Strands of Love

by N. J. Walters

  Darian turned his gaze back to Sam’s straight spine and her delectable behind as he considered his brother’s words. The tapestry usually brought a woman to Javara, a woman who could fit into their world, one with little to leave behind. But that wasn’t the case here. Sam said she was poor, but that wasn’t quite true. She was obviously wealthy if she had land. How much of it was hers? And would she want to leave it?

  “For the first time, I feel great empathy for the women who have been brought to Javara by the tapestry. I am in awe of their courage. To lose everything familiar.” Darian gave an uneasy glance around. “It is disconcerting.”

  And that was an understatement. They didn’t know the land or the customs or what to expect. At least they had each other to depend upon. The women who were brought to their world had no one.

  A building came into view. It was small, but tidy. Darian was struck by how desolate and alone it was.

  Sam turned and motioned them forward. “You two wait on the porch and I’ll get you some water.”

  Darian tried not to appear too curious, but he had no idea what the metal structure on wheels just beyond the house was. How did it move? Was it drawn by horses? It didn’t appear to be very efficient.

  The back door slammed shut behind her, but was covered with a see-through mesh-like material so he could still see her. Rather than sit in one of the two seats on the porch, as she called it, both he and Jace stood at the door and watched her.

  She bustled to the cupboard and drew down two goblets made of glass. They shared a glance. She must be very wealthy to afford such luxury. Wood cups were for everyday use and metal ones for special occasions. He’d never seen ones made of glass.

  Sam stood beside a metal bowl that was sunk into the counter and turned a metal handle. Water flowed from the spout and she quickly filled both glass cups.

  When she turned and saw them both standing there watching her, she took a step back. Water sloshed over the rims and onto the floor. “What are you looking at?”

  Darian could not lie to her. “You, Sam. We’re looking at you.”

  Chapter Three

  It was official. Sam was totally freaked out. Both men were standing at her screen door peering inside. They reminded her of stray dogs who were afraid the kindness she’d offered would be taken away at any second.

  Her phone was back in her pocket and she cursed herself for not immediately calling the sheriff. She was alone with two strange men.

  “We mean you no harm.” Darian kept his voice low as though he didn’t want to spook her. Too late, seeing them both watching her so intently had already done that.

  The walk home had been bad enough. She’d felt their eyes on her the entire time. It had left her feeling twitchy and unsettled. And, to her shame, slightly aroused. What was wrong with her?

  “Yeah, well stop looking.” Determined to get this over with, she strode to the door and nodded toward it. Darian pulled it open and she stepped out, thrusting the glasses toward them. “Here’s your water.”

  Jace’s fingers stroked hers as he took his glass. She jerked away and all but tossed Darian’s glass at him. Both men drank eagerly, their Adam’s apples bobbing. She wondered how long they’d been wandering in the heat and felt bad, not bad enough to invite them to lunch, but bad enough to offer them more water.

  “You want more water?”

  “Please.” It was Darian who spoke and smiled. Jace just kept staring at her in a manner that made her slightly uncomfortable and very aware of herself as a woman.

  “You’re not from around here, are you?” She pulled open the door and motioned them inside. Keeping them on the porch in the heat made no sense. They could get inside if they chose to. It wasn’t much cooler in the house. She’d stopped running the air conditioning months ago to save money, but having the shades pulled low made a slight difference. At least the sunshine wasn’t beating down on them.

  She went to the sink and turned the tap on, letting the water run cold. “Help yourselves.”

  Jace stepped up and did just that. He filled his glass twice before his thirst was slaked. Darian did the same, but when he was finished drinking, he turned the taps on and off several times as if testing them. The expression on his face was that of a kid in a candy shop. He seemed enthralled by her plumbing.

  Once again, she wondered where they’d come from and how long they’d been walking. They didn’t have any gear with them. Not a knapsack or a duffle bag. Only what they wore, and there wasn’t a whole lot of that on top. The only thing of value they seemed to have were those bronze metal bands around their wrists and upper arms. She mentally shrugged. Not her business.

  Sam crossed her arms over her chest to hide the fact her nipples were standing at attention like good little soldiers. She was attracted to them. So what? They were both good-looking, strong men in their prime. Only proved she was human and healthy. It didn’t really mean anything.

  “You boys need to tell me who you are and how you got here.” She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

  Darian glanced at his brother and Jace shrugged. She frowned and wondered if they were a danger to her. They didn’t look like escaped convicts or criminals but, then again, she hadn’t really met any, other than Joe Bob Riley who drank too much on Fridays and tore up the local bar at least once a month, and he didn’t really count.

  Darian took a deep breath and slowly released it. She tried not to notice the way his broad chest expanded and contracted, or the bead of perspiration that rolled down his tanned neck. “We are from Javara.” He paused and seemed to be waiting for some reaction.

  “Where is that exactly?” She didn’t recognize it. Maybe it was a town in Mexico. Maybe they were illegal immigrants despite the fact they looked more Nordic than Hispanic.

  Darian took a step forward and she took one back, deeming it prudent to keep her distance. She was already gauging how quickly she could run and be out the front door and to her truck if she needed too. The keys were still in the ignition. She never bothered to remove them, as there was no need. There was no one else around for miles.

  He stopped and glanced at his brother once again. This time it was Jace who spoke. “It is not of your world.”

  Great. Just great. She’d invited two lunatics into her home. “So, you’re aliens?” She’d humor them until she could make a run for it and call the sheriff.

  Jace frowned. “I do not understand this word. We are from Javara.”

  “How did you get here? Your spaceship?” Way to go, Sam. She had to stop antagonizing them.

  “The tapestry brought us to you.” Jace raked his fingers through his hair, looking as confused as she felt. “That is not the way it works. The tapestry brings the woman to Javara, not the other way around. You should have been brought to us.”

  Okay, this was so not good. Whoever they were, they obviously went around kidnapping women. Sam whirled around and ran for the front door. She heard one of them call her name, but didn’t stick around to see which one it was. She hit the front door running, yanked it open and launched herself off the porch.

  Heavy feet thundered after her. She could hear them getting closer. Heart pounding, lungs burning, she reached for the handle of the truck. Her fingers grazed the metal when strong arms scooped her up, ending her bid for freedom.

  “No!” She kicked her pursuer, the hard heel of her boot landing on an unprotected shin. Like a wildcat, she fought, bucking hard against him.

  “Stop. I don’t want to hurt you.” It was Jace who had her and he wasn’t letting her go. He tightened his grip on her, wrapping one arm around her upper body and the other around her waist, keeping her arms locked down by her sides.

  She threw back her head, but with their height difference she caught his shoulder instead of his jaw. She was frantic now. What would they do to her?

  “Calm down, Sam.” Darian stood in front of her, his hands open in front of him, his eyes sad. “We will not hurt you. We would die before we’d h
arm you in any way.”

  The sincerity in his words sank in and she stilled her wild struggle, panting heavily in Jace’s unbreakable embrace. Darian reached out and touched the side of her face, gently rubbing his thumb over it. “Please, hear me out.”

  She nodded. She really didn’t have much choice.

  “Darian.” There was a strain in Jace’s voice. She felt Jace’s body shift and he turned them so they were both facing back toward the house. There, suspended in midair was a small rug of some kind, which should have been impossible. There was no wind to blow it around. In any case it wasn’t moving, just sort of hovering there.

  “The tapestry.” Fear coated Darian’s voice as he grabbed her arm.

  Now she was seriously freaked out. “What is it?” For some reason she found herself whispering.

  “It’s the magic tapestry that brought us here from Javara.”

  “I don’t understand.” The air was charged around them and the hair on the back of her neck stirred. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, but she felt as though lightning could strike any second.

  “Neither do we.” Jace’s grim tone scared her more than anything else had today. “Hold on to me and don’t let go.”

  All around them the dust stirred, spinning faster and faster until it felt like being stuck in the center of a tornado. Her house, the sky, the entire world disappeared. All she felt was Jace’s strong arms around her and Darian’s unbreakable grip on her arm.

  The ground seemed to disappear from beneath her and she was falling, plummeting into nothingness. Sam screamed.

  * * * * *

  Jace’s eyes flickered open when something wet hit his face. Rain. He started to sit up, but there was something on top of him, weighing him down. No, not something, someone. Sam Calloway was sprawled across his body, his arms still wrapped around her.

  But where was Darian?

  He sat up quickly, careful to cradle Sam in his arms. His brother was slowly sitting up beside them. They were all safe. A huge weight fell from Jace’s heart. But where were they?

  A low whinnying sound came from the left and Jace smiled when he saw the gray-and-white stallion and their other horses. They were home.

  “We’re back.” Darian rolled to his feet and stretched before crouching down in front of him. “How is Sam?”

  She hadn’t stirred and Jace was beginning to get concerned. “Sam.” He shook her lightly and was rewarded with a low moan. He shook her again. “Wake up, Sam.” He used her name again, liking the way it rolled off his tongue. Her eyelids fluttered open and he found himself staring into dark-blue eyes.

  She licked her lips and his cock roared to life, making his leather pants very uncomfortable. “Where? Where are we?”

  Darian smiled at her. “The tapestry has brought us home to Javara. Welcome to our world, Sam.”

  Jace felt her stiffen and didn’t try to hold her when she jumped out of his arms. He rolled to his feet and inhaled deeply, drinking in the moist, cool air that was such a contrast from the dry heat in her world.

  “What the hell have you done to me? Did you drug me?” Sam was angry, but beneath the anger he could hear her fear, and that just wouldn’t do.

  “Do you remember the tapestry?” Jace asked her, keeping his voice low just as he would when dealing with a high-strung filly.

  “The small rug.” She rubbed her temple and frowned. “Yeah, I think so. But that couldn’t have happened. A rug doesn’t simply float in the air.”

  “This one does. A powerful sorceress created the tapestry a very long time ago.” Jace relaxed his stance as he continued speaking, keeping his arms loose by his sides. Darian carefully inched slightly behind Sam, ready to catch her if she decided to run.

  “In Javara women are scarce and the sorceress gifted our world with the tapestry. Once or twice a generation, the tapestry brings a woman from another world to ours. It is a woman who has the potential to thrive in our world.” Jace frowned, still not understanding what had happened. “The tapestry has come several times in our generation and this is only the second time in history that the tapestry has taken any of us with it when it went to find the woman.”

  Sam crossed her arms over her chest and scowled and Jace. “That’s all fine and good for you, but I want to go home.”

  “Sam,” he began, but she wasn’t having any of it and actually stamped her foot.

  “No, I don’t want to hear it. I want to go home. Now.”

  Jace shook his head slowly, his heart breaking for her, for all of them. Obviously, the tapestry had made a grave error. Sam was a wealthy woman in her world, a landowner. Nor did it seem as though she was interested in them at all.

  He, on the other hand, was totally enthralled by her, her strength and obvious courage, her beauty and kindness. She’d taken two strangers into her home, offering them refreshments from such priceless glass cups. What could they offer her here?

  Their hearts and their love. It was all they had to give. Their loyalty and the promise of a family. But would it be enough?

  Sam was desperately trying not to panic. She had no idea how long she’d been unconscious, but it had to be quite some time. She definitely wasn’t on her farm or anywhere near it. The woods here were thick and moist from recent rain and a mountain rose up behind them.

  It was obvious both men believed the tale they were spinning and expected her to do the same. Not happening. There were three horses off to her right. She planned on borrowing one and finding civilization. Her phone was still in her back pocket. As soon as she was away from Jace and Darian she’d call the authorities. She hardened her heart against the sadness in Jace’s eyes. They’d somehow kidnapped her. Still, she didn’t want to get them in trouble with the authorities. They were both like wild stallions and would die in prison.

  “If you let me go, I promise I won’t call the cops on you.” That was the most she could offer them.

  It was Darian who stepped up and took her hand in his before she could pull away. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. “We will take you to our home. You will meet our mother. If you wish to contact anyone then, you are free to do so.”

  Why did that sound all too easy? She glanced at Jace and he nodded his agreement. She slowly pulled her phone out of her back pocket. Both men watched as she tried to turn it on. It was dead. She didn’t know if it had been damaged when they’d taken her to this place or if the battery had simply died. She didn’t always remember to charge it.

  Darian touched her face and she jerked her head up. He thumbed a tear from her cheek, making her aware she was crying. She never cried, couldn’t afford to. She was a Calloway, and Calloways were tough. They just did whatever needed doing without complaint.

  “Do not cry, Sam.” Darian leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. The light brush of his mouth against hers sent all her senses spinning. Her lips tingled when he eased back. “All will be well.”

  Sam suddenly wanted to crawl away somewhere safe and have a good cry for all that she’d lost—her brother, her father, her mother and, now, potentially her home. But she wasn’t safe and couldn’t afford to shed any more tears. She swiped them away with the back of her hand and straightened her shoulders. “Let’s get going.”

  Jace reached out his hand to her and she walked toward him, but didn’t take it. He slowly lowered it back by his side. His expression didn’t change, but she felt as though her action had hurt him. She almost reached out and apologized before she reminded herself she was the injured party here, the one who’d been kidnapped.

  “So where is Javara exactly?” She wondered if they’d tell her the truth or continue to spin their tall tale. No one liked a story better than a Texan and the wilder the better. But this wasn’t funny. This was her life they were playing with.

  Jace shrugged. “Javara is our world.” He turned his back and strode toward the horses. “Come, we must be on our way.”

  She followed him, with Darian right behind her. She didn�
�t think he was worried about protecting her as much as he was with keeping her from running. But where would she run to? She wasn’t stupid enough to take off into an unknown forest. She’d watch and wait for her opportunity. And, on the off chance they were being honest with her, and she thought they were, she could contact Tim when she got to their home. Wherever she was, Tim would come for her.

  Whatever she could say about the men, they were damn fine judges of horseflesh. Sam’s eyes widened when she got a glimpse of a gorgeous stallion, a sturdy white mare with black stockings and a black gelding.

  “Well, hello.” She spoke low and approached the animals slowly. The stallion stomped his feet, but the mare put out her head for Sam to scratch. “What’s her name?” she asked.

  “Morning Star.” It was Darian who answered her. “We call her Morning.”

  “A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.” Sam crooned to the gorgeous animal. Her eyes were filled with intelligence and she had elegant lines.

  “Can you ride?” She turned toward Jace’s gruff voice and almost laughed. She was born and bred on a Texas farm. Of course she could ride.

  “Yes.” She left it at that.

  Darian hovered beside Morning as if waiting to help her mount, but Sam put her foot in the stirrup and swung up on the horse. She hadn’t ridden in a few months and the joy of being back in the saddle almost overshadowed the fact she’d been kidnapped. Almost.

  Not matter how much she liked these men, they’d taken her from her home. The black gelding had no saddle, but Darian mounted him easily, gathering the reins. Jace swung up on the stallion and they were off with her horse situated between the two men and Jace in the lead.

  The trees were tall and the path narrow. Sam was used to wide open spaces and now she felt hemmed in, almost claustrophobic at times. Yet, there was so much lush beauty surrounding them. There were trees of various kinds, shrubs, flowers and thick mosses on the ground. She saw several different kinds of mushrooms and heard several birdsongs.