Strands of Love

Chapter Eight

The clothes Sam was wearing were really comfortable. She’d feared the clothing Jace had left her might include a dress much like the one Edwina had been wearing when she’d met the older woman. Really not her style.

Instead, she’d found a pair of leather pants, which she cinched tight to keep them from slipping over her hips, a pair of boots that fit rather well and a long-sleeved tunic that fell to just below her hips. What she wasn’t wearing were panties or a bra, both of which had been missing from the room along with the rest of her clothing.

As promised, Jace had been waiting in the hallway for her. He’d taken her hand and led her downstairs to the large room she’d seen yesterday. A long table sat at one end with some plates and bowls of food. She’d thought he’d join her. Instead, he’d left her with his mother, which was a little awkward considering she’d had sex with both the woman’s sons.

“Have you had enough, dear?” Edwina asked. Like yesterday, the older woman was wearing an ankle-length dress, this one a bright yellow. The cloth appeared to be somewhere between a cotton and a linen and was embroidered with tiny flowers around the neck and cuffs.

“Yes, thank you.” Sam pushed aside the bowl of porridge she’d just finished. Her stomach was nicely full. She’d had the porridge, two slices of thick grainy bread and several slabs of a mild yellow cheese that was absolutely delicious. And she’d washed the works of it down with a mellow apple cider, the taste of which reminded her of Jace’s earlier kiss.

Edwina picked up her wooden mug, taking a sip of tea before placing it back on the table in front of her. “I know all this must seem strange to you,” she began.

Sam hesitated, not wanting to be impolite to the older woman, but there was no getting around the fact that she was somewhere she didn’t want to be. Great sex aside, she had a life. Might not seem like much of one to some folks, but it was hers. “I really want to call home and check in with my friend.” Tim would be worried sick considering she was supposed to have shown up for dinner last night with him and Mary.

Her cell phone had disappeared along with her clothes, something she was definitely going to ask Jace about when she saw him again. He’d disappeared so quickly she hadn’t had time to question him about it.

Edwina appeared concerned, wringing the poor mug between her hands. “I’m not sure what you mean by calling home.”

Sam studied the older woman. It didn’t seem as though she was lying. “You know, use the telephone.” She held her hand to her ear and curled the middle three fingers inward before motioning with her pinkie and thumb like she was using the phone.

Edwina sighed and stood. “Come, let me show you something.”

Sam dropped her hand and pushed out of her chair. Fine with her. She obviously wasn’t going to get a straight answer from their mother. It was time to find and confront Darian and Jace again.

“This way.” Edwina led the way out the front door of the castle, pausing on the wide stone steps. “Look around you. Everywhere you look is Javara. This is not your world, child. You must come to some acceptance of that fact. Denying it will not change it.”

“Look,” Sam began. “I honestly think you believe what you’re saying, but I can’t.”

“Then how do you explain your being here?”

“I can’t.” She wasn’t about to mention her theories about being drugged. Strangely enough, she didn’t want to upset the older woman who was not responsible for her sons’ actions.

Edwina sighed and shook her head and Sam knew she’d disappointed the other woman. “If you’re looking for Jace and Darian, you’ll find them in the training ring this time of day.” She pointed beyond the stables. “Look around if you like. None will stop you.”

Sam nodded and started down the stairs, suddenly gripped with the need to see both brothers. She was halfway down when Edwina called out to her.

“Samantha.”

Sam paused and turned.

Edwina squared her shoulders and met Sam’s gaze. “Be careful with my sons. You hold their hearts and their futures in your hands.” With that, Edwina turned and went back inside.

Her words shook Sam to her core. Edwina was mistaken. No way was she in any way responsible for either man’s heart. They’d had sex. That’s all it was. Three consenting adults engaging in some sexual fantasies, nothing more.

She ignored the way her breakfast curdled in her belly and the pang of regret in her heart as she hurried toward the stables. The familiar whinny of horses teased her ears as she passed. She had a quick peek and promised herself she’d check out the equine inhabitants a little later. Sam missed having horses on the farm.

There were several men working just outside the building and they nodded at her as she hurried by. She nodded back, but didn’t stop. She did, however, feel their gazes on her. Her spine tingled and it was an uncomfortable sensation.

She turned the corner of the stables and slammed to a halt like she’d hit an invisible wall. Both Jace and Darian were naked from the waist up, except for those wrist- and armbands they wore. Both were wielding extremely large, and what appeared to be extremely sharp swords.

Darian’s weapon cut through the air, heading toward Jace’s heart. All the blood drained from her face and she felt lightheaded as Jace countered at the last second. The two blades struck and one slid along the other, leaving a shower of sparks.

“Almost got you, old man,” Darian taunted.

“Old man, my ass. I’m only letting you think you have a chance to beat me. Wouldn’t want you to become too discouraged,” Jace fired back.

Sam leaned against the corner of the stable and watched as the two fought. These were no recreational warriors. The blades were an extension of their arms, cutting and hacking through the air, always being struck aside at the very last second before either of them could lose a major body part. She was afraid to speak, afraid to distract them. And she was utterly mesmerized by the display of swordsmanship.

Sam took a deep breath and forced her gaze away from the Hunter brothers. There were a few other people around, mostly men, although she did see the occasional woman. In the distance she could see more people working in the fields and tending animals.

What she didn’t see were power lines or telephone towers. Come to think of it, there weren’t any electric lights or even outlets in the castle. It was all like something from several hundred years ago.

She swallowed hard and looked back toward Darian and Jace. Sweat shone on their broad chests and shoulders as they continued their deadly dance. She thought about the weapons they had—knives and swords. She thought about the tapestry she’d seen yesterday morning floating in midair in spite of the dead heat.

Oh God. It was true.

All of it was true.

She really was in another place, another planet or dimension. She wasn’t quite sure which. Another world was probably the best place to put it. Javara. They’d all told her as much but she hadn’t really believed it. But this place, these people. It was too much of an elaborate setup to be anything but real.

There was no way they could have taken her somewhere else so quickly, not somewhere like this without leaving the country. And, really, why would the Hunter brothers turn up in the middle of nowhere Texas and kidnap a penniless farmer? It didn’t make any sense. There was nothing in it for them—certainly not money.

Feeling slightly nauseated, Sam slid down the side of the barn until she was sitting in the dirt. She lowered her head and sucked in a deep breath. She really was in another world.

Worry hit her hard. Would she ever see her farm, her home again?

“Sam?”

It was only when she heard her name she realized the clang of metal had ceased. She looked up to see both men staring down at her with concern in their eyes. They really were in earnest when they said they wanted her to stay here and marry one of them.

Sam thought of the pledge Darian had already given her, offering himself, his life and his brother’s, offering her love and devotion. But he couldn’t love her. Neither of them could. They didn’t really know them any more than she knew them.

Her breathing was getting faster and it was getting harder to take in enough air. Her vision dimmed.

She was plucked off the ground and into a strong pair of arms. Neither man seemed to notice her size and weight and carried her around as though she weighed next to nothing. She knew without looking that it was Jace who held her. Amazing how quickly she’d come to know each man’s touch.

Darian stood beside his brother. “Breathe, Sam. Take a slow, deep breath.” His voice was low and soothing. She wished she could tell him she wasn’t losing her mind, just coming to accept what should be totally unbelievable.

She followed his instructions as best she could and was grateful when her vision cleared.

“Bring her inside,” Darian ordered, but she shook her head.

“No. Outside.” She always did better outside than in. She was afraid if they took her inside the castle walls might close around her. “This is real,” she managed to get out. “All of it.”

Jace’s arms stiffened around her. “You finally believe.”

She nodded, not sure what else to say. It was all too strange, like something out of a book or movie. Not the kind of thing that happened to an ordinary woman like her.

Darian took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “The tapestry brought you here for a reason, Sam. The magic only brings a woman who has the potential to thrive here. It’s up to you if you stay or go.” His expression darkened. “There is only one chance. Three days and you must choose. There is no changing your mind once it is done, so be very sure.”

In three days—no make that two days if the time counted from when she’d first found them on her land—she’d go back to her farm and they’d remain here. She’d never see them again. Her heart ached and she trembled. She had to go back. She didn’t belong in this world where the people lived like something out of a medieval tale, except for the whole “sharing her bed with two men” deal. She really didn’t think a ménage à trois had been commonplace back in Medieval England, but who really knew.

“I need to walk.” When she had something on her mind it always helped her to walk. Back when they’d still owned horses, she’d ridden.

Jace set her down, but she felt his reluctance, the way his arms tightened briefly before he released her. “We will go with you.”

She didn’t argue with him. She didn’t know this world and what potential dangers lurked beyond the walls of the castle. Sure as she was standing here, they didn’t train with those lethal swords for nothing. She nodded. “Okay.”

Darian touched her arm and nodded his head off to the right. “If we go this way, you can see the fields. There is a lake just beyond.”

The farmer in her was curious to see what they were growing. “Lead on.”

With Jace on one side of her and Darian on the other, the three of them headed toward the lush fields and the men working them.

Both men fell in beside her as they walked. She sensed their awareness, the way they scanned their environment constantly monitoring it for danger. That was something ingrained in them, totally natural, like breathing.

Warriors. Both men truly were warriors.

It was hard to wrap her head around their culture. “Don’t men fight over having to share a woman?” The question popped out before she could stop it. Usually she liked to brood and think when she had stuff on her mind. Of course, this wasn’t a normal situation.

“Our history tells of a time when there were as many women as men, but something happened. No one quite knows what, but there were less and less girl children born each generation.” Darian brushed her hand with his before twining their fingers together. “Men fought. Brothers killed brother,” he continued. “It was a bloody time in our history.”

Two of the male workers in the field called out to the brothers and they waved. Sam wondered what crop they were growing, but didn’t ask. She had other questions she needed answers to first.

She couldn’t imagine what it must have been like for brothers and friends, all wanting the same woman. And the poor women. It had to have been hell for them too.

“What happened to change that?” How did a society evolve to accept a ménage à trois as normal?

“Survival.” It was Jace who spoke. The low timbre of his voice sent a shiver of desire through her. “It was a matter of survival. Too many of the young men were dying in the fighting over the women. The most powerful families got together and came up with the idea to allow one woman to be claimed by up to three brothers. She had to marry one of them and only he can claim her children as his own, but they might very well belong to his brothers. As well, each brother has at least one night each week alone with the woman. That way no one is left out and everyone is happy.”

They left the open fields behind and entered the woods. It was darker here, the sun not penetrating the thick growth as easily. Sam felt the cold seeping into her bones. Neither man seemed to notice even though they were both bare chested.

“That’s a lot to ask of a woman.” Physically it wouldn’t be easy to keep up to three men satisfied. Emotionally it would be even more difficult. How did a woman choose? And what if she really didn’t like her husband’s brothers?

Darian gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “We understand and respect that fact and treat our women well.”

“The decision was a long, long time ago and women are raised to expect it, just as we are.” Jace’s voice was flat and matter-of-fact. “Our history is divided into the time before the tapestry and the time after.”

“And how did the whole tapestry thing come about?” She was doing her best to understand their world, but it was very different from hers in this fundamental way.

“A sorceress.” Darian continued, edging closer to her as the path narrowed. “No one knows where she came from, but when a family decided to try to claim her, she fought back with her magic. The tale came out about our problem and she created the tapestry. Once a generation, sometimes twice, it appears, bringing a woman from another time and place to Javara.”

Sam swallowed hard. “So there are women living here now who come from my world?” That was a lot to wrap her head around.

“Yes.” Jace stopped and faced her, the sunlight and shadows falling across his face like stripes, giving him an even more fierce appearance. “Christina Garen, Jane Bakra, Kathryn Garen, Roxanne Craddock and Audrey Dannon.”

“Umm.” Sam was boggled by the idea of five other women being plucked out of their lives and brought here. Then something Darian said earlier struck her. “I thought you said the tapestry came once, maybe twice in a generation?”

Jace raked his hand impatiently through his hair. “That is how it has always been. But something has changed.”

“Kathryn is actually a descendant of the original sorceress,” Darian added. “Maybe that has caused the change.”

Jace whirled around and continued walking, his long, muscular legs eating up the ground in front of him. Sam hurried to keep up. “Are they the only women who came or did some return to their own world?”

Darian’s hand tightened around hers making her wince. He immediately released her. Her fingers felt chilled after his warmth. “They all stayed,” he whispered.

Great, just great. So she’d be the only one who went home. Maybe the other women had lives that sucked. Hers wasn’t so bad. She missed the heat of Texas, walking on land that belonged to her and her family. It wasn’t wrong for her to want to return to everything that was familiar.

The forest ended abruptly and she stepped into a meadow of wildflowers. The ground looked like an intricately woven carpet, alive with vibrant color. Red, yellow, orange, purple and blue circled and swirled as far as the eye could see.

“Wow, this is incredible.” She’d never seen anything quite so lovely. The mountains loomed high in the distance and the sky was clear and blue. There was no sign of pollution, no noise from jets or planes of any kind. The only sounds were those that came from the gentle lap of the water on the shoreline and the animals that lived around the lake. A bird sang its song as it flew by and Sam caught a glimpse of yellow wings before it disappeared into a tree.

“Come.” Jace stood on the edge of the shoreline, hand extended.

She walked to him, loving how the soft leather boots made little sound. It seemed a shame to step on the flowers, but there was no place to walk where she wouldn’t step on some of them. Their perfume teased her nose and made her smile.

Jace’s hard hand closed around hers and he motioned to the lake with the other. “This is all Hunter land. It goes up into the mountain.”

She could hear the pride in his voice. It reminded her of her father and the way he’d always spoken about Calloway land. “It’s beautiful.”

“And bountiful.” Darian came up on her other side and took her free hand. “The mountains are filled with rare plants that are used for medicinal and culinary purposes. We harvest them for use and trade.”

She peered up at the tall, unforgiving mountain. “That can’t be easy.”

“It is if you know the mountain’s secrets, which we do. Only those from Hunter Keep, and then only a precious few, know the way.”

“We might not have as much wealth as some, but we are rebuilding.” Jace’s voice was as harsh as his expression. Sam could see pain and determination on his face.

“You’ve got the land. That’s more important than wealth.” She knew that better than anyone. It was the same philosophy her father and grandfather had held. If a person had land they could make their way in the world somehow.

Jace turned to her, his frown deepening. “You understand this.” He placed his hand over her heart, which quickly picked up its pace when he touched her. “You know it here.”

She nodded. “I do.” She gazed up at the majestic mountain, which was obviously a huge part of life at Hunter Keep. “I know what it means to have land and a family legacy.” She had to make them understand that her leaving wasn’t due to them. She liked them, much more than she should, considering how little time she’d known them. But they were admirable men, strong men, men a woman could trust.

“My family has been on our land for several generations now.”

“Where are your men?” Jace demanded. “Your father, your brothers?”

Pain lanced through her and she pulled away from them both, moving closer to the edge of the pond. “My brother was killed in a war.” She wasn’t about to go into the politics that led to his being overseas in a foreign country. They were warriors. They understood battle.

A gentle hand cupped her shoulder. Darian. “I am sorry for your loss.”

Sam nodded and swallowed hard. She missed John so much, his big grin, the way he always teased her when they were kids. He’d been the best older brother a girl could have.

“Your father and mother?” Jace prompted.

“My father died of a heart attack six months after we got word about my brother.” She could still remember the heat of the day and the smell of death.

Darian’s arms came around her, offering her solace. “What of your mother?” he asked.

Sam sighed. “She’s gone too. Cancer.”

“Is that an illness of some kind?” Jace asked, reminding her they weren’t from the same world.

“Yes.”

“So you are all alone now?” Jace continued. He took a step closer, boxing her in between the two of them. Darian was behind her and Jace in front of her.

“Yes, but I still have the land. And I owe it to my father and brother to hold the land they loved so much.” Her heart ached for how much she’d lost. How could she lose the land, her last link to her entire family?

She simply couldn’t.