Highland Defiance - By Sky Purington Page 0,47
woods, he was well aware of the dark looks cast by the other men.
Good. They should want to protect her from what they perceived as a threat.
As he walked, Adlin marveled at actually being in a place he’d only ever dreamt of. This was his first time in Salem, New Hampshire and knew it would not be his last. When her house appeared through the woods it was, in its own way, a homecoming for him.
The old colonial with its sturdy Oak tree out front seemed to patiently await his arrival like an old friend. This had already been and would be for hundreds of years to come, an important part of his life.
He wasn’t surprised in the least when the front door slowly opened and Mildred’s mother stood in the doorway waiting for them. Eyes both tortured and relieved, she stepped out and whispered, “Adlin.”
“Sarah,” he replied. “It’s so good to see you again, lass.”
Eyes as round as her daughters, she shook her head and touched her cheek, “You haven’t aged a day.”
Adlin smiled warmly and embraced her. When he pulled back he said, “Well, it hasn’t been all that long.”
Only then did it occur to her that Jim and David were there. “Of course not. Only a few years or so.”
“That’s right,” he responded and winked.
Mildred turned to Jim and David. “I’m so sorry but the family needs to catch up with Adlin. Can we get together later?”
The men nodded and agreed but Adlin didn’t miss the steady, untrusting look Jim shot him as they walked away. Nor did he miss the waves of jealousy coming off the man.
But that was the least of his concerns right now.
What soon became more pressing was the way he felt when he entered the front door. Time wavered and for a split second he saw what this house looked like when he’d walk into it both in its past and in his future. Not only that, he’d walk into it in its far future. It was a complicated feeling and certainly not the first of its kind.
This house was most certainly part of his life thread pre-laid by the gods.
With low ceilings, he nearly had to duck to go through the doorway. As if he knew exactly where to look his attention swung to the man and woman sitting in the kitchen to the right. Their eyes narrowed.
They’d known he was coming.
“Jonathan, Irene, this is Adlin,” Mildred’s mother said.
Both stood. Both were more powerful witches than their sibling.
Irene, tall and attractive in an earthy way, looked at Mildred. “It’s him.”
“Of course it’s me,” he replied.
When Irene strode his way and slapped him in the face, he remained still. Nose to nose, her eyes narrowed further. “Arrogance might work with Mildred, but not with me. You put my sister through hell for years. Shame on you.”
Mildred’s mother, Sarah, sunk slowly into a chair. Jonathan stepped forward but froze. Mildred clutched the doorway.
He deserved everything Irene threw his way. “Aye, I am sorry, lass. So verra sorry.”
Long and hard she stared at him until she finally said, “Not nearly sorry enough.”
Disgusted, she turned and set to making tea. This gave Jonathan his opportunity. Arms crossed over his chest, he said, “It’s always a bad sign when Irene’s temper erupts. Looks like she knows a lot more about you than I do. Explain to me who you are or get out of this house now.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Mildred piped up.
Adlin cocked a brow at her. “Doesn’t it?”
Jonathan looked between them, his brooding gaze settling once more on Adlin. “It does.”
It was hard not to inwardly applaud this lad’s courage. Though sturdy and well-built he wasn’t nearly Adlin’s size. That he stood up to Adlin as he did spoke volumes. That he did so without a shred of fear in his eyes spoke more. Aye, he was a man of war. When he fought—and he would—it would be with the bravery and conviction of a man who understood both himself and the enemy.
Eyes deadlocked with Jonathan’s, he replied, “I first met Mildred in a dream when she was but a babe. For years I’ve been there, meeting her in dreams as she aged. She was around seventeen when I realized that I’d fallen in love with her. She was twenty when Fate decided that we were meant to meet beyond the dream-state. That was yesterday in this time.”
Before Jonathan could reply, Adlin continued, clenching his fists. “I have been alive for over five hundred years