Page 71 of Highlander’s Claim

He shook his head and gave her a weak grin. “Lass. I lived a good life. It was worth it. Most men never get to love a woman and find their mate that God had intended for them. I have been fortunate. I have had two. So, if I have to die, ’tis a happy death doing my duty—protecting my people and the woman I love.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “No. I forbid you to die. I just found you. I just agreed to a life with you. Don’t die, Aulay. Please, don’t die.”

“Ye should leave, Jenny. Go to yer time. I lied to ye. Well…” He let out a short, shaky breath. “Rather, I didna tell ye something. The rock on Achleith isna the only one. There’s a stone like that on this island.”

She froze. “What?”

“I didna tell ye because I was afraid it would be easier for ye to leave me. I’m sorry, Jenny.”

She swallowed. She was angry with him, but not because he’d kept her prisoner. Because if there was a rock nearby, she may have hope…a hope to go to her time for antibiotics and bring them here. If she’d known this earlier, she could have gone sooner. Now it may be too late whatever she did. But she wouldn’t give up. Not yet.

“Where is it?” she asked, her hands shaking with hope.

“On a hill at the base of an ancient ruin. Ye ken it. Ye must have seen it on yer way to the woods.”

She jumped to her feet. “It’s only a ten-minute walk! If I run, maybe five…” Her throat convulsed in a high-pitched whimper. “You goddamn idiot! Why didn’t you tell me this sooner!”

“I’m sorry—I didna want to lose ye. Go now, love. Ye’re free.”

“There’s no time to waste.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Hold on, you hear me! Don’t you dare die!”

She ran to the door, her chest filling and exploding with hope. But as she opened the door and ran out onto the landing, she thought she heard him say something.

“Goodbye, my love.” His soft words hung in the air behind her.

CHAPTER 31

Jenny was out of breath when she climbed the hill. She panted as she looked around the crumbled walls and rough rock. There it was, at the base of one of the pieces of the ruin, the rock with the hand carving and the symbols. Her heart was drumming as if ready to break her bones and jump out of her chest.

She hurried to the rock, every step feeling as though boulders were tied to her feet. She sank to her knees in front of the rock. Like the one on Achleith, this one buzzed and vibrated and called to her. The carvings glowed as though lit up with neon lights. She was going back to her time. Finally, she was.

The scent of lavender and grass hit her, and a shadow fell over her. She looked up. Sìneag. In her hooded green cloak, her face round and freckled, her eyes bright. Only, her face wasn’t smiling anymore. There was real worry written over it. “I just came to tell ye, Jenny, ye only have two passes left. After that, the tunnel of time will forever be closed for ye. So do choose wisely now.”

It meant once Jenny brought the antibiotics to Aulay, she wouldn’t be able to return to the twenty-first century again. There was no guarantee the antibiotics would work. What if she got the wrong one? What if she was too late?

And if he survived this time, he would surely be in another battle. Some other illness may take him from her, and she would be alone and stuck in the Middle Ages.

There were still two days left till her appointment in New York. She could still make it.

And abandon Aulay to his sure death?

Despite these sacrifices and possibilities, she needed to make a decision.

No, never. Love was worth the risk. Her life would be complete with Aulay. Love filled that void in her soul.

So, there it was, her choice made. She’d chosen the man she loved over a child she may never have.

“Thanks for the warning,” she said. “I don’t have any time to waste.”

She put her hand into the handprint. Cold stone disappeared from under her palm, and she was falling and falling into oblivion.

An eternity later, she sat up. She was still near the ruin. Her head felt heavy and empty, and for a moment she didn’t know where she was and why she was here. She was just perceiving. This was the ground. It was wet and smelled like soil after the rain. Grass, moss, and wild plants were all covered in droplets of water. Here were the remnants of some crumbled, thick, ancient walls, all wet, as well. The air was cool and humid. The sun shone through a gap between steely clouds.

She scrambled to her feet. She had the feeling there was an important reason she was here and that she needed to hurry. Why was she dressed like a medieval woman? A long dress tied at her waist with a belt. She looked around again and her gaze dropped to the rock Somehow, through a brain like molasses, it hit her.

Aulay. Antibiotics.

There was no one in sight. There, where Dunyvaig Castle used to be, was a ruin. And around it, a town. A modern town. With roofs made of tiles and roads made of asphalt. She felt cold.