Kat Bastion - Forged in Dreams and Magick

His tone grew more commanding. “We do this my way, though. I need to be involved. My instincts scream for me to protect you from harm, yet the moment you go, I’ve lost the power.” He pulled an arm up between us, grasping my chin with his fingers, locking his gaze onto mine. “ My. Way. ”

The urge to relinquish the reins to him was an irresistible temptation, and my independent streak gave way to my man offering his protection. My guardian bared his soul, yielding to my plea, and I made an internal vow to ease his upcoming struggle every way I could as a rush of optimism flooded in.

I nodded, grinning. “Yes, Iain. Whatever we do, we do your way.”

He laid out a rough plan he’d obviously been crafting. I bounced what-ifs off him. Through the afternoon, we ran scenario after scenario until we felt we’d exhausted what would likely happen, what could happen, and what we couldn’t imagine happening, but went there anyway.

In the end, his way ended up being a team project, along with a couple of absolutes he demanded that I adhere to for him to be able to live with his decision. I agreed to the stipulations, not only because of how far he’d come in accepting my continued adventure, but more importantly, because they epitomized all his core qualities: commander, strategist, protector, fighter . . . lover. My enormous respect for him demanded my care and diligence in honoring those wishes.

“Two days,” he said when we’d finalized our plan. “Give me two more days to spend every moment lovin’ you. Then we’ll see if you’re right.”

“Thank you, Iain.” I kissed him, grateful he had such a generous heart.

I vowed that the next two days, and every single moment I spent with him in his world unto eternity, would be completely his. The great man I loved deserved nothing less.

Day three arrived in a flash. The cherished time Iain and I’d spent together had imprinted onto my soul like a fiery brand. Every precious moment had been filled with love . . . and plenty of lust.

I sat in the great hall, popping a final bite of a warm, cheesy apple tart into my mouth. As Iain bounded down the stairs, I savored the last coffee I would have for a while. My hands trembled as I lowered the mug to the table. I ran dampened palms down my leather-clad thighs, grateful Iain hadn’t burned my Pict clothing, even though he said he’d been seriously tempted.

Iain stalked up from behind and leaned down, kissing my ear. “Ready, lass?”

“No. Yes.” I sighed, standing from the stool and stepping into his solid embrace. “As I’ll ever be, I suppose. At least this time, I know what’s about to happen.”

Iain laughed, “We’ve a plan,” he replied. “It remains to be seen if it actually happens.”

He laced his fingers through mine and led us down the darkened hall toward his study. The room already sparked with energy as if anticipating our arrival. I exhaled a quick breath through puffed cheeks as Iain pulled me forward until we stood in front of the mysterious wall. The pinpoint lights in the stone tapestry vibrated as we hovered near. Iain shot an intense stare at me from those vivid hazel eyes, wordlessly directing me to follow his lead.

He pressed his left hand to the upper corner of the wall on an empty section of solid stone. The sparkling expanse shimmered—solid, and yet in so many ways, not—like heat radiating off one-hundred-twenty-degree pavement. He closed his eyes, drawing his brows in concentration.

The wall made a low crackling noise. Its surface pulsed energy out into the room, throwing it into and through me like the bass vibration at a rock concert. The euphoric sensation bordered on erotic. I stared at Iain in amazement. Focused, Iain seemed oblivious to my reaction. He removed his hand, reducing the charge on a scale of one to ten from a twelve down to about a five.

The blast had permeated me on an atomic level. Residual energy continued to snap through my veins long after he broke contact with an entity that was in no way merely just a wall or a map.

Iain had juiced me up. In preparation for utilizing the wall’s smaller cousin, he’d given me a measured dose of the power it wielded. The heady aftereffect left me reeling . . . and craving more. I’d become the drug user, Iain the pusher.

Funny, when we went over our plan, he left out the details about the whole plug-in power source. He’d only said he thought he had a way to create enough power for me to go back with a one-sided connection. He hadn’t disclosed that he’d planned to make me the transformer.

The hopped-up residuals made me feel slightly aggressive about his secret keeping again. C’mere, little girl. Have a taste of this powerful drug, but I control the supply. However, in no position to complain about Iain’s rightful property, I kept my criticism under wraps.

Iain obviously knew how to use the wall’s power. My ire about all that Iain knew, but leaked in bits and pieces, skipped like a stone across the calm surface of my mental pond before it sank. Unsure about what rights I had to demand explanations, yet simultaneously knowing I’d become entitled to insist upon them, I managed to curtail a lash out, staying focused on the prize.

“We are so going to talk about that wall when I return.” Aaand . . . I failed to harness it all.

He chuckled, kissing my nose and turned me about by my shoulders, nudging me forward. “We shall see, lass. We shall see.”

We entered the outer room in stark silence. Nervousness rose from the pit my stomach, into my chest, and out my trembling fingertips as we stood in the small space with the magick box sitting in faux innocence between us. Flames danced atop the rushlights in their iron frames from an errant gust of air through the wide-open door I’d insisted upon. I wondered whether the box vibrated or if my trembling body had altered my perception. Probably both.

Iain’s expression held distinct pride. He no longer harbored any doubts. The man owned me in every way possible in our scenario, and what he had of me had become enough for him. His brave allowance of my continuing journey bore testament of how far he’d come in such a short period. I loved the courageous man with all my heart.

The time had come to save a man very much in need of it also. Plus, solve the mysteries of time travel, find out why I’d been marked as unique by being chosen, and ensure time itself hadn’t rippled due to my cavorting through it.

Piece. Of. Cake.

First we needed to ascertain if my ego had overstepped the bounds of my abilities, or if I actually possessed the power to jump through time on my command versus some otherworldly alignment of circumstance.

Iain pulled me into his arms, crushing his mouth to my lips in a soul-searing kiss. So intense were the emotions he conveyed, I hesitated momentarily with my resolution.

But Iain had never wavered in anything in his life. Built no other way but to decide and proceed, he boldly carried out his actions free of doubt. We’d both agreed when formulating our plan that we’d live our lives without regret.

He grasped my hands between his and raised them to his mouth, gently kissing my fingertips. “I love you, Isa. I need you to hear the words I feel so strongly. I. Love. You.”

My chest ached as I fell even harder for the invincible, yet very human man. Heartfelt words spilled from my lips before the choke at the base of my throat locked it up. “Iain, I love you. More than words could ever express . . . I. Love. You. ”

Iain grinned wide until the corners of his mouth fell the slightest degree. We held eye contact the entire time as we lowered our clasped hands onto the artifact already humming with power.