Chapter 9

Ronan took the steps two and three at a time. He had to catch her before she did herself any harm. The wildness in her eyes before she charged away made him fear she would do whatever it took to escape this time and place. He spotted her as he reached the tower room. "Harley!"

She didn't look back, just scampered down the path along the top of the outer wall. The moon, full and swollen, peeped over the horizon, seeming to rise from its pale reflection shimmering across the waters. Waves steadily crashed below as if shouting for Harley to run faster.

Panic filled him as she threw a leg over the wall and peered downward. "Harley! No!"

The wind whipped her black hair all around. The rising moon illuminated her face, revealing the tears streaking down her cheeks. "Get away from me," she shouted, her voice shaking.

Ronan forced himself to take a step back and keep his arms relaxed at his sides."Harley," he said softly. "Please—dinna cast away yer precious life."

She glared at him, then held her hair back from her face and peered over the side of the wall again.

"I shouldha told ye about the locket. Forgive me, lass. I was merely trying to shield ye." He yearned to move closer but feared to do so. Her hopelessness, her heartbreaking desperation held him at bay.

She straightened but still straddled the wall. As she stared out at the waves, she slowly shook her head. "I am completely, totally lost this time." She shrugged while still staring out at the sea. "I realize my loneliness in Kentucky was by my own choice. I kind of holed up after the wedding debacle." She flipped a hand at the sea and shook her head again. "But this. Here."

He had no idea what she was talking about, but at least she was talking and not throwing herself down to her death. Ronan eased a step closer.

She pulled her gaze from the sea and locked her eyes with his. "This is—" She thumped the wall. "This is not my fault. I did not do anything to end up here."

"I know it is not yer fault, lass. No one would ever say that." He inched closer until he stood near enough to grab her off the wall should she try to jump. But he didn't touch her. Not yet. Something deep inside told him to let her talk until she grew weary of the sound of her own voice. "Ye willna be alone here, Harley. Not ever.I am here, and here I will stay." A huffing laugh escaped him. "I didna ken I was searching for ye, but now that I've found ye, I'll not be letting ye get away."

She frowned at him and narrowed her eyes. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

She swung her leg back around and hopped down from the wall. With her hands tucked into fists, she hugged herself and leaned back against it, then sniffed and swiped the tears off her cheeks. "I will figure out a way to survive here, and with any luck, maybe your mother or that druid of yours can find a way to send me back."

Ronan arched a brow, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the wall beside her. He didn't want her to go back to her time. And no matter what she said, he did know her—or at least felt as though he had known her all his life. He tilted his head and studied this very frustrating woman whom he needed in his life, and that alone scared the living shite out of him. "Ye canna go back to yer time."

"We'll see what your mother and the druid say—I don't remember his name, but you know who I mean. Until that time, do not feel compelled to protect me. Just go on about your business—or whatever it is you do." She frowned, as though befuddled, then nodded. "Your ship. That's it. You pointed out your ship. Go back out to sea. I've survived on my own for most of my adult life and done just fine. No one is responsible for me but me. I refuse to be anyone's burden."

"Ye canna survive on yer own, lass. Not here. Not in this time. Unless ye plan on joining a nunnery, ye will soon discover ye need a man to protect ye." And that man would be him—whether she wished it or not.

Her golden eyes sparked like angry embers, and the depth of her scowl would frighten a lesser man. But not him. Her fire made him all the more determined to align with her, protect her, and who knows—if a fair wind blew upon them, even cherish her the way she should be cherished. If she would allow it.

She pushed away from the wall, marched back to the tower room, and yanked the stairwell door open. "Do not underestimate me," she said with a growling feralness before storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

"Do not underestimate me either, lass," he warned soft and low. "For that will be yer undoing."

Ronan didn't movefrom the tower room, just glared at the door she had slammed behind her. With his arms crossed over his chest, he scowled at the barrier as if trying to intimidate it into telling him what the devil had happened to the women of the future.

Not only had he offered her the protection of his home, but had also assured the hysterical wee hen that she need not fear anything or ever worry about being alone. What else could she possibly need? He understood it would take her time to adapt and move through her mourning of her home and losing friends and family from the future, but after that, he was here for her. As was his family and clan. She need not worry about anything.

And he wasn't a vain man when it came to women, but he'd never had a shortage of maids eager to warm his bed. Since he was second born, he didn't have to worry that they were merely after the title of laird's wife either. That was Faolan's duty. When a fine, lovely filly sought his company, he knew it was because she hungered for him—not some title that might come to him at some point in time.

With his frequent absences out to sea, he was a mystery women loved to unravel—the fish they longed to land and permanently fix within their homes. Something about trying to tame a man from his wandering ways appeared to make him irresistible.

The door opened, revealing not Harley, but his father wearing a smug expression that warned Ronan he was about to receive some sage advice he'd rather not hear.

"Harley has gone to yer room," Father said, "and locked herself in, it would seem. I dinna think she realizes those chambers are yers."

Ronan turned and stared out at his beloved sea. "I can promise ye the lass doesna ken those rooms are mine. If she did, they would be the last place on earth she would seek refuge."

His father rumbled with an irritating chuckle. "A wise man once told me ye must be patient. Persistent and patient. The lass has much to adapt to. It will take some time." He thumped Ronan on the shoulder. "But trust me, when at last ye win her heart, all will have been worthwhile."

Ronan tore his focus from the sea and eyed his father. "I never said I wished to win her heart. I am merely attempting to help the lass through her loneliness—help her adapt to this time." He wasn't ready to fully divulge his feelings for Harley—not when he barely knew them himself. Best to be cautious about anything he said about the complicated maid.

His father arched a silvery brow. "Ye may be second in line and think yerself safe from the curse, but trust me, son, this lass is the one ye were meant to be joined with. I see it in yer eyes. Hers too, if ye look close enough. Even old Emrys is already wondering when the two of ye shall be wed."

"Wed? That old goat has finally lost his mind." Ronan shifted in place, resting his hands on the ledge as he fixed his gaze on the watery horizon. "My life is at sea. I need no wife pining for me when I'm gone or weeping every time I leave."

His father clapped him on the back, then turned to leave. "We dinna always ken what our destinies are until they force us to acknowledge them. Just because ye have always been at home at sea, doesna mean that's where the rest of yer days will be spent."

"Hmph." Ronan locked his focus on the mesmerizing waves crashing against the rocks on the far shore of the bay. He wanted to be with Harley. Protect her and shield her from loneliness, but he was none too sure about marriage. Granted, she was a fine woman and had said she loved the sea as well, but…He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake free all the questions and uncertainties his father had left him with. Marriage. He shuddered. A dangerous word he tried to never utter aloud.

Harley paced backand forth across the stone floor covered in heavy rugs woven somewhere other than Scotland. She felt sure of it. They had to have come from Turkey or Iran—no, Persia. At least that's what she thought Iran was called in this century. This century. Those words made her ready to drop to her knees and sob, but she refused to give in to the urge. She would not cry anymore. Tears solved nothing.

She clutched her aching head and tried to slow her whirling thoughts, which were only contributing to her sense of panic. Time to stop fretting about how she had gotten here and concentrate on how she would either get back or survive here in fifteenth century Scotland.

Her heart hammered harder and faster as she recalled Scotland's bloody history from a class she'd taken years ago. She tried to remember the dates of the worst years but gave up when her mind refused to cooperate. Dropping into a chair beside the hearth, she sagged forward and held her head in her hands.Even in her wildest dreams, she had never imagined life ever becoming this crazy.

She leaned back and allowed herself an exhausted sigh, glancing around the room and fully taking in the decor for the first time since she'd first opened her eyes to this strange new world. An enormous, canopied bed with dark sapphire curtains and counterpane sat off in its own private alcove. When she'd awakened to find herself here, apparently, she'd been on the pillowed bench closer to the hearth. The pillows, coverlets, and cushions on the furniture were all done in vibrant blues that reminded her of the deepest stretches of ocean she'd seen depicted in pictures and photographs.

Intricate tapestries adorned the tall windows, all of them showing sailing ships braving the open sea.Shells and frothing waves decorated the mahogany chair arms and bed posts. Everywhere she looked was a reminder of the sea. Ronan would like this room, she decided, then found that mildly disturbing. If the man loved the sea, and this was his home, had they displaced him to put her up in his room?

A quiet knock on the door interrupted that worry. She scrubbed her face with both hands, wishing she had a sink of cold water to perk her up. "Come in." As soon as she said the words, she wondered if she shouldn't have. How did she know who was on the other side of that door?

Rachel entered with a food tray balanced on her hip. "I know you must be starving. But I thought you'd be more comfortable eating up here—since meeting the family didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped."

Harley hurried to take the tray, set it on the table, and motioned to one of the chairs for Rachel to join her. "Thank you for being so thoughtful. I'm really sorry about before. I don't want to seem ungrateful about you and your family taking me in." She raked a hand back through her hair and perched on the edge of the seat opposite Rachel. "I'm afraid I'm struggling with all this."She gave a weak wave of her hand, encompassing her surroundings.

Her face a picture of grim understanding, Rachel nodded as she poured a ruby liquid into a tankard.She placed it in front of Harley. "Drink up. Mulled wine. It will do you a world of good, and I know my telling you I understand probably doesn't make a difference in how you're feeling. But I really do know what you're feeling right now, and I promise, it will get better."

Harley pulled apart a small loaf of bread and popped the steaming bite into her mouth. The warm yeastiness of the freshly baked bun made her even more homesick. She hurried to wash away the feeling with a deep sip of the spicy wine. "What did Aveline mean? About Ronan being the one destined to help me since he'd released me from that goddess's locket?"

Steepling her fingers under her chin, Rachel narrowed her eyes as she stared at Harley."Have you ever thought about magic or the mysteries of life that can't seem to be explained?"

Harley paused with another bite of bread halfway to her mouth. "Up until now—no." She shoved the bite into her mouth and scowled all around the room as she chewed. "But now? I think I'm going to have to rethink my current belief system." She shook her head. "I guess you could say my mind has been forcibly changed."

Rachel smiled and poured herself a mug of wine. "A wise decision. And since you said that, I don't mind sharing what Aveline meant by what she said."She settled back in the chair, propped her elbows on the arms, and balanced the mug between her hands. "I am gifted with the ability to connect with the mystical energies.As are my three sons and my daughter. With this ability, we are able to see and do things that others cannot. It was viewing Ronan's destiny to which Aveline referred."

Harley tucked her legs under her and clutched her mug to her chest."Ronan's destiny?You mean you saw his future?"

Rachel tilted her head to one side, then slowly shook it. "No. It's more like seeing brief snippets of thoughts and emotions. I searched the scrying mists to help him find the right path."

"And the right path was me?" Harley frowned over the rim of her mug, relaxing into the comforting warmth the spiced wine sent through her veins.

"It's difficult to explain," Rachel said. "What I saw was that your and Ronan's auras were intertwined." She placed her mug back on the tray as calmly as if she'd just discussed the weather.

"Auras intertwined. I know what I've read about auras, but would you mind sharing yer definition so I can be sure we're on the same page?"Harley slipped lower in the chair, her eyelids becoming impossibly heavy. She'd never tolerated alcohol well. The least amount made her as sleepy as a porch cat stretched in a patch of sunshine.

Rachel shook her head and moved to help Harley up from her chair. "We'll talk of that another time. For now, I think we'd best be getting you into bed. You're exhausted."

Harley barely stifled a yawn as she stumbled along beside Rachel. "No, really. I'm fine. Tell me about the auras. Or at least about mine and Ronan's.How could you see my aura when I wasn't even here?"

Rachel led her to the bed, turned back the covers, and gently forced Harley down onto it as if she were a stubborn child. "We are all connected. All of us are a part of the energies of the universe. No matter where or when we reside."

Giving up and pulling her feet under the covers, Harley sank into the welcoming pillows. "So, even though I was far into the future, you still saw Ronan's aura and mine were connected?" She rubbed her eyes with both hands, struggling to stay awake. "Have you ever seen other auras intertwined as you called it? Connected like mine and Ronan's?"

Rachel smiled. "As a matter of fact, I have. Just one other time. When I looked into the scrying mists and saw mine and Caelan's."