Shadows of the Past (A Time Travel Romance)

by Carly Fall

  He smiled, once again wondering if they embraced and happy that Arabella had been able to repair the damage of her horrible behavior.

  “However, Arabella, I am also aware that you are to be married in a few days’ time. As your friend, if there is anything I can do to help you enjoy your remaining moments with your knight, I am at your service.”

  Arabella sniffled again, but he knew tears of happiness caused it.

  “Now, you must stop crying. Your father will wonder what has happened to upset you so, and your knight will be concerned. Wipe your face, and let us get you dressed for the day.”

  He waited outside the door for a while, and then it opened. Agnes stepped out and shut the panel behind her.

  This time, she met his gaze. “She will be out shortly.”

  He nodded, and she hesitated a moment as he wondered what she would say. She wrung her hands in front of her and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, as if she were nervous. After a long, awkward pause, she finally spoke.

  “Sir Jayden, thank you for bringing Her Grace so much happiness. Please let me know if I may be of service in any way.”

  She didn’t wait for a reply, but scurried off down the hall.

  * * *

  Agnes. When he thought of her, he felt grateful she’d been able to put aside the way things should have been and accept him and Arabella together. Profound grief also washed through him, but he pushed that aside. Oddly enough, he’d been the one to deliver her soul to Heaven when she’d passed away many years after he had. She had died an old spinster, but a happy one.

  Bella sighed, bringing him out of his reverie, and he pulled her tighter against him and closed his eyes. He needed to stop thinking of the past and concentrate on the here and now. Finally, he had his Arabella back.

  “Are you awake?” she whispered.

  He chuckled. “I have no need for sleep, remember?”

  She turned over and faced him, a grin on her face. How he wished he could spend eternity waking to her smile.

  “What time is it?”

  “Just after seven.”

  She stretched. “I haven’t slept in this late in ages.”

  “Perhaps you slept in because you’ve been well-loved.”

  She placed her palm on his cheek, her gaze honest and sincere. “That’s true. I’ve been amazingly well-loved.”

  They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, and he longed to never move again.

  “Can I ask you a question?” she asked, suddenly growing serious.

  “Of course.”

  “Why can’t I remember anything else except that night we first made love? Why can’t I remember our remaining time together before the wedding? Or the wedding itself? Or my death?”

  He sighed. “I don’t know, Bella. I may be an angel, but I don’t have all the answers.”

  She perched on her elbow and gazed down at him. “And that’s another question I have. What happens to you at the end of the seven days? You said you have your ways of going back to Heaven. Do you have to go, or can you stay like Celestria did?”

  He took a deep breath. She’d been through so much already, and he hated to put more pressure on her and tell her that she would be responsible for his future, and he really had no say in it.

  Running his thumb over her lower lip, he decided she needed to know the truth. “That’s going to be up to you.”

  Her brow creased in confusion. “What does that mean?”

  “It means that if you want me to stay, I can. If you want me to go, I must.”

  She stared at him a moment, her lower lip clamped between her pretty teeth, then spoke. “Do you want to stay?”

  He didn’t even have to consider his answer. “Bella, I’ve been longing for you for centuries. The past few days have been absolutely beautiful, and awful for me all at once. I was so happy to see you again, but then I realized you didn’t recall what we had. Last night, when you finally remembered, my heart felt as if it might burst with joy. I’ve waited so long to make love to you, to hold you, to touch you, and to hear your cries of pleasure. I’ve wanted nothing more since I arrived than to feel your lips on mine, to wrap my arms around you and smell your scent.

  “So you ask if I want to stay. My answer is a resounding yes. I want nothing more. However, I don’t want to be here if you don’t want me. Your joy means more to me than anything. If my leaving will make you happy, then I shall go.”

  She nodded, then plopped back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

  “Don’t answer now, Arabella. Take time to think it over.”

  Turning her head, she looked at him. “I think I already know my answer.”

  “No. Ponder it longer. You have never been one to make rash decisions. At one time, I thought you did, but I was wrong. Most times, you think things through.”

  She scoffed. “Name a time I didn’t. I’m very pragmatic, you know.”

  He chuckled. “When you asked me to run away with you all those centuries ago. You hadn’t given any consideration to the repercussions. You were thinking with your heart, not your mind.”

  She shook her head and sighed. “I can’t imagine living in a time like that, where who you marry is based on your place in society.”

  “By today’s standards, it does seem odd and archaic, but that’s the way things were back then.”

  “It’s hard for me to think there could have been a time where you weren’t good enough for me.”

  “I was a knight, my sweet, which was nothing to be ashamed of, nor to sneeze at. However, you were a princess. There would have been few men considered to be good enough for you. I think for us to be together, we were simply born in the wrong period of time.”

  “I think you’re right.”

  They lay in silence for a moment as she stared at the ceiling and he gazed at her. Reaching out, he ran his knuckles over her cheek, still astounded that he shared a bed with her again.

  Finally, she spoke. “Could you do me a favor?”

  Although briefly confused at the turn of conversation, he would never deny his princess whatever she wanted. “Anything.”

  “Could you rub my shoulders? They’re so tight from practicing with the sword and knife.”

  “Of course. Roll over.”

  He gently kneaded the tight muscles, and he sighed as desire stirred within him. He never could get enough of her, not during their first lives, and not now.

  After a few moments, he traced his fingertip down her spine to the swell of her backside. Leaning down, he kissed one cheek, and then the other as he massaged her hamstrings.

  A small grin played on her lips. “I said my shoulders, Jayden.”

  “It’s all connected, love. I need to massage it all—from your head to your toes, and especially everything in the middle.”

  Bringing his hand up between her thighs, he placed slow kisses down her back. His fingers dipped into her secret flesh, where he found her slick with desire. He rubbed her swollen nub, his finger moving in and out of her core.

  After a few moments, she groaned and spread her legs further. His name came out in a hushed whisper. “Jayden.”

  He laid on top of her, his cock swollen almost to the point of pain, his body begging for release. He moved her hair aside and kissed her cheek as he lightly thrust his hips between her legs, the tip of his cock barely caressing her center. “Yes, Bella?”

  She parted her thighs further with a moan. “You’re teasing me.”

  He chuckled as he nibbled on her ear. “Am I?”

  “Yes.”

  Getting to his knees, he lifted her hips from the bed and seated himself at her center. As he watched his cock disappear within her, he whispered, “Is this what you want, Princess?”

  With a moan, she whispered, “Yes.”

  Shutting his eyes as he slowly fucked her, he considered how sex with Arabella was so different now than before. In her previous life, he had never taken her from behind like this.

  “
Your cunt feels absolutely magnificent wrapped around my cock this morning, Princess.”

  And he certainly never would have said that, even though it would have been proper vernacular for the time.

  He kneaded the flesh of her hips as his own languidly thrust into her. Reaching around, he lightly pinched her erect nipples, eliciting a soft moan from her full lips. As his hands traced over her back, he gently caressed each rib, then ran his fingertips through her black mane of hair.

  It was as if he had to keep touching her body to make sure she was real, and not one of the many fantasies he’d held for centuries. He kissed her between the shoulder blades, thinking of all the different ways they’d made love, and of how much joy and pleasure they brought each other.

  Her breath had become shallow and she fisted the sheets as his fingers fondled her swollen, wet mons. He knew she would have an orgasm at any time.

  She cried out as he pulled out and lay on the bed next to her. When their gazes met, he simply grabbed her hips and dragged her on top of him.

  With a grin, she sheathed him, and he closed his eyes on a sigh. No, they’d never done this in her previous life, either, and he decided this position was his absolute favorite.

  Gazing up at her as she ground her hips into his, he fingered her hair, a tangled mess around her flushed face. A few rays of sun filtered through the blinds, and he once again saw a bit of purple in the dark strands.

  She closed her eyes as shallow breaths came through parted lips. Her short nails dug into his chest, the slight twinge of pain only bringing him more pleasure. Grasping her hips, he lifted her up, then brought her down on top of him with just a bit of force. He couldn’t get enough of her; he couldn’t go deep enough.

  As his climax quickly approached, he watched her breasts sway, the hardened pink tips beckoning him like pieces of sweet candy. He palmed each globe and rolled the nipples between his thumb and forefinger.

  She rocked on top of him with force, and soon, the first contractions of her orgasm pulsed around him, and he watched her closely. He loved having a perfect view of her face and body as she rode him over the edge.

  When she came, she threw her head back as little mewls of pleasure escaped her throat. The flush in her cheeks traveled down her neck to her heaving chest, her hands gripping his flesh, just as she had held the sheet beforehand.

  Seeing her in the throes of pleasure that he had brought her to sent him cascading over the cliff of gratification. As he pumped his hips upward, he spilled his seed into her, also something he’d never done in their other time. In a primitive, almost barbaric way that he would never admit to another being, he felt as though he marked her, solidifying again that she was his. He longed to do it over and over again, just as a male animal would do to his female, letting any other male in the vicinity know that Arabella was his, and his alone.

  This time, he would not share her with anyone.

  She collapsed on top of him, the musky scent of sex and sweat filling the room. He wrapped his arms around her, and they didn’t move for a long time.

  Finally, she raised her head, looking at him under hooded lids, almost as if she would soon fall asleep again. “I love you, Jayden.”

  Those three simple words did so much to him. His heart swelled with joy, yet, they also reminded him of the danger that lurked around them. He couldn’t lose her again, and his worry returned. Where was Ulric?

  Still, he smiled, hoping he held the rest of his emotions at bay. “I love you as well, Arabella.”

  As she kissed him, she whispered against his lips. “From now on, we’re equals. I now declare you my knight in shining armor.”

  Chuckling, he pushed her hair behind her ear. “Yes, Princess. Whatever you say.”

  15

  As they walked through the forest to their practice spot, Bella’s thoughts churned. Two days from now, the seals of the universe would close. Ulric would have to be killed by then, or he’d remain on Earth terrorizing her and other humans. She couldn’t let that happen—he’d eventually kill her … again. Once he killed her, he’d drag her back to Hell with him. No, she wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. However, where did a demon hide out?

  She smiled at Jayden, so thankful she had the memories of that night. When he’d asked her if she wanted him to stay, her immediate answer had been yes. He’d brought her more happiness in his short time here than all of her days on Earth put together. Maybe he had been right, and what she’d been missing had been the love of a man.

  Did that make her weak? She’d never thought she needed a man in her life; in fact, she’d gotten along just fine without a permanent one. Completely self-reliant, she’d started her own business and paid her own way in the world. No, she didn’t need anyone.

  However, she couldn’t deny that having someone who loved her made all the difference in the world.

  “I wonder where that demon is,” Jayden mumbled, mirroring her earlier thoughts as he glanced around the area.

  “I was just thinking the same thing.”

  He stopped and shook his head. “Something’s not right, Bella. I can’t place my finger on it, but he should have come for you by now.”

  Slipping her hand in his, she also scanned the area. “The only thing we can do is wait, I guess. Unless we proactively go after him, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking.”

  He nodded, and then continued walking.

  As they approached the clearing, the black wolf, Celestria, came out from the brush.

  Bella met her yellow gaze, waiting to see what she would do.

  Her fur began to shimmer, and a moment later, the woman appeared before them on all fours. She stood and walked over to them.

  “I heard you were still looking for a demon.”

  “Yes,” Jayden answered. “It’s imperative we find him before the seals close again.”

  She nodded. “I have seen demons come and go through the rift in the town square. What is the name of the one you seek?”

  Jayden gave her a brief description of him. “His name is Ulric.”

  “I have heard the name, Heavenly One. Have you considered that he hides in one of the levels of Hell, waiting for the right time for his final blow?”

  Jayden narrowed his gaze at her, while Bella’s gut clenched, not liking the sound of ‘the final blow.’

  “No, I haven’t. What gives you that idea?”

  “Some of the demons talk when they think no one else is listening. They return to the first level of Hell where no one can get to them. They wait for their prey there, then spring when the timing is right.”

  Her throat constricted, and she wondered what the levels of Hell consisted of, but then decided she didn’t really want to know.

  Bella gasped as Jayden suddenly unsheathed the holy sword and placed the tip at Celestria’s breastbone.

  She glared at him without flinching, her eyes turning yellow. “What is this, Heavenly One?”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Why are you being so helpful to us?”

  A beat of silence ensued while Celestria’s chest heaved in which looked like indignation, then she spoke. “This is our town. As a pack, we have agreed to help the humans. You said you hunted a demon, and I’m giving you information. Now, I would suggest you lower your sword, or I shall call my pack and we will bury your bones where they will never be found, far and wide.”

  Jayden hesitated for a moment, but then relented, dropping the sword to his side. “I’m sorry, Celestria. You have to understand, I’m leery of help from any non-human right now because it can be difficult to tell the good from the bad.”

  Her eyes turned back to the deep chestnut color they’d been before. “I understand, Heavenly One. I can assure you my intentions are nothing but noble.”

  He nodded, and she turned to go, speaking to them over her shoulder. “Check the portal in the town square, and I shall keep you abreast of anything else I hear.”

  She walked back into the high trees. A moment later, t
hey heard the bushes rustling, and then the black wolf leapt into the air.

  Bella stared after Celestria, then she turned to Jayden when she felt certain the wolf had gone. “Why don’t you trust her?”

  He gazed down at her, his dark eyes warm. “Because the last time I lost you, there was nothing I could do. This time, I have options, and won’t trust anyone but myself until the seals close.”

  “Do you think she’s working with Ulric?”

  He stared off into the forest where the wolf had gone. “My intuition tells me no.”

  “Then, don’t you think you should trust it? That you should trust yourself?”

  “Perhaps. I just want to be completely sure about everyone we come in contact with.”

  He turned to her, took her hand, and pulled her flush against him. “I won’t lose you this time without a fight, my love.”

  She sighed, feeling the physical warmth of his affection. Peace and tranquility washed through her and she shut her eyes for a brief moment. How she longed to live with Jayden without danger lurking just beyond their peripheral vision. Only two more days, yet, it felt so far away. And, in order for her to do so, she needed to kill a demon with a holy knife or sword, and then let Jayden know she wanted him in her life. Or, vice-versa.

  Only one of those would be easy.

  16

  As he sat upon Bella’s rooftop, the stars shone brightly above him and a light fall breeze caressed his skin. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the area around him, not sensing any paranormal beings. Gazing over the empty neighborhood, he felt adrift and alone, as if he stood on the brink of losing the person in his life that mattered most.

  He had experienced it before during the days prior to Bella’s wedding to Ulric, and he detested how helpless and weak it had made him feel.

  * * *

  Bella’s days became eventful with fittings of her best gown that was being altered and embellished for the ceremony, and planning the courses of her wedding feast with the head cook. She smiled graciously as she tended to every detail, but he could see the pain in her gaze. It seemed as if her brow had been permanently creased, and her lips didn’t hold the bright smile he’d been used to seeing—instead, they sat in a tight, fine line.