[Through Time 02.0] Whiplash

by Claudy Conn

  She didn’t know how it worked, but she was damn glad it had. What she needed was a few moments to get control of herself and figure out what she could do to get Trevor to hear her. He had to hear her and come for her.

  An answer was there somewhere in her altered brain, a brain that was now as much Fae as it was human—in fact probably more Fae than human. She had to come to grips with what she was becoming and used the skills that were hers, newly hers but hers all the same. She had already learned one valuable lesson: if it looked too easy, it was. Pestale had been too unconcerned when they found him opening a portal. She should have known it was a ruse. He wouldn’t do that to her again.

  “Okay,” she said out loud. “This is good.”

  Trevor had taught her how she could use the elements. She had only been able to nearly master the simplest of tasks, but he said her skills would improve with time. The Fae blood now surging through her and making her strong in ways she never could have imagined would eventually replace all trace of human blood. He had said the most difficult thing to overcome would be her human attitudes and assumptions, as they were embedded in her psyche.

  One of the things she had enjoyed was discovering she had the power of what as a human she’d have called telekinesis. This was in actuality, Trevor had said, a science of mind, body, and the use of the elements. He had begun her training in this science, though she thought of it as magic. She told him she would always think of it as magic.

  For the moment, though, she didn’t need to transport anything with her mind. There were things she could use lying around the mountain ledge.

  She picked up a long branch from a nearby tall tree, tore off a piece of her top, and laughed at herself. She probably looked like a castaway. Then she grimaced ruefully because, in essence, that was what she was.

  She gathered some dried grass, wrapped the cloth around it, and then picked up some pine bark. The Fae in her kept telling her she didn’t need all this—she had a link to the elements and could create fire with a thought—but her human side needed something to keep her busy.

  Once her torch was ready, she sighed and resigned herself to do what only the Fae in her could do. She concentrated on one vision: fire. Just like that, she had a working torch. She couldn’t help but grin, though that grin quickly faded when she turned to face the dark, though somehow very beckoning mouth of the cave.

  The entrance to the cave was not a wide opening but narrow and partially hidden by a jutting rock. The cave narrowed even further as she went in deeper, and the light from the torch showed that it split into two passages.

  Jazz worked the torch into the dirt to stand it up, used a bit of Fae magic to secure it, and looked around. She needed time to figure out what she was going to do to help herself get out of this situation, and she needed a safe place to do that. She was fairly certain the shape and size of the entrance wouldn’t allow larger predators to stick their grubby claws inside and get to her, but what about from the other direction?

  Sighing with a certain amount of resignation, and extremely wary, she looked down at the forked trails. Suddenly, she realized she could see in the dark, not as well as during the day, but so much better than a human. She left the torch at her back and moved to where the two tunnels diverged.

  Something could come at her from either of these passageways, something her size, for the corridors at least at this end wouldn’t allow for anything, or anyone, larger.

  There would be no sleeping here, but did she need sleep?

  And was she doing the right thing—hiding out like this?

  Would Trev be able to find her if she stayed in this cave?

  What if the cave was lined with iron? Was he like Superman? Was iron his Kryptonite? She had seen what happened to him when he handled iron. It had sapped him of his strength and even caused him severe pain. His senses would be affected, and he would not be able to find her.

  Stop, just hold on, she admonished herself. She was imagining things—there was no reason to believe this cave was coated in iron.

  She was going to have to get herself together, venture out into this realm, and use the Fae skills he had trained her to use if she was going to stay alive long enough for him to find her.

  Stay alive … did she even have to worry about doing that?. She was becoming Fae. Could dinosaurs eat Fae?

  That was something she didn’t want to chance.

  She continued to explore one of the narrow avenues. It seemed dry, which surprised her as she had always thought caves were not only dark and slimy but damp as well.

  The ground was solid. The low and rocky ceiling was smooth, just like the walls. The entire cave looked like it had been carved out with a file.

  The path she had taken seemed to be headed downward, and she decided that was where the exploring would have to end.

  As she returned to the torch-lit area, she realized she had forgotten an important fact. She was Fios, still a Fios, and that part of her wasn’t completely human either. The combined force of her Fios and her Fae blood, when it matured, should be formidable.

  One of her Fios skills was the ability to construct shields to protect herself. Well, she thought, rolling her eyes, why didn’t you think of that sooner?

  Nothing human or non-human could get past her shields, for it was Fios and Fae magic weaved and interlocked. She put a shield in place between her and the two tunnels leading deeper into the cave and then another at the mouth. There, she thought with some satisfaction.

  Now, she would take a moment and plot out what she needed to do next to get back to Trevor.

  She sank down onto the earth and thought if only she had a bed of at least some palm fronds—and before she completed the thought, she did.

  Okay, okay. Think it, and if it was within range, you would have it, Trevor had said. Food … like bananas, do they have bananas here?

  The next thing she knew at least ten pounds of bananas lay on the fronds beside her. She was starving and stuffed her face for a moment before she put down a half-eaten banana and said softly, “What are you doing, Jazmine Decker? We need to get home, so think. No eating, just thinking.”

  But as hard as she tried, even her Fae mental faculties had nothing yet to suggest.

  *** *** ***

  https://www.amazon.com/Through-Time-Slamming-Claudy-Conn-ebook/dp/B00DN5C1C4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1500473780&sr=1-1&keywords=Through+Time-Slamming

  or the entire series in a boxed set:

  https://www.amazon.com/Through-Time-Boxed-Claudy-Conn-ebook/dp/B00V6UA96I/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1500473920&sr=1-3&keywords=Through+Time+boxed+set

  About Claudy Conn

  Claudy Conn, a native New Yorker, now lives with her husband, Bob; their wolf, Cherokee; and Cherokee’s son, Rocky Man, who weighs in presently at 190 pounds.

  She loves horses and riding and raised her ten-year-old gelding Southern Pride from the moment he was born. She also loves gardening, swimming, skiing, hiking, and travel—and of course, reading, writing, but no, she says, no arithmetic!

  To get her monthly news, her reviews for all her new paranormal romances, and excerpts, come on and visit her at her website: http://www.claudyconn.com

  To see pictures of Cherokee—and her shepherd-wolf son!—have a look at her Facebook page:

  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Claudy-Conn-Paranormal-Romance-Author/135826686471445

  Read more about Claudy Conn’s books

  available at smashwords.com

  Through Time Series

  Through Time-Pursuit

  Revenge is the driver. Will love be the equalizer in Through Time—Pursuit? Milesian immortal Chance LeBlanc and Fae Princess Royce are about to find out in this contemporary fantasy romance that picks up where Catch & Hold—Legend left off.

  Through Time-Whiplash

  Prince Trevor has one goal: bring the Dark Princes to justice—preferably at the end of his Death Sword—before they can march out of the Dark Realm with an ar
my of monsters at their backs. But complication arise when Trevor is thrown two centuries into the past along with Jazmine Decker, a Fios (a human unaffected by Fae concealment spells) who has more power than either realizes.

  Through Time—Slamming

  In book 3 of the Through Time series, Jazmine and Trevor’s relationship develops while danger to both human and Fae worlds grows. As the Dark Princes use all the powers at their disposal to create an unstoppable army to destroy the human realm, Queen Aaibhe faces treachery from a traitor in the Council, Frankie discovers who her Fae father is, and Prince Breslyn is hit with news that will change his life forever.

  Through Time—Frankie

  Frankie is all grown up and ready to spread her wings, and she knows the man she wants by her side. But first she needs to convince her Dark Prince—and her family—that he is the one for her. And it will take all of them working together to deal with the Dark Prince’s brothers, who are once again plotting to take over the world.

  Through Time—Compulsion

  Through Time—Compulsion finds a new demon on the loose, and this one thinks he’s a god. He isn’t, but he is powerful enough to use time itself to get what he wants—and what he wants is Frankie by his side as he takes over first the Human and then the Fae Realms.

  Legend Series

  Spellbound—Legend

  Maxie is a reluctant heroine who travels to Scotland to find and save herself. Julian is a Druid priest in a modern age, and he is full of guilt. Can Maxie turn to him? Or will she turn to Prince Breslyn, a Royal Fae hunk offering her everything?

  Shee Willow—Legend

  Half-human, half-Fae Willow Lang has never felt she truly fit in either world, but she’s doing her best to ignore her Fae nature. But when she finds herself in the middle of a conflict between the Seelie Fae and the evil Dark Fae, she must embrace her Fae powers in order to protect the Human Realm.

  Prince in the Mist (Novella)

  Fact one: By tradition and treaty, Fae do not interfere with the human world—it is against the rules. Fact two: For a Royal Fae prince who suffers from the ennui of immortality, watching and interacting with humans—especially lovely, spirited human females—can be entertaining. Fact three: When entertainment changes to affection, and affection becomes love, rules will be broken.

  Prince Prelude—Legend

  In this stand-alone tale and the backstory for the Legend series, we find ourselves in 1814. Gais and the prince come head to head over a woman. We will see Lamia DuLaine when she first sees Julian Talbot, and we will meet the first Maxie Reigate. Come along and see their world unfold …

  Aaibhe—Shee Queen (Novelette)

  This is a love story but it is fringed with envy, jealousy, and bitterness—oh and more. It is laced with the havoc those devastating emotions can bring. It is about the seeds of hate born of love, and what chaos that hate can wantonly roar over even immortals. This is a story of Aaibhe, Queen of the Seelie Fae, because she deserves that it be told.

  Trapped—Legend

  Magical powers, a castle, and a charming prince sound like the ingredients for a fairy-tale life, but for BJ Mulroy reality turns out to be a whole lot more complicated. The war between the Seelie and the Unseelie is heating up, BJ has been drawn into the fray … and there’s the matter of the seventeenth-century hunk in the painting.

  Free Falling—Legend

  They call her Z, and she is a handful ready to explode. She has entered the war against Gais and the Dark Fae and means to take him on all by herself. She is driven. Aaibhe, Queen of the Seelie Fae, has other plans, and she sends in Prince Danté to execute and preserve her wishes. When Z and the prince meet, hackles go up on both sides.

  Catch & Hold—Legend

  Half-human/half-Daoine Fae Radzia MacDaun—Z to her friends—finds herself in the Dark Realm, where she’ll have to fight Gaiscioch on his own turf. Danté, Prince of the Tuatha Dé and Z’s lover, is not about to let her face this danger alone, however, and the two of them are thrust on a ride that takes them to the edge of life as we know it …

  Shadow Series

  ShadowLove—Stalkers

  Shawna Rawley has no choice but to run when Pentim Rawley, one of the most evil vampires who have ever lived, discovers she is his daughter. Chad MacFare has an offer for Shawna he thinks she can’t afford to refuse: he’ll protect her from Pentim and his minions. But Shawna doesn’t trust the sexy immortal. She knows he has his own agenda—he wants to kill her father, and he wants to set her up as bait …

  ShadowHeart—Slayer

  Damon Drummond and Nikki Walker are on opposite sides. He is a potent vampire—she is a skilled and powerful vampire slayer. Problem right there … but when they look at each other, sparks of all kinds fly. Too much stands between them: He will live forever. She will not. And yet …

  ShadowLife—Hybrid

  WB and his clan have moved in, and section by section Dublin is going dark. When the team needs help, they turn to a shapeshifter, Roxie MacBran.

  Hungry Moon Series

  Hungry Moon: Quicksilver

  Ravena is running from who and what she is, but the more she runs away, the further she falls.

  Hungry Moon: Destiny

  Luke says Kelsey isn’t his type, and Kelsey is sure Luke is a heart-breaker, but the hybrid and the wolf shifter must find a way to work together to fight a threat of unthinkable proportions.

  Hungry Moon: Jodi

  Jodi is a witch with formidable powers fighting a battle against an insidious dark force. She meets Shane MacGrath and needs him in so many ways, but she doesn’t know if she can trust him. Can she trust him, and will she survive this battle?

  Witches, Warlocks, and Dark Magic

  Dark Love

  One goal consumes Chazma Donnelly: find the dark sorcerer who murdered her parents. The trail takes her Ireland and Jethro McBain, but will it take her soul?

  Netherby Halls

  Matters at Netherby are not what they seem, and neither is the handsome marquis. Unsure whom to trust, Sassy has to find her way through a maze of evil and magic.

  Lady X

  Exerilla has to run from her Dark Warlock father. Her mother sends her into the past to escape him and the marriage he plans for her. What is a modern American miss to do in nineteenth-century England?

  Journey

  What would you do if the man of your dreams walked into your life and you knew, absolutely knew, that one day he would leave because he was from another realm with secrets you couldn’t discern? Would you seize the moment? Riley Doogan decided to seize the moment, and it cost her all the normalcy she had ever hoped to have in her life—a life that was now fraught with terror.

  Risqué Regencies

  Myriah Fire

  Myriah meets Kit under the worst circumstances and their meeting was an explosion of wills, and actions, and it was what finally set Myriah on fire …

  Oh, Cherry Ripe

  Cheryl Elton has been in London for three seasons and refuses to be courted. When her mother takes matters into her own hands, Cherry runs!

  Rogues, Rakes & Jewels

  What happens when an eligible marquis pretends to be a rake and a gambler, and the woman he is supposed to be courting disguises herself as a masked French card dealer? Find out in this spicy, risqué Regency romance.

  Taffeta and Hotspur

  Hotspur wants Taffeta—how far will he go to make her his? Taffeta has a secret—will it land her in trouble?

  Wildfire Kiss

  Lady Babs is a rule-breaker, but has she met her match in Lord Wildfire?

  After the Storm

  Jenny insisted she would never fall in love again, but she found herself drawn to the handsome Earl of Danfield. She also knew about his wild reputation, but it didn’t matter. His proposal would give her what she wanted. Peace.

  Runaway Heart

  Chelsea takes London by storm, but the only man she wants thinks she is no more than a child.

  Lady Bess
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  Lady Bess has fallen hard for the Earl of Dunkirk, but she has also fallen into a bevy of secrets. Evil hovers. Although Bess doesn’t look for it, she finds it—and Bess is not your average, simpering female. She takes on danger and mayhem like she does everything else: full throttle. Adventure ensues as we travel with Bess through romance and the battle of her life.

  Lady Star

  Sir Edward meets his match when he meets Star, but is there too much keeping them apart?

  Serena

  Lord Daniel Pendleton has met his match in Serena. A game of twists and misunderstandings ensues, and a lively romance begins.

  Mandy

  Mandy’s brother, Ned, is in trouble, accused of murdering the woman who had been clearly trying to seduce him. Their guardian, the Duke of Margate, is summoned to help. Mandy had always assumed he was an old man, but the duke is far from old. But first things first—they have to prove Ned innocent.

  Disorderly Lady

  A chance encounter with the Earl of Magdalen, a confirmed bachelor whose female acquaintances run to women of dubious reputation, results in Arabella Cullingham appearing to be a light-skirts. Bella, for her own reasons, decides to play along, never thinking that the game might cost her the man she truly loves.

  Madcap Miss

  Miss Felicia Easton, holed up happily at Easton Manor, is quite content with her unchaperoned state, thank you very much. The last thing she needs is to be summarily fetched to see her ogre of a guardian, the elderly Duke of Somerset. And so she flees with her childhood friend, Scott—only to run into a highwayman! Thank heavens Glen Aston happens along when he does.

  Multi-book Bundles

  The Complete Legend Series

  Containing all eight books in the series, The Complete Legend Series will take you to a place where anything is possible, where strong and beautiful men and women—both human and Fae—must use all the skills and magic they possess to save their shared worlds, and where the path to love winds through intrigue and danger.