She broke off on another sob when she realized he wouldn’t. Refused to. It would be too painful.
It was over.
All was lost.
But not for her, she heard churning in his thoughts. She would live if it was the last thing he did.
“No,” she whispered, but it was too late. Cian put everything he had into shifting her from the castle back to King’s Heart in a split second.
“What are you doing?” she cried as Tadhg raced toward the great trunk. “I don’t know what I’m doing. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
Yet he didn’t listen.
If anything, he went faster.
“Stop,” she roared.
This time, at last, he listened, skidding to a halt. That didn’t stop her momentum, though. Rather she flew off his back straight at the tree. Bracing for impact, ready to feel excruciating pain, she squeezed her eyes shut only to land softly and roll a few times.
Stunned, expecting death, she tried to catch her breath. Had this all been one big nightmare? Had she just awoken? Would she find Cian lying next to her, assuring her all was well? She prayed to any god willing to listen that would be the case.
Let this have been a premonition.
Let this have been something she could fix.
But she knew, deep down, even before she cracked an eye open, that it wasn’t.
Chapter Twenty
MADISON DREADED OPENINGher eyes after being thrust forward in time but did it anyway only to discover she was right. She was no longer in eleventh-century Ireland but in front of the blurry oak tree at the colonial in New Hampshire. There was no mistaking the feel of Riona’s dog, Luna, licking her cheek.
“No,” she whimpered, feeling the loss of Cian from her mind. The loss of their people. So much death. She crawled to the tree and pressed her hands against it. “I need to go back.Now. Right away.” Tears streamed down her face, but she barely felt them. “Please.”
It felt like all her magic was gone. No one was listening.
“Oh my God, Madison,” Riona said from what seemed like a great distance away. “I’m right here, sweetie. Right beside you.”
