her back to the speeder.”

“I’ll do it,” Thorne said, stepping out from beyond the trees. He glanced from Rico to the figure on the ground, still out cold. Then a groan came from him. Rico raised the pistol and shot him again.

“Let’s go.”

Thorne picked up the unconscious Daisy. Her head flopped back, and her green hair trailed nearly to the ground.

“I heard the shot,” Thorne said as he ran back the way he’d come. “Saw the flames. I thought something must be up.”

It took only minutes to reach the speeder. Thorne climbed in the back, still holding Daisy. Rico leaped into the front, Saffira got in beside him, and the speeder was moving before she sat down. Behind them, she heard the crackle of flames as the fire took hold. This time, Rico didn’t stay close to the ground. Instead, he rose up above the level of the trees, and they shot forward.

“How is she?” he asked.

“She’s dying,” Thorne said from the back seat. Saffira knelt and twisted around so she could see. Beneath the green, Daisy’s face was pale. Thorne had wrapped something around her throat to stop the bleeding, but the cloth was already soaked through. It was too little, too late.

“She’s not dying,” Rico ground out. “I won’t fucking let her die. I am not going to go back to Tannis and tell her I’ve lost another member of her crew. It’s not fucking happening.”

“There’s not enough time,” Thorne said, his voice full of compassion. “You can’t stop death.”

“You want to take a bet on that?”

…

Devlin shut down the diagnostic test and stepped back. He’d patched her up as well as he could in the limited time, but he reckoned she was good for the return journey. After that, he’d have to do something more permanent.

He crossed the docking bay and stood at the top of the ramp gazing up into the night sky. He could make out the wormhole if he stared hard enough, like a ribbon rippling across the sky, blocking out the stars. It almost seemed alive, restless, and he couldn’t help but think they should get up there and fast. He hoped Saffira had managed to do what she needed to do and they hadn’t fucked up the time too badly.

A faint glow in the sky drew his gaze downward. Orange and red against the night.

Fire?

Then the speeder hurtled into view, high above the trees. He stepped back as it shot toward him, through the open doors, screeching to a halt in the center of the docking bay. Devlin’s gaze shot to Saffira, sitting in the front seat. She gave him an almost helpless shrug.

Rico jumped out and hurried around to the back of the vehicle. “Give her to me.”

Thorne handed an unconscious Daisy into Rico’s arms. He carried her a few feet and laid her gently on the floor. She appeared lifeless. A makeshift bandage wrapped around her throat, but the air was heavy with the acrid scent of fresh blood.

“What happened?” Devlin asked.

Saffira shrugged. “Later.”

“Is she dead?”

“No, she’s not fucking dead. And she’s not going to be.” Rico knelt on the floor beside Daisy and unwrapped the bandage from her throat.

“Shit,” Devlin muttered.

Daisy’s throat was raw and bloody as if she’d been ripped open by a wild animal. Rico raised his wrist to his mouth and bit down. Blood welled from the wound, spilling down his chin.

“What are you doing?” Saffira took a step forward.

“I’m saving her,” Rico said. “She always wanted to be just like me. Well, now she gets the chance.”

Devlin glanced from the vampire to the unconscious green girl. Daisy had always been so full of life. Would she want to be saved at this price? She hadn’t wanted the immortality of Meridian. “Would she want this?”

Rico glanced at him and snarled, showing his fangs, white against the crimson blood. “I don’t give a fuck. She’s not dying.”

He pressed his wrist to Daisy’s mouth and muttered some words under his breath. At first, it looked like it was having no effect, then Daisy arched off the floor, her spine bowing. Rico held her down with one hand and pushed his wrist into her mouth. Devlin watched the convulsive movement of her throat as she swallowed.

Finally, Rico pulled free, sat back on his heels, and gathered her into his arms. He lowered his head, licked the wound at her throat, and it knitted together.

“Is that it?” Devlin asked. “Is she now…?”

“A vampire? Not yet. She needs to feed twice more. After the third time, she will die and be reborn…sort of.” He rose to his feet, Daisy clasped in his arms. “I’m going to take her to her cabin, and then we are leaving.”

Saffira stepped forward. “Tell me.”

Rico’s eyes narrowed. “Tell you what?”

“When are we?”

“July the fifth, 1499.”

The color drained from her face. “How do you know?”

“Because it was the night I died.”

So it had all come to nothing? There was no way Saffira could give any meaningful warning this long in advance. And if Devlin’s memory of Earth history served him right, they would not have the understanding or the technology to do anything about it anyway.

“I don’t remember tonight,” Rico murmured. “How the fuck could I not remember this? But the first years of my new life were a hunger-crazed blur.”

“Something for Daisy to look forward to.”

“I’ll take care of her.” Rico headed for the doorway but turned to look back at Saffira. “Look at it this way, darling. You’ve failed, and yet we’re all still here.”

…

Saffira stared after him as his words sank in. Fourteen ninety-nine was more than five hundred years earlier than she needed to be. But as Rico had pointed out—they were still here—she couldn’t have failed.

Her mind grappled with the problem. Five hundred years.

Could she redirect the wormhole a second time? But she knew that wasn’t an option. The hole was unstable, and a second attempt would probably cause it to unravel. They would never get home, and while that wouldn’t have stopped her, they would also never get to where and when she needed to be.

No, she knew what she had to do, she just wasn’t sure she had the strength to go through with it. The knowledge was like a heavy weight dragging her down.

A hand came to rest on her shoulder. Devlin.

Turning, she laid her head against his broad chest, breathed in the masculine scent of him. The future is not set. She’d always known that. Maybe her visions of Devlin had been merely that. Something to give her hope.

He stroked her hair. “I’m sorry.”

She’d so wanted his love. Now it appeared impossible. She raised her head from his chest and cupped his face with her hand, smoothing the pad of her thumb over the scar on his cheek as though she could wipe it away. She’d wanted to ask where he had gotten it, who had given it to him. So many things she’d wanted to know. Now she would never get the chance.