He turned to the onlookers, his gaze taking in The Lady and old men. "It's a strategic move," he told them. "We've not giving in. We're not even compromising, but d.a.m.n it, if there's a battle right now, we're not going to win. Extinguish those embers."

"No!"

The last person he'd expected to disagree was Maia but there she was, standing toe-to-toe with him.

"No," she repeated. "That cannot happen!"

"Why the h.e.l.l not? Maia, we're talking about saving lives here."

"Embers must be scattered among our crops to protect them. More must be taken by each household to light their hearth. And I-I must jump over them to ensure that I will have an easy birth."

Every clan member within earshot was now nodding vigorously, but he couldn't concentrate on that. "Easy birth," he managed. "What are you saying?"

"I am with child. Your child."

Just like that, he felt his world tilt. "You can't know-we just-wait a minute!" Ignoring the onlookers, he hauled her so close that her features blurred. "What the h.e.l.l is going on here? You told me-you said you were using protection. You tricked me." Why the h.e.l.l was he saying that?

"I did what My Lady said I must."

She sounded so calm and confident that a little of his shock and outrage-if that's what it was-dissipated. "You got me to f.u.c.k you so you could get knocked up, didn't you? You lied-h.e.l.l, even if you didn't lie, you weren't honest."

She glanced at her flat stomach. "This is a child of Bel-fire. Conceived of you so even those who do not believe in our ways will understand that we are more than what they say we are-infidels. Our beliefs are strong. Right." Still in his grasp, she stared at the priests. "This Bel-fire baby was conceived by a man from a time far in the future. By Taurus the bull."

s.h.i.t. What is she saying?

"A heathen b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" the short priest insisted. "It cannot be. It must not!"

Although he was still reeling from what Maia had just said, Taron didn't need to be hit over the head to realize things were getting out of control. The short priest was actually foaming at the mouth and shaking with fury.

"She can't be sure," he heard himself say. "h.e.l.l, she was a virgin the first time we had s.e.x earlier tonight." Or whenever all this started. "And I'm not Taurus. I'm a man some woman has tricked-"

"Not a trick, Taurus!" Maia interrupted. "If you do not want this child, I do not want you as its father. Go!" She yanked free. "We had s.e.x. We f.u.c.ked," she told him. "And now it is done. Go!"

"Kill the b.a.s.t.a.r.d child!"

Taron whirled. To a man the soldiers stared at the short priest.

"Do not defy me!" the priest yelled. "Do the work of your lord and master. Rip the b.a.s.t.a.r.d from her belly."

Not fully comprehending what he was doing, Taron positioned himself between Maia and the soldiers. Most continued to look uncertain, but two who put him in mind of TV wrestlers drew their knives. He quickly a.s.sessed his chances of knocking the weapons out of the soldiers' hands and grabbing them himself; not good. Nevertheless, they'd have to go through him to get to her.

"Leave," Maia hissed. "This is not your battle."

Too late for that. "You can't be serious," he told the priests, but he was only stalling for time. "This is murder."

"Who are you?"

About to give them everything including his social security number, it hit him that that wouldn't get him anywhere. However- "Taurus, the bull," he announced. "Brought here because The Lady and clan elders were afraid something like this was going to happen. They needed a fighter, a bull."

"Brought from where?"

Well, that's a little hard to explain. "The future," he said, not taking his eyes off the two wrestlers.

"Liar! Infidel!"

Now what, smart a.s.s? he asked himself as the wrestlers separated and stalked closer.

Not thinking, he rammed his hands in his pockets. His fingers closed around Paul's lighter, and he withdrew it.

"Do you see this?" he demanded as he held it up. "This is my proof."

One of the soldiers laughed. The priests didn't look impressed.

"Like me, it is from the future," he insisted. "Magic. Powerful magic."

"Kill him, too," one of the priests said.

"No!" Maia slid around him. "This is not his concern. He does not care-"

No time like the present, he thought and flicked the lighter. Nothing happened. He flicked it again. A white-red flame shot up nearly four inches. Thank you, Paul. You always had to have the biggest, baddest toy on the block, didn't you?

For a few seconds no one spoke. h.e.l.l, no one so much as moved. And no two ways about it, he was the center of attention. He felt stronger than he had in his entire life.

"See this." He held the lighter high enough for everyone to see and then let it go out. "In my time, everyone carries fire in their hands. They can make it go to sleep the way I' ve just done. But because they are all powerful, because they believe in Bel-fire, it is nothing to bring fire to life." He flicked, and to his relief, the flame ignited again. This time he kept it going.

"What do you think of that?" he demanded of the priests. "Nothing like a little magical flame to make your babble about infidels and the master of the universe sound like c.r.a.p."

He wasn't sure what kind of response that would elicit. h.e.l.l, he hadn't thought past doing whatever it took to keep those knives away from Maia and the baby-his baby. He should have.

Something that might be a prayer spewed out of the short priest's mouth. Gripping the cross he wore, he stalked toward Maia. As he did, the wrestler/soldiers backed up. Obviously Paul's lighter intimidated them. So much for a well-trained army.

"I am the voice of the lord and master," the priest insisted. "I speak the truth, only me. And I say the devil must be destroyed." He whirled on the soldiers. "Obey me! Obey! Kill the devil's sp.a.w.n."

Deciding that the armed soldiers const.i.tuted more of a threat than the crazy man in dirty, flowing robes, Taron kept the still-burning lighter aimed at the military force. Still feeling all-potent, he took his gaze off the priest for only a second.

Screaming, the man launched himself at Maia. An elbow caught her under her chin and knocked her backward. She staggered but didn't fall. The priest's thick-knuckled fingers closed around her dagger.

"Maia!"

From what he could tell, the blow had stunned Maia. She tried to pull the priest's hands off her, but she wasn't having much success. The priest leaned back and punched her, hard, in the stomach.

Taron's world turned red; fury and fear filled him. "d.a.m.n you!" he bellowed.

The soldiers were again focusing on their weapons. Any moment now they might lose their awe of the lighter and attack in ma.s.s. For maybe a second, the priest looked indecisive. Then he yanked the dagger out of its sheath.

"No!" Taron bellowed. He started forward.

Quicker than Taron could believe, the priest lifted the dagger so that the gentle firelight glinted off the red jewel. Then he plunged it into Maia's side.

"No!" Taron yelled; he felt sick.

Struggling not to be undone by the blood already soaking Maia's garment, Taron closed the remaining s.p.a.ce between himself and the loudly chanting priest and shoved the lighter against the b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

The man's robe instantly burst into flames. He gaped at Taron, then began beating frantically at himself. The flames grew, and screaming, he ran at the soldiers.

"Save me! Save me!" he begged.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Taron scooped Maia up in his arms and ran.

Chapter Ten.

Being stabbed did strange things to her body. No matter how hard she tried to make sense of what damage the dagger had inflicted, Maia's mind refused to focus. Some of it, she knew, came from loss of blood, but she kept thinking about how wonderful it felt to be in Taurus' strong, protective arms and that stopped her from concentrating on anything else.

He was breathing like a horse at the end of a race, and his body, like hers, was drenched in sweat. His heartbeat felt quick and desperate. He hadn't run all that long, but neither did he show any sign that he was ready to stop.

That was fine with her, wonderful in fact. Why she felt like that didn't matter.

She closed her eyes, but opened them again when that conjured up an image of the priest with his robe ablaze. The man had stabbed her and tried to kill Taurus' child; she could hate him, couldn't she?

Taurus hadn't wanted the baby, had called her a liar...

He staggered and nearly dropped her. Jarred out of her semi-conscious state, she lifted her head off his chest.

"Taurus, put me down."

"Thank G.o.d! You're-I thought-are you all right?"

She wasn't, but as her memories of the horrible things he'd said to her became clearer, she couldn't think about that.

"Put me down," she repeated, more forcefully this time.

He did so, reluctantly it seemed. She tried to stand, but her legs wouldn't hold her.

If he hadn't eased her to the ground, she would have collapsed.

"You've lost so much blood," he whispered. Although she tried to brush his hand away, she soon gave up and let him pull up on her gown and look at her side.

"d.a.m.n," he cursed. "That crazy old fool-look, I've got to get you into the present right now. What do we have to do, run under a fire arch?"

"The present?" She couldn't make him come into focus.

"My time. I have to get you to a doctor." He sounded on the brink of panic.

"No." Her side burned, but the pain wasn't anything she couldn't handle. "My belly? The dagger did not penetrate it?"

"No."

Relief flooded her. "My baby is safe. That is all that matters."

He didn't say anything. "The dagger is blessed, its origins and future beyond comprehension," she told him. "It is given to those who need it. Such a gift would not destroy life."

"It's going to kill you unless I get you some help." He'd been kneeling beside her, his hand on her shoulder. Now he ran the back of his hand over her cheek. "Maia, it's just a knife; that's all it is."

"No."

"Yes. d.a.m.n you, I know where your thinking is going. You're content to stay here and wait-for something. Black magic or some d.a.m.n thing." He slipped his hand between her legs. "We had something-something mind-blowing going between us. I'm not going to let it end."

She felt his hand on her p.u.s.s.y, and yet she didn't. Her mind held remnants of climaxes so intense that the drums of Bel-fire paled in comparison, but those body-eruptions lasted only a little while. What would be part of her for as long as she lived was her role in the clan-and the role her child would play in Bel-fire's future.

"It is over," she whispered. "You and I do not matter. Only this place and time, my people do."

"No! d.a.m.n it, Maia, you didn't need to risk your life just as you didn't have to seduce me the way-"

"Go!" She weakly swatted at his hand and tried to pull her legs together. "I do not need you any more. Your job is finished."

He didn't say anything, and in the silence she wondered if she was dying-not from the wound although that was possible-but because of what she'd just told him. His fingers continued to rest against her l.a.b.i.a lips, causing her to heat and moisten inside, but that wasn't enough. He'd provided the seed-maker that her baby-place had needed.

Now he could go, return to his place, be safe.

"I do not want you," she whispered. "You had my virginity. Is that not enough?"

"You don't want me?"

I don't know; I can't think. And I'm afraid for you. "Go to The Lady. She will show you how to return to your time."

"I'm going only if I can take you with me."

"No!" she exclaimed and tried to sit up. "No! I do not want... " I cannot leave those who need me. She needed to tell him that, didn't she? Desperate to find the answer, she blinked repeatedly, but his features remained blurred. She felt herself being sucked into a deep hole. The last thing she knew was his fingers caressing her p.u.s.s.y.

Taron had tied his shirt around Maia's wound with shaking fingers and was trying to take her pulse when he heard approaching footsteps. He jumped to his feet, positioning himself between her and the unknown intruders. If only he really was a bull, anything except a shirt and tie helpless-as-h.e.l.l businessman. He still had Paul's cigarette lighter but wasn't sure he could chase off anyone with it. A branch-turned-spear or handful of rocks might delay the inevitable.

"Maia, Taurus, it is us."

The voice of The Lady was a relief. At the same time, he was leery of her reasons for wanting to find Maia. Not only that, she wasn't alone. Silent, he waited for the newcomers to come into view. The Lady, naked as the day she was born but with her long, flowing hair covering her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, was on horseback as were the three old men.

They stopped as one when they spotted him and Maia. After giving him a cursory glance, they focused on Maia. Finally The Lady dismounted and approached. He had to hand it to her. For a woman who looked to be in her fifties, she was a fine figure indeed, lean muscle under the slightly sagging skin, and pride in the way she carried herself. He wondered if Maia would have that same bearing and self-confidence when she was that age-if she lived that long.

"She is alive," The Lady said. It wasn't a question. "Taurus, thank you."

No longer concerned with correcting anyone about his name, he nodded. "She's lost a lot of blood," he said. "What about those d.a.m.n priests and their puppet soldiers? Where are they? What about the one I torched?"