Free Love Beyond Time (Morna's Legacy Series) by Bethany Claire

contents of the room swirled around her daughter, one minute picking her up into the chaos, the next minute sweeping her away into nothing. Her legs shook, and her ears ached at the sound of her own terrified screams. She reached up and smacked herself hard across the cheek, trying to wake herself from the twisted nightmare. When nothing changed, she forced her eyes to close and shook her head violently, hoping that the motion would clear the insanity from her head.
    When she gathered the courage to open her eyes, she instantly relaxed against the back wall and breathed in deep, savoring the dusty, wet smell that filled her lungs. Bri was there, safe, and just where she’d been moments ago. It was her own head she was worried about. She’d make an appointment with a doctor as soon as she got home.
    “Bri. Did I pass out? Fall and hit my head coming through the doorway? I was so sure . . .” She trailed off as she took in the horrified look on her daughter’s face. Pins prickled down her back as her eyes took in the floor-length gown covering her daughter’s body. “What? What’s going on, Bri? I . . . I’m not feeling very well.”
    Adelle watched as her daughter’s head quickly turned, scanning back and forth across the room.
    “Where am I? And my name is no Bri? Who do ye think ye are?”
    “Bri. What do you think you’re doing? Seriously. Your accent is remarkable, but where did you get that dress? Is this some sort of weird joke I’m not getting? Do you think that lasagna was bad?” Adelle pushed herself off the wall and moved over to her daughter, grabbing the skirt of her dress to examine the gown more closely. “It’s really remarkable actually. It doesn’t look like a costume, but it’s not an antique either. I think it’s time you filled me in, sweetheart.”
    “Sweetheart? Why would ye address a stranger so? And why do ye keep calling me ‘Bri’? My name is Blaire, and I doona understand why ye seem so fascinated with my dress. Have ye seen what ye are wearing? Do ye work for Mary? Did she send ye down here to get me?”
    Adelle reached up to grab her forehead, her frustration growing at her lack of understanding. “Bri, what the hell are you talking about? It’s really not funny. I seriously think I’ve lost my mind. We need to go back to the inn, maybe drive back to Edinburgh and check me into the hospital. Quit talking like that and let’s go. Grab your real clothes on the way.” She reached out to grab Bri by the arm, but the hold was broken as her daughter quickly jerked out of her grasp.
    “Please, do not lay yer hands on me. I’ll no marry Eoin. Ye’ll have to send me back home.”
    “Bri.” She reached out to grab her daughter once more. “We still have twelve days before we go back home. Surely you’re not ready to go back to Texas?”
    “Texas?” The woman’s brows came together so quickly they almost bumped in between her eyes.
    “Yes, Bri. Texas. Where you live and teach. I think we both need to have our heads examined. Maybe we breathed in some sort of hallucinogenic drug when we opened that doorway.”
    “I’m unfamiliar with this ‘Texas’ that ye speak of, miss. I live in the MacChristy keep, with my father, Donal. It’s a three-day journey from here.”
    Adelle stopped trying to pull at her daughter’s arm and turned to face her straight on. She had to be Bri. There was absolutely no question this was her daughter. But the accent? And the clothes? And she knew she’d tried to teach Bri some about the castle’s history, but she found herself surprised that Bri was able to remember such names. Adelle stood there unmoving, trying to think of some sure way to confirm she was looking at her daughter, and that they were both on the receiving end of some powerful mind-altering drug. Whatever was going on, something was very wrong.
    A sudden itch in her lower back caused her to jerk her arm around and scratch, and instantly she knew what she needed to look