by Dawn Brower
Zane frowned. “Well, he can leave and that will settle the issue.”
Bradford glared at him. “I see how you are. I kindly stay behind and house sit for you and you’re throwing me out at the first opportunity.” He shook his head. “So sad how little our friendship means to you—don’t worry, I forgive you. Regina and I need to return to Weston soon. We’re going to leave Trenton in your care. Try not to kill him, please.”
Zane narrowed his gaze. “Do I even want to know?”
“Probably not,” Bradford said. “But, for now, he’s your problem.”
“In that case,” Zane replied. “You can stay here and wait for the authorities. Tell them all we know about that man is he claims his name is Ulrich Mondesi, and he’s a French comte—clearly he’s deranged and attacked us. They’ll take it from there. I’m going to escort Callista inside. It’s been a trying day.”
Zane didn’t give him time to reply. He pulled Callista’s hand into his and led her inside Seabrook Manor. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine. It’s rather anticlimactic.” She couldn’t really believe that it all ended as it had. Was it truly over? Could she actually move on with her life now? All the anger she’d been holding inside, it dissipated. It was so freeing... But what she felt for Ulrich? That was an entirely different story.
“What is?”
“I worked so long to see him pay for what he did, and now that he is about to... I feel absolutely nothing.”
It was weird how that had worked out. Ulrich had been her sole focus for so long and now he meant nothing to her. She had a future again and there was one thing she wanted to do with it.
“I don’t want to return home,” she said. Callista stepped into his arms. “And if you’ll allow me to, I’d like to remain here, with you, forever.”
His lips tilted upward. “Darling, I’ve been waiting for you to ask.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Sparks shot through her. He lifted his head and kept his gaze on her. “I always knew this was where you belonged.”
Callista had traveled an amazing distance to find the one place she’d always belong. She had no idea what the future held. There was a lot she had to learn about life. Accepting that happiness was possible was foreign to her. Life was full of surprises and she was so glad she’d been blessed with the gift of time travel. Otherwise, she’d not have met Zane. She might not have all the answers and she was all right with that. Although there was one thing she was certain of—the charming man before her was going to play a big role in her the rest of her life.
EPILOGUE
One year later...
“Have you seen my mask?”
Zane trailed kisses down her neck. “You don’t need it.”
Callista laughed and pushed him away. The more time she spent with him, the harder it was to deny him anything. If he kept kissing her, they’d never make it back to the ballroom. They had guests to see to.
“We’re not doing this again,” she said. “Stop kissing me.”
“That’s not what you said earlier.” He continued to trail his delectable lips down her shoulder. “In fact, I remember you demanding I do much more than this.”
He was such a wicked, wicked man. “That was earlier. Now I want—no, need you to stop. You’re the one who wanted to have another masquerade ball. They’re going to notice us missing soon.”
“You’re right,” he agreed. “As always. Let me help you with your gown.”
She narrowed her gaze on him. What was he up to now? Zane always had an ulterior motive. He couldn’t possibly want to actually help her put her gown back on. “I don’t trust you. Back away now and I won’t have to hurt you.”
Zane chuckled. “You’re so bloodthirsty. I love that about you.” He stepped back and pulled his trousers on. “I promise I have the best of intentions.” He held his hands up and moved closer to her. “Now, will you let me assist you?”
There was still something there she wasn’t quite understanding, but since he’d partially covered himself, she’d let him come closer. “Nothing untoward or I’ll make you pay.”
“I believe you.” He picked up her dress and held it up. “Now come here or I won’t be able to resist you much longer.”
Callista moved toward him. She’d already managed to put her lingerie back in place. All she needed was her dress and they could return to the ballroom. He slipped it over her head. “Turn around,” he demanded. She did as he requested and regretted it immediately. His finger trailed down her back sending shivers to her center. He did as he said he would and fastened the dress up, but he managed to do it in the most decadent way possible. She was a mess of need by the time he was done. He’d not win the game though. There wasn’t a chance in hell she’d admit she wanted him inside her once again.
“Are you done?” she asked huskily. Damn it, her desire was laced through her voice. He’d know he’d been successful. Well, two could play that game. She turned toward him and trailed her finger down his naked chest. “You appear to still be missing a garment or two.”
“You don’t seem to mind.”
What woman would? He was gorgeous—and all hers. Callista licked her lips. The guests could entertain themselves...
“I see the look in your eyes,” he said. “I must remind you that it was your idea to get dressed. We do need to return to the ball.”
Drat. He was right, darn it. Callista sighed. “Very well. Put your shirt on or I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”
Zane laughed, slipped his shoes on, and finished dressing. After he had his shirt tucked back in place he held his hand to her. “My lady,” he said. “Would you do me the honor of attending the ball with me?”
“It would be my pleasure,” she said.
They headed toward the ballroom. The strands of a waltz echoed throughout. Her feet tapped lightly. It had been so long since she’d had the pleasure of dancing.
“Would you like to take a spin on the dance floor?” he asked.
“Maybe later,” she said. “For now, I’m content being by your side.”
“Callista?” Zane said huskily.
“Yes,” she said.
Her breath hitched in her throat when she turned to look at him. A brilliant diamond ring rested in the palm of his hand. Did it mean what she thought it did?
“Before I met you I was bored with life. I wished for something, anything, to alleviate the tediousness of it all. A year ago, I even considered doing away with the yearly ball. Now I can’t imagine why I even thought it was a good idea.” He pulled her hand into his. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you. I’m a fool for you.” He held the ring up. “I love you more every day. Will you marry me?”
A lump formed in her throat and tears welled in the corner of her eyes. This was more than she could have ever imagined. She’d not dared hope he’d grow to love her. There was a time when she believed she would never feel anything for another man. Zane surprised her. He owned her heart in a way no one else ever had.
“I was holding on to something I should have let go a long time ago. It took a major change in my life to realize how poisonous that was. If not for you, I’d still be stuck in that place of hate. You’re the breath of fresh air I needed to learn how to breathe again. You, my love, are everything I wanted, no, needed and didn’t have the good sense to realize it.” Her lips wobbled as she fought her emotions. “Marrying you would be a pleasure, and the honor is all mine.”
Zane slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her into his arms. “Thank God,” he whispered. “For a moment, there I thought you were going to say no.”
“Never,” she exclaimed. “I feared you would never ask.”
Zane was the answer to all her prayers. She’d let go of her past, and she intended to hold on to her future as tightly as possible. Now that she’d found happiness, Callista intended to make sure it remained safe and secure. The best things in life were w
orth fighting for. Lucky for her, she was blessed to have someone to share it with...
**READ ON for an excerpt from STOLEN BY MY KNAVE: LINKED ACROSS TIME 6 (Jack and Elizabeth’s story)**
PROLOGUE
Lady Elizabeth Kendall sat in the library of her family home and stared out the window. Her two younger brothers, Christian and Nicholas ran across the lawn chasing one of their kittens. The boys were identical down to their dark brown hair, green eyes, striped shirts and matching breeches. They were both rather plump and didn’t seem to show any signs of losing their baby fat. Christian finally caught the black fluff ball and squeezed him tight. It squirmed out of his arms and took off once again. It was game they played often—one Elizabeth dubbed “chase the kitty.”
Poor thing had to suffer at the hands of the twins. She looked down at their other kitten, safely asleep in her lap. It was the opposite of the one outside, as white as the other was black, and had a better nature. The black one was more suited to the ten-year-old twin’s unruly nature.
“What do you think, Snowball?” Elizabeth petted the kitten. It purred louder with each stroke of her fingers over its soft fur. “Do you think Shadow likes the twins chasing him?”
Snowball purred louder in response. Elizabeth decided it was an affirmation. Thunder rumbled in the distance and she glanced back outside. Dark clouds moved over head, declaring rain to be imminent. Someone should make the boys come back inside. Where was the governess? Nicholas ran past the window and scooped up a black fluff ball and headed toward a nearby door. Good, at least Nicholas and Shadow were smart enough to seek shelter. Where was Christian?
“What are you looking at, Ellie?”
Elizabeth turned to the sound of Christian’s voice. Besides her mother, she was the only other person who could tell the twins apart. They were identical, but in opposite ways—a mirror reflection of each other. For example, they each had a dimple, but Christian’s was on his left cheek and Nicholas’s was on the right. If they didn’t smile they could pretend to be the other and fool almost any one on the estate. It was their most noticeable difference. They liked dressing alike so they could play tricks on the servants. Elizabeth hoped they’d grow out of it at some point.
“Nicholas picked up Shadow and ran to the nearest door,” she replied. “Did you grow bored chasing him through the field?”
He shook his head. “I could feel a storm coming. I told Nick to grab Shadow and follow me inside. It’s not my fault he’s so slow.”
“Am not,” Nicholas said. Shadow jumped out of his arms and ran across the room. He launched himself onto Elizabeth’s lap and dug his claws into Snowball’s fur. A loud screech filled the room as the two kittens rolled off her lap and hit the floor. “Shadow is too fast.”
“No, he isn’t,” Christian countered. “I can catch him just fine.” He stuck his lip out in defiance.
“Ellie, tell him he’s being ridiculous. He can’t catch Shadow any better than I can,” Nicholas demanded.
They both turned toward her and folded their arms across their chest. Christian tapped his left foot impatiently, and Nicholas, his right. Would they always do the exact opposite of each other? Elizabeth shook her head. What was she going to do with them? Why ever had she thought she’d like having a brother? Well that was the problem. She’d wanted one, not two. Neither one could say her name when they first learned to speak, and she’d become Ellie to them. It was easier to respond to them than correct them. Besides, she rather liked the nickname.
“Both Shadow and Snowball are fast when they want to be. If they don’t want to be caught, you’re not going to get them. It has nothing to do with how quick either one of you are.” Thunder clapped in the distance and rain beat against the window pane. “Why don’t we play a game?”
“I don’t want to,” Christian said rebelliously. “You want to play boring games.”
Nicolas looked eager, but after a quick glance he decided to follow his older brother’s lead. “Chris is right. You never want to do anything fun.”
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what to do with them. If they didn’t have some sort of distraction they’d eventually end up in fisticuffs. They’d fight, break something, and conveniently forget about it. They were the masters of denial. They never did anything wrong.
She stood and roamed over to the mirror on the wall. An idea already forming in her mind. “How about I tell you a story?” Her eyes went unfocused and she could almost make out images forming in the glass.
“Oh, yes,” Christian agreed. “You and Mama always tell the best stories.”
“Tell us about Captain Jack again,” Nick demanded.
Her brothers were rather bloodthirsty and loved the story about the infamous pirate. Their mother said it was a tale her mother used to tell her as a child. Pirates couldn’t be trusted, but Captain Jack seemed honorable enough. Of course, he was make-believe, so that was probably why. She stared into the mirror and shook her head.
Was that? No, it couldn’t be.
“Very well,” She began. “A long time ago, a lady embarked on a voyage to England to marry the Duke of Southington.”
“No,” Christian said. “Skip to the good part.”
“I can’t do that. Every story has a beginning, middle, and an end. If you want to hear it, we start here.” She turned to face him. “Do you wish me to continue?”
“Yes,” they both said in unison.
Elizabeth smiled and started again, “Lady Evelyn’s father was very strict, so she looked forward to having a life away from his harsh demands. What she hadn’t been prepared for was pirates attacking her ship.”
Elizabeth turned to glance in the mirror. It fogged over and a mist appeared to swirl from inside of it. She continued speaking, knowing the story by heart. The twins didn’t seem to notice her attention was divided between them, the story, and the mysterious fog in the mirror.
She shook her head to clear it and then returned her attention to the mirror. The fog lifted slightly and a beautiful man appeared in the distance. He was walking through some foliage she didn’t recognize. What kind of trees were those? They had weird, pointed leaves with little brown balls underneath them. The trunks were long and thin and seemed to touch the sky.
A man with long golden blond hair and stood on the other side of the mirror. Was she imagining the story itself? Was this a figment of her imagination? She’d heard the story and told it so many times she was now beginning to create it in her mind. He wasn’t really in the mirror. That was ridiculous. Another man joined him—and he looked mad. Was that the crewmember who’d pushed Lady Evelyn over the side of the ship?
“You pushed her overboard?” The captain’s voice was cold and filled with menace as he turned on his crew member. “How could you do that Percy? You knew what she meant to me and that she was not to be harmed, but you took it upon yourself to dispose of her because you got some nonsense inside your head. You must have a death wish.”
Had she heard voices? That couldn’t have actually been said aloud. She was losing her mind, and Elizabeth didn’t want to think about what it meant.
The blond man rested his hand on a cutlass at his side. A dark-haired man moved into the picture. He appeared to be waiting for something. Elizabeth wasn’t exactly sure what, but he was bouncing on the heels of his feet. The man must be preparing to act.
“I had to. You must see that.” The crew member waved his hands at the sky. “She’s working her magic again. Another storm is going to hit. We must kill her if we want to save ourselves.”
“The man is insane. Evelyn is not a witch,” the dark-haired man yelled. “No one has the power to control the weather.”
“I don’t blame Evelyn.” Captain Jack—and Elizabeth was certain of that now—paused and looked up at the other man. “I know what must be done.”
Before the captain could react, Percy pushed past him. He ran toward a blonde woman Elizabeth hadn’t noticed before. “Evelyn!” the dark-haired man shouted.
&
nbsp; Lady Evelyn stepped out of Percy’s reach and spun around, heading back toward the dark-haired man. “Help, Paul!” She tripped and fell as Percy lunged for her. Paul reacted and yanked Percy away from her before he could do her any permanent harm. The pirate fell back toward Captain Jack. Percy shook in fear as he glanced between Paul and Jack.
“She must die. You both know it. You’re afraid. Look past her charms and you’ll see the truth,” Percy pleaded with them.
Paul looked Jack in the eyes and said, “Kill him or I will with my bare hands.”
Elizabeth didn’t remember her mother mentioning anything about killing when she told the story. Was this how it had happened? No, it couldn’t be. Her mother wouldn’t tell her a tale that had actually been true. It was a piece of fiction her mother had made up.
“It will be my pleasure.” Captain Jack’s smile looked menacing as he stalked toward Percy.
Evelyn stood and ran toward Paul. He opened his arms and held her close. The wind picked up speed as Captain Jack held up his cutlass. As he was about to strike Percy, his crew member reached out and tripped him. His cutlass tumbled to the ground landing near Percy. The wind spun around him and lifted Jack. The captain disappeared as if he’d never been there to begin with.
The mist in the mirror swirled around and the images disappeared once again. Elizabeth’s heart had stopped at the familiar sight. This was the story and somehow it manifested in the mirror of their library. Percy had attacked Lady Evelyn and planned on murdering her. Captain Jack tried his best to save her, but he’d disappeared before he could. What had happened to the pirate?
“Ellie, why’d you stop?” Christian asked. “Finish the story.”
She had somehow managed to keep telling them the tale as she watched it unfold in the mirror. What was going on? Whatever it was—she didn’t like it.
“Yeah, you added something in. Did Captain Jack kill his crew member?”