Chapter 22

JACK STUDIED THE stone where it lay in his hand, taking up his whole palm. It felt warm and rough—not cold and smooth like it looked like it would be—and he half expected it to leave dust on his skin. He reached for his dream. The stone meant something to him, he could feel it. Jack couldn’t take his eyes off it, nor could he recall ever seeing anything like it. He was drawn to it and felt a connection between him and the stone. If he listened closely, he could swear he could hear it hum.
But that was impossible. Why would he feel a connection to a rock? And rocks certainly didn’t sing. Just because he had never seen a rock this color before did not explain why he felt the need to keep it, hide it, and protect it at all costs. It was all connected somehow, he could feel it.
Jack closed his other hand around it and felt its pulse be-tween his palms. His vision clouded and he saw a battle, heard the screams. He was positive they were the images from his dreams, but they came too fast, and he couldn’t make sense of them.
This was no ordinary gem of that he was positive. But its purpose remained a mystery. This was the stone the Fox spoke of in his dream. Now he was starting to get real answers. He was sure Nora didn’t realize she had revealed more than she proba-bly intended to, and Jack would keep that to himself—for now. She admitted to not giving him all the details. He could under-stand that, but since he had limited knowledge of the stone from his dreams, he understood the desperation to keep it from Lord Rogan, if not the reason. This tangible object had some kind of power. But what? Nora would not share that kind of information with him now, but at least he knew what they were up against.
With a reluctance he didn’t understand, Jack handed the stone back to Nora, who quickly moved to her saddlebag and replaced it. He felt strange now that he wasn’t holding it. A part of him felt empty, but in its place came a fierce protectiveness for the stone and Nora. The intensity of the feeling startled him. A rush of fear for her safety washed over him and left him con-sidering his true purpose.
“There is more,” Nora said.
“That is hardly surprising,” Jack said dryly.
She hesitated, as if trying to figure out how to word what she needed to say. “I am looking for someone. A man I have never seen. I’m not sure if I would recognize him straight off, but I believe he might be disguised as a solider. It is imperative that I look for him during our travels. I cannot say if he would be in a British or militia uniform.”
“That is not much to go on, my lady,” Jack replied. This development did not sit well with him. This new man would not be someone he could easily trust. “Who is he to you?”
“Again, sir,” Nora said, “he is part of the level of secrecy I must maintain. He will mean you no harm.”
Jack did not wish to add an unknown into their little fel-lowship—they were having enough trouble working together to begin with. Jack, Nora, and this new mysterious man clearly fit together somehow. But still, the newcomer could provide more answers, and because of that, Jack reluctantly agreed to assist Nora in finding her mystery man.
He became unsettled as he realized this person could be the Warrior mentioned in his dream. He was not sure as of yet why he was the one following Nora through the battle in the manor. Perhaps when the Warrior was revealed, things would make sense and his purpose would be clear.


THAT AFTERNOON, NORA followed Jack to a clearing while Running Bull hunted for their meal. Jack wanted to test her skills with the bow and arrow, and she had to admit that it was a weapon she wasn’t strong with. To her knowledge, a bow and arrow required accuracy at long distances. It was a weapon you couldn’t afford to miss with, as your location would be discov-ered as soon as you loosed your first arrow. Nevertheless, she would practice.

“What do you think Running Bull will catch for us?” Nora asked as Jack checked over the bow and tested its pliabil-ity.

“I could not say,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious as to what you liked to eat,” Nora shrugged, arranging herself to a seated position on a fallen log. The forest was active around them. Birds sang and squirrels scurried, trying to find the last of the acorns to store before the first snowfall.

“I live off the land,” Jack said. “I eat whatever I can come across.”

“Well, what do you feel like eating?” she asked. “What might you be in the mood for? Fish perhaps?”

“That is likely what he will catch,” Jack replied, “though in truth, I am not much of a fish eater myself.” Nora watched as he picked up the arrows to inspect them next. He always gave his weapons a thorough once over before they began any kind of training.

“How could you not like fish?” Nora asked, intrigued. “It’s delicious. It is one of my favorite things to eat, and I find that easiest to catch.”
Jack shrugged. “I suppose I’m not much of a water per-son. I’ve never been on a ship. I have been in canoes with my tribe, but I find water unsettling.”

“And what is a canoe like?” Nora asked, enjoying the pleasant conversation and getting to know him. And at the mo-ment, he seemed agreeable to converse with her, rather than wearing his usual scowl.

“They are long, carved out tree trunks, sturdy, but due to their slim design, easy to tip,” he explained. “Once tipped, they are not very easy to right and get back into. Canoes are small and portable, which makes them so appealing to us for water travel.”

“If you do not like fish,” Nora continued, “and you could have your choice of what to eat, what would you most like Run-ning Bull to bring back for our meal?”

“Venison,” he answered immediately. “I enjoy meat. It keeps me strong. Out of curiosity, what would you prefer?”

“Fish,” she answered sheepishly. He laughed and she found his carefree smile contagious. She smiled in return, enjoying their light-hearted moment. All Jack’s features softened when he smiled, and he did it so infrequently.

He motioned for her to step over to him, so she pushed herself off her log. He pointed to a tree in the distance. “There is a bit of a target on that tree. Can you see it?”
One of the benefits of the elixir of life was heightened senses, so she had no problems distinguishing the canvas at-tached to the tree.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s not very large.”

“That is intentional,” Jack said. “We need to hone your skills. You will need to hit something very small from a greater distance. When I’m confident you have mastered it at this range, we’ll shoot from trees.”

“Trees, you say,” Nora asked, then looked above her. She had taken cover in some interesting places in her time, but she had never thought to take to the trees. Jack used them as the obvious choice. There was much they could learn from each other. He considered things she had not—that alone made him valuable. Perhaps Ben was right and Jack’s fresh eyes were what she needed.

“Step over here,” Jack said, pointing to the ground in front of him. “Let’s see what your form is like.”

Obediently, she stepped to Jack and turned her back to him. When he handed her the bow and an arrow, she raised it up, elbow out, point level, arrow nocked. She loosed the arrow and missed the target.

Jack moved in closer. “Your elbow is low,” he said right against her ear. A shiver ran up her spine when he gently raised her bent elbow up higher with his fingers. Technically, she couldn’t feel his skin on hers, clothed the way they were against the cold, but his nearness alone arrested her pulse.

“Make sure your feet run parallel to your shooting line,” Jack continued. “You want to form something of a box. Plant your feet shoulder width apart.” He gently touched her chin. “Rotate your chin over your shoulder just a little more.” Nora heard his voice drop and his breathing deepen. Little sparks seemed to ignite wherever he touched her.
When his hands moved to her hips, her breath caught, and she could no longer deny her body’s reaction to his nearness. “Keep your lower back flattened. His hand moved to cover hers on the bow. “Bring this up a bit. Give it a try now.”

Her fingers became tangled and she loosed the bow be-fore she was ready. The arrow shot through the forest, ricocheting off the tree and spinning wildly in Running Bull’s direction, who dove for cover. Nora spun around and found her face within an inch of Jack’s. She felt a warmth spread through her blood. In one hundred years she had never reacted to a man the way she did Jack.

Jack’s gaze slid down to her mouth. Nora held her breath as he leaned in before stepping back and putting distance between them. “You did well,” he said clearing is throat.
“Let’s try again.”

The charged moment between them had passed, but while they were caught up in it, Nora had never felt more alive. She watched Jack shift his position, fidgeting with his hands, as if he suddenly didn’t know what to do with them. He finally settled on resting his elbow on his opposite forearm, bringing his hand to his mouth. Wordlessly he motioned with that same hand for her to carry on and Nora knew it was time to get back to work.