Page 17 of Shadows of Eternity

“Another psychic warning?” Leia asked. She had meant for it to be a joke but after the dream she’d had, it came out more serious than she intended.

“Nothing new,” Janae said. “Just the same feeling that he’s hiding something.”

“He asked me to go with him.”

“What? You just met the guy.”

“You can stop worrying. I didn’t say I’d go.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

Huffing a sigh, Leia told Janae about the dream she’d had.

“That is weird on so many levels.”

“What do you think it means?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never heard of anything like that. I mean, to actually hear voices.” Brow furrowed, Janae shook her head. “ Are you sure you didn’t just dream you heard them?”

“I didn’t understand a word, of course, but I heard them as clearly as I hear you. I felt the heat of the sun on my face, caught the scent of roasting meat. I’ve never experienced anything like that in any other dream. And yet, it couldn’t have been real.”

“My advice to you is don’t see this guy again. There are other sexy guys out there.”

“Not like this one,” Leia muttered.

For once, Janae didn’t disagree.

At home, Leia had no sooner kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the sofa when her cell phone rang.

It was Rohan. She bit down on her lower lip, debating whether to answer or not. But the thought of hearing his voice again was too hard to resist. “Hello.”

“Hi. Did you have a good time at your friend’s house?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s a great cook and I love her kids. What did you do tonight?”

“Thought about you.”

“Come on, what did you really do?”

“Nothing much. Had a few drinks. Any chance we could get together?”

“Tonight? I don’t think so. It’s almost ten and I have to be up early in the morning.”

“All right. Maybe tomorrow.”

“Call me.”

“Count on it. Good night, Princess.”

“ ‘Night.” As soon as she hung up, she was sorry she’d said no. It would have been nice to see him, if only for a few minutes, maybe get another good night kiss. He would be leaving town in a few days and she would probably never see him again.

With a shake of her head, she went to get ready for bed, wondering if it was possible to get addicted to another person. And what she was going to do when he was gone.

With nothing better to do, Rohan went hunting. Prey was always plentiful in the cities and towns where the show played. Women were easy to win and woo. Like Leia, many had an unusual fascination for the Old West. He preyed on some, occasionally made love to others, but none of them had ever held his interest the way Leia did. He wasn’t sure why. There was an openness about her, an innocence that he found captivating. She thought him handsome. She dreamed about him. But she wasn’t about to surrender her virtue for an hour or two of pleasure. He respected her for that. He had no doubt that she was a wonderful teacher. She loved her students and he had no doubt that they loved her in return.

She wanted a big family. That was something he could never give her. Where the hell had that thought come from? He enjoyed her company, her laughter. Not only was she easy to be with, but she was one of the few truly honest women he’d ever met. But marriage and family? Not likely.

He had given up all hope of any kind of normal future after he was turned. Those were dreams from another lifetime, a life stolen one dark night on a lonely hill in the Great Plains over three hundred years ago. A life forever lost to him. One he hadn’t missed. Until now. Leia was a forever kind of woman. Shehad been wise to refuse to accompany him to Bisbee. He knew that now. But he would miss her like no other when he left her behind.

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