AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Until the present time, I’d never found a woman I believed the stone would choose.” He gave her an intense look. “Or one I could be captivated by. I would have had to marry eventually but I could refuse to gift the ring, giving it directly to my oldest child when the time came.”
Nervously she drank more wine. The story was affecting her. This man was affecting her even more. Dianora was on the best date of her life, sitting here thousands of years in the past, talking to Garrin.
“Enough of the ring,” he said, breaking the mood. Pulling the maps to him, he added, “Time for advice. Tomorrow we attack a Craadil stronghold. The treacherous bastards are holed up in a fortress guarding a strategic mountain pass I'll need if I'm to bring my main army up and march on the city."
"You’re going into battle tomorrow and I’m keeping you up all night talking?” she asked in horror. “I’m sorry, — “
“No, my lady, don’t berate yourself.” He was out of his chair in an instant and drawing her from hers. “Do you think a commander sleeps the night before battle? You’ve eased my burden by distracting me tonight and reminding me of my family’s heritage and honor. Always you come to me when my need is great. If you’d only come once, to free me from the dungeon, I would have been eternally blessed but seeing you again tonight was a gift from the gods.”
Dianora relaxed into his arms, savoring the strength of the man. She could hear his heart beating under the tunic he wore. “I should be wearing a lot of flowing robes,” she said nervously.
He kissed her forehead. “Much as I’d no doubt enjoy seeing you bedecked in all the finery, I find your garb practical for the tasks you say you do in the future. Certainly your pockets produce miracles.”
“I had to get a new set of tools,” she said, chiding herself for sounding inane.
“I won’t offer to return yours,” he said with a mock frown. “They’ve already been claimed by my master craftsman and I’d have to kill him to retrieve them.”
“No, don’t worry about it.”
“I won’t.” He raised her chin gently, searching her eyes, and kissed her. His lips were warm against hers and tasted of the wine, further intoxicating her and when he pressed for more, to be allowed entry past the barrier, she opened to him without hesitation.
The kiss was long and epic, the two of them locked together as if they were the only people in the world. When it ended, Dianora wasn’t sure her legs would support her and she expected the king to move to the bed, but trumpets sounded outside and Garrin gently put her aside. “I must join my troops and rally them for the march and battle ahead. Fearless as you are, my lady, I won’t risk you in combat. Best you return to your own realm. I’ll gladly accept your wishes for our success today.”
“Absolutely,” she said, standing forlorn as he began donning his battle armaments. “Promise me you’ll be careful. I’ll come again when I can, I give you my word.”
“It pains me to refuse you anything,” he said with a cocky grin, picking up a crested helmet and a red cloak from a nearby chair, “But I can’t lead my men in good conscience and be careful. Taking risks is my lot. If it be my fate to fall today, my last thoughts will be of you.”
Dianora must have looked horrified because he came back to her for another hug and a hasty kiss. “I don’t plan to fail today, that I can swear to. Let me see you safely on your way.”
She took a deep breath, stepped away from him, grabbed the wine goblet on a sudden impulse and rubbed her finger across the giant stone. “Take me to my own quarters in the future.”
As the cold enveloped her, she tried desperately to keep her eyes open for a last glimpse of Garrin.
The wave of cold struck him and he stepped back a pace, staring at the spot where Dianora had been a heartbeat before. Seeing the ancient ring in action was a strange thing indeed. He might have believed he was having a wine inspired dream but she was real. Their kiss had been real and he’d wanted so much more but there was no time. Again. There’d been no time in the dungeon either.
As Garrin finished readying himself for the march and the battle, he reflected on their evening together, talking like old friends. There was an ease between them which he’d never possessed before with any woman, and Dianora was fascinating to talk to. The things she must know, if she was truly from the far future as she stated! But of course he knew much about this world and this time she had no idea of. He’d enjoyed her questions and the chance to simply sit and converse. Not flirtation, not the stilted remarks of a courtier seeking to curry favor with the king, not a woman hoping to find her way into his bed and claim the title of his queen.
He smiled. Plainly Dianora desired him as much as he wanted her. His cock was still hard, thinking about how she’d felt in his arms and the too brief taste of her kiss. The ring understood they belonged together. A thought struck him and he paused in his preparations. Was the ring here in this time as well? He’d have to find out when he reclaimed his castle at the point of a sword and the head of an army. The family heirloom was locked away in a special place only he knew of. His heart beat faster. If he did lay hands on the ring, could he go to her? Passively waiting for her to show up unexpectedly wasn’t to his liking. Once all this was settled with the damn Craadil and the traitors in his court, he’d take himself to wherever she lived and make a forceful case for them to be together in his time. Garrin had no desire to try dwelling in her realm. He was the king here, he had duties and responsibilities to his people and this was his place. Dianora appeared to be a person who could adapt to life in Argorn and if she agreed, he’d make every effort to see she was happy and cared for.
The decision to go to her was to his liking although his head ached as he pondered how the ring could be on Dianora’s finger and in his castle safe simultaneously. These machinations of the gods and their devices from the stars could vex a man if he considered them too deeply. But there was no woman here in my realm who stirred my heart and senses the way she does. The ring knew who I needed. I hope it was right and I am what she needs.
There was a knock on the door and Bakuln stuck his head in. “The men are assembled and ready.”
“Let’s get this counterstrike underway then. We’ve a long way to go to reach the enemy position.” He strode from his room with determination, Bakuln falling into step with him and they descended the stairs to the courtyard together. He allowed himself one more mental image of Dianora clasped in his arms and tasted their kiss, a promise of what could be if he could only defeat the damn enemy and regain his throne.
Setting foot in the courtyard, returning the salute of the assembled soldiers, Garrin shut away his memories of love and concentrated on the battle ahead. Divided attention could get a man killed in war.
CHAPTER FOUR
She fell onto her bed and tumbled to the floor, her limbs a bit paralyzed from the intense cold of traveling through time. Dianora clawed her way onto the bed and rolled on her back, staring at the canvas ceiling. “Lords of Space, keep him safe.” She was being ridiculous, since whatever battles Garrin had fought ended thousands of years ago but she was having a hard time sorting out reality here in the present from reality there in the past. When she was steady enough, she retrieved her handheld and watched the feed, not at all surprised to discover she had indeed vanished from view right after expressing her desire to go to Garrin. The truth was clear on the holo record. With a pang of regret, she erased the footage. No one was going to believe her and the longer this went on, the less inclined she was to even try to explain matters to anyone else. There was no good answer to her illicit possession of the ring and even if she sought out Dr. Soren and admitted the truth, which he might believe if the gem was indeed an AO device, she’d be in deep trouble for keeping and using an AO artifact.
She’d never be allowed to do so again.
And she’d never see Garrin again.
“Where am I going with this?” she asked herself, running her hands through her hair, leaving the curls tousled. “There’s only one way for us to be together—I’d have to go there and stay.” She and the ancient ruler certainly had an attraction to each other and chemistry together off the charts but that wasn’t enough for her to abandon her life in her own time. Was it? Ruefully she admitted to herself Garrin hadn’t asked her to either, although he’d certainly been making his interest in her clear enough last night.
“He thinks I’m a damn fae or a demigoddess or something,” she said. “Just because I have the ring. I need a plan.”
