Shadows of the Past (A Time Travel Romance)

by Carly Fall

  Princess Arabella not only proved to be beautiful, but intelligent and quick-witted, as well.

  At night, as he slept outside her chamber, he imagined touching her smooth skin, bringing a lock of her hair to his nose. Every now and then when she walked past him, he caught a whiff of lavender, and other times, roses. When he closed his eyes, he imagined the globes of her breasts in his palms and the heat of her core as he drove his cock into her—as vividly as if he’d actually experienced it.

  But then, daybreak would come, and he’d be forced to remind himself that none of those things could ever happen. After all, she remained a princess, and he a knight.

  On this morning, he woke and gathered his bedding, then made his way down to the servants’ quarters where he used a chamber pot, changed his clothing, and grabbed a roll from the kitchen. He hurried back up to the princess’ room and waited outside her door. He heard low voices but couldn’t make out the conversation, and assumed her lady’s maid, Agnes, helped her dress for the day.

  When Arabella emerged, she smiled at him, and he followed her into her solar, where she would break her fast.

  “How are you on this morning, Jayden?”

  “Very fine, thank you. And you, Arabella? I trust you slept well?”

  Her smile faded a bit. “Yes, indeed.”

  She turned her attention to the window, and he wondered if she lied about her rest. Perhaps she had tossed and turned throughout the night.

  A moment later, a serving wench approached and set down a plate of rolls and an ale, then left.

  He took up his position standing behind her, just to her right. Today, she wore a simple grey gown with her hair woven in intricate braids around her head, a style he hadn’t seen her wear before, and he came to the conclusion that he preferred her hair in its natural state of soft waves around her shoulders. However, the braids allowed him to admire the long column of her neck, and the way her collarbones protruded just a bit from her skin. He longed to trace his lips up her throat and to gently suckle the flesh where he could see her pulse thrum beneath the skin.

  She stared out at the garden for a while longer, and then sighed.

  “Please, help yourself to some rolls, Jayden. I will never eat all of them, anyway.”

  They were alone, so he sat in the chair to her left. He’d only managed to grab a bit of food this morning, and his stomach roared with hunger. Taking two, he ate quickly and wished he had a sip of ale to wash them down.

  As she turned to him, he noticed that she did look a tad weary; her face seemed drawn and a bit pale.

  “Jayden, I have so enjoyed getting to know you these past days, and I do hope I may consider you a friend.”

  He grinned and found himself pleased beyond words at her declaration. “Thank you, Arabella. And I, you.”

  She smiled at him, her eyes glittering. He recognized the look as one where she was about to disclose an idea of hers that he wouldn’t find agreeable.

  “As my friend, there is one thing you must do for me.”

  Bloody Hell. He most certainly didn’t like the sound of that, but his curiosity begged for an answer. “What do you require of me?”

  She took a deep breath, and he saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes before she spoke. “You shall teach me to wield a sword.”

  He’d been correct in his assessment of the moment, and stared at her in disbelief. Had she gone mad? He recalled seeing her staring at the knights from atop the castles inner wall as they practiced their swordsmanship. Perhaps she’d been mad her entire life, and the disease had chosen now to manifest itself to him. Mayhap, her father, the prince, had been correct in describing his daughter as peculiar. He’d never heard such ridiculousness.

  “I cannot do that, Princess.”

  She raised her eyebrows at him, as if chastising him for addressing her wrongly.

  “Forgive me, Arabella,” he said on a sigh. “I cannot teach you to wield a sword. You are a princess, and the very idea of you holding a weapon in your hand is absurd.”

  A shiver traveled down his spine as her name spilled from his lips, as it did every time he said it. It felt so intimate, and flashes of his treacherous fantasies passed before his eyes.

  “Yes, you can, Jayden. I have seen you sparring with the other knights. You are quite proficient, and I wish you to teach me.”

  “Arabella, I—”

  She leaned forward again; this time, her gaze pleading with him. “Please, Jayden. You have seen the doldrums of my life. I have few friends, and those I do have bore me to tears. I hate sewing. I do enjoy reading, but only because the stories take me far away from here. In a short time, my father will ship me off to lands unknown, where I am to marry a complete stranger. Then, I will be expected to spread my legs for him and have him ride me like a brood mare. If I am fortunate, love may come, but I will not get my hopes up. I will raise children with a man I may not even like.”

  When she sat up straight, tears welled in her eyes. “That is going to become my life. I have always been fascinated by the art of wielding the sword, and all I am asking is for you to grant me this simple wish.”

  She seemed to fight back the tears, not wanting to let them fall.

  He considered her words, and his gut turned. It pained him that she could be so miserable, and he wanted to see her happy, to see the smile that came straight from her heart. However, he didn’t think he could go along with her odd idea.

  “I am certain your father will find a man who will love you, Arabella.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I am not asking you to commit a crime, Jayden. I just want a chance to learn before I am wed and forced to bow to my husband’s will.”

  Sighing, he wanted to help her, to bring her a bit of joy. However, they could not risk being seen. Practicing in the great hall or courtyard would be foolish, but knowing the princess, she most likely had an alternative strategy planned.

  “How do you propose we do this?”

  She smiled, then reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, Jayden. I have an idea. I will order the servants to prepare a meal for us, and have two horses readied. I shall tell Agnes I wish to take a ride out to see the wildflowers, which I have done before. As my father’s trusted knight, she will allow you to accompany me. We depart in one hour.”

  She stood and hurried from the room, moving faster than he’d ever seen her. He stared down at the plate of rolls, listening to the fading sound of her skirts swishing around her ankles.

  Smiling, he shook his head. He didn’t know what he’d just gotten himself into, but he felt as if he’d just been drawn into a magnificent storm, and it both thrilled him, as well as terrified him to find where it would lead him.

  * * *

  Three hours later, they stood in the midst of a large field blooming with wildflowers. Not a person could be found in any direction, and no houses or farms loomed on the horizon. Frankly, it proved to be a perfect place for her to learn swordsmanship.

  He stood behind her with his hands clasped behind his back, not wanting to touch her. “You want to hold it at the hilt with both hands.”

  “Like this?”

  He shook his head. They had been trying to get the grip right for a while now, yet, he did not find his patience waning as it might when teaching another. “No. Move your left hand down a bit.”

  She sighed in exasperation. “Jayden, I give you permission to touch me. I see we will never get anywhere if you do not, and we are wasting precious time.”

  Stepping up to her, he took a deep breath as he wrapped his arms around to her front, gripping her hands in his. As he moved them to the correct position, he tried to ignore the blood rushing to his groin and the fact he was in direct contact with the most beautiful, willful woman he’d ever been acquainted with.

  “Like that,” he said, inhaling deeply, smelling the lavender oils in her hair. “Then, lift with the strength in your arms, not your wrists. Your hands must be strong, but your power is not going to come from
them. It will come from the rest of your body.”

  He probably held on a little too long, but her back pressed up against his chest felt too good to let go.

  She nodded, and he heard her gasp as he placed his palms on her biceps. He hoped he hadn’t overstepped his boundaries, but he couldn’t seem to keep his hands at his sides.

  “Now lift it.”

  She proved to be much stronger than he’d anticipated, and he reluctantly stepped away from her.

  “Very good.”

  Sidling up next to her, they went through some basic movements. He showed them to her, and she mimicked him. Before he knew it, the sun had risen high in the sky, its warmth more pronounced.

  Sweat dripped down the sides of her face; strands of her hair had come loose from her braids and stood out from her head. Her cheeks had flushed a deep red. She looked nothing as a princess should, but her eyes sparkled more powerfully than the twinkling nighttime stars, and her smile rivaled the strength of the sun. He’d never seen her so joyous, and his heart swelled with happiness.

  “You are a natural, Arabella.”

  She threw her head back and laughed, then handed the sword to him. After he took it, she spun in a circle as a child would, her arms out to her sides, and her head tilted skyward.

  He chuckled as she kept spinning, and eventually fell onto the grass, her grin still in place. As he sat down next to her, she closed her eyes for a moment, then gazed up at him.

  “Thank you for giving me the best day of my life, Jayden.”

  Her earnest voice let him know she meant every word, and joy surged through him that he’d been the one to deliver it to her. “You are very welcome, Arabella.”

  She sat up and propped herself on one elbow. “I hope we can have other days as pleasurable as this.”

  He didn’t think he could stop smiling, even if he tried. The fact that he’d been the one to bring Arabella such happiness absolutely elated him. “I hope for that, as well.”

  * * *

  Taking a deep breath and feeling a bit more centered, Jayden rose from the bed, opened the bedroom door and made his way to the kitchen. The sun had risen, and Bella required all the practice she could get. They didn’t know when they would run into Ulric again, and she needed to be as prepared as possible for the upcoming battle.

  He’d decided last night, as he’d scanned the area from the roof, that they would practice with the sword out in the forest just beyond Bella’s home, and he’d told her about it before he had laid down. Doing so would offer more privacy, and if Ulric had taken to looking for her, it could throw him off the trail. Jayden doubted the demon would venture into the forest, especially if werewolves inhabited it, as he sensed they did. Werewolves would rather tear a demon limb from limb, then ask questions later.

  “I’m ready to go,” she said, turning to him as he walked into the kitchen. “I don’t have much food in the house, but I managed to pack a couple of sandwiches.”

  He nodded as he studied her. The first rays of sun had filtered through the blinds and brought out little streaks of lavender in her hair.

  She put the food into a pack as she spoke. “You must be starving. I haven’t seen you eat anything since I met you.”

  Most of her hair had been piled up on top of her head in a messy bun, and he tried to be discreet as he gazed at the long column of her neck and remembered his lips on it. “I don’t require food right now. Eating it would only make me ill.”

  Her brow furrowed. “That’s too bad. I love to eat. Why would it make you sick?”

  He shrugged. “Even though my wings are gone, I am still an angel. We have no need for food. We don’t get hungry.”

  “Well, that’s a shame.”

  He studied her for a moment, then nodded. “Yes, it is. Shall we go?”

  As he turned toward the door, he realized there were many shameful things occurring, especially the way he physically ached for a woman who couldn’t even remember him.

  8

  Bella’s house butted up against the forest, so they walked through her small backyard and out the gate. The air within the high pine trees had yet to warm, and she wished she’d brought a heavier coat.

  She followed Jayden and he walked quickly and with a sure step, while she stumbled over limbs and bushes trying to keep up. If she could concentrate, she supposed the walk would have been much smoother. Her mind still remained confused, as if it rejected everything she’d seen—and what Jayden had told her—as reality.

  Glancing up at his strong back, she wondered what terrible influence she’d been on him. If he told the truth—which she found hard to believe, but it still rang genuine to her—she must have changed significantly from that lifetime to this one. Her present day existence was quiet and lonely, but that seemed to be of her own making. She just found very few people excited her, especially when it came to men. Yes, she’d been on a few dates, but she longed for more. No one could offer her enough. However, she couldn’t pinpoint what ‘more’ entailed.

  She supposed it came down to excitement, and the fact that she didn’t know how to create it in her own life.

  How pathetic.

  They reached a small clearing, the sun in the perfect position to beat down on them through the tall pines. She stood in its bright light, taking in all the warmth it had to offer.

  Jayden turned her way and presented the sword to her, holding the hilt in one hand while laying the blade in the other. “This is a holy sword, directly from Heaven, given to me with the Creator’s blessing. You must kill Ulric with either this, or the holy knife.”

  She stared at it. The steel blade glinted in the sunlight while the handle mesmerized her as it looked as if it had been encrusted with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. She took it from him and gripped the handle.

  ”You want to hold it at the hilt.”

  She wrapped both hands around the jewels. “Like this?”

  He shook his head. “No. Move your left hand down a bit.”

  Her head began to swim, and she stared down at the ground trying to remain standing, despite her sudden dizziness.

  Suddenly, instead of standing in a forest of tall, majestic trees in the fall, a large field of grass and wildflowers appeared before her. She gaped at the yellows, purples, and pinks, their beauty taking her breath away.

  Inhaling deeply, she could smell their clean fragrance and feel the warmth of the fresh, spring air against her skin.

  A tremor of fear crawled up her spine, but then, a wave of comfort smothered it, almost as if she stood right where she belonged.

  She decided not to mention it to Jayden in case she truly had lost her mind. There was no sense in letting him know all her marbles weren't in order.

  Glancing back down at her hands, she knew she didn’t hold the weapon correctly and sighed, her next words tumbling from her lips without thought, almost as if they belonged in the moment. “Jayden, I give you permission to touch me. I see we will never get anywhere if you do not.”

  She furrowed her brow at the formal dialect she spoke, and it felt like she had said the words before.

  Jayden gasped, but a moment later, he came up behind her and wrapped his arms to her front, his rough hands grasping hers. Her heart pounded in her chest at his closeness, and she could feel the heat from his body.

  “Like that,” he whispered, moving her hands to the correct grip. Her throat felt dry as he held on just a little too long. “Then, to lift, use the strength in your arms, not your wrists. Your hands must be strong, but your power is not going to come from them. It will come from the rest of your body.”

  She nodded as he placed his hands on her biceps, and she knew what he would say next.

  “Now lift it.”

  As she heaved the sword into the air, an intense feeling of freedom overcame her, as well as knowledge that she could not only wield the blade, but she could slay a demon.

  He sidled next to her, his hands held out in front of him as if he grasped a weapon. She f
ollowed his moves. They felt erratic at first, but then she copied him with ease, as if she’d been doing it a long time. A lifetime.

  “You’re a natural, Bella.”

  His voice hit her ears, as if it had become an echo. She wiped sweat from her brow and turned to him. “I can do this.”

  He smiled. “I know.”

  Suddenly, the grass and the flowers disappeared, and the tall trees of the forest surrounded her again. Her heart thrummed in her chest at the changes she’d experienced, and goose bumps traveled over her flesh from the chill in the air as her head swam.

  Just as she was about to mention the transformation to Jayden, she heard movement from the underbrush. Without even thinking about it, she turned, brought up the sword, and took her fighting stance. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Jayden had drawn his holy knife and held it out in front of him, ready to attack.

  A black wolf appeared and growled at them.

  Surprised and afraid, Bella took a step back and brought the sword to her side, while Jayden put his body in front of hers. The wolf stared at them, its eyes glowing yellow, its long, white teeth bared. Then, she realized this may be the same wolf she’d seen yesterday, the one that had told her to get back into her store. She laid a hand on Jayden’s shoulder and moved beside him.

  “I think I know her.”

  The wolf growled again viciously as it eyed the sword at her side.

  Bella took a deep breath. “We’re not here to hurt you.”

  It snapped at the air, and Bella wondered if she had been thinking of the wrong wolf. The one outside the bakery had saved her by telling her to go into her shop. This one seemed to be ready to rip out her throat.

  She tried again. “At the bakery, you told me to get inside before you … I guess the right word is ‘changed.’ You were a woman, and then you became a wolf. You fought with a grey wolf. Remember? You saved me. You didn’t want to hurt me then. Why do you want to hurt me now?”