How she longed to.
But she couldn’t.
Instead, she opened her palm, revealing the Ring.It was his, by right, but also her ticket home.Should she hold onto it?A tremor passed through her as she looked at it.It had the power to whisk her away against her will, rip her from this man she loved.
She dropped it in his hand.
The amber gem pulsed like living flame.Caleb turned it over.“How does it send you back?By whim or will?”
She stepped away from it, fearing even touching it.“Do you know what a portal is?”
Caleb scratched his stubble, his brow wrinkling.“A doorway to another place?”
“Yes, and in this case, another time.I saw a map in Montverre’s library.Seven red circles marked points across the world.I believe they are the locations of these doorways.”
He frowned.“And you’re certain they weren’t his ships or targets for invasion?”
“There were too many strange places.”Nibbling on her lip, she moved to the window, seeking distance from the cursed artifact.Patches batted at sunbeams along the sill as Desi continued.“One circle marked the site where your ship sank, where I found the Ring.Another wasÎle Du Crâne.”
She gave him a moment to process the information, his expression pensive and stern.
“Don’t you see?I only travel through time when I’m at those places and in contact with it.”
“But you dropped it before vanishing—twice.”
“Yes.In the past, I have to drop it to return home.In my time, I only have to touch it.”
He smiled, tossed the Ring in the air and caught it.“Problem solved.I simply will not allow you to touch it ever again.”
“If only it were that simple.”Desi turned to stare out the stern windows, not wanting to look at him while she told him the truth.Dark clouds retreated on the horizon, the last evidence of the storm, while waves glittered like scattered glass beneath the sun.All looked peaceful.But peace was a lie.
His bootsteps thudded softly behind her.“Why can it not be?”
Desi clasped hands before her, refusing to turn around.“It’s my sister, Caleb.Remember I told you about her?”
“Aye.She is ill.”
“Yes.And dying.”She finally spun to face him.“Things got far worse when I returned.She’s in the hospital now.They say she only has weeks.”
Sorrow carved deep lines in his face as he squeezed her hand.“I’m sorry, Desi.’Tis a grief too great to bear.”
“But there’s a way to save her life.”
A single strand of his hair slid across his jaw.“Tell me.”
“There’s a man—wealthy beyond measure—who will pay a fortune for the Ring.”She hesitated.Should she tell him the man was Montverre’s descendant?Would it make him less inclined to give it to her?Her thoughts twisted inside her.Along with her heart.
A slight narrowing of his eyes was the only indication of the conflict brewing in his mind.
“That money could pay for her surgery and her care for life.Without it…” Her voice broke.“She’ll die.”
Caleb turned away, pacing behind his desk.The air between them chilled.“Can no other surgeon perform it?Are there no physicians of skill?”
“That’s not how it works in my time.”
He grunted.“It is still about money, then.Some things never change.”
“Yes, unfortunately.”Her whisper carried both anger and resignation.
