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  She carefully edged her way out onto the log, which began crumbling around her sneakers, and she ended up having to squat down on her hands and knees, because a couple of times, the log disintegrated under her feet and she ended up knee high in the water.

  The boy spotted her and flailed his arms in her direction, only further causing himself to sink in the gooey slime.

  “Try to stop moving!” she called, but it was no use.

  Panic had set in and the boy’s fight or flight instinct had kicked in and he continued to thrash around and try to grab onto anything he could reach.

  Once Audrina made it to where the log had fallen into the water, she hooked her shoe under a branch on the log and crept out on her hands and knees as close to the water as she could get. She held the branch out to the boy and extended her arm and torso as far as she could so the branch would reach him.

  Just as the boy’s head fell below the surface of the water, Audrina cried out to him one last time, “Grab on!” and she felt the boy’s hand close around the end of the branch.

  CHAPTER 7

  The boy swiped at the stick a few times and missed, and on the third try, he latched onto the stick. Audrina pulled with all her strength and the boy slowly squelched toward her through the mud. When he was within grabbing distance, Audrina linked her arms under him and around his torso and began pulling him out of the water.

  The boy was young, less than ten was Audrina’s guess. He started to cry when he began spitting mud and slime as Audrina hugged him closer. Before she could get him back up the log, the combined weight of them caused it to snap, and sent them both crashing back down into the bog.

  Audrina reacted quickly as she gagged on the foul stench of the putrid bog. She grabbed a low overhanging branch and pulled herself and the boy that she had one arm wrapped around, toward the bank and the tree which was rooted just off shore.

  As the two collapsed in a muddy heap on the mossy bank of the bog, they were both breathing hard and soaked through from the wet sludge of the bog.

  “Are you ok?” Audrina asked the boy, but he was still too panicked to answer her. He clung to her neck in a hold that Audrina knew only too well from the trauma center. He couldn’t think rationally and probably wouldn’t for quite some time. She rocked him back and forth in her arms as they sat there another few moments.

  After a few minutes, Audrina heard shouts in the distance and the boy looked up. He had startling big brown eyes and was just a slip of a boy in her arms. He stood up and began running toward the sounds as men came into the woods.

  “Donal! Och, wee laddie! Yer alrigh’!” a man shouted as he scooped him up in a bear hug. “When we saw Fergus come runnin w’it nary a rider…och how many times have I got t’tell ye, nowt t’be ridin the beast out here in the bog!” the man thundered down at the boy.

  For a minute, Audrina thought the boy was going to cry again, but he swiped at his face, which only worsened the muddy mask that was already caked on and kicked his chin up.

  “I’m no’ a wee lad, Colin! I can ride better than all the lads in town!” His bravado only wavered a little as the men around Colin began to chuckle.

  Audrina picked her bag up that she had set down, and was hoping to slip away quietly when one of them shouted, “Oye, you there? Where d’ye think yer going?”

  Audrina froze and turned back to the group.

  “That’s the lad tha’ saved me, Colin!” Donal told him.

  Audrina looked down at herself, remembering that she was covered in mud. Her face must be masked too.

  She made her way around the bog to join, them, unable to avoid the confrontation. As she approached, she noticed Colin stood almost a head taller than the rest, but had startling blue eyes that were sunken in a mask of responsibility and a guarded nature.

  Audrina looked around at the rest of the men and noticed their large swords they carried on them and decided she didn’t think it was a good idea to try to run from these men. She hadn’t meant to be noticed, but she stood there waiting for one of them to speak to her.

  “Is it true, lad? Ye saved wee Donal here?” the man with the bushy red beard asked.

  Audrina nodded, but didn’t speak.

  “You’ve just rescued the wee brother to th’clan, Laird boy. What say ye t’that?” he asked again.

  Audrina shrugged, not knowing what she should say. She didn’t want to give away her disguise since they all still thought she was a boy.

  “Come on lads, let’s get back t’the castle. Mum’s past her wits w’it worry, Donal.”

  Audrina trudged along behind them as the men gave her slaps of approval on her back which almost sent her sprawling. She didn’t want to go with them, she would rather have been left alone, but Donal was weaving a tale of daring escape and rescue in which, he’d barely escaped with his life, and she, known as the lad, to them all, barely made it to him in time and just only managed to help him. The men seemed to know it was a tall tale because the more outlandish Donal’s story got, the more they snickered and looked at her.

  Colin didn’t spare a backwards glance at her as they walked back through the fen and Audrina was left worrying about how she could slip away.

  Shouts and cheers went up as they rounded the moat and stone walls of the castle. The inhabitants all seemed to be hanging on with bated breath to see that Donal was alright.

  As they entered the castle, Audrina spared a glance to look around. They were in a long hallway with many tables in rows and then a long table at the head of the hallway near the huge fireplace. Large torches and chandeliers with wax candles in them burned around the room, and several stone alcoves led to doors that Audrina wondered what was behind them.

  The men all made their way to the tables to join the crowd, and Colin led Audrina and Donal to the left through a doorway that hid a staircase. As they spiraled up the stairs, Audrina had to pay attention, so she wouldn’t trip because they were so steep and narrow, and only lit every few steps by a small glowing torch.

  Once they crested the last step, she followed Colin as he led them down a dark hallway, sparsely furnished and through a doorway at the end. They were in a bedroom of some kind and a woman was standing at the window, wringing her hands in her dress. When she turned around, Audrina knew instantly it was Donal’s mother, because she let out an anguished cry and raced to him, hugging him to her chest.

  “Donal! Och ye’ve given me a right scare, lad! What were ye thinkin’ ridin’ out in th’bog like that? Och, ye wee devil, I’ll tan yer hid fer this!”

  But the woman just hugged Donal closer to her. She had sunken eyes like her eldest, but hers were green and her small thin frame threatened to collapse in on itself. Donal tried to pull away from his mother, but she held fast to him and began thanking Colin.

  “T’wasn’t I mother,” he spoke in a gruff voice.

  Audrina felt uncomfortable as both of them turned to her.

  “T’was the lad here.”

  “Och, thank-ye!” his mother exclaimed.

  Audrina nodded, still remaining silent.

  “What’s yer name, laddie?” the woman said softly.

  Thinking quickly Audrina said, “Argus.” It was her grandfather’s name and since he was from Scotland, she was praying it was safe to use. Her voice was gravelly and raw from ingesting so much swamp water and so she prayed they continued believing she was a boy.

  “Well. Argus, ye both look a fright. I’ll have Mary send something t’eat up and ye’ll be havin a bath. Both of ye. Ye smell worse than the stench o’the dogs when they swim in tha’ water.” The lady crinkled her nose and shushed Donal when he began protesting.

  Audrina was glad to see the two of them squawk at each other. In a way, Donal was the Donald Nightingale she didn’t get to save. But she somehow felt relieved in her chest that this somehow made up for it a little.

  She turned to the door when Colin indicated she should leave. She would be grateful for the food, but she wasn’t sure how she w
as going to escape the bath. If she washed the mud off now, her disguise would be gone, and she didn’t want to be caught having to explain. As it was, being around so many people was risky enough.

  Colin ushered her into a room that was adjacent to the woman’s and found that it was very similar to the one she had just left. There was a bed, a table and chairs, and someone had set out a large tub and filled it with water. A bar of soap and a linen had been set beside the tub, and just as Colin was about to leave, a small woman in a plain linen dress with an apron and cloth hat came in without a word and set a plate of food on the table.

  Audrina looked at it longingly and then back at Colin.

  “There’ll be clothes in t’chest for ye.” He indicated to the great wooden chest that sat at the foot of the bed. “Wash up now, I’ll expect me mum, will be wanting t’hear yer story. Ye’ve saved m’youngest brother, Donal. I expect my other brother will be wanting t’hear the tale as well.”

  He closed the door behind him without another word. Audrina looked around in panic, wondering what she was going to do. She went to the chest and found a clean set of pants and shirt. Her sneakers were completely ruined, but she discovered an old pair of boots under the bed and they were only a size too big, so she sets them aside with the rest of the clothes.

  Audrina wanted nothing more than to sink into the water. She dipped her fingers in the water and it was tepid, but not unpleasant. She yearned to scrub away the mud and filth and she would have been grateful to wash away whatever felt like it was crawling through her hair. Unable to ruin her disguise, Audrina turned away from the tub and sat down to eat.

  Audrina didn’t trust the meat on the plate. So, she ate the fruit and breads that were there instead. She realized she was ravenous and didn’t hear when someone came back in the room.

  CHAPTER 8

  Audrina didn’t see the man who was standing in the alcove of the doorway. She continued to pick at her food and eat bits of bread and cheese from the platter.

  “I thought ye might like t’dine w’it me and t’family tonight and recount yer tale, lad.” The gruff voice of Colin sounded from the alcove.

  Audrina jumped and scuttled backward toward the bed and the corner of the small chamber. It was a small room and she hid in the shadows of the one window that let a cool breeze in. It was growing darker outside and the pale light cast a glow around Colin as he stepped into the room.

  “Och, lad, come away from the shadows. I’ll not hurt ye. Ye saved m’brother. I ken ye might want t’tell the great hall how ye did it. Yer a hero now, lad.” Colin stood with his legs slightly apart and his hands on his hips. He was so tall and she observed how he wore his kilt over a pair of pants, just like the farmer had. He had on a clean white shirt where Donal had muddied his previous one. Colin’s long silver-blond, unkempt hair and scruffy beard made him look fierce in the low light. It was as if his presence in the room dominated the space, and left Audrina with no way to escape. Audrina didn’t say anything, nor did she move away from the shadows of the corner. She really didn’t want to go to the great hall and tell anyone anything. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get out of this mess.

  Colin looked around and saw the bits of food missing from the tray and then he looked at the tub.

  “Ye’ve not taken yer bath. Mum won’t allow ye at the table still lookin’ like that. Ye’d best wash up, lad.”

  Audrina hesitated before moving away from the wall. She had one chance and one only to escape the situation. She figured she would surprise the young Laird and pretend she was going to get in the tub, and then dash behind him and out the door before he could catch her. Her plan seemed solid in her mind; that was until she was sure she felt something slither through her hair from the soggy hat and bog water. She screeched and batted at it, sending her hair in a tumble down her back. Colin’s hand immediately went to his sword and then he froze as Audrina stepped into the light from the window.

  “It cannae be,” he whispered.

  Audrina pulled the slimy bug from her hair and shuddered as she flung it away from her. She wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but she was fairly certain with her screeching her cover had been blown.

  “That hair,” he whispered and reached a hand toward her.

  Audrina didn’t know what he was talking about, so when he strode over to her in two great bug steps, she was completely caught off guard and by surprise when he pulled her into his arms and began kissing her.

  Audrina had never been kissed by a man quite like that before. His lips and tongue were hot and possessive, and he claimed her mouth with his own. Audrina couldn’t help the warm feeling that began to glow in her as it started to ignite her nerve endings in a passionate fire. Colin wrapped his arms around her further, deepening the kiss and tangling his fingers in her hair. For a long while, Audrina got lost in the feel of his tongue darting in and out of her mouth. When Colin deepened the kiss, she willingly succumbed to the onslaught of his mouth, as he growled into her lips and she moaned softly before realization of what she was doing struck her.

  CHAPTER 9

  Audrina’s consciousness seemed to slam back into her and she began to struggle in Colin’s arms.

  “Let go of me! Stop it!” she cried.

  Colin seemed equally as confused as she was when she squirmed and attempted to get away. “It’s alright, lass, ye’r home now. We can be at peace w’it one another and put it behind us. Bloody hell, woman, would ye just hold still!” he thundered.

  Audrina pushed against his chest and tried to get him to let go. How had she become so caught up in Colin’s kiss? Had he kissed her because like the farmer, once he found out she was a woman, he decided it was perfectly ok to accost her? Audrina realized she was blushing furiously when she finally managed to break free of his arms. She hadn’t anticipated on enjoying the kiss so much, but no one had ever kissed her with so much passion before.

  “Maeve, t’will be alright, lass. Just calm down,” Colin encouraged.

  “I’m not Maeve!” she insisted.

  “Sure ye are, lass. He’s gone and broken ye he has. T’as been nigh a year he’s kept ye. That’s no’ the way Prima Noctem is supposed t’be upheld. He was supposed tae return ye the day aft that dreadful nigh. But yer home now, Maeve,” he insisted.

  Audrina crinkled her brow in confusion. Why was he calling her Maeve? She tried to make him see again.

  “I’m not Maeve. I woke up in the field. I swear it. My name is Audrina James. I don’t know who this Maeve is you are talking about!” She stamped her foot for emphasis.

  Colin regarded her like a child and tried to smile at her reassuringly.

  “Och, Maeve, I’d recognize that hair o’yers anywhere. Runs red as blood it does.”

  Audrina folded her arms over her chest and tried to back away from him. Colin kept a firm grip on her elbow and pulled her toward the door. When he got there he opened it and shouted, “Mother! Alasdair! Make haste and come quick!”

  Colin pushed Audrina back into the room and stared down at her with a look of pure wonder and love. It made Audrina uncomfortable because she barely knew the man.

  Audrina heard the sound of footsteps approaching and the door was flung open again.

  “Colin, upon my word, what?” But Colin’s mother trailed off when she caught sight of Audrina’s hair.

  “It cannae be!” she exclaimed.

  A man came in after her. He was slightly shorter than Colin, but Audrina recognized him as one of the men by the bog. He wore the same color tartan as Colin and had the same blond hair and blue eyes, but he did appear a year or two younger than Colin.

  “Aye, t’is what I said.” Colin looked between his mother and brother.

  “Maeve?” His mother stepped forward.

  Audrina flinched back when she raised a hand as if she was going to touch her hair.

  “Maeve, lass, it’s me, Mary. I knew yer mam when we were wee babies. T’is a shame ye lost them so early.”

 
; Audrina tried to make her understand. “I’m sorry, you’ve got me confused with someone else. I’m Audrina. Audrina James from San Francisco, California. Please, I know it sounds crazy, but I’m not Maeve. I woke up in a field and then was accosted by this farmer, but I think it has something to do with this pin…” Audrina searched her pockets for the pin, but it was gone. “It was here. I had it, it was here!” she cried.

  “Lord, Mercy!” Mary cried. “Colin, look. She’s must ha’ dropped yer wee bauble on her journey home. But she kept it, she remembered.”

  “Lass, don’t ye remember? I gave it t’ye the nigh’ His Lordship took ye. I told ye t’was only one nigh’ ye had to endure in the arms o’tha’ monster and if ye held this, ye’d know I was wi’ ye helping ye endure.”

  Audrina shook her head giving up on finding the pin. “No, you don’t understand. Please listen! I’m not Maeve, I’m an ancestor. I went to the museum, they had a Scottish exhibit and this pin was on display there. Someone tried to steal it and I chased after them. When I knocked him down, that’s when I touched the pin and then I was here, in this time, in the field. I swear to you, I’m telling the truth! I walked to town after the farmer tried to rape me and I gathered supplies while I learned I was sent back seven centuries ago and then decided to make a camp until I could figure out what to do.”

  Colin’s brother Alisdair stepped up and looked hard at her. He had a light scar running down his cheek which made Audrina tremble in fear. They had to believe her. If they didn’t, what was she going to do?

  Finally, he stepped back and smiled at her. Just when she was starting to think someone believed her, he turned to Colin and said, “He’s a cruel man, he is. Almost took m’eye the last I was in his clutches. Bloody Bastard!” He pointed to the scar on his face. “T’is no wonder the lass’ wits are addled. He had her in his clutches over a year, ha’his way w’it her and dumped the poor lass in a coo field.”