All In Time Read online

  All in Time

  Ciana Stone

  A story in The Hussies series.

  Sara’s life is filled with mysteries. Why did her parents abandon her as a baby? What’s behind the baffling blackouts she suffers and the frightening images she creates while she’s out? Who is the strange woman claiming to hold the answers—and why does she keep calling Sara a Hussy?

  Morgan’s got a few mysteries of his own. What was his father going to give him on the day he died, the gift he said would change Morgan’s life? Who is this bewitching woman who keeps passing out and creating pictures of his past and future—and why was she sent to save his life?

  All they both know from the moment they meet is that the bond between them is stronger and more passionate than anything either has ever known. And that fate has brought them together for a very important reason.

  If only they knew what it was…

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  All in Time

  ISBN 9781419913945

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  All in Time Copyright © 2007 Ciana Stone

  Edited by Sue-Ellen Gower

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Electronic book publication December 2007

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  All in Time

  Ciana Stone

  Dedication

  For my friend and teacher, Gray–

  who taught me to look past technique and

  focus on the soul of a photograph.

  And for my honey, who always stands by me,

  encouraging me to live my dreams.

  Acknowledgements

  My deepest appreciation to all the people who were so instrumental in the creation of this book:

  Sally, my true soul-sister, who understands me even when I don’t think I’m making sense.

  And Raelene, for making this series possible and being good natured about being dubbed an official member of the Sisterhood of the Hussies.

  And as always, my editor Sue-Ellen Gower. When I look up amazing, fabulous, talented and gracious in the dictionary, I see a picture of you.

  Last but never least, all my Hussy sisters, who pick me up when I’m down and help me remember that sisterhood is one of the most beautiful things in life.

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Mac: Apple Computer, Inc.

  Prologue

  Danu stood on the parapet, watching the fog roll in from the sea, writhing along the land as if a living entity, seeking entrance to her stronghold. Weak rays of first light struggled to penetrate the thick clouds shrouding the castle. A sudden break in the thickness allowed her a glimpse of a ship, riding the rough sea. Its hull tipped precariously to one side as the crew fought the heavy prevailing winds.

  She watched the ship for a few moments, but she had pressing matters to attend. After one hundred years of slumber she had awakened to find herself surrounded by the familiar sights of Grian Ròs Castle—Rock Rose Castle. It was just as she’d left it, a majestic stone monument to centuries of diligent service, nestled among the hazel, rowan and yew trees high atop the magical Isle of Sàbhail, known to most as the Isle of Rescue, off the west coast of Scotland.

  Her heart pounded harder and a sense of loss brought tears to her eyes. The Ancient Folk were gone. She was the last of her kind, born during a time when mankind was young and lived as one with the earth. It had been a time before gods. A time before the one god wiped out all false gods. A time before man separated himself from the truth of life.

  She glanced about the scene in front of her. Life had continued without her. For a moment she felt as if all she had done had been for naught. The world no longer remembered her and the Hussy warrior hunters. A deep sigh parted her lips. What had happened in the world to disturb her slumber?

  Her mind filled with memories. Ancient and painful. Painful because those she loved had passed on to the Netherworld. In this world, she was separated from them. From him. Danu let her gaze drink in the beauty of the Isle of Sàbhail. She’d first sought refuge when the world had lost its way, during the Dark Ages. A small smile parted her lips as she thought about Ragna, her true love.

  He’d been the first warrior she’d hunted. They had fought the dragon queen and saved the world from tyranny. Side by side. Sword by sword. Ragna had been hers and she’d pledged her heart to him for all eternity.

  She stretched out her arm, letting her fingers graze the marble column supporting the portico and flattened her hand against the cold stone. Tears welled in her eyes. She pined for the world she so loved. The man she’d given her heart. The warrior she had hunted and found. That had been her gift to the world. Her unique ability to locate warriors in need or peril. But not just any warrior—a man destined to change the world for the better.

  Ragna had been the first. He remained the first and only in her heart. She stood in the late afternoon with a sense of loneliness chilling her. She was the last of a long line of Hussies. She alone was the keeper of the sacred duty. Trained to fight, trained to scry for those in need.

  She remembered it all. It was fresh in her mind as though it was just yesterday. After the dragon queen’s defeat, she established this magical fortress with never-ending mysteries. She’d created an army of Hussies. Trained in all the arts she knew and dispatched into the world to hunt and find the warrior destined to be their charge.

  She frowned at the fog rolling over the ocean. They were all gone. Not immortal like she. Tears tumbled down her cheeks. The longing for her beloved tore at her as though she’d witnessed his dying only moments earlier instead of hundreds of years. In her slumber she lived in the Netherworld with him. Why had she been torn from his arms and dragged back into this world? Why had she been awakened?

  “Ye must rebuild your army of Hussy warrior hunters, Danu,” came her guide’s soft voice drifting over her in the late afternoon breeze.

  “I was to sleep for eternity. I was not to be awakened.” She swiped the tears from her cheeks.

  “Ye shall return to our world as promised. But the world of humankind is in need of warriors, Danu. The world needs the strength of Hussies.”

  Danu bowed her head, closing her eyes. Rebuilding her army would be more burdensome than the beginning.

  “I fought by the side of men in many battles as an equal. My Hussies fought by the side of their men. Does humankind still fight their wars as we did upon the ancient battlefields?”

  “Nay. Times have changed, Danu. The battles are just as important. Some will be upon battle
fields as in the ancient times, while others shall be within personal strife. ’Tis a new world, Danu, but warriors are still warriors and Hussies are still Hussies.”

  “I was promised eternal rest,” she said, longing for Ragna. “The momentum we set the world upon should have sustained itself and fed humankind. My special assistance and that of my Hussy warrior hunters is no longer necessary.”

  “Ye are wrong. The world needs you. It needs the Hussies.”

  She lifted her head and looked past the ocean and to the mountain range.

  “Ye have been returned to your magical fortress. It has remained unchanged, still filled with never-ending mysteries.

  “Serve the world this one last time, Danu, and ye shall be granted eternal rest. Ye shall dwell forever in the Netherworld with Ragna.”

  “How long?” she asked, knowing the answer before her guide responded.

  “As long as it takes, Danu,” came the expected answer.

  “Seek out one Hussy at a time. Selected for her specific abilities, match them to those of her charge and above all ensure a success of each mission.”

  “I know my duty,” she clipped, irritated with her guide’s attempt to inspire her to the challenge.

  “Ye are the last Hussy, Danu. Your Hussies shall do whatever is necessary to assist their warrior in defeating those forces threatening his pre-ordained destiny.”

  “’Twas easier back then, my faithful friend. Everyone knew what a Hussy warrior hunter was and women lined up to join my legion.”

  “Aye, they did, but ye were very selective who was chosen to train as a potential Hussy and only a few emerged as Hussies.”

  Danu nodded. She’d selected them from scholars, teachers and healers. They were women of personal power who understood the importance of rescuing one man at a time in order to create a better world. They bore the title of Hussy with pride since it told all they were strong independent women, capable and dedicated to their mission. To have a Hussy on your side meant certain success and victory over whatever battles must be fought.

  She gritted her teeth together. That time was over. She wanted to return home.

  “Ye must accept this challenge, Danu.”

  “But the Ancient Council of Life decreed our work was finished. It was time for rest.” She tried one last time to find a way out of the duty being forced upon her again.

  “’Tis true ye bade your Hussies farewell and laid yourself down to sleep a century ago. But the Council dinna expect the world would be thrown into war so many times over such a short span of history. We dinna foresee man developing marvelous means of transportation and communication, while simultaneously creating horrifying instruments of destruction. None of these things were in our minds when we agreed to let ye slumber and travel to the Netherworld to be with Ragna.”

  “I earned my rest. My Hussies earned their right to normal lives.”

  “And so they did, Danu. It’s their descendents ye must seek out to restore the tradition. Give them their birthrights and together, ye shall once more affect the world with positive changes.”

  “Why?” she insisted. “Why now? If the world has been ravaged by wars during my slumber, why dinna ye awaken me then?”

  “The world is in a crisis, Danu. Mother Nature totters on the edge, threatening to abandon her throne. The Ancient Council of Life commanded the Wizard of Lore to awaken ye, Danu. Ye are needed by us all. Can ye deny such a request?”

  “Nay.” She shook her head with a feeling of defeat weakening her argument.

  “Excellent! Ye must became familiar with the customs and mores of the new world and master all its technologies. Ye shall need to incorporate these with your own magical powers. Only then shall ye become a formidable opponent to the evil forces determined to gain control over the world. Combined with the ancient knowledge and yer shape-shifting abilities, ye shall once more help set the destiny of humankind back on its proper course.”

  Danu nodded. So once more she was charged with locating Hussies and training them to be warrior hunters.

  “This shall be a difficult task, my honorable guide. These women have no knowledge of their ancestral calling. Not only do I need to rebuild my army but I will need to convince each recruit to embrace the noble cause and agree to be trained in the ancient ways of love and war.”

  “Aye, it shall take time to organize your Hussies, one woman at a time. Ye shall scry for each and summon her to your castle, here, on the Isle of Sàbhail. For it is under your guidance, they shall form the modern Order of the Hussies and in the tradition of their ancestors, strike out on missions to effect change in the world of humankind, assuring destiny is not denied its birthright.”

  “Enough of this. I shall see about this task. The sooner I am about it, the sooner I return to the Netherworld.”

  “So it shall be.”

  Danu felt the presence of her guide leave.

  Alone once more, she turned from the ocean to enter her castle.

  “I shall wait for ye, my love.” Ragna’s voice drifted over her as she closed the doors behind her. His deep brogue was faint and she knew the longer she remained in the earth plane, the veil separating both worlds would block her from hearing him. Ragna didn’t have the energy to cross over. He was mortal. He had been the first. He was forever the only man in her heart.

  “I’m so sorry I was pulled from ye without so much as a kiss goodbye,” she whispered.

  “Hurry back to me, my beloved Danu. I’m waiting.”

  Chapter One

  Sara’s eyes were glued to the image on her computer screen as her fingers worked at her clit, stroking faster and faster, feeling the impending approach of climax. In her mind, it was not her hands that urged her toward release, but those of the man on the screen.

  Come for me, baby, he crooned in her mind. Show me how much you want me. Come for me. Now.

  With a shudder that raked through her whole body, she did, her hand cupping her pulsing sex as wetness streamed from her.

  She fell back into her chair, letting the sensations subside. No sooner had it waned than familiar loathing took hold. Masturbating to an image on a computer, she thought with scorn for herself.

  Kind of the story of her life. No real passion. She was not yet thirty and already her love life had gone the way of the dinosaur. Extinct. The only physical satisfaction she achieved these days was whatever she could give herself, and that was getting old.

  Not only was her love life a desert of massive proportions, it was starting to affect her work. She’d landed a nice account, developing ads for a start-up cosmetic company, and for the last three days had deleted every attempt she’d made.

  Thinking she’d go fix a pot of coffee in the hopes it would jump start her creativity, she rose and walked out of her office.

  And into another world.

  In the space of a breath, her heart was beating like a jackhammer, she’d broken out in a cold sweat and her eyes were darting around in fear, taking in her surroundings.

  This can’t be real. Through an opened doorway of stone, she could see a wide parapet. Beyond lay a land from a dream. Dissipating fingers of fog snaked over the landscape as rays from the sun broke through the clouds, sending shafts of brilliant light to illuminate the rolling waves of the dark sea and the lush landscape that met at its rocky shore.

  Fear claimed control, grew like a sponge filling with water and consumed her. What surrounded her was an image from a dream, a place she’d painted many times over, a place that had originated in her imagination. It could not be real. Which left only one alternative.

  “Oh god, oh god,” she whimpered. “Am I dead?”

  “Hardly,” a female voice answered from within the room behind her.

  Sara whirled around and gasped. The face of the woman seated on the divan was almost as familiar to her as her own. She’d been painting and drawing it for years. Blonde hair that was best labeled platinum cascaded across her graceful shoulders, haloing a face that would ha
ve done far more than launch a thousand ships. It was the face of true beauty, housing eyes that were no defined color but seemed to change depending upon the surroundings and the light.

  “Oh shit, I’ve gone over the edge, haven’t I?”

  The woman laughed a husky yet musical sound that seemed to hang in the air like dancing notes from a plucked string. “Hardly, my dear,” she said as she stood and glided across the room to Sara.

  That’s the only way Sara could describe the woman’s movements. Smooth and sensual, her body seemed to glide forward, her unusual eyes holding Sara pinned in place like a bug on a specimen board.

  “Have no fear, Sara.” The woman took Sara’s hand. “You are perfectly safe. And yes, this is all quite real. Come, let us sit.”

  Sara let the woman lead her to the old-fashioned divan. “How?” She paused, looked around the room at all of the odd items it contained. “How did I get here? Who are you?”

  “Why, I brought you here, dear. And I am Danu.”

  “Who?” Sara still wasn’t convinced it was real. “Danu? What kind of name is that? How did I get here?” People didn’t just spontaneously vanish from their homes and appear somewhere else. “And just exactly where is this place, anyway?”

  “This,” the woman gestured around with one graceful hand, “is Grian Ròs Castle. My fortress. It lies on the magical Isle of Sàbhail.”

  Sara gaped like a fish out of water, her mouth opening and closing but no words emerging. It was…incomprehensible.

  “Yes, it can be a bit much to assimilate in the first moments,” Danu agreed and patted Sara’s hand. “Whilst you gather yourself, let me explain.

  “There was a time when humanity was in its childhood. It was a time of innocence, when man and beast lived as one with the earth. It was the time of my people, the Ancient Folk. It was a time of peace and plenty.