When Lightning Strikes (35 page)

She touched the galbi hanging from her neck, her thoughts mirroring his own
.“Do you think we can ever go back…to your time, I mean?”

“I do not know. But perchance we will find out someday. And I would wager that some day our daughter m
ay make use of the galbi? No?

She smirked. “Oh so you already have it planned out
then, that we will have a daughter?”

“I hope so…and I hope she is as beautiful as you. Now come here.”

A second later she appeared next to him and sat down. He pulled her down on top of him and kissed her softly.

“Your bed is so soft,” he said.

“It is
our
bed now,” she said softly.

“I suppose it is until we can get our own home,” he whispered. “And I promise I will build you a fine one, Sarah. I do not know yet how I will make my way in this world, but I swear to you I will do this.”

She leaned forward and kissed him lightly. “I know you will.
We
will. Together.”

His brow wrinkled. “The women of your time build homes? They are providers?”

She nodded. “Well, yes. And no. We don’t usually build houses – some do, I guess. But we work if we want to. I’ll explain it later.”

“Very well, then.” His forehead wrinkled slightly. “You know, Sarah. I just noticed that I feel less pain in my shoulder and my hand. Those tiny white objects you made me eat – what did you call them? Eye-bew-por…
fon? They have made me feel quite hale and hardy. But I can not feel my skin here.” He pointed to his shoulder and looked at her in wonder. This place truly was going to prove all she had told him it would be. And perhaps he would rethink the issue of this thing they called “doctor”. If it held such miracles as the ones he was already experiencing, perchance he would become one himself!

He rolled on top of her. “You know they say lightning never strikes the same place twice as it seems to have done.
When it does, ‘tis something of magic.”

“I thought you didn’t believe in magic,” she sai
d playfully raising an eyebrow.

“Mayhap I was wrong.
You
are magic, Sarah du Barbaronne.” His lips enveloped hers.

A moment later, she reached over and turned out the lamp, nestling next to her husband’s warm body in anticipation of
the night of love that would be one of many in the years to come.

Epilogue

Ariana was standing in the kitchen after seeing Sarah and Dominic off to bed. She smiled as Spencer slid through the back door silently. The house was quiet and the downstairs lights were all off.

“Well?” his voice was low and filled with anticipation and maybe a
little worry. ”She is alright?”

“She’s fine…she’s a little sore I’m sure but she’s okay.
As for him? He’s French. He’s from the 14
th
…he’s very charming and handsome, too. Breathtakingly so. She did very well and please remain calm when I tell you this. They are already hand-fasted.”

He scowled for a moment, holding back the curse that threatened to escape his lips.
“Absolutely not! It’s been what? Three…maybe four days there?” A week at best!”

“She is a grown woman, Spencer…and as you know, this is not normal, everyday circumstance. Remember how quickly things happened for us?” Her eyebrows went up.

His expression softened. “But that was
us
and it was more than three or four days. It was at least a couple of weeks…maybe longer. This is my daughter. My my little girl, we’re talking about.”

Ariana held he
r tongue and didn’t say a word.

Spencer shook his head. “Okay. I get the point, my lady.”

He sighed in resignation. “So this chap is already my son-in-law then…at least by 14
th
century law. I guess I have to get used to this idea. What else do you know about him?”

He grabbed a bottle of water from the cabinet, and added, “Though I suppose I will find out tomo
rrow, won’t I.”

Ariana shrugged. “Well, not too much other than he’s a healer and he juggles…with knives. He is Romany.” Spencer choked slightly as he swallowed a large gulp of water from the now half empty bottle.

“A juggler? Not exactly the wealthy lord we were hoping for…please tell me there’s more to the story?”

She nodded. “I’m sure there is…much more. He has a
sword wound. I don’t know exactly how bad it is, but he assured me he can take care of it, at least til morning. If he needs to go to the ER then, we’ll figure out some story to tell them. I don’t know what, but we’ll think of something! We could say he was robbed while out somewhere…knife wound. But right now, they are both exhausted.”

He remembered all too well the feeling of excruciating pain and fatigue when the lightning bolt had jarred every bone in his body as he too had traveled through time to be here with the woman he loved. It seemed almost like yesterday, and yet it had been all those years ago.

“So, he’s ‘breathtakingly handsome’, hmm?”

He pulled her close and feigned jealousy.

Ariana slid her body next to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was still an incredibly gorgeous man with his blond-streaked shoulder length hair and turquoise blue eyes.

“Mmm-hmn.
I would say he is so like you were back then,
Lord Douglas
,” she purred as she twirled a finger in a lock of hair at his neck.

“Is he now? Well, perhaps I am
still
so like I was back then,
my lady
.”

He winked at her and planted a quick kiss on the end of her nose before he picked her up in his arms and started climbing the stairs two at a time. She squealed and then covered her mouth remembering that Sarah and her new husband were already up there and might hear them. He was as str
ong as the day she had met him.

Back then, his arms were like iron from hefting his heavy broadsword but throughout
the passing years he kept in shape by working out religiously and it showed in his taught physique.

His lips caressed the side of her neck and he buried his hands in her dark curls as he kicked the door of their bedroom closed with the toe of his shoe. He had never been able to get enough of his beautiful Ariana. Not then, and not now.

It seemed that love really did know no time whether it be a night or across lifetimes.

Only the full moon stood witness as the last light in the house flickered out.

About  the
  Author:

CYNTHIA LUCAS

After reading countless romance novels, Cynthia Lucas decided to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother’s love of writing and try her hand at writing her own.

WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES
weaves time-travel, swashbuckling and heated romance, and the premise that every action we take and the power of love can ripple through time like a drop of water in a pond into a captivating love and adventure story that leaves the reader turning page after page until the very end.
The book was a #1 Best Seller in Kindle Edition in October and November of 2012, and continues to be a Top 100 Best Seller in Time Travel Romance on Amazon.com. After numerous requests for a sequel, Ms. Lucas released QUICKSILVER MOON in the fall of 2012 to glowing reviews. That second book in this series has been nominated for and is a finalist for Best Time Travel in the 2013 RONE Awards.

Other titles by Ms. Lucas include, BLOOD FROM A STONE which was a Quarter Finalist in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, and has been nominated for Best Paranormal in the 2013 RONE Awards, and the upcoming release “SMOKE & MIRRORZ” due out in the summer of 2013.

When not writing her stories, Cynthia, who is also an award-winning vocalist, songwriter and lyricist, music every weekend with her band NORTH 2 SOUTH on many stages, both large and small throughout Central Florida, where she resides with her husband of twenty-one years, their daughter and several pets, including exotic birds and various wildlife that she rehabs as a hobby.