by Grant, Donna
“Like I said, the bed is for more than sleeping,” Cole replied, his voice edgier than before.
Shannon was just about to step onto the stairs to lend Cole her aid when one of the other rooms opened and a beautiful women with long blonde hair stepped out.
All four of the guards turned to see who it was and parted as she walked toward Cole. Shannon’s stomach fell to her feet when she saw Cole put his arm around the woman and smile down at her. The look that passed between them was one only lover’s share.
“He has been with me,” the woman all but purred up at Cole.
Shannon’s eyes were riveted on Cole’s face as he stared at the guards.
“Satisfied?”
Cole
asked.
All but one guard turned away and before Shannon slipped back into her room, she heard him say, “For now.”
A shiver raced down her spine at those words. She had no doubt the guards would return. But for her or Cole, she didn’t know.
And one nagging question was unanswered, where was Benton? He wasn’t the kind of man to let the guards question Cole alone. Benton would have been right there with them. So, where was the evil son of a bitch?
That’s when it hit her.
Benton wasn’t at the tavern. How many nights had she lain awake dreaming of ways to escape? How many nights had she paced her small room in hopes of one day leaving and never looking back?
How many nights had Benton left the tavern?
Anger seethed and grew in Shannon. Anger at herself for being fooled and at Benton for fooling her.
But no longer. She had had enough.
She wasn’t a slave, and she would no longer patiently wait for the day the guards took her to the castle for her death. Nor would she wait on someone to help her. She could do this herself. She would do this herself.
After she hurriedly dressed, Shannon slipped out of her room and went to the kitchen. She grabbed the longest, widest knife she could find and strapped it to her leg with pieces of cut leather. She then stuffed some food into a sack before she started for the back door.
She hesitated for just an instant, thinking she might speak to Cole, but then she remembered the woman in his arms and decided against it.
With a deep breath, she unlatched the door and walked into the night. The trees that would hide her were just twenty yards away. She made to take a step toward them when she heard the guards along the main street.
She would have to be careful. Benton might return soon.
That thought propelled her into action. She rushed into the trees, refusing to look back.
Finally. Finally!
The smile that pulled at her lips was the first in weeks, and the fear that she might never return to her own time was held at bay by her newfound freedom.
* * *
Gabriel waited until Shannon reached the safety of the trees before he turned toward the tavern. He sighed as he picked up a small rock. He tossed the rock into the air and caught it. Repeating the motion several times, he thought over his options.
Cole needed to stay in his chamber in case the guards returned, but he knew Cole would have his head if he didn’t tell him Shannon had left.
He gripped the small rock and thought of Hugh and the love he had for Mina, a love most people could only dream about. Gabriel might fool other people into believing he didn’t need or want anyone, but the truth was, he did.
With a sigh, he tossed the rock at Cole’s window. In heartbeats, Cole had thrown open the shutters and leaned out. Gabriel motioned him down and waited.
“What is it?” Cole asked as he joined Gabriel. “Those guards could return at any time.”
Gabriel stared at his friend for a long moment, once again wondering if he was doing the right thing. “Shannon has left.” Cole took a step back and looked up at the trees before dropping his head to his chest. When he raised his head, the warrior was back in place.
“I’m going after her.”
“I assumed as much,” Gabriel said.
Cole hurried back to his chamber where he dressed and retrieved his two small axes strapped to each side of his hip and his double headed war axe strapped to his back.
He was going to be prepared for anything.
“I should have helped her,” Cole said as he rejoined Gabriel. He was angry at himself for not seeing she needed to be free of this place.
“We do have another assignment. Besides, you promised her you would help her leave.”
“Looks like I’ll be doing that sooner than I expected.”
“Nay,” Gabriel said. “We need her to return.” Cole stared at him, trying to determine what Gabriel meant. “Why?”
“She knows something is going on. We both saw her tonight, and I can almost guarantee that isn’t the first time she’s seen the guards take someone. She can tell us what we need to know. Besides, you know she hears more from the customers than we ever would.”
Cole hated that Gabriel was right. The last thing he wanted was Shannon mixed up in this mess, not to mention his dreams of her dead in his arms. “I’ll have to convince her. Which way?”
He didn’t like the fear that raced through him knowing Shannon was on her own, that she hadn’t waited on him to help her. He also didn’t like the fact that he was going to have to persuade her to return to people who could very well plan to kill her. If the situations were reversed, Cole would tell himself to bugger off.
As he followed Gabriel, he pushed aside everything but finding Shannon. They covered more ground than she did and easily caught up with her. She ran as if the hounds of hell were after her. He admired her gumption to strike out on her own in a land she obviously didn’t know, regardless of the dangers. Only her freedom mattered.
Suddenly, Cole heard something behind him and turned to find four castle guards following them and grabbed the two small axes in each hand.
“Get her,” Gabriel said before he stopped and crouched down in the tall grass as he readied his bow.
Cole was ever amazed at the accuracy of Gabriel and his bow, but there wasn’t time to watch now. He turned back to Shannon and lengthened his strides. He couldn’t chance calling out to her in case there were more guards, so Cole did the only thing he could—he tackled her to the ground.
To stave off some of the impact, Cole turned and took the brunt of the fall as he landed on his back. With a flick of his hands, he unlatched the strap that kept his war axe strapped to his back and rolled on top of her to keep her knees from connecting to his manhood as she fought to free herself from his grasp.
“Enough,” he whispered in her ear. “It’s me. Cole.” She stopped struggling, and Cole slowly rose up, though he didn’t loosen his hold on her arms.
“Why did you run?” he asked.
She looked away from him. “Benton wasn’t there. I saw my chance and took it.”
“I told you I would help you.”
The clouds covering the moon parted, allowing him to see her face. When her soft brown eyes met his, he saw the panic and desperation in their depths.
“I couldn’t wait any longer,” she replied softly.
Cole couldn’t find the words to respond to her, especially once he realized he was atop her soft, lush body. He instantly recalled their passionate kiss, and his body reacted as if it hadn’t had a woman in months. The urge to taste her again nearly consumed him.
The hunger for her grew.
He had never craved a woman like he craved the taste of Shannon. Her silky skin beneath his hands made him itch to feel the rest of her and her full breasts pressed against him only intensified his yearning.
His mouth was but breaths from hers, and it was more than a normal man could stand. And he was by far anything but normal. His body cried out for him to take her, taste her again, to make her his.
He inhaled the scent that was hers alone before his lips closed over mouth. It took him a moment to realize she hadn�
�t returned his kiss.
When he raised his head, he didn’t know whether to be angry or…what. Never had a woman refused him.
“Get off me,” she ground out.
He shook his head, not trusting his voice just yet.
“I will scream.”
“If you do, you’ll bring the rest of the guards down upon us,” he whispered.
Shannon jerked in surprise. He hadn’t imagined her response earlier, so what was the problem now? Why didn’t she want him?
“There are guards?”
He nodded. “Gabriel is taking care of the four we saw. I hear more moving toward us.”
Cole rolled off her but made sure she stayed lying on the ground. “Don’t move,” he warned as he reached for his weapons he had dropped when he tackled her. Once the small axes were retrieved, he strapped his war axe to his back.
They sat in silence for several long moments as the guards combed the areas around them. What felt like an eternity later, the guards finally made their way back towards the castle.
Cole was the first to stand. He was still so disturbed about the kiss that he couldn’t look at Shannon. He felt, more than saw, Gabriel walk up beside him.
“Who are you?” she asked.
Gabriel answered for him. “I’m Gabriel. A friend of Cole’s”
“How did you know I left?”
Her voice shook slightly. The last thing Cole had wanted was for her to fear him as well. He turned to face her. It was time for honesty.
“Gabriel saw you leave and told me.”
Her hands went to her hips as she glared at him. “What, you think because of one kiss that you own me? I don’t think so, mister.” Cole blinked, not expecting her angry tone. “What?” But she wasn’t finished. “Why? Why me? Why does everyone want me?” She was close to hysterics, and apparently Gabriel noticed it as well because his warrior stance disappeared.
“Easy, Shannon,” Cole said softly. “There is a reason we came after you. We will explain everything, but we must return to the tavern.” She shook her head. “I’m not going back. I finally managed to escape and you want me to return to that Hell Hole? I don’t think so.” Cole had heard her different accent upon first meeting her, but now that she was upset, her natural tone and accent shown through. “Where are you from?” She folded her arms over her chest. “You wouldn’t know it.”
“All right,” Cole said, willing to try another tactic. “When are you from, because you are obviously not from this time?”
Her jaw dropped, and she backed away from him. “Were you there? Were you with the ones responsible for bringing me here?”
“Nay,” Gabriel said, his voice smooth as silk. “We have some…experience with what happened though.”
Shannon’s gaze swung from Gabriel to Cole. “Do you force people to this time?” Cole shook his head. “We don’t, but we have traveled through time before.”
“Several times,” Gabriel added.
“Oh, God,” Shannon murmured.
She began to wobble, so Cole put his arms around her to steady her.
“What are you?” she asked as she looked up at Cole as if he was something other than human.
And for all he knew, he was.
Chapter Nine
“We are warriors that travel through time,” Cole finally answered She swallowed several times before asking, “Warriors for what?”
“For this realm.” Cole didn’t think Shannon could handle everything just yet, so he planned to give it to her a little at a time. “We battle creatures and evil that would otherwise destroy villages.”
“What has this to do with me?”
Cole had dreaded this question. He glanced at Gabriel, who, it appeared, was going to let him do all the talking.
“We need your help.”
She shook her head. “There is nothing that you could say that would make me go back there.”
Cole took a deep breath and tried again. “Shannon, how long have you been here?”
“About three weeks.”
“How many nights have you seen the castle guards come and get someone from the village like they did tonight?”
Her eyes grew round. “You saw me? You were there?”
“We followed the guards,” Gabriel replied.
Her gaze flew to him. “Why didn’t you do something to save that poor girl?
She’s dead now because you warriors didn’t do a damn thing.”
“Actually, we did,” Cole interjected before she could go on. “That girl is with her family now.”
Shannon’s forehead furrowed in thought. “That’s why the guards came to question you?”
Cole nodded. “Please answer my question.” She looked down at the ground and licked her lips. “It started shortly after I came to be here. It’s not every night, but nearly, and we never know who they will take.” She raised her gaze to Cole. “Can you stop them?”
“We can, and we will, but that’s why we need your help.” She shook her head sadly and wiped at her eyes. “I’m not a brave person. I just want to return to my own time, my own home and have my life.”
“What if we promise you won’t be harmed in any way?” Gabriel asked.
She chuckled and rolled her eyes. “How can you promise that?” Gabriel gave her a knowing smile. “I don’t make a promise I can’t keep. None of the Shields do.”
“Shields,” Shannon repeated and looked at Cole. “Is that what you call yourselves?”
“Aye. And we are very good at what we do.”
She sighed as if debating with herself, and Cole gave her a few moments before he continued.
“Shannon, if you go back to the tavern, then you can help me and Gabriel discover just what is going on at the castle. The people are being taken there, but we don’t know why.”
“Haven’t you heard the roar?” she asked. “You would have to be deaf not to hear it.”
“We’ve heard it,” Gabriel said.”
Cole took a step toward Shannon. “What is it?” She shrugged. “I have no idea, no one does. If I didn’t know better, I would say it was some wild animal, a very large wild animal. But, all the years watching animal programs on TV never showed me an animal that made that kind of sound.”
“Just where are you from?” Gabriel asked, exasperated.
“The future,” she said softly. “A place called America.” Cole’s head jerked to Gabriel. That was where Val and Roderick were. “What city?”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “You’ve heard of it?”
“Aye,” he nearly growled. “What city?”
“Chicago.”
Gabriel moved closer to Cole. “Is that near Houston?”
“No, quite a ways away actually. Why? And how in the world do you know Houston?”
Cole ran a hand down his face. He had hoped of some news about Val and Roderick, but that was impossible until Aimery appeared. “Two of the Shields are there.”
“Oh,” she replied softly.
Shannon watched Cole and Gabriel as they stood silently before her. They had gotten so excited when they discovered where she was from that she had hated to disappoint them.
The entire night was like a bad dream, one that she couldn’t wake from. They had asked her to do the impossible—return to the tavern. She had to wonder if they knew just what they asked, but by the regret in Cole’s dark eyes, she figured he did.
She hadn’t lied. She wasn’t brave, the exact opposite really. She didn’t watch scary movies since she would always have nightmares for days afterwards, she didn’t get on thrill rides at amusement parks because she knew she’d be on one when it broke and came crashing to the ground. The riskiest thing she did was get in her car every day and drive the streets of Chicago. And that was as much risk as she could manage.
“Shannon?”
Cole’s deep voice called to her. She knew what he waited for but wasn’t sure she could do it.
> “Think of the lives you can save,” Gabriel said.
“There are some people, like you two,” Shannon said, “that want to be heroes. I don’t want to be a hero. I just want to be left alone.” When Cole gripped each of her shoulders, she welcomed his warmth and his strength that seeped through her clothes and into her skin.
