by Nina Crespo
He found clean clothes in the laundry room, hunted down his wallet, and merged into the time stream. Twenty minutes later, he phased into a cluster of bushes near the back of his house. Moving purposefully, he went to the terrace and set out what he’d bought on the patio table. As he surveyed the result, a small flurry of doubt went through him. Surprises weren’t his thing, probably because he hated them, but this had to make her smile. Didn’t she deserve to have happiness today, regardless of not remembering this in the future? He went back and forth between bad and worse. He swore under his breath. If this did come off as a bonehead move, she’d forget and it wouldn’t matter.
He went inside the kitchen and paused, listening for sounds in the house. Still quiet. Ready to put plans into motion, he headed for the stairs. His cell chimed. Reid. This better be good. “Yeah.”
“Come to the club.” The terseness in Reid’s tone meant one thing. Mission related.
Thane glanced up to the top of the stairs. “On my way.” Focusing, he phased to the dressing room at The Song.
“Sorry to bust in on your morning. West would have called you earlier, but I told him to contact me first if something came up. I thought you could use the break, but this can’t wait.” Reid handed him a folder. “Dalir’s already sent Colby to the right timeline.”
Thane scanned the first paragraph of the report. He read the next twice. Shit. The Ancient was right.
Reid’s mouth flattened into a grim line. “It’s as bad as it looks, isn’t it?”
“We won’t know until we get more intel. We’ve got to move. Find Mace, and tell West he’s briefing the team in an hour.”
He couldn’t leave Celine sleeping in his bed. He’d phase into the future and she’d wake up confused because she didn’t remember him. Let’s spend the day together. He could send her home to change, then call and cancel their plans. The solution burned like slow-dripping acid in his gut.
Thane quick-phased back to his kitchen and the first weak rays of morning sun intensified the golden glow hovering over his skin. Glass shattered on the floor.
The dark shadow of realization lit into him along with Celine’s wide-eyed stare. He raised his hands and her attention remained fixed on his every move. Dressed in one of his T-shirts, she looked small, vulnerable, and frightened.
Protective instincts whipped inside of him ready to battle anything to keep her safe, but he was the cause of her fear. He inched forward. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She moved back, her bare feet soundless on the tile. “I know you’re scared, but you have to stay still. There’s too much glass on the floor.”
Shaking her head, she took a step back, then another. She stumbled over broken shards and cried out.
He quick-phased and picked her up. As he carried her outside the kitchen, she struggled.
“Celine, stop—”
“Let me go.” The fear in her voice hurt him more than the kicks and punches she delivered to his body.
He subdued her with a tight hug, and her trembling vibrated into him. “I will, but you have to calm down.” He loosened his grip. “I’m letting you go, but don’t—”
She delivered a warning graze to his balls and ran out the front door.
Stunned, he willed away the faint twinge in his groin and followed her outside. His neighbor’s dogs howled and barked. Somewhere close by, an automatic garage door whined open.
She tripped over one of the sprinklers and fell to her knees amid spraying water.
He shot to her side. “Sorry, but I have to do this.” He wrapped her in his arms, streamed inside the house, slammed the door, and phased into the master bathroom.
She swayed in his arms with vertigo and nausea, the usual effects of multiple jumps on anyone who wasn’t use to it. Turning her toward the toilet, he flipped it open right before she fell to her knees and heaved.
When she finished, he helped her up to her feet and guided her over to the sink. While she washed out her mouth, he searched the medicine cabinet for a new toothbrush and toothpaste then laid them beside her. Her hands shook with a slight tremor as she picked them up. Goose bumps rose through the smudges of dirt on her skin. He wanted to hold her and soothe away the chill, but the stiffness of her movements matched the wariness in her eyes.
Satisfied she wouldn’t faint, he went into the bedroom and found a dry T-shirt and sweatpants. He came back into the bathroom, and their eyes met in the mirror. Celine looked away as he set the clothes on the counter. She flinched. Less than an hour ago, she’d welcomed his touch.
“I know you don’t want to be here right now,” he said, “but we have to talk.”
Still averting her gaze, she turned on the faucet and stared down at the water swirling in the sink.
Frustration and helplessness took turns punching at him. He deserved every blow. “I’ll be in the bedroom.”
Chapter 7
In the shower, Celine pinched her arms, stopping short of leaving bruises. Not a bad dream. The soap stinging the cuts on her knees and Thane waiting for her in the bedroom confirmed it. How had it gone so wrong?
Stalling, she took her time getting dressed. Maybe he had literally screwed her brain right out of her head. Maybe it was a gag. She waited for him to burst in and reveal the joke. Anxiety rose in the silence. She had to face him.
Clean, dry, and dwarfed in his blue shirt, she stood at the bathroom door. Hands balled up at her sides, her nails dug into the sensitive places where she’d held onto the brackets. Traitorous lust reignited low in her belly. No. She wasn’t going to think about last night. All of the weird glowing body stuff…she needed to know what was going on. Once she knew, she’d forget him and the whole night. That’s what he’d ask her to do anyway. Right?
A fit of laughter threatened to bubble out.
Stupid. It didn’t matter what he said. She couldn’t forget the man who’d given her more satisfying orgasms than she could count. Hands shaking, she opened the door.
Thane stopped pacing along the foot of the bed, and his concerned gaze swept over her. For a brief instant, she wanted to run to him, but she stayed in place.
“Do you want to sit down?” He gestured toward the bed.
“I’ll stand.” She leaned back against the edge of the dresser. Unsure of what to do with her hands, she wrapped her arms around her middle.
As if sensing she needed more space, he walked to the opposite side of the room and leaned against the wall. “I’m sure you have questions.”
Less than an hour ago, she’d only had one. A quickie in the shower or on the guitar rack? Disappointment shamelessly reared its head. A simple explanation. All she wanted was an answer that wouldn’t keep her up at night. Like he had a skin condition or a spray tan gone wrong or him poofing up in the kitchen was all in her mind. She forced a long breath. “What was that glow I saw coming out of you?”
“Power.”
“What kind of power?”
“Power from manipulating time.”
Great. Drugs. A good high could make anyone believe in superpowers. So could a case of the crazies. She casually eyed the lamp on the dresser and shifted her stance. It didn’t explain how they’d gone from the front yard to the bathroom faster than she’d blinked.
“It’s a gift from an ancient spirit warrior named Dalir.” His gaze held hers. “I was an Army Ranger. Five years ago, the helicopter I was on with my team crashed in the desert. We were dying, but Dalir offered us his power in exchange for loyalty to his cause.”
“And he’s inside of you?”
“Occasionally.”
A rampant thought sent heat flushing into her cheeks. “When we were—” She gestured between the two of them. “He was—?”
Thane’s faint chuckle filled the awkward silence. “No. He’s only inside of my head when I let him in.”
Strangely, knowing she hadn’t been involved in a freaky, supernatural threesome brought relief. “Then your power lets you disappear and go through walls?”
“Not exactly. For you, a second is a blink. For me, it’s millions of tiny factions that I can travel across to get from one place to the next or into the future.”
“So you”—she lifted her hand, hesitant to say the words—”travel time playing in a band?”
“Performing is something we do between assignments.” He studied her as if gauging how much story to tell. “We’re a covert task force. Our job is to go into the future and handle dangerous situations.”
She reached back and held onto the dresser. To her credit, her knees didn’t give out. “Are you part of some secret government project?” That would make sense. Almost. Ari always claimed cover-up when anything strange came out in the news.
“No, but what we find usually ends up in their hands.”
“So, you only travel to the future?”
His gaze narrowed, as if he could read her thoughts about Dominic. “Yes, only the future. We can’t change what’s happened in the past.”
She went to ask something else, but she struggled with more doubts than questions. It wasn’t possible, but the way he’d laid it out, with no big words or complex theories, made it sound normal. What else could explain what had happened? She studied the carpet and ticked off plausible explanations. There was only one way to find out.
She met his gaze. “Prove it.”
Before she took her next breath, he stood in front of her holding a set of car keys. Lauren’s. Prior to stopping in the kitchen for a glass of water, she’d gone into the living room for her purse. After she’d checked her messages, she’d left everything, including the keys, inside of her purse on the couch.
He leaned over and put the key ring on the dresser. His body heat radiated across the scant inches separating them and seeped into her skin. “What else do you want to know, Celine?”
His low, husky voice resonated with all the pleasure points in her body. Her nipples beaded, and her breasts grew heavy as she craved his touch. Hold on a minute. Was she insane? He’d just freaking told her he could time travel because of some being who’d taken over his body, and all she could think about was getting him naked.
She swallowed and her tongue loosened from the roof of her mouth. “Aren’t you afraid I’m going to tell someone?”
“No.” He leaned away. “Because you won’t remember any of it.”
Unease crept into her mind. “Why? What are you going to do to me?”
“I’d never hurt you.” He lifted his hands as if to touch her but dropped his arms to his sides. “We’re going on our next assignment. Once we jump time you’ll forget.”
“But you just did and I still remember you.”
“Jumping present time isn’t the same as traveling years into the future or from the future back to the now. Once we cross timelines, it’s like a delete button. Every photo, recording, or note we’ve ever written is erased. It all goes away as if we never existed.”
Erased? Her mind reeled as she tried to grasp what he meant. “I’ll lose the last twelve hours of my life?”
“Just your memories about me.” His gaze lowered to the dresser. “Your brain will fill in the gaps based on people’s suggestions, other memories, or whatever helps you make sense of it.”
She stared at Thane, not sure she’d heard it right. Her memories of him gone? Comprehension slapped her so hard it stung. “You played me.”
“Played you how?”
“Oh, don’t try to act dumb.” She shoved him hard in the chest. “You sing me your little song. I fall for it and end up crying on your shoulder about Dominic. Then I agree to sleep with you. Sound familiar? How many times have you done this to me? Once, twice, a half dozen times? Or am I on some kind of a rotation with all the other women you’ve scammed with your cosmic disappearing trick?”
“After all I told you, that’s what you think about?” The look of surprise on his face almost got to her, but she wasn’t that easy.
“It’s possible, right? How does it work? You keep playing me and every other woman you meet over and over again until you get tired of us. And what about my friends?” Her mind went back to Lauren earlier at the club mentioning she wouldn’t mind sleeping with him. All the possible combinations he and the band could pull off with their time-traveling talents piled up in her mind. Her stomach roiled and tears stung her eyes. “How many times have you been with them?”
His shoulders stiffened. “Don’t you dare go there. Last night was the first time we’ve ever met, and yes, I’ve noticed your friends, but I’ve never been with either one of them.”
“And isn’t it convenient none of us can remember it?”
“Wait a minute. I didn’t lie to you or con you into anything. Yeah, I wanted to sleep with you the moment we met, but I also liked being around you.”
“Spare me.” Hurt formed like ice in her chest. “Spending the night with you was a huge step for me.” Her voice cracked and she hated the weakness. “I chose you because I thought you understood. I didn’t think you were some jerk who’d make up a story just to sleep with me.”
The angles of his jawline sharpened and he leaned in. “Joining Dalir may have changed who I am on the outside, but it didn’t turn me into an asshole who uses women. We picked each other because we wanted to be together. If you’d stop being angry for a second, you’d see it.”
“Being with you was a mistake.”
“You don’t mean that.”
He’d given her more wonderful in a short few hours than she’d experienced in the past year, but ripping away her memories as if she didn’t matter… It wasn’t fair. “Yes. I do. Nothing you say or do is real. My feelings never mattered to you. If you cared, you wouldn’t have done this to me, regardless of whether I could remember it. You probably think that it’s okay to invade other people’s lives because you don’t have to deal with the consequences.”
His jaw ticked then settled as his eyes emptied of emotion. He stepped back. “You don’t think I know about consequences? Google it. Staff Sergeant Nathaniel James Eckert, Seattle, Washington, killed in action.”
Tears clouded her vision. It didn’t matter if he was a fraud or not. She was, for believing she could spend the night with him and not let her past or her feelings get involved. A wisp of air blew over her skin, and she wiped the moisture from her eyes.
She looked around the empty room. What was she supposed to do now? Would she magically wake up in her bed? Her heart stuttered in her chest. Had he actually left, just like that? She ran downstairs and searched the living room, then the kitchen. The open back door offered a glimmer of optimism, and she hurried outside to the terrace. Her steps faltered. “Oh, no.” Two place settings were on the patio table with a bowl of fruit and a plate of fluffy beignets. His guitar sat in one of the chairs. Nothing you say or do is real. My feelings never mattered to you. Astonishment evaporated and left behind all the horrible things she’d said.
“Thane, I’m sorry.” The breeze rattled through the trees and birds chirped happily as the sun’s rays warmed the terrace. She sank into a lounge chair and hugged her knees to her chest, waiting, willing him to come back.
Her legs grew numb, and she got up and walked through every room in the house. She called out for him, and her heart sank in the silence. Finally, she dressed and went home. As soon as she burst inside her apartment, sobs, raw and chafing, hollowed her out. Her legs buckled and she sank to the floor.
When would it happen, a few minutes, a couple of hours? She dropped her forehead to her knees and fought to catch her breath. How would her mind reason out sitting in front of the door crying her eyes out in one of her hottest dresses? What would she tell herself about the strange ache in her chest that for once wasn’t about Dominic?
Her phoned chimed in a text, and she dug it out of her clutch. She read between the lines of Lauren’s message about dropping the car off later. She was with someone. Was it Reid? Did Lauren know what was going to happen? Her finger hovered over the call icon. Just because she was miserable didn’t
mean she had to drag her down, too. Besides, what would she say? Don’t get your hopes up. The guy you’re sleeping with is an inhabited time traveler you’re going to forget.
She took a tissue out of her purse and went to put her phone away. Remembering what Thane had said, she tapped the information into the browser. A news article popped up about Nathaniel James Eckert. His triumphs, wishes, his ultimate sacrifice, and the people he’d left behind. Crying, she read the heartfelt words from those who’d loved and respected him and fought by his side. Memories of the day she’d buried Dominic flooded in and she cried harder.
Every passing day for him out there was one day closer to coming home to you.
In the photo, Nathaniel’s parents hugged a young woman protectively between them. The caption said she was a close friend. Nathaniel’s photo showed a younger, clean-cut version of the man she knew as Thane but with the same integrity, strength, and compassion in his gaze.
She’d called him a fraud.
Leaving her things on the floor, she went to her bedroom and stripped off her clothes. Lying in bed, she replayed every caress and stroke. Relived the connection she’d felt with him as they talked about their perfect day. Desire hummed through her veins as regret threatened to tear her apart. He’d gone out of his way to give her so much. Instead of reveling in one night of joy, she’d chosen sadness. She’d thrown it back at him as if it didn’t matter. She never used to be that way. She’d always looked for the good, savored the new and unexpected. She’d enjoyed living her life.
“Thane.” She’d hurt him out of fear and weakness. Now she’d never get to apologize and tell him how much last night meant to her. Or say goodbye. Sobs trembling through her body. Celine rolled to her side, hugged her pillow, and waited for the inevitable.
