“Under the circumstances, you’re forgiven.” Lucas massaged the bridge of his nose. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around this, but please continue.”
“I was here for your first ascension ceremony, Alpha. I thought that would be the time Elise, Cross, and Julianna would travel back to 1820, but I was wrong.” He looked down at her tenderly. “The first time I saw you again, I thought my heart would burst. I wanted to come to you and tell you who I was, but I couldn’t. I knew I would have to wait until you traveled back. I befriended a few Lycans at Blood Moon, and finally, I got news about the new ascension ceremony. And I realized tonight was the night.” He gritted his teeth. “I followed you today. From Bloomingdale’s all the way to Tribeca.”
“That was you!” She cried. “Someone was watching us from across the street when we came out. I thought it was the mage.”
“It nearly killed me letting Daly kidnap you.” His chest rumbled as his wolf reached for the surface. “But I knew I had to let it happen. So that you would come back to me.”
“Oh, Reed, I—” She frowned, then looked at Cross. “You said he was going to die. That William would be Alpha. What happened?”
Cross thought for a moment. “He did die, in a way. Reed came to the future, and he never became Alpha. His family must have seen him disappear and declared him dead.”
Elise felt a pang in her heart. Oh no. Eleanor, Jeremy, William, the dowager. They were all gone. “Reed. I’m so sorry.”
There was a sadness that passed over his face as he squeezed her to his side. “We’ll talk later.”
“Oh God, this whole time-travel paradox is giving me a headache again!” Julianna exclaimed.
“Yes, it’s giving us all headaches,” Lucas declared. “Why don’t we all get cleaned up and, uh,” he glanced at Reed’s naked form, “dressed, and we can all debrief? The mages are still out there.”
“The mages!” Julianna exclaimed. “Where’s the dagger?”
“Here,” Cross said as he held up the dagger. “I secured it first chance I got.” He turned to Reed and waved his hand, and suddenly he was dressed in a white shirt and tan colored breeches.
“Thanks,” Reed said. “I prefer jeans though.”
Elise laughed as happiness bubbled inside her. She couldn’t believe it, but the proof was standing right next to her. Reed was here, in her present. And he was here to stay.
“Elise, darling,” Lara began as a knowing smile formed on her face. “Anything else you want to tell us?”
“Yes,” she looked up at Reed. He looked different with his beard, but also, there was something different about him she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “But maybe I’ll tell you later.”
Chapter Eighteen
The debriefing didn’t take too long, as almost everyone already knew the story of their time traveling escapades, and Reed had mostly filled them in on what had happened to him when he landed in New York. Lucas declared that they were going to put the dagger in a safe place, while also begin searching for the only missing artifact—the ring of Magus Aurelius—as part of their overall strategy to defeat the mages once and for all.
However, dinner took much longer as Julianna ate five cheeseburgers, French fries, two pizzas, and four milkshakes in one sitting. Reed surprised everyone when he volunteered to order all the food using his smartphone. “I swear, these things are like magic,” he had declared. “All I have to do is think of something, and someone will come by and bring it to me!”
Yes, he’d had three months to explore this strange new world, but all of that paled to the wonder of the woman standing beside him. The Alpha had generously offered them a suite in The Enclave to use for the time being. Reed heartily agreed, seeing as he really couldn’t see bringing Elise to his bachelor room at the homeless shelter he had lived in for the past three months.
And now, here they were alone, and he was speechless. One would think he would have spent all this time practicing what he was going to say to his True Mate, the love of his life, but right now, all words escaped him.
So, he decided not to use any words. He took her hands, pulled her close, then lifted her up into his arms to carry her to the bed. She didn’t protest at all, in fact, she was an eager participant as he helped her take off her gown.
He made love to her like he’d dreamed of doing all these lonely months. Slowly, eagerly, aching, and full of love. She was amazing, and though his memory of their last encounter was burned into his brain, it was just as beautiful as he remembered, and more so. When she came apart in his arms, he thought for sure that he had really died and gone to heaven.
They lay in the dark afterwards, arms around each other, enjoying the silence.
“I think I’m about as speechless as you are,” she began, a blush creeping into her cheeks.
“I don’t know what to say either,” he began. “So, let me start by saying the words I’ve been wanting say. I love you, Elise.” Sliding his hands down her back, her pulled her closer to him, inhaling that wonderful scent of hers. “I’ve been going crazy all these months waiting for you.”
“I can’t believe it …” She looked up at him with those luminous eyes of hers. “Three months. What have you been doing?”
“A lot,” he said. “I told you about that shelter, right? Well, they had tons of books and a computer. Within a month I’d read every single book there and I became proficient at ‘Google-fu.’” She laughed. “The shelter was so run down, and they needed so many things. I guess you could say I put my business experience to use. I helped them get more donors, and then I invested that money for them so they could buy more beds, clothing, and food for the residents.”
“Wow,” she said. “You have been busy.”
He smiled. “I had to do something while I was waiting for you.” But truth be told, he enjoyed his time at the shelter. Helping other people instead of making himself rich brought out a different feeling in him. The director was so happy that he gave Reed a job managing their finances and his own apartment at the shelter since he refused a salary because the residents needed every bit of money they could scrounge up. “Are you disappointed that I’m just a ‘mister’ and not a duke anymore?”
She chuckled. “Like I care about that. I can’t believe you’re here!” Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his thick beard. “All this time …” Her expression changed.
“What is it, love?”
“It’s been three months,” she said. “And you’ve probably experienced so many things. Maybe you might even want to explore more about what this world has to offer—”
“I have.” He covered her hands with his. “This is a wonderful, crazy world, and I know I’ve only seen a small portion of it. But, don’t you know I’ve been waiting for you to come back to me? Do you know how hard it was not to approach you all this time?” He planted a kiss on each palm.
“You have changed,” she declared. “I thought I saw it earlier tonight. I couldn’t put my finger on it but … Reed, you seem happy. Really, genuinely happy.”
Her words struck him. “I am,” he realized. “I truly am happy. Happy you’re here, but also, happy with myself.” Being independent and having to start from scratch here had given him a purpose. “And I have you to thank for that. I think … I think I wanted to be better for you. To be worthy of you.” He planted a kiss on her mouth to stop her from protesting. “All this time, I’ve been so bitter and cold because of what happened with Joanna.”
“I overheard your grandmother talk about her,” she confessed. “I hope you don’t mind.”
His chest ached, thinking of Grandmama. Some nights, he allowed himself to grieve for the loss of his family, but he knew he couldn’t focus on that. They would have wanted him to be whole and happy for the time when Elise came back. “You were meant to be mine, Elise.”
“Reed,” she began. “I thought I wasn’t meant to be with anyone.” She told him about her former best friend, and his heart ached for her. How lonely
and sad she must have been, not being able to touch anyone. “And then I met you and I fell in love … I came to you last night because I thought it was the last time I would see you.”
It was strange that for her, it was only last night, while it had been months for him. He held her tighter. “I’m here now, love. And I will love you and our pup.” he slid a hand down to her belly, where he was certain that life grew, one that was half her and half him. “I loved you two hundred years ago, I love you now, and I will love you two hundred years from now.”
She moved her head up to kiss him, her lips moving over his in a sensuous caress. “I love you, Reed. In any lifetime, I will love you.”
Despite the loss he had experienced, Reed’s heart had never felt fuller than at this moment. And he had this brave, beautiful woman who’d traveled through time to banish the darkness and numbness from his life to thank for that. Inside him, his wolf snorted haughtily, and for once, he conceded to the animal. You’re right, he told his inner wolf. All this time, you were right.
Epilogue
A few months later …
“Are you all right, love?” Elise asked as she slipped her fingers through Reed’s, her shiny white gold wedding ring a stark contrast to his tanned skin.
“I’m fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “This gets easier, doesn’t it?”
She chuckled. “Not until you’ve done it a few times. Have you changed your mind—”
“No, I—” He stopped when the lights dimmed. “Besides, it’s too late to call your father now to ask to borrow the jet.”
She patted his hand. “You’ll be fine. We’ll be fine.”
“Right.” He looked straight ahead at the back of the seat in front of him. “We’re only inside a metal tube that’s about to hurtle across the sky, ten thousand feet in the air. What could go wrong?”
Rolling her eyes, she reminded him, “You were the one who wanted to fly commercial.”
“I was told it was an experience.”
“You’ll do great.” She felt his fingers grip hers tighter as the airplane picked up speed for takeoff. “Just breathe.”
Most people would have laughed at Reed being so anxious at flying in an airplane, but this was only his second flight ever. The first was in her father’s company jet when he finally moved to San Francisco about a month after their reunion. Reed had been reluctant to leave New York because of his job at the shelter, but Elise lived in California. One of them had to move and he was the more flexible of them both. So, after helping the homeless shelter’s director find a replacement—and promising to be available anytime if they needed help—he packed up his small apartment and moved to California to be with Elise and pledge to the San Francisco clan. Soon after, he proposed to her and they were married in a simple ceremony in Napa Valley.
Reed didn’t have a real plan on what he was going to do in California, so he started volunteering at the animal shelter where Elise worked. Turns out, he was so good at fund-raising and charming donors from their money, so the shelter hired him part-time. On his days off, he took business classes at the local college as he tried to figure out what else he wanted to do now that he lived in this century.
Elise had accepted the position of director at the shelter. However, Shelley said she would wait to leave until early next year to give Elise time to bond with the baby after she gave birth. So, she and Reed decided it was time to take a vacation now, while it was still comfortable for her to travel, as well as do the one thing they had been putting off for months.
They both knew they would eventually have to go to London and visit Hunter House and Huntington Park. Though Cross had given them his research into what happened after Reed “died”, they decided that going there was something they had to do, to give closure on the events of what happened back in 1820 and finally move on with their lives.
Elise was concerned at first, but Reed was insistent. “If I don’t do this now, I may never find the courage to do it at all,” he had said. “And I don’t know what kind of father I would be if I can’t face this.”
And so, they both put in for vacation time and planned their trip. To help ease them into it, they decided to go to Scotland first, to visit his parents’ graves, before proceeding to England to pay their final respects to his grandmother, Eleanor, Jeremy, and yes, even little William.
The first leg of their trip was a commercial flight to New York. Reed insisted on paying for the trip, at least part way, which is why they were now stuck in row sixteen, seats B and C in front of a toddler who wouldn’t stop kicking Reed’s seat and behind a woman who played her videos loudly without earphones. Elise couldn’t stop herself from smirking as her husband let out the one hundred and thirty-seventh long-suffering sigh. Thank goodness they were only doing this for the first leg, as they were stopping in New York to switch to Grant Anderson’s private jet that would take them directly to Scotland. It was a long-delayed wedding gift from the former Alpha and his family, plus they were also picking up another passenger.
The plane landed five hours later at JFK, and a limo was already waiting for them outside the terminal to whisk them off to the private airstrip outside Jersey City. After slogging through Manhattan traffic and the Lincoln Tunnel, they made it to their destination. The limo stopped on the tarmac, right beside the sleek private jet waiting for them.
“Elise! Reed!” called a familiar voice as soon as Elise stepped out of the car. It was Julianna, running out of the black SUV parked not too far from them. “It’s so nice to see you!” she exclaimed, pulling Elise into a tight hug. “Oops! Sorry!” She stepped back looking down at Elise’s stomach. “Hey, momma, you popped!”
Elise laughed and Reed came up behind her, a hand slipping over her round belly protectively. “She has and she’s beautiful. How are you, Julianna?”
“I’m great.”
But something about the way she said it told Elise that Julianna was the opposite of great. Maybe it was the flatness in her voice or the way her smile didn’t quite reach her mismatched eyes.
Once again, that nurturing, witch part of her could sense something was off about the younger woman. She sensed it days ago too, when Julianna called out of the blue asking if she could join them on their trip, explaining that Lucas had asked her to be his envoy and meet with the Alphas of Caelkirk and London. Apparently, he thought it was a good idea to start meeting with other Alphas from around the world to forge alliances and inform them about mages. When she spoke to Reed about it, he of course agreed to let her come.
“I see you haven’t cut your hair as you threatened a million times,” Reed teased.
Julianna smirked and flipped her long braid of hair over her shoulder. “It’s growing on me. Thanks again for letting me horn in on your babymoon.”
“Babymoon?” Reed asked.
“You know.” She pointed her chin at Elise’s bump. “Last chance to get some alone time before the baby comes.”
“Ha! My parents and siblings are so excited and preparing to come visit us all the time that I doubt we’d even have time with the baby when he or she comes.” Elise glanced up at the waiting plane. “Should we get going? We want to get there by morning, right?”
They headed into the plane and were welcomed by the steward with flutes of champagne and orange juice. She gave Reed a teasing smile as he eased into the plush leather seats. “You told me so,” he said but grinned at her.
She gave him an innocent smile. “I wasn’t going to say it.”
The seven-hour flight to Glasgow was uneventful, and Elise was glad to have a real bed to sleep on for this last leg. She had retired to the private bedroom right after dinner, though Reed stayed behind to chat with Julianna. By the time she woke up, it was time to land, and Reed was just emerging from the bathroom, already dressed.
From Glasgow airport, they rented a SUV for the four-hour drive to Caelkirk, with Julianna in the driver’s seat. As the vehicle drove through the Scottish countryside, Elise couldn’t help b
ut marvel at the wild beauty of Scotland, with its green rolling hills dotted with purple-pink heather, cozy little villages, and rugged mountainscapes.
“I can see why your mother loved it here,” Elise said as she popped her head between the front row seats and reached over to place her hand on Reed’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful.”
“Did you come here a lot?” Julianna asked.
“I’ve only been three times,” Reed said. “Twice when I was younger and then …”
When he drifted off, she squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sure you had a lovely time.”
He guffawed. “Yes, I did, if you define ‘lovely time’ as being plagued by pranks from my mother’s cousins for being a ‘Sassenach.’” But there was a fond smile that touched his lips.
Julianna slowed the vehicle as she flipped on the turn signal to take the next exit. “So, are we going to stay with the clan?”
Elise nodded. “Dad took care of everything and contacted the clan on our behalf.”
“He told their Alpha the story of me being adopted and never knowing my true nature until I met Elise,” Reed continued. “And that I was probably from the Caelkirk or London clan and wanted to research my roots.”
Aside from getting him a new birth certificate and other papers, the New York and San Francisco clans used their resources and favors to make Reed Wakefield a real, legal person in the eyes of both human and Lycan law. “The Alpha agreed to host us at Castle Kilcraigh and allow us to tour the grounds,” he continued. “According to Cross’s research, he’s Bridget’s direct descendant.”
“I’m really glad Bridget met her mate,” Julianna said. “And you said that Connor guy was okay?”
“I only met him for a moment,” Reed confessed. “But he seemed a decent sort to me.”
A Witch in Time Page 21