Highland Protector (MacCoinnich Time Travels #5)(23)
Author: Catherine Bybee

He shook his head and lifted her hand, helping her around a small pond in the corner of Mrs. Dawson’s yard. “We band together, become stronger. Fortresses like this one become cities of themselves. Wells are dug for water, gardens are planted and livestock is gathered. Food can be obtained outside the walls, but we don’t depend on it.”

“Sounds like home.” She tugged him over to a bench and sat to enjoy the fair weather. Gavin kept a constant eye on the world around him. “What about the Others?”

“With the world in a constant power struggle, the population becomes susceptible to dictator. Many humans try, and some succeed for short periods of time. Imagine how far a powerful Druid could reach and control if—”

“I don’t have to imagine. Grainna controlled a small army and affected everyone, Druid or not, before she was destroyed.”

“I suppose you don’t.”

“The Others are Druid?”

“Yes. Collecting power, using theirs for personal gain.”

She thought on this for a time and released a long-suffering sigh. “Who is your leader?”

His eyes pinched together in thought. “There isn’t one power, or one Laird controlling anything. We work as a collective. All of us wish to survive and strive for a better life for our children.”

Amber paused. “Do you have children?” A wife? She glanced at their joined hands.

Gavin shook his head. “That’s not in my plan.”

Part of her was relieved. The other part held a sliver of sorrow. “Doesn’t everyone want to find someone to share their life with?”

“I’m a warrior, Amber. I’ve traveled in time more often than you. There’s always a possibility I won’t return. I won’t put another person through the anguish of not knowing what happened if I don’t return.”

The sadness in his voice told her there was more to his explanation than he offered, but he didn’t elaborate, and Amber wasn’t about to probe his thoughts for their deeper meaning.

“I suppose that’s fair. Sad, but fair.”

“This from the woman who was ready to die before being educated on the male anatomy.”

Heat rushed to her face but she refused to let him see her squirm. He was teasing her again, probably in an effort to make her more comfortable at his side. “I didn’t want to die.”

“You were giving up.”

She wanted to deny him, couldn’t. “A quick noble death is better than a slow useless death.” Amber noticed a bird land on a limb of a nearby tree. It cocked its head to the side as if it listened to them.

“I understand the need to die in battle versus wasting away in a small, dark room.”

“For years now, I wondered why I was spared… Why couldn’t I have perished when Grainna was destroyed instead of being forced to live the way I have?”

Gavin placed a second hand over hers. “It wasn’t your time. And we will find a way to keep you from a slow, painful death.”

She wanted to believe him. “And if we can’t, you must not blame yourself for letting go.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’m not letting go.”

Maybe not now…but sooner or later, you’ll have to.

A fluttering in the tree caught her attention again. In it sat a large black crow.

The breath in her lungs caught and chills ran up her arms. Crows were a common bird in this part of California, but she never did like seeing them. The omen they represented, the memory of Grainna taking the shape of a crow to fly among a flock to spy on her family sat firmly in Amber’s memory.

“What is it?”

She told herself the bird wasn’t watching them, but when she moved closer to Gavin’s side, the bird’s head turned toward him. As a child, she could tell if Druid thoughts were present in any animal around her. With the impaction of so many emotions inside of her, she hadn’t concentrated on an animal in years. Amber pushed against Gavin’s shield, reaching for the animal.

“What are you doing?”

“That bird…it’s watching us.”

Gavin laughed. “It’s just a crow.” He stomped his foot intending to scare the bird off.

It didn’t budge.

The smile on Gavin’s face fell.

Amber pushed against the shield again.

“Stop doing that, Amber. It’s just a bird.” But even as the words left Gavin’s lips, she knew he worried the bird was something more.

He stood and brought him with her.

The bird watched them.

“Let’s go inside.”

Before they could step in that direction the crow took flight, aiming in their direction.

Gavin shoved her behind him, removed one of his weapons, and started to fire.

Inside Amber’s head started to scream. Laughter, chaos…pain blinded her. She hit the ground grabbing her head with both hands.

****

The sound of laughter filled Kincaid’s head moments before the bird blew into chunks of feathers and blood and hit the ground. Several crows appeared from out of nowhere and flew away into the sky. More laughter assaulted his ears. He took aim at the other crows and noticed that both of his hands clasped to his gun.

He lowered his weapon and swiveled around.

Amber sat curled in a ball at his feet.

He’d let her go. How could I have let her go?

Kincaid placed a hand on her face and sat on the ground beside her. “Amber?”

She whimpered and snuggled into him.

He closed his eyes and heard the noise filling her, felt the pain threaten to take hold and not let go. He gathered her in his arms, reached under her shirt to maximize their contact. The places they touched sparked and brought wave after wave of pleasure. Like dipping in cool water on a hot day. “I’ve got you.”

He closed his eyes, pulled power from the world around him and added layers to his shield. He dropped his lips to the top of her forehead and tried to calm the noise inside. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and kissed her head.

She crawled into his warmth and the pain slowly eased. In his arms, her limbs loosened around him, reaching for skin. Seemed the barrier of clothing was too dense to feel the full power of his ability to shield her. One tiny hand wrapped around his neck, the other held his bare arm.

They sat entangled in each other’s arms while the world calmed around them.

The sweet scent of her skin, her hair, mixed with the realization that tears slid from her eyes.

He kissed her temple and ran the pad of his thumb over her cheek to remove her tears. He knew the pain was getting better, even if worry that it would come back filled every inch of her.