Page 143 of Dark Rival

Allie fought not to weep. “How can this have happened?”

Brie put her arms around her. “You can’t fight Fate.”

Allie looked at her. “After eight hundred years, he was finally coming around. I was healing him.”

Brie didn’t seem to hear her. “Allie? You need to go to a place called Carrick—you need to go now!”

HE AWOKE, not for the first time, aware that his strength was returning. And as he did, he heard the woman as she pounded food with a stone, and he sensed the man outside of the cave where he had been taken. He could smell meat roasting.

Saliva gathered.

He began to recall what had happened.

Moffat had chased him through the ages. The many leaps had exhausted him. He had landed without thought in this long ago, primitive time. He opened his eyes and adjusted his gaze to the dim light in the cave.

The woman wore a deerskin and she did not look his way, grinding leaves rhythmically with her stone. Her face was strange, with huge cheekbones, a wide, flat nose, small eyes. She was small, too, like Ailios, but so was the man.

He had gone so far back in time he did not know the date. But then, these people had no calendar.

She looked at him and smiled.

He read her mind. She thought him a god; so did her man. But now, he remembered appearing in their midst. Just before losing consciousness, he had sensed their shock and fear.

The man appeared, also clad in a skin, grinning. He was pleased with the tribal kill—two deer.

More saliva gathered—he was starving. He recalled the woman feeding him some kind of bland gruel while giving him sips of water. He sat up. Both people turned to stare.

He smiled at them, testing his body, searching it for strength and power. He sent a blast of light energy through the cave and was pleased when the dirt and leaves lifted and swirled.

The cave people’s eyes widened.

“Thank ye fer carin’ fer me,” he said. His strength and power were rapidly returning. He flexed his hands, standing.

They got on their knees submissively.

They were in awe, still afraid. It didn’t matter. He had lain in exhaustion for days—he wasn’t sure for how long—and he had to go home. But before he did, he’d make sure they had enough stores to last the winter.

Royce stepped out of the cave.

“I DINNA THINK WE SHOULD be here,” Aidan said. “I think ye should go directly to Blayde, yer brother’s home.”

Allie paused outside Carrick’s twenty-first-century front walls, which were covered with blooms. Why had Brie insisted they go to Carrick?

“He’s nay here,” Aidan said sharply. “Ye have yer hopes up.”

She did have her hopes up, but Allie wasn’t going to admit it. They’d taken a commercial flight to Scotland, to avoid the physical stress of leaping. Allie had no funds, so Tabby had paid for the airfare. Their goodbyes had been tearful. While Allie knew she’d see Tabby again, she’d probably never see Brie or Sam. On top of losing Royce, it was simply too much.

“Stop being so brave,” she had told Sam fiercely. “Find someone to help you hunt the demons so you don’t have to do it alone!”

Sam had been amused. “I have Tabby and Brie,” she said flippantly. “Besides, maybe I’ll join CDA.”

In a way, Brie was her best friend, even though she was so shy, introverted and bookish. Allie had hugged her, not meaning to say anything. But then she’d whispered, “Stop hiding behind your job, those glasses and those awful suits.”

Brie had smiled sadly. “I’m not you…. I love you, Allie.”

It hurt terribly leaving them behind, even more than leaving her father and Alec, but nothing hurt as much as facing the final truth about Royce. Why had Brie sent her here? Was this supposed to somehow help her move on to a life without Royce in it? She glanced down the hill toward the two large garages, which looked like small manor homes. Royce’s cars were housed there, unless the estate had already sold them.

She breathed hard. “I guess we can leave the rental car here. I doubt anyone will tow it.” She started toward the bridge, which spanned the ravine.