Guardians of Time Read Online Free

said, “It was the only way to get him on the bus, short
of handcuffing him to a rail.”
    “You didn’t tell me that I had that choice,”
Bridget said.
    Peter, who’d remained standing near David at
the front of the bus, put out a hand to her shoulder. “It’s going
be okay, Bridget—”
    Bridget flailed out her right arm, smacking
his hand away. “Don’t patronize me.”
    Eyebrows in his hairline, his mouth forming
a whoo , Peter put up both hands, palms out, and stepped
back. “No, ma’am.”
    That didn’t appease Bridget in the way Peter
might have been hoping for because Bridget turned her glower on
him. “I don’t suppose you’re staying either.”
    Peter’s eyes shifted nervously towards David
and then back to Bridget. “Er … no.”
    Bridget swung back to David. “So why do I
have to come at all?”
    “I suppose, when it comes down to it, you
don’t.” He cleared his throat. “But you have to be really sure this
is what you want because I’m not doing this again. If you get off
this bus, you’re living in the Middle Ages for the rest of your
life.”
    Bridget turned to look again at Peter. “Are
you coming back for sure?”
    Peter fell back on his military training,
clasping his hands together behind his back and standing at parade
rest. “Yes.”
    “Do you promise?”
    Peter looked at her warily. David’s eyes
were flicking between the two of them, a slight smile on his lips,
and then he shifted forward and lowered his voice. “Bridget, I will
bring him home if it is at all possible for me to do so.”
    Bridget chewed on her lower lip, studying
Peter, who had the look of a man who knew that something was
going on, but he wasn’t sure what that something was.
    “What?” he finally said when she still
hadn’t moved from her spot—about six inches from where he was
standing.
    By way of an answer, Bridget took the lapels
of his coat in her fists, tugged on him so he had to bend towards
her while she stood on tiptoe, and kissed him full on the
mouth.
    To his credit, Peter responded instantly,
wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him so he could
return the kiss properly.
    Everybody around them burst into laughter,
even David, though he rolled his eyes at Anna when the kiss went on
longer than a few seconds. Finally, Bridget and Peter let go of one
another, moving apart enough for their gazes to meet.
    Whatever Bridget saw in Peter’s eyes seemed
to decide something for her, because she nodded, turned to David,
and poked him in the chest with one finger. “Okay. I’m holding you
to that.” Then she picked up her hat, gloves, and backpack from
where she’d left them on a nearby seat, marched down the aisle to
the back door, and left the bus.
    Peter’s normally pale face had flushed all
the way to the roots of his dark blond hair, which he still kept
extremely short for ease of care, and his expression was
stunned—probably not only at the kiss but also at Bridget’s
subsequent departure.
    “What just happened?” he said.
    Grinning wildly, Darren clapped him on the
shoulder. “If you don’t know the answer to that, my friend, you
truly are a hopeless case.”
    Callum gripped Peter’s upper arm. “You
should get off the bus. Follow her.”
    Peter glanced in the direction Bridget had
gone and then cleaned the window of steam with his fist in order to
peer through the glass. “Don’t you need me?”
    “We could use you, it’s true,” Callum
said.
    “But do you really want to leave it like
that?” Cassie said from behind him. “You want to be with her,
right?”
    “Of course, I do.” Peter straightened to
look at Cassie. “I’d get off this bus in a heartbeat if—” He broke
off, his eyes moving now to David’s face.
    “If what?” David said.
    Peter took in a breath. “If I didn’t feel
obligated to you, sire.”
    David shook his head. “For the last few
hours, I’ve had a nagging feeling in my stomach about how few of us
are remaining behind. I