Stone Guardian (27 page)

Chapter Forty-Six

“I missed you so much!” Laynie knocked the breath out of Emma with a bone-cracking hug as she launched into Emma’s widespread arms. “Geez, you’re getting boney. Have you been sick?” Laynie took a step back and squeezed inquisitive fingers up and down Emma’s arms. Her blue eyes narrowed into suspicious slits as she gave Emma a playful shake.

“I’m fine. Don’t start.” Emma pulled her sister against her chest again, closed her eyes and inhaled the familiar sweetness of the floral perfume that always surrounded Laynie in a refreshing cloud. She’d missed Laynie so much. The gnawing homesickness of life without Laynie had nearly eaten her alive.

“I can’t breathe.” Laynie squirmed against Emma’s crushing embrace. “You know I missed you too but I’d really hoped to see more of the Isle of Lewis than just the lobby of the airport over your shoulder.”

With a heart-wrenching sigh, Emma relinquished her grip and took a step back, keeping one hand latched on Laynie’s arm. She couldn’t help it. Giddy relief addled her senses at the sight of baby sister. Laynie was finally here.

“Fine.” Adopting the most aloof demeanor she could manage, Emma stuck her chin in the air. “You seem to have survived life on your own pretty well. Apparently, you don’t need your big sister anymore.” Emma’s heart skipped a beat as she uttered the playful jibe, silently praying it wasn’t the truth. She’d always been the one to take care of Laynie and keep her out of trouble. What if this self-assured young woman didn’t need her guidance anymore?

Rolling her eyes, Laynie bent to scoop up her bags. “You know better than that, you old hen.” With a hopping shrug, she hitched the straps of the luggage higher over her shoulder, then polarized Emma with a stern glare. “And by the way, I wasn’t kidding when I asked if you’d been sick. You really do look like crap. You could nearly pass for a raccoon with those dark circles under your eyes, and how much weight have you lost? Are your nightmares keeping you from sleeping again? Are you so engrossed in this project that you’re forgetting to eat?”

“Geez, Laynie! Lighten up. At least give me a chance to enjoy your company before you start the cross examination.” Emma pulled Laynie’s bags from her shoulder and slung them across her own. How could she explain the past seven months to baby sister? How could she tell her she’d discovered a disturbing destiny that haunted every waking hour and chased her down in her dreams? “I’ve just been pulling some long shifts at the clinic. Stop your incessant fussing. I’m just a little tired.”

“A little tired, my ass. You look like you’ve been rode hard and put up wet.”

Emma almost choked, steering Laynie toward the double glass doors leading to the parking lot. If only baby sister really knew how close that statement was to the truth. “Stop fretting. You know how I get when I’m obsessed with a project.”

Laynie rolled her eyes again. “You might as well tell me the truth. You know you always sucked at lying. You never keep your fibs straight.” Grabbing Emma’s arm, she yanked the strap of the largest hot-pink bag draped across her body, forcing Emma to come to an abrupt halt. “Who is
that
?”

From the salivating interest shining across her sister’s face, Emma didn’t have to look across the parking lot to see who waited.
Damn him
. She’d told Torin she wanted some time alone with Laynie. Time to ease her sister into all the revelations she’d been smacked with over the past few months. Why couldn’t Torin ever listen to what she said?

“No wonder you look so exhausted.” An evil grin inched across Laynie’s face. “You didn’t tell me about
him.
”

“I’d hoped to have you to myself for at least thirty minutes before springing
him
on you.” Emma gritted her teeth until her jaws ached. It’d be a cold wet day in the center of Hell before she let Torin back in the bedroom tonight. If he couldn’t respect her one small request of alone time with Laynie, he’d better get comfortable sleeping on the floor in front of the hearth…or maybe even outside.

“Got any more like him you could spring on me? He’s hot.” Laynie dug an elbow into Emma’s ribs while bumping them closer to the truck.

“No.” Emma blew out a disgruntled breath between tightly pursed lips. “He’s pretty much one of a kind.”

Torin leaned back against the side of the truck, powerful arms rested across his chest and his shining boots leisurely crossed at the ankles. The clothing he’d manifested fit him like a second skin and accentuated every battle-hardened muscle from the squared width of his bulging shoulders to the well-sculpted swell of his thighs.

Emma swallowed hard, her traitorous body flushed hot and ready. Keeping Torin out of her bedroom might prove more difficult than she thought. Shoving memories of exquisite hours spent in Torin’s expert hands to the back of her mind, Emma gulped at the chilling breeze. Maybe if she inhaled enough cold air, the aching burn smoldering from her waist down wouldn’t burst into a raging inferno. Torin hadn’t listened to her. Tonight she’d sleep alone—after an ice cold shower—or two.

“‘Tis an honor to meet the lovely sister Emma’s spoken of so many times. Welcome to Lewis. I am Torin.” Torin straightened from his relaxed position, lowering his chin in a respectful nod.

Laynie flashed a blinding smile as she proffered an outstretched hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Torin. I just wished she’d spoken more about you.”

Torin shifted a knowing glance toward Emma then pressed his lips to the back of Laynie’s extended hand. Raising his head, a feigned expression of disappointment flickered across his face. “Ah, I’m afraid little Emma has trouble explaining me at times. Perhaps, she felt ’twould be much better if the two most important people in her life met and formed their own alliance.”

“
Important
people, huh?” Laynie turned to Emma with an uplifted brow, the demand for an explanation transmitted clearly in ALL CAPS and BOLD lettering with just the tilt of her head.

“Yes, Laynie.” Emma shot Torin a warning look. If he made anymore comments like that, she would throttle him on the spot.

Torin grinned and stood taller, releasing a satisfied sigh.

“I’ll tell you more about Torin later. When we’re
alone.”
Nudging Laynie toward the vehicle, Emma yanked open the door. “How about we get you settled first?”

Chapter Forty-Seven

“I told you I wanted some time alone with her.” Emma leaned closer, struggling to keep her voice to a low enraged hiss as she glanced at Laynie’s motionless body stretched across the couch. A soft snore filtered up from the pile of blankets.
Thank goodness.
Jet lag had knocked baby sister out. Maybe Emma could sort through things with Torin before little sister recharged and started demanding answers to her endless stream of questions. Turning back to Torin, she jabbed a finger into the center of his chest. “Why can’t you
ever
listen to me?”

“We have no time to ease your sister into the truth. The land cries out for its redemption and healing against Arach’s punishment. Once we best him and close the portal to his reality, your difficult choice must be made and your sister needs to be prepared.” Torin grabbed her hand and stroked her wrist with a mesmerizing circular motion of his thumb.

Emma yanked her hand away. She couldn’t think when he touched her. “There is no difficult choice for me, Torin. My life is here.” Stiffening farther away from Torin, she hugged her arms against her chest. “You’re the one with the decision to make. The choice is yours. You don’t have to leave this time. You could stay here with me and...and adapt.”

“Ye know I canna remain in this world. Can ye no’ see that I struggle more each day against the confusion…against the chaos of this time? The magic has grown too thin in the beliefs of this time.” The muscles along Torin’s jaw twitched. The scar running down the side of his throat darkened against his tanned flesh, reddened by the heat of his frustration.

“And you think I’ll adapt without any problem to your world? You think I’ll be just fine in some other realm, some reality so far removed from what I know that I might as well be on another planet? Maybe it is another planet. Is it?” Emma bit her lip and glanced at her sister. The ancient springs supporting the cushions of the couch creaked as Laynie shifted positions. Emma drew in a deep breath, struggling against the weight of annoyance crushing in all around her. If not for the storm raging against the thick, mudded walls of the cottage, she’d take this argument outside, out of baby sister’s slumbering earshot.

“I would see to it that your way was made easy. Together, we could build a satisfying life. Yer not even considering what I’ve set before ye as an option. We would be happy, Emma. I promise ye that. We belong together…in the next reality.” Torin eased closer; the reflection of the burning hearth flickered in the depths of his eyes.

“You can’t guarantee that.” Emma edged back a step. Did he think she was blind to his subtle shifting toward her? “I can’t leave Laynie. I’m all she’s got.”

Torin’s fingers curled into tensed fists then slowly opened as though relaxing with forced effort. “I know how much ye love your sister. I know ye believe that she canna live without ye. But look at her, Emma. Open your eyes and see her for what she truly is. She’s grown into a fine independent woman quite capable of caring for herself.”

“I can’t leave her.” The words choked her, catching in the emotions knotted in her throat. How could he expect her to leave Laynie behind—never see her baby sister again?

“What will ye do when Laynie leaves you? When she finds her own way into the world and embraces the pleasures of her own life?” Torin lifted his chin, entrapping her in his pain-filled gaze. “Do ye think she’ll allow ye to hang about her heels like a well-trained dog?”

Emma flinched. Torin’s words hit her like a physical blow. He’d voiced her worst fear. The older and more independent Laynie became, the more Emma wished she could turn back time. A desolate coldness shuddered through her, settling around her like a mournful cloud. “There’ll always be room in Laynie’s life for me. She’ll never shut me out.”

“And ye’ll be perfectly satisfied to stand aside and watch your sister enjoy her life while ye have no life of your own? Isn’t that what ye’ve done for the past ten years, Emma? Has it been pleasant? Have ye enjoyed turning your back on life? Denying your own right to happiness?”

“Shut up!” Emma exploded with a throaty hiss. “Just. Shut. Up. You’ve got no right—”

“Like hell I don’t.” Torin crossed the room in an effortless lunge and yanked her into his arms. Locking her body against his chest, he silenced her with a kiss.

Fury. Passion. A chaotic mix of raw emotions seared into her mouth. The stubbled growth of Torin’s day-old beard rasped against her chin. He opened her mouth, forced in deeper, branded her as his own.

Scooping her up into his arms, Torin stomped across the hardwood floors toward the bedroom.

A muffled voice growled from the pile of blankets balled up on the couch. “It’s about time you two moved it into the bedroom. Now, maybe I can finally get some sleep.”

Chapter Forty-Eight

Torin buried his face in her silken hair, filling his lungs with the delicious scent of her. He’d never enjoyed such sweet fragrance before. A field of flowers couldn’t compare.

She stirred in his embrace, pressing back against him as though seeking reassurance he still lay beside her. Torin smiled into the darkness. He loved when she slept in his arms. Her steady heartbeat tickled against his chest as he snuggled closer against the velvety bareness of her back. With the gentlest of movements, he cupped a round firm breast in his palm, burying his fingers into the warm cleft between the plump delightful orbs.

She must go with him to the next place. He wouldn’t consider otherwise. Emma belonged with him. Surely, she knew that now. He eased his lower body away a bit, cursing his lengthening shaft. Torin swallowed hard and tried to think of something else, anything else. They’d battled with passion and loving for hours and the new day neared. Emma needed some sleep.

Clenching his teeth and sucking in another lungful of air, Torin noticed a moving beam of light slipping beneath the bedroom door. Laynie must be up and about. A sense of relief settled over him. Apparently, the girl had lain awake beneath the blankets and heard much of what he and Emma had hissed at each other last night. Yet, she hadn’t reacted. She’d only spoken when Torin silenced Emma with a kiss and headed toward the bedroom. Perhaps Laynie could be an ally—at least until she discovered the truth in its entirety.

The pale light struggling beneath the crack in the door shimmered again then blinked out and returned to darkness. A faint thud then the creaking hinge from the grating over the hearth told him Laynie had decided to stoke the fire before returning to her dreams.

Closing his eyes, he nestled his face against the comforting warmth of Emma’s shoulder. Tomorrow. The decision settled him. Tomorrow, he would seek Laynie’s help.

Chapter Forty-Nine

The stinging hot water pelting against her flesh failed to wash away the worries. Emma plunged her face beneath the showerhead. Maybe if the steaming deluge scored a direct hit, the pounding droplets would cleanse her mind. A flushing sound alerted her seconds before the water shifted to scalding level. Twisting the handle just in time, Emma jumped to the side, out of reach of the fiery stream. “Dammit, Laynie! Why do you always flush the toilet when I’m in the shower?”

The wooden lid of the toilet seat clunked, followed by Laynie’s evil giggle. “Because some things never grow old. What’s the matter, sis? Didn’t you miss that too?”

As the temperature of the water returned to a bearable level, Emma moved back beneath the over-sized spout. “I missed you. I did not miss your irritating antics.” Smoothing her hair away from her face, she closed her eyes as she slathered the nubby facial soap across her skin. The antiseptic smell stung her nostrils; the refreshing tingle of the citrus scent jolted her senses awake. “Did you sleep okay on the couch?” Emma held her breath, clamping her lips tight against inhaling any suds. Geez, she hoped Laynie hadn’t heard the entire conversation last night. She’d really hoped for a decent visit before having to explain all the unbelievable findings of the past few months.