He’d hated to put the thing back together, but it was the only way to defeat an even more powerful sorceress who threatened him now.
She would kill him; he’d seen it. She’d kill the Fairfields too if they came. With the mirror, he could defeat her, but he wouldn’t pay with their lives. Only his own. This was his fight. Besides, they had families now. Wives and children who were depending on them.
The mirror had shown him his death. And while the object couldn’t be trusted, it would use the future to manipulate him, it couldn’t outright lie. He’d dealt with enough magical objects to know that.
The moment the object was put back together, it had showed him the four brothers—William, Tom, Graham, and Nicholas—dead on the ground around him like the four points of a compass. A woman screamed, and he’d seen the Lady of the Ise before him, cackling in glee. As he’d fallen to the ground, another girl draped herself across him, her golden tresses covering his chest. She’d held his face in her hands, her clear blue eyes capturing his while she begged him to stay with her. But he’d felt it… the last breath leave his body. He’d used it to cast his final spell, ending the Lady.
His feet slowed as the vision finished replaying in his mind. He would not lament the life he never lived. The one with a wife and a child of his own. Instead, he would celebrate all he had accomplished already. But it was damn difficult just the same. He’d always imagined continuing his family’s line and the older he’d gotten, the more he’d assumed he’d pass his powers on as well. Had generations of witches and magic only led to this?
And he would not allow his friends to give up their lives for him. He’d sent for them, but now he needed to get them a message: they must not come. He was sure they’d begun the journey already, time was of the essence.
His thoughts were interrupted as a scream rent the frigid air. He stopped altogether and cocked his head. It had come from the northeast.
He turned in that direction, but then paused. He was to go south, find the brothers and rid the world of a witch. His vision had one more detail. His final confrontation had happened on the day of the spring equinox. If he’d calculated correctly, it was a mere ten days from now. He didn’t have a moment to spare if he hoped to succeed.
He turned back to the south, toward home, toward his friends when another scream filled the silent valley. If the Fairfields were with him now, they wouldn’t hesitate. They would rush in and help, assuming that by doing good, providence would deliver them.
With a grunt of frustration he turned back north and started through the wood at full speed. If he were only to live for another ten days, he might as well do the best he could with that time.
He covered the ground easily, and as another cry sounded, he veered right, sure he would be upon them any minute. Who that was or what was wrong, he couldn’t say, but he pulled a pistol from his belt none the less.
Reaching a clearing, three men stood looking at the ground. He couldn’t see what they stared at, but he could hear whimpering. Each wore wolf pelts about them with the faces of the wolves resting on top of their heads.
Bloody hell, they were the men of the Lady of the Ise. She was a powerful sorceress who he’d tried to defeat ten years prior and had failed. The best he had done was stop her from completing the ritual that would re-strengthen her powers. Even then he’d barely escaped with his life.
Of course he was meant to help whomever lay on the ground. If he’d ignored that scream, he would have lost his chance to find her. He closed his eyes for a moment. This had been an important reminder that good came from good.
“Good evening,” he called, keeping his voice chipper and light. He didn’t need to speak loudly. His voice carried on the thin cold air.
All three men turned to him. Their actual faces were painted black, but he could still make out their menacing glares.
“Leave her, stranger, if you value your life,” the man in the middle called to him.
“Oh, I value life. A great deal. Hence why I will not be leaving.” He gave them an easy smile. A quick glance through their legs revealed a green cloak. He just caught sight of a single golden tress on the dark fabric before one of the men shifted, closing his line of sight.
The man who had spoken stepped forward. Taller and broader, he was the most menacing of the bunch. “Have it your way, then.” The man raised his hand, and in a moment, fired a pistol. The girl screamed again, as the bullet whizzed toward him. Without blinking, he thought the single word…stop. They obviously didn’t know who he was or they wouldn’t have bothered to fire a gun at all. But once they reported back to the Lady, she would know that Ewan was here.
The bullet did not slow, it did not fall, but the bullet simply ceased to move. The wolf-man blinked several times before he lowered his pistol.
“Give the Lady my regards.” Ewan gave the three men another grin. “Come, my dear,” he called to the girl on the ground. “It’s getting late.”
She shuffled in the snow to stand and then edge around the men. As she came into his view, her blonde hair shimmered in the twilight, appearing as though she wore a halo. But it was her eyes that held his attention. Clear, bright blue, they looked into his very soul. He didn’t know her name, but he’d recognize her anywhere. This was the girl from his vision. She would hold him when he died.
Want to read more? Capturing a Lord’s Love
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Stealing a Lady’s Heart
Hunting for a Lady’s Heart
Entrapping a Lord’s Love
More about Tammy
More about Tammy
Tammy Andresen lives with her husband and three children just outside of Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up on the Seacoast of Maine, where she spent countless days dreaming up stories in blueberry fields and among the scrub pines that line the coast. Her mother loved to spin a yarn and Tammy filled many hours listening to her mother retell the classics. It was inevitable that at the age of 18, she headed off to Simmons College, where she studied English literature and education. She never left Massachusetts but some of her heart still resides in Maine and her family visits often.
What the Critics are saying:
“The characters are well-developed and interesting, the plot is edge-of-your-seat intriguing, and the setting is one with so much history. If you are a fan of history mixed with mystery and intrigue, you won't be disappointed.” Linda Thompson THE AUTHOR SHOW
“While the relationship between Lily and Eric is the primary focus of this story, the mystery/supense factor is what kept this from being JUST a historical romance. Lily in Bloom was a fast-paced, romantic read that I absoutely LOVED.” http://alysenovak.blogspot.com
”… it held not only a pure romance but the simple magic that goes with it. I was enchanted with this story from the beginning until the end and I didn’t want it to end. I wanted it to go on.” Robin
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Wicked Lords of London
Earl of Sussex
My Duke’s Seduction
My Duke’s Deception
My Earl’s Entrapment
A Laird to Love
Christmastide with my Captain
My Enemy, My Earl
Heart of a Highlander
A Scot’s Surrender
A Laird’s Seduction
The Earl’s Forsaken Bride
Taming the Duke’s Heart
Taming a Duke’s Reckless Heart (FREE!! Check it out today!)
Taming a Duke’s Wild Rose
Taming a Laird’s Wild Lady
&
nbsp; Taming a Rake into a Lord
Taming a Savage Gentleman
Taming a Rogue Earl
Fairfield Fairy Tales
Stealing a Lady’s Heart
Hunting for a Lady’s Heart
Entrapping a Lord’s Love
American Historical Romance
Lily in Bloom
Midnight Magic
The Golden Rules of Love
Boxsets!!
Taming the Duke’s Heart Books 1-3
Taming the Duke’s Heart Books 4-6
American Brides
Luring a Lord's Love: Regency Fairy Tale (Fairfield Fairy Tales Book 4) Page 7