Chapter Twenty-Four
Dawn approached.
Brianna had been tied to the chair all night without food or water. She had made no progress on getting her wrists free from the ropes. After numerous attempts, she had given up finally. Her hands were slick with what she could only imagine was blood and sweat.
She fought fatigue. Her eyes grew heavy. Her head drooped. When she realized it, she snapped it back up, trying to remain awake.
The shuffling of feet in the room caught her attention. Her senses went on high alert as she sat straighter in the chair.
The man stepped in front of her. The shadows concealed his features, but she had a sneaking suspicion she knew who it was. The question was why he had come to her. To taunt her? Threaten her?
He moved into the pale light enough so that she saw his face. John MacDonald peered back at her with his glittering, terrifying eyes. Eyes that bored into her. He clutched his hands in front of him and regarded her coolly.
“I bet you’re wondering how I ended up here, aren’t ye?” he said, his voice low and dark in the gloom.
She tipped her head up and peered at him. Though she couldn’t quite make out his face, she tried on her best glare.
“No,” she said, her voice flat.
She admitted to herself she was interested in how he’d ended up in the past, but not enough to want to have a conversation with himabout it. Truthfully, she wanted him to go away and leave her alone.
He chuckled at her response as he circled her. Like a predator.
“When the portal closed, I thought all was lost. Ye left me there on that terrace with burns on my face.”
He stood behind her. She sensed his presence close. Too close. The warmth from his body radiated outward, cascading over her in a way she didn’t like one bit.
Even so, she smirked at the memory of that day. When she had thrown her hot tea in his face to get away.
“Yes, you screamed like a girl.”
She didn’t know why she’d taunted him back. It was likely going to get her hurt. Or dead. Neither of which she was interested in. A hot hand landed on one of her shoulders. He leaned down, his face a breath from hers.
“Ye think ye’re funny, aye?”
Her mouth went dry at his furious tone of his voice. His hot breath whispered over her ear, sending a shiver of revulsion through her.
“I wouldna be here if it weren’t for my brother.”
His brother, Bruce. She remained silent with her eyes forward as he continued to hover over her in a threatening manner.
“Rory used his powerful great axe to bring me back. Because he needs me.”
“Does he?” She tipped her head to one side to see the outline of his profile a breath away from her.
“Aye.” His acrid breath whispered over her.
She turned her face away and peered once again into the depths of the shadows. She didn’t know this man well enough to despise him, but she despised him.
Finally, he straightened and walked around to face her, his arms folded across his thick chest.
“Don’t ye want to know why he needs me?”
“Not really,” she replied. “But like any villain who wants to dragthis out, you’re going to tell me, aren’t you?”
Even in the darkness, she saw the annoyance flicker over his face. Good. She wanted him annoyed. She wanted him angry. Being angry would cause him to make wrong decisions. Wrong decisions could lead to her escape.
“He needs me because once we have the Realm of Chaos open, it’s up to us to use the keystone to control all of Time.”
