Anise

One month later...

Cameron sat at the table of her hotel room looking at the book that had started this whole journey. It had been found next to her body in the ditch and was blank, completely devoid of any history of the MacLean's after the page which once held Drustan's history; and the only thing written on his page was the curse – or whatever it was.

The book had been given to her after she had spoken to police numerous times and told them that it was her book and had no relation to whoever had kidnapped and attacked her. That was the story she was going by anyways. To placate everyone a bit she said the only thing she remembered was someone forcing themselves into her apartment and that she wanted whatever case police had open to be closed permanently so she could find 'closure' and move on with her life.

She ran her fingers over the words written on the page and said them again for the hundredth time since the book was given back but nothing happened and she slammed it shut, resting her head on it. This book was the only thing she had left of Drustan's world – and even the book wasn't really part of his world only what remained of their worlds colliding.

A soft knock sounded on the hotel door and she stood, walking over and looking out the peep hole to see Diana. Cameron opened the door and Diana came in, "How are you feeling?" Her best friend asked.

"I'm fine," the lie was coming easier now than the first day but the ache of the loss of Drustan still hurt her.

"What did you need? You sounded like it was important on the phone." Diana asked, sitting cross legged on the hotel bed.

The hotel was temporary until she was able to get another lease on a different apartment since hers had insisted on not wiping the slate clean, stating that "kidnapping is no excuse for missing a rent payment." Her parents had been furious, threatening to sue them but Cameron had just shrugged, told her parents it was no biggie and she'd just rent an hotel until she had some money.

She was just thankful that her job had accepted her back after going over copies of police and hospital records to verify that she had been taken and just hadn't decided to not show up for work.

Though, now that her life was starting to somewhat resemble what it use to be she just wanted to talk to someone and have a chance to grieve without it being some sort of dark secret she had to keep to herself. She wanted to talk to someone besides herself about Drustan and how he made her feel without them thinking she was nuts.

Diana, being the exuberant and eccentric person she was, seemed to be the best choice to lay her heart open to. "Yeah... You remember right before I went missing how you got me that book on the MacLean's?"

"Yeah," She said, "You still hung up on what my psychic said?"

Cameron shook her head, "No, I..." sighing she said, "You're gonna think I'm crazy, Dee. I want to tell you something really important and really real, but I'm afraid you're gonna think I'm lying to make fun of you or that I'm crazy and you'll have me locked up and medicated."

Diana's expression grew serious, she stood and walked to her friend and said in the most serious tone, "I would never do that to you, Cam. Whatever it is must be important to have you tied in so many knots. Something has been weighing very heavy on your soul since you were found and no matter what you say I'll listen and help you through it."

Cameron nodded, grateful that she had the most understanding person in the world as a best friend. "Your psychic was right, about everything she said to me."

"Did you find the stuff you needed in that book?" Her eyes lit up in excitement as she looked towards the book that was sitting on the dinky table across the way.

"Sort of." Cameron picked up the book and passed it to her friend. When she opened it excitedly and then looked up with a confused expression Cameron said, "Its all gone since I got back. Everything from his history onward just vanished." Taking a deep breath she decided to start the story. "This is going to be really hard to believe, Dee. It was for me to begin with but that book took me back in time and I fell in love with Drustan MacLean."

It took over an hour to explain the adventure to Diana, she had wanted every detail down to the nitty-gritty stuff. By the time she got to the end of her tale she was crying, tears coming out of her eyes as she kept wiping at them with toilet paper that Diana had gotten up to get for her.

"Oh god Dee, I miss him so much." She sobbed, "I really fell in love with that overbearing, caveman and it's killing me to know that I'll never see him again."

Her friend just held her and rocked her as she cried, not saying a word to her until Cameron had regained some semblance of calm before slowly stating. "Kindred spirits always find one another. You and this guy are obviously meant to be with each other, one day you will find someone whose soul is like his and you will love this person like you loved him."

"But I don't want to love anyone again."

"Time heals everything Cam. Even broken hearts."

Two weeks later...

Cameron stood in front of the psychic shop staring at the face of the building. She was going to make Madam Trina curse or bless or do whatever it was to her the first time to send her back to Drustan. She'd already been fired from her job for not being able to stay focused, her mind wandering; constantly seeking to be away from the depression she was steadily falling into.

She gathered all her courage and walked into the shop, the bells on the doors ringing. In an instant Madam Trina appeared in the far doorway. She had a sheer fabric red fabric tied around her graying hair, and a skirt and shirt fashioned in a bohemian style that was in the same shade of red as the sheer hair tie. Gold bangles and necklaces adorned her body. All of it giving her a gypsy look that seemed intimidating in a way.

"Have you come to yell at me more?" the woman asked haughtily as she turned away and went back into the room.

Cameron followed but didn't answer until he too was in the room, "No but you need to send me back."

"There is no going back," she told her nonchalantly, sitting on her silken pillows in front of her table, setting down tarot cards onto the table in a diamond pattern.

Cam dropped down to her knees in front of the table, looking to the woman, "There has to be a way; another spell or enchantment or something."

Trina snorted without looking to her, eyes staying focused on the tarot cards, "Look at you, begging for something that you called a curse to begin with."

"You have to do it!" Cameron yelled at her, shoving her hands across the table, scattering the cards. "You can't bring us together and then laugh when we're torn apart!"

Trina's eyes snapped to her, angry flaring in them, "I told ya then and I am tellin' ya again. Donnae anger me, girlie." A brogue came to the woman's voice in her anger.

Cameron's heart stopped in her chest, before she whispered out. "It was you, in that run down shack. You're Alastrina."

She cleared her throat and said, back in a voice that held no brogue or sign of an accent. "Yes, it was."

"Why? Why would you send me to him?"

"Because he asked it of me, so long ago. Of course, when he came to me with you, he wasn't aware I was the same witch. I traveled about, changed my moniker frequently to avoid the stake." The woman sighed and shook her head. "After his first love was taken from him. He came to me, begging for her life back in place of everything. His clan. His castle. He even offered his life in place of hers for only a few more moments with her. I told him there was nothing to be done. The dead were the dead and nothing could change it. After he left, I pitied the fool and decided that if I ever came across the soul that was so irrevocably tied to his that I would send that person back to him. Though, I had hoped the man could keep you safe this time around, though apparently I overestimated his abilities."

"The book..." Cameron trailed off.

"Was nothing more than a tool," she said. "I have nothing else to talk to you about."

"Then who? Who else can I talk to?" Cameron asked. "There has to be someone else in the world with your powers."

Alastrina nodded, "There are, but none as powerful as I am with the skill set I possess."

"There has to be some way!" She cried desperately. "Someway I can go back

"You have to go back to where it all started." The words were ominous and left to much open for the imagination.

Cameron grew angry again, her brows drawing down, "Stop talking in riddles. Everything started here and this shop with you."

"Do I have to spell it out for you, you stupid girl? Where you first fell in love with him."

Her eyes grew misty, "But it won't bring him back. He's been dead for centuries."

Alastrina pinned Cameron's eyes with her own before saying in a sober tone, "Then what do you have to lose?"