Timeless (42 page)

Even through the cloth of his tunic, she could hear it—steady and strong beneath her ear.

He was alive! She did not understand how it was possible, but he was not dead. Nor was he in the
langvarig sovn
trance he had said he could experience only on Asgard.

He was unconscious, his breathing even, his skin warm—too warm. Pressing a hand to his forehead, she realized he had a fever.

And an entirely different kind of fear shook her.

~ ~ ~

The first warm glimmers of sunset shimmered through the window, painting the bedchamber with shades of copper and gold, before his lashes finally lifted again. Avril exhaled shakily, felt as if she had been holding her breath all day. Sitting beside him on the bed, she brushed his damp hair back from his forehead, wanting to kiss him breathless, offer prayers of thanks for his life, and besiege him with questions all at once.

She settled for leaning down to kiss his bronzed cheek, relieved to find his skin no longer hot. She set aside the damp cloth she had used to try and cool his fever.

“Hauk, are you all right?” she whispered brokenly, all the tension and fear of this awful day spilling out of her.

He blinked up at her for a moment, as if uncertain she was real. Then he smiled. “Aye.” His voice was a dry whisper. He tangled his fingers through the loose strands of her hair, caressing her cheek. “Tired... but well.”

“You are not in any pain?”

“Nay.” He sounded surprised.

“Thank God.” Suddenly she was trembling. “Hauk, I cannot believe you are here. How is it possible? How long have you been away from Asgard? How is it that your—”

“Shhh, my little Valkyrie.” Burying his fingers in her hair, he drew her down to him for a kiss. “I am sorry that I frightened you so. I am not in any danger—”

“But last night you said you had been away seven days,” she sputtered. “
Seven
. And today makes eight.”

“Aye,” Hauk murmured, smiling as he tenderly kissed her tears away, a storm of emotions in his eyes. “It took time to find you. I first went to your
beau-frère’s
keep in the Artois, only to learn that the
duc
and his wife had escorted you here, to your home in Brittany, with your daughter—”

“Hauk, I do not understand.” She could not stop shaking. “How can you
be
here, with me, alive?”

“I am all right, Avril.” He pressed a finger to her lips, his smile deepening to reveal his straight white teeth and the dimples in his stubbled cheeks. “More than all right. I am free. As free as you are. Let me explain.”

Some time later, after he had told her everything, she sat staring at him through tear-filled eyes, too astonished and overjoyed and hopeful to speak.

“And that was when I fell from the saddle,” Hauk finished, frowning as he admitted it. “I had been feeling unwell all afternoon—dizzy and hot—and I became light-headed and fell. I feared mayhap the elixir had not changed me after all.”

“Hauk, I believe what you experienced is simply what we call the
ague
. It is what happens sometimes when one rides for long hours in a cold autumn rain.” Relief bubbled through her as she smoothed his tangled hair back from his forehead, smiling down at him. “It is quite common among us mortals.”

“I was eager to reach you, my love.”

“And I am afraid you will have a mark to show for it,” she told him reluctantly. “This cut on your forehead will take a while to heal, and it looks as if you may have a scar.”

He reached up to touch it, an odd smile playing around his lips. “A scar?”

“Pray do not sound so pleased,” she admonished. “I would greatly prefer that you not acquire any more.”

He laughed. “I will try, my love.”

“Hauk,” she said more seriously, “there is... there is something else that puzzles me. When you were out in the forest, hurt, I-I
heard
you somehow, calling to me—”

“From inside you, as if I were in your mind, your heart.”

“Aye,” she said in soft wonder, holding his gaze.

“I am not certain myself how it is possible, only that it is said that some men of Asgard share such a bond with their brides. Does it frighten you, little Valkyrie?” he asked gently.

“Nay.” Avril touched his face, her heart beating fast. “I... it only startled me. The way the dreams did. I—” She blushed, glancing down. “I had dreams of you, before we even met. Rather vivid dreams.”

“And I have dreamed of you, as well,” he said huskily, drawing her down onto the bed with him.

Their mouths met in a deep, lingering kiss.

“Hauk,” she said with a sigh as he nuzzled her cheek, her hair. “I am afraid I cannot stay in here much longer, or they will become suspicious.”

“They?”

“Celine and Gaston. They are waiting downstairs in the great hall.”

“Avril, you did not explain to them—”

“Nay, of course not,” she assured him. “I told them I happened upon an injured man—while I was out riding because I could not sleep—and like any good Samaritan, I brought you here to one of the guest bedchambers to heal.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, milady.” He chuckled.

“And yours, sir,” Avril returned with a grin. “But if I remain in here with you any longer, they will begin to realize I am much more to you than a concerned hostess.” She started to get up. “I have been informing them of your condition every now and then.”

“Tell them I will live—as long as you stay with me.” Smiling, he pulled her back down to sit beside him. “Tell them we once saw each other from afar, and I have traveled a great distance to find you because I knew I would love you forever. But do not go yet. First, I have something to ask of you.” His expression became serious. “We must still keep Asgard a secret, to protect everyone there.”

“Aye.” She nodded, warmed by his words and his touch.

“And I am afraid I must retract the other promise I asked of you.” He smoothed her hair back from her face, drew her down for another kiss, murmuring against her mouth, “I do not wish for you to find another husband.”

“Oh?”

“Marry me again, Avril. In the tradition of your people. Let me love you, and take care of you and Giselle... and give you more children to love.”

Tears blurred her vision as she looked into his eyes, those pale-blue eyes like the sky lit by the sun’s hottest rays. “Aye. Oh, aye, Hauk Valbrand. I will marry you. Again.”

Another quick kiss gave way to long, slow kisses. And an embrace that made her body tingle in all its most sensitive places.

“Hauk,” she murmured, even as she melted down onto the bed with him, “I really should go and speak to Celine and Gaston...”

“Five minutes,” Hauk murmured hungrily, easing her onto her back, his hard body covering hers. “Only five minutes more.”

“You are most impatient.” She laughed, twining her arms around his neck. “For a man of three hundred.”

“Thirty,” he corrected lightly. “Here in your world, I am only thirty.”

She pulled him closer, filled with wonder and joy. “I think you will be very handsome, all craggy and silver-haired one day.”

“You will have a chance to find out, my love.” He grinned. “Now then, I believe I was about to make your dream come true.”

“You already have,” she whispered happily. “You already have.”

I’d like to express my deepest gratitude to my sisters of the Clork & Toach: LaVerne Coan, Elizabeth Manz, and Linda Pedder. Thank you for supplying me with chocolate, finding me trees, and supporting me while I wrote and revised the original manuscript of
Timeless,
even during super-killer-deadline-crunch.

Special thanks to LaVerne, Linda, Judi R., Sandra M., and Stephanie M. for serving as my beta readers on this new, revised edition of
Timeless
. I appreciate your time, generosity, and insights more than words can say.

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed spending time with Hauk and Avril in the pages of
Timeless
. I’d love to keep writing books that touch your heart for many years to come. Readers like you make it possible, and I’m so thankful for your support and enthusiasm.

If you enjoyed
Timeless
, could I ask you for a small favor? I’m just getting started in e-publishing, and with hundreds of new books published every month, it’s difficult to stand out in the crowd. I need a little help (actually, a lot of help) getting the word out about my books. If you’d be willing to share your enthusiasm with other readers, I’d really be grateful.

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Warmest wishes and happy reading,

Shelly

~~~

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Bonus Content:

Excerpt from
FOREVER HIS

(Time-Travel Romance, Stolen Brides Series, Book 1)

Winner of the National Readers Choice Award: Best Historical Romance of the Year

“Irresistible, right down to the surprise at the end... One of the best romances of the year.” –
The Detroit Free Press

“A Desert Isle Keeper. Touching, ingenious... I love this book. I’ve read it time after time, and even if I haven’t waited quite long enough between readings to forget all the details, I always get drawn back into the story so intensely that I can’t put it down. Grade: A (highest rating).” – Ellen Hestand, All About Romance

Sir Gaston de Varennes wanted a docile bride who would fit into his plans for vengeance and justice, but a trick of time finds him married to a thoroughly modern American lady who turns his castle, his life, and his heart upside down. Will her desperate secret tear them apart after only a few bittersweet weeks of stolen passion—or will they conquer mistrust, treachery, and time itself to discover a love that spans the centuries?