Nightswept

By Linda Mooney

It's said a witch without a familiar is considered lost, but a warlock without a familiar is deemed soulless.

 

Yordan Squires has a rather lonely existence. A warlock capable of time travel, he'd resigned himself to a life of solitude long ago. When he finds someone possessing the magicks like himself, she could be the answer to his loneliness. But it's too dangerous and selfish of him to ask her to accompany him on his travels.

 

Ravenelle is a sprite, or so she's told. She doesn't know what she is or how she has powers, but when she finds someone who does know, she doesn't want him to go away. Despite her healing abilities and invisibility, she's ashamed of the life she has been forced into. Cold and hungry, she's had no choice but to sell herself, and now she's in grave danger from the man who owns her.

 

Yordan vows to protect his Ravenelle. As perilous as his travels are, she would be safer with him than fending for herself. But sometimes trouble follows, no matter where or when you end up.

 

Separately they are special. Together they are unstoppable.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Mooney
• Release date: Jan 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781953797049

Linda Mooney

Linda loves to write sensuously erotic romance with a fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel. A wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Kindergarten and music teacher, she lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf coast where she delves into other worlds filled with daring exploits, adventure, and intense love. She has numerous best sellers, including 10 consecutive #1s. In 2009, she was named Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's Author of the Year, and her book My Strength, My Power, My Love was named the 2009 WCPT Book of the Year. In 2011, her book Lord of Thunder was named the Epic Ebook "Eppie" Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Romance. In addition, she write naughty erotic romances under the name of Carolyn Gregg, and horror under the pseudonym of Gail Smith. For more information about Linda Mooney books and titles, and to sign up for her newsletter, please visit her website. http://www.LindaMooney.com

Book preview

Chapter One

Jump

It was getting too dangerous to stay in this time period any longer.

Yordan Squires ducked into the first alley he came to and pressed his back against the slime-covered side of the building to wait for the king’s guards to pass. Once they were out of sight, he could go back to the roadway and from there jump a few years further into the future.

As he heard the sound of the guards’ heavy tread come closer, he silently cursed himself for not making his escape sooner. He’d seen the signs of civilian unrest. He’d attended several of their covert meetings and witnessed their growing anger. But instead of listening to his gut instinct and taking his leave, he’d remained, more curious than anything to see how far this insurrection would play out. If it did at all.

It was a stupid move. Dangerously stupid. And he could lose his life because of it.

Three guards stomped by and proceeded down the road, not caring how much noise they were making this time of night. Or maybe that was their intent. To let the people huddled inside their abodes know the streets were teeming with the king’s men. Waiting until they were well out of sight, he slipped around the corner as he dug into his pocket for his timepiece.

Going somewhere? a dark voice ominously inquired.

Yordan came to a sudden stop, freezing his face in a mask of indifference. If the soldier believed he was afraid, it would be assumed he had to be guilty of something, and immediately be placed in shackles. If that happened, it could take years again for him to regain his freedom.

The man almost shoved his nose against his. I asked you a question, citizen. Where are you going?

Home, Yordan replied in a deadpan tone. He didn’t dare check out the area around them. The soldier needed little if any excuse to accuse him of a crime and haul his ass away. The best he could hope for was to be dismissed. Right now, he estimated his chances of that were fifty-fifty.

The man’s eyes dropped to where Yordan’s hand was inside his pants pocket. Immediately, the soldier lifted his musket and shoved the bell-shaped end of the barrel into Yordan’s belly. Stop right there! Do not move, or I will blow a hole in you so large you can fist yourself in it! And he would, with no compunction. It was evident the guard was accustomed to throwing his weight around.

Before he could explain, Yordan caught the sound of feet hurrying toward them. What have you got there? a voice called out. It was another soldier, coming to aid his fellow guardsman.

The first guard motioned to Yordan’s hand with a nod of his head. He was reaching for a weapon!

It is not a weapon, Yordan defended.

I will be the judge of that, the second guard remarked. Grabbing Yordan’s arm to keep him from moving it, he reached inside the pocket with his other hand. A surprised look came over his face as he pulled out the timepiece Yordan clutched between his fingers. He gave it a cursory inspection. What is this? An hourglass?

Yordan pressed his lips together to keep from asking for it back. The moment they knew how valuable it was to him, they’d either keep it or destroy it, just for the fun of seeing his reaction.

The soldier held it up and shook it. ‘Tis made of gold, he announced, and Yordan knew the man’s intention.

Not gold. Brass, he countered, hoping the guard would take him for his word. Luckily, the gas lamps were too dim for them to notice the difference. To his relief, the soldier believed him.

What good is it, then? ’Tis too small to measure any amount of time. What do you think? He held it up to his companion and chuckled. A couple of seconds at the most?

Long enough for a good fart, the other man snickered. They both got a good laugh at that remark.

The second guard dangled the timepiece in front of him, making it dance up and down on its short fob. I am guessing ‘tis a good luck piece, eh?

Steeling himself, Yordan forced himself to remain stoic. It belonged to my father.

"Oh! Your father. And who might your father be? What is his name?"

Longimus Squires.

The man’s eyes narrowed. That is a strange name. What are you doing out here after curfew?

They were toying with him, the way a cat plays with its prey before pouncing on it. He knew it would be a miracle if he got out of this predicament unscathed.

His mind went over a dozen possibilities open to him. As there were just the two of them, he still might be able to throw up enough of a diversion to give him the chance to retrieve his timepiece and run for cover.

I am new to this town. I stayed at the inn until they closed, but I got lost on my way back to my room.

You got lost? The second guard leaned closer to sniff for the telltale scent of brew on his breath. Yordan made sure the man got a good whiff of ale, even though he hadn’t drunk any that night.

The man leaned back. Yeah, he has been in his cups. And your speech sounds strange to my ears. I believe him, Anselt. Let him go.

Why? the first man challenged. He is out past curfew! He broke the law!

And I say we let him stumble his way back to his bed, the second guard snapped. We were given direct orders to be on the lookout for the tyrants planning to riot against the king. What do you think the chancellor will say when you show up at lockup with this sot, instead of with someone who poses a real danger? Before the man could answer, his superior told him. "You will be accused of disregarding orders. That is what he will say! You will be punished for not following your directive. Is that what you want? Eh?"

Yordan kept his gaze averted. The first soldier wouldn’t take kindly to having him witness this dressing down.

From the corner of his eye, he was aware of the second man making a quick gesture, and glanced up in time to see his timepiece go sailing across the street, where it disappeared into the adjacent alleyway. A pair of hands suddenly grabbed him by the arms and jerked him around. The second soldier roughly checked him in case he actually had a weapon on him. Not finding one, he was given a hard shove between the shoulder blades.

Go. Be on you way! And be thankful for our generosity!

Bowing his head, he turned to head for the alleyway to retrieve the little hourglass, when two more soldiers came marching down the road. Between them a man struggled to free himself.

The guard Yordan now thought of as their superior hailed them. What have you there?

We caught this miscreant sneaking out of his dwelling, one of the soldiers answered. They stopped a few meters away, and Yordan stared in shock at their captive. He knew the man. Johann Jamison was one of the handful of organizers. Worse, the man knew him. They’d had more than one conversation about the current volatile political upheavals going on.

This man could ruin any chance he had of escaping. And it was too late for Yordan to adjust his facial features to prevent Jamison from recognizing him.

We identified him to be one of those involved in the rebellion, the second one added.

I have no idea what you are talking about! their prisoner objected. Jamison suddenly ceased fighting their hold on him and stared at Yordan. Immediately, he knew their detainee was about to betray him, albeit unintentionally.

The man blinked. Squires? Yordan Squires? Wha- Did they capture you as well?

Yordan made his move before the soldiers could react. Giving both guards a hard shove to knock them off-balance, he raced for the alley. He heard the sound of muskets going off, and a hot sting of pain sliced across his back as he dove into the shadows.

The little timepiece winked in the pale moonlight. Yordan fell heavily on top of it, snatching it up to clutch it in his fist as the guards came after him. It was too late to try to make it to another open road. He had to take the chance, and pray wherever he landed wasn’t already occupied.

Closing his eyes and trying to ignore the fire behind his shoulder, he flipped the little hourglass and vanished into the future.

Chapter Two

Pub

He retched as his stomach revolted against the mind-numbing contortions his body was put through whenever he tumbled helplessly through the time vortex. When he finally slammed face-first into the hard-packed earth, he knew this journey was over…until the next one. And he knew that, inevitably, there would be another one.

Trying to stifle his groan of pain, Yordan rolled onto his back to draw several deep breaths into his body. He immediately regretted it. The air was brittle and cold, filling his lungs and body with its iciness. Already his face felt like it was covered with frost. The ground against his back was freezing, but in a way it felt good on his bloody wound.

I need to get up and get moving, he told himself. If I continue to lie here, I will freeze to death. I need to seek shelter. Find warmth, and something hot to drink, to keep the heat within my blood.

Slowly, he managed to get onto his side and lever himself up into a sitting position. His vision continued fade in and out as the ground felt like it was rippling and swaying beneath him. A shudder racked his body, and he knew he needed to cover himself with hardier clothing. Shoving the timepiece in his pocket, he ran his hands down his arms. The linen sleeves thickened and lengthened as his shirt transformed into a full-length cloak. He could feel the difference as the heavier garment protected his bare skin, but he still needed to seek suitable shelter.

Yordan looked around him. A weak sun filtered through the thick clouds. It was daylight, but he had no idea what time of day it was. From what he could tell, the buildings appeared to be the same as they’d been in the past. For that, he