Author: Melodie Campbell
Publisher: Imajin Books
Pages: 252
Genre: Paranormal Romance Time Travel
Format: Paperback/Kindle
He
was her enemy and her lover…
As Cedric fights
battles down south, Rowena unwittingly rides into an enemy war camp and is
taken prisoner by her old friend Lars, who is not what he seems.
Yet Rowena is not
helpless. After all, she is a hereditary half-witch with a whole lot of magic
in her. Too bad she doesn’t know how to
use it. Escaping from the camp, she continues to botch up spell after spell. Soon
Kendra joins her on the trek back to Huel, along with the latest magical
mistake, a flame-burping dragon called Cinders.
When war comes to Land’s End, it brings the one man who threatens to conquer everything in Huel, including
Rowena’s heart. Now she has to make the biggest decision of her life. Will she
return through the wall to safety in Arizona? Or will she stay in Land’s End for good, and fight to save her people from the Viking Warlord?
My name is Rowena Revel and
I am the last hereditary witch of Land's End.
Unfortunately, I'm not a
very good one.
The trouble is, I have a
magic bracelet but no idea how to use it. My mother died before she could teach
me. And it won't come off. Spells are a matter of trial and error, so the
outcomes are rather sketchy.
I honestly didn't mean to
conjure up that Roman Legion in mid-battle.
And apparently I screwed
things up by moving back time.
Val, my wizard friend, told
me there would be a price to pay for messing with dark magic. But I had to stop
the pending war. Thane and Cedric were about to kill each other. Things were so
desperate I couldn't wait to find out the penalty.
So I went ahead and used
dark magic to turn back time. Now I was finding out how steep that price would
be.
If I could use only one
word to describe Land's End, it would be 'luscious.'
The colors are deeper and richer than home, the scents more intoxicating. And
emotions are heightened…
I stood on a hill
overlooking the dark green grass below. The sun was a brilliant ball of orange
in the sky. The river below sparkled deep blue and teemed with life.
It was gorgeous, absolutely
gorgeous. But it was different from home. And I was different from home while
in Land's End.
How can I explain the
change to my desires, in this, my ancient homeland? My inhibitions were like a
filter on a camera, suddenly removed. Life was more sensual, intense, and
dangerous because of that.
At times, it scared the
bejesus out of me.
I turned away from it all
to travel back through the portal to Arizona.
But only for a little
while.
I smiled at this adventure,
so excited was I to escape from the constant guard.
My lover Thane, the king of
Land's End, was engaged with his
troops to the north. Kendra had promised to cover for me back at Sargon,
Thane's castle. No one would know I had slipped away for just a few hours.
I had a chance to go home
through the wall to Arizona. Thane wouldn't
approve of this trip, of course. He refused to consider anything that might
jeopardize my safety or that of my unborn baby. This had the effect of ruining
paradise for me. Yes, I loved the man, but I felt trapped.
This feeling had been
coming on for days. It haunted me now. Was I the kind of woman who could spend
her entire life within the walls of a medieval castle?
It had only been a month,
and already I was desperate to get free. A trip back home might be just what I
needed. It had been weeks since I had seen my Dad, and I just needed to hear
his voice on the phone.
Val said he would help me
by opening the portal. I would have exactly one hour…
Earlier this morning,
Kendra had helped me to dress for the occasion.
"Wear the white linen.
It won't look so out of place in Scottsdale. Luckily it's
summer so dresses are everywhere," she said.
"Thanks for shortening
it." I gave her a big hug.
"Enjoy yourself,"
she said. Her big brown eyes twinkled. "Next time it's my turn. Oh, and
don't forget to buy chocolate."
I had traveled by horseback
to the clearing in the forest. Now the split oak was directly in front of me. I
put my hand through the air to the side of it to test for the opening. My hand
disappeared from view.
The portal was open between
our worlds.
With a deep breath, I
walked forward.
The forest disappeared. All
around me, the air shook and shimmered. One foot, then the other hit hard
floor, and I wavered slightly.
The classroom was empty, as
I knew it would be at this time on a weekend.
Pure yellow sunlight
streamed in through the windows. The sizzling hot Arizona sun…I was home
at last.
I walked to the window and
just gazed out over the college grounds for a moment. The Palo Verde trees were
a soft powdery green. Agave and teddy-bear cacti rose from the pebbled gardens
between the parking lanes. Pure bliss.
First I would phone Dad. Then
I would get a large coffee across the street at Starbucks. I would bring one
back for Kendra, of course. She wouldn't be expecting that. It would be cold by
the time I got it back to her, but we could heat it up in the castle kitchen. I
smiled thinking of her reaction.
There was a whoosh behind
me, and then some vulgar cursing.
I spun around.
A man stood on this side of
the wall. He was tall, with wide shoulders and massively muscled arms. Red-gold
hair streamed down his back. He wore a dark green tunic with leather belt and
dagger, but no armor.
He was absolutely
magnificent, and I knew him well.
Cedric.
"What the hell?"
He laughed, a throaty,
good-natured bellow. "By the gods, what a ride!"
I stared, mouth gaping.
Cedric on this side of the wall? In Arizona?
"How did you get
here?" I blurted.
"The same way you did.
I followed you through the portal."
His head whipped from side
to side. One hand was on his dagger hilt. I could see he was assessing the
place for danger. Instinct, of course.
Crap. Crapity crap. Cedric was here
in Arizona. And Thane was way the
hell up north in some blasted field, a whole wide world away.
Thank God there was no one
around. How the heck would I ever explain a medieval warrior-knight in my
classroom in Scottsdale, Arizona?
Think, Rowena. Think!
"What is this
room?"
My mind was whirling, but I
tried to keep cool. I leaned back against the window sill for support.
"This is my classroom. I told you I was a teacher."
He nodded and moved
forward. One hand went to touch the back of the chair nearest him, which was
plastic. For a moment it had his attention. He gazed down at it, his hands
exploring.
I didn't wait for the
inevitable question. Instead I asked another. "I meant, how did you know I
was coming here?"
"Oh that," he
said. His green eyes sought mine. "The second you left Thane's castle, I
detected you. I've been waiting for weeks to catch you alone. That man is like
a leech by your side. I don't know how you stand it."
"You're no better than
Thane," I retorted. "You would keep me trapped like a prisoner just
as he."
Cedric stared at me then. I
could almost see the workings of him mind click over.
"Not so. At least, not
now that I've had time to think things through. I merely seek to convince you
that your place is with me."
He strode around the desks
to face me. "It's time to come home, Rowena. Not here. Home with me to
Castle Huel, where you belong."
No, I have to get you back
to where you belong, I wanted to scream. I plunked down in the nearest chair.
Cedric wouldn't know what
trouble he was in if he ever left this room. I knew him. He would blunder forth
like a raider on a rampage, challenging every man who stood in his way. One
crosswise look from a stranger, and he would use that dagger without a second
thought.
I could just imagine the
tactical squad taking him down in a hail of bullets.
Crap. He was far too
dangerous. I had to get him back to Land's End.
"That gown is
indecent," he said, staring at my legs.
Okay, that was the
wrong thing to say.
"It's perfectly
appropriate for this world," I snapped back.
Cedric snorted. "All
the more reason to get you back to Land's End. How will the
men keep their hands off you here?"
"This is a
test." A male voice came over the PA system.
A siren blasted through the
air, so loud it hurt. I clapped my hands over my ears.
Cedric moved like a man
possessed. Every muscle ripped to action. He bounded in front of me and pulled
a dagger.
"Show yourself,
Demon!"
I choked.
"It's okay," I
yelled. "That's the fire alarm."
He turned to face me, eyes
wild.
"What do you
mean?"
I could hardly hear the
words over the siren. I signalled for him to wait. It was too loud to talk
over.
Cedric lunged to the door,
opened it and charged out into the hall. The siren was even louder with the
door open. He vaulted back in, then slammed the door and shot to the window.
Shock crossed his face as he glimpsed the cars in the parking lot.
The siren switched off.
I sighed with relief.
"Phew. Glad that's over. They're testing the fire alarm to make sure it
works. It's awfully loud, so they do it when school is out."
"But that is foolish.
Surely they know when there is a fire?"
I giggled now. "The
alarm is connected to the fire station, where the firemen are."
He gasped. "You have
men of fire here? This is surely hell."
My mouth flew open.
"No it's not. It's Arizona." Although
in the summer it could be as hot as hell, but no need to further confuse him
with that little tidbit.
He returned his dagger to
the scabbard. "This world is madness. We leave now."
"I'm not
leaving," I announced. "Don't even think you can boss me
around in my own country. This is the United States
of America and I'm an American
citizen. We have rights." Oh yup, I was telling him.
He crossed his big arms and
frowned. "Don't think you have erased my memory, Rowena. I know that you
have moved time. And I know why you did it." His voice softened for the
last bit.
I sat paralysed. But that
wasn't possible! Val said he and I would be the only ones who would remember
the weeks that were lost when we turned back time.
"How do you
know?" My voice was breathy.
He smiled then. "The
book remembered you."
What?
"I was in the cellar
room. The book of spells was on the altar. It started to glow and I went over
to examine it. The tome reeked with your scent. Did you know you have a scent
that I can smell across a crowded room? It's tantalizing."
Not good. My cousin Jon had
said the same thing to me, months ago. It had nearly been the cause of
something tragic.
"So I knew you had
held the book and even used it. But there was no time you could have done that.
I acquired it after you left Huel."
He started to pace. "I
reasoned then that most likely I was missing a block of time. Things had
happened that I could not remember. You had been there and read the
book, even performed spells from it. I did my best to conjure the past, to see
what I had forgotten."
"And?"
He shook his head.
"It's vague. Like dreams. I think I must have died."
The relief I felt was
palpable. Cedric didn't remember everything!
"You did die," I
said.
"And that's why you
moved back time. To save me."
I gawked at him.
"It's a haze. I don't
remember everything. But this part is seared upon my brain, Rowena—you looking
down at me, frantic with despair, and you cried 'why didn't you teach me the
magic to save you?'"
I couldn't look at him.
What was I to say? It was true. I did turn back time. I did it to
protect Thane and Gareth too, of course, but even before that I had tried to
save Cedric.
It occurred to me I could
use this to my advantage.
"So you owe me,
Cedric. I saved your life. Go away and leave me alone."
"I can't. Not until we
talk." He moved closer.
The words were so simple. I
met his eyes, compelled, as I always was when he stood close to me.
"This has to stop!
Cedric, have a heart. I can't go on like this."
Cedric snorted.
"Have you given one
thought as to how I have been affected?"
That confused me. No, I
hadn't. It was uncharacteristic and supremely selfish of me, I now realized. I
had never considered how this strange bond between us would affect anyone other
than me.
Cedric stopped pacing and
appealed to me with his arms. He was so close I could see the gold hair that
covered his arms and legs. I flushed.
"Before you came to Land's End, I was content
to lead my men, increase my mastery of magic, and maintain my fighting prowess.
Now, I am only content when I am one with you."
The shock ripped through
me.
"Harsh words, and even
those are not entirely true. I am never content, not even then. Elated…euphoric
perhaps, but not content. This thirst for you will never be sated. Rowena, know
it now. You are my heaven and every minute I am away from you is hell."
I swallowed hard.
"Then lift the spell."
"It is not mine to
lift. I can no more mess with our destiny than my Lord Lucifer can turn night
into everlasting day."
"I don't understand. I
thought you invoked the draw between us."
"I merely make use of
it to keep you near, so I am not in constant agony."
Wow. This was a confession
I had not expected. Cedric was baring his soul to me. I sprung up from the
chair and turned away.
"When you feel the
draw, you are experiencing what I feel," he said. "That is all. My
mind reaching out to yours."
This was far, far worse
than I imagined.
"Are we never to be
free of it?" My voice was strident.
"It is only unbearable
when we fight it. Why won't you see that your place is with me, as the old gods
have ordained?"
Holy freaking old gods.
"Now you carry my
child. The circle is complete. There is no way for me to break free of it,
Rowena. Not unless I am dead, and that can't happen now."
What did he mean that
couldn't happen? Was he not human anymore?
But I was. He conveniently
forgot to mention what would happen if I were dead. We would be free of
it then. But that wasn't something I wanted to consider.
"I know they call me
the Dark Lord. But I am not evil, despite what the others say. I would not keep
you chained to me. In fact, I have a proposition for you. We need to
talk."
The draw swept over me
then, seeping in, enveloping my mind. I moaned with desire.
"Stop doing that,
Cedric. I can't think."
"I'm not doing
anything. Magic doesn't work here. You said so yourself."
Then what was this? I
swayed, unsteady on my feet.
He crossed the distance
between us in an instant and grabbed my arms. "What are you feeling now?
Tell me."
"Get away from
me!" I moaned. "All I want is…this is unbearable. We can't. This is a
school."
"Ha!" He drew me
to his chest. "Magic does work here. At least, the magic between us
does."
The pain receded as I
inhaled his scent. Already I was drunk from it and would have fallen if he
hadn't been holding me.
"We'll go now."
His one arm caught me under my knees. He swung me up into his arms.
"No!" I cried.
"Not yet. I haven't phoned Dad—"
But he was already at the
wall, and with one stride was through it.
Never had I entered Land's End this quickly.
The air was ripped from my chest. I tried to cry out but nothing came from my
throat.
Cedric landed firmly on his
feet in Land's End. No unsteadiness, like
Gareth and Thane had experienced on their first time through.
That figured.
He strode forward, away
from the split oak, and into the small clearing where I had nearly been killed
by brigands. Cedric had rescued me that day. Out of the mist he had appeared on
his giant palomino, as if by magic, with several ghostly knights on horseback.
It had been magic.
The brigands hadn't stood a chance.
Cedric held me firmly in
his arms. The scent of him was driving me senseless with desire.
"Put me down
now," I pleaded.
"Not yet," he
said. "Not until we're safely away."
I felt a shiver at his
words. He chanted something low and rhythmic. A swirl of dark mist started at
his feet and wound like a cyclone around our bodies. I screamed as it whipped
us up into the sky.
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