Free Amethyst Destiny by Pamela Montgomerie Page A

me for that. What languages do you speak?”
    “English, Gaelic, and French.”
    “More than me. I have some French, but I’m not fluent And I know almost nothing about Scottish history.” She turned back to him, cocking her head. “I thought Scotsmen wore kilts or plaids or something, yet watching the courtyard all day, I never saw a one.”
    “Highlanders wear the plaid.”
    “And we’re not in the Highlands?”
    “Nay. Castle Rayne is north of Edinburgh, but not in the Highlands.”
    “Have you ever been to the Highlands?”
    “I was born there. Only a Highlander would speak the Gaelic, eh?”
    “Then why aren’t you wearing plaid?”
    “I wear the robe of a chaplain. The ring dressed me much as it dressed you.”
    “Seriously? Would plaid have given you away as an imposter?”
    “I could have sought work in the clothes in which I travel, which is generally not the plaid. But that is not the way of the amethyst. I requested a reason to be in this castle, which the ring had already directed me to through a dream. The stone responded to my request by providing me with the robe and trappings of a visiting chaplain. I’ll know when I’ve completed my task here, for the robes will disappear and I’ll once more be standing in my travel clothes.”
    “More than just a nightgown and boots?” she asked dryly.
    Talon grinned. “Aye.” But his body heated, remembering all too well the way her slender body had teased him through the thin shift, a shift that even now caressed those womanly curves. Curves his hands itched to trace.
    The longer he watched her pace the room, the more he thought about taking her into his arms, the more he longed to taste her.
    And the more certain he became that he was going to have to employ a bit of trickery if he hoped to make that happen. He feared wooing this lass would take far more time than the ring would give.
     
    Julia paced the room, glad to be able to walk more than three steps before she hit a wall, as had been the case all day. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told him this had been the longest day of her life. Every minute she’d wondered if she should try to leave the room and escape the castle. Doubts had preyed on her mind that she was really in the past.
    They still did. How did she know she wasn’t merely locked up in some mock-up of a castle designed to reflect a seventeenth-century way of life?
    She didn’t. Not for sure. Maybe Catriona had come from here, but that didn’t mean she’d been a time traveler.
    Then again, such a scenario neatly overlooked the fact that her clothes had disappeared. No, as much as she’d like to pretend otherwise, there was no denying magic was involved.
    Which was why every time she’d thought about leaving the room, she’d lost her nerve. Deep down, she was all too afraid everything Talon had told her was true. And while he was willing to accept her strangeness, that didn’t mean anyone else would.
    Minute after minute, hour after hour, she’d waited, wondering where he was, wondering if he was in trouble, if he’d ever come back. They were going to have to have a serious talk. If she was going to help him, he was going to have to show her a little more consideration. At the very least, leave her with food and something decent to drink. And some small sense of how long he might be gone.
    She reached the far end of the room and turned back, only to stop as Talon rushed toward her through the shadows, his body radiating a sudden tension.
    “Someone comes,” he whispered urgently.
    Julia’s pulse leaped.
    Talon grabbed her arm. “We must hide.” He pulled her into the corner and into the tight space between a large, carved armoire and the wall. The space was barely wide enough for both of them, forcing them to squeeze together, chest to chest. The scent of his wool cloak teased her nose.
    His hands slid over her shoulders, one slipping behind her and tugging her closer as if he were trying to pull her into his