Time Raiders: The Whisper Read Online Free PDF Page B

falling apart over a man she barely understood.
    Her sense of duty and self-preservation kicked in. The mission came first, which meant returning to her time where women were valued and independent. Where she intimidated men and couldn’t manage a decent relationship.
    Carefully, she slipped from beneath the leg draped across her thighs and lifted the arm lying around her middle, laying it gently on a woolen blanket. He rolled to his back, his member flaccid in sleep.
    Every fiber of her being shouted for her to lie down beside the Norseman and touch him like he’d touched her, awakening him to the passion they’d shared a few hours ago.
    Marisol crossed her arms over her chest, the metal bracelet that brought her to this place pressing against her naked breast, a cold reminder of her duty.
    She had to find the medallion, one of many pieces scattered across the planet during varying times. Her team counted on her to retrieve this one, to bring it back to complete the puzzle that might one day link them to civilizations more advanced.
    Marisol gathered her clothing, slipping the dress over her head. She quickly braided her hair into plaits on each side of her head, hoping to blend with other females of Pachacuti’s palace.
    Dressed and ready to continue on, she cast one last glance at the sleeping god, regret and longing tugging at her to stay. Marisol eased the heavy wooden door open and slipped outside before she could change her mind.
    She stood in the deserted corridor. The great hall lay to the right. That was all she knew about the maze of passages. How could she find Pachacuti’s quarters? She couldn’t ask. Someone might report her to the emperor.
    Imac. For some reason, Marisol had been able to connect with Imac. If she could enter the other woman’s mind again, perhaps she’d see the way to Pachacuti’s chambers.
    With a quick glance right and left to make sure no one was coming, Marisol closed her eyes and reached out with her mind.
    The fingers of her consciousness spread. But as far as she could reach in the confines of the palace, Marisol couldn’t find Imac. She was about to give up when she felt her moving through a garden, her steps light, her body low to the ground. She paused beside a wall. A light shone through a window high above her, and voices carried through. Male voices. Imac’s body hunched low, then she sprang up to sit on the window ledge and peer inside.
    Other voices sounded in the hallway where Marisol stood. She opened her eyes.
    Servants moved toward her, carrying a tray laden with food.
    Marisol ducked into a shadowy vestibule, hiding behind a stone pedestal with a statue of a jaguar perched atop. She closed her eyes and sought Imac.
    The jaguar warrior still perched on the windowsill, the heat of anger radiating through her.
    Marisol’s heartbeat quickened, her own anger rising in response to Imac’s.
    Through the other woman’s eyes she could see Pachacuti standing with another man whose back was to the window.
    “Beware, great emperor, the shaman’s power grows daily. Did you not feel the earth tremble earlier?” Though his back was to Imac, Marisol recognized the voice as that of Kentar, the eagle warrior.
    Pachacuti frowned. “I felt it.”
    “He could bring the city of Cusco down in seconds, decimating the kingdom you’ve worked so hard to build.” Kentar’s voice rang out, echoing off the stone walls. “Yet you allow him to live in your palace.”
    “His power is undeniable, but he communicates with Inti.” Pachacuti stood tall, his chin lifting. “He could be a formidable foe if angered. What do you suggest?”
    “Send him to Machu Picchu. You’ve heard rumblings that Ollantay will attack your kingdom. Tell the shaman he is needed at your temple.”
    The emperor stood silent for a long moment. “I need his power here in Cusco. I am called ‘The Earth Shaker.’ If the truth is known…”
    Kentar straightened. “Oh great emperor, you can have the