As if in response, the stone buzzed against her palm. Like a warning. She clenched her fist tighter.
“Give it to me and I willna hurt anyone else.” He held out his hand.
“No,” she said. The stone buzzed again against her hand. “I knowwhy it calls to you.”
He said nothing as he continued to glare at her, then turned to one of his men. “Bring the lad.”
Her heart thumped hard against her chest as she held her breath, waiting to see which of the MacLeod brothers they’d bring. Moments later, two of the men dragged Jamie in through the destroyed door. His defiant gaze met hers.
His face was dirty and sweaty. His clothes were splattered with blood. His hands were tied in front of him as he limped into the great hall.
Behind him, Callum and Malcolm followed in the same state. Chloe reached for Evie, grasping her by the hand as they huddled together when they saw their husbands were also captured. Evie whimpered.
John waved the two men holding Jamie forward. They stopped within an arm’s length of her. Jamie was close. So close she smelled the musk and leather scent clinging to his skin. She kept her face impassive, pretending he meant nothing to her. It was that moment, though, she understood how much he really did mean to her. She hated seeing him as their prisoner.
“Hand over the stone, lass.” There was a warning in his voice.
Brianna kept her eyes trained on Jamie. He gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.
“It calls to you because you’re cursed,” she said. “Because your ancestor tried to steal it from the Triple Goddess. They cursed him and his descendants for all Time.”
A feral smile crossed Rory MacDonald’s face as he stepped toward her. “Ye ken yer history, lass. Ye also ken the prophecy, I’d wager. But what ye dinnae ken is how to break our curse.”
Her defiant gaze flickered to him. “You think opening the Realm of Chaos with your fancy great axe will allow you to get what you want. You think controlling all of Time will giveyou peace. But the truth is…” She paused, taking a deep breath. “The truth is possessing the keystone will not break your curse.”
It was a gamble. Honestly, she didn’t know what would break the curse, but she wanted to seem as though she had more information than he did.
In her hand, the stone hummed and buzzed, as if urging her to take action. She cut a glance to her sisters hoping they would give her some sort of sign. It was clear neither of them knew what to do either.
It was all up to her now. She was alone in this. Or was she?
You have the power within you.
Blood warms to blood. Ye have my brothers and me.
Two bloodlines. One destiny.
The words echoed through her mind. Her gaze flickered from the MacLeod brothers to her sisters down to her enclosed fist where the stone continued to hum.
“Give me the stone!” John demanded.
“Dinnae do it, lass,” Jamie said.
That awarded him a smack in the side of the head with the hilt of a sword. He winced. Blood trickled down the side of his face. Her fingers opened a bit to reveal the keystone resting against her bloody palm. The lines were pulsing and glowing in concert with the humming and buzzing.
“Blood warms to blood,” she whispered.
There was a flash of bright light, blinding all who stood in the great hall. She looked at Jamie as he shielded his eyes against the light. The stone in her hand burned against her palm. A silent communication flickered between the two of them as she sent up a silent prayer for the safety of the keystone. It could not fall into MacDonald hands.
She lurched forward, stumbling on her own feet, causing her to fall into Jamie. She pressed her hand against his as their gazes collided. Question flickered through his, then understanding.
The power surging through her was more than she could bear. The moment their hands touched, the light exploded between them.She swayed backward, the light pulsing around all of them, followed by a loud boom. The last thing she recalled before she passed out was Jamie’s face etched in concern.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Brianna awoke witha raging headache. Her tired body shivered against the cold pressing into her. Her hand throbbed from where she had sliced it open. Her arms were pulled behind her in an awkward, uncomfortable position. Something rough and sharp scraped against her wrists. Somewhere in the distance, she heard muffled chatter. Her mind tried to decipher where she was and what was happening to her. She finally managed to peel her eyes open.
Her head throbbed with a righteous pain that slammed into her as soon as she opened her eyes. She was tied to a chair in the great hall. Confusion settled in as her brows drew together and she tried to understand what she was seeing.
