Free Invasion of Her Heart by Trinity Blacio, Ana Lee Kennedy Page B

M-16 and her pack, then faced him, a frown wrinkling her smooth brow. “What? Don’t be silly. You just said you can go back in time to bring people back to this era.”
    He nodded. “That is correct, little warrior, but there is a time issue that applies to bringing someone here. We can’t retrieve your parents.”
    A hot light appeared in Venus’s eyes. She planted a fist on each of her hips and looked hard at him. “What? Why?”
    “It just won’t work. Three full generations have to pass to prevent paradoxes. It deals with….” He searched for the right English word, but he was so desperate to avoid her anger and resulting sadness that the word eluded him. “I can’t find the word, Venus, but it deals with people being reborn.”
    “Reincarnation?” she said, her disbelief obvious.
    He nodded. “Anyone brought to a future time period from a too soon past will start to age rapidly and then turn to dust.”
    “I don’t believe you!” Venus yelled. She spun on her heel. “Let’s go, Tonto!” Without a backward glance, she marched across the open field.
    “Venus, wait!” Volund called, dismay clenching his heart.
     
     

Chapter Eight
     
    Venus ran toward the outer city. There was no way she could back right now. She needed time alone to think. Both Volund and Jaxxon stirred more than her blood. They were slowly creeping into her heart—which scared the hell out of her.
    The city’s old storage shed came into view, its doors still secure, save for more rust that had made its way over the entire expanse instead of just one corner.
    Venus checked her surroundings before she opened the shed in search of one of her hidden weapons stashes. Tonto lay down, giving her the signal the area was clear. Ino and Ka watched her back as she opened the big metal door, and waited for her eyesight to adjust to the dark interior.
    She hadn’t been out of the city in ages, and if there was any chance of game beyond the corporation limit, Venus knew she couldn’t use her M-16. The sound alone would scare off anything in the area. Well, except for the Bone Eaters.
    Nothing ever scared those monsters.
    Once inside the building, she headed straight for her crossbow. The steel broad head bolts would go through any animal’s hide without destroying the meat, and the projectiles would also penetrate the Bone Eaters’ skulls if she needed it to kill one or more of them.
    After she removed the weapon from its wall hanger, she slowly traced the delicate patterns carved into it. Tonto slipped up next her, his tail pounding the ground as he studied her.
    “During Dad’s time away from the lab he loved to work with wood,” she told Tonto. The bow had been fashioned from a piece her father had carved before his death. “At least I have something of his to remember him by.” Venus slung the bow across her back, followed by a heavy polyester quiver containing the crossbow bolts. “Let’s go, boy.”
    The dog ran ahead of Venus. Ino and Ka snorted as they galloped behind her. “You two should have stayed with Volund. I can take care of myself,” she said, her breath coming in short puffs. She paused, panting, and surveyed the area. Venus hadn’t been in this part of the outer city in over a year, she’d been staying within the corporation limit. She continued on at a slower pace, her upper body growing hot from the sun. “Damn him for ripping my shirt.” She tried to tie the two pieces together more firmly, not that it mattered now.
    The city’s welcome sign came into view. It hung bent and rusted from the support poles. The highway leading into Elyria was deserted except for a few crumbling, broken-down cars. Ahead, she saw a field of green trees. The small, forested area was as long as a football stadium. Venus glanced down at Ino and Ka. “It looks like some sort of underground spring is feeding those trees. Maybe more game is in there, but we better be careful. The Bone Eaters could be hiding in those