“Caroline? Hey—what are you doing?” she heard Liv say behind her but the other woman’s voice was thin and tinny—as though she was talking to Caroline from a long-way away and they had a bad connection.
“I don’t know,” she started to say but a rushing wind ripped the words from her mouth and then she was falling…falling…
Falling right out of her own world and into a whole other universe.
Chapter Two
“Oh my God, she’s gone!” Kat exclaimed in horror. “She disappeared—she got sucked right into that PORTAL thingy!”
“I thought she said that was impossible? Isn’t there supposed to be some kind of barrier? Did she go to that other world?” Sophie leaned forward, as though trying to get a better look at the storm-tossed meadow to see if Caroline Lambert appeared there. Liv was leaning forward too, side-by-side with her twin as they studied the other universe.
“Look what you’re doing—both of you get back here!” Kat exclaimed, grabbing her friends by the back of their blouses and giving a firm yank. She wasn’t prepared to see anyone else get sucked into the weird contraption—especially not her two best friends in the world.
“But where did Caroline go? We have to find her,” Liv protested even as Kat reeled her and Sophie in.
They all took a big step backward and Kat stumbled over something soft and yielding on the floor behind her. She looked down to see what had tripped her and nearly threw up.
“Oh my God,” she whispered faintly. “Liv…I think I found her.”
“Who, Caroline? Where?” Liv demanded.
Kat pointed to the ground but didn’t look again. She already felt like puking—she didn’t want to push her luck.
“Oh no!” Sophie exclaimed and she and Liv dropped to the ground on their knees beside the still form.
Kat risked another glance and saw that Liv was already feeling for a pulse and looking for breathing signs. Not that she was going to find either. The girl on the floor had a blackened face and her tongue stuck out from her mouth like a swollen purple sausage. Even worse, her eyes had popped and oozed out all over her face, looking bizarrely like fried eggs. She was also completely naked although where her clothes had gone, Kat had no idea. She looked away from the gruesome sight again, feeling her stomach roll threateningly.
“No pulse and she’s not breathing—I think she was struck by lightning. Get Sylvan, now!” Liv directed Sophie. “I’ve never treated someone whose been electrocuted before.”
Sophie closed her eyes tightly for a moment and Kat knew she was using the bond she had with her mate to call the big Blood Kindred, who was also a doctor, to them. Liv was already doing chest compressions a few moments later when he rushed into the room.
“What is it? What happened?” he demanded. Then he saw the girl on the floor and his eyes went wide. “Is that Doctor Lambert? What happened to her? And what happened to her clothes?”
“Defibrillator…first, questions…after,” Liv huffed as she continued chest compressions. “She’s got no pulse and no breath sounds, Sylvan—we have to bring her back!”
Sylvan dropped to the floor beside her and assessed the patient. After a moment, Kat saw a look of sorrow come into his pale blue eyes and he shook his head.
“You might as well stop now, Olivia,” he said quietly. “She’s gone—just look at her face.” He pointed at the blackened face with the tongue protruding and the fried-egg eyes. “She’s not coming back from that.”
“But…but she was just here! She was just alive!” Liv stopped compressions and grabbed Caroline’s left wrist again, as though feeling desperately for a pulse. “I don’t understand—how could this happen so quickly?”
“I don’t think it did,” Sophie said, “At least not to our Caroline—the one who belongs here.” There was a note of excitement in her voice that made them all look at her.
“What are you talking about, Sophie?” Kat asked. “That’s Caroline—it looks just like her. Or, well…it did.” She had to look away again, fearing she would be sick.
“I know it looks just like her but it’s not her,” Sophie exclaimed. “Liv—look at her hand—at her wrist!”
Liv looked down at the wrist she was holding and frowned. Then, slowly, a look of comprehension crossed her features.
“The tattoo—her tattoo of the three little birds flying—it’s gone!”
“Because this isn’t our Caroline!” Sophie nearly shouted. “It’s the other Caroline—the one we were watching on the PORTAL a minute ago!”
Kat forced herself to look again and she had to admit that Sophie was right—the tattoo was gone. Which had to mean…
“Where’s the real Caroline—our Caroline?” she demanded and rushed over to the PORTAL—though she made sure not to get too close to it.
Liv and Sophie came with her, scrambling off the floor to peer into the shiny brass frame. But the space which had held the picture of the stormy meadow was blank now—the entire scene had disappeared to be replaced by nothing. You could see right through to the other side of the room, Kat thought, feeling dismayed. What had happened to make the other universe vanish?
“It’s gone,” Liv said, frowning. “Where did it go?”
“Where did what go?” Sylvan asked, coming to stand beside them and peer through the empty brass aperture as well.
Rapidly, they explained about the other universe and the other Caroline who had looked just like Caroline Lambert except for her hair.
“But that wasn’t the only difference between them,” Sophie remarked. “I know we just met her but our Caroline seemed really shy and quiet and sweet and this other Caroline—”
“Seemed like kind of a snobby bitch,” Kat finished for her. “Not to mention the fact that our Caroline is genius-level smart while the other Caroline was literally not smart enough to come in out of the rain.”
“Hush, Kat—it’s not right to speak ill of the dead,” Liv said, frowning.
“Well, sorry, doll but it’s true. There’s all the proof you need right there.” Kat motioned to the dead body on the floor but didn’t look at it.
“So the other Caroline—the one you were all observing—got struck by lightning and then our Caroline—Dr. Lambert, I mean—was sucked into her universe while the dead body of the other female was somehow transported here,” Sylvan said, frowning. “Is that right?”
“I guess so—that’s what it seemed like, anyway,” Kat said and Sophie and Liv nodded.
“But what are we going to do now?” Liv asked. “I mean, we can’t just leave her there! She’s stuck in a whole different universe—who knows what might happen to her?”
“But her machine—the PORTAL—doesn’t seem to be working anymore.” Sophie looked up at Sylvan. “I know you read her research extensively before you decided to allow her to come do her testing aboard the Mother Ship. Can you make it work, Sylvan?”
He frowned. “I don’t know.”
“Well, try!” Liv urged. “Fire it up and let’s see if we can get her back.”
“No—not yet.” Sylvan frowned. “It’s clear that the PORTAL has some serious flaws—or at least, it didn’t work in the way that Dr. Lambert intended or expected. I’ll need to go back and read over her notes that pertain to the construction and operation of the PORTAL before we can risk turning it on again.”
“But…but by that time it might be too late.” There were tears in Sophie’s big green eyes as she looked up at her husband. “Please, Sylvan—can’t we just forget the formalities and try to rescue her? I know we just met her but I really liked Caroline—I’m worried about her.”
“Try to understand, talana…” Sylvan stroked her hair and looked earnestly into her eyes. “I can’t just think of Dr. Lambert—I have the safety of the entire Mother Ship to consider. What if the three of you had been sucked into this other universe as well? For that matter, what if the entire Mother Ship had been sucked in? I like Dr. Lambert and care about her well-being too, but we must be cau
tious.”
“I…I guess you’re right,” Sophie whispered, her tears overflowing and running down her cheeks. “I’m just so worried about her!”
“Did there appear to be imminent danger in the other universe?” Sylvan asked quietly.
“Well, other than the lightning storm, I guess not,” Liv said, answering the question for her twin.
“Also, the other Caroline had a husband there who seemed to care for her, even though she apparently didn’t care for him,” Kat added. “He’ll probably help our Caroline if she’s smart and pretends to be his wife.”
“There—you see?” Sylvan said. “It sounds like Dr. Lambert will be all right if she can keep her wits about her. We will have to pray to the Goddess to protect her and in the meantime, I’ll devote every spare moment to studying her notes and finding a safe way to bring her back.”
“All right.” Sophie sniffed and swiped at her eyes. “Let’s pray for her, then. I think it would help me feel better.”
“Of course,” Sylvan said gently. He took her hand and put out his other hand to Kat. She clasped his hand and held out hers to Liv, who took it and grabbed Sophie’s free hand. They bowed their heads and Sylvan began to pray.
“Mother of All Life,” he said, “You alone know where Dr. Lambert has gone and what challenges and difficulties she is facing. We ask your protection over her while we work to find a safe way to bring her home. We know that nothing happens outside of your will and that all things work together for good for those who love and follow you. Please be with Dr. Lambert—with Caroline—give her wisdom to deal with her new environment. Guide, protect and direct her and help us bring her safely home. Amen.”
“Amen,” Kat whispered. There was no immediate answer to their prayer but she felt a soothing calm come over her—a feeling that somehow, some way, things were going to be all right.
Everyone else in their little prayer circle seemed to feel the same because when they all looked up, Kat saw that Sophie’s eyes were dry and Liv looked more confident too. Sylvan, as always, was quiet and calm.
“We will find her and bring her back,” he said, with certainty in his voice. “I’m going to go over her notes right now.”
“Thanks, honey.” Sophie gave his hand a squeeze.
“You’re welcome.” Sylvan nodded at her. “But first, we need to call a team in here to deal with the other Caroline.” He nodded at the dead body and Kat realized with a shock that she had almost forgotten about the doppelganger in their intense need to find the original. And speaking of the original Caroline, she wondered where in the world their new friend was and what she was doing right this moment.
Well, it’s in the Goddess’s hands now, she thought but she couldn’t help hoping that Caroline was all right and wishing she could see exactly what was happening to her in the strange, other universe.
Chapter Three
When Caroline opened her eyes she found herself looking up at the branches of a tall tree with dark blue leaves whipping wildly in the wind. Then a face was peering into hers—a strangely familiar face that Caroline was almost certain she had seen somewhere before.
It was a man with a sharp, aquiline nose, thin but sensual lips, and piercing, ice-blue eyes. His black hair was plastered to his skull and his surprisingly long black lashes were matted by the pounding rain. He had long, old-fashioned sideburns that came halfway down his chiseled jaw but somehow the antiquated look seemed to suite him—his gaze was intense.
“Goddess, Caroline!” he exclaimed, his voice hoarse with fear. “What happened? When I saw that lightning strike I thought surely I’d lost you! Are you well?”
Without waiting for an answer, he gathered her into his arms and crushed her to him.
“Oh!” Caroline gasped because the front of his coat was rough against her bare skin and there was something cold pressing against her belly.
Wait a minute, bare skin? What’s going on?
She tried to look down at herself but the man who must be Richard—the man she felt like she knew even though she didn’t—was still cradling her in his arms.
“My darling,” he muttered hoarsely into her hair. “I thought I saw you killed! I could have sworn for a split second I saw you changed—your sweet face blackened and burned—Goddess, it was horrible!”
“Please,” Caroline gasped. “Please…Richard.” The name sounded both wrong and right in her mouth at the same time. “I…I can’t…I don’t…”
She didn’t know what she meant to say but he pulled away at last and Caroline was able to look down. What she noticed first was that the cold thing that had been pressing against her was a golden watch-chain, presumably connected to a pocket watch which was tucked into his plain black waistcoat. And then she looked at herself and realized why she had been able to feel the coldness of the watch chain and the roughness of the waistcoat against her skin—
She was completely naked.
“Oh my God!” she exclaimed, pulling even further away from him and trying to cover her body with her arms. She wasn’t exactly skinny enough to be running around in her birthday suit. “Where are my clothes? What happened to my lab coat?” she demanded.
“Your what?” Richard frowned but then seemed to understand her dilemma. “I don’t know what could have happened to your dress. Maybe the lightning burned it off you?” he asked, frowning.
“My dress? I wasn’t wearing a dress!” Caroline protested. “I had on my nicest pants suit and a lab coat.”
His frown deepened. “Pants suit? Do you mean your…” He coughed, his cheeks growing red, “Your pantalets?”
“Pantalets? What are those?” Caroline demanded. “Look—it doesn’t matter,” she added, seeing the look of confusion on his face. “What matters is that I’m naked in public. If this is a public park, anyway.”
“You certainly are and it certainly is.” Richard took off his black frock coat and draped it carefully around her shoulders. “Forgive me, I should have done that at once. I was only so shocked and worried about you, my darling.”
Caroline quickly stuffed her arms into the coat and pulled it closed around her. He was so big that it practically swallowed her up but that suited her just fine—at least she was completely covered from her neck to her knees.
She tried to get up but the world swam around her and she had to grab for the rough bark of the tree to keep from falling.
“Here—you’re in no shape to walk.” Without warning, Richard swooped her up, cradling her in his arms like a baby.
“Wait…what…what are you doing?” Caroline protested weakly. But she couldn’t do much—everything seemed to be swimming dizzily around her head.
“Taking you home before your reputation is ruined,” Richard growled in her ear. “I fear we must be grateful for the continued rain and pray that it does not stop—it should keep most people indoors and hopefully away from their windows.”
“My…my reputation?” Caroline was at a loss. When she thought of her reputation, what popped immediately to mind was her standing in the scientific community. Which should improve considerably once she was able to document the proof that she had in fact been able to open a window into another universe.
Another universe—oh my God, that’s where I am—I’m in that other universe we were watching through the PORTAL! I must have gotten sucked in when the lightning struck and now I’m stuck here—or I will be if I don’t go back!
She craned her neck, trying to look over Richard’s broad shoulder to see if the window to her own world was still open. She couldn’t see anything but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there.
“Stop, please!” she begged him. “Go back—I have to go back before it’s too late! I can’t be trapped here!”
“Trapped?” He frowned down at her. “What do you mean, Caroline?”
“I’m not who you think I am—I’m not your Caroline!” she babbled, trying to explain.
But the only effect this had on Richard was to make him scowl blackly a
t her as he continued striding along.
“I’m well aware you have never considered yourself mine, even after we signed the Joining contract,” he said coldly. “But I would be no gentleman if I allowed you to walk home naked in the rain without at least attempting to protect you from the elements and shield you from shame.”
Caroline realized that he had misunderstood her. Obviously he still thought she was her doppelganger—who must have gotten sucked into Caroline’s own world at the same time she was pulled into this one. Considering the snippet of conversation she’d seen between the other Caroline and Richard, it was clear that their marriage was on the rocks. So naturally, he was misconstruing her remarks and misunderstanding her in the context of his own rocky relationship.
“Please,” she tried again. “I know I’m not explaining this correctly, but this just isn’t right! I shouldn’t be here, in this world. I came from another universe and I need to get back to it!”
“Another universe?” The black bows of his eyebrows shot up and he eyed her uneasily. “I’m afraid the lightning strike must have had more effect on you than just burning off your clothing. We must get you home quickly so that I can examine you.”
“Examine me?” Caroline exclaimed. “What are you talking about? I thought you were just her husband. Are you some kind of doctor too?”
“Her husband? Do you speak of yourself in the third person now to try and divorce yourself of me?” Richard growled, frowning.
“No, I didn’t mean…” Caroline shook her head in frustration. “Look, this is all wrong.”
“So you’ve said—from the moment of our Joining,” he remarked, his deep voice still ice-cold. “And you know very well that I am a physician—as was my father before me. Though I know you scorn to be married to a male who is in trade instead of to a true gentleman’s son.”
Trapped in Time Page 3