Chapter 2 #3
I exhaled, pushing my empty plate aside. “But she and I learned to fight side by side. And I’m convinced it was fate that brought us together.” I paused, letting my next words carry the depth of my feelings.
“She is my one true love.”
Jack’s eyes lifted to mine.
“We’ve endured so much together,” I said. “And I believe we will always find our way back to each other.”
A wistful ache coiled through my chest, tightening with every breath. I missed Olivia. Fiercely.
I leveled my gaze at Jack. “She’s pregnant with our child. I must get back to her.”
Jack’s hands clasped beneath his chin, his eyes widening.
“Oh, my goodness! I’m going to be a grandfather.” His voice trembled with emotion, a mixture of joy and disbelief. “How exciting! I’m so happy for you both—my daughter finding love in another time, carrying a child, becoming a mother.”
His lips quirked into a smile. “I thought I lost her that night. But Lee kept reassuring me that everything would be okay.”
His eyes glistened with tears.
The wistful pang in my chest deepened into a throbbing ache. I would break if I thought about Olivia too long—her laughter, the warmth of her body beside mine.
I cleared my throat, forcing my focus elsewhere. “After Olivia and I left Ancient Rome, we traveled to the 19th century and learned about your late wife, Alina.” I hesitated. “Can you tell me more about your marriage to her?”
Jack’s smile faltered.
He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. Then, retrieving a handkerchief from his pocket, he blew his nose with a deep, weary sigh.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured.
He paused, gathering his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his words were deliberate. “My marriage to Alina was… a godsend. For me.” A shadow crossed his face. “But I don’t think I was anything more than duty and obligation to her.”
His fingers curled around the handkerchief.
“Alina’s heart lay elsewhere. She held many secrets from me, always keeping her distance, never letting me get too close.
She was a mystery even within our marriage.
” His voice grew quieter. “And when Olivia was born, she became even more distant. Only after she was killed did I truly learn who she was—and why she sought me out.”
He sniffled and wiped his nose, shaking his head at himself. “Look at me. An old fool, still grieving a woman who never really belonged to me.”
His gaze dropped to the table, lost in memories. “I was in a dark place when I met Alina. She… saved me, in a way. But I know now she only sought me for her own reasons.” He exhaled, forcing a tight smile.
“But Alina gave me Olivia. And for that, I will be forever grateful.”
His grip tightened around the handkerchief. “She proved everything I had spent my life studying. She was a Timeborne—just like our daughter. But I didn’t know that until after she was gone. She never trusted me enough to confess her secrets.”
Jack’s smile faltered, his expression darkening. “Our marriage became rocky after Olivia was born.” His fingers fidgeted with the edge of his handkerchief. “Alina worked late, always searching for some ancient artifact. And she and Lee…” He exhaled. “They were always conspiring.”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “At first, I thought they were having an affair. They were so close. Always whispering, always slipping away together. But after she died, I learned the truth.” His hands clenched into fists. “Balthazar had her heart.”
He let out a bitter laugh. “I was just the man she felt bad for.”
I stiffened. He knew about Balthazar.
Leaning forward, I pressed my palms into the worn table. “You knew? That Balthazar was Alina’s lover?”
Jack shuddered. “Yes.” He sounded disgusted. “Horrible man. Despicable. I never met him—nor did I want to. But Lee told me everything.” His hands rubbed at his arms as if trying to chase away a deep, lingering cold.
“He told me Alina was in love with the darkness… that she couldn’t help herself. That’s why he killed her.” Jack’s throat bobbed with a hard swallow. “What she saw in him was beyond me.”
I watched him carefully, choosing my next words. How would he react if he knew the truth?
Would he buckle from the truth? Or would it ignite something darker?
I had to tell him.
“He’s after us, you know.”
Jack’s entire body went rigid. Like a sparrow sensing a hawk overhead.
His voice came out hoarse. “He’s after who?”
“Olivia and I.” I met his gaze, unflinching. “Balthazar is hunting all Timebornes. He wants to kill us—even my twin brother.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “You have a twin brother?”
I nodded. “I thought I lost him when I was cast into Rome. But it turned out… he was thrown there, too.” My gaze settled on the ceiling, lost in memories I’d rather forget. “We were separated at birth.”
Jack remained silent, his fingers twitching slightly.
“In Rome, we were both gladiators.” I exhaled. “I was stronger. Faster. I won more fights. Marcellious hated me for it.” A muscle in my jaw tightened. “And then he made me do the unthinkable. He made me kill my best friend, Marcus.”
Jack’s breath hitched.
“I thought Marcus was my brother. I hated Marcellious for a long time. We both hated each other.”
Jack whispered the name like it was a ghost from another life.
“Marcellious…” He blinked as if struggling to process it all.
“That’s your brother?”
I reeled my mind back from the memory that had snagged me and exhaled. “Yes. I have Olivia to thank for bringing us together.”
Jack remained still, listening intently.
“Marcellious and I were pitted against each other in the Colosseum. A fight to the death.” The words felt heavy on my tongue. “I was ready to kill my brother—my flesh and blood—when Olivia intervened. She transported us all to the Americas.”
A wave of warmth surged through my chest at the thought of her—my beautiful bride, my heart song, the flame of my life.
“She believed Marcellious and I were more than just enemies.” My voice softened. “She’s a good woman. Sometimes I wonder… if I deserve her.”
Jack reached across the table and patted my hand. “Don’t say that. I can see it in your eyes—you love her. That means something. And you, Roman, are a good man.”
He looked toward the window, his expression unreadable.
“Alina was a good woman, too. At least, I try to tell myself that.” He let out a breath. “I often wish she had told me the truth—about who she was, her purpose here, her lover. Then maybe… she’d still be alive.”
His voice cracked at the end.
I shook my head. “She might not be.”
Jack turned back to me, his brow furrowed.
“I don’t know how much you know about Balthazar,” I said carefully. “But he’s pure evil.”
Jack’s frown deepened. “Lee told me about him. Why would my wife love a monster?”
The question hung between us, unanswerable.
“The darkness…” I murmured. “It has a compelling sway over people.”
Thoughts of Balthazar soured my stomach. I needed to steer this conversation elsewhere before my rage took hold.
I focused on the strange device that had brewed the coffee.
Jack followed my eyes and perked up. “Oh! Would you like some more?”
“Yes, please.”
He bolted to his feet, moving with a surprising eagerness, pouring more coffee and retrieving the sugar and cream.
Once we both had fresh mugs before us, Jack hesitated, fingers curling around his cup. His expression grew cloudy.
“Has he…” His throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Has Balthazar ever harmed my daughter?”
I set my cup down, jaw tightening.
“He’s tried.” My voice came out colder than I intended. “He tried to poison her mind.” I swallowed the bitterness in my throat. “He turned her against me. She nearly killed me.”
Jack’s mouth parted in shock.
A long silence stretched between us.
“That must have… destroyed her,” he finally whispered. “I can’t imagine what she felt when she emerged from his spell.”
I could. I had seen it in her eyes—the torment, the guilt.
Jack exhaled, looking as though he might cry. But then, he straightened, determination overcoming his grief.
“When I discovered Alina’s lies and secrets,” he murmured, “when I learned the real reason she sought me out…” He lifted his gaze to mine, recalling the old pain.
“I tried to protect Olivia.”
Jack ran a hand through his sparse hair, then wiped his face with his palm. “I tried to shield her from the truth about her mother. If she had found out… I knew it would break her.”
I tightened my grip on the mug. “Balthazar told her everything. It did break her.”
Pain crossed Jack’s face.
I had watched Olivia unravel from the truth. A daughter should not despise her mother. However, a mother should not give her daughter reasons to hate her.
For Alina, motherhood had always seemed… an afterthought.
Jack’s gaze dropped to the table, his eyes misting over. “I can only imagine.”
I hesitated before saying, “Did you know Alina had another child? A daughter named Emily. She’s with Olivia now. They met in the 19th century.”
Jack rocked slightly in his seat, his expression unreadable.
“Oh…” He blinked a few times. “That must be a comfort to Olivia. To have a sister.” A humorless chuckle escaped him. “And it doesn’t surprise me that Alina had another child. She was a wild one. She was…”
His fingers spread against the table, pressing into the wood as if trying to steady himself. He exhaled before pulling his phone from his pocket.
With a swipe of his thumb, the device glowed to life. He tapped something and lifted it to his ear.
“Lee, where are you?” His voice carried an edge of concern. “Call me when you get this. Roman and I have been talking, and we need your advice.”
With a sigh, he tapped the screen again, and the glow disappeared.
Jack set the phone down, shaking his head. “I don’t know where he is. This isn’t like him. He’s always here when I need him, especially when you first arrived. He was so happy to see you here. And now… I can’t seem to reach him.”
Silence settled between us as we sipped our coffee.
Then Jack suddenly straightened. “Oh! I nearly forgot to mention this.”
He set his mug down and looked me square in the eye.
“When you arrived, you were holding a piece of paper. Clutching it so tightly, I had to pry your fingers open to get it.”
A chill ran through me.
“A piece of paper?” I repeated, frowning.
“Yes. And you kept saying you were in danger.”
The words sent a cold dread creeping down my spine.
“Do you still have it?”
Jack nodded. “Yes. Let me get it.”
He hurried out of the kitchen, leaving me staring at the space he had just occupied.
When he returned, he slapped the paper onto the table before me.
“Here it is.”
I hesitated before lifting the brittle parchment, my pulse thrumming in my ears.
And then—I read it.
Roman,
If you are reading this, it means you have healed and survived your wounds.
You’re probably wondering who I am. All you need to know is I am your ally.
Olivia is safe. You will see her again soon. I need you to do the following immediately.
First, find Tristan. When you do, bring him to me under the full moon. You will find me in 1597 Italy. When you arrive, meet me at the following address:
Via Antonio Cecchi 63, 30122 Sant’Elena, Venezia, Italia.
It is a villa. You have less than a month.
Once you return, Olivia will be waiting for you.
Yours,
Malik
I reread the parchment again and again.
Malik.
The name stirred something deep within me—something I couldn’t place, something I should remember.
Where had I heard that name before?
Had I met him in the Americas? In England? In Rome?
But my mind returned nothing except a hollow sense of familiarity, like a song I had once known but had long since forgotten.
Jack reached across the table and grasped my wrist. “What does it say?”
I hesitated, then exhaled. “I’m supposed to meet someone named Malik. I think… he’s the one who saved me from Balthazar. Maybe even the same man who sent me here.”
Jack’s expression darkened. “And?”
I ran a hand through my hair. “He says Olivia is safe. That I’ll see her soon. But first, I have to find Tristan.”
Jack’s fingers curled into a fist. “That’s impossible. We’ve been searching for him for months. He disappeared without a trace.”
I bolted to my feet. “Then I’ll find him. One way or another.”
Jack grabbed his phone and pressed the screen. “And I need to reach Lee. If anyone knows how to track the impossible, it’s him.”
The device rang once. Twice. No answer.
Jack cursed under his breath and tried again.
I clenched my fists, unease slithering down my spine. Something was wrong.
Lee had been here when I first arrived, watching over me. Waiting.
So, where the hell was he now?