Time Masters Book One; The Call (An Urban Fantasy, Time Travel Romance) (46 page)

The tear in his pants and undergarments was huge. Red faced, he quickly pointed his exposed posterior in another direct
ion. Th
e hysterics
behind the curtain got louder.

Shona ignored everything except the man standing in front of her. She smiled shyly up at him.
Hello.

“If ye leaves now, I wilna press charges.” Angus snarled, trying to pull his pants together.

“We didn’t mean to do any damage!” Kitty wailed back.

The mysterious man stepped away from the counter and held his hand out to Shona.
Are ye hurt, little one?

Shona had forgotten she was still down on one knee and stared wide eyed at the hand he
off
ered.
I am all right.

“I swear my father will pay for any damages.” Kitty began to dig through her purse. Frustrated, she stomped her foot and hit the edge of a shield, which res
ted on a loaded crossbow. It fired. The cross bolt fl
ew into the air, past Angus, over the front counter, and through the heavy curtain beyond.

“OW!”

Shona slowly brought her hand up to the large one waiting for her.

Kitty was practically in tears. “Here, my dad’s credit card! You can make a list of the damages.”

Shona’s hand drew nearer. The mysterious man took a step forward
and off
ered his other hand to her as well.

“Just get out! Ye’ll kill one of us for sure!”

“Living stars, I’m bleeding,” a voice mumbled from behind the curtain.

Shona’s hands were engulfed by the man whose simple gaze still held her captive where she
stood
. Amidst the chaos and fl
ying weapons he gently led her from the shop to the street outside.

Love turns all the wheels of human industry,

Is the motive power under the world’s
machinery,

Makes worth while every enterprise on the earth,

Is
coeaqual
with life, outlasts death, and reaches

Onward into heaven.

Margaret E. Sangster

CHAPTER TWENTY

To hold her, even just her hand, was glorious. Dallan could barely suppress his excitement as he led her from the shop out into the street beyond. She f
ollowed a bit tentatively at fi
rst, her hand pulling slightly in his, but he didn’t let her go. No, he would never let her go. He couldn’t.

If he did, he knew he might die.

He looked deep into her eyes as they walked, searching for any
fear, and smiled warmly upon fi
nding none. She was beginning to trust him.

Dallan headed up the sidewalk.  He
kept the lass between himself and the buildings, still wary of the ‘cars’ that sped up and down the streets around them.

Where are we going?

He stopped, looked down
at her and swallowed hard.
I dinna ken.

She leaned closer to him and began to stand on tiptoe. Dallan put an arm around her before even thinking to stop
himself
. He heard a strange sound and realized it was coming from the lass.

She sang softly, barely audible as he stared blankly down at her, sweat popping out upon his brow for the third time th
at day.
Come with me.

He continued to lead her, not knowing or even caring where he went so long as she was with him. He came to where two str
eets met and began to cross. Th
e lass nearly yanked his arm out of its socket.

No!
Her warning screamed inside his head, heart, through his entire being.

A large car barely missed him. Another step and… Dallan gazed down at her.
Th
ank you.

Th
e light was red. You cannot cross when the light is red.
She leaned into him again.

I didna ken.
Th
e streets were empty last night, hardly any o’ the cars
out, I…

Last night? Is that when you came?

Came?

She looked shyly away, allowing her eyes the chance to wander.
Came
to my house. Did you come to my house in the middle of the night?

He hooked a fi
nger under her chin and forced her eyes back to his own, capturing her. He smiled at her warmly.
Aye
lass. I did.

 
You were there most of the night?

 
Dallan’s eyes softened.
‘Twas past midnight when I found it.
I was on
foot.

On foot?

Aye, little one.

Her breathing began to pick up. As did his.
Why did you come? Where
do you live? How can I understand you? I am afraid.

Dinna fear, lass. I wilna hurt ye. I came from across the r
iver.
‘Tis not far.

Trapped in his gaze, unable to move, she stood and let him hold her.
You walked all the way from the east side of the river to my house in the middle
of the night?

He shrugged,
Aye.

Her eyes fil
led with concern.
Why?

Dallan tightened his hold, his brow furrowing.
‘Tis needed, lass. I…
I
dinna ken why.
I only know yer not safe. Yesterday in the library…
His face took on the now-familiar gentle sternness.
Did they hurt ye? Did they…touch ye?

Th
e tender, fi
erce look he held in his eyes touched her more deeply than anything she could have possibly imagined. At that moment, Shona knew she would always be safe with this man.
No, they did nothing but
frighten me. Th
ey were unable to hurt me this time.

The man’s mouth tightened. He took a deep breath as his eyes narrowed to slits.
This was not the fi
rst time? Who were they? And what
happened the other time? How did they hurt ye? Tell me and I swear they wilna
ever see the light o’ day again. If they ever so much as set foot anywhere near ye…

Shona raised a hand to his chest and placed it over his heart.
No, it is
over. Th
ey bullied me, and
..
.
"
she
shook her head as if trying to clear it.
"W
hat they did is past.
Th
ey… please
,
I am confused
. I still do not understand this. How am I able to understand you? Who are you?

He didn’t answer, but grabbed her hand and pulled her across the street. After they had walked another two blocks he stopped, glanced about himself and gave her a sheepish look.
Where is the library, lass?

Shona pointed straight ahead. She had thought that was where they were going anyway. She had no idea he was lost.
Not far.
Only a few blocks
away
.

He turned to her completely and took her other hand in his.
When we
get there, I’ll show ye who I am. But ye may not believe it.

I will believe you. I know I can believe you.

When they reached the library, he ushered her inside the building and cast another sheepish look. She smiled at him.
What do you need?

Have they got a place where they keep the history records?

History records?

Aye, books about things that happened a long time ago.

How long ago?

He almost opened his mouth but stopped and stared blankly ahead a moment then raised an inquisit
ive eyebrow
.
Weel, I
suppose that would depend on where, or rather, when we are now.

What? I do not understand you.

He captured her with a gentle look of concern.
Tell me, what year is
this, lass?

Year? Nineteen ninety-fi
ve. Why?

Now his mouth did drop open.
Why that good-for-nothing, bloody…
He shook himself.
I am closer than I supposed.
Only three hundred or so
years off
.

I do not understand…

I want the records of the seventeenth century. Can ye show me lass? Can ye
take me there?

Sh
ona was now thoroughly confused
.
What kind of history? American, European,
Asian? Are you looking for somethi
ng specifi
c?

He looked sad for
a brief moment
.
Aye, lass.
Show
me…
Scotland, late seventeenth century.

Th
at wo
uld be upstairs on the third fl
oor. Right where we were yesterday.

Dallan raised a hand to her face and gently stroked one ch
eek with the back of a large fi
nger.
Show me.

Shona shuddered at his touch, then took his hand and led him upstairs to the history section, and hopefully the answers to a lot of questio
ns, questions that continued to
accumulate each time she was with him.

* * *

“Master Lany! Help!”

Lany limped out from behind the curtain and took in the damage wrought to Angus’s shop. Debris lay everywhere. Shields, lances, two mangled suits of armor, at least a dozen spears and a huge mace covered much of the
fl
oor. A
nother mace, bigger than the fi
rst, sat surrounded by shattered glass in the middle of the broken front counter. Arrows were stuck in various parts and pieces of the shop’s décor, including the one still protruding from the heavy curtain behind him.

He winced and turned to Angus who, backed into a corner, was batting at a wailing Kitty Morgan with one h
and like she was an annoying fl
y. She ignored him and kept going on about damage lists, insurance, and her mother’s cousin who was a judge. Lany decided he’d seen enough. No one, not even Kwaku—well, maybe Kwaku—should be subjected to such torture. He knew he had to put a stop to it, fast.

The Maiden and Dallan were nowhere to be seen. But he could feel her, and she was quickly becoming over
ly enamored, calling softly. Th
e
couple was bonding quickly. The thought bolstered his courage to save
poor Angus.

“…And my mother’s cousin is a judge, did I tell you he was a judge? Well, if you insist on pressing charges then I’ll just insist that he get this case and I know he’ll see that I didn’t mean to do anything harmful to you or your store.”

“Uh, excuse me?” Lany took a chance and got a little closer, picking up a fallen shield. Just in case he needed it.

“I mean it’s not as if we meant to do any harm. You see, Shona bumped into the spear rack over there and knocked one of them over.”

“Oh, miss? Miss? I think your friend left.” Lany raised the shield in a protective manner and took a few more steps closer.

“…It’s not like she meant to
push the silly things over. Th
ey just went, or at least one of them did.” She waved her hands everywhere as she talked.

Angus had fallen into a cringing crouch, his hands covering his bruised head. Or was it his ears? Lany thought he heard prayer,
earnest
prayer coming from the poor old Scot. He took a deep breath, placed the shield even higher and let her have it. “Miss! I think your friend left!”

Kitty, suddenly startled, spun toward the sound. “Excuse me? Did you say something, sir?”

“I believe your friend has left.”

She stared at him blankly for a moment before searching past him. “Friend? Oh! Shona? My gawsh, where is she?”

“Safer than we are,” Lany muttered as he bent to a now-moaning Angus.

“But I haven’t settled the matter of damages yet. My father would be upset if I didn’t get this straightened out.”

 
Angus looked at Kitty, em
itted a moan and sank to the fl
oor. Kitty took a step closer.

“I’d be more concerned about your friend if I were you. She didn’t leave alone.”

“My gawsh, we’re supposed to meet
Whatsisname
and Shona’s parents soon! Where could she have gone?” She raced for the door of the shop.