Ancient Ties Read Online Free PDF Page B

appointed sleeping room with only a brief nod toward Marek.
    Now it was the middle of the night, and she couldn’t sleep.
    For some strange reason, her watch and camera had disappeared when she stepped into this nightmare. Further proof that she really had traveled back in time?
    The nape of Janney’s neck prickled. The hair on her arms stood on end. She knew instantly that she was not alone. “Who’s there?” She sat bolt upright, her feet hitting the ground, her eyes frantically searching the shadows.
    Marek stepped into the dim light. His face was hidden, but no way could she mistake that body. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her suddenly dry mouth. He blocked out the feeble light from the oil lamps with that wide expanse of chest. What did he look like under his tunic? All of a sudden, Janney wasn’t so cold, so alone.
    She chided herself for wanting him. This wasn’t like her at all. She’d never had this strong of a response to any man, not
     

     
    even her own husband, not even in the early days when they were still happy. She had no idea that she could want a man as much as she wanted Marek. Where was this coming from? And where would it lead? She didn’t know, but her heart thumped with anticipation. Maybe, in this strange time and place, she didn’t have to be the prim schoolteacher from Iowa. He was making her think thoughts she’d never had before, but she couldn’t allow him to know that—just yet.
    Just yet? Not ever .
    He couldn’t have that power over her, but she didn’t quite know how to handle him.
    “Marek,” came the low-voiced reply. “Couldn’t sleep?
    Don’t blame you.”
    He had a spare way of speaking, didn’t use more words than were needed. That warm, muted voice sent shivers through her belly, heat across her face. She could just imagine this voice breathing hot words, requests, suggestions in her ear. Janney compressed her lips to quash a spontaneous moan.
    Sitting down next to her, he passed over his goblet. “Wine,”
    he advised. “Maybe it’ll help you relax.”
    Most of his face was still shadowed, but she could see the gleam of his eyes. He’d been so snotty at dinner. Why the switch now to being considerate? She couldn’t explain why she no longer felt so alone and afraid. Sipping, she asked, “What do you think of all this, Marek? Are we all insane? Do you believe it?
    Besides, how could I have gone back in time? There was no spinning or strange voices. Except yours,” she slanted a look at him. “And I didn’t lose consciousness.”
    “What in Hades are you talking about?”
    His eyes seemed to disappear again but she could see his strong chin with that gorgeous cleft in the flickering light. “In books, when people go back in time, they usually feel like they’re falling though a void and hear the voices of history as they’re spinning dizzily.”
     

     
    “There are books about this?” Marek leaned forward and turned to face Janney. His brows met in a scowl, and she was afraid that meant he did think she was crazy.
    “Never mind.” She didn’t want to go into the subject any more. Janney sipped the wine and huddled further into her corner.
    “Well, I’ve been thinking,” Marek said, leaning back again, slipping his arm behind her over the back of the bench. “You’re cold?”
    “Mm.”
    He clasped his hand around her shoulders and inched closer to her. “The Gods have brought you here for a reason.”
    “The gods?” Janney had been staring into her wine.
    Completely thunderstruck, she gaped at Marek, trying to see him more clearly in the darkness. “You believe the gods did this?
    Do they talk to you too?” She didn’t try to hide the disdain in her voice.
    “Yes, in a way,” he replied calmly. “Usually through dreams.”
    Janney’s eyes locked on his. “I must be having a dream right now. This is impossible.”
    “Oh, this is no dream,” he said emphatically. “Through the Gods, anything is possible.”
    “You really