Bound by Time (6 page)

Several times she thought of just throwing a bag in the car and leaving except where would she go? This was her home. She couldn’t go back to college until fall. There were no relatives to stay with, and all her friends on the island were gone. She really couldn’t go spend an entire summer with Amelia. They had plans to visit family, and Isobel doubted Amelia’s parents would want some strange girl they had met only once at the beginning of college hanging around all summer. And if they agreed, what would she do with Sorsha? The cat could be left alone with food and water for a few weeks but not an entire summer. Her parents had left her more than enough money for food and entertainment over the summer but certainly not enough for her to leave and stay at a hotel. And not enough to board a cat for a couple of months. She was trapped.

Damien watched Aiden pace the length of the living room. Though his body didn’t show the heavy signs of advanced age, Damien knew Aiden’s time approached. The older man turned to face him. “He is becoming active again. You must keep a close watch.”

Damien dragged a hand through his hair. “I can do nothing until she accepts what she is.”

Aiden sent him a sharp look. “You can protect her from him. At least for a while. Help her to accept it. Do what you must. If we fail, he will be free to do as he wishes once more. The result will be as disastrous as it once was.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Damien shot him a glare. “I know exactly what he is capable of. I’ve seen it firsthand too many times.”

Aiden sank into a chair. “I know, I know. We’ve done this enough times haven’t we?”

Damien nodded. “Too many, my old friend.”

Aiden sighed. “I will be of no use to you this time. My end nears once more. You are going to have to help her face this on your own.”

“I’m quite capable of performing this task. Any one of us is,” Damien said with a tight-lipped smile.

Aiden nodded. “We can’t risk losing her again. Especially not at his hand.”

A deep, haunting sadness washed through Damien. “Isobel.” He said the familiar name. Nearly gained and then lost so many times. “I won’t let him have her, and I won’t lose her again.”

Aiden rose and clapped a hand on Damien’s shoulder. “I know you won’t. In some ways, I think this task has always been hardest on you.” He walked away. “I must rest now.”

I
sobel woke to a phone call from her parents singing Happy Birthday. It was nice to catch up with them if only for a few moments. She crawled out of bed, stretching. Her phone immediately chimed. Amelia had texted her happy birthday. Nineteen was one step closer to twenty. Something about having the number two as the leading number seemed more adult. Isobel couldn’t wait to get there. One more year.

Isobel showered quickly then paused to look at her reflection. Normally, she had a great complexion; however, the sleepless nights and strange dreams were starting to take their toll. Maybe a little makeup was called for. Enough to hopefully cover up the dark circles under her eyes.

Isobel pulled on a short-sleeved shirt the same shade of green as her eyes, a pair of white shorts, and slipped her feet into a pair of green flip flops. Her parents had deposited money in her bank account that morning, and she had every intention of getting away from the house for part of the day. It had been forever since she’d been to the bookstore. She adored her e-reader, but there was something about the atmosphere in the small, independent store on the island that she loved. And any place was better than the house.

She grabbed her phone off the bed, yanked open her door and strode across the landing. The quiet, dark laughter followed her as it had every morning since her parents left. Except this morning icy fingers trailed over her skin. Isobel ran through the foyer, snatched her purse, and rushed out the door, slamming it behind her.

Without looking back at the house, Isobel slid behind the wheel. Her hands shook as she shoved the key in the ignition and started the car. Throwing it in gear, she shoved the accelerator down, barely making it safely out of the driveway.

When the road finally took her to the town square, she smiled, enjoying the look of the old- fashioned buildings. And it was a square, with a low wall surrounding a grassy area planted with pretty trees in the middle and a small, three-tiered fountain at its heart.

The buildings surrounded the square. A small grocery store that had more selection than one would have thought possible for its size. A pizza place that delivered to the island. Perks, the little coffee shop with the best coffee in the world. There were fast food places and more trendy stores on the main road coming in from Savannah, but Isobel had no interest in them. She preferred to give her business to the local shops.

The bookstore was on the other end of the block from the coffee shop, so she pulled into a parking spot midway between the two.

A light, fresh breeze carried the scent of flowers in full bloom and the smell of the ocean only a few miles away when she stepped from the car. Tossing the slim strap of her purse over her shoulder, Isobel walked to Perks. The sun and the freedom away from the house lightened her step.

When she stepped through the door the aroma of fresh coffee and just-baked pastries greeted her. Greg, the older man behind the counter, looked up. “Morning, Isobel. Good to see you. Do you want your usual?”

“Yes, please.”

As he made the double vanilla latte he glanced at her. “You home for the summer?”

“Yep. Today’s my birthday, and I’m looking forward to spending some time at the bookstore.”
And away from my house
, she finished in her head.

Greg raised his eyebrows. “Your birthday? How old are you now?”

“Nineteen.”

Greg’s face fell. “Already? I remember when you first came here all gangly and with braces on your teeth.” He shook his head. “You make me feel old.”

“Ah, Greg, you aren’t that old.” Isobel couldn’t help smiling. “Besides, my mother says age is a state of mind.”

“Ha!” He barked a short laugh. “Elizabeth is ever youthful. I can see where she would think that.” He finished her coffee, capped the cup, and handed it to her.

Isobel took a deep sniff of the steam rising through the small drinking hole. “Nobody makes coffee like you. How much?” She glanced at the register, waiting for him to ring it up.

He shook his head. “Not today, sweetie. Happy Birthday.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Now Isobel—”

“I mean it, Greg.”

He moved to the register. “You are too stubborn for your own good.”

Isobel flashed him a smile and paid for the coffee. “Have a great day, Greg.”

“You too, Isobel.”

She wandered down the sidewalk, sipping at the hot liquid. It felt good to be out among normal people with normal lives. The bell over the door jingled as she entered the bookstore. Isobel breathed in the smell, absorbing the atmosphere. The tension in her body eased and for the first time since she came home, she felt happy. She moved down the aisles, heading unerringly through them. Isobel knew the place like the back of her hand. The owner saw her and waved but left her alone to browse.

As Isobel read through the titles waiting for one to jump out at her, she looked up and saw Damien standing at the far end of the row. Her eyes skimmed over his body of their own accord. Admiring the way his blue jeans hugged his lean hips and the way his broad shoulders shifted as he flipped through the pages of a book.

Her heart did a flip. So the gorgeous guy next door liked books? Isobel took a sip of her coffee and turned her attention back to the shelf in front of her. It didn’t matter; he wasn’t for her. Nobody was. She browsed through the titles trying to decide if she wanted to read a horror about zombies or the one with werewolves. Maybe she would get both.

“You like books?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin though her mind registered the voice immediately. Somehow Isobel knew she would recognize it anywhere.

Placing her hand over her startled heart Isobel looked up and her breath caught. No, she hadn’t imagined it. His eyes really were that beautiful. And so familiar. It was more than just glimpsing them the week before. More like she should know him, even though that was impossible. Isobel knew without a doubt if she had seen him before she would remember it. A slight shadow of dark stubble ran along his jaw, and she resisted the urge to reach out and stroke his face.

“I’m sorry. It seems I have a penchant for startling you.” A slight smile touched his lips.

“No.” Isobel shook her head. “I mean yes, you did. But you don’t have to apologize. I get so involved in the books anyone would have startled me.” She smiled. “Damien, right?”

Damien nodded. “What do you like to read?” He glanced at the books in her hand.

Isobel shrugged. “Pretty much anything.”

He cocked his head so he could read the titles. “I would skip the zombie one.”

“Why?”

“It’s okay if you aren’t looking for creepy, which I personally am when hunting for zombie stories. This one is rather boring, and the attempted twist at the end is a complete failure.”

“I see.” Isobel regarded the book and set it back. “I prefer creepy with my zombies. They weren’t ever meant to be anything else.”

Damien flashed her a full smile that showed his perfect white teeth. If there was a God, he was intentionally torturing her. No man should look that good. Not to mention they had the same taste in books. Talk about a double whammy. Yes, Damien should definitely be illegal.

“What about this one? Have you read it?” Isobel handed him the book.

She studied him as he read the back of it. Her surroundings shifted and he stood smiling at her in a field. A cluster of old, thatch-roofed houses rose in the distance. Chainmail stretched across his chest and shoulders, metal gauntlets encased his forearms, and a sword hung at his hip. It lasted less than a minute and then the world snapped back. Disoriented, she grabbed the shelf to keep her balance.

“Isobel?” Damien’s hand was warm on her arm as he steadied her.

“I’m sorry.” She rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. What the heck was wrong with her? “What did you say?”

Concern filled his eyes. “I said I haven’t read this one yet, but it sounds good so I think I’ll buy myself a copy… Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Sorry about that.” Isobel stared at the book as he handed it back, still trying to figure out what happened. “Maybe I need to eat.” She glanced back at Damien. “Thanks for your help. I need to go.”

He followed her through the store. “Let me take you to lunch.” Damien wasn’t ready to let her walk away. He wanted more time to lose himself in her beautiful green eyes. It was all he could have for now and he needed it, craved it.

Isobel hesitated, running her teeth lightly across her lower lip as she thought about it. She shouldn’t. It couldn’t go anywhere. Isobel gazed up into those blue eyes again and something stirred in her. The deep sense of familiarity came back full force.
Oh Isobel, just have lunch with him
, she chided herself.

“All right. I just want something simple.”

Damien gave her that killer smile again. “Simple sounds great to me.”

After they paid for their books, they headed down the street for a couple of sandwiches from one of the shops and sat at a table in the grassy square. Damien gave her a strange look. Isobel frowned, “What?”