âYou want me to go back in time with who?â
Captain Téa Callas, M.D., agreed to a risky time travel mission to get away from Special Forces Commander Rick Walters, not spend more time in close proximity to the irresistibly masculine soldier. They had shared a brief but passionate fling months agoâ¦until Téa put an end to their affair.
In medieval Italy, Téaâs traitorous body still remembersâand cravesâhis touch. His strong sense of honor entices her ever more, though he is haunted by nightmares of war. Can Téa heal his inner wounds with her paranormal giftsâ¦and find her way back into his arms?
Fifty thousand years ago, after discovering that human females carried a nascent genetic potential that might one day develop into the ability to star navigate, the Pleiadian Council planted a dozen pieces of a bronze disk across the Earth, hidden in darkness until mankind advanced enough to travel through time to find them.
And then, out of the ashes of the mystery-shrouded Roswell alien crash in 1947 arose a secret research project called Anasazi. Its improbable goal: learn to use the recovered alien technology for the purposes of time travel. General Beverly Ashton was the last to command this project before a dozen time travelers were inexplicably lost and the project disbanded.
However, the recent discovery of an ancient journal, known as the Ad Astra, has given Professor Athena Carswell the information she needs to begin sending modern time travelers back through human history in search of the twelve pieces of the Pleiadian medallion, which, when fully reassembled, will send a signal to the Council, indicating mankind is ready to be introduced to the rest of the galactic community.
Project Anasazi has secretly been reactivated, and General Ashton, now retired, and Professor Carswell are continuing the projectâs work. They are carefully recruiting and training a team of military men and women to make the dangerous time jumps. But threats loom on the horizon, both from humans, who would see the project endedâor worse, steal its work and use it for nefarious endsâand from the Centauri Federation, which will do anything to stop humans from learning how to navigate the starsâ¦.
âYou want me to go back in time with who?â Captain Téa Callas, M.D., couldnât believe what sheâd just heard. She stared at the leader of the Anasazi Project in disbelief.
âCaptain Rick Walters,â retired general Beverly Ashton repeated, settling back in her chair in her office at the lab in Flagstaff, Arizona. âOh, thatâs rightâyouâre both stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. I take it you know him?â
Unfortunately, Téa did. In fact, she knew the Special Forces A-Team Commander in the biblical senseâ¦and every other sense she possessed. Or at least she had. Theyâd broken up over three months ago and sheâd refused to talk to him since. Unfortunately, she kept running into him on post. Sheâd agreed to this mission not only to help locate a missing piece of the bronze diskâan amuletâbut because the past was as far away as she could get from Rick Walters.
âYes, I know him,â Téa said curtly. âWhy do I need a partner?â
âBecause the time period is dangerous. Youâll be arriving in Italy in 1077, after the siege of Salerno, when mercenary soldiers still roam the streets. And with the alien Centaurians now alerted to visits from the future, it isnât safe for you alone.â When Téa compressed her lips in disgust, the former general raised an eyebrow. âUnless youâve developed some warrior skills Iâm not familiar with?â
Téa was a healer, not a fighter. âNo, but canât you find someone else? He doesnât have any paranormal abilities and wonât be able to help locate the object we need.â
General Ashton regarded her thoughtfully. âPerhaps not, but heâs a military history buff, with detailed knowledge of the Norman Conquest. He thoroughly understands the period and will be able to help you avoid any pitfalls of the time. Heâs the best option to help you find the next amulet and get back here without any problems.â
Damn. Could Téa spend days or weeks in close proximity to the man sheâd had a mad passionate fling with, the man sheâd hoped to marryâ¦the man sheâd dumped when he did the unforgivable? He knew she specialized in post-traumatic stress disorder, knew that helping soldiers recover physically and mentally was her primary purpose in life. Yet when two of his team had killed themselves, heâd admitted to not seeing the signs. When he refused to even discuss the matter, it was obvious he didnât even care. How could she stay with a man like that?
âI understand why heâs the best one to go.â Taking a deep breath, Téa added, âBut Captain Walters and I haveâ¦a history. A bad one. Maybe you should find someone else to take my place.â