Leanna was at work the next day when she felt someone watching her. She turned around and spotted Keith standing in the doorway. “What are you doing here?”
He smiled and approached her, leaning against the counter. “Why does the sixteenth century fill you with so much curiosity?”
Leanna put down the book on Scotland and sat on the chair behind the counter. “I’m not really sure, but I’d love to see what it was like.”
Keith moved closer. “Have you ever been to Scotland to see the old ruins?”
She smiled. “No. I’d love to go, but this isn’t what I’d call the best-paying job.”
“I’ve an adventure for you, lass. I’ll pay yours and Amber’s way to Scotland. I’ll show you the country and I’ll show you artifacts that have never been seen by the Americans.”
Leanna almost lost her breath. “You want to take us to Scotland? Why?”
Keith smiled devilishly. “I, too, share a love for that time.”
She looked into his eyes and wondered what his kiss would feel like. She wanted to feel his hands on her body, to feel him inside her.
“Don’t you worry, me lady, I’ll be a perfect gentleman to you and your friend. I wish no harm to either one of you.”
Leanna sank back in her chair. She’d go anywhere with him. She wondered if he could sense the pure lust she felt, how much it scared her.
She shook the thoughts out of her head. “I can’t just leave my job, and Amber would never go.”
“She’ll go if you do. I know she will.”
Leanna’s heart pounded. “But we can’t afford it.”
He sighed. “It will cost you but one thing. When the time comes, you must put your total trust in me.”
She wanted to go, but total trust? “I’ll talk to Amber.”
“I’m leaving tomorrow night. If you want to go, meet me at the airport. I promise I’ll never harm either one of you. You have my word on that, my lady.” He walked out, closing the door behind him.
Leanna glanced at the clock. It was twenty 'til six, but nobody was in the library, so she grabbed her keys and locked up the place.
She jumped in her car and glanced in the mirror. “This is crazy. Pure nuts.” She smiled. “But oh, I want to go so badly.”
* * * *
When she got home, Amber was lying on the couch watching her soaps. She always videotaped them and watched them as soon as she got home.
Leanna walked in, turned off the television, and stood in front of her friend. “You’re the best friend a girl could have. I mean, you’re such a wonderful person. I’m so glad we met and I know you trust my judgment.”
“What do you want?”
Leanna sat down on the coffee table and told her about the conversation with Keith.
Amber sat up rather quickly. “You told him no, right?
Leanna leaned closer to her friend. “No, I didn’t. I haven’t told him anything yet. Amber, think about it. We could go to Scotland.”
Amber saw the excitement on her face, but the whole plan was crazy. “You want me to travel to Scotland with some man we know nothing about? Leanna, have you lost your mind?”
“Oh, Amber, thirty years from now I don’t want to be sitting here saying, ‘What if.’ Please go with me. I won’t go without you.”
Amber sighed. “I can’t just leave my job. I have a life here, Leanna. I can’t go traipsing around Scotland. Who will pay my bills?”
Amber could see the excitement leave her eyes. Leanna’s head drooped, her once-smiling face turned into a frown, and she looked like a wounded child sitting on the table. She was almost in tears.
“Damn it to hell, Leanna, you infuriate me sometimes.”
Amber walked out on the terrace and puffed on her cigarette. This was insane. She didn’t want to go. It was the sort of thing you saw on Jerry Springer and screamed about. Some stupid women and their choices. It was crazy. She was not going. She puffed frantically on her cigarette. As she turned, she saw her friend sitting on the couch. She still looked so upset.
Damn it.
She put it out, and then walked back inside. “When do we leave?”
Leanna jumped up and nearly knocked Amber down, hugging her. “You’re the best.”
Amber pushed her away. “Leanna, if I wind up dead because of this craziness, I’ll come back and haunt you.”
* * * *
Keith paced the floor; it was almost time for the passengers to board. All he needed was for the girls to arrive. A few measly hundreds had paid for fake passports, and he’d had the passports and tickets sent to the apartment earlier in the day so they wouldn’t have any problems arriving on time. The timepiece on the wall read ten 'til seven. A heavyset lady announced they would be boarding in five minutes. Keith’s heart beat wildly. He had to bring her back before it was too late.
The lady came on and said that passengers one through fifty could now board. Keith turned to grab his bag when he heard his name being called. He turned to see them both running down the terminal.
Leanna grabbed her boarding pass and handed it to the agent while talking to Keith. “Oh, God, I didn’t think we’d make it on time. There was an accident and we have been sitting in traffic for the last hour.”
Keith smiled. “I’m just glad you made it.”
* * * *
Amber fell asleep not too long after they got in the air, but Leanna was so excited she couldn’t sleep. “Do you have family in Scotland?”
Keith turned to her. “Me father and me brother are alive. My mother died about fifteen years ago from an illness.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He smiled. “Kolten and I were raised by our da, and he did well. We had chambermaids around to give us motherly attention and Bess has been like our mother for years.”
From almost a dead sleep, Amber sat up. “Kolten?”
“Kolten is my younger brother.”
Amber pulled the blanket around her. “Why didn’t he come with you to New York?”
“He’s ill right now.”
Leanna touched his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll make him better.”
“So Amber, tell me about your parents.”
Amber shivered. The last thing she ever wanted to talk about was her insecure, dramatic parents. “They live in Arkansas. I don’t ever see them anymore.”
Keith saw the uneasiness written all over her face. “Why don’t you see them?”
Leanna quickly jumped in to save her. “Keith, she doesn't get along with her parents. Her mother and father are both alcoholics. That’s it. She doesn’t talk about it.”
Keith decided to leave it alone. “So what about your parents, Leanna?”
“They are both deceased, Keith. I have no family. My parents were tragically killed in a boating accident when I was eighteen. They were good people and I loved them more then anything. But they are dead.”
On that note, silence soon reigned.
* * * *
Once in Scotland, they departed the plane and boarded a bus.
“Where are we going?” Amber asked, yawning.
Keith put the bags on the bus and turned to Leanna. “We’ll travel for a few hours until we reach our destination. I’ve taken the liberty of renting this vessel so we can quickly travel.”
Amber stepped on the first step. “I thought you didn’t like things you didn’t have control of.”
“Time does not allow me to travel the way I prefer, dear Jewel—I mean, Amber.”
Amber chose an empty seat and sat as Leanna and Keith climbed aboard. An elderly man started the bus and they were off.
As they made their way out of the city, a chill moved through Amber’s body, and she shivered. Keith saw, and kept watching her, but it didn’t seem to get to her much. She had a million things going through her mind, yet couldn’t concentrate on one thing. Why was it that she recognized things, places she had never been? He could read her easier, and knew what she wanted to hear, but couldn't answer her
questions yet. Suddenly, she lay her head against the cold glass and quickly fell asleep.
“What ever you wish, me lady.”
The night dragged on and they made their way up the hills. Leanna rested her head against the window and closed her eyes, dozing off as well.
The bus stopped, but neither girl awakened. Keith quietly stepped out of the bus and walked to the back.
Did you put them to sleep? Keith heard Masias' voice inside his head.
“Yes, they’ll need their strength for the journey. She knows nothing of Kolten, Father. How will this work?”
Masias sighed impatiently. She will regain her memory, lad.
Keith kicked at a rock. “Father, I’m not a lad.”
Masias chuckled. Why did you bring the other one?
Keith chose to ignore him, but could hear his father laughing as he faded away.
Keith looked in the bus where the two lay. He groaned, thinking his father knew his reasoning. Masias was not a fool, and Keith knew from his father’s teasing that he recognized his attraction to the other. He didn’t have time for it right now, though. He needed to focus on Kolten and Jewel.
As the women slept, he gently picked them up and carried them off the bus, laying them by a fire for warmth. Once the bus was empty, the driver left them.
Chapter Three
Amber heard the thundering of horses. She tried to run, but was tackled to the ground. She fought to get up but the barbarian held her down. He rose and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulders. She kicked and screamed, but he just laughed, and then threw her in the lake. Amber came up from under the water, sputtering, “Kolten, you’re a brute. I hate you.”
She woke up breathing heavily and sweating profusely.
She heard Keith’s voice. “Did you sleep well?”
Amber wiped her eyes. “I just had a weird dream. Hey, where is the bus? How did we get out here?”
“Wasn’t a dream, Jewel. It really did happen. The bus is gone. I sent the driver on his way. We are near our destination.”
Amber sat up. “Keith, do you see any barbarians around here?”
Keith stepped out of the shadows wearing boots and a kilt, with a huge sword at his side and an ax on his back.
“What is going on, Keith?” Amber asked as she stood up.
Keith threw two dresses down on the ground. “You will need to wear these, ladies.”
Amber eyed the dress. “What in the hell is going on?”
Keith sat down, looking closely at the two girls. “I’m going to tell you the real reason I’m here. I’m from the sixteenth century and I came here to find something and to bring it back with me. Now I can’t bring it without the proper consent.”
Amber moved closer to Leanna. “I told you. I warned you. He’s a freaking idiot.”
Keith leaned down. “I’m a laird, I live in the sixteenth century with my father and my brother, and I’ve been traveling through time to find the one thing I need.”
Leanna shook her head. “Keith, you must know how crazy this sounds.”
He looked down at the ground. “I’ve no reason to lie to you, ladies. You asked me how you would repay me, Leanna, and I said when the time came you would have to trust me.”
He reached out to her. “Do you trust me?”
Amber quickly moved near Leanna. “We’re going home right now.”
“You’ll go nowhere.” Keith looked angry as he raised his voice.
“You’re nuts, Keith. I wondered what the hell was going on, but this is crazy. You can’t just go travel through time. Come on, Leanna, let’s go.”
“You’re as spunky now as you were then.”
Amber turned to him. “What do you mean by that?”
“‘Tis you I was looking for, Jewel.”
Amber shook her head. “My name isn’t Jewel. You’re crazy, and I’m leaving. Keith, take me back to the city or I’ll call the police and have you arrested.”
He laughed. “You can yell all you want. We’re hundreds of miles from the city. No one is up here but us.” He looked down at Leanna.
“Do you trust me?”
She looked into his eyes and her heart beat faster. “Yes.”
Amber grabbed her friend’s arm angrily. “Leanna, this is crazy. You can’t believe him.”
Leanna turned to Amber. “We have to at least see if what he’s saying is true. Amber, he hasn’t done anything to us.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to bring you both back with me.”
“Okay, Keith, take us back to the sixteenth century. I want to see your castle.”
Keith pointed towards the lands below. “Then follow me, ladies.”
“This is just pure nuts. Leanna, you owe me big time.”
The girls grabbed the dresses and went behind a boulder to put them on.
“Oh, God, Leanna, this is crazy.”
“This dress is exquisite.”
“Didn’t they have shoes back then?”
“These were their shoes.”
They finished dressing, then walked out from behind the boulder, still struggled to adjust the skirts.
Keith stared at them. “You both look beautiful.”
“Hey, barbarian boy, do you wear anything under the kilt?”
Leanna hit her friend. “Shut up.”
Amber saw the shocked look on both of their faces and laughed. “Well?”
Keith cleared his throat. “Well, of course not. Things aren’t meant to be contained. You will notice that everything in the sixteenth century is larger then you’re used to.”
Leanna blushed, but Amber was obviously not ready to listen. “Whatever, Keith, you’re so full of it.”
“You, of all people, should know.”
Amber gasped. “What on earth are you talking about now?”
“In time you will find out, Jewel, in time.”
He had the girls grab their backpacks and follow him to the caves. Amber caught up as they reached a rock. “You want us to go rock climbing in these things?”
Keith climbed up on the rock, exposing himself clearly to Leanna. Her eyes widened. There was no way that could have been what she thought it was. Oh, God, it was huge. She felt herself getting flushed and stopped her train of thought.
He reached down and pulled her, then Amber up.
“Just where are we going, barbarian boy?” Amber snapped.
“I hardly think I’m a boy, and if I were a barbarian, I would have taken you both a long time ago.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
Leanna smiled at her friend's attitude and once again her mind took her back to devilish thoughts of Keith on top of her, behind her, beneath her.
“Leanna, I was talking to you, where are you?” Amber stood beside her with her hands on her hips, looking rather upset.
Leanna let out a deep breath and turned to Amber. “I’m sorry, I was lost in thought.”
Amber pulled her dress up to her knees. “This has to be the most uncomfortable thing.”
“You never liked those dresses, ever...since you were a young lass.”
“I’ve had enough of you saying things like that. What are you talking about?”
He didn't reply. Amber eyed him, then turned to Leanna, motioning with her hands that he was crazy. Leanna shoved her aside and followed him.
They reached a dark cave and stopped at the entrance. “I must go in alone to get ready.” Keith let out a deep breath, watching Amber stand by the entrance, refusing to go in.
Leanna ran into the back of him. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking at where I was going.”
She was so attracted to him she could barely breathe. His whole existence gave her desires she’d never known or thought of.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“What is in the cave?”
“It will prove to you I’m not a madman.” He motioned his hands as Amber had done earlier to Leanna.
“H
ow did he know what I did?” She shrugged.
“I’ll be back, ladies. I wouldn’t try to run anywhere.”
He walked in and disappeared in the darkness.
“We won’t be going anywhere, my precious Keith.” Amber mimicked Leanna.
“Come on, give him a chance.” Leanna pleaded.
“You want me to give him a chance to prove to us that he’s really has a Lairdom, and he lives in the sixteenth century. You want me to believe that he’s a time traveler. Have you ever wondered what the hell he was doing in New York? Come on, Leanna, these things don’t happen.”
It was obvious Amber was very upset about this whole situation. Leanna kept feeling that this was right, though, and that she was safe here.
They heard his footsteps and turned to face him. “It did happen, Jewel, and I’m about to prove it to you. Follow me.”
Amber moved away from him. “You want me to go in there? This is getting crazier.”
Leanna pulled her in. “Come on.”
Once inside, they saw a small fire. There were markings all over the walls that looked like they had been scratched with charcoal, disturbing pictures. “What is this, Keith?”
He looked down at them. “This is the passageway, we must join hands. Girls, don’t break the chain or you could be lost." Amber felt a cold chill all over her body. “I don’t like this, Leanna.”
Keith grabbed one hand and Leanna grabbed the other. Keith closed his eyes and began a chant. Amber couldn’t understand what he was saying, but a cold wind blew in the cave and the fire went out. He squeezed her hand, as did Leanna. He kept repeating the words over and over till it felt as if they were spinning. There was a huge bolt of light, and they fell to the ground.
Amber stood up. “What the hell was that? That was freaky, and I want to go home. I never want to see you or your strangeness again.”
Leanna wiped off her hands and looked at Keith. “We’re still in the cave.”
Keith walked to the entrance of the cave. “We’re here, ladies. Please don’t be afraid.”
He reached for Leanna’s hand and she grabbed Amber’s.
“Oh, my God, I’m not falling for your crap.” She ran out of the cave and stopped dead in her tracks. “Holy shit.”
The Willing Warrior Page 3