On Highland Time

by Lexi Post

  Cold, hard, gut wrenching fear burrowed into his abdomen, and he let go.

  “Ow. I meant put me down. That hurt.” Go-Lucky scrambled up from his prone position on the floor.

  He stared at the little man who wielded great power and forced his voice past his closed throat. “I cannot go back.” He swallowed hard at the rasp in his voice. “Diana…”

  Go-Lucky brushed his clothes off before meeting his gaze. “Fine. I won’t send you back unless Diana tells me to. Okay? Now, the reason I brought you here is that Arthur can teach you what you need to know about Diana’s world, including her language, all in just a few days.”

  He breathed easier at the man’s assurances, but he raised his brow in disbelief and folded his arms.

  Go-Lucky did the same and they stood, silently staring at each other for a long while before the little man gave a brief nod. “You’ll see.”

  Just then, Arthur wandered into the room, his head bent over the parchment in his hand, wisps of his gray hair falling forward while his body navigated the chaos of the room as if it knew where to bring him. He sat at one of the tables and continued to study his lettering.

  Go-Lucky shook his head. “Arthur, you remember Torr?”

  “Hm-hmm.” The old man didn’t look at them.

  He glanced at Go-Lucky, who gestured with his head for him to move. Shrugging, he walked toward Arthur. “I am told ye can help me understand Diana’s time.”

  The older man’s head snapped up, eyes widening with shock. “You…you can’t be here. The Timestream, Jules… Oh, no. Diana.”

  He made to grab for Arthur’s shoulders, but the recent confrontation with Go-Lucky had him slamming his arms to his sides. The sudden fear for her making his throat dry. He swallowed. “What’s wrong with Diana?”

  “No, no, nothing’s wrong. She’s not here, but she was so heartbroken that she had to take you back to Scotland that I’m worried about her current mission. What are you doing here?”

  He gazed over Arthur’s head and drew in his breath. “I didn’t understand how important she was to me, is to me.” He looked directly into Arthur’s gray eyes. “I don’t want to live there anymore. I need Diana in my life to feel whole.”

  Arthur bowed his head. “This isn’t right.” He scrubbed his face with open hands. “We’ve never had this happen, but she’s miserable, and I fear she won’t be as careful as usual. She has always been the careful one.”

  “I can protect her.”

  Arthur raised his eyes, those gray orbs glowing an intense silver. “She doesn’t need your protection.” He put his hand on his chest. “She needs you here.”

  He held the man’s gaze. His own need suddenly filled his soul with understanding. He needed Diana. He needed her. He turned away and without thought found himself staring outside again. The green land reminded him of home, his old home. If he wanted Diana, he must understand her life, the home she lived in, the people she cared about, as she had understood his.

  From habit, he examined the neat field below, the straight road that ran from one end to the other, and the remainder of the field beyond, where trees filled the rest of the view. Those trees were much like the ones in Scotland, tall pines, spruce and short underbrush. Diana’s time may be different, but there was still much that was the same.

  “Torr.” Arthur’s voice was aged and strong with worry.

  He turned. “Aye.”

  “Are you going to stay?”

  “Aye. I love her.”

  The older man studied him before nodding. “Then we best get started. First, we need to teach you our language.”

  Torr strode forward and sat across from the man, his mind as well as his heart open. He planned to learn everything he could before Diana came home. And then they would have a talk, about how much he loved her, their life together, and her need for a defensive wall.

  …

  Torr left the woman called Zania in search of food. He strode down the hall in the odd-fitting trews she called jeans. He didn’t understand how people could fight in them. Javier, Diana’s trainer, had not worn such clothing when he’d spent time with him earlier.

  He smiled. He and Javier would be friends. They understood each other, but Zania and Arthur both warned him of trouble from someone named Jules who it appeared was some kind of clan leader.

  Diana’s time was very strange. It would take longer than Arthur realized for him to grow accustomed to it. He glanced at a statue of sea creatures near the main entrance. He searched his mind for what they were called. “Dolphins.” The word felt strange. All the words were strange.

  It hadn’t taken long to become used to finding the information he needed in his head. Entering the kitchens, he easily discovered various cooked meats and vegetables within the box called a refrigerator. He finished his meal alone, curious that others did not feel a need to eat. Then he headed outside to explore the perimeter of the house before returning to Diana’s room.

  The scent of her filled the space, making it easy to fall into a contented sleep and dream of their time on the wall-walk at Gealach.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Torr woke at the sound of the scream. Jumping from the bed, he opened the bedroom door, and another rent the air. Within the second, he yanked open the door across the hall, ran into the room—and ducked.

  Looking behind and above him, he could see faint moonlight shining on the blade of a dagger protruding from the doorframe. Whipping his gaze to the bed in the room, he found a familiar dark-haired woman holding another dagger.

  “What the fuck? What are you doing in my bedroom?”

  He rose slowly from his crouched position, instinct telling him to move carefully. “I heard ye scream. Are ye harmed?”

  The woman stared at him. No, rather she examined him, slowly, analyzing. He could sense her rapid heartbeat, but it wasn’t due to his nakedness. She was afraid.

  She finally met his gaze, her brow lowering. “I must have had another nightmare.” She looked past him through the door. “Is Diana back?”

  He slowly shook his head. She still held the dagger with amazing balance. “Nay, she has not returned from New Scotland yet.”

  The woman’s gaze snapped back to him, and she squinted. “‘New Scotland?’ ‘Nay?’ Shit, you’re Torr.”

  “I am.”

  “You’re not supposed to be here.” The hand with the dagger finally lowered to the bed, and she visibly relaxed. “Diana took you back.”

  “I have returned.” The exotic beauty in the bed was obviously not hurt. Better than that, she was excellent with knives. If he hadn’t had the added speed he somehow gained after time traveling, he would be bleeding all over her room right now. The woman’s aim was deadly.

  She finally lifted her gaze to his and gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that.” She nodded toward the door. “I thought you were attacking me. Don’t know if you remember me. I’m Katz. I do have nightmares on occasion, so if you’re going to be sleeping across the hall, you may want to knock before you barge in to rescue me. You’re lucky I was half asleep when I threw that.”

  He moved to the doorway. Pulling the dagger from the wood, he strode to her bedside and handed her the hilt. “I’m guessing if ye are that good with a knife, ye have had reason to be. I will keep what ye said in mind, but if I know a friend of Diana’s is in need of help, I will not hesitate.”

  Katz nodded. “Understood.” She carefully took the knife from him and slipped it beneath her pillow. “Though you should know, I rarely need help.”

  He grinned. “I’m beginning to understand that.”

  “Huh?”

  “I will return to my room now.” He nodded once. “I hope the rest of yer night is uneventful.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  He calmly closed the door to Katz’s room and strode back into Diana’s, the smile on his face growing wider with each step. By all that was holy, he was going to like living here.

  …

  Diana
waited while the blur cleared and she was in her room once again. It had taken longer to persuade Dan to leave Waterford than she’d expected. Whoever the Disruptor was had been very influential, but she’d finally taken drastic measures and shot a gun off near Dan’s house. That had convinced him. She hadn’t seen Douglas, so he was probably in another time period disrupting history there.

  Now all she wanted to do was download her observations with Arthur and take a well-deserved vacation. She didn’t care what Jules thought about that. If she didn’t get away, she’d be worthless to everyone. She had nothing left to give.

  Dropping the small suitcase on the floor, she threw the ugly wool suit in a heap and pulled on her white terry cloth robe. She’d stop in the kitchen to grab a cup of tea and then go see Arthur. She glanced at the clock. It was early afternoon, so plenty of time to take care of any necessary issues then she was off to the Philippines. A nice tiki hut over the water with no internet or electricity sounded good, and hopefully no Jules. She needed a break…from life. Or rather from her life.

  Passing through the high-ceilinged central entrance of the house toward the north wing, her thoughts were on Earl Grey tea, but when an arm wrapped about her waist from behind, she didn’t hesitate. Javier, of course. Always testing her, but she wasn’t in the mood. She threw her head back against her assailant, feeling a certain amount of triumph over the grunted response. Even better, his arms loosened, allowing her to step away and turn with a kick to his chin, except she never made contact.

  As she faced her opponent, foot high in the air, her lungs contracted. Torr!

  He grasped her foot and sent her flying through the air. Confusion, happiness, anger, and fear all collided within her heart as she braced herself for a hard landing on the tile floor.

  But impossibly, he was there once again, and swooped her into his arms a good foot before impact. She grabbed onto him as he settled her to her feet again.

  She stared, her mind still trying to grasp his presence in her home. “What are you doing here?” Her words came out in a whisper.

  He grinned. “I’m living here.”

  Living here? She cleared her throat, shock having closed it. “But I thought you wanted to stay in Scotland and watch over your family.”

  He took a step closer. “I will always love my clan, my brothers, even Gealach. I could have stayed and watched over them, helped them unawares, but I made Go-Lucky bring me to you. You own my heart, lass. Without you, I am truly dead.”

  She couldn’t fight the tears any longer and let them fall. Her heart had seized at his first words and now she started to live again, truly live. Her happiness bloomed from the center of her chest and flowed over her in warm waves, causing tears of joy.

  He stepped forward and with his large, calloused finger, gently wiped the wetness from her cheek. “Do ye not want me?” The fear was clear in his gaze.

  It was too much. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled his lips down to meet hers.

  He grasped her to him and kissed her deeply, lovingly. Joy filled her soul as she held onto him.

  When he broke the kiss, he smiled at her and brushed back the stray hair that wouldn’t stay in her bun. His bright blue eyes twinkled as he gazed at her with such passionate love that her heart threatened to burst.

  “Marry me.”

  She smiled back through her tears and laid her hand upon his rugged chin. “Aye. I will.”

  Torr picked her up and spun her around so fast she thought she was time travelling, but she couldn’t stop laughing. Her happiness exploded.

  When he stopped, she had to hold onto him while the room slowed. When it did, he was gazing seriously at her. “Go-Lucky, Arthur, Javier, Zania, and Katz know I am here. What will the rest of yer clan say if I stay?”

  She thought about it for a moment. “They’ll have a lot to say, especially Jules, but I don’t care. If Jules wants me as an employee, you are part of the package.”

  “But this is yer clan leader.”

  She grinned. “Yes, but this is my house, so I can have my clan leave, though I’d prefer that didn’t happen.”

  He nodded, his eyes sympathetic but determined, his hand locked firmly behind her waist. Then he grinned, “Arthur said this is yer home. I am glad because as yer husband, I need to start work on it immediately.”

  What? Work on Stonehaven? She tried to pull back, but he only allowed her a couple inches. “Why? What’s wrong with it?” Her house was the last thing they needed to discuss.

  He let her go completely and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window that faced the front drive. “It is not secure. Ye need a defensive wall, electronic cameras, and a silent alarm system. If someone penetrates the defenses, I want to catch him without him knowing I’m coming.”

  She joined him at the front window and laid her hand on his arm. “Wait. Did you say electronic cameras?”

  He nodded, still focused on the scenery outside, a scowl on his face.

  She tugged to get his attention. “How do you know about electronic cameras and alarm systems?”

  He glanced at her. “Arthur. He downloaded the English language as well as information on the latest security options.”

  She stepped between him and the window, demanding his full focus. “How did you get him to do all that? Last I knew, he didn’t want you here any longer than necessary, the ‘necessary’ meaning as long as it took for him to pick your brain.”

  His gaze was fully on her now. “I’m not sure about my brain, but he was worried about ye, so I told him that by staying here, I could make ye happy. Then explained he could make ye feel better if he helped me be ready for ye.”

  She shook her head. She’d not even noticed that they were speaking English. The man truly was a great strategist, and she’d bet if he was in charge of security, they’d be safer at Stonehaven than in Fort Knox. At the very least, it would keep her nosy neighbor, Mrs. Hale, from using her telescope from her living room window.

  He didn’t break her gaze. “I will do whatever I need to in order to win yer clan leader’s approval. I do not want ye to lose yer clan.” Torr’s tone was deep, as deep as his gaze, which connected with her soul.

  Her throat tightened, making her voice raspy. “Like you lost your family?”

  “Aye, and like I lost ye. I cannot…ever again.” He nodded then swallowed hard as his eyes watered.

  She moved against him, her body craving his hard warmth even as she gazed into the bluest eyes seen in any time period. “I can’t lose you again, either. I don’t care where or when we are together, on Eastern time or on Highland time. All I know is I have to be with you to breathe.”

  Torr’s arms encircled her and pulled her tight against him. “I love ye.” His lips found hers in a loving kiss that promised her forever.

  Epilogue

  Diana drove her Mercedes past the construction at the entrance to the drive and parked before the front door where Torr waited. When TWI moved in, she had dismissed the servants, so who knew how long she’d leave the vehicle outside. What was more important was the man waiting at the top of the five granite steps.

  She turned off the car and stepped out, instinctually pulling down the short skirt of her royal-blue suit. Holy Hamlet, Torr looked good in his jeans and muscle shirt. His new strength and speed on top of his old abilities had Arthur baffled, but as soon as Mouse returned, they planned to figure out what had happened to him in the Timestream.

  She ran up the steps, and he swept her off her feet into a devastating kiss. When he put her down, her head was light, but the intensity in his eyes forced her to concentrate.

  “What did they say?”

  She grinned. “The town gave us the variance. You can build the turrets up to four stories.”

  “Good. We need them for a 360 view.”

  “We really don’t have any enemies except Disruptors and they can time travel so you can’t see them arrive anyway.”

  He looked past her, toward the hills beyond the
field across the street. “I have other plans for them.”

  Now what was he planning? “Oh, I almost forgot, Amber called again. She is really pushing me for a date when she can visit. Do you think you can figure out a way for her to come and still remain ignorant of TWI?”

  He crossed his arms and returned his gaze to her. “That will take some planning and cooperation from yer fellow workers. It is a good puzzle and may be needed in the future, like the towers.”

  “What do we need the towers for? Intimidation? Gawkers?”

  “Gawkers?” He looked at her quizzically. “Nay, the towers are in case one of ye can’t change history back fast enough, and we find ourselves besieged. A lot has occurred in over seven hundred years as I understand.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “You’ve been spending far too much time with Arthur, not to mention with the contractor on all of this security stuff. What about me?”

  He looked past her at the construction taking place on the perimeter wall. “What about ye? I am keeping ye safe.”

  She smacked his arm, which was like swatting granite. “Ugh, this is exactly what I mean. There is more to life than being safe. There should be laughter and—”

  He broke into a smile as he swept her off her feet and into his arms, his latest habit. “Ach, Diana, I always have time for ye. Ye are the reason I breathe, the reason I think,” his face grew serious, “the reason I feel. You will always be my heart.”

  She gazed into his eyes, letting him see all her love for him. “Really?”

  He lowered his head, their lips not quite touching. “Always.”

  …

  Jules studied the view of Toronto from the floor-to-ceiling window. Living on the forty-sixth floor did have its advantages. “Has Diana changed the future?”

  The person on the black leather couch sighed. “Who knows? Maybe we should never have come back here. Maybe the Disruptors were meant to be as well.”

  Jules spun. “I don’t believe that and neither do you. We had no choice. This was our only option.”