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      “You want me to go back in time with who?”

      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 ago…until Téa put an end to their affair.

      In medieval Italy, Téa’s traitorous body still remembers—and craves—his 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 gifts…and find her way back into his arms?

      Contents

      Preface

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      PREFACE

      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 project’s 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 ended—or worse, steal its work and use it for nefarious ends—and from the Centauri Federation, which will do anything to stop humans from learning how to navigate the stars….

      CHAPTER ONE

      “You want me to go back in time with who?” Captain Téa Callas, M.D., couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. She stared at the leader of the Anasazi Project in disbelief.

      “Captain Rick Walters,” retired general Beverly Ashton repeated, settling back in her chair in her office at the lab in Flagstaff, Arizona. “Oh, that’s right—you’re both stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. I take it you know him?”

      Unfortunately, Téa did. In fact, she knew the Special Forces A-Team Commander in the biblical sense…and every other sense she possessed. Or at least she had. They’d broken up over three months ago and she’d refused to talk to him since. Unfortunately, she kept running into him on post. She’d agreed to this mission not only to help locate a missing piece of the bronze disk—an amulet—but because the past was as far away as she could get from Rick Walters.

      “Yes, I know him,” Téa said curtly. “Why do I need a partner?”

      “Because the time period is dangerous. You’ll 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 isn’t safe for you alone.” When Téa compressed her lips in disgust, the former general raised an eyebrow. “Unless you’ve developed some warrior skills I’m not familiar with?”

      Téa was a healer, not a fighter. “No, but can’t you find someone else? He doesn’t have any paranormal abilities and won’t be able to help locate the object we need.”

      General Ashton regarded her thoughtfully. “Perhaps not, but he’s 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. He’s the best option to help you find the next amulet and get back here without any problems.”

      Damn. Could Téa spend days or weeks in close proximity to the man she’d had a mad passionate fling with, the man she’d hoped to marry…the man she’d 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, he’d admitted to not seeing the signs. When he refused to even discuss the matter, it was obvious he didn’t even care. How could she stay with a man like that?

      “I understand why he’s the best one to go.” Taking a deep breath, Téa added, “But Captain Walters and I have…a history. A bad one. Maybe you should find someone else to take my place.”

      The general looked surprised. “I didn’t take you for a coward.”

      That stung. “I’m not. But you need two people working in concert to make this work. I’m not sure we can do that.”

      “You have to,” General Ashton insisted. “We need someone with paranormal abilities to sense the amulet. With your skill as a Reiki master, you’re the best choice to go to this place and time, when the School of Salerno’s medical school not only allows women entry, but actively encourages them to study.”

      Téa winced. She did want to see and experience the first medieval medical university ever established. But go with Rick? It was a disaster waiting to happen.

      The former general leaned forward, staring intently into Téa’s eyes. “I wouldn’t ask you to do this if it wasn’t the best scenario to retrieve the next piece of the medallion. You’ve completed your training and Captain Walters has been thoroughly briefed. With the Centaurians narrowing in on our project in the present, time is of the essence. We don’t have time to train anyone else. Can’t you and he find a way to work through your differences…for the sake of the project?”

      For the sake of the world, she meant, and the future of all mankind. Téa squeezed her eyes shut. Once they had all of the pieces, they’d be able to summon the Pleiadian Council and their starships to protect them from the Centaurians. Without the entire medallion, Earth was fated to devolve to a state of barbarism. What were her petty concerns in the face of that?

      “Okay,” Téa said reluctantly, and opened her eyes. “I’ll do it.” She was a professional, after all. She should be able to handle a single soldier.

      “Excellent.” Three short raps came at the door and the