Threads of Destiny

Chapter Fourteen

Marc was still reeling from his sensual encounter with Kathryn in the stables. He could still taste her sweet essence on his tongue, still feel her heat wrapped snuggly around his cock as he thrust into her.

With a muttered curse, he brought his attention back to the men beside him, ignoring their startled gazes. He’d sensed Kathryn hurrying from the stables and while he understood her reticence at being caught making love in the stables, he resented it all the same. He wanted everyone to know she belonged to him.

One thing was certain, she would never forget the first time she saw a horse.

He chatted a bit longer and then headed to the castle. His long legs ate up the distance, his boots raising puffs of dust as he went. His first instinct was to seek out Kathryn but he knew she would want some time to compose herself. Besides, he would have forever with her. Right now, he needed to spend time with his family. As of tonight, they would be lost to him.

He swallowed hard at the thought of never seeing Jarek, Christina and his nephews again. Then there was Mara, his friends and all the men and women who were part of his daily life. For the first time, he understood the sacrifice that the tapestry brides made when they chose to remain in Javara. He admired their tremendous courage. To leave behind all that you knew and face the unknown was indeed a challenge. But it was worth it for love.

Tienan and Logan were seated in the hall along with his family. His nephews, Baron and Derrik played quietly on the floor beside their father’s chair, their wide eyes never leaving the men. Marc felt a pain in the region of his chest and rubbed it absently.

He would miss them all more than they would ever know.

He straightened his shoulders and strode forward, determined to spend the rest of the afternoon soaking up every single moment with them and storing it away in his memory for the years to come. Only for Kathryn would he leave them behind. They would miss him but they would be fine without them. Kathryn, on the other hand, needed him. And he needed her.

Acting as normal as possible, he joined the conversation. Jarek gave him a searching stare but Marc gave a small shake of his head. His brother bowed his head briefly before turning back to Logan. Christina gave him a quizzical look but he merely offered her a smile and a shrug. Then Mara called out to her, informing her that the baby was awake and demanding to be fed. She excused herself from the group and hurried off to feed her daughter.

Marc watched her leave, glad that she was here for Jarek to help ease the pain that his leaving would cause. He and his brother had always been close. A tug on his pant leg interrupted his dark thoughts. Baron leaned into his leg, watching him.

“Uncle Marc, what’s wrong?” The boy had always been sensitive to the moods of others and saw way more than a child his age usually did.

Marc crouched down beside his nephew, who was really his son, and ruffled the boy’s hair. “There is nothing wrong. I have a lot on my mind.” Pain filled him at the thought of never seeing the boy grow into manhood, never seeing him swing a sword or ride a horse on his own. Baron had just begun to ride a pony and had taken to it with a natural ability. Marc’s chest had almost burst with pride the first time he’d watched the boy trot around the courtyard on his own.

He would also miss watching the other children grow and change and he would never see any other children Jarek and Christina might have.

“It’s about the woman, isn’t it?” the boy persisted.

“Aye, it is.” He patted the child on the shoulder as he stood. “But there is nothing for you to worry about.” Taking him at his word, Baron went back to play with his younger brother. Marc leaned against the wall and watched them in their innocent play until he became aware of Tienan’s presence beside him.

“They are beautiful children,” Tienan remarked.

“They are.”

“The eldest is your son.” It wasn’t a question. Marc inwardly cursed the fact that both the strangers from Earth were blessed with a keen intellect and eye.

“He is of my body but he is my nephew. Jarek is his father.” Tienan crossed his arms, his legs spread wide. There was nothing relaxed about his posture. “That must be…difficult.”

“It is, but it is our way.” He turned to face the other man. “I know what I am leaving behind when Kathryn chooses to leave but he will be loved and cared for by his parents.”

“She is not going back there,” Tienan stated calmly under his breath.

Marc shook his head. “I would prefer she stay but she is determined to go back. She feels responsible for her father’s actions, for what happened to you and Logan.”

“That is ridiculous,” he insisted, voice even but green eyes snapping in anger.

“That is fact.” Sighing, Marc pushed away from the wall and shoved a hand through his hair. “Do you not think that I wish she was less courageous, that she didn’t feel as much responsibility as she does?” Dropping his hand back down by his side, he faced Tienan, understanding the other man’s frustration. “But if she did, she would not be Kathryn.”

Tienan swore. “It is not her place. Not her fight.”

“You don’t have to return either. You could stay.”

A look of pure longing came over Tienan’s face but disappeared almost immediately behind a mask of indifference. “That is my world and those are my people.

I have heard rumors that not all the other alphas were terminated, that some of them actually made it out alive. I have to find them. Together, maybe we can fight the government and find justice for those outside the Gate.” He swiveled his head, his gaze pinned on the stairs as Christina descended with Kathryn by her side. “Besides, she is your woman.” Marc started to protest but Tienan’s hand slashed through the air, stopping him.

“Logan and I both know it. Yes, she cares for us but it is not the same. She loves you.” His eyes narrowed. “And if you hurt her, I will find a way to travel through time and come back here and cut your heart out.”

“She will not stay,” Marc insisted. He’d seen the determination in her, seen her resolve to return.

“We will see.” Tienan strode across the hall to greet them. Marc watched Kathryn’s eyes light up with pleasure as the other man took her hand, leaned down and brushed a kiss on her cheek. From his vantage point, he could see the light blush creep up her face as she laughed and joined the group.

The afternoon was pleasant enough but everyone’s mood deteriorated as time ticked by. The castle guard trickled in to sit at the long trestle tables that the servants had assembled but even their conversation was kept to a minimum.

By the time the evening meal was served, they were a quiet, morose group.

Everyone knew what was coming, what the night would bring. The tapestry would appear and choices would have to be made. No one knew for certain what the outcome would be.

Mara had herded the children upstairs to their room after they’d said goodnight to all the adults. Marc had held each boy overly long, hugging them tightly, knowing that this was goodbye.

Jarek sat in silence, his actions getting tenser by the moment. Christina said nothing, sitting quietly beside her husband. Kathryn picked at her food, not eating much at all.

“Does your stomach bother you?” Marc hadn’t thought to check with her to see if the food was acceptable. There was a thick beef stew, fresh bread, baked chicken and vegetables, as well as platters of cheese and fruit.

“It’s all delicious, I’m just not hungry.” She sipped the tea that Mara had placed in front of her. Marc wished he’d thought to thank the older woman for her thoughtfulness. She’d been taking care of the occupants of the castle for so long that all of them, including Mara herself, took it for granted.

“Try to eat a little bit more.” She was still far too thin for his liking. Kathryn projected a confident, controlled facade to the world but physically she was delicate to the point of being fragile. He knew it was because of all she’d been through in her lifetime but especially the past few months. He only wished there had been time enough for her to get healthy before they returned. The past few days had only added to the problem, pushing her even further toward her physical limits.

She took two more spoonfuls of the soup before pushing the bowl aside.

It wasn’t enough but time had run out.

Marc pushed his chair back from the table, ignoring the food still piled on his plate.

“It is time.”

Tienan and Logan stood, their expressions grave as they thanked Jarek and Christina for their hospitality. Christina started to stand but her husband put his large hand on her arm, stopping her. “They must do this alone.” Christina nodded but Marc saw the tears in her eyes as she hugged Kathryn. He knew she believed Kathryn was returning to her own time and that he would be left alone. His sister-in-law had no idea he planned to go with them.

He reached down and gave Christina a gentle squeeze. “All will be well. Jarek loves you and so do the children.” She jerked her head back, her eyes searching his face. He could see the worry there and was sorry for it.

Jarek stood and, heedless of the audience watching them, yanked Marc into his embrace, hugging him tightly. Marc knew he had to get away before he disgraced himself with tears. He thumped his brother on the back, released him and turned away.

Kathryn, Logan and Tienan were all waiting for him. He marched through the long hall with them at his side. He looked neither to the right nor to the left. And he never looked back.

He climbed the stairs for the very last time and led them to the room where they’d first appeared. Walking to the window, he stared out over the land for one final time, imprinting the picture on his heart and soul.

The door closed and he turned to face the group behind him. “I’m going with you.” Kathryn couldn’t believe her ears. “What are you talking about?” Surely he didn’t mean what she thought.

His eyes narrowed and he stared at her, resolve written on every line of his face. “I am returning to Earth with you when you go.”

“That’s ridiculous,” she sputtered. “What’s going on there is not your fight. Your life is here. Your family is here.”

He strode to her, grabbed her shoulders in his big hands and shook her lightly.

“Not my fight?” The tension from his hands radiated down her torso and legs until it enveloped her.

He was so much larger than her but she wasn’t the slightest bit afraid of him. “No, it’s not.” There was no way she would let him leave his wonderful home and loving family. What he had here was everything she’d ever wanted. She bit her lip to keep from begging him to go with her. She loved him enough to want the best for him.

Marc lowered his face until their noses were almost touching, anger glowing in his eyes. “You are my life.” He said each word slowly, spacing them apart. “You are the very air I breathe, the reason my heart beats. I will be by your side.” Her heart pounded so hard she feared it might explode from her chest. His words vibrated in her very soul. Never had anyone said such things to her. She’d wanted this kind of love her entire life, had longed for it, craved it. But now that it was being offered to her, she had to turn away from it.

“No. I won’t let you do it.”

He straightened slowly. “You cannot stop me.”

Tears of anger and worry pricked her eyes and she swiped at them as she turned to the men standing silently behind her. “Talk to him. I’m going to get changed.” Stalking off, she headed to the bathing room, slamming the door behind her.

Christina had told her earlier that her original clothing was all cleaned and waiting for her. Neither woman was sure if the clothing from Javara would make it through the transfer. Marc had arrived fully clothed but he wasn’t from Earth and she wasn’t about to take any chances.

Stripping off her pants and boots, she tossed them aside. She yanked the tunic over her head and added it to the pile. Had it only been two days since she’d been plucked from her bedroom and brought here? It seemed impossible, yet it had happened.

She tugged on her clean underwear and pulled on her pants, tugging up the zipper and doing up the single button. Her socks and shoes were next. She had no blouse, as that had been sacrificed as a bandage for Tienan. Christina had left a waist-length tunic for her to wear. It was better than nothing and hopefully she wouldn’t lose it in the transition back home.

Even her purse was there, so she dug into the bag and pulled out her brush, then yanked it through her hair. When she was done, she quickly plaited the mass and tied the end off with an elastic from her bag. She tossed the brush back inside and looked around. There was nothing else left for her to do. She was ready.

She’d taken her tweezers downstairs earlier and given them to Mara, who would make sure her brother, the blacksmith, got them. Kathryn wished she’d be around to see how the man did with copying them and the other medical implements she’d drawn. Everything else she’d brought with her, including the leather journal, was tucked safely in her purse.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. There was no escaping her destiny, no matter what she wanted.

Are you certain you know what your destiny is?

The voice seemed to echo inside her brain, yet it wasn’t hers. “Of course I’m certain? I have to go back.” Great, now she was talking to herself. She had to get a grip.

Your destiny is not the same as Tienan’s and Logan’s. They have their path to walk and you have yours. Remember, child, the tapestry always knows what it is doing. It takes women who are out of place in their own time and brings them here, where they have the ability to thrive and make a difference.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and goose bumps raced down her arms. She knew that voice. It was Sarainta, the sorceress. “I don’t understand. It’s logical for me to go back. This is not my time and place. Besides, I owe it to my people to go back and fight my father and the General.” She turned in a circle, searching for the other woman. Her voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere in particular.

Sometimes you must push logic aside. Sometimes you must think with your heart.

“But logic is all I’ve ever known. It’s how I’ve lived my entire life.” Kathryn rubbed her hands over her arms, trying to drive back the chill that was slowly creeping through her.

Maybe it is time for your life to change. Maybe it is time for you to face your fears and claim your destiny.

“What fears? I’m trying to go back and face my father and General Caruthers. I’m trying to face my fears.”

Are you really? The voice questioned kindly. Or are you running from your biggest fear? The fear that you aren’t really lovable, the fear that no one could truly love you for who you are.

A lone tear seeped from the corner of her eye to trail down her face. “That’s not fair,” she whispered.

Life is seldom fair. But there are times when the scales can be balanced. This is one of those times. The choice is ultimately yours. Believe, Kathryn. Believe in yourself. The world you’ve known will get along, or not, without you. It doesn’t need you. But this world…

A soft wind touched her face, drying her tear and then it was gone and she was left alone, Sarainta’s final words left hanging in the air around her. Her thoughts tumbled over one another in her confusion. She had to go back. Didn’t she? Was the voice right?

Was she really running, out of fear, from her one chance at love?

The men all shouted her name at once and she raced back to the bedroom. She barely noticed that Tienan and Logan were dressed in their original clothing. Her attention was riveted on the bed. The tapestry sat on the end of the mattress, the threads glowing as the pattern swirled and changed.

The time had come.

Marc stalked to the bed and grabbed the tapestry. “I am going with you if the tapestry will take me.” His voice was low and even.

She realized then that for him there was no other choice. He believed in love and was willing to do whatever it took for them to be together. He would sacrifice his home, his family and his friends to be with her, even knowing they were walking into certain death at the hands of her father and their government.

And what was she giving up? A chance to have a home and a family of her own. A place where she was accepted and her skills valued. A chance to spend the rest of her days beside a man who loved her more than life itself.

And what was she going back to? A world where she didn’t belong. Where people belittled her and berated her. A lonely place with only two friends and no one to truly love her the way she needed them to.

“No.” She whispered the word and Marc glared at her. She knew he’d misinterpreted what she meant.

Tienan strode to Marc’s side and pulled the tapestry from his grip. “Logan and I are returning to fight.” He turned to Kathryn. “There are rumors that some of the other alphas escaped termination. If that is so, we can start building an army, a resistance force outside the Gate to fight the government. Maybe band together with the people living there.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about that?” She was shocked that they’d kept this from her but pleased that some of the other men might have escaped.

“Because this is not your fight.” His face was impassive as he looked at her. “Your presence would weaken us, give the General something to exploit.” Kathryn winced. His logic was irrefutable but it hurt nonetheless.

Logan came to her side and pulled her into his arms. “You are too good for that world of intrigue and ugliness. It is killing you. You belong here.” She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. “I don’t want you to go.

Not without me.”

Logan kissed the top of her head. “We must go for now but perhaps this is not the end, perhaps we shall see each other again.” He released her and she rushed to Tienan’s side.

She flung herself at Tienan and he hugged her, the tapestry he gripped in his hands was warm against her back. “What about your shoulder?” Tienan chuckled, although it sounded strained. “I am almost healed. Mara checked the wound and changed the bandage for me earlier.”

“I should have done it,” she whispered.

“No. You’ve done enough. Sacrificed enough. You have magic,” he whispered in her ear. “You can bring the tapestry back to you and maybe someday we will return to visit you. It is best for all concerned if you remain here.” Tears coursed down her face unchecked as she turned to Marc. He waited patiently for her to make her decision. How could she pull him away from all that he’d known, all he loved and valued, to fight in a war that was not his?

The answer came to her in a blinding moment of clarity. She could not.

Her heart swelled in her chest as a love so huge it was almost too much to handle washed through her. She loved Marc with all her being. She loved him enough to leave her world behind, to send her friends back alone and to give up the fight against the forces of evil she’d left behind. She loved him enough to forego logic and to listen to her heart instead of her brain.

Deep in her soul, she wanted to stay. She was tired of fighting. Her entire life had been one long battle and she was weary of it. She’d done what she could by freeing Tienan and Logan to fight. Her part in that drama was done. The only thing she would do by returning would be to slow down both men in their battle for justice. And Tienan was right. She would be their Achilles heel, a weakness to be exploited by her father and The General.

It was all so clear now.

Logan went to stand beside Tienan, his hand on the tapestry so that it was gripped between the two of them. They both had swords strapped to their sides and daggers tucked into their boots. She prayed the weapons would make it back with them so they wouldn’t be totally defenseless.

She almost snorted at her foolishness. Even without their swords and daggers, they were far from defenseless. Still, she worried for them and not just for their safety but for their mental and emotional wellbeing.

“I love you both.” They nodded as one, neither of them speaking. But she could see the unspoken words in their eyes.

She turned to Marc and held out her hand. He took it in his much larger one, wrapping his fingers around hers and holding it securely. It would always be like that.

Marc would always put himself between her and danger, keeping her safe.

Now she would do the same for him.

“I love you more than anything else in the world.” She cupped his jaw with her free hand, loving the rough feel of the stubble against her palm. Marc was so vital, so alive.

“Are you ready to go home, my love?” He turned his face to kiss her palm as he wrapped his free arm around her waist.

“I’m already home,” she whispered.

A brilliant light flashed through the room. Kathryn gasped, turning toward Logan and Tienan, desperate for one final glimpse of them. They both raised their hands in a silent salute.

Then they were gone.

Huge sobs erupted from her as she doubled over in pain. They were truly gone.

Marc pulled her into his arms, almost crushing her in his embrace. She let the tears flow freely then for the first time in her life. She cried for her painful childhood. She cried for the world she’d left behind. But mostly, she cried for the loss of the only two friends she’d ever known in her world.

“I don’t understand,” he said when her tears finally subsided. He released her, shoving her hair from her face, his actions almost rough. “Why didn’t you go with them?”

She looked at his beloved face and offered him a smile. “Because you belong here and I belong with you.”

The door to the bedroom banged against the wall as it was shoved open and Jarek burst inside. He gave a cry of gladness as he rushed toward them, pulling first his brother and then her into his arms. It took her a moment to make out his words. She froze as she realized that Jarek had known of Marc’s intentions to leave with her.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” he murmured over and over. All she could do was hug him back, knowing that Marc was by her side and she was standing where she was meant to be.