Darian had never seen his brother so angry. Usually Jace was calm and in control. This was totally out of character and told Darian just how deeply his brother felt about Sam. “Jace.” It was a warning to back off and one he hoped his brother heeded.
But Jace wasn’t done yet. “We give up everything while you go back to your home and forget us.”
“I won’t ever forget you,” Sam fired back. “Ever.” Her voice dropped and a lone tear rolled down one cheek.
“Enough.” Darian put a hand on each of them before either of them said something they would regret forever.
“I just want to go home. Is that so wrong?” The pain in Sam’s voice was Darian’s undoing.
“No, Sam, it’s not wrong. I just wish you wanted to stay.”
“I wish she could go now if she wants to so badly.” Jace’s harsh words made Sam flinch and Darian knew his brother regretted the words as soon as they were uttered, but there was no taking them back.
The air around them thickened and began to shimmer. Darian had only felt the sensation twice before. The tapestry.
“It’s only been a day and a half.” This was not normal. Darian turned to his brother. “What have you done? You’ve wished the tapestry into being.”
Jace jumped in front of Sam, pushing her behind him, but the tapestry would not be denied. Darian grabbed Sam’s arm as Jace reached for him. The three of them were connected by touch when the world around them exploded. They were sucked into black void. Darian struggled to hold onto Sam, terrified what might happen if he lost her in this world between worlds.
Then everything went black.
Chapter Ten
Sam groaned and grabbed her aching head. What the heck had happened? One minute she’d been arguing with Jace and the next…
The tapestry. The tapestry had come back. She opened her eyes and saw nothing but bright blue sky. No mountains or trees or clouds. Bolting upright, she stared at an unending sea of brown, brittle hay. Heat surrounded her, rising like waves from the parched ground. There was no other place on earth like this. She was home.
But had she come alone?
Sam swallowed hard, ignoring the ache in the vicinity of her chest. It was only because she was glad to be home. The fact she might never see Jace or Darian again had nothing to do with it.
Dry hay crackled off to her left. “Darian? Jace?” She hurried toward the sound and almost stumbled over Darian as he pushed himself off the ground.
“Where are we?” he asked as he drew his sword and turned in a slow circle.
“Texas.”
Darian slowly lowered his weapon and sheathed it. “Then your wish has been granted.” He looked around. “Where is Jace?”
Sam could hear the fear in his voice and felt her own rising. Had something happened to Jace?
“I’m here.” The deep voice came from behind her. She spun around and watched as Jace rose from the field like some mythical god. He swiped at the dust on his pants and squinted into the sun.
Sam was unsure what to do next. Where was the tapestry? Shouldn’t it be taking the men back home to Javara? “So what happens now?”
Jace shook his head. “Unless the tapestry returns we are trapped here.”
Trapped. Not exactly words she wanted to hear. Sam thought about their mother and all the people at Hunter Keep who were dependent on them. What would happen if the brothers never returned home?
“I’m so sorry.” She wanted to reach out to Jace, but he looked so aloof, so hard and unapproachable standing there with his hands on his waist, peering across her fields. “Weren’t you supposed to come with me?” She was a little fuzzy on how the whole tapestry thing worked.
“No.” It was Darian who answered her. “The tapestry has always brought the women to Javara, never the other way around. Not until now.”
Crap, this couldn’t be good. “But it will come back for you in three days, right?”
Jace shrugged. “Maybe a day and a half or a little longer since you weren’t in Javara for quite a day and a half.” He paused and, if possible, his expression grew even grimmer. “Maybe never.”
As bad as she felt for them, she couldn’t help but point out how their situations were similar to the one she’d found herself in. “Now you know how I felt.”
Jace shook his head. “No, you always knew the tapestry would return in three days and bring you home. This is unprecedented. We may never see home again. It is not the same thing.” He turned his back and stared across the dry vista and she knew he was imagining the lush mountain forest around his home.
Well there was nothing to be done about it. She wished they could go back to Javara but only time would tell. In the meantime, she had to get to the house. Sam turned, orienting herself easily enough. She’d walked and ridden her family’s land since she was old enough to walk and knew the way home.
“We should go back to the house.” She reached toward her back pocket only to discover she was wearing the leather pants, tunic and boots they’d given her. There was no sign of her cell phone or jeans. Oh well, she had plenty more jeans and could probably swing a replacement for her phone.
Sam started walking, very aware of the two large, bare-chested men behind her. They said little and she felt their concern deepen with each step they took. It was all too easy for her to imagine Edwina staring out a window, watching for her sons who might never come home.
Crap. She spun on her heel and faced them both. “I’m sorry this happened to you and I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you get home.” She started to turn back around, but Darian stopped her. His hands were firm, yet gentle on her shoulders. Both men were very aware of their strength and were always careful to temper it whenever they touched her.
“Thank you, Sam.” Darian grinned, but it was a faint imitation of his usual one. “I will use my time here trying to convince you to return to Javara with us.”
Sam ached for all three of them. If she’d been able to get her hands on the sorceress who created the magic tapestry in the first place, she would have given the woman a piece of her mind. Playing with people’s lives like this was downright cruel. All of them were hurting and there was no way for anyone to win.
She placed a hand on his chest and felt his heart beating heavily against her palm. He was one determined warrior, but she couldn’t give him false hope. “This is my home.”
Darian shook his head. “This is where you live. Home is where the people who love and care for you reside. Where are those people, Sam?”
His simple question cut her to her very core. All her family was dead and she was alone.
“Enough.” Jace’s harsh voice silenced them both. “Sam has made her choice.”
Darian spun around to face his brother. “Actually, you made the choice for her when you called the tapestry into existence. Sam never had the full time to make her decision. There is still time. Until the tapestry returns this is not over.”
Sam’s head pounded, she was hot and thirsty, and wanted to get home. She wasn’t up to getting between the two brothers if they started fighting. Home was only twenty minutes away and the sooner she got there, the better. She started walking again and assumed they’d follow her. For a few moments she heard nothing. Then she heard muttering and the crunch of boots hitting the dry grass.
First thing she had to do after she got a shower and changed was to go over to Tim’s place. He and Mary would be worried about her because she hadn’t shown up for dinner last night.
Her life had changed so much since yesterday morning. Not quite a day and a half, but her life would never be the same. She glanced over her shoulder. Darian was studying the surrounding area. She could have told him there was nothing to worry about, not here. The worst they could run into was a snake and they were most likely seeking out shade this time of day. Jace, on the other hand, was staring straight at her.