Time Masters Book One; The Call (An Urban Fantasy, Time Travel Romance) (54 page)

Kitty immediately sat on the bed. “
Except you've never had a drink in yo
ur life."
She wrapped an arm a
round her. "What happened?"

“I do not know.  Aside f
rom physically feeling like I have
been
…
well…
run over
,
I feel so… empty
."
Shona wiped away
her tears and looked directly
at her best friend. "It hurts, Kitty."

Kitty eyed her
. “Tell me what happened. Tell me what’s been happening, what you wanted to tell me yesterday.”

Shona's
eyes fi
lled
again
with tears as her head began to swim. “Kitty, I cannot fi
nd him. Where is he?’

“Where is who?”

She struck her hands against the bed. “I do not know!
  I cannot think straight.  I …
”

“You mean the guy from the library?”

Sh
ona slowly placed her balled fists under her chin. “Th
e library, yes
that is it. The library.”

“Shona, what is wrong with you? Geez, what happened here last night? No one answered the phone when I called earlier, your mom and dad are still in bed,
and
I had to let myself in with the spare key.”

“It was a late night. Too bad you didn’t come with us. We all had a great time. Didn’t we Shona?” Julia glided into the room, her face an expressionless mask.

“If someone would have invited me, I’d have gone.” Kitty pouted.

Julia ignored her, went straight to the bed and sat next to Shona. “How do you feel?”

Shona stared at her as if deciding on whether she was friend or foe.

Julia returned the stare boldly. “Kitty, make yourself useful and get her some water.”

Kitty stared suspiciously at Julia. “Sure,” she mumbled and left the room slowly.

Julia leaned into Shona’s face. “Philip had a good time last night. Didn’t you?”

“Philip?”

“Yes, don’t you remember? Dinner? Dinner with Philip?”

Shona glared at her and tried to scoot away.

Julia grabbed her arm. “Yes, Philip. You like Philip, remember?”

Shona began to shake her head.

Julia abruptly stood, her voice a low rasp. “Well, I know what will make you like
Philip.
” She leaned down into Shona’s face again, her voice a vicious whisper. “I have a little something I made up just for you.”

Shona threw herself against the headboard, eyes wide. She began to look frantically about. “Kitty?”

Kitty entered the room, water glass in hand. “Here
ya
go.”

Shona sat pinned, eyes still wide with fear. “Kitty, help me.”

Julia spun on her sister. “Quick, she’s having some sort of reaction! Run downstairs and get my purse!”

“Reaction?
"  Kitty began
,
nearly spilling the water.
"
Reaction to what?”

Shona tried to melt into the headboard. “Kitty, please.”
Please. Don’t let
her touch me. She’s going to hurt me.

Kitty
's
mouth dropped open as she
stared at her. “Shona…
?
”

“Now, Kitty!” Julia began to shove her out the door. “Hurry!”

 
Kitty disappeared. Julia slowly turned back to her, eyes intense.

“You go… away,” Shona moaned. “Get away from me…”

 
Julia smiled at her. “No, I can’t do that. You’re not well, you need me here.”

“No!”

“Shona,
calm down. Y
ou’re not yourself. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

Shona, legs now gathered beneath her, crouched against the headboard, every muscle tensed. Her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Air
falbh
on
taigh
!”

 
Julia stood, stunned at what she heard, her mind racing. She backe
d up a step.
“Th
at’s definitely not a language
I’ve taught you.” Her face lit up in satisfaction. “Well Philip, your little bride seems to already be promised to someone else.” She let
go a light laugh, as she backed
slowly to the door. “Serves you right, you snake.”

Shona watched
,
eyes still narrowed to
slits
as she remained crouched on the bed. She bared her teeth.
“Air
falbh
on
taigh
!”

Julia’s own eyes narrowed. “I’m
guessing that means something along the line of drop dead."

Shona growled low in her throat.

"
Ok, I'm
leaving, easy, calm down. I won’t hurt you. On the contrary, I think we can help each other teach someone a lesson.”

“Julia! What’s going on?” Evan shoved her out of the way and we
nt directly to the bed. “Shona,
what’s wrong?”

 
Shona suddenly relaxed at the sight of her father. Her features changed to utter helple
ssness as the tears began to fl
ow. “D… Dad?”

  
Evan gathered her into his arms and held her tightly. “
Shhh
, it’s all right. Everything’s all right now, don’t cry. I won’t let anything happen to
you.
” He turned his head and glared at Julia who now stood at the door beside a thoroughly concerned Kitty. “Get out.”

“Evan, you no longer have any say.” Julia took a step forward.

“I said, get out of my house!”

“You’re making a serious mistake. She needs to be sedated. I’m the only one able to control her. Not even Philip can control her like I can. You need me here.”

“Julia Morgan-Dawson, your employment with us is hereby terminated. Now, I’ll tell you for the last time. Get out, or I’ll throw you out mys
elf!
We can take care of her we’ve done it long enough. Now go!”

 
Julia glared right back. “Very
well, then. I suppose this off
ers me the chance to see how strong you and Maggie really are. I wish you the best of luck. Oh, and by the way, Philip should be along shortly. I’m sure he’ll see to it that she’s kept down for the rest of the day.” She spun on her heel and left the room.

Evan breathed a sigh of relief while Kitty stood, mouth half-open in astonishment, staring at him. He looked at her, worry in his eyes as he rocked Shona, her body curled into a ball, still crying softly. “Kitty, you can stay. God, this has all gone too far.”

Kitty sat on the edge of the bed. “What? I know something’s been going on. Shona has been trying to tell me, but she’s never gotten the chance.”

“I ca
n’t explain it, really. I’m not sure myself.” He
let go a weary sigh, his own brain still foggy.
“We don’t want to lose her. We can’t give her up. We always knew the day would come, but now that it’s here… there has to be another way. I won’t let him take her!”

“What’s happening? What is this all about?”

“Kitty-Kat, it’s beyond explanation at this point.
Mags
and I have raised Shona all these years, and now that English dog wants to take her away from us. God only knows what he’ll do with her. We had an agreement. I don’t know how it al
l got so out of hand.” He stifl
ed a sob and buried his face in his daughter’s hair.

“Please,” Kitty placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let me help. I know I can help.”

Evan lifted his face and took a deep breath. “I don’t know what you can do. We’re not even sure what to do. If only we knew what Philip wants, why all the secrecy, why Julia…”

“She’s my
relative," Kitty couldn't
bring herself to even use the term half-sister at this point
,
"
but if Julia’s done something wrong, then it’s on her head. If she’s wrong, she’s wrong. I won’t help her.”

Evan pulled away from Shona to look at her face then smiled as he drew her back to himself. “Quiet now, she’s falling asleep.”

Kitty nodded and continued in a soft voice. “She’s been so worried lately, and then that guy from the library… maybe he’s the one that has her so upset.”

“What guy?”

“This guy she met at the library a few days ago. I think, well I think she and him…”

“What are you saying?”

Kitty swallowed. “Shona’s got a boyfriend.”

Evan’s eyes suddenly grew wide. He quickly looked at his daughter, then back to Kitty. “A boyfriend?”

Kitty nodded. “You didn’t know?”

“Philip didn’t want any boys near her. Under no circumstances was she allowed…” His expression suddenly changed to one of loathing. “Kitty-Kat, run down stairs and get Maggie, quick.”

Kitty sat confused for a moment then bounded off the bed and out the door. She returned a few minutes later, a somewhat bleary-eyed Maggie on her heels.

Evan held out one hand to his wife who quickly took it into one of her own. “I think I know where we can get some help.”

 
Maggie sat on the bed, her face worried. “Julia said Philip is on his way over. Evan, we can’t risk aggravating him, you know that.”

 
Evan gave her a single nod in response and looked to Kitty. “Do you know this man? Can you get a hold of him for me?”

 
Kitty shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know who he is. I’m not sure Shona even knows his name.”

 
Evan’s voice became desperate. “Kitty, please think. Is there any
way to get in touch with this guy? I won’t let Philip brainwash Shona anymore.”

“Brainwash?” Maggie’s own voice hinted at comprehension. “Oh no…all this time. And I helped him! Oh God, Evan!”

 
Evan squeezed Maggie’s hand still held in his own. “We both helped him and didn’t even know what he was up to. He wants her innocent for some reason, and
I don’t even want to know why.”

 
Maggie pulled her hand away and stood, her eyes burning with rage. “Philip Cuthbert Brennan, you dirty, disgusting, perverted…”

“Cuthbert?” Ki
tty squeaked cutting Maggie off
. “His middle name is Cuthbert?” She let go a laugh then caught herself. “Oh, my gawsh,
I'm sorry but
this is too bizarre!” Her face suddenly went serious. “He wants to hurt Shona?”

 
Maggie turned and took Kitty by the shoulders. “I can’t explain everything to you. Evan and I don’t even know
it all yet, but yes Philip could possibly
hurt her, I’m sure of it. But it all has to do with Shona’s acceptance of him. I don’t know why; all I know is that she may well come to harm if he is able to take her from us.”

Kitty glanced to Shona, cradled in her father’s arms, then to Maggie. “Count me in. Cuthbert, yuck!” Suddenly her eyes widened. “And I think I know how to get hold of that other guy.”

Maggie s
miled in relief
. “How can we help?”

Kitty stared at Shona then looked to Maggie, her face still serious. “Get me a phone book.”

* * *

   
“Ah, lass. Are ye no going to come to me?” Dallan’s voice was a whisper. “I need you…” He lay on the bed Angus had made up in one corner of the large fencing room behind the shop.

Kwaku, his wife wrapped in his arms, lay on another makeshift bed, his head raised slightly at the sound of Dallan’s voice. He grinned ear to ear when he realized the Scot was talking in his sleep, then clamped his mouth tightly shut when he realized an unsuspecting Lany, who shared a bed with Dallan, might well end up the recipient of th
e Scot’s slumbering aff
ections.

“I canna fi
nd ye…” Dallan turned to his side and now faced Lany. Kwaku threw his head back and bit his tongue to keep from laughing.

Dallan moaned and threw an arm over Lany, who on his back half-smiled. “Cari?”

Dallan moaned. “Ah, lass…”

Kwaku, no longer able to help himse
lf, burst into full Azurti guff
aws.

Dallan’s
and Lany’s eyes fl
ew open simultaneously. Lany instantly turned his face right into Dallan’s. “Living stars!”

“Saints!”

Both
men jumped off the bed, each fl
eeing to opposite ends. Dallan, still weak from the previous night’s happenings, fell to his knees and began to tremble slightly.