be. “Yes. The water around it is sacred, and the land is important.”
“Right. And it’s not in the shipping lanes. We’re both connected to it. I could live there. I’m handy, so I could build a little house—I’m all about living on the beach. And you could live in the water there. We could be together. I could swim with you, and sit on the beach while you sat on the rocks. Talk to you, see you, touch you.”
Inside her breast her heart trembled and shook. “Your family.”
“Hey, I’ve got the compass. I can see them, bring them to see us—same with yours if they want. But the bottom line?” Eyes on hers, he skimmed his hands down her arms, up again. “Bottom line, Annika, you’re my only, too. I don’t want to live in a world where you’re not. And I’m not going to believe that we found each other, we’ve fought together, and done all we’ve been asked to do only to never be together. I’m not going to accept that. Would you stay with me—you in the water, me on the land?”
“I can’t give you young.”
“Annika, just give me you.”
“I have. I will. Yes, I will stay with you. I don’t want to live in a world where you’re not.” She threw her arms around him. “I will be yours, and you will be mine.”
Closing his eyes, he held on. “And that’s enough for anybody.”
“I love you with all I am.”
When he kissed her, they both forgot about packing and everything else until Sasha rapped sharply on the doorjamb.
“Sorry, but we’ve got to get everything downstairs and go over all the steps. It’s nearly four.”
“Sawyer is going to build a house on the island, and live there, and I can live in the water, so we can be together.”
“Love finds a way.” Touched, Sasha moved in to hug them both. “A good and loving way. And don’t think moving to some deserted island in the South Seas will stop us from visiting.”
“Counting on it,” Sawyer told her.
“But now, get moving. We’re getting antsy.”
“Five minutes.”
It took a little longer, but they hauled everything down, steered Doyle’s motorcycle in from the side room.
“At least I’ll be able to ride this again once we’re in Ireland.”
“I like riding the motorcycle.”
“Anytime, Gorgeous.”
“Until that happy day, we’ve got three hours and . . .” Riley checked her watch. “Thirty-two minutes until sunset. If we’re going to do this, we’d better do it.”
“One more thing. Sasha’s last vision.”
“Sawyer, no.” Alarmed, Annika clutched at him. “She is a god.”
“And Bran and Sasha took her down pretty hard in Corfu. This time it looks like it’s my turn. My risk, my choice—that’s what Sasha said, that’s what we explained to everybody. I’m making the choice, and I have to believe I can do it, buy us that time. But I’m going to need help.”
“Whatever you need, brother,” Doyle told him, “you’ve got.”
“The timing has to be close to perfect, and I need to get close enough to her to connect.”
“She could rip you to pieces.” At Riley’s words Annika turned her face into Sawyer’s shoulder. “Sorry, really, but we’ve got to be straight. Maybe we wait, take more time to plan it out.”
“It’s now. I’m sorry, too.” Sasha reached out to stroke Annika’s hair. “But it’s now. For the star, for the battle, for the risk.”
“She could rip me to pieces, but I’m banking she won’t, especially if Bran softens her up a bit.”
“And that I will, my word on it.”
“I get close enough, when she’s softened up some, I pull her into a shift, and when we’re clear, I disconnect. It can work.”
“You’ll be alone,” Annika stated.
“No.” He used her hand to tap his own heart. “Okay, everybody gear up—except for you.” He tipped Annika’s face, kissed her.
They strapped on the equipment Riley and Doyle had carted up from the boathouse—the hard way. And though it still made him wince, he waited while Annika tossed her pink dress aside.
“There may be a little jolt. I’ve never gone from solid ground to underwater.”
“And in 1742,” Riley added.
“Time’s set, just remember it’s a wilder ride than just a location shift. And when”—he deliberately didn’t say if—“Anni has the star, the trip back’s going to be just as wild. Stay close, stay together. The tighter we are, the easier it’ll be. Be ready.”
He put on his mask, adjusted it, slipped in his mouthpiece. With the underwater pistol on one hip, the diving knife in his belt, he