Timeless (35 page)

Her arms curved protectively around her as though she cradled her belly. She nodded.

“Is there a way for us to use the stones to speak with each other when we are apart?” Quinn asked.

Confusion laced her frown. “Nay. They canna be used for less than healing. ‘Tis too dangerous. You know that.”

“I am concerned for you. I want some way of knowing you are well.”

“You will know in your heart. We have always known.”

The truth of her words resonated with him. He’d experienced how that connection worked between them. His grip on her hands tightened.

“Have you seen anything strange of late at the stones?” Quinn asked.

“Aye. Glimpses of the other place. The visions are growing stronger.”

The other place? What was that? Was it the here and now?

How could he impress upon her that they were moving toward something catastrophic without terrifying her? “I’ve seen a red stone with dark markings upon it, Coira. It was used to hurt you.”

“My
Keek-Stane
?” she asked.

He would have to look up what that meant. “It was used as a weapon and knocked you to the ground.”

The air currents eddying about the room grew stronger. She turned as though to look behind her at something he couldn’t see. “A storm is coming.”

Shite! What was it about storms that intensified the stone’s power? Did the lightning affect the magnetic field?

Thunder rumbled vibrating through the room as though trapped there with them. Dr. Reinhart grasped his arm, her fingers digging in like talons. Sweat beaded her top lip. Her eyes held a panicked glaze. “Stop this—stop it now.”

Quinn shook off her grip. He had to finish this. But what if Regan didn’t come back? His heart raced making him breathless; his mouth grew dry, as though he’d been breathing Heliox for hours. He spoke in a rush. “I have seen the woman who tried to come through the stone, Coira. She wants to help us, protect us. Is there a way for her to do that?”

“’Tis sacred, Braden.”

The windows vibrated like tuning forks as the storm drew closer.

Quinn’s grip on Regan’s hands tightened. Come back to me. He rushed his next words. “She can help us, Coira. There are those who will hurt you and the child. Mayhap she can stop it.”

She remained silent for a moment. “Within the chamber, three times travel the circle into the sun. I will be waiting.“

A blinding flash of light filled the space. Dr. Reinhart cried out. Glass tinkled and fell to his right. An explosive bass noise beat against the walls, against them. Quinn fought the instinctive urge to cover his ears, and twisting in his seat, dragged Dr. Reinhart and Regan down on the floor.

Blinded by the burst, Quinn blinked. Silence resounded through the room. Pressure pushed against his eardrums as though they’d been dropped a hundred foot depth in a matter of seconds. The dank smell of lake water permeated the room.

With a pop, his ears opened and his vision cleared—to a hand coming straight at his face. Quinn threw up an arm, blocking most of the blow but it still made him flinch. The doctor packed a hell of a right hook.

“Get out of my house.” Dr. Reinhart’s voice held a strident high-pitched note. As she staggered to her feet, she shook as though an electric current danced from the bottom of her feet upward through her iron gray hair. She slumped into her desk chair.

Quinn’s cheek burnt from the slap. Concerned for Regan, he gripped her shoulders and pulled her up into a seated position. “Are you back, Lass?” He looked into her face. The eyes, her eyes were no longer the strange teal color. Thank God. She looked up at him with recognition.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just—” She appeared pale and deep shadows marred the skin beneath her eyes. “I feel drained as though I’ve run a marathon.” She rested her head on her knees.

Dr. Reinhart gripped the edge of the desk and rose to her feet. “Leave. Now. Both of you. Or I’m calling the police.”

He gave Regan’s arms a comforting squeeze. “Get yourself together,” Quinn said. He rose and swung to face the doctor. “And what would you tell them? That your patient caused a lightning storm in your office?”

The woman flinched, her cheeks growing pasty.

”We’ll leave as soon as Regan has recovered.”

She heaved in a breath. “She’s possessed. You don’t need a hypnotist, you need a priest.

CHAPTER 31

Impatience tightened every muscle. Sweat ran down his spine, and he shifted against the cloth rental car seat. Turning the key in the ignition, he pushed the button on the door to lower the window. Despite the bushes next to the vehicle, a cool breeze wafted through the interior, clearing the stuffiness from the car. It did nothing to loosen the band of tension that circled his head. He rubbed at the thrumming pain focused at his temples.

Why had they come here? Who was this woman they had come to see? What did she have to do with the monoliths?

At the sound of distant thunder, he turned to look to the east behind the house. The sky was a clear vibrant blue. No clouds in sight. Strange. A storm must be moving into the area.

His cell phone rang and he reached for it.

“Is there any news?” Nicodemus asked.

“I don’t believe they’ve discovered anything important, yet.” When it happened, it was going to be him who discovered the pertinent information. Not Regan.

“Let me know right away if that changes.” Nichodemus said. “Recalling them to the dig was an excellent idea. It has driven them to work faster.”

That hadn’t exactly been what he had in mind.

Nicodemus continued. “ As soon as the pillar is returned to its original place, the salvage team will be leaving.”

Caution warred with his relief. “That will ensure she’s focused on her job and not on him. She’s driven the dig thus far, but what if she discovers something pertaining to their use?”

“She already has.”

Jealousy and rage tore at him like shards of glass. He hit the steering wheel with his fist. The pain jerked him back to Nicodemus’s voice.

“The laptop you stole had notes on it. Notes she did not share with us.”

He knew it. God damn her.

A sudden sound came from the house. His head jerked in that direction. Lights flashed inside behind the blinds then dulled. He studied the windows for any movement. What the hell was that? It sounded like someone beating the hell out of a bass drum.

“She has translated some of the hieroglyphs. One on the altar. I suspect she may be correct about it being a sarcophagus of sorts,” Nicodemus said, drawing his attention back to the conversation.

“How could she translate the hieroglyphs? She has no training in epigraphy. “

“You chose her. She’s been researching other similar sites since the moment she arrived. The research history was saved in her email.

A wry smile twisted his lips. Obviously he’d underestimated her abilities. “We don’t have any information about the altar yet. We may have to excavate it soon, just to see if there’s anything helpful inside.”

“Yes, I agree.” Nicodemus paused. “What are they doing?”

“I’ve followed them to a large house outside of Edinburgh. I’ll find out what they’re doing here as soon as they leave.”

“Be careful. You don’t want to alert them to our interest.”

His shoulders tightened with irritation. He kept his voice even with an effort. “They have no idea I’m here. I’ll call if I have anything to report.”

“Very good.” He paused. “I don’t have to tell you how important it is that we find out what she knows, and how she knows it.”

Time was running out for Nicodemus. He could see that for himself. The man seemed to grow frailer every day.

He didn’t need the man, but he needed the money to continue to flow into the project.

“I know how imperative it is to find out. I’ll do my best.”

He flipped the phone shut just as Quinn appeared at the front door with Regan, his arm about her waist.

The way she leaned against Quinn sickened him. Her calling was with the henge. Not with a salvage diver. He had researched and picked each student for their drive and their knowledge. She had been focused, meticulous, and now she was allowing her relationship to the bastard to distract her. She was throwing her chance away.

Quinn fawned over Regan, helping her into the car before crossing over to get in the driver’s seat. He shook his head. Perhaps he had misjudged her. Perhaps she wasn’t as devoted to her career as he’d thought.

He waited for them to pull away before opening the car door and stepping out. The air seemed heavy with moisture and unusually still. Pausing, he assessed the house and his surroundings before approaching the front door. He pushed the doorbell and soon heard footsteps from within.

“What do you want?” A slightly plump, middle-aged woman opened the door, her expression angry. She started, her eyes widening, and her expression shifted to one of embarrassed chagrin. “Please forgive me. I thought you were someone else.” She smoothed her gray hair with hands that shook, her flushed cheeks growing darker.

She was angry, and Quinn and Regan had just left. Mentally, he paged through possible ways of handling the situation while giving her time to compose herself.

“I was supposed to meet some friends here.”

Her features stiffened. “I’m sorry, no one’s here but me.”

“Quinn Douglas and Regan Stanhope. Do you know them? Were they here?”

“They’ve just left.”

“They didn’t tell me why we were to meet here.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed. “I’m not at liberty to speak about that. You’ll have to ask them.”

He eyed her pinched expression. His gaze wandered about the well-manicured yard and for the first time he noticed a sign partially hidden behind a shrub close to the front door. “Dr. Alice Reinhart, Therapist.

“What is it you do?”

She hesitated, her expression wary. “I’m a specialist in hypnotherapy.”

Whom had she hypnotized? And why would she be angry about it?

Perhaps Quinn wasn’t fawning over Regan. He was helping her into the car.

He had to know what she’d said.

His eyes focused on the doctor. “Was Regan all right when she left?”

“I can’t tell you anything about the session.”

He controlled the satisfied smile that threatened. She just did. “We’ve been very concerned about her.”

When she opened her mouth to reply he controlled the urge to lean closer.

Her hand shook as she brushed at the bangs that feathered her forehead. “She can tell you about—about it herself. Good day.”

What had Regan revealed that had shaken the woman so badly? He had to know. He leapt up the stairs and forced the door open. Startled she staggered back.

“What are you doing?” Her voice broke, her tone panicked.

“You’re going to tell me what happened in the session. Every word.”

Her cheeks paled as he kicked the door shut.

CHAPTER 32

“Are you all right?” Quinn asked as he pulled onto A7 going North, back to Edinburgh and the bed and breakfast.

Regan tilted her head back against the seat rest and fought the urge to rub her throbbing temples. “Yes. Just wiped out.”

“Do you remember anything that happened?”

“Yes. There was a storm coming. Coira was anxious. She wanted me to walk the circle, but there was more that she didn’t get a chance to tell us. Something about the conditions that have to be in place before it will work.”

She studied the handprint on his cheek. “Did I do that?”

He touched the mark. “No. Dr. Reinhart.”

Anger tightened her stomach. “I’m sorry.” She touched his arm.

Quinn shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”

He shifted his gaze from the road to her face for a second. “It scared the shite out of her.”

“Yeah. It scares me too.” She rubbed her arms still cold from the sensation of being two people instead of one. The thought sent a shudder through her.

As though he read her thoughts, Quinn said, “The moment you opened your eyes, I knew I was looking into Coira’s. Her eyes are a different color than yours, Regan. Blue-green. You were
her
.”

Regan rubbed at the goose bumps that rose on her arms. “I know.” She swallowed. “It isn’t like being possessed. We’re still separate. It’s just—I’m there with her. I’m still a separate consciousness, but I know what she thinks and feels.”

He laced his fingers with hers. “It’s too close, Regan.”

Her fingers tightened. “I’m not afraid of being lost inside her reality, but that no matter what we do—it will be too late to help her.”

His jaw worked. “You’re going to have to give me a wee bit of time to recover from this latest experience before asking me to worry about anyone but the two of us.”

The gruffness of his tone brought her attention to his face. How would she feel had it been Braden who had looked out of Quinn’s eyes? She studied his bold profile, so defined, so masculine. His hair, dark and slightly coarse, curled around his ears and along the collar of his shirt. The inky blackness of a beard shadowed his jaw. Every image, every new detail that she discovered about him grew more precious by the day. A chill danced across her skin, and she shivered again.

Quinn shot her a look of concern. “When we get to the hotel, you need to have a lie-in. I’ll go out and collect some dinner. Or we can order in room service.”

Exhaustion tugged at her making sleep difficult to resist. “The room service sounds perfect. I just want to lie down for a few moments.” The motion of the car lulled her. “I’ll just close my eyes for a minute.”