Talisman of Light: Highland Hearts Afire - Time Travel Romance

by B. J. Scott

  “You just happened to be there when they extracted me from the wreckage?” Alex inquired.

  “Aye. They found you in a section near the wing. The only portions of the plane still intact. You were fortunate to be seated where you were.” she said. “According to the men who pulled you out, you were suspended upside-down, trapped in your seatbelt.”

  “Hard to believe they found me alive,” Alex sighed. “So when did we actually meet for the first time? Why did you stay with me? I would imagine you have a busy practice and are needed there.”

  “We didn’t actually meet formally. You were unconscious at the time and in very bad shape.” She touched the back of his hand, but quickly withdrew her fingers as if she’d burnt them. “As for staying, I felt compelled to see this through. I had some vacation time coming and have a very competent replacement covering for me in my absence. Why is when we met so important?”

  She felt the connection between them. Alex was certain of it. But he still was not quite ready to disclose his secret, fearing that if he was wrong, she’d think him mad. “I just wondered why a stranger would stay with someone they didn’t know.”

  She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, as if being so close to him made her nervous. “There was so much going on following the crash, and all of the emergency personnel were needed to search for survivors. I offered to accompany you in the ambulance to the hospital.”

  “I’m grateful. But that still doesn’t explain why you stayed after you got me here safely?” He clasped her hand.

  “I...dinna know,” she stammered and tried to tug free, but he tightened his grip.

  “Do you believe in fate and destiny, Ciara?”

  “I come from a village steeped in archaic beliefs and superstition. A place that still burns the Clavie and parades it through town to celebrate the New Year, then collects the charred pieces to ward off evil. Unlike the rest of Scotland, they celebrate on the eleventh of January, in accordance with the Julian calendar and not on the first day of the month. I live amongst people who believe in magic, spells, and pagan rituals.” She smiled. “Some of that is bound to rub off.”

  “Then you believe it is possible for a person’s fate to be pre-determined?” He hoped she’d agree. He wanted to tell her the truth. “Do you believe two people could know each other in another place and time, another century even, yet somehow find each other again in the present?”

  “I’m a woman of science. I believe in medical facts and—”

  “You didn’t answer my question. Do you believe in love that can transcend the barriers of time?”

  “Why are you asking me these questions?” Her eyes downcast, she wrenched free of his grasp and wrapped her arms around her middle. “Do you believe it’s possible?”

  “If you’d asked me before I got on that plane, I’d have said no, without a doubt in my mind. But now, I’m not so certain.”

  “What made you change your mind?” She edged closer.

  The nurse returned, carrying a syringe. “I spoke to Dr. Murray. Given your miraculous improvement and stable vitals, he has ordered me to double the dose of sedatives.” She moved to the IV pole, clamped off the smaller of the two bags, and laid it on the instrument table beside the monitors. “I’ll add this and you’ll be asleep in no time.”

  “Can’t it wait just a few more minutes?” Alex asked. “Ciara and I were in the middle of a very important conversation and we need to finish. Please.”

  “Dr. Murray is afraid of a relapse if you overdo it.” The nurse glanced from Alex to Ciara and back. “I suppose a few minutes willna matter. I remember what it was like to be young and in love. But only if you promise to go to sleep as soon as I add the medication to the IV.”

  “You are still a young, attractive woman,” Alex said, grinning. He figured a little flattery might help his cause.

  The nurse blushed and dismissed his comment with the wave of her hand. “I turned fifty last month and I’ll na be bamboozled by sweet talking, Mr. Innes. You have five minutes and I’ll be back.” She rehung the medicine bag and retrieved the syringe before leaving. “Five minutes!”

  “She runs a tight ship,” Alex chuckled.

  “The nurse is doing her job and you are not making it easy on her,” Ciara countered. “All the more reason for me to go. Besides, your mother is waiting for me.” She turned to leave.

  “Don’t go, Ciara. We haven’t finished our conversation.”

  “It can wait.” She headed for the door again.

  “No, it can’t. I need to finish this now, or I can never rest,” he said, hoping she would feel sorry for him, and if nothing else, remain long enough for him to ask a favor.

  Ciara threw her hands in the air and ambled back to the bed. “This discussion is going around in circles and accomplishing nothing. We have established how we met, and that you need your rest. I think that is enough for now.”

  “Grant me one request and I’ll let you leave. I promise if you do, I’ll not bring this up again.” In a last ditch effort, he offered her a pleading glance. “Cross my heart. I will not bring it up again unless you wish me to.”

  She folded her arms over her chest and glared down at him. “Fine. What is your one request?”

  “Kiss me.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  He wasn’t sure if she looked shocked or appalled. But he repeated it anyway. “I want you to kiss me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Shocked by his request, Ciara stared back at Alex. “Why on earth would you ask me to kiss you? We only just met.” She backed away from the bed. “I’m na in the habit of kissing strangers.”

  He held his hand out to her. “Trust me, Ciara, we are not strangers.”

  “I dinna know you, Alex”

  “I think you do. In fact, I know you do. Better than you are willing to admit. We fell in love in the past and could again if given a chance,” Alex said. “Kiss me and perhaps we will both have an answer. It might jog your memory.”

  “This is insane. Why are you so sure we knew each other in a past life?” she asked. “What if I did know you, but dinna want to remember?” She couldn’t believe she was asking such ludicrous questions. Or were they?

  “I don’t blame you for thinking I’m nuts,” Alex began. “And if you ran out of here right now and never looked back, you’d be well within your rights. I can’t explain how I know what I do to be the truth, but I feel it here—” Alex lightly thumped his fist against his chest. “The moment I laid eyes upon you at the crash site, I felt that there was a connection between us. You must believe me, Ciara. We did know each other in the past, and are meant to be together.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a foolish thing in all my life.” Ciara glanced away. Despite what logic dictated, she too had experienced a strange, yet familiar bond with Alex. As if the energy she felt flowing between them when she touched his hand somehow joined them together. Nor could she explain why she was compelled to stay with a total stranger once he was admitted to hospital. But with those warm feelings of affection and familiarity came a sense of foreboding she couldn’t shake either.

  Though reluctant to admit it, Ciara did believe in destiny. She was raised on Celtic superstition and the ancient legends of the past. She believed in honoring time-honored traditions, and contrary to what many claimed to be fraudulent or a myth, she was convinced, witches, fairies, demons, and things like the gift of second sight did exist.

  If truth be known, she often had dreams about dwelling in the past. Some were so vivid, she awakened in a panic, and was certain her experiences were real. In spite of being raised in the twenty-first century, she often felt awkward and alone, prompting her to wonder if she hadn’t been displaced and belonged in an era from the past. But she’d kept this bottled up inside, never sharing it with anyone.

  How could Alex know about it?

  Ciara wanted to believe that true love could stand the test of time and could even be reborn. However, desire c
ould not overpower common sense, and she refused to fall victim to the rantings of a man who had clearly lost his mind.

  “I suggest you forget this notion and get some rest as the nurse suggested,” Ciara said. “What you ask will prove nothing.”

  “You will never know unless you kiss me. What have you got to lose?”

  “My sanity.” She hesitated at first, but soon found herself moving forward. She leaned over the bed. “I dinna know what good this will do, and am sure I’ll live to regret it. But if it means you will drop this interrogation, so be it.”

  Alex cupped her cheek with his hand, her hair tumbling forward and brushing the back of it. He gently tucked the errant locks behind her ear and urged her closer, until their mouths were but a breath away.

  “You’re so lovely, you render me speechless.” Alex gazed into her eyes as he swept the pad of his thumb across her lips. “If after we kiss, you don’t feel something so potent you can’t catch your breath, I’ll not ask again.”

  “It’s a deal.” Ciara muttered and closed her eyes.

  He tickled her pursed lips with his tongue, willing them to open. She inhaled deeply, his woodsy male scent more intoxicating than the mulled wine she loved so much. Aware that this was wrong, Ciara knew she should put an end to it immediately, yet she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

  As he began to nibble on her bottom lip, he wove his fingers through her hair, holding her head in place. Alex was right, there was something tangible between them and while his kiss was chaste at first, an array of wondrous sensations she’d never experienced before erupted from her core, flooding her mind, body and soul. Her legs suddenly felt like jelly so she planted her hands on the bed for support. Her pulse quickened, her heart thumping so loudly, she was certain he could hear it beating in unison with his own.

  She’d dated in the past and had even met a couple of men she thought she might grow to love. But no one had ever kissed her like this, nor did she want it to end. She released a soft sigh and granted him entry. He plundered her mouth, kissing her with the desperation of a man whose very life depended on it. Their tongues tangled in an intimate dance, then without warning he broke the connection between them.

  “Well?” he asked on a strangled breath. “Did you feel it?”

  “I-I dinna know what to say, what to think.” She straightened her shoulders, her fingers lightly tracing where his lips had been, a blend of excitement, unbridled passion, and fear washing over her.

  He smiled. “You don’t have to say anything. Your eyes and the way you responded speak for you.”

  Ciara shook her head. “You’re wrong, Alex. I—”

  “Am I? Can you look at me and deny what transpired between us?” He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. “Close your eyes, Ciara. It’s okay to remember the past, to accept that fate has reunited us. Had I not experienced it for myself, I wouldn’t have believed it either. But the heart doesn’t lie.”

  “This is all so much to take in at once.” Ciara wrung her hands and began to pace. “This is crazy. People who lived in the past do not fall in love and reunite in the future. It just doesna happen.”

  “But it did happen, sweeting.” Alex said. “It is a lot to fathom and you can take all the time you need. When you’re ready, we’ll talk about what was and what can be.”

  “If what you claim is true...And I’m not saying it is,” Ciara quickly added. “How can you be so sure we were meant to be together?”

  “I know because the amulet is where it belongs and we are both alive and have a chance to continue where we left off.”

  Ciara clutched the pendant. “What do you know about the amulet?

  “It was crafted by the druids and meant to appease Cailleach, the winter hag on Imbolc, to bribe her into sparing the life of the Dunmore maiden and release the land from winter’s grip,” Alex said. “But it was hidden and then stolen. If it had not been returned at least one maiden and perhaps many more would have been sacrificed, changing our history entirely.”

  “How do you know this?” Ciara asked.

  “Not only am I an archeologist, I experienced it firsthand,” Alex said. “But the talisman is back where it belongs and regardless of what happens from here on in, it will always be safe. Just like our secret. A foundation we can build upon or a memory we can cherish.” Alex clasped her hand again. “But I do have one more request. There was something I asked you right after the plane crashed, and you never gave me an answer.”

  She brought a hand to her throat. “What might that be?”

  Alex’s grin broadened. “Once I’m out of the hospital and on the mend, will you have dinner with me? I’d like to take you to your favorite restaurant as my way of saying thank you for all you’ve done for me and for my mother. I’d also like a chance to get to know you again. I fell in love with the Ciara from the past, but something tells me I am going to adore the Ciara of the present. Will you give us a chance, see where this might lead?”

  Ciara pondered his request for a moment and smiled. “I’d like that very much. I do think you might make a believer out of me yet, Alex Innes.” She leaned down and kissed him again.

  “I hate to interrupt, but all good things must come to an end,” the nurse said as she entered the room.

  “You’re wrong,” Alex said. “This is only the beginning.”

  About the Author

  With a passion for historical romance, history in general, and anything Celtic, B.J. always has an exciting work in progress. Each story offers a blend of romance, adventure, suspense, and, where appropriate, a dab of comic relief. Carefully researched historical facts are woven into each manuscript, providing a backdrop from which steamy romance, gripping plots, and vivid characters--dashing alpha heroes and resourceful, beguiling heroines you can't help but admire--spring to life. A PAN member of RWA, World Romance Writers, and Savvy Authors, B.J. also writes contemporary, paranormal, time travel, and romantic suspense.

  C.S. Lewis first captivated B. J.'s imagination in the fourth grade, and her desire to write sprang from there. Following a career in nursing and child and youth work, B.J. married her knight-in-shining-armor, and he whisked her away to his castle by the sea. In reality, they share their century-old home in a small Canadian town on the shore of Lake Erie with our dogs and a cat. When she is not working at her childcare job, on her small business, or writing, you will find her reading, camping, or antique hunting.

  To find more books by B.J. Scott visit her Amazon author page

  It is easy to follow B.J.:

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorbjscott

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/BJScott3

  Subscribe to Duncurra’s Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cDtujD

  Don’t miss the Duncurra YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/duncurra!

  You’ll find videos of Scotland, Scottish words of the day explained, free audiobooks and much more

  More by BJ Scott

  For release on May 23, 2017

  Available for pre-order now

  Forever and Beyond

  A Highland Hearts Afire Time-travel Romance

  Katherine MacDonald trades her luxury Manhattan apartment, high paying job, and abusive fiancé for what she believes is a rundown estate, deep in the Scottish Highlands, unaware that her future, and perhaps her very life, depend on secrets deeply rooted in the past.

  When she discovers a ring with a sentimental inscription and a journal written by one of her ancestors within the ancient croft, she suddenly finds herself in fourteenth century Scotland where she comes face to face with Ayden MacAndrews, a braw Highlander who has haunted her dreams since she was a child.

  An Excerpt

  Chapter One:

  Will Katherine and Ayden be able to right and ancient wrong? Will their love stand the test of time?

  “Would you like a cup of tea while you’re waiting, dear?” The office receptionist—a slender, silver-haired woman in her mid-to-late fi
fties—peered over the rims of her bifocals.

  “I’m fine. Thank you,” Katherine MacDonald lied. She was exhausted and trying her damnedest to stay awake. She hadn’t slept in over thirty-eight hours and just wanted to get this meeting over with and be on her way. She brought her hand up to her mouth, stifling a yawn and shifted her position on the uncomfortable, straight-backed, wooden chair. She considered herself a patient person, but her bottom was numb and this was taking what seemed like forever.

  Katherine looked at her watch, then scanned the empty waiting room before addressing the secretary. “I know I didn’t have an appointment, and am sure the solicitors are busy men, but I’ve been sitting here for almost three hours and I haven’t seen anyone come or go since I arrived. Are you certain they know I’m here?”

  “Aye, dear. It willna be much longer. I’m afraid Mr. MacBain and Mr. Murray seldom adhere to a strict schedule. No matter how much I badger them.” The woman glanced over her shoulder at the closed door, then returned her attention to Katherine. “Are you sure you wouldna like some tea? It’s a fine Scottish blend.”

  “Positive.” Katherine answered a little more harshly than she intended. A sigh of frustration slipped by her lips. Right now, she’d give anything for a bite to eat, a hot bath, and a soft bed.

  After waiting at JFK International on standby for nearly fourteen hours, hoping for a cancelation, she got lucky. Or so she thought. Forced to endure a cramped, five hour, red-eye flight in economy class, next to a large man who snored and repeatedly passed flatulence, was bad enough, but when Katherine arrived in Scotland, she learned the airline had lost her luggage. She wished she could have skipped this meeting and checked into a hotel. But that would make it too easy for Ethan Cochran to make good on his threat to track her down and come after her.

  Instead, Katherine found herself waiting in the office of MacBain and Murray. Her recently deceased great-aunt Agnes retained the Scottish legal firm to act as the executors of her will, in which Katherine was named the lone beneficiary. She was fortunate they had an opening when she called and agreed to see her on such short notice.