Later, Sebastian would not be able to explain precisely what had driven him to agree. Time travel, magic that was not within his control, unknowns; these were not things he dabbled in as a general rule, despite that such travel was common among his kind. Magic was often wild and unpredictable, and Sebastian was a man who enjoyed control in all situations.
Laurel’s cajoling and his desire to spoil her certainly played a part:
We could just go for a little while. A few hours. It would be stunning to see you in competition, to dance with you.
Ultimately, there was more driving him than that, more than his desire to let her really know him. A whisper in his blood that he could not precisely name or understand.
Seducing him, beckoning. Fate. Destiny.
Some darker force, perhaps. He felt like an unseen hand was guiding him in this direction, a reverberation in his soul that he presently had no clarity about.
Except that it was prompting him to act. A strange pall lay over him, like an odd film on his skin that wouldn't be washed away. New experiences, old memories.
An hour after leaving Laurel in his sanctuary, dressed in a strict suit and fresh tie, he waited in his office for Isabella and Caleb to arrive.
"Sebastian, is all well?" Isabella asked the second she was in the door. Caleb was on her heels, searching Sebastian's face for signs of trouble.
"Everything is fine. I have need of something that I would like you to get me," Sebastian said, getting right to the point.
Isabella stood next to Caleb on the other side of his desk, watching with curious eyes. "What is it?"
"I would like you to visit the fae prince Silsin and have him make me an amulet that will allow Laurel and I to step back and forth through time. He owes me a boon for my involvement in their last war. I'm calling it in." Sebastian saw surprise register in Isabella's expression.
Caleb frowned and asked, "Go back in time? What for?"
"We will be going back to my days in the Tudor court. There are a few things she wishes to see, and that I want to show her. I would like to have it by tomorrow," Sebastian said.
"Are you sure, fratello? What are the risks?" Isabella asked.
"I don't think there will be many, we will only be there a short time. A couple hours, no more," Sebastian said.
Caleb opened his mouth to speak, paused, then continued. "Well, Silsin is the most skilled at wielding his power. If I were going to trust anyone to make me that kind of thing, it would be him. He owes me a favor, too, so I can go see him and get it back to you before tomorrow morning."
Sebastian inclined his head. "See it done. While you are gone, Isabella can accompany me to the council meeting."
"Just be careful, Sebastian," Isabella said.
"What's more important, I think, is to keep it under wraps here. We need to contain the knowledge of his travel to just a handful of us," Caleb said, stepping around Isabella for the door. "I'll see you when I get back."
"Caleb," Sebastian said, by way of good-bye.
He met Isabella's eyes when Caleb was gone and stepped around the edge of his desk, offering the crook of his elbow to escort her out.
Caleb dropped the fake mask of concern and propriety the second he was out the door. A fast grin took hold of his mouth. Sebastian had taken the bait hook, line and sinker. He struck out on foot, away from the manor, and opened a thread of contact with Luceph.
I have news.
What is it, Caleb? Lucpeh's voice echoed hollowly in his head.
I believe Sebastian Thorn has just handed us Europe.
Why do you say that?
A few days ago, I heard the mortal woman discussing Sebastian's past. He showed her images in her head of his life in Tudor. And it gave me the idea that it would jeopardize his reign if the Council discovered that he left his territory vulnerable by stepping out of time.
It would undoubtedly be a strike against him, considering his lapses with the girl otherwise. How do you plan to coerce them to go back to his past? Luceph asked.
I cornered Laurel and compelled the idea into her mind. Apparently she raised the issue this morning because Sebastian has just sent me to see Silsin about an amulet for time travel. The fae owes him a boon for his aid in their last war.
I recall, Luceph said.
Yes. Apparently, they want to leave as soon as possible. When he is gone, I propose that we gather the Council for a meeting and when they return, we bring him before the elders. Between his involvement with the girl and this risky venture, we can paint him as unsuitable to rule. Caleb entered the woods, stalking through the dappled shadows of heavy foliage.
Let me meet with a few of them one on one first. They might be more amiable when the time comes if I plant the seed of doubt before Sebastian comes home, Luceph said.
I do not think we have that kind of time. They're only going for a few hours as it is, and he wants to go tomorrow. Caleb waited through a minute or two of silence. He wondered what Luceph was thinking.
Very well. I will summon the Princes to New York. Let me know when Sebastian and the girl leave, and the second they return.
Yes, my Prince.
Two hours before sunrise the next morning, Sebastian stood before Laurel, stripping off his ring and helping her undo the clasp of her necklace. They were dressed casually in jeans and plain t-shirts, feet tucked into tennis shoes. He reached over and deposited the jewelry on the table before checking her fingernails for polish. There was a light sheen of plum perfectly applied, and he assumed there was more on her toes.
“In the bathroom you'll find what you need to take that off,” he said, gesturing. “Nothing modern like that can go through with us.”
“And the clothes? What happens with that?” she asked, searching his eyes with her own.
“Silsin said that it does not matter what we wear when we go. The articles will be changed as we pass to the other side. It is part of the magic he imbued into the amulet, so there would be no question that the attire is correct and suitable. But polish and jewelry-- that needs to be removed first.” He double checked his person; all remnants of anything modern besides his clothing was gone.
“Okay. Let me go take this off quick,” she said, touching his arm with her hand before disappearing into the bathroom.
Sebastian watched her, feeling a surge of desire pass through his loins. After being dormant so long, it took little to rouse his lust. Tamping the sensation down, he waited until she emerged, fingers clear of color. Her eyes were bright and eager with expectation and he couldn't help smiling as she drew abreast of him.
“Ready?” he asked.
"I think so. How does it work? I mean, what should I expect going through? Will I get to see your castle?" she asked.
Her bubbly questions almost made him laugh. Picking up the amulet—what looked to be a simple gold locket on a thin chain-- he stepped closer and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"We might be separated but do not worry. I will be near. Concentrate on the joust, the scene I showed you in your mind's eye. I cannot tell you what stepping across time will feel like, for I have never done it. I trust Silsin to have made the transition as accommodating as possible.” He released her after a squeeze and walked to one of the other doors leading down different passageways in the sanctuary.
Opening the clasp of the amulet, he dipped his finger in and scooped up a small, jelly-like gob. At the four corners of the door frame, he dabbed a minor amount on the wood. Laurel was right behind him by then and he stepped around her, chest to her back. Looping the chain around her neck after securing the clasp, he spoke near her ear.
"We will be at Whitehall, so no, you won't see my castle. There will probably be some mild disorientation when we go through. If anything should happen, Laurel, you will use this just as I have and return."
He felt her stiffen at the instructions. A drag of his hands along her hips relaxed her.
“But not without you,” she added, her breathing becoming shallower with nervous anticipat
ion.
“With or without me,” he insisted, not about to take chances with her safety. More than he was by going in the first place.
Cupping his pelvis to hers, he watched the daubs of translucent jelly start to glow turquoise. A strange sense of ripe fertility hit the air, making him growl. The light pressure of her curves against him, exacerbated by the way he pulled their bodies flush, made him taut and tight.
Vines began to slither from one pat of jelly to another, twining and twisting, connecting to outline the door. The wood shimmered, becoming as translucent as the jelly had been. Beyond, they heard the clash and clank of swords, heard the distant thunder of hoof beats and a cheering crowd. The images were too vague to make out in any kind of detail, obscured by a thin gray veil.
"Oh god, oh god," she whispered.
Energy seethed from the magic, heightening his senses. He slid his hands around her stomach and started to walk her forward, bodies pressed together.
"Don't be afraid," he said, just before they stepped through.
Book II
Chapter Eleven
The disorienting warp of time, that gray area belonging to neither here nor there, made Laurel queasy. Blind in the monochrome landscape, she was unable to determine distance or detail and her head felt unusually heavy. Between one step and the next, the material of her clothing seemed to come apart on a microscopic level and rearrange itself. The sensation of a million ants buzzing over her skin earned a shudder, but she didn't dare look down.
In the next moment, the peace of Sebastian's sanctuary was gone and she found herself sitting in a noisy crowd of people. Her senses were assaulted from every direction: the heat of a shining sun, the hard clank of swords, bawdy banter from armored knights on the field, the scent of sour sweat and flowers. Uncomfortable whalebone stays cinched her ribs so tight she found it difficult to draw a deep breath.
Startled, she darted a look left and right along the stands she sat in with hundreds of others. The women wore dresses far too hot and tight for the weather, their sleeves fanning wide to nearly swallow their hands. Several wore caps over their bound or braided hair, others had posies and ribbons in their hands, favors for their knights.
Laurel thought the very air smelled different here, so many centuries in the past.
Although she'd tried to prepare herself, nothing could compare with the gritty, surreal reality that surrounded her. What the hell had they been thinking? Her shock wouldn't allow her to be excited, not yet. Sebastian wasn't on either side of her, making panic well in her gut.
"Thorn!"
A man calling out on the field drew Laurel's attention and she glanced at the knights, picking out Sebastian immediately. She knew him by his height and breadth under the leather armor, by the dark hair that she'd so recently run her fingers through. Relief replaced the panic, at least a little. She wouldn't feel completely better until they were back in sanctuary. In their time.
Sebastian engaged the knight, driving the man back with skillful thrusts and clanks of his blade, until he had his opponent beat. A cheer rose and Sebastian thrust his sword in the air. Laurel smiled for the first time to see him so carefree, so…un-Sebastian.
If she could just breathe, she might enjoy all this more.
"Thorn, let us prepare for the joust," another knight called, leading him and a few others into colorful tents set up on the perimeter of the jousting arena, taking Sebastian from her sight.
She felt so far from home, so alienated from everything she knew. It was exciting and scary at the same time. People sat close on each side, crowding her, but she didn't have the nerve to engage anyone's eyes. To really look at their faces or strike up conversation.
Glimpses. That was all she was comfortable with.
While there was a lapse in action, she took the opportunity to examine her gown. A bold, blue contraption with flaring sleeves and a square, plunging neckline. In her fingers was a small cluster of flowers with ribbons trailing from the ends. Posies, like the other women had. In the visions Sebastian had planted in her mind, she recalled the posies flying through the air on a different jousting day in his past.
Another cheer distracted her from her thoughts and she glanced up to see an entourage of liveried men bearing the King's standard enter the arena. Trumpets blared and a few jesters tumbled ahead on the dirt, cart-wheeling and back- flipping for the crowd's entertainment. A man adorned in elaborate armor rode in during the fanfare, arrogant and grinning, his horse tossing its head at the cacophony. He approached the stands, bringing the applauding spectators to their feet, and Laurel understood then that this was the King. She rose as well, adding her applause to the rest, riveted on this living piece of history not thirty feet away. For a moment, she was the equivalent of starstruck.
Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought to be here, witness to this. The king lowered his lance so that his queen-- oh god, Anne--could tie her favors to the end. An unexpected, hot stab of jealousy sliced through Laurel. This woman in her rich finery and crown had been married to Sebastian. She was his wife.
Laurel's modern, American mind scoffed that men would have clamored after Anne's hand. What with her under-developed chin and crooked nose. If Anne was a surpassing beauty for her time, Laurel just didn't see it. Unusually catty, she wondered what Sebastian had seen in her.
Henry turned from the crowd and walked his horse to one end of the lists, clanking down the visor on his helmet. The crowd remained standing and so did Laurel, doing what she could to blend in. It also allowed her to look for Sebastian, and she saw him already astride a horse, body covered in black armor, waiting at the far end of the field for his turn.
Hooves thundered down the arena, horses on each side of the wood rail, and Laurel got caught up in the excitement of seeing the king of England engage in a jousting match. He unseated his opponent and the crowd roared.
"Is he not the most skilled jouster in all England, lady Mayfield?" said the round-faced, brown haired woman to her right. The lady, like so many other spectators, watched the King with exultant adoration.
Laurel glanced at her in surprise and realized she knew the woman's name. "…I, yes, Katherine. He is." How in the world had that happened? Maybe the same way she'd ended up in a dress instead of jeans and a t-shirt.
Laurel couldn't fathom why Katherine cast a strange look at her. Hadn't she answered correctly? Smiling to cover her apparent blunder, she turned her attention to the field. She had half a mind to interrupt the whole thing, march down there after Sebastian, and go home. He was up next, however, because he took a lap with his horse after the King had left the arena, waving to the crowd. The spectators cheered for Sebastian and Laurel allowed herself this moment to appreciate where she was, and what was happening.
Sebastian didn't seem to see her in the stands and went back to claim his lance and his helmet. Snapping the visor down, his horse prancing with restless shuffles of its hooves, he waited while his opponent made ready.
"Sebastian!" Laurel called, wanting to snag his attention. She stood up and waved the posies in the air to make herself more visible.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd and she felt many pairs of eyes on her. Laurel blushed, wondering at her misstep. She had the distinct impression she'd just done something horribly wrong. Sebastian's helm swung her direction, like he was studying her. Or was it censure? Perhaps she shouldn't be bringing such attention to them both. He inclined his head and let his stallion trot closer to the gallery.
She saw it as a golden invitation and tossed the posies through the air. He caught the flowers with a snap of his armored hand that brought another gasp to the observers. They loved nothing more than dramatic romance.
With a finger, he lifted the visor, meeting Laurel's eyes, and brought the posy to his lips for a kiss. He tucked them into his breastplate and after another nod, he lowered his visor and turned back to his match. Laurel all but swooned where she stood.
"Lady Mayfield, that was a
most daring display!" Katherine said with a shocked voice.
Laurel paid scant attention. She watched as the jousters readied and then hurled down the lane, dirt clods flying from under the horses pounding hooves, intent on unseating each other. Breath in her throat, cheeks flushed with excitement, she saw Sebastian's opponent go flying after a resounding crash of lances. She cheered along with the rest of the crowd, who seemed to have forgotten--for now-- her bold move.
Sebastian removed his helm and tossed it to a page before making a round of the arena. Face beaded with sweat, a shadow of whiskers on his jaw, he stopped his horse near the gallery and bowed his head to Laurel. He smiled and said, "You have brought me luck, my lady. I am at your service."
Katherine giggled and several other women began to whisper behind their fans. Laurel only saw Sebastian's roguish grin and his gallant charm. She smiled, sharing this special moment with him, and watched as he gave his due to the queen before falling back in line to begin again.
It galled Laurel that he had to pay any attention at all to Anne. She ignored it, knowing they would be gone from here in less than an hour.
Sebastian unseated several other opponents, one of which who had unseated the king, and the day ended with the loud announcement, "The Duke of Darkthorne wins the day! Huzzah, huzzah!" The spectators were wild for him and he galloped another lap, hand in the air, dashing in his armor and devilry.
It was a side of Sebastian Laurel had never thought to see. She was on her feet like the rest, her cheers drawing speculative gazes that she glimpsed when she looked for the steps leading down to the arena.
Katherine clutched her elbow. "Come, we must hasten back to the castle, lady Mayfield. We need to set out the queen's clothes and ready her bath for the banquet tonight."
Laurel looked at Katherine, perplexed. "What? I…oh. Yes. I will be there shortly. I need to speak to someone first." She said anything that came to mind just to get the woman to run along without her. Laurel wasn't going anywhere without Sebastian.
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