The past few weeks were a haze. Time was no longer relevant. She was alone and would probably remain alone from now on. Cayn was gone. Somewhere. And Goen… The man was out there, too. He was looking for her. Looking for Cayn. But also looking for her because he believed Cayn would come back for her, to protect her, and she’d be the bait to lure him in.
She shuddered again. Placing a palm to her face, she felt the heat pulsing through her skin. She was feverish. She didn’t know if she’d caught something in this time period, or if she’d been infected in the previous era.
She shook her head. She couldn’t afford to be sick. She needed to work because she needed to eat and have a place to stay. But she also needed to be vigilant. Constantly on guard in case Goen showed up again. And he would. She had no doubts about that.
The wound on her forehead throbbed, sending short, quick slivers of pain through her head. Almost lighting the roots of her hair on fire. Sadly, the beating she’d taken had affected her memory. She remembered Cayn, but only his name. That and the way he made her feel.
Feel loved. They loved. They were in love. He cared for her with a strength that was equaled only by hers for him. But the rest...how they’d met…how they lived…what he looked like…
His face was a blur. His voice, she couldn’t remember how it sounded. All that remained was her need for him. For his love. His arms, his body, his kisses. His name and the emotions that flooded her whenever she thought of him—that was all she had left to remember him by.
“Where are you?” she whispered, staring at the window. “Why did you leave me? Where did you go? Do you even think of me now?”
A part of her raged against the man. A part of her wanted to believe what Goen had said—that Cayn had left her to face Goen alone. That he’d left her to save himself.
However, the other part, the deepest part of her being, knew that wasn’t true.
A wolf howled in the distance. Or a dog. Once she’d landed, it had taken her a while to shred the rope ties around her arms, rubbing the bindings on a tree trunk until they were loose enough. By the time she’d freed herself, it was growing dark. Yet luck was with her. She’d spent the night inside an old long-abandoned cottage. It had turned cold, but she’d survived by huddling in a corner. The next morning, she’d reached the small town that hadn’t existed in the period where she’d come from.
After begging for a few scraps from a local diner, one of the waitresses there took pity on her, especially after seeing the blood on her clothing and the still fresh wound on her forehead. The local authorities were called, letting them know of Juda’s appearance and of the violence she’d endured that was evident on her face and body. They’d questioned her, but all she could tell them was her name, Juda Plesh. The rest she couldn’t or wouldn’t answer, and they blamed her head wounds for her loss of memory.
The woman, Cora, took her home with her. The older woman cleaned and bandaged the wound, gave her some of her daughter’s old clothes, and more importantly, had her brother-in-law hire her to work at his market.
Juda knew she was safe here. At least for now. For a little while. It would be enough until Goen showed up. If he showed up. It was always a gamble to see what would happen next. Whether she’d have to leave this time period because she’d been found, or if something else occurred that would give her no choice but to continue on.
Or if Cayn found her.
She mentally winced. Was he looking for her? Would he ever look for her again?
If he did find her, would she want him back?
“Wherever you are, Cayn…”
Fighting the tears, she closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep again.
Would she want him back?
Her mind said one thing, but her heart said the opposite.
Stranger
“Excuse me.”
Juda looked up from her cash register and gave the stranger standing a short distance away an automatic grin. At the same time, she closed the drawer, again without thinking. Fortunately, it had become a habit with her. One never knew when someone would try to lean over the counter or knock her out of the way to try and grab a few bucks before taking off for the front door.
“Yes. How can I help you?” Once more, it was all rote. Practiced and performed countless times. Yet it always gave the customer the impression she was sincere.
This time, however, the gentleman seemed…disappointed?
She met his brown-eyed gaze with her own and waited. She was in no hurry as she’d just come on for her shift. And with no other customers approaching, she had time to spare.
As the guy’s mouth hinged up and down as he prepared to speak his next words, she gave him a quick evaluation. Not bad looking. Actually, she corrected herself, he was good looking in an average sort of way. Nowhere near movie star looks, but that made him appear all the more approachable. His brown hair was cut close to the scalp, not hanging in long strands. Clean cut. No beard or facial hair, either. Dressed in a plain black t-shirt and jeans. But the fact that she didn’t recognize him told her he wasn’t a regular, which meant he probably wasn’t a towner.
“Wh-where do you have the headache medicines?” he finally spoke again. If she didn’t know any better, she’d also swear he was flustered.
She pointed behind him. “Last aisle, on the right. Next to the antacids.”
He bobbed his head, muttered a thank you, and walked away. She didn’t get to watch him as Mrs. Hodgekins suddenly appeared and dumped a basket of items on the counter for Juda to ring up. But by the time she was finished with the woman, the strange man had returned with two bottles.
