Page 136 of Edge of Yesterday

Julianna’s head snapped in Cailean’s direction. “Do you hear?”

He nodded, then scanned the room. On the right side of the cavern a rowboat bobbed gently in the deep-looking pool. To the left, water lapped a scattering of stone rubble. Cailean sheathed Triumph, then grasped Julianna’s arm and hurried toward the spot. A section of wall had fallen, creating a depression large enough—he hoped—to conceal them from view. Cailean tightened his grip on Julianna’s arm and urged her past the tiny jetty of rock that formed near the rim of the vertical slit. He caught his breath when the rubble shifted under her weight, but she maintained her balance and edged toward the lapping water, leaving enough room for him to squeeze in behind her.

“Gather your skirt tight about your legs,” he whispered, and grabbed her arm when she slipped.

The water lapped around her ankles. Dammit, her feet would be chilled within minutes. Cailean stepped past the boulder onto the ledge then hugged her close as he listened to the approaching bootfalls.

“God’s teeth, ye are taking too many chances.”

Cailean recognized Rathais’ voice. Dammit, the man was a plague.

“I am taking too many chances?”

Julianna tensed and Cailean knew she recognized Crowe’s voice. Cailean gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. A thought struck. Crowe’s voice, why hadn’t he recognized it as Val’s? Because Val’s voice was deeper, he realized. Did that happen with age? Why not? A lot changed in six hundred years.

“Whose fault is it someone found our tunnels?” Crowe demanded. Their voices were closer, as if they’d entered the cavern.

“I dinnae know,” Rathais snapped. “But give it no more thought. Breac will find and dispense with the man. I am more concerned about you.”

Julianna stiffened. Cailean tightened his hold and shook his head. She looked up at him, fear stark on her face. Cailean pulled her close and forced his own raging anger into submission.

“I do not need your advice,” Crowe said.

“By God, none of this would have happened if ye had controlled your desire to fuck that bitch,” Rathais said.

“’Tis more than that, as ye know,” Crowe said.

The men’s voices faced away from them.

“What I know is that the trouble began that night in the woods,” Rathais said.

“I can deal with Julianna,” Crowe said.

Fury burst through Cailean and he saw himself leaping from their hiding place and impaling Crowe with his sword. This time, it was Julianna who squeezed his arm, holding him back.

“If she told Ravenstone she saw ye, we would have heard from Alexander by now,” Rathais said. “Charges of witchcraft against his ClanCeann-Cath are serious enough to have brought him here immediately.”

“Aye,” Crowe replied. “But she willnae remain silent forever.”

“I still say it is better we perform the ritual as planned,” Rathais asked. “To deviate is to tempt fate.”

“I control fate.” Crowe’s voice rose, echoing in the cavern. “We must fuel the rumors with a vengeance this time. That will force Ravenstone’s hand.”

“We can do that without shedding blood.”

“Nae.” Crowe snarled the word. “I will have his blood in payment for what he did to me. Then, every time I fuck his woman, she will look at my face and be reminded of the husband I took from her.”

A flush of hot fury mounted into Cailean’s throat and cheeks and he found himself reaching for his sword. Once more, Julianna seized his arm. He jerked his gaze onto her. She shook her head and pleaded with her eyes. But if he didn’t kill Crowe now, what other opportunity might he have? There was only Rathais as a witness and Cailean would kill him, as well. She laid a hand on the fingers that still gripped Triumph’s hilt.

Reason reasserted itself enough for him to consider the odds. He was a world class swordsman but, in truth, that meant far less in the fourteenth century than it did in the twenty-first century. Cailean had come to realize that Val hadn’t nicked him with his dagger by accident. The cuts to his arm had been intentional. Whether or not Val had slowed with age, here, in fourteenth century Scotland, as Crowe, he lived his life by the sword. Cailean had already tasted of his steel. Rathais’ broad shoulders and massive arm muscles said the same of him. Cailean would be hard-pressed to kill them both. He would take that chance if he were alone, but he couldn’t risk Julianna’s safety.

He released the hilt and nodded at Julianna. Relief flooded her eyes.

“I want to know why he was asking about Lady Elizabeth,” Rathais said. “He is too young to have taken part in the battle. He knows about the babe.”

Shock reverberated through Cailean. Elizabeth did have a baby?

“He knows nothing,” Crowe shot back. “Alex willnae refuse me. I will return within two days with his orders that Cailean Ross appear immediately before me at Heatheredge Tower in Alex’s stead. Ravenstone will accompany him, and after I have stabbed Ross, he will disappear before witnesses. These superstitious townfolk will believe Ravenstone performed black magic to save his new son-in-law. That is all we need.”