Threads of Destiny t-4

by N. J. Walters

  It had come for him.

  But words were impossible as the room began to spin around him. A bright light blinded him and he felt his body being ripped away from his home. Christina screamed. His brother roared but Marc felt nothing but a sense of rightness.

  He was going to claim his destiny and his woman.

  * * *

  Kathryn was out of breath by the time she shoved open the door of her bedroom. A heavy hand fell on her shoulder and she barely kept from crying out as she was whirled around. She heard the door being closed and locked. That wouldn’t help. It was too late.

  “What is it?” Tienan released his grip on her shoulders and began to rub them instead.

  “They’re coming,” she gasped. “My father, the General…” she waved her hand at the door.

  Logan was already headed toward the secret entrance. “We have to move.” Kathryn dug into her large purse and pulled out two small but lethal handguns.

  “Here. This is all I could manage to get.”

  Tienan whistled softly as he took one of them and checked to make sure it was loaded. Flicking on the safety, he tossed it to Logan and then took the other one for himself, repeating his swift, sure motions before tucking it into the waistband of his jeans. “You stole these from the experimental lab.” It wasn’t a question but she answered him anyway. “Yes. I knew it was over when General Caruthers came into the labs this morning. They questioned me again and then released me. I could tell that he knew something, that he was just playing cat-and-mouse with me.” She slung the strap of her purse over her head and her right arm. This way her hands were free but she wouldn’t lose it.

  Tienan grabbed his pack and hustled her over to where Logan waited. “I didn’t know what else to do. Maybe I should have just tried to brazen it out but when I got the chance I left and came home.” She closed her eyes as a feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her. “I’m sorry.”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Logan assured her as he stepped into the tunnel ahead of her. It was dark but he had a flashlight that she’d taken from the kitchen several days ago.

  Kathryn hated enclosed spaces but her fear of what was behind them was even greater than what was ahead. She plunged forward and Tienan followed close behind, shutting the secret entrance behind him. The darkness was complete, the only light from the flashlight.

  She started to speak but Logan held up his hand, instantly silencing her. It was then she heard it. Voices coming from below. Shit! They knew about the tunnels. Panic welled up inside her, threatening her composure.

  “I’m right here,” Tienan whispered in her ear.

  As suddenly as that, the fear was gone, replaced by an overwhelming sense of calm and determination. She’d fight beside these two men and die beside them if necessary.

  “We can’t let them take us alive.” That would be the worst thing that could happen to any of them. They would be brutally tortured for days on end, an example to anyone who thought to defy the Ruling Council. “Promise me.” She placed a hand against each man, needing his word. “Don’t let them take me.”

  “I promise.” Tienan’s voice was little more than a low rumble.

  Satisfied, she turned to Logan. “What do we do?”

  “Up, we have to go back.” His face was solemn in the dim glow of the flashlight.

  “It’s too easy for them to trap us here.”

  She twisted on the stairs and felt Logan’s hand against the small of her back as they charged back up the stairs and into her bedroom. “If we can get to the west wing, there’s another secret set of stairs. Maybe they don’t know about that one.” Logan shut the door and dragged a sofa in front of it. It wasn’t much but it would slow them down.

  “It’s too late.” Tienan dumped his pack onto the floor and forced her into a corner behind him, placing his larger body in front of her as he drew his gun and focused on the door. “They’re here.”

  The bedroom door burst open and two armed men surged into the room, their weapons trained on the interior. Neither Logan nor Tienan hesitated. Two shots later the soldiers were dead on the floor.

  “How long will your ammunition last?” a male voice questioned. Kathryn’s throat tightened. The General was here.

  “Long enough to shoot you, you cowardly bastard. Just show your head in the doorway and I’ll take care of that little chore.” Logan plastered his body against the side of a large chest of drawers, letting the bulk of it shelter him.

  “Ah, Logan.” The General chuckled. “You always were a hothead. Such emotion.

  You’re the main reason the project needs to be terminated. Tienan is much more levelheaded. A thinker.” His tone changed, becoming hard. “Tienan, you have been deemed a success. Eliminate the two traitors beside you and you’ll be spared.” Kathryn jerked her head around to look at Tienan. He never flinched, never moved, his arm extended, gun pointed toward the door.

  Logan laughed but the sound was anything but pleasant. “If you think either of us believe one word coming out of your lying mouth, I’ve got some land beyond the Gate I can sell you.”

  “See, that’s why you’re being terminated,” General Caruthers taunted. “Your emotions always get the better of you, Logan. You’re a follower, not a leader. You won’t take a piss without Tienan’s permission.”

  Logan’s finger tightened almost imperceptibly on the trigger but other than that, he didn’t move. Kathryn knew that both men could maintain their positions for hours without tiring. After all, it was what they’d been trained to do.

  Another group of soldiers burst into the room and the men fired. Blood splattered and cries of anguish rang out as the men fell to the floor. Kathryn buried her face against Tienan’s back, not wanting to see the carnage that now littered her bedroom.

  “You got any more bullets for these things, sweetie?” Logan’s whisper was so low she barely heard him.

  She shook her head. “I tried…” There had been no time to get more. She’d barely gotten the weapons.

  “Oh well.” He shrugged and tossed the gun aside. In a move so fast it was a blur, Logan dove and rolled, grabbing a weapon from one of the dead soldiers. A barrage of bullets hit the floor beside him as he continued to roll. Somehow he not only managed to return fire but kicked another weapon close enough for Tienan to swoop down and grab it.

  For several long minutes, the walls and floors were peppered with gunfire. Tienan shoved her up against the bed, using the bulk of the piece and the mattresses to shield them. Silence reigned as the dust settled. A feather flew past Kathryn’s nose. Her pillows were in shreds.

  “Kathryn, we know that this is all their doing. They brainwashed you into helping them. They’re smart and trained to manipulate a naïve woman like yourself. Did they tell you they loved you? Did they sleep with you?” She wanted to cover her ears.

  Instead, she forced herself to listen to her father as he continued. “You’ll have to be punished but then you can go back to work in the lab. Everything will be the way it was.”

  Tienan stiffened beside her. She ignored him as she tossed her answer back at her father. “Do you think I’m that stupid? The only reason you want me back is because I’m the best scientist you’ve got.” There was no conceit in her words—it was fact. “You’re more replaceable than I am and that sticks in your craw, old man. Always has.”

  “You ungrateful little bitch. I should have killed you when I took care of your weak, sniveling mother. I can see that you have too much of her genetics in you.” Kathryn gasped and Tienan gripped her arm and shook her, pulling her back down beside him. She hadn’t even realized that she’d started to stand up.

  “Enough. The bullets are gone in those guns you managed to take. There is no way out for any of you.”

  Kathryn glanced over to the far wall where Logan was hunkered down behind a large armoire. She gave a small moan when she saw the patch of red on his arm. He looked at her and gave her thumbs up. Fists pounded on the secret door but so far t
he lock had held. Unless they knew where to find the latch, they’d have a hard time opening it. It wasn’t much but it bought them some extra time.

  There was some activity just beyond the door and then a line of four men walked into the room, holding shields in front of them. General Caruthers stepped in behind them, followed by her father.

  “The time has come to give yourselves up.” She could hear the underlying glee in the General’s voice and shivered.

  Turning to Tienan, she gripped his arm. “You promised me.” His eyes were sad as he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. “I know.

  Turn around.”

  She knew he couldn’t look into her eyes and kill her. Instead, she focused on Logan, blowing him a kiss. Her fingers dug into the leather strap of her purse. Tienan’s hands tightened around her throat. She tensed and then forced herself to relax.

  The General, realizing their intent, yelled. “Stop!” Just then a brilliant light flashed in the room. For a second, Kathryn wondered if this was what it felt like when you died. But the moment passed and she was still very much in this world. She blinked and half stood, unable to believe her eyes.

  A giant of a man stood just beyond the door, a tapestry in one hand and a four-foot sword in the other.

  “Kill the men. Spare the woman,” the General ordered. “She’s mine.” The man took in the room at a glance, his eyes widening when he saw her. Swiftly, he turned back to the threat and attacked. His great sword cut through the men like a hot knife through butter. As she watched, two bloody heads rolled toward the bed.

  Using the distraction to their advantage, both Tienan and Logan dove for the other weapons, bringing them up and firing. Both her father and the General dove through the door but they weren’t in time. She heard her father screaming in pain and the General yelling at him to shut up.

  The stranger swung around and leapt over the bed, landing by her side. “You are unhurt?”

  His accent was strange but she understood him perfectly. “Yes.” She raised her hands to his face. He seemed so familiar. She blinked, taking in his bare chest, the arm and wristbands and the long brown hair that fell down his back. “Marc?” This was impossible. Marc was nothing but a character from a book, a figment from her dreams.

  He flashed her a grin. “Kathryn.”

  “I hate to break up this little party but we’ve still got trouble.” Tienan had a weapon in each hand, one pointed at the secret entrance, the other at the door. It was only then that she heard the commotion on the other side of the tunnel and saw the door move.

  They were starting to break through. Logan was beside him in a similar position.

  Marc stared at them, his golden-brown eyes narrowing. “You are the men from the dream.” They both nodded.

  Shock filled her. “That was just a dream. That wasn’t real.” Marc used the tip of his sword to pluck the remains of the brown vest from the bed.

  It had been damaged in the shootout. “I believe this is mine.”

  “This can’t be happening,” she moaned, rubbing her temples.

  “It can and it is. Choose.” He glanced sharply at both men. “Stay here and die or come with me. I don’t know if the tapestry will take us all but we can try.”

  “The tapestry.” She grabbed it from Marc’s grasp and shook it out. Sure enough, it was the same tapestry from the attic, yet different. Her family home filled the fabric but as she watched, it faded, replaced once again by the castle that had been there originally.

  Marc wrapped his arm around her, pulling her so close she could hear the steady thud of his heart against her ear. His sword was held in front of them, a protective measure. She felt surrounded by his strength and strangely safe in spite of the shouts, the pounding of feet and the smell of death in the air.

  “Stay or leave.” It took her a second to realize Marc was talking to Tienan and Logan. Held tight in his arms, she didn’t doubt that she was going with him. She held out her hands to them. They glanced at one anther and took a step forward, each of them grasping a hand.

  “Hold on tight and do not let go,” Marc warned them.

  The secret entrance was shoved open and men started to pour through. Kathryn closed her eyes, knowing they were all dead. It was too late.

  A blinding light flashed and she heard Tienan cry out. His grip faltered but she clung tightly, refusing to let go of either of them. With Marc’s arm banded tight around her, she felt her body being torn away from the room, from the world she knew.

  Then there was only darkness.

  Chapter Four

  Marc bit back a groan as he tried to clear the fogginess from his brain. He was on his back, the hard surface beneath him stone. There was a weight on his chest—a soft, supple, shifting weight. Blinking, he glanced down and stilled.

  Kathryn.

  Everything came flooding back to him—his flight through time and space, the fight and their desperate escape. The only question was, where were they? Had they made it back to Javara?

  He could see a window, the shutters thrown back and its colored glass panes visible. He turned his head slowly and relaxed as the familiar confines of his room met his gaze. The fireplace was cold but he recognized the oak table and the two large, carved chairs that sat beside it. Above the hearth hung a large ornate sword that had belonged to his father. He was home.

  He turned his head in the other direction and saw the corner of his large four-poster bed and the edge of a black boot. At least one of the men had made it. Kathryn moaned, drawing his immediate attention. She shifted and her pelvis ground against his, bringing her feminine heat up against his rock-hard erection. It seemed that no matter the situation, he wanted the woman in his arms.

  Her hair had come loose from its knot and long tendrils rested across his chest.

  Fascinated by the fiery color, he lifted a strand and brought it to his face. It was soft and smelled of flowers. His chest tightened and his cock flexed.

  Her eyelids fluttered and gradually opened. He watched, uncertain how she would feel about this turn of events. She seemed to know him, yet she had claimed he was not real. How could that be?

  His erection continued to throb and he shifted slightly, trying to ease some of the pressure on his balls. She couldn’t deny he was real any longer. Not with his shaft pulsing against her sex. Even through the layers of their clothing, he could feel her heat.

  Her green eyes opened and she blinked several times. Her lashes, thick and long, brushed her cheekbones. Her brows were a reddish brown. Everything about her captivated him. He wanted to know all there was to know about her, to uncover each and every one her secrets. He wanted to strip her clothing from her and spend hours learning the curves and hollows of her body. He longed to bury himself in her heat and bring them both to completion.

  “What?” she began and broke off. She jerked away suddenly and he grunted, barely managing to keep his manhood safe from harm as she rolled off him. The satchel she had around her chest smacked him in the head.

  He sat up slowly, rubbing his head, not wanting to alarm her unnecessarily. “You are in my room, in Garen Castle.”

  She licked her lips and he noticed how plump and pink they were. “That’s impossible. This place doesn’t really exist.

  “So you have said. Yet it is so.” He wanted to kiss those lips but forced himself to look away. There was time for that later, once he’d taken stock of the situation.

  The dark-haired man was lying facedown a few feet away from them. The other man was on his back, just beyond, one arm flung over his head. A pool of blood was rapidly forming beneath the first man.

  Kathryn’s gaze followed his and she gasped when she saw the blood. “Tienan,” she cried, flinging herself toward the dark-haired man. Yanking the satchel over her head, she dumped it aside. “He must have been shot before we managed to get away.” She faced Marc, her skin pale but determination on her face. “Help me.” He scooted over beside them and quickly turned Tienan onto his back.
Blood seeped from a wound on his shoulder. It must have come from the strange weapons they’d held in their hands. He glanced around the room but saw no sign of them. For some reason, they hadn’t made the trip. Marc was glad they hadn’t. They were deadly and, from what he’d seen, you didn’t even have to be close to your opponent for it to be effective.

  “I need hot water.” Kathryn glanced wildly around the room. “I need an operating room.”

  Marc frowned. “An operating room?”

  “Oh God. I need to remove the bullet and stitch up his wound.”

  “You are a healer,” he could hear the awe in his voice. Healers were rare and valued by all. His woman was indeed a treasure.

  “I need a needle, threads, any medical tools and medicines you have on hand.” She turned back to her friend, placing her fingers against his neck.

  Marc bounded to his feet and strode to the door. Flinging it open, he let out a roar that was sure to bring people running. In the meantime, he went to the fireplace, crouched down and lit the kindling beneath the logs that lay waiting.

  He heard the sound of cloth ripping and turned. Kathryn had torn Tienan’s shirt open. As he watched, she whipped her top over her head. Folding the material, she placed it over the wound. She was still wearing a white garment with lace around the edges. A bra. He’d heard Christina describe the contraption on more than one occasion.

  It was pretty but it exposed far more than it hid. Her breasts weren’t overly large but they were firm and high.

  “Check Logan.”

  She didn’t even look his way as she tossed the command over her shoulder. He knew she was worried about both men. Pulling his gaze from her breasts, he took the few steps necessary to bring him to Logan’s side. Marc crouched down and inspected the still man’s body. “His arm has a slight wound but it’s already stopped bleeding. He doesn’t seem to be hurt anywhere else.”

  Footsteps pounded on the stairs and Jarek bust into the room, sword drawn. Behind him almost a dozen warriors followed, including Zaren and Bador Bakra. They filled the room, all of them staring at the group sprawled on the floor.