Winter

I pulled back and narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t touch me.” He just chuckled and took a few steps back but he didn’t walk away, which was a good thing.

“So what brings you two here?” He was really asking us that question; did he forget that he betrayed us? “Don’t act stupid James, you know we would come after you.” Niall was now in his face, which wasn’t a smart move as he had magic on his side.

“I knew you would but I didn’t think you would find me this fast.” He started to walk away but Niall grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him back. “Don’t you walk away.” I saw the anger in James eyes but I didn’t have enough time to react and next thing I know Niall actually flies into a wall and under normal circumstances I would ran to him to see if he was okay but with what Catherine told us I knew James didn’t do a lot of damage to Niall.

“James, please don’t go.” I put my hand on his shoulder and I felt him stiffen under my hand, this made me feel bold and I moved my hand towards his hand and I quickly grabbed it. James looked at our hands and I felt him sigh deeply because even though I’m not his Lady Blackwood, I’m still a Blackwood.

“What do you want Winter?” His voice sounded a bit warmer. “I want you to help us get home.”

“I can’t help you.”

“yes you can and you don’t have to die to do that.” He pulled me against him and I held my breath but didn’t move away. “What’s in it for me love?” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about because we didn’t really owe him anything but it all changed when he subtly caressed the side of my breast, that’s when it hit me what he wanted.

“Never James, you have your own lady, go do that with her.” I tried to get away from him but his hold on me became tighter. “But she is not you and I know you girls from the future aren’t disgusted by intercourse.”

I pushed him off with more force and it actually made him stumble a bit. “You’re disgusting.” I didn’t walk away though not because I didn’t want to but because we needed him. “Maybe a talk with your sister will help you.” Those were magic words, as he looked at me in shock.

“What did you just say?”

“I met your sister and she is really friendly, so maybe you should talk to her.” I felt Niall behind me, watching us but he didn’t approach. “Why should I talk to her?”

“She can help us, I mean we tethered right?” He nodded carefully and I know he was asking himself how we knew this. “She can undo it, without any of us dying but she needs your help.” He nodded but wasn’t convinced.

“Say Lady Blackwood and I come with you, which guarantee do I have that won’t get us killed as soon as we are unlinked?”

“You just have to trust me, I guess.”

“Trusting you, after what I have done, are you mad?”

“Look Niall and I want to go home, We are sick of this era and it’s ways. At first we thought it was scary but also fun but now we are just ready to go home and you are the one who tricked us and brought us here, you owe us.”

“I don’t owe you two anything, it’s not my fault you walked right into my trap.”

Sure, it was my fault for being curious about an old castle that seemed to be haunted but do you really want to punish Niall for it, he was just an innocent bystander, who thought it would be fun to accompany me, never in a million years did he think he would be dragged into the middle ages and ended up married to me, someone he doesn’t even really know. I mean you didn’t even really needed him.”

“True, but I was a but shocked that he looked so much like me and I was intrigued.”

“Please just help us get back.” Niall finally said something and as I felt his warmth, I relaxed a bit. James was looking at us together and I know we had him were we wanted. “I’ll help but if you double cross me, you will be sorry.” I nodded, little did he know, I was going to double cross him but not in the way he was thinking because that would be to obvious.

“Please meet us at your sister’s house in two hours, she will explain everything.” James nodded and walked into the pub, where his woman was waiting.

“Winter, what are you doing?”

“Nothing you have to concern yourself about.” I smiled at him and kissed him on his cheek. We walked back to Catherine’s house and told her everything and she smiled at the prospect of seeing her brother. I was scanning the magic books to see if there was something on separating loved ones forever and maybe even forget about each other. I know I shouldn’t do anything and it wasn’t as if I had any magic but I had to try it.

I had to get back at James for what he did to me and to that poor Duncan and as for Lady Blackwood, I just didn’t want her to find love with James, as she left her husband to die.

“Catherine?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have spell books for separating two loved ones?”

“Yes it’s the book your holding actually, why?

“I need you to do something the moment you have unlinked Niall and I but I don’t want to force you.”

“You want to separate them don’t you?” I nodded because why would I lie to her, that was just stupid. I mean she would find out eventually and probably turn me into some sort of creepy bug. “I understand Winter, You don’t have to look so afraid and of course I will help you, because there will come nothing good out of that relationship.”

“Thank you so much Catherine.” She nodded and went back to her potion. Niall walked in not long after with some food and drinks and soon we were telling her about the future and her eyes actually lit up out of excitement, it was really something.

They stopped glowing when she saw movement behind us and that could only mean one thing, James had arrived and to my surprise he brought Lady Blackwood with him.

“James.”

“Catherine.” They were looking at each other but there was no warmth between them and it wasn’t like they hated each other but there was just nothing, which was odd as she seemed eager to see James earlier but now it seemed like she didn’t want him here.

“Where’s dad?”

“You didn’t hear? He’s dead, died a few years ago in his sleep.” She shrugged and I was astonished by this, why did she tell him this so emotionless? I saw James flinch when she told him and I felt bad for him and I was surprised that Lady Blackwood didn’t comfort him in any way, she actually looked really bored.

“So I heard from Niall and Winter that you are helping us to get untethered?” She nodded and got up from her seat. “I am indeed cleaning up your mess.” She beckoned him to follow, we followed as well but we did not enter the room with them. This was really awkward standing next to the person who looked exactly like me. I know she was checking me out “You don’t really look like me, I mean you’ve got freckles and your skin isn’t white as it should be and your eyes are green and you’re smaller than me but also more round. I really don’t see the appeal”

That woman was just vicious and there was nothing more that I wanted than to make nasty comments to her but I had to be the bigger person. “Maybe you should just shut up and go mourn your husband’s death.” I snapped, trying to sound as friendly as I could. I did see her flinch from the corner of my eye and that felt good.

Catherine was showing Niall what she was doing and he nodded approvingly. He flipped through the book with the recipe and looked at the both pf us and to my surprise his eyes lingered the longest on me, which Lady Blackwood noticed as well.

“James darling, I’m really tired could we maybe go to bed?” she whined and I saw him sigh but smile none the less and this really made me chuckle softly behind my hand. He walked passed me and grabbed Lady Blackwood’s hand, he didn’t look back once. After he left I felt the mood getting lighter and Catherine put her hand on my shoulder.

“I will do that separating spell for you because he does not really love her. He just wanted to have her but now that he does, you can clearly see that they are not made for each other.”

Notes