Torc of Stone by Kim Allred

Author:Kim Allred [Allred, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Coast Publishing, LLC
Published: 2018-06-25T22:00:00+00:00

29

1802

Dinner was a wild affair. The group filled most of the common room, tables jammed together to fit everyone like a holiday family gathering. No business was discussed. Instead they told tall tales of previous escapades, each growing in the telling. And with each story shared, the laughter grew, the decibel levels raising the roof with each new round of ale.

As AJ surveyed the people around table, the scene took on fresh meaning. Something had changed for her. Was it the group’s first meeting to discuss the plan, everyone committed to a single purpose? Or during Lando’s lessons when he took her under his wing? It didn’t matter. She perceived the group with new eyes.

Jamie and Fitz were well into their cups, winking at the barmaids who pushed their way through the crowded room, trays filled with mugs and piles of food. Maire held Ethan’s hand, palm up, her finger tracing a line as she whispered something, their heads close. AJ’s brow rose at Ethan who watched Maire instead of his hand as she turned his palm in the dim light of the lantern, searching for the paths that foretold his future.

AJ heard his voice above the din and turned as if called by the wind. Finn leaned over the table toward Thorn, their expressions impassive as Finn shared an anecdote, and minutes later, they fell back in deep laughter. It must have been a man’s tale judging by the wicked gleam the passing barmaid gave Finn. Thorn patted her rump while grabbing a mug from her tray. She swatted his hand away but gave a throaty laugh at Thorn’s wink as she moved to the next customer. Lust was in the air.

These were her people. If she didn’t find a way home in the next few days, she would spend the rest of her life trying, but the idea of failing wasn’t as horrid or painful as it had been. She wanted to see her mother and Stella again, and suffered a pang of loss when she thought of them. Adam—she could live with just his memory, but these people in front of her had proved their worth.

In these days of swords and guns, war and intrigue, loyalty meant something. She no longer doubted the motives of anyone here. They were here to help her. She understood that now. And they were also here to fight a darker power—a darker threat. These were the days when people laid down their lives for a belief, something the people of her own time rarely understood or had to live through or fight. These people fired the blood in her veins like nothing else had.

Finn turned from his conversation, his focus solely on her, his intensity so powerful, she licked her upper lip. His slow grin appeared, and he nodded. And before she could return his smile, the tingle coursed through her body, straight to her toes and other parts. He stood and waited until her arm slid through his before steering her toward the door.

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