Taken in Time Read online

  TAKEN IN TIME

  An Unforeseen Love

  BY

  Tin Kuhn

  Copyright © 2019 by Tin Kuhn

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  Cover Design: Mayhem Cover Creations

  Editor: Proofreading by the Page

  DISCLAIMER

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  NOTICE

  This book contains sexually explicit scenes, adult language, and violence. It is only intended for adult readers over the age of 18.

  Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  EPILOGUE

  About the Author

  CHAPTER 1

  MALCOLM

  T he day is overcast and gloomy as I approach my castle in Kintyre. The light grey clouds drift slowly above the highest towers. I see my guards up there surveying the area. Pride swells up in my chest. I have never felt more relief seeing my home. It is certainly a sight for sore eyes. Every so often, the Viking marauders would attack a castle in Scotland. I keep my men in the watch towers on the lookout for them. My castle and people need to be protected. I’ve only had this castle for about a year and I don’t want to lose it. I must remain and be seen as a strong Laird.

  As I near it, I take in the irregularity of the stones. All the stones are not perfect. The jagged stones were pieced to fit together in certain areas. I think that’s why I like it so much. It’s imperfect just like me.

  I didn’t grow up in a castle. I had a Viking upbringing. I was always on the move plundering from the people who had more. I used to be one of those marauders. I didn’t like it much, but it was our way of life. When I was given the opportunity for a better life, I immediately took it. Half of my tribe came with me to the castle; the others continued their marauding lifestyle. I couldn’t blame them, but I always wanted something different, something better. I wanted a place to call home and somewhere I could put roots down.

  It’s been months since I’ve been home. My friends and I came together to fight the English. They thought they could walk right in and take over our lands. What were they thinking? They weren’t content with their own lands. Greedy little bastards. The war was seemingly endless and grueling, but we won. The battle with the English is finally over. Our lands are still ours. Many lives were lost, but my friends and I were lucky enough to survive.

  I stop for a moment and take in the cold sea breeze. It feels good against my face. The briny smell of the sea fills my nostrils as I inhale. My entire body is aching and my muscles are sore from battle. I’m not young anymore where I can quickly recover from battle like I used to. I’m thirty and I’m only getting older.

  The journey back home was pleasantly uneventful. I could do without bloody battles for a while. Now I’m home to my land and my wife, Lady Paisley. The one person I can’t wait to see, the woman I can’t wait to be with in bed. I can’t wait to surprise her, to take her, to claim her as mine. A hint of excitement surges through me.

  Lady Paisley is a bonnie lass. She is young, only nineteen years old. She has long auburn wavy hair and a curvy hour glass figure that any man would want. Her looks are sensual and her creamy white skin is impeccable. Men always drank her in with their eyes though I never got jealous.

  The guards at the gate greet me and I politely nod back. I ride my black stallion up to the main door of my castle. I spot Leo, the horse master, rushing over to me. I dismount and hand my horse over to him.

  “It’s good to have ye back, my Laird,” Leo bows his head.

  “It’s good to be back, Leo,” I respond making my way up the steps and through the entrance. There are a few servants cleaning the main hall. They bow their heads to me.

  “Where’s my wife?” I ask them.

  “She’s..ah,” The young servant stutters. She doesn’t look more than fifteen years of age. She seems nervous and looks to the older servant on how to answer me.

  “She’s in yer chambers, my Laird,” The older servant replies scowling at the young servant girl.

  I rush up several levels of winding stairs to my chambers. I ignore the ache in my body. I’m a bit excited and nervous to see my wife, Lady Paisley. It’s been months since I last kissed her and I’ve only kissed her a few times. Before I left, I gave her the most passionate kiss I could. I needed her to feel that I desired her, that our arranged marriage could be more. Hopefully, that kiss would make her want me and miss me while I was away. We haven’t even slept together yet.

  Right before I push open the giant wooden door, I hear moaning. I lean in closer to the door. It sounds like my wife. Was she pleasuring herself? Even better. I thought, perfect timing. I quietly open the door and am instantly stunned. My wife was in bed with another man. A man I didn’t recognize. He wasn’t built like me. He seemed shorter and skinnier. He looked like a noble who’s never worked a day in his life.

  “Yes. Yes. Just like that,” Lady Paisley panted while holding another man’s head between her thighs. Her slender fingers were wrapped up in his jet black hair. She moans again as she starts to shudder. He has one hand kneading her curvy arse and the other hand rubbing her full breast.

  “Come for me,” the man groaned.

  I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It felt like a horrible dream. Lady Paisley is my wife and I am supposed to be doing that to her. I force my body to move. I storm over to the bed and yank the man off my wife. He stumbles back to the ground, alarm on his face as he recognizes me. Anger boils inside of me. I want to destroy him, but I don’t. My nostrils flare and I just glare at the both of them. My wife hurriedly puts her dress back on. She looks mortified. I’ve never seen her naked and she is quite attractive, but this scene is just sickening. How could she do this to me? How could I want her after that?

  “Get out of my castle,” I manage to say.

  The slender man doesn’t hesitate and rushes to grab his clothes off the floor. He yanks his pants back on and runs out of the room without looking back. He doesn’t even glance at my wife.

  Lady Paisley doesn’t move from where she’s standing. She fidgets for a moment looking down at her hands. She looks scared. “Malcolm, I…Forgive me,” my wife stutters looking down at the floor.

  “Leave,” I demanded.

  “Lea..Wait. What?” She asked. “Let me get the chambermaids to draw us a bath.” She walks by me and I grab both her slim wrists. She freezes looking up at me, fear in her light blue eyes.

  “Leave my castle and never come back,” I warn her.

  “But…” She begins to say.

  “Now,” I demand releasing her wrists and walking out of my chambers. I didn’t want to be anywhere near her nor did I want to take her in bed after witnessing that or ever. I really didn’t understand why she didn’t wait for me and desired me. Aye, I am rough around the edges, but still ruggedly handsome and built with tons of hard lean muscles. All the other women fawned over me, but not her.

  I went down to the lower levels of my castle to wash up. I removed my weapons and clothes and sa
t down in the warm bath. My heart was still hammering in my chest. I need to relax. I sunk down under the water and came back up wiping the water from my face. I was looking forward to being home and screwing my wife for the first time and that clearly didn’t happen. I sighed and leaned my head back against the dark gray wall.

  In about a week’s time, I would be attending my good friend’s wedding. Unlike me, Laird Alec Mackenzie found love. I was a bit envious. He had a different upbringing than me. He was a noble, son of a Laird. He grew up in a castle, I grew up with Vikings. It wasn’t always that way. I did have Scottish parents, but they were murdered when I was a wee one. I barely remember them.

  I met him when Laird Callum hired me to get rid of the evil Laird Byron. He wanted me to work with Laird Alec to guarantee Laird Byron would be gone for good. He didn’t want his daughter, Lady Paisley, marrying such a vile creature. I never did ask him why he agreed to their arranged marriage in the first place. Laird Byron was known for torturing and killing his servants and mistresses just for fun. I despised men like that. I had no problem ending his life.

  In return, Laird Callum offered his daughter’s hand in marriage and I got to keep Laird Byron’s castle. He had no other heirs and I only wanted the castle. I hadn’t found love, so I accepted the deal. Perhaps his daughter and I would fall for each other later or so I had hoped.

  I’ve only been married to Lady Paisley for a few months. I didn’t want to marry her right away after I moved into the castle. I wanted to settle into my castle and get used to being a Laird first. I didn’t want to look incompetent as a Laird in front of her either. Laird Alec helped me transition from being a Viking to a Highlander Laird. It wasn’t easy, but he helped me become less of a brute and more of a gentleman. I learned a lot from him, and we became good friends.

  The night of our wedding, I was called away to battle. Lady Paisley suggested I go right away instead of consummating our wedding. That would make it easy to undo it. Perhaps I’ll meet someone at Alec’s wedding, some lass that I could fall in love with. A lass who would return my affection and give me a bairn. If not, I could always find someone to sleep with.

  CHAPTER 2

  ARAMINA

  A light breeze blew through my dark brown hair lifting it back off my shoulders. The wind was welcoming in the California summer warmth, but I couldn’t complain too much. I worked nights as a Medical Clerk at The Lab Corporation, so it’s not like I was walking in the heat of the day. I prepared all the testing the company would do the next day and processed and labeled all the testing that was done the current day.

  I stopped, for a moment, to look up at the night sky. The glowing silver full moon hung low. The moon is huge tonight almost like I can reach out and grab it. I loved looking at the night sky while walking home from work. It gave me a sense of peace. It made me think that my late husband was, too, at peace. I missed him so much. I married my childhood best friend, Patrick. We grew up together. He always knew how to put a smile on my face and make me laugh. He knew me like the inside of a book and vice versa.

  I never moved on from him. I guess I just didn’t want to put my heart back out there. Losing someone in an instant does that to you. I kept myself busy with work and seeing friends, but I never could get myself to agree to go out on a date with anyone. Besides, there was really no rush for me to date. I’m only twenty-two.

  I’m still and will probably always be the married virgin. Patrick died the same day we got married. It hurt too much to lose him, to see him drop at my feet and watch his life end. We thought we had more time, but stage four Cancer doesn’t exactly give you a deadline.

  I snap out of my thoughts and continue walking home. It’s three o’clock in the morning and I can’t wait to get into my comfy bed. I suddenly hear footsteps behind me. It makes my heart race a little. The footsteps are moving quickly towards me. Usually, these streets are empty. Nobody ever walks this neighborhood this early in the morning.

  The footsteps are getting closer and I was afraid to turn to see who it was. It was too close for my comfort. My heart begins pumping faster and I could hear the footsteps behind me getting even closer. The moment I turn the corner, I pick up my pace. I feel a hand reach out to grab my elbow. I turn my head and see a figure in a dark black hooded robe. I pull back my arm and start running. The man runs after me. Shit. I start running even faster, but he’s catching up. I look back and all of a sudden I’m falling. What the hell? I don’t remember a ditch or cliff of any kind on this block, not even construction work going on. I keep free falling for a minute. Oh no. I’m going to die. There’s no way I’m going to survive this fall.

  “Ouch!!!” I yelped. I hit the ground hard. Lucky for me, my arms were in front of my face or I could have easily ended up with a broken nose. I quickly roll on my back before the man can get me, but he’s not there. I sit up breathing the fresh cool air. I look all around me. All I see are vibrant green mosses and ferns and tall towering oak trees for miles. How did I end up here? It was night when I fell and now it’s daytime. Am I dreaming? Did I hit my head? I slowly get up and start to walk around. There’s nobody else here. No buildings. No vehicles. I’m so confused right now. I close my eyes and open them again thinking I’ll just wake up back in my bed, but I’m still standing in these woodlands. “Well that didn’t work.” I continue walking a short distance.

  “Look what we have here,” A deep gravelly voice came from behind me.

  I quickly turn around and saw two savage looking men approaching me. They both are wearing brown tunics and kilts. An axe is hanging from their waste belts with stained blood on the edges. They both are covered in grime and dirt. The taller man is bald and is built with wide shoulders. The second man is slimmer and is missing a couple of front teeth. His hair is up in a braided ponytail. Both their arms are covered in some kind of tribal tattoos.

  “I’m first,” the shorter man says and takes a step closer to me. He’s giving me a sly grin and rubbing his cock over his kilt.

  “She’s mine,” the bald man growls. He sticks his arm out to stop his companion.

  The shorter man pushes his arm away and takes another step towards me. The taller man grabs his axe and hits his companion on the head. I gasp in horror. The shorter man stops in his steps. Blood comes trickling out from his head. He drops to his knees and falls forward. The taller man steps on the back of the shorter man trying to pull his axe back out.

  My brain is telling me to move, but my body is stuck. This is your chance to run. My heart starts to race and I finally get my legs to move. I slowly step back. The taller man doesn’t notice me stepping away. I’m about five feet away when I step on a stick and hear it crack. Dammit. He looks at me with his cold, harsh dark eyes and I start running. I run faster than I’ve ever run before. I’m hopping over tree roots and veering through the trees. I can hear him running after me. He’s gaining on me and I don’t know how much longer I can dodge him. I’m looking around for any type of branch I can use as a weapon, but there’s none. I veer to the right and suddenly he’s in front of me. I couldn’t stop myself in time from smashing right into his hard chest. I feel like I just hit a wall.

  He grabs me by my hair and I scream as loud as I could. He smirks at me and licks his lips. He drags me back the way we ran. His grip on my hair is too tight and painful. I notice a little dagger hanging on his belt. I reach for it and slice his wrist. He grunts and lets go of my hair. I slice behind his right knee and he drops down holding his knee.

  I turn to run again, but my pace is much slower. I’m getting more and more tired. I keep running and running through the endless oak woods. My heart is pounding in my chest and I feel like it’s going to explode. I need to stop and take a break. I look back, but I can’t see him. Maybe I finally lost him. I lean up against a thick brown oak tree and catch my breath. I know I can’t stay here for too long, but I’m exhausted. I take long deep breaths and try to control my breathing. I’ve never ran so much in my life and I’ve never had t
o fight for my life either. What is going on? This has to be a bad dream, but I have never felt like this in any of my other dreams. This feels too real.

  A few moments later, I notice movement in the corner of my eye. I look to my left and see a man far in the distance. Oh no. He’s found me. I knew I stayed too long in this one spot. I start to run again, but get tackled from behind. The savage has me pinned to the ground. I can’t move. He’s too heavy for me to lift off. His hands go under me and squeeze my breasts.

  “Get off me!” I yell struggling under him. “Don’t touch me!”

  He flips me over like I weigh nothing and smacks my face. I wince from the pain and I can taste blood in my mouth. I try to hold my cheek, but he grips both my wrists over my head with one hand. The pain is real and I know I’m not having some horrible nightmare. He reaches down and lifts his kilt. His cock springs out and I can’t let him rape me and kill me. My first time can’t happen this way. There’s no way he’s going to take my virginity. He takes his weight off of my lower half and tries to pull my pants down. I see my opportunity to kick him.

  CHAPTER 3

  MALCOLM

  A scream of terror echoes through the woodlands. The sound sends me on high alert and I kick my horse towards the scream. I spot a lass leaning behind a tree. I quickly dismount off my horse and momentarily watch her. She spots me and takes off. A Viking comes out from behind another tree and attacks her. I race to reach them. The lass kicks the Viking in the balls and he doubles over. That brings a smile to my face. This lass has a fighter’s spirit. She tries to get up, but the Viking grabs her by the leg and pulls her towards him. I unsheathe my sword and stab him through the back. He didn’t even see me coming. I kick him to the side, so he doesn’t fall on the lass and I remove my sword from his body. I wipe his blood off using his kilt.