Page 70 of The Winter Laird
“Speak plainly,” Nioclas said wearily. “I find my mind is at the end of its sanity.”
Reilly smiled grimly. “Brianagh isn’t thekeyto the legacy. Sheisthe legacy.” He leaned forward. “Why do you think I’ve been pushing her so hard to stay here? She can’t return—doing so would erase an entire line of time travelers seeking to protect history.”
“How can I ask her to stay, when she has so much in the future?”
“She has nothing in the future if she doesn’t stay. None of you do.”
“How do you fit in? Are you truly an O’Malley?”
Reilly’s face shuttered. “I’m the original O’Rourke protector.”
“So you’re an O’Rourke,” Nioclas pressed.
Reilly stood suddenly, slamming his hands on the table and leaning over it, his face inches from Nioclas. “It doesn’t matter from whom I hail. All that matters is that I exist to ensure that Brianagh O’Rourke is brought here, to this time, to you…and to ensure shestays.”
Nioclas narrowed his eyes. “Why me?”
Reilly barked out a laugh and slumped back in his chair. “You’re the one from her dreams, MacWilliam. And she’s the one from yours, even if you’ve tried to forget about them.”
“What sort of magic is this?” Nioclas demanded, grabbing his sword.
“Powerful magic. I know more about you than even your brother. Do you honestly believe I’d put Brianagh into your arms without knowing everything about you?”
Nioclas’s shock hung between them. He slowly re-sheathed his sword.
Reilly stood. “I’ve given you your answers. It’s up to you whether or not to believe what Brianagh and I have told you. Keep her away from the monolithic structures in the east—yes, MacWilliam, the same one from the legacy you can’t seem to accept. And know this: if you do somehow get her back to where she claims she wants to be, you will not only destroy her direct line, you’ll destroy your own.”
“Aidan will carry—”
Reilly shook his head. “No, MacWilliam. Aidan isn’t a true bloodline. He has his own destiny, in his own time…and it is not that of a MacWilliam. Keep her away from the structures in the east.”
With that, Reilly gave him a bow, then exited the solar, leaving Nioclas gaping after him.
* * *
Brianagh foundNioclas in his solar, rubbing something as he stared at it, lost in thought. She knocked hesitantly, and he immediately locked eyes with her.
“Come in. Please, latch the door.”
Brianagh stepped in nervously. “When I woke up and saw you weren’t in the chamber, I thought…” She paused, then shrugged helplessly. “I didn’t know what to think.”
“I had to speak with O’Malley.”
She bit her lip. “Of course. You verified everything, didn’t you?” When he nodded, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Did he also tell you, as he’s been telling me, that my destiny is here?”
Nioclas didn’t reply. He absentmindedly smoothed his fingers over the object. “Where did you get this?”
The brooch.
“My aunt.” A stab of pain lanced her heart as she thought of her aunt and uncle. “Evelyn. She gave it to me when I accepted Matthew’s marriage proposal. She said it was something O’Rourke women wore on their wedding day.” Her eyes brimmed with tears at the memory. It felt as though it were a lifetime ago. Corralling her emotions, she swiped an errant tear. “I miss her. I miss them all.”
It was true.
“O’Malley is the only family you have left?”
She nodded. “Yes. He and I were always the closest, though. Ry is very protective, like a big brother. He used to threaten any boy who came within ten feet of me—it was awful. But I know he did it out of love.”
“To protect you,” Nioclas murmured.
