Kissed by Moonlight by Shéa MacLeod Page A

hot tears that spilled onto my cheeks.
    Tommy leaned back in his chair, the wood squeaking in protest. He steepled his hands across his stomach and stared off into space. "It doesn't matter."
    I stared at him. "What?"
    "It doesn't matter if the dreams are real or not. It doesn't matter if Inigo wakes up during this millennium or not."
    "I don't understand."
    Tommy gave me a measured look. "It. Does. Not. Matter." And then he sat there, waiting, as if I would suddenly say something clever.
    My mind was an utter blank. Then something sparked, turning my misery to hope. "It doesn't matter because I decide. It's not up to Kabita or Jack or even Inigo. I decide whether I want to wait. Or not." There was just one problem. I didn't think I could make that decision right now. On the one hand, it seemed foolish to put my life on hold, waiting for him to wake up. On the other hand... how could I not wait?
    "Don't worry so much," Tommy said, as if reading my mind. "When the time comes to decide, you'll know."
    Wonderful. Cryptic Tommy strikes again.

Chapter 14
    "This will cost you."
    The words were as cold and hard as her perfect face: Morgana, Queen of the Sidhe, perched delicately on a coal-black throne. Her eyes were twin shards of ice as she eyed the man standing before her. She strummed blood-red fingernails on the arms of the throne. "Time travel requires a great deal of power."
    Time travel? What the hell?
    "Still, it must be done if we are to succeed," the man said, voice firm, unflinching before the Queen.
    I couldn't see the speaker's face, but he was tall, well built, with broad shoulders. His distinguished gray hair was neatly trimmed and perfectly styled. Even his dark suit shouted "expensive." We're talking Saville Row expensive.
    Every one of my senses screamed at me. I knew this man. But he wouldn't turn around. He wouldn't let me see him.
    I figured this was the throne room of Morgana's palace in the Other World, but I couldn't make out much. Everything was fuzzy and indistinct, as though I looked through a fogged windshield. The only things I could see clearly were the queen and the man who stood before her. I was unable to move or shift the perspective. I was an observer, plain and simple.
    Morgana sighed. "I suppose you are correct, if we are to set the necessary events in motion." She slowly rose from her throne, the embodiment of fluid grace. Her nearly sheer gown shifted and swirled around her body, revealing a curve here, a hint of shadow there. Strawberry blonde curls fell over her breasts just so, hiding secrets from heated eyes. The queen was a master manipulator, and it was clear her audience of one did not remain unmoved.
    "You are ready then, my queen?" There was a thickness to his voice that betrayed arousal. What an idiot. Did he honestly think the Queen of the Sidhe would give him the time of day? I almost felt bad for him. Almost.
    "When am I not?" Morgana smiled as she moved toward him, hips swaying seductively. Her lush lips parted to reveal that tiny gap between her front teeth.
    It was not a question, and her visitor did not provide an answer. Instead, he held out his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. The familiarity of the gesture sent shivers down my spine. Yes, I definitely knew him. I just couldn't place him.
    The queen took his arm with her right hand. With her left, she gave a languid wave. The air in front of them began to shimmer as a circle formed from nothing. It grew more solid until it was a rippling silver disc suspended in midair. Then the two of them stepped through and disappeared.
    "What the hell?" I spoke aloud, or thought I did, but no sound came out. I tried to move toward the disc, but my feet were anchored in place. Right, I was just an observer.
    I was about to issue a few choice albeit silent cuss words when suddenly the world tipped and tilted so fast, I thought I might tumble off. When it righted itself, I was no longer in the throne room. Instead I was in a darkened bedroom,