Across the Winds of Time by Bess McBride

Author:Bess McBride
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, fantasy, sweet
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc.
Published: 2011-08-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

I began to shake.

“Take me back to the house. Take me back now, Molly,” Darius whispered.

“I can’t, Darius!” I cried. “I can’t move. I’m too scared. What if I do something wrong? What’s happening to you?” My hands shook as I gripped the steering wheel and my legs seemed frozen, incapable of action—the action I so desperately needed.

“Molly, listen to me,” Darius’s voice seemed to come from a long way off. “I do not think I can leave this place. And I do not think I can walk. I feel so weak. If I do not get back...” His voice trailed off.

“Darius! Darius!” I couldn’t make out the features of his face and could barely see the outline of his body. Everything was a blur. Some force finally galvanized me into action, and I hoped against hope that I could get the car back into the drive without losing him. I slammed the car into drive, yanked the wheel and gunned the car. The car jerked forward and roared back into the driveway. Marmaduke jumped out of the way as I slammed the car to a halt next to the house. I shut off the engine and turned to stare at the faint white silhouette that was Darius, desperately willing him to come back to me.

“Darius,” I shrieked. “Darius!” I reached for him but my hand passed through his shape, and I jerked back, terrified and helpless to stop what was happening.

“Darius, please don’t leave me!” I sobbed helplessly. I scrambled out of the car and ran to the passenger’s side door. I yanked it open and stopped short. Darius sat in the seat—in the flesh—staring at his hands.

“Darius! What happened?” I grabbed the lapels of his jacket to hang onto him. “What happened?” I repeated, but he seemed not to hear me.

“Darius?” I choked out. Blinded by tears, I let go with one hand to rub my eyes.

He turned to look at me, his eyes unfocused, a vacant look on his face.

I reached for him again, terrified that I wouldn’t touch solid flesh. But the skin of his face was warm to my fingers.

“Darius?” I whispered.

He seemed to see me at last and grabbed my hand to bring it to his lips. As if exhausted, he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against my open palm.

“I don’t think I can leave this place,” he muttered. “Perhaps I am just what I seem. A ghost. And tied to this land I once loved so much.” His voice held such despair that I ached for him—and for me. I swallowed hard, refusing to dwell on the future implications, and I reached to unlock his seatbelt.

“Come on. Let’s go back to the house. I can go to the store later. I’ll get what we need.”

I tugged at Darius’s arm, unwilling to let him go, and he climbed out of the car—albeit on unsteady legs. He put his arm around my shoulders, and we walked toward the house. He resisted going inside though, preferring instead to take a seat on the loveseat on the porch.

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