“Let’s do it,” Cal said and the vampire, Eric Northman, chuckled a low, evil
sound. Cal stood still, waited. When nothing happened for five full minutes and they were still standing in the middle of the room at the top of the Inn’s left tower, he huffed. “So, when do we go?”

Northman’s brow curled. “Have you focused on where we’re to go?”

“Yeah, all fucking day.”

“Perhaps now would be a good time, McAffrey,” spat the vampire and Cal closed his eyes tight.

Admittedly, he had thought all day, but he hadn’t been as specific as he wished. He had several historic times and locations in mind, all part of the plotting for a novel he wanted to write. He spun an imaginary wheel. The first time it fell on a location, Cal rethought it and spun again. And again. And one more time. Then suddenly he sensed that he was moving. Really moving! It felt like one of those people movers at the airport, only racing at the speed of light and he wished there was something to hold onto.

“Hee ha!” shouted Northman.

Afraid to open his eyes, terrified to see what they were moving through, Cal simply held his breath and prayed. It seemed to last forever, a shifting, rushing feeling without passing air. If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought it was the effects of an inner ear infection; total imbalance but at the same time, nothing … not even himself … seemed to actually be in motion. Just shift. A rapid altering of space and time. The last sensation was something he would never be able to fully describe; it felt like light had passed through him, leaving a warm buzz in its path, heating parts of his body he never even thought about. Even his balls were vibrating, hot. Then …

Thump!

Just like that they were suddenly still. Cal steadied his heart and slowly opened his eyes. He was flat on his ass but the vampire was standing steady and looking around. He had the appearance of a dog finally loose from the house, knowing there was something out in the yard to find, pounce and mutilate.

All around, darkness. It seemed the exact same time of early night as it was when they left the Inn. The moon above was full, the stars were in the millions. They were obviously far from a city but if Cal was correct, there weren’t any well lit cities around anyway. To either side loomed dense trees and a billion hidden night insects chirped a symphony. An ominous chill laced the air.

“Okay, where are we?” Northman asked after sniffing like a dog. “Not the twenty first century, that’s for sure.”

Cal grunted to his feet, brushed off his ass and pointed like he knew or something. “This way.”

Energized and excited, they followed a road for several uneventful miles when suddenly the vampire stilled, gripped Cal’s arm tight and tugged him into the cover of the forest.

“Why don’t we just stay on the road?”

“Shhh!”

Northman actually gripped Cal around his chest and slowly levitated until they were high and deep in the foliage above. Cal couldn’t see through the leaves but he did hear the tromping of feet below. All he kept hoping was that the vampire didn’t lose his grip, tight as it was. There would be bruises on his ribs, he was sure. His heart thudded against vice-like forearms as the noise below drifted away into silence. Finally they floated back to the ground.

“Where are we?” the vampire asked again, his eyes glowing at Cal.

“We’re … uh … well I’m not exactly real sure, man.” Oh-oh. You know when a vampire is staring at you with that pissed off glare, even if it’s so dark you can’t see it. So Cal swallowed his fear and squared his shoulders. “We’re one of three times … places … in history. Let’s keep moving.”

“What three places?”

Cal didn’t answer. Damned if he didn’t get himself into a shit load of trouble, asking a fucking bloodsucker for help. If he didn’t die because of where they were, he’d die because he crossed one line too many with Eric Northman.

“Well, my plan is to write a novel, right?”

Again with the vampire glare.

“I’m thinking that if I can witness certain events, I can write them into a fictitious novel as a journalist would, you know, like I’m reporting the news.”

“Where … when … are we, McAffrey?”

“Either the mid 1700s, 1800s … or 1900s.”

Surely Eric had some colorful expletive in mind but before Cal could steady to receive it, something stranger than strange happened. Only a few yards ahead, a massive grey wolf walked right out of the woods and crossed the road, stopping in the middle to turn a fierce look at them. Cal held his breath and the vampire took a step forward. The animal snarled, actually appeared to nod in the darkness then trotted off.

Holding his chest, Cal gasped. “Shit. Wow, you can scare off a wolf?”

“Some. And only if they’re not in packs.”

“Well one of my possible destinations is out. No wolves there.”

“That wasn’t a normal wolf.”

“What other kind is there?”

“The Were kind. Tell me,” Eric said as they walked further. “You say you want to write this novel like a journalist. Do you mean to interview the people of this time?”

“Of course”

The vampire snorted. “What if they speak another language?”

“That’s what I have you for,” Cal grinned and pushed his hair back, glancing around for any other wolves, of the regular or Were persuasion.

“When do you plan to speak with these people? Most in a place like this … where ever or when ever this is … don’t stray far from home and hearth during the night. Night is all we have, McAffrey.”

“You have only the night, not me.”

Eric stopped and so did Cal.

“You won’t be going off alone. You’ll stay with me.”

Cal bristled. This time the vampire didn’t scare him. “Listen mister, I’m getting pretty sick and fucking tired of people thinking they need to watch out for me like I’m a kid or something. I’m damn scrappy. I’ll be fine. By the way, where are you going to sleep away the daylight?”

“Most likely in the ground … and you will be there beside me.”

“Hell no.”

Eric growled. “If you get dead … and you most likely will without my protection … I’ll be forced to suck you dry and turn you. Lord knows I’ve no interest in dealing with you for eternity. You will stay at my side to prevent such an unsavory situation.”

Cal blinked then laughed. “You’re scared of Biebe, aren’t you?”

“No. I only wish to keep an agreement I made with him.” Eric continued to walk and Cal was forced to jog to catch up.

“Well, you already broke that agreement.”

“Yes, I have, but I intend to get you back to his Inn in one piece all the same. Perhaps we should go there now?”

Ohhh, another threat from daddy. “Fine. Zap us back there.”

Eric shot a glare over his shoulder. “I can’t.”

“What do you mean, you can’t?”

“You are the one who can get us accurately to a place and time. I can only enter and traverse the Portal … you have the compass. At least that was what I expected.”

“Holy fuck!” Cal laughed again. “So that’s why you agreed to do this. You need me.”

“I thought I did, but it seems you are too unfocused to get us accurately anywhere.”

They walked on for nearly an hour before Cal spoke again. “Fine. My mistake. I’ll be more focused next time. Hey, it’s a skill, right? Together we’ll get this down to a science. It’ll just take a little time. Hold up, gimme a minute. Gotta piss.”

“Humans,” hissed the vampire.

Cal slunk a few feet into the trees then talked over the splattering sound of urine on dried leaves. “No way I’m sleeping with you, Northman.”

“No way you’re going off on your own.”

Cal jumped, not realizing the vampire had crept up so close. He tucked himself away and sneered. “Right, I’m supposed to sleep close to you all day long so you can wake hungry and feed off me. I told you, no drinking my blood.”

Eric chuckled and returned to the road. They slowed their pace as the ground rose. Trees fell away and the star-speckled sky widened above them. “We have discussed my not drinking from you,” he said. “But we haven’t discussed you drinking from me.”

“Now why the hell would I do that?” Cal snorted.

“If you are injured, damaged in any way. My blood will heal you. I wasn’t kidding when I said I intend to return you to the Inn whole.”

Now he was scared. Shared shitless. The vampire was correct; there certainly was the possibility of something bad happening to him. He was no fan of getting broken or hurt. Being healed by Northman’s blood gave Cal the willies, but dying or being turned into a vampire could be a hell of a lot worse. Having no words for a response, Cal just blinked.

They walked in silence. At the crest of the hill, the moonlight danced and kissed across a vast, rolling terrain and a mysterious mist hovered in the high hallows. Instinctively they left the road and headed west. There were more trees there and after their last near encounter, Cal wanted to make sure they had a place to hide … from men or wolves … at least until he could figure out where the hell they were.

Over the horizon came light, glowing soft and yellow. Firelight, but not so much to cause alarm. It wasn’t a forest fire … it was something else. Eric lowered to his belly and demanded Cal do the same. They crawled like crabs, inching their way until they could look down into the wide valley.

A camp. Huge, nearly 5,000 men. Tents and fires, horses … and weapons. Broadswords, shields, dirks, pistols and powder horns. And … the tartan … wool, mellow and plaid.

“Jesus!” gasped Cal as he turned to Eric. “We made it. This was my first choice! The oppression! The Black Watch! Bonnie Prince Charlie! The Jacobites! We made it. Scotland, 1746! Culloden!”