Timeless Vision (21 page)

Chapter Thirteen

Tara dreamed of her golden-haired knight, the friend she’d known better than herself all her life. The sun rose high overhead as they walked through her dreams in a warm, perfect day. He took her hand, his palm swallowing hers as they set out across a meadow filled with yellow and purple flowers. His strides were so long, she had to skip through the long grass to keep up.

Until he scooped her up, held her close to his natural heat in those big, capable arms. No witches or caves, no darkness on the horizon could hurt them here. He smelled of sandalwood soap and sunshine. She wound her arms around his neck and peppered his scruffy jaw with kisses.

Somewhere outside her idyllic dream she heard a door open and felt the mattress shift. Sterling jumped down and padded away, then the door closed. She started to stretch, only to discover she wasn’t alone in the bed.

Blinking away the remnants of sleep, she found herself clinging like a burr to Wayne’s bare chest. Piece by piece she took stock. His arms were banded around her, and he’d wedged one strong thigh between her legs. His arousal pressed to her hip was unmistakable, though his breathing, steady and even, told her he was asleep. He wore his jeans, but her legs were bare under the oversized t-shirt she typically wore to bed.

She couldn’t recall changing clothes. Couldn’t remember quite how they’d wound up here. It didn’t matter, she wanted to enjoy this moment safely cocooned in the soft pre-dawn darkness before they had to start another day of witch hunting.

Nuzzling her cheek against the hard planes of his chest, she let her hands explore all that gorgeous skin. Her fingertips outlined the definition of his magnificent arms, skimmed over all the scars she could see, wishing she could have spared him every pain. In her childhood dreams she’d seen him fight more than once, though she’d never seen him wounded. She wasn’t sure she could have handled it as a child, or now.

She kissed his chest, relieved he hadn’t been hurt by Collette and more than a little embarrassed that she’d been too exhausted to do anything but collapse in bed - with Wayne.
What a missed opportunity.
Shifting, she propped herself on an elbow just so she could soak up the view of his chiseled features, relaxed in sleep. He was so beautiful, inside and out. There was a new bruise rising on his cheek and she kissed it. Then she indulged herself and kissed his poet’s mouth before this golden opportunity slipped away and he was gone from her life, out of reach forever.

Would she still have her dreams when this was over?

His lips responded under hers in slow motion, as if he didn’t want to scare her off. Didn’t he know by now she didn’t scare easy? She smiled against his mouth, and laughter bubbled out of her when he rolled her over, his big body pinning her to the mattress.

She knew with absolute certainty there was no better place in the world, in his time or hers, than right here and now.

“You’re awake.” His thumb traced the arch of her brow, the curve of her lower lip.

“You too.” She marveled at the tenderness in his sky-blue gaze. Pushing her hands into his hair she brought his mouth to hers and happily surrendered to his kiss, to the urgency he built with every stroke of his tongue, each nip of his teeth.

His shoulders were irresistible. She held on tight as his mouth went venturing over her jaw and down the column of her throat. Her nipples peaked through the soft cotton of her t-shirt and she gasped when he closed his hot mouth over her through the fabric.

When that big, calloused hand slid under her shirt, she arched, filling his palm with her breast. She wanted him, needed him, more with every touch and tease of his fingers. The pleasure pounded through her veins, the sheer intensity of it so beautiful it scared her.

He sat back on his heels, bringing her pliant body up to straddle his thighs. She raised her arms as he pushed her shirt up and away. She knew only bliss as his mouth closed over her, with no barriers this time, his teeth delicately grazing her nipple.

Without a word, he knew her. Knew what to give and where to take. The smallest pressure on his shoulder had her magnificent knight on his back, ready and willing to satisfy her curiosity.

She followed each rise and hollow of his sculpted torso with her hands, mouth and breasts. Dragging his jeans down those powerful legs, she couldn’t help pausing to admire the view as she slipped out of her panties.

Hard and proud, his breath caught and she felt it in her chest. It was the least of the impossible things that had happened in her life recently. She kissed her way up his splendid body until she thought the anticipation made her head spin.

She whispered his name between hard kisses, the entirety of her heart and all the hopes of her soul packed into that one word.

His body covered hers and for a moment she saw herself through his eyes, through the filter of passion and remarkable new love.

She opened for him, her arms winding around those broad shoulders, seeking an anchor in this storm of desire.

“Only you.” The rough edge of his voice landed on her skin as soft as spring rain as he thrust deep into her body, joining them.

Oh,
yes
. She wrapped her legs around his lean hips, taking all of him into her. Her heart pounded as they found that familiar, elemental rhythm unique to the two of them.

Yes
. She was his. She always had been.

Always would be.

~*~

Wayne couldn’t fall back to sleep, though Tara dozed, satisfied and content, in the shelter of his arm. The moment was easily the most perfect of his life. He’d never put much stock in those who proposed the truest magic in the world was love, but the woman tucked into his embrace was the finest proof.

At last Wayne had done something absolutely right. Following the intuition and instinct of his magic had resulted in a resounding success. She was alive. More than that, she’d given him a new perspective on his life, present and past.

The way their bodies mated amazed him. He’d never known such complete, consuming acceptance. He’d never felt safe enough to take that chance, to leave himself open the way he’d done with Tara. It was as though she’d made love to his soul rather than merely his body.

She stirred and as her lips skimmed the scar left from the fire nymph’s touch he was tempted to forget that today was the solstice and they had an overwhelming task ahead of them.

“We need to talk,” he said, scooting up to lean against the headboard and bringing her along.

She pushed her hair behind her ear. “Don’t we have better things to do?”

No.
He wanted to follow the sultry suggestion underscoring that question. He laced his fingers with hers, smoothing his thumb over the soft skin on the back of her hand. “You were out for two days,” he said. “Today is the solstice.”

Her lips parted but the words didn’t come. Leaning back, her eyes went wide, then narrowed to slits. “You’re not kidding.”

“No. Somehow,” he didn’t want to tell her exactly how, “Collette hit you. I carried you in and,
umm
, Nick handled the rest.”

Her cheeks turned rosy. “Nick changed my clothes.”

He nodded.

“And then he put you in my bed?”

Leave it to this woman to make him laugh on what could easily be the last day of his life. “No. Not even close. Two days, Tara. You’ve never seen two men read so much, so fast. We weren’t sure we’d get you back.”

He stopped and kissed her, needing the affirmation for both of them.

“When you did come around, you asked me to stay with you.”

“I’m sure I did.” That rosy color returned in a rush. Her palm came to rest lightly on his cheek as her green eyes held his gaze. “Thank you for saving my life.”

“I didn’t -”

“You did,” she cut him off, leaving no room to argue. “I’m sure of it.”

“You remember something about those days?”

“No.” Her soft smile was a benediction, scattering the disappointments that littered his past like fallen leaves in a forest. “I remember
you
. In dreams or in the flesh, in my heart I know
you
. You’re a hero, Wayne. My hero.”

She straddled his outstretched legs, the juncture of her thighs hot against his hard shaft. Her hands were gentle on his shoulders as she leaned in to kiss him again and again.

He lifted her hips and eased her body inch by precious inch over his aching erection. The solstice and the battle ahead could wait while he loved the one woman who loved him unconditionally.

Chapter Fourteen

Collette had locked herself in her private suite since returning from that dreadful encounter in the subway. This city was filthy. It would be one of the first things she changed when she had control of Morgana’s power.

She’d spent her days studying the journals of her predecessors and the dagger’s reaction to blood. Her blood did nothing, while samples Darius provided revealed various runes she’d yet to decipher completely. It made sense that O’Malley blood would make bigger changes yet. Time was short and there was no time to test her theory.

It couldn’t matter. She felt Morgana’s power surging up, seeking release, seeking to join her. She felt confident all would go as planned, with or without the stubborn little barmaid.

Collette’s strengths were enhanced by the dagger and her ultimate intentions were in order.

She’d purified herself and prepared her chamber so all would go as planned. She’d fine-tuned her spell, leaving no source untapped and no room for error.

Now it was merely a matter of waiting for what would surely be her finest moment. She was setting the countdown clock in her mind when she heard the uproar outside her private suite. Darius knocked on her door a moment later and she invited him in. He wouldn’t interrupt unless the trouble could directly impact her plans.

“I believe Gawain is lurking in Brooklyn, my lady,” he stated without preamble.

She always appreciated his direct nature. “Wallowing in failure at the pub?”

“No.” Darius frowned as he met her gaze. “The scouts report a surge of magic a few blocks away late yesterday. They narrowed it down to a neighborhood before the trail went cold.”

“Protective wards and shelters, I assume.”

“Yes, my lady. The scouts have not sighted him yet, but no one else could unleash a magic signature powerful enough to draw their attention.”

“And no one else in town has reason to hide their magic from me.”

Darius nodded and she knew they were thinking the same thing. Why would Gawain risk drawing her attention? Maybe she’d injured him after all and he had to heal himself before any attempt to confront her tonight.

“He will come for us today. Double the guard around my chamber.”

“Already done,” he said with a smile.

Collette thought about that encounter, the stubborn woman standing with her knight. “On second thought, have the scouts bring me the O’Malley bitch. She won’t be far from our gallant knight. I will create an invitation Gawain cannot resist.”

“You want him to be there?”

Her body heated at the potential. “Oh, yes, he should join us.” She checked her reflection in the mirror. “It will bring everything full circle to have one of Arthur’s knights on his knees, begging for my mercy.”

Chapter Fifteen

Tara leaned back against the kitchen counter, all too aware Wayne was elsewhere. The energy in the house felt different without him. Empty. Flat. The descriptors felt hokey, but she didn’t have a better way to express it, even in the privacy of her mind. Would her entire existence feel this way when he returned to his own time? She knew the answer by the abrupt twist of her stomach.

She was furious that Collette had stolen two precious days from them, even as she was relived the glorious lovemaking. It had been the best and worst morning of her life.

Sterling wandered into the kitchen and gazed up at her hopefully. That long-nosed face never failed to make her smile. “Are you hunting cookies?” He’d likely been left behind to guard her. Well, she couldn’t blame Wayne for that, not after he’d told her how they’d really ended up in bed together. She went to the cabinet and pulled out a beef-basted treat for the greyhound. “Enjoy. Probably doesn’t compare to the real thing you’re used to.”

The greyhound flopped onto the kitchen rug and chomped at the treat, unfazed by the changes.

Tara wished she could be so content amid the bizarre circumstances. There were too many questions racing through her mind and too few of them were related to Collette and her troop of devoted followers. No, her mind was on the knight who’d fought beside King Arthur, the man of many talents who’d traveled through centuries to prevent the return of a lethal sorceress on an unending power trip.

What was wrong with her? It would be more than a little embarrassing if anyone caught her mooning over the sexy man from the past.

“Daydreaming again?”

She jumped at the sound of Nick’s voice. “More like day terrors. He left.”

“I know. He thinks he snuck out to snoop around the building Collette owns. He’s determined to get to the ritual site tonight.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to snoop with the ‘hound’?” She put air quotes around the word and dropped her voice to mimic Wayne.

Nick laughed. “Sterling’s a sighthound, not a bloodhound. Besides, he’s on Tara detail.”

“I figured.” Tara’s voice held a wealth of affection for the dog, despite her irritation with his human. “He’s fighting some other demons too.”

Nick scowled. “The dog or the man?”

“The man,” she said. “It’s his past, a family thing. He won’t talk about it.”

Nick shook his head, his eyes full of pity. “You shouldn’t have slept with him.”

Tara’s stomach dropped. “Do you think I’ve jeopardized his quest?” The guilt would be with her forever if she ruined what Wayne had been striving for all this time.