disappeared.
“Where did it go?” She demanded, shaking the box and tapping it. “It is black. How do I make it come back?”
“Oh, hold on,” Ty muttered, stepping around the fire and coming to sit next to her. He grabbed her hand, holding it steady and pressed his finger to the first round circle. “If it happens again just press this letter four times.”
“This is your family?” She asked, staring at the images again.
“Yes, my dad, me, my sister Tracy, and my mom,” Ty replied, pointing to each one. “My dad and mom started the Research Center. I took over as chairman of the Center a couple of years ago when they decided to travel more. Tracy explores the world, looking for artifacts, among other things.”
“How do I see more?” Ella asked in a husky voice.
“Like this,” Ty murmured, carefully cupping her hand in his and extending his finger over hers before sliding it sideways. “This is where I live.”
Ella nodded, swallowing. It was so different from her little primitive platform. She slid her finger across to the next image, then the next, then the next. Massive buildings, strange carriages, and things that made her head spin. The Others had truly taken over the world. Despair consumed her. What chance did the few remaining humans have against this type of power?
“I have to go,” she suddenly whispered, shoving the box into his hands and rising.
“Wait! You just got here. Please… Stay just a little longer. I have questions, too,” Ty said, standing and towering over her.
“No,” Ella shook her head and twisted to step around him.
A low cry tore from her lips when her weakened ankle protested the movement. She stumbled and knocked her lance to the ground. The cry turned to a gasp when she felt her body being lifted from behind.
She grabbed wildly for the thick forearm wrapped around her waist. This was it. She had stupidly let her guard down and he would either kill her or try to enslave her. Fear choked her at the thought of being in the places that she had seen in the pictures. She struggled to loosen her hand so that she could grab her knife.
“Hey, careful,” Ty said in a gentle voice. “Let me take a look at your ankle.”
Ella froze, confused when he carefully lowered her to the boulder and knelt down in front of her. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of her knife, but she didn’t pull it free. Instead, she watched in confusion as he carefully removed the boot from her right foot.
“I wrapped it. The healer said it would take time to be strong again,” Ella whispered, watching as he carefully removed the cloth she had used to bind it. “It only hurts if I step wrong.”
“You should have been seen by a proper doctor and had physical therapy,” Ty growled, glancing up at her. “Without an X-ray, how can this healer of yours know whether or not the bone is knitting together properly?”
“I don’t know what an X-ray is, but Thomas is very skilled,” she replied, lowering her hands to grip the rock when he pushed up her pant leg. “What are you doing?” She asked with a hiss when she felt his cold fingers gently touching her ankle.
“I’m trying to see if you did any more damage to it,” Ty muttered under his breath. “Hell, it’s only been a couple of months since you broke it. You should probably still be in a cast.”
“I am fine,” Ella snapped in exasperation as a wave of heat washed through her at his touch.
Ty looked up at her and she swore she could have drowned in the dark, liquid, brown depths of his gaze. She blinked, shook her head, and scowled down at him.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“You are a very, very, very strange man,” Ella muttered.
Chapter 8
Ty gently wrapped Ella’s ankle again. He pulled the bandage tight enough to give her support, but not enough to cause her any discomfort. There was still a little swelling around it, but he hadn’t seen any discoloration or felt any obvious breaks.
Still, he would
“Where did it go?” She demanded, shaking the box and tapping it. “It is black. How do I make it come back?”
“Oh, hold on,” Ty muttered, stepping around the fire and coming to sit next to her. He grabbed her hand, holding it steady and pressed his finger to the first round circle. “If it happens again just press this letter four times.”
“This is your family?” She asked, staring at the images again.
“Yes, my dad, me, my sister Tracy, and my mom,” Ty replied, pointing to each one. “My dad and mom started the Research Center. I took over as chairman of the Center a couple of years ago when they decided to travel more. Tracy explores the world, looking for artifacts, among other things.”
“How do I see more?” Ella asked in a husky voice.
“Like this,” Ty murmured, carefully cupping her hand in his and extending his finger over hers before sliding it sideways. “This is where I live.”
Ella nodded, swallowing. It was so different from her little primitive platform. She slid her finger across to the next image, then the next, then the next. Massive buildings, strange carriages, and things that made her head spin. The Others had truly taken over the world. Despair consumed her. What chance did the few remaining humans have against this type of power?
“I have to go,” she suddenly whispered, shoving the box into his hands and rising.
“Wait! You just got here. Please… Stay just a little longer. I have questions, too,” Ty said, standing and towering over her.
“No,” Ella shook her head and twisted to step around him.
A low cry tore from her lips when her weakened ankle protested the movement. She stumbled and knocked her lance to the ground. The cry turned to a gasp when she felt her body being lifted from behind.
She grabbed wildly for the thick forearm wrapped around her waist. This was it. She had stupidly let her guard down and he would either kill her or try to enslave her. Fear choked her at the thought of being in the places that she had seen in the pictures. She struggled to loosen her hand so that she could grab her knife.
“Hey, careful,” Ty said in a gentle voice. “Let me take a look at your ankle.”
Ella froze, confused when he carefully lowered her to the boulder and knelt down in front of her. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of her knife, but she didn’t pull it free. Instead, she watched in confusion as he carefully removed the boot from her right foot.
“I wrapped it. The healer said it would take time to be strong again,” Ella whispered, watching as he carefully removed the cloth she had used to bind it. “It only hurts if I step wrong.”
“You should have been seen by a proper doctor and had physical therapy,” Ty growled, glancing up at her. “Without an X-ray, how can this healer of yours know whether or not the bone is knitting together properly?”
“I don’t know what an X-ray is, but Thomas is very skilled,” she replied, lowering her hands to grip the rock when he pushed up her pant leg. “What are you doing?” She asked with a hiss when she felt his cold fingers gently touching her ankle.
“I’m trying to see if you did any more damage to it,” Ty muttered under his breath. “Hell, it’s only been a couple of months since you broke it. You should probably still be in a cast.”
“I am fine,” Ella snapped in exasperation as a wave of heat washed through her at his touch.
Ty looked up at her and she swore she could have drowned in the dark, liquid, brown depths of his gaze. She blinked, shook her head, and scowled down at him.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
“You are a very, very, very strange man,” Ella muttered.
Chapter 8
Ty gently wrapped Ella’s ankle again. He pulled the bandage tight enough to give her support, but not enough to cause her any discomfort. There was still a little swelling around it, but he hadn’t seen any discoloration or felt any obvious breaks.
Still, he would
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