I followed Marcus to the hallway where all the guests were accommodated, including my family. He lightly tapped on a door and stepped in.
The windows facing the courtyard were all shut and I couldn't hear a thing. I exited the house through the garden entrance to see if the room had windows facing the river like ours. I scaled up to the second floor and stayed behind the window curtains.
"It just occurred to me now. No wonder she couldn't visit Chicago." I heard Marcus's voice.
"If the stones work only one way, how were we able to return then?"
"I think by one way, it means the place where they can be activated from. We can activate my stone only from here. And hers only from Chicago. We used the portal you created from here to return. If the portal had closed, I think we would have been stuck in Chicago."
Chicago, portal, stones... what was he talking about? Maybe they were speaking in a mixed language because most of it sounded like gibb
Marcus's feet staggered, and I caught him from falling to the ground.She loaded the next one to aim at Marcus again."No! Stop!!"He seemed to be awake but not able to get off the ground. What the hell did she shoot him with? Poison?I ran to stop her but was too late. She took a shot at him again."Stop, don't kill him." My voice cracked when I tried to beg.She grabbed another dart and was loading once more. I reached close enough to attack her, but she pulled out a strange weapon from underneath her tunic and moved toward me threateningly, speaking in a foreign language.But what was she going to shoot me with? She loaded nothing in there. It was too tiny to be a weapon. Was she fooling me?I disregarded her warning and pulled my knife out from my boot while grabbing her hair with my other hand.I heard a click sound and saw her nervous expression before she pressed it again. She was too slow, and I had already
"How can that be? Billy took them?""Liam Cooper checked them out."Marcus and the Druid had some heated exchange of words about the Druid not telling Marcus about Liam earlier."We were focussed on finding Alyssa's home address back then, not who Liam Cooper was or why he exists, remember?"We went to find someone named Jake, the doctor."You folks are driving me insane. That guy looked exactly like him but spoke perfect English," Jake said, pointing to Marcus."Please ask him about Allena's condition," Marcus prompted him.I was so confused about who this other Allena was if Alyssa was in the alternate world as Allena. How many worlds have these people infested?The Druid translated Jake's words for Marcus, "Looks like she underwent the last surgery and was out of danger. As expected, he is going crazy as to why both Allena and Alyssa are still unconscious. He is also suspicious about who we really are. Alyssa said you were h
It was a quiet, moonless night, shrouded in an oppressive deep fog. I bolted, lungs burning, legs screaming, yet the earth-shaking hoofbeats seemed impossibly close. I trod off the dirt path and plunged deeper into the forest. The thick oak canopies made it harder to see. Twisted branches snagged at my clothes and sent me tripping onto the damp undergrowth as my knees buckled with fear. Clip-clop! Clip-clop! The rhythmic clop of hooves steadily grew louder, a relentless counterpoint to the frantic hammering of my heart. Should I climb a tree? Do I even have time to climb a tree? Yes, I should stay put, up there hidden somewhere, until he gives up looking for me. A flicker of desperate hope ignited. Lurching towards the sturdiest oak, I reached for a low branch. Just as I grasped it, a towering silhouette of him and his majestic horse appeared from the swirling fog. His roar, "Think you can escape me?" echoed like thunder through the silent forest. Abandoning the tree, I plung
I woke up with the most massive headache I'd ever had. As my eyes peeled open, uncertainty clung to my senses like a stubborn fog, questioning whether I'd truly woken or merely stumbled into another layer of slumber. Above me stretched a wooden ceiling, with a sloping ascent that resembled the majestic arches of ancient Greek temples that I studied in my art history class. The room was shrouded in an inky blackness, offering only faint outlines of furniture. The bed I lay on felt foreign, yielding to my weight with an unsettling softness. As I attempted to rise, a wave of nausea washed over me, forcing me to sink back down. A pair of wide, startled eyes blinked back at me from the side of the bed. A tiny girl, no more than six, was staring at me. "Aaahh!" she shrieked, her voice a high-pitched squeak. "MOM! DAD! GRAND..." More voices clamored into the room. A tall man, his face etched with concern, approached the bed I was lying on. "Selma, start the fire!" he boomed, his voice e
The commotion outside my makeshift bedroom was impossible to ignore. Through the flimsy walls, I could hear the clatter of dishes and the excited hum of conversation. Apparently, the Druid was staying for lunch. My stomach rumbled in agreement as I learned Allena's father had snagged a wild boar–a feast in the making. Iona walked me to the bath, our footsteps echoing on the rough wooden floor. Hushed whispers and hurried footsteps filled the air as a towering figure, dwarfing even Allena's brothers, emerged with Boann and grabbed hold of my arm. His bushy mustache twitched as he spoke, his anxiety evident in his rapid-fire words. "Allena, listen closely," he rasped, his grip tightening on my arm. "The Druid cannot know about your loss of memory. It was his idea to ally with the Romans. If he finds out that you don't remember a thing, he may have second thoughts about choosing you as the bride. I put too much at stake, so this wedding has to happen." He turned to look at his wife and
I had the strangest kind of dream, with that same man, the one with eyes like polished emeralds. It was a different time and place, but I got the same sort of goosebumps when I saw him. “No, please! Don’t leave me. I feel terrified! I need you here. Our baby needs you here.” I implored some other guy with blue eyes to change his mind. This man was my husband. His face exuded sadness and helplessness. Sweat slicked my skin, and my breaths came in ragged gasps. Trapped in bed, my arms held by two women, each contraction brought a fresh wave of agony. My water broke six hours ago. But the searing pain in my heart, the fear of being separated from my husband, eclipsed the physical torment. "No," I rasped, tears mingling with the sweat on my brow. "If we are to die, let it be together." “I am so sorry, baby!” His voice cracked. “We don’t have much time left. He will be here anytime now.” He was talking about that stranger and I was terrified, shaking with sobs. “If he is going to kill
The air hummed with anticipation. The crisp wind whipped around the hillfort, carrying the scent of roasting meat and nervous excitement. I looked down at the River Boyne, which like a silver ribbon, snaked along one side, while majestic mountains guarded two others.The chief's family and their kin gathered from all sides, overlooking a panoramic vista. They appeared to be wearing their best outfits; tartan woven skirts or long trousers, fur cloaks, brooches, armlets, and torcs. "There they are!" Iona exclaimed, her voice tinged with excitement.Goosebumps erupted in my skin as I followed her gaze to the distant procession snaking its way towards us, litters and carriages pulled by snorting horses and burly mules, and impossibly handsome horseback riders."And there he is! Isn't he gorgeous?" Iona nudged me with a mischievous grin.A shiver ran down my spine as my eyes landed on a man riding ahead of the others. He emanated an aura of raw power, his face etched with a scowl that sent
We marched down to the village, with Marcus no longer by my side. A sonorous, lilting kind of music grew louder and richer as we neared the bonfire. The villagers had already gathered by the fire and the atmosphere was noisy and lively. There was a group of people dancing by the fire and another group singing and playing music to them. Wafts of food and wine saturated my senses. I felt at ease for the first time since the last two days that I have been here. Marcus's presence had a calming effect on me, which was completely unexpected. All my apprehensions about him felt unwarranted when I saw him laugh carelessly with his family. The warm bonfire glow transformed his face into a picture-perfect vision.
"How can that be? Billy took them?""Liam Cooper checked them out."Marcus and the Druid had some heated exchange of words about the Druid not telling Marcus about Liam earlier."We were focussed on finding Alyssa's home address back then, not who Liam Cooper was or why he exists, remember?"We went to find someone named Jake, the doctor."You folks are driving me insane. That guy looked exactly like him but spoke perfect English," Jake said, pointing to Marcus."Please ask him about Allena's condition," Marcus prompted him.I was so confused about who this other Allena was if Alyssa was in the alternate world as Allena. How many worlds have these people infested?The Druid translated Jake's words for Marcus, "Looks like she underwent the last surgery and was out of danger. As expected, he is going crazy as to why both Allena and Alyssa are still unconscious. He is also suspicious about who we really are. Alyssa said you were h
Marcus's feet staggered, and I caught him from falling to the ground.She loaded the next one to aim at Marcus again."No! Stop!!"He seemed to be awake but not able to get off the ground. What the hell did she shoot him with? Poison?I ran to stop her but was too late. She took a shot at him again."Stop, don't kill him." My voice cracked when I tried to beg.She grabbed another dart and was loading once more. I reached close enough to attack her, but she pulled out a strange weapon from underneath her tunic and moved toward me threateningly, speaking in a foreign language.But what was she going to shoot me with? She loaded nothing in there. It was too tiny to be a weapon. Was she fooling me?I disregarded her warning and pulled my knife out from my boot while grabbing her hair with my other hand.I heard a click sound and saw her nervous expression before she pressed it again. She was too slow, and I had already
I followed Marcus to the hallway where all the guests were accommodated, including my family. He lightly tapped on a door and stepped in.The windows facing the courtyard were all shut and I couldn't hear a thing. I exited the house through the garden entrance to see if the room had windows facing the river like ours. I scaled up to the second floor and stayed behind the window curtains."It just occurred to me now. No wonder she couldn't visit Chicago." I heard Marcus's voice."If the stones work only one way, how were we able to return then?""I think by one way, it means the place where they can be activated from. We can activate my stone only from here. And hers only from Chicago. We used the portal you created from here to return. If the portal had closed, I think we would have been stuck in Chicago."Chicago, portal, stones... what was he talking about? Maybe they were speaking in a mixed language because most of it sounded like gibb
After the wedding feast, Marcus was beginning to look distracted and stressed again. His eyes wandered around, searching for someone. Who else would he be looking for?"Are you looking for Laelia?"I couldn't hide the anger out of my voice.He made me feel so special that I forgot all about her existence until now."Laelia is not here," he said"Was she not invited? Or did she not want to come?"If I had to attend my boyfriend's wedding, I would probably be a crying mess.He looked at me with amusement."Why do you care?""I don't care. I will take it as an insult though if you stare at her while I am in your arms."He stroked my cheek, setting it on fire, "How can I stare at anyone else?"I was at a loss for words. I should be feeling ashamed of myself. I made such overconfident claims, even said to Marcus many times, that I loved Neill. Here I was, dying to hear such cheesy words from him.Ev
Alternate World TwoAllena's POV"I think he suffers from a personality disorder," I told my mother."That won't stop this wedding. Stop making stories up and look down so that she can do your hair well.""It's true! I know no one would believe me if I told them. He has three different personalities, all different from one another.""And what are these?" Selma asked.She thinks I was already so into him already that his hot and cold behavior was bothering me."The first one is the arrogant jerk who is madly in love with Laelia and doesn't give two shits about me."It was my mother's turn to look amused."Does this girlfriend really exist? Or did you make this story up as well? Where is she? I expected her to dress up better than you and taunt you already. That's the kind of impression you gave me about this imaginary woman.""He must have sent her away somewhere when he got possessed by that second personality of
Alternate World TwoMarcus's POVI struggled to focus on what was important. Things were a mess in Chicago, and I was clueless as to what exactly was going on.Thankfully, the Druid from here was very cooperative. He looked almost a decade younger than the other Druid. I was wary about giving him all the details at once and freaking him out. He was already quite panicked that I knew his time traveler secret.But once I talked to him long enough explaining my situation, and when I told him that an older version of him existed, he was all up for helping and meeting his older self. He wanted to know what he had done differently so far in the parallel universe, and all the adventures he went on.The older Druid definitely went back further in time or lived longer in the past to have aged so much more. This younger Druid was particularly excited about portals to the alternate world, which I had no idea even existed. If they did, it w
I wanted to feel anger or indifference. I just wanted to cry my heart out while in his arms."Please don't leave me," he said.I was so determined to leave until this moment. But now I was wondering if I should leave it for Allena to decide. She knows what has been going on so far, and unlike me, she may already know what she wants. I did not have the heart to say no to him. I also did not have much time left with him.After a long and tight hug, he released me from his arms. I saw him look vulnerable for the first time."I am still learning to love, and I will probably never learn to live without you. Please, stay."His words made me cry more. They also had me realize that I could not leave him in the lurch. What if I forgive him today and Allena tells him to fuck off tomorrow?"I have to tell you something, something very important.""Oh yeah? Me too.""Um... What I have to say is not easy to explain. When I show you so
Something inside me had snapped. His words delivered such painful blows that feelings of hopelessness engulfed me; hopelessness about now and forever.I pushed my way out of the kitchen, with a dozen servants watching the drama. Selma followed me to the room, but I didn't want to talk to anyone for as long as possible. I closed the door and locked it, pretending to not see her.What just happened? How I wished this was one nightmare while under sedation.I locked myself in for the next two days, not caring about Marcus or breaking the curse. Nothing mattered anymore.I knew I shouldn't feel so devastated. We didn't share the soulmate bond. I wouldn't even be here two days from now. It was like getting mad at my Marcus for something Damen did like when he lied to Nyneve. The sorceress said 'about' three weeks. I hoped each day that it was the last day.I guess I already blew up my chance to find the portal and do something meaningful. Ma
They say it's very hard to love something that doesn't need you. But it was harder to stop loving the ruthless version of Marcus, even if he didn't want me.He avoided me at all costs for the rest of the afternoon. He said I had to stay in my room until my ankle healed completely. It would save me from all the back-breaking work for sure, but how was I ever going to get another chance to sneak out of the fortress then?I considered telling him about it, asking him to take me to the cave himself. That was the easiest and safest way. I walked to the training grounds, wondering if he was over there."Where do you think you are going?" Logan stopped me."I am looking for the Legatus.""And why would he want to meet you?""He would very much want to, and that's why I am looking for him.""Get back to wherever you are supposed to be. You don't own this place, so stop walking around as if you do."Huh!"I will go back, just tel