Kiss Across Tomorrow (Kiss Across Time Book 8) Read online

  Even Brody was speechless, which didn’t happen to him often. His fingers entwined with hers were lifeless.

  The man shook his head. “Not Serene Ones, then. You’re too easy to read and the name isn’t known to you.” He lowered his voice, as if he knew they would hear him no matter what volume he spoke at. “I had a meeting with business associates on the tenth floor tonight, before this affair started. I had a hand on the fire escape door, about to head down to the lobby, when I heard a woman exclaim in surprise. Only, the corridor had been empty when I walked to the fire escape and no doors opened behind me. I would have heard it.”

  Brody’s fingers gripped Taylor’s.

  The man continued, his tone even. “I stepped in beside the ice machine and listened to your conversation, then I ran down the stairs—vampire speed is handy for moments like that.”

  Dazed, Taylor realized the man was a vampire, too.

  He gave her no time to absorb the fact. “I got here minutes before you stepped out of the elevator,” he said. “You both froze, as if you had walked into a French whorehouse by mistake.”

  Taylor flinched. It was an apt description for the shock she had felt.

  “I thought you might be Serene Ones,” he said, “which is why I came over. They said they would never again come among us. I wanted to challenge them if they had. You’re not Serene Ones, though.” His tone grew harsher. “You’ve never seen the Elah before. And you materialized in an empty corridor five minutes ago. So who are you?”

  Taylor couldn’t pull together her scattered thoughts to compose a reply.

  “Don’t try to run,” the man said softly. “The Elah hold me in high regard. I only have to shout and every vampire and every Elah here will bring you down instantly.”

  Elah. Was that the name of the aliens?

  “I’m not going to run,” Brody said, just as softly. “You’re right, we’re not from here.”

  “Brody, no,” Taylor said, alarm adding to the fast working of her heart.

  He let her hand go and leaned forward as the man was, only Brody was sitting on the sofa and his head was lower. Even so, Brody didn’t appear intimidated. “We’re not from this world at all,” he said.

  The man didn’t move for the space of a dozen of Taylor’s screaming heartbeats. She would have to feed soon if she didn’t get it under control.

  “Wormhole?” the man said at last. His voice was strained. Brody’s confession had shaken him, too.

  Brody shook his head. “Alternative world.” He said it quietly, so no one more than a few inches away would hear him, which was just a well, if there were more vampires in the lobby. Vampires generally had phenomenal hearing.

  The man moved. He blew out a heavy breath. “Einstein’s special theory.”

  Taylor jumped. Veris spoke about Einstein’s relativity all the time when he was in professor mode and lecturing to someone about time travel and alternative worlds. “Yes,” she told him. “It’s not a theory, in our world,” she added. “Not anymore. At least, not among us. The Blood,” she made herself say, although it made her heart jump again to speak it aloud.

  The man linked his fingers together. “Why are you here?”

  “We’re…building a map,” Brody said.

  “Surveyors,” the man said softly. He smiled. “No wonder you reacted as you did when you saw the Elah.”

  “The Elah,” Taylor said. “That is the name of the aliens?”

  “They’re not aliens,” the man said. “They were here before humans.” He straightened from his lean forward. “Is this world so different from yours?”

  “Yes and no,” Brody said. “We’ve seen far more dangerous and weird places, although we’ve come to expect it. All the worlds close to ours were destroyed. The remaining worlds are farther apart, which makes them stranger. We were beginning to think this one was odd because it seemed so normal. Then we stepped out of the elevator.”

  Taylor glanced at Brody, surprised. He was speaking to a stranger about the structure of time with complete freedom. What on earth was he thinking?

  The man nodded, as if he understood the theory behind Brody’s obtuse references with perfect clarity. He pushed the sleeve of his jacket and the crisp white cuff of his shirt back to expose a TAG Heuer watch. “We should talk more,” he said. “It’s still early. My husband and wife probably haven’t eaten yet. Let me take you home and introduce you. I can brief you on this world and you can tell me about yours.”

  Wariness flooded her. Taylor said stiffly, “That probably isn’t a good idea. The more we interact with your world, the more changes can be introduced…”

  He met her eyes. His were compelling, she had to admit. Veris’ were equally as mesmerizing, though.

  The man gave her a small smile. “It’s a bit late to worry about consequences, isn’t it? You’ve already revealed more than you should. Best to deal me in on everything, or I might dig for myself and screw up the timeline.” His eyes danced.

  He spoke of timelines as if he understood as thoroughly as Veris the dangers of messing with time.

  Winded, Taylor glanced at Brody.

  Brody rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. He thrust out his hand. “I’m Brody Gallagher,” he said. “This is Taylor, my wife. Our husband is back home, sulking about us screwing with time.”

  The man’s brow lifted at the mention of their husband. His smile grew warmer. “Perhaps our worlds are not that far apart after all,” he said, taking Brody’s hand. “Nathanial Aquila Valerius Aurelius. You can call me Nial.”

  Chapter Two

  Winter and Sebastian were highly likable people, although Taylor was wary about classifying them as human until she had more information. They had identical limpid green eyes, although Sebastian’s hair was sandy blond while Winter’s was Titian red. They were both tall, although Sebastian was an inch shorter than Brody.

  Their apartment overlooked Central Park and must have cost several millions of dollars, which wasn’t flaunted. The furniture was warm and comfortable and the apartment casually cluttered.

  Winter and Sebastian’s warmness offset Nial’s power-house personality. Taylor wondered what Veris would have thought of him, for Nial was opinionated, well-read and a clear thinker. It would be fascinating to see the two of them talking.

  Veris was not here, though. Taylor avoided wondering what his reaction would be when he learned they had introduced themselves to people in this world and revealed who they were.

  While Sebastian and Winter ate a light meal, everyone sat about the table while Nial spoke about their world. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned the jacket—it didn’t seem to bother him that he had skipped out on a wedding party. “I was invited for prestige. They won’t miss me,” he’d said, on the drive to the apartment.

  It wasn’t the first time Nial had spoken about his status or notoriety. As he explained the evolutionary events which had taken place in this world over the last few years, and the role the three of them played in those events, Taylor came to understand why.

  A Blood Stone, three ancient races, and a god-like species who could rearrange the world as it saw fit. No wonder no one in the hotel had looked sideways at the Elah. They were pedestrian in comparison.

  Nial was a good story-teller. He telescoped years of world-shaking events into just over an hour of conversation. Neither Taylor nor Brody interrupted him. It was too interesting.

  “A year ago, we got to walk back into this apartment,” Nial finished, glancing around the big room. “None of us thought we’d see it again, yet here we are.”

  Brody stirred. “None of this would have been obvious to us from simple observation,” he said. “I must thank you for that. The more I hear, the more I can see how different our worlds are, even though they look almost the same.” He looked at Taylor. “Is the bookmark close to home?”

  “As close as any other world can be.” It was difficult to explain to someone who couldn’t see the timescape the lifeless gap between their timeline
and the nearest worlds, or how the gap filled each day as decisions and choices spawned alternative worlds to theirs.

  “You’re the…jumper, did you call it?” Sebastian said to Taylor. “You don’t both jump?”

  “I’m just ballast for these types of jumps,” Brody said.

  “There are different types of jumps?” Winter asked.

  “Many,” Taylor admitted. “Jumpers are usually good at one sort or another. Not everyone is a jumper, although for linear jumps back in time, Brody and other vampires with long memories are the navigators.”

  “Linear…” Nial breathed. “Does that mean you could take me back to sixth century Rome?”

  “Is that where you’re from?” Taylor asked.

  “Near there,” Nial said, with a note in his voice which said he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Then yes, you could direct me in that jump,” Taylor said.

  “As long as he doesn’t have to kiss you to do it,” Brody growled.

  Winter laughed. Nial merely lifted a brow.

  “It’s how we first discovered time jumping,” Brody said. “A kiss, a yearning for times past, then we opened our eyes and looked around…” He shook his head. “We fumbled and fell so many times in the first jumps it’s a shock we’re still here—or our timeline. Somehow, we muddled through, though.”

  A thought struck Taylor. “Have any of you heard of a death metal band called Nocturnal Rain?”

  Everyone looked at her with blank expressions.

  “They were world-famous, about ten years ago,” Taylor added.

  “We can look it up, if you want,” Sebastian said. “I listen to a lot of music, though—”

  “Wagner doesn’t count,” Winter said, her tone chiding.

  Sebastian rolled his eyes. “All sorts of music. I haven’t heard of such a band. Doesn’t mean they didn’t exist.”

  “Yours?” Nial asked Brody.

  “In another life, yes.”

  “Actually, the same life,” Taylor corrected him. “Only, human concerns such as kids and families pushed the band down on the list of priorities, until it fell off the bottom.”

  Winter’s attention sharpened. “Children?”

  Caution flooded her. Taylor picked her words with care. “There were some time jumps which took Veris and Brody back to when they were human. We barely came out of those jumps in one piece. Because they were human, I conceived, and…well, we were lucky.”

  Winter’s eyes shone. “So if Sebastian and Nial went back far enough, I could, too?”

  Brody shifted uneasily and cleared his throat. Both Nial and Sebastian watched Winter with mixed expressions. Taylor could see love in their eyes. Also, fear and a note of guilt and unhappiness.

  Taylor put her hand on the table, in a flat warning gesture. “It’s not nearly as simple as it sounds, Winter. To go back in a way which returns them to a human state, you must jump back along their personal timelines. It means they become who they once were, and you get dumped into their world, too. Everything that happened, happens again. Nial already doesn’t like to talk about when he was human. None of you would want to experience it for yourselves, or again, in Nial’s case.”

  “No one should experience being a slave,” Nial said, his voice tight.

  Brody jumped. “You were a slave?”

  Nial cleared his throat. “To the Romans. A long time ago.”

  Brody lifted the hem of his tee shirt to reveal the writhing red scar on his side from having his ribs crushed under the wheels of a chariot when he was human. “Chariot driver,” he said softly. “A long time ago.”

  Nial met Brody’s gaze. The corner of his mouth lifted just a little. “Hello.”

  Brody dropped his tee shirt and looked around the table. “You should come and visit our world. Meet Veris and the others.”

  Alarmed, Taylor got to her feet. “Brody, could I have a word, please?”

  Everyone looked at her.

  Brody got to his feet. “Excuse us,” he told them and let Taylor lead him across the big room to the far corner where snow blatted against the glass. She pushed him into the corner so her back was to the table.

  “Are you crazy, Brody?” she asked in a soft whisper. “Veris will have a cow if you bring people back from another time line! And with reason! You have no idea what it will do to either of our worlds to jump people across like that!”

  Brody rested his hand on her shoulder. “We jump people across worlds all the time. Our world is still ticking. The other worlds are still pumping along, too.”

  “We don’t know these people, Brody! How can you just…tell them everything the way you are?”

  “You’ve been doing just as much telling,” Brody pointed out.

  Taylor paused, for that was true enough. It was easy talking to these three.

  “Besides,” Brody said. “I like them.”

  “Them? Or Nial?”

  Brody grinned. “Does he remind you of anyone?”

  Taylor rolled her eyes. “Is that why you invited them to go with us? You want to see Veris and Nial in the same room, too.”

  “It was in the back of my mind, yes.” Brody’s smile faded. “When you’ve lived long enough, you get very good at assessing people and getting it right. We don’t know them. That’s true. Only, it feels as if I’ve known them for a long time, and that’s why I know we can trust them. A straight jump home, no deviations. They don’t step outside the house, no one from our world sees them…then back here again. They don’t miss a minute of their timeline and we still get to pick their brains. It will help with the worlds which are close to theirs, knowing how this world ticks. And dammit, yes, I want to get to know them better. They’re good people, Taylor.”

  Taylor sighed. “Okay, but you get to explain it to Veris. And while you do, I will find a reason to head for the other end of the island.”

  Nial, Sebastian and Winter were more than eager to jump to their world, although Winter looked nervous and Sebastian cracked his knuckles. Nial just looked urbane, even after changing into a black sweater and jeans.

  Brody had the logistics already figured out. “Take Winter and Sebastian first,” he told Taylor. “Then come back and get Nial and me. I’ll be your bookmark for here and now.”

  “Bookmark?” Nial said. “You can set stops on the timescape?”

  Taylor nodded her head, still nervous about the amount of information they were giving Nial. “It isn’t a conscious process. They’re just…there.”

  “Emotion strengthens them?” Sebastian asked, his attention just as sharp. “If Brody is a natural bookmark, then…”

  “Yes, emotion makes them stronger,” Taylor said. She held out her arms. “I don’t have to kiss you, although I do have to be in close contact.”

  Sebastian stepped into her arms and looked down at her. His green eyes shone warmly. “You can kiss me if you like.”

  “‘bastian!” Winter chided him. She stepped into Taylor’s other arm and rolled her eyes. “He behaves as if he’s the playboy of the western world, yet he’d melt if you tried to take him up on it.”

  Sebastian just smiled, a taut expression. “Let’s do this before my heart explodes.”

  “Or mine,” Taylor admitted. She jumped.

  The family room at Martha’s Vineyard was always sunny, including today. As it was late August, all the doors on both sides of the room were open, which made it feel as though the lounge room was actually part of the outdoors. Sometimes, birds would flitter through, chirping their alarm at finding themselves inside a room, before they zipped out again.

  Winter and Sebastian looked around with interest.

  “What a gorgeous view!” Winter said, looking at the ocean through the southern windows.

  “Which one?” Sebastian asked dryly, tapping her shoulder and pointed at the northern view, which was filled with old forest and the big meadow which was their back yard.

  “Taylor?” Veris called, coming out from the kitchen. Taylor cou
ld hear the twins and Marit talking, and pots rattling. Lunch was being prepared.

  Veris was wearing a pair of his old, scratched-up and worn leather pants and the sleeveless shirts he preferred. Taylor preferred them, too, for they showed off the true musculature and strength of his arms. His blond hair looked almost white in the bright daylight.

  He spotted Winter and Sebastian and frowned. “Hello…?” he said cautiously.

  Taylor put her hands on Winter’s and Sebastian’s shoulders. “This is Winter and Sebastian, Veris. They can explain to you what’s happened, while I go back and get Brody and Nial.”

  “Go back?” Veris repeated, startled.

  “Longish story,” Taylor said and jumped. She tried not to feel sorry for Winter and Sebastian, or guilty for leaving them alone with Veris, who was like a bear in winter when confronted with strangers unexpectedly.

  Nial and Brody were standing where she had left them, for she timed the jump to arrive a few heartbeats later.

  Nial looked surprised. There were aspects of timescape traveling he had yet to figure out, which reassured Taylor. If he had known and understood everything about such a complex and nuanced matter, she would have been suspicious.

  She held out her arms. “Hurry,” she urged them. “I don’t want to leave Winter and Sebastian alone with Veris for too long.”

  Nial raised a brow. “I think you’re underestimating Winter and Sebastian,” he said, with a mild tone, as he stepped into her arm.

  “You don’t know Veris,” Brody said.

  Taylor caught Nial’s thoughtful expression as she jumped once more. She aimed for the sun-drenched flagstones on the south side of the sunroom. There were people in the sunroom who would have moved since she left.

  Nial and Brody followed her into the room.

  Veris was standing before Winter and Sebastian, his arms folded so the muscles flexed and made themselves noticeable, while Sebastian spoke. Veris was in defense mode.

  He looked around as Nial and Brody came in, his gaze on Nial. The blue of Veris’ eyes seemed to intensify as he studied the tall man.

  Taylor tugged on Brody’s wrist. “I’m going to Brittany to pick up Remi.”