Timesurfers Read online

  Her stomach plummeted. That type of surfing. “Isn’t that against the rules?” There was a hint of desperation in her voice.

  “Not today. It took all my phenomenal persuasive powers, but this trip is Naitanui sanctioned. We’re only moving time zones and locations.”

  Austin laced his fingers in hers and tiny sparks of electricity shot up her arm. She chewed on her bottom lip. “Will that feel the same as my last trip?”

  He smacked himself on the forehead with his hand. “I didn’t think that through. We should do something else. Surfing will be too much for you.”

  It was highly likely she would need Austin to take her to the future again if she was going to figure out what her future self had been up too, so she needed to show him she could handle the trip. This was her chance. “If you can do it, so can I.”

  A wry smile spread across Austin’s face. “I don’t doubt you can do it. It’s your birthday. You should get to do something less excruciating.”

  “Those few seconds of excruciating pain for an awesome balloon ride will be totally worth it. It’s kind of like when you’re psyching yourself up to rip off the mother of all band-aids.” She gave a nervous laugh.

  “Rafe reckons his monthly full body wax comes a close second to surfing.”

  Cate grimaced. “Ouch! Is that a Timesurfer thing?”

  “No, that’s a Rafe thing. Are you sure you want to do this? There are plenty of other options at five in the morning for a date in Tempus Falls.”

  “What a complete lie. I’m good to go.” He looked dubious, so she nodded her head furiously as further proof she was ready. She intended to extract a lot of information from Austin during this date.

  “You’re a brave one, even for a Timesurfer. All right. Hold tight...Actually”—Austin scooped her up into his arms—“this might be better for you.”

  Her head swirled and her skin hummed at their sudden closeness. She breathed deep. He smelled of soap and a delicious, woody musk scent.

  He gave her a reassuring smile. “Hold as tight as you need. It’ll be over in less than a minute.”

  Austin called Naitanui’s name. He pulled her closer. She pressed her head into his chest and grabbed his flannel shirt in both fists, fighting to conquer the excruciating pain tearing through her body. They hurtled through a kaleidoscope of colours and jolted to a stop, floating in a warm, velvety silence. She relaxed her hold, praying it was over, but knowing it wasn’t.

  “Don’t let go,” Austin breathed.

  A split second later, an almighty shove thrust her forward. Her eyes flew open, and silver stars rained down around her, a trail of fiery silver tinsel burning in their wake. They landed and momentum forced Cate forward. She thrashed against Austin’s hold attempting to stand and regain her balance. A jarring pain spiked through her ankles and ricocheted to her knees, which crumpled. She tumbled. Her hips and shoulders smashed against the ground. She threw her hands out and clutched frantically for something to slow her fall just as her side slammed into something hard. It knocked every ounce of breath from her body and brought her to an abrupt stop. She opened her eyes as Austin’s head smacked into her chin. “Bloody hell!”

  “Geez, you’ve got a hard chin. Are you all right?” He wriggled back to look at her face. “I had you, but you’re a slippery little sucker. You have to relax.”

  “Relax!” She struggled to get a decent breath. “I was being boiled and skinned alive.”

  Flinging her arms wide, she flopped back onto the ground and closed her eyes. “I’m never having a full body wax.” There was pressure on her chest. Opening an eye, she saw Austin extracting his hands from her boobs.

  “Sorry. Completely unintentional breast grab. Cross my heart.”

  Her cheeks flared with warmth as she struggled to stand. She gave him a furious glare. “When were you going to tell me Rose was your mother?”

  Austin went still and gave a nervous laugh. “Sorry.” He dropped his head and tentatively raised his eyes to meet hers. “That’s not the easiest thing to slip into conversation. ‘Hi, I’m Austin. Can I introduce you to Rose, my mother who looks like she’s eighteen because she’s an immortal?’”

  The fact he had a point did nothing to lessen her annoyance. Jonah said she should check every Timesurfer’s quantum indicators. She grasped Austin’s arm and pushed his sleeve up. The last number was 2017. He was the correct Austin. His first QI was 2007. “You’ve been a Timesurfer since you were nine?”

  “Yes. We need to trek back up the hill. The hot air balloons are around the corner. I could piggyback you if you need time to recover.”

  “I’m perfectly capable of walking up the hill. I was four the last time someone gave me a piggyback.”

  “Piggybacks are enjoying a huge resurgence in popularity on dates in 2017, especially double dates. Piggyback fights are all the rage.” He nodded his head vigorously to support his statement.

  “It’s still no.” She took two steps and paused. “Jonah’s not your dad, is he?”

  “Certainly not.” Austin rolled his eyes.

  Austin’s infuriating tuneless whistle made her grit her teeth as their shoes crunched along the gravel. The grey light of dawn surrounded them, hinting sunrise was near. They turned the bend, and she gasped at the vibrant colours of the enormous hot air balloons that blocked out the grey morning sky. Austin steered her to a group of people.

  “Welcome to Majestic Hot Air Balloons.” A woman with a sheepskin coat that made her look like the Michelin Man greeted them. “I know you’re going to enjoy experiencing the oldest and most natural way to fly here in the beautiful Majestic Valley! There’s hot chocolate for everyone to sip while these magnificent flying machines finish topping up.”

  The hot chocolate was a mug of steaming, frothy milk with a stirring stick coated in smooth, rich chocolate. You stirred, and the chocolate melted into the milk. Voila! Hot chocolate.

  “I love the hot chocolate, nearly as much as the balloon ride.” Austin licked the last bit of chocolate from his stirrer. “Delicious!”

  “Do you do this all the time?”

  “Rose has brought me here for my birthday since I was three. I had to wear a harness until I was eight.” His eyes danced with amusement.

  The guide interrupted their conversation. “Let’s get up, up, and away, everyone.”

  Austin boosted her into the wicker basket, hurdling in after her. Excitement hummed through her body as they hovered and then floated higher. “What a rush,” she yelled.

  His gorgeous face beamed with excitement. He winked, and like it was the most natural thing in the world, they snuggled together. The now familiar woody scent from Austin’s skin wove through her senses. She relaxed against him, luxuriating in the warmth of his body. Her head fitted perfectly under his chin.

  “Thanks for coming.” He rested his chin on her forehead for a second. Hot air surged into the balloon and they rose higher.

  Wisps of fog floated in a sky streaked with intense red and orange hues pointing to the tip of a luminous ball peeking over the horizon. In an instant, the fiery sun soared boldly above their heads. “It’s so beautiful,” Cate breathed.

  “Very beautiful.” Austin’s fingers lingered as he brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “Higher?”

  She nodded. There was a vulnerability and depth of emotion to him she had never seen before. He was attractive and had that weapon of a smile, but there was no mistaking the control and focus which underpinned everything he did. The constant promise of a good time softened him a little, but today he seemed to have stripped back the warrior to reveal his true self.

  Farms dotted the ground. The freshly ploughed fields, rolling hills, lush green trees, and meandering streams were breathtaking.

  “I think about you way more than I should.” Austin dragged his hand down his scarred cheek.

  “How did you get your scars?”

  Austin’s fingers curved around her shoulders, and he rested his forehead against
hers. “I got too close to a lion at the Grommet Trials.”

  She traced the scars down Austin’s face and neck. A lion had made them. “What are the Grommet Trials?”

  “They’re a Timesurfers initiation thing.” He smiled that beautiful smile. “No more business talk, let’s enjoy the ride.”

  The basket lurched, and she scrambled to maintain her balance. Austin, as sure footed as ever, pulled her tight against him. Her heartbeat was in sync with his. This was the most perfect moment she could remember.

  Too soon, Austin helped her out of the balloon. He led her to tables covered with red and white checked tablecloths and decorated with vases of brilliant yellow tulips. A long, gnarled wooden table groaned under platters overflowing with food. The mouth watering aroma of bacon and fried potatoes stood out above all the other delicious smells.

  Austin mounded his plate so high with food, a few mushrooms toppled on the ground as he ambled to a table. He balanced his plate on one hand and pulled her chair out. She was all for equal rights, but manners like that were awesome.

  “So you have quite the large family.” Austin tucked into his food.

  Her mouth watered as she pushed her food around her plate. Her fear of vomiting on her return trip was so great, she’d made a pact with herself not to eat anything. It smelled divine though. “Last time I checked, a mother and brother didn’t make for a big family.”

  Austin gave her a quizzical look. “You only have one brother?”

  “Yep. An annoying twelve-year-old called Xavier.”

  His brow furrowed. “What about the other three guys who always hang around your house?”

  She gave him a questioning look.

  “You know we’ve been following you.”

  Following...stalking...there was a fine line. “Balthazar, Melchior, and Gaspar are from Mum’s detention centre. No relation, but an ever present annoyance. Mum took them under her wing from day one here.” She relented and nibbled a rasher of crispy bacon. The warm and salty taste didn’t disappoint.

  “Their mother certainly had a God complex.” Austin didn’t look up from his plate.

  “They aren’t brothers.” She tried some scrambled eggs. They were luscious and creamy on her tongue.

  “So it’s a coincidence they’re named after the three wise men?”

  She shrugged. “If you say so. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  “No, it’s only Rose and me.”

  “And you have a dad?”

  “It’s a biological fact; even an immortal woman needs a man to make a baby.” He sizzled a smile across the table.

  One look and her head was so full of all things Austin, everything else fell away. “Is it weird having your mum around all the time?”

  Austin shrugged. “It’s better than being stuck with some ancient tribe creating wood carvings all day.”

  “What?”

  “I have a complicated family life. There’s some intense baggage there.”

  She knew exactly how that was.

  He pointed his fork at her. “You don’t look much like your mum, do you?”

  “No.” She sighed. “Everyone comments on what a beautiful, petite Mother I have. Mum says I take after Dad’s side of the family.”

  “Where’s he?”

  “He stayed in Australia. I like to think it was to help keep us safe, but I know it was because he wanted out. The last month before we left Australia was a tough one.”

  “What happened?”

  “My mother used to work black ops for a covert government agency. She crossed some pretty nasty people. One morning after Dad and I dropped Xavier to school three official looking black SUV’s surrounded our car and forced us to pull over. They said they had received a credible threat against our family and we were required to go into protective custody. They weren’t there to protect us. They were the bad guys.” Cate shuddered.

  Austin placed his hand on hers. “I’m guessing things got pretty rough. I understand if you don’t want to talk about it.”

  She was actually relieved to be able to tell someone after all this time. “I was forced to watch them torture Dad for information about Mum. They pushed bamboo under my fingernails if I looked away. They burned me with their cigars for fun.” She held out her palms and showed Austin the scars from the burn marks.

  “So that’s why you went into witness protection?”

  She nodded. “When Mum came storming in to rescue us I thought it was over and things would go back to normal.”

  “Didn’t happen?”

  “Still waiting.” She laughed awkwardly. “So where’s your dad?”

  Austin chased the last piece of scrambled egg around his plate. “That’s need to know. And I’m not on the ‘need to know’ list.”

  “When did you last see him?”

  “I’ve never met him.”

  “Oh. That must suck.”

  Austin smiled a sad smile. “It’s better than him risking a slow and torturous death.” He dragged his hands down his face, looking suddenly weary. “What sucks is I’m the reason that would happen to him and nothing I do will ever change that. I’m number one on Mortez’s most wanted list, and my dad’s number two. Rose unknowingly had an affair with Mortez’s husband. He’s my dad. Mortez took it very badly. Rose’s family and my dad are now hidden and guarded by Naitanui’s Timesurfers around the clock.”

  “Why doesn’t Mortez just go after Rose?”

  “Because it’s more painful for Rose to endure the people she loves being hunted and destroyed by Mortez.”

  “That’s a pretty hardcore revenge plan.”

  “That’s Mortez for you.”

  “I’m sure your dad wishes he could spend time with you.” Cate stretched her hand across the table and brushed his fingers.

  Austin’s cheeks flushed red. “When I was little, I used to pretend Jonah was my dad.”

  For a second she glimpsed a boy desperate for someone to call his father. “He’d be a wicked-cool dad.”

  “I picked him because Rose was always smiling and laughing when he was around. Jonah would leave little notes and gifts for us to find. He was also the fiercest warrior Naitanui had, other than Rose, of course.”

  “So he used to be with Naitanui?”

  “He was with Naitanui for...” He glanced her way. “A number of years.”

  “Are we talking a decade, century, what?”

  He grabbed some toast from her plate and chewed it slowly before he spoke. “About 130 years. You two must have had quite the heart to heart.”

  “Not really, he explained immortals, said he and Rose had a thing, pointed out Rose was your mother, and explained he was a conduit. How come he left Naitanui?”

  Austin shrugged. “I’m not sure how it all worked. There were a few reasons, I believe. The reason I know is Mortez killed one person from his family each day he delayed joining her after she asked.”

  Cate’s jaw dropped. “That’s barbaric! Couldn’t he go to the police or...something?”

  “And say what? Excuse me, Officer. That evil time travelling lady is killing my relatives one by one.”

  “Why did Mortez want Jonah?”

  “He’s a conduit, and they’re rare, only two in the last 500 years. And Rose trained him. He’s by far the best soldier Mortez has.”

  She remembered Jonah training at the house. He was awesome.

  Cate looked from Austin to the empty plate in front of him. “So immortals still have to eat?”

  “I’m not an immortal.” He held his hand up as she opened her mouth. “I was born with grey eyes. But to answer your question, yes, immortals have to eat, sleep, and do all the normal things.”

  “What about the Timesurfing? You don’t seem to be struggling with becoming a seething puddle of boiling entrails when you travel through time like me.”

  “That’s disgusting!”

  She grinned at the appalled look on his face.

  “Surfing has never been a problem
for me. Spare a thought for Rafe, who’s been surfing for nearly a year as a mortal. It’s a touchy subject. I don’t recommend you bring it up.” He shuffled his seat around so they were side by side and rested his arm along the back of her chair.

  She breathed the fresh air. The smell of the damp earth and eucalyptus trees mingled to give a scent that invigorated her soul. The cloudless morning sky was the most vibrant, cheerful blue imaginable. A few minutes of agony were a small price to pay for this perfection. “It’s tranquil and energising at the same time.”

  Austin smiled and nodded, his fingers curving around the top of her arm. She laid her head against his shoulder.

  “If I could revisit any moment in time, I’d pick this one.”

  Me too, Cate thought. The contented sound of knives and forks scraping plates as people finished breakfast reminded her their date was nearly over. She closed her eyes and drank in the sun, warm on her face, determined to remember every sound, every smell, every moment.

  “Hey, Beautiful.” Austin gave her shoulder a squeeze. “We’re getting the evil eye from people who want to clear away.”

  They wandered toward a small stream trickling through the paddock. The damp ground silenced their footsteps. The bark peeling from the brown and white streaked trunks of the paperbark trees fluttered as a solitary flurry of wind meandered through. Austin kept a firm grasp on her hand. “Are you ready to get back?”

  “No. Do we have any other options?”

  “None that wouldn’t get us into an enormous amount of trouble.” His thumb brushed her palm, sending little ripples of happiness along her arm.

  “Damn it!”

  Austin laughed. “Would it help if I offered to get a full body wax in support of your pain?”

  “Only if I’m the one doing the waxing.” She gave him a devilish grin.

  “I’m a little scandalised right now!” The mock terror on Austin’s face made her grin wider. “I thought you’d be far too delicate to participate in something that crude. What if I unintentionally flash my manly bits?”

  She gave an evil laugh. “We’d be even, after you unintentionally groped my boobs.”

  Austin pretended to tip his hat. “Touché.”