"Good," Amanda replied. "I've had enough excitement for one evening."

"Lucky you," Marissa drawled, as she entered the living room with a tray of hot chocolate. "I've been on baby sitting detail all evening."

Coming face to face with Cameron's fiancé so soon after sharing several passionate kisses with him, Amanda felt disconcertingly like the other woman in a sordid love affair. A feeling she didn't like in the least. She felt blood rushing to her cheeks, betraying her guilty conscience to her rival. "Marissa," she managed to choke out. "Thank you for protecting Ally."

"She's a good kid," Marissa answered. The sardonic expression in her eyes told Amanda quite clearly that Cameron's fiancé knew what had happened between them.

"You're just saying that because I let you win at poker," Ally joked.

Rachel and Paulina laughed at Ally's droll expression as they accepted the hot chocolate Marissa offered them. Amanda withdrew from the others, trying to sort through her feelings. Earlier in the evening she had vowed to win Cameron's heart again, and when she had awoken to find his arms around her, she had thought her innermost wish had come true. But now . . .

Amanda watched intently as Marissa laughed and talked with her family. Marissa had risked everything--Cameron, her future, even her life--to help rescue Amanda from Jordan Stark. And now Amanda was contemplating stealing her fiancé. *Some show of gratitude that would be,* Amanda thought to herself.

With a deep sigh of regret, Amanda knew in her heart that she just couldn't follow that personal path to destruction. No matter how much she loved Cameron Sinclair, it wasn't right to try to come between Marissa and him. Not after everything Marissa had done for her family.

Pulling the locket out from beneath her bodice, Amanda held it tightly in her hand for just a moment before unclenching her fist. She opened the locket, gazing at the man with Cameron's eyes. Feeling just a tad foolish, she promised him that she would do the honorable thing and let Cameron go. Forever.

"He was a handsome devil, wasn't he?" Marissa asked.

Amanda looked at her quizzically. "Devil? He seems like an honorable man to me."

Marissa's eyes lost focus for a moment as if recalling a distant memory. "Oh, he was. One of the most honorable men I've ever known."

Thinking she must have misunderstood Marissa's last comment, Amanda looked at the painted image once again. "He reminds me of Cameron," she admitted wistfully, knowing that this image was the closest she would come to having Cameron in her life. "I wonder who he was?"

"Captain Conall Sinclair," Marissa told her. "He was in a Scottish Regiment, the 79^th Cameron Highlanders."

"Conall," Amanda whispered, the name seeming to strike a chord deep in her soul. "I wonder what happened to him?" she mused aloud.

"He died," Marissa stated, voice becoming harsh.

As she stared into the eyes of Conall Sinclair, the feeling of familiarity became more intense and images began flashing through Amanda's mind like the short clips from an action thriller shown at the local movie theater. Coming in out of focus bursts, the images blurred at the edges as her mind struggled to comprehend the incomprehensible. A crowded ballroom whose dancers, clad in the attire of a by-gone era, moved to the strains of a cotillion, but her eyes were drawn to one man--a handsome man wearing the traditional kilt of a Scottish Regiment. The scene shifted suddenly to a darkened barn, illuminated only by flashes of lightning. The rumbling of thunder matched the throbbing of her heart as she gazed into the sea-green eyes of the man in the locket. His ruffled white shirt was open to the waist, revealing a broad expanse of dark brown chest hair which drew her fingers like a magnet. Suddenly she was on horseback, wind blowing through her hair, fear making her heart race. Moonlight illuminated the face of her companion, who smiled at her encouragingly. A shot rang out, he stiffened, slumped to one side, and fell from his horse. Bloody hands cradled his lifeless head, holding him to her breast as she sobbed hysterically. Hands, rough hands, pulled her away as she struggled valiantly to remain at his side.

For some time, she continued to stare at the painted image of Conall Sinclair, trying to come to terms with what she had seen--and felt. The locket was the key, unlocking the doorway to her distant past. More distant than she had ever imagined. Closing her eyes for a moment, she allowed other images to flood her mind. Although each bore a different name, the eyes were always the same. Cameron's eyes. She had a hard time accepting the truth, but the images seemed irrefutable. Recalling the intensity of her feelings for Cameron the moment their eyes met for the first time, Amanda realized her soul had recognized his from the beginning.

"Conall," she whispered, a sad smiled crossed her lips as she touched the painted image with gentle fingers and felt the pain of his loss once again even across the vast distance of time. With a start, Amanda recognized someone else as yet another vision flashed through her mind.

"You remember?" Marissa asked quietly.

Amanda nodded. "I'm beginning to," she answered. "Everything is disjointed and out-of-phase, but I do remember Conall. My beautiful Conall."

"You recognize his soul, don't you?" Marissa queried.

Again she nodded her head, answering, "It's Cameron. I think I've always known." She glared coldly at his fiancé. "I recognized someone else as well. When were you planning on betraying us again, Marissa?"

~*~

Cameron leaned nonchalantly against the fender of his car, watching with an amused grin as his brother paced up and down the gravel road he was parked beside. Now that Amanda was safe, his own fears had faded. But, Gary's it seemed, had intensified tenfold. "Are you trying to make a rut in the road?" he asked mischievously.

"Very funny," Gary said, coming to a halt in front of him. "I don't like having to hide in the background while you face Stark alone. Anything might happen."

Staring at his brother intently, Cameron answered, "Because of Stark's arrogance, he's completely underestimated me, and I want to keep him off balance."

Throwing his brother a scathing glance, Gary said, "I understand the logic. That doesn't make it any easier, though." His glare softened to a rueful smile. "You're my little brother, Cam. I'm supposed to be protecting you from the bullies of life, you know."

Cameron grinned broadly. "I'm a big boy now, Gar. I can take care of myself."

"Doesn't mean I can't worry about you," Gary told him.

The headlights of a car swept over them, causing both men to react quickly. Reaching inside his car, Cameron switched on his headlights in response. The driver of the other car flashed his lights, signaling Cameron that Stark, still posing as David Halliday, was inside the vehicle.

"Showtime," Gary muttered, preparing to slip away. "Ready, Bro?"

"Yeah," Cameron answered with a tight grin. "I've been waiting for this day for a very long time."

Frowning intently, Gary said, "Just be careful, Cam. I don't want to have to explain to Amanda that something happened to you while I was watching your back."

"You worry too much, Gar," he grinned. "Everything is going according to plan. I'm the last person Stark is going to be expecting to see." His smile deepened. "I just love a good surprise."

The limousine rolled to a stop some twenty yards from Cameron. As the driver switched off the headlights, Gary faded into the stand of trees a few feet from the road. Cameron remained stock still beside his vehicle. Since he was standing behind the headlights, he knew Stark would not be able to identify him. His nemesis would see only a shadowy figure of mystery. From past experience, Cameron knew Stark would find this lack of control to be intolerable. Stark might enjoy playing a game with people's lives, but he despised being an unwitting pawn himself. Cameron planned on enjoying Stark's discomfort--at least until he was ready to reveal himself to the twisted villain. The timing had to be perfect.

After a few minutes, David Halliday emerged from the limousine in a state of poorly suppressed rage. From his vantage point, Cameron could see the other man was having great difficulty holding on to the visage of David Halliday. From time to time his face seemed to blur before solidifying into Halliday once again. Given Stark's lack of full control over his emotions, Cameron knew it would take very little to push the other man over the edge, forcing him to reveal his secret. Cameron smiled grimly. "Welcome to my parlor, said the spider to the fly," he quoted softly.

Halliday glared at the darkened window of the limousine for several seconds, as if attempting to learn the identity of the driver, who wisely remained inside the vehicle. Turning his malevolent gaze in Cameron's direction, he called out, "Why have I been abducted?"

Making his voice devoid of all emotion and inflection, Cameron stated, "I thought is was time for us to . . . chat."

"Chat?" Halliday asked, peering intently at the shadowy figure. "About what?"

"Your future." He paused. "Or lack thereof."

Even across the distance separating them, Cameron could see that Stark was having to struggle very hard to keep his David Halliday persona intact. It was exceptionally hard for a man with Stark's innate arrogance to portray a bumbling nerd when under extreme pressure. Stark's composure was slipping ever more toward the edge of revelation. Although most of the influential people in Bay City were well aware of Halliday's true identity, Cameron needed physical proof if he were to protect Amanda and the rest of her family from Stark.

"My future?" Halliday asked haughtily. "I'm not the one who's going to be charged with kidnaping."

"Kidnaping?" Cameron asked. "You've got quite the ego, don't you? How many people do you think would care if you disappeared?"

"Several," Halliday retorted. "The stockholders at Cory Publishing. My fiancé and her family to name just a few."

With a conciliatory gesture, Cameron said, "Please, feel free to go anytime." He paused. "Of course then you'll never know what to expect from me, will you? Do you like constantlylooking over your shoulder?"

"What do you want?" Halliday asked, a trace of arrogance tinging his voice.

"I want you to leave Bay City," Cameron told him. "Now. Tonight. And never come back."

Shaking his head, Halliday responded, "Sorry. No can do. I'm getting married to Amanda Cory, and plan on living here in Bay City permanently."

Cameron began tossing a small box from hand to hand. He could feel Stark's approbation growing as his eyes followed the path of the box. "Is that so?" he asked. "Somehow I don't think the wedding is going to happen quite like you expect."

Halliday's eyes narrowed. "Amanda is wearing my ring. She will marry me."

The box landed at Halliday's feet. "Is that so?" Cameron asked sardonically. "Guess again, . . . Stark."

Pausing momentarily as he bent to retrieve the box, Halliday gave himself away to those watching. But by the time he straightened, he had himself in control again. "Stark?" he questioned. "Who is this Stark you're referring to?"

Cameron didn't answer the question, but posed one himself. "Aren't you going to look in the box? Or are you afraid of what you'll find inside?"

"I'm not afraid of anything," Halliday replied. "I'm certainly not afraid of you."

Laughing with cold contempt, Cameron was gratified to see Stark shiver momentarily. "You should be," he declared. "You should be very afraid." He laughed again. "I've waited a long time for this, Stark. A very long time."

"Who are you?" Stark asked, his voice breaking as the truth began to dawn on him.

Cameron stepped in front of the car. The headlights cast an aura of whiteness around him as he declared, "Retribution."

~*~

Unable to meet the icy glare in Amanda's eyes, Marissa looked away, her thoughts turning inward. From the tension in Marissa's body, Amanda could tell that her memories were not good ones. Amanda said nothing, but continued to stare at Marissa's back, giving the other woman time to collect her thoughts. *Just don't try to lie this time, Marissa,* she thought to herself. *I know enough now to recognize a lie.*

The entire concept of reincarnation was something Amanda had never considered seriously, although she suspected that Cameron had. She remembered their conversation on the mountain where he had talked about the same stars shining down on them in different times. He had joked about being up to no good, chasing around a girl like her in past lives. At the time, she had thought he was just being playful. Now she wasn't so sure. Perhaps Cameron had been trying to tell her that their love was eternal.

One thing puzzled Amanda. Although Cameron bore a striking resemblance to Conall Sinclair, there were subtle differences in their appearance. Enough to make it clear they were two different men, but her vision of Marissa was different. This Marissa was exactly like her predecessor in every way save the differences in hairstyles and clothing.

Marissa turned to face Amanda, throwing back her shoulders. The thought was driven partially from her mind as she realized that Marissa was now ready to talk. "Why, Marissa?" she asked. "Why did you, or rather your predecessor, betray Conall?"

"I loved him," she answered sadly. "I wanted him back in my life."

Amanda stared at her in disbelief. "And you thought betraying him would accomplish that?"

"He had been mine before meeting Amaryllis," she said softly. "I thought if she were out of his life, Conall would turn to me." She paused, and tears slowly slipped down her cheek. "I had no idea Jordan would kill Conall to keep him from Amaryllis."

Noting that Marissa clearly saw Amaryllis as a different person, Amanda was confused by her use of the first person pronoun when referring to her own previous incarnation. Another name, however, sent a shaft of fear down her spine. "Jordan?"

"Jordan Stark. Amaryllis' husband."

Another series of images burst through her mind. A vision of her own painful end. "No," she cried out softly, clutching her head as the pain threatened to make her lose consciousness.

Amaryllis stared out the window of her tower, her once vibrant golden hair now lank and lifeless. Her hands lightly gripped the iron bars separating her from the outside world, but she barely felt the rasp of the corroding rust biting into the tender skin of her palms. The gaunt features of her face only hinted at the beauty for which she had once been renowned throughout London's Society. Eyes the color of sapphires had long since faded and lost their inner fire, except when thinking of Conall. The mere thought of Conall brought a smile to her face, and a light to her eyes. "Soon, Conall," she whispered. "It cannot be long now. We shall once again be together for all time."

During the long weeks of her incarceration, Amaryllis had watched the road far below her even as her heart had listened for the call of Conall's heart. For a time she had tried living and loving in the past, but she had found that to be impossible for she could not leave the present entirely behind. Not yet. Becoming weaker, she clutched the iron bars more tightly, determined to remain on her feet as long as possible. Her eyes stared at the ribbon of road leading away from the manor where she was imprisoned. Hoping against hope, Amaryllis waited for Conall to appear, even though she knew it was quite unlikely. But perhaps a miracle might yet happen, and Conall would ride his charger up to the gates of this purgatory she found herself in, and rescue her from the depths of this hell where her husband had thrown her.

"Amaryllis," a voice soft as the wind whispered in her ear.

"Conall," she breathed, turning to catch a glimpse of her love. "You waited for me."

His spectral form smiled at her lovingly as he stretched out one hand toward her. "Of course, I did, Amaryllis. We are as one. I could never leave you."

Releasing her tight grip on the iron bars, Amaryllis placed her hand in Conall's. As their fingers touched, she sighed and her body dropped lifelessly to the floor. But her soul was freed from the limitations of her earthly body, and she gazed with love into Conall's eyes. "Forever, Conall," she vowed. "We shall never be parted again."

"Not in this world or the next," he promised.

"Amaryllis!" a voice cried out behind them. A voice full of pain, anguish, and rage.

Turning hand in hand to face their tormenter, Amaryllis and Conall watched for a moment as Jordan Stark raced to his wife's body. Stark clutched her to his breast, crying out for her to stay with him.

Her fingers brushed his hair. "I cannot stay, Jordan," she whispered. "You have killed me as surely as you murdered Conall."

Another gasp was heard from the now open doorway. "Amaryllis. Conall." Marissa McKinnon stared at the ghostly specters with wide-eyed terror.

"What are you babbling about?" Stark raged, unwilling to let Amaryllis go.

Pointing toward the specters with a shaking finger, Marissa said, "Amaryllis and Conall. They stand there together, hand in hand. Can you not see them?"

"No!" Jordan screamed his denial. "No! It cannot be! Amaryllis is mine! Do you hear me? She is mine! I will never let her go!"

Although unspoken their answer was unmistakable. Conall drew Amaryllis into his arms, lowering his head, and capturing her lips with his. Slowly, ever so slowly, they faded from sight, still caught in their last embrace.

The pain ebbed finally from Amanda's head, and she slowly raised her head to look into Marissa's eyes. "You were there," she said slowly. "How?"

"Jordan Stark lives outside of normal time," she explained. "For untold centuries he has tried to come between your soul and Cameron's. But has always failed. Just as he has this time."

Amanda shook her head. "He killed Conall," she said. "It would seem that he won."

"Not really," Marissa replied. She smiled gently at Amanda. "Jordan can separate your physical forms for a time, but he cannot separate your souls. No one can."

"You were there at the end," Amanda said, gazing once more at Marissa. "Why?"

Looking down at her feet for a moment, Marissa said softly, "I had gone to apologize to Amaryllis for what I had done. I had no idea Jordan was starving her to death. If I had . . ."

For the first time Amanda smiled at Marissa with warmth. "She wouldn't have thanked you for saving her life," Amanda told her. "She wanted to join Conall in death. You would have only prolonged the inevitable, making her life even more intolerable."

"Thank you," Marissa whispered.

"Why are you here in this time and place?" Amanda asked. "Did Jordan bring you here for some purpose?"

Marissa smiled sardonically. "Of course, he did," she replied. "I have a history with Conall, too. We had been lovers once, Jordan thought we could be again. He was wrong. Conall had never loved me as he had loved Amaryllis. Cameron could never love anyone but you. I had no illusions about winning Cameron's heart."

"Then why did you agree to help Stark?"

"Atonement."

~*~

"You?" Halliday asked incredulously, clearly unable to accept his rival's intelligence and resourcefulness. His look of astonishment was quickly replaced with one of complacency.

Cameron's cold, hard glare was tinged with a hint of satisfaction in his grim smile, for he realized that Stark had underestimated him yet again. Promising himself that Stark would learn of his mistake before the night was over, Cameron allowed his smile to deepen. "Yeah. It's me," he told him, eyes never leaving Halliday's face. "I've been waiting for this night for a very long time, Stark."

Eyeing his abductor with disdain, Halliday sneered, "The name is David Halliday, as you well know." He glared with fierce intensity at Cameron. "I don't know what game it is you think you're playing, Sinclair, but I must warn you that you have chosen the wrong opponent."

"No game, Stark," Cameron assured him. "Unlike you, I don't view people as pawns to be manipulated and used for my own entertainment."

Smiling scathingly, Halliday said, "Oh, no? And what exactly was Josie then, if not entertainment?"

Cameron allowed no hint of his inner turmoil to be shown on his face. "A mistaken attempt to forget the pain of losing Amanda." Just the hint of a smile touched his lips. "But some good is found in every mistake. Ammie is a small miracle who has completely changed my life."

"Ammie," Halliday snorted. "What sort of name is that?"

Eyes twinkling with mischievous delight, Cameron answered, "She's a little too small for her full given name. Amaryllis Josephina Sinclair is a little weighty for a baby, don't you think?"

Halliday's visage wavered at the very idea of someone bearing the name of Amaryllis Sinclair. "No!" he whispered. "It cannot be. This child cannot be the one."

"She's not," Cameron declared. "Ammie is not the one you've been searching for, Stark." If possible, Cameron's face became colder and harder. "You shall never touch my child."

Unable to restrain himself, Halliday shivered as he began to realize that there was much more to Cameron Sinclair than he had previously recognized. Shoving the shaft of fear to the back of his mind, Halliday sneered once again, staring at Cameron with undisguised loathing. "Enough idle chitchat. Just tell me why you've kidnaped me so I can be on my way to the hospital to rejoin my fiancé."

Laughing without humor, Cameron tilted his head to one side, slowly shaking it from side to side. "You just don't get it, do you, Stark? Amanda is not at the hospital. She's in a safe place where you can't touch her."

"What are you talking about?" Halliday asked. "Of course, she's at the hospital. Joe Carlino took her there when she collapsed after finding out that her daughter had been seriously injured in an accident."

"Overweening arrogance has always been your Achilles' heel," Cameron stated. "Never underestimate the opposition. It'll kill you every time."

Halliday clenched his jaw tightly as he glared with hostility at his rival. "What are you blathering on about, Sinclair? I never underestimate the opposition. I've known exactly how to handle you from the beginning."

"Is that so?" Cameron asked, grinning broadly. "Then how is it that I know exactly where Amanda is, . . . and you don't?"

"Don't try to foist your inability to hold on to Amanda's heart on me," Halliday retorted. "She is my fiancé and we will marry soon."

"Think again, Stark," Cameron told him. "Look in the box. Amanda has returned your ring. You have no hold on her anymore."

Denying the possibility that Cameron might be speaking the truth, Halliday said, "Once she remembers the past, she'll love me again. Just as she did then."

Cameron shook his head in disbelief. "Amanda has never loved you, Stark. Never. No matter how hard you've tried, you could never separate us."

"That's not true!" Halliday exclaimed, his visage slipping again. "She did love me! She married me once. She had to love me."

"Wrong again," Cameron stated. "Amaryllis hated and feared you. She would never have married you had she met Conall before the wedding."

Halliday stared at Cameron with growing fear. "You remember?"

"And so does Amanda," Cameron assured him. "Now that she's wearing the locket again." Smiling grimly, he added, "That was a nice touch, stealing the locket. Too bad it didn't work the way you'd planned."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he murmured.

"Cut the crap, Stark," Cameron retorted, losing patience. "We both know that you murdered your wife, Amaryllis, 200 years ago because she was in love with Conall Sinclair. You starved her to death. And you expect Amanda to remember this and still fall into your arms?"

Remaining silent for a time as he tried to formulate a plan of attack, Halliday kept his eyes focused on Cameron. A hint of a knowing smile crossed his lips. "I've not betrayed her in this life," he said. "Not like you have."

Cameron felt his confidence waver as Stark struck at his own Achilles' heel. Knowing that he was undeserving of the love Amanda had given him freely, Cameron had tried so desperately hard to be the man she wanted him to be. But he couldn't live up to her ideal. *How many times did I hurt you, Amanda?* he asked himself. Aloud he said, "Yeah, I've let her down several times. But not this time."

"Oh, really?" Halliday asked. "You're weak, Sinclair. Weak and self-serving. Amanda needs a man she can trust. Not someone like you."

"I know exactly what Amanda needs," Cameron said between clenched teeth. "And it's not you. You're a murderer several times over."

"And for what crime did you go to prison?" Halliday asked. "Murdering your father for his stash of money, I believe."

"That's what I confessed to doing," Cameron conceded.

CONTINUE