Page 84 of The Winter Laird

An hour or so after she laid down, she felt the ground tremble. Sitting up quickly, Bri realized it wasn’t an earthquake—it was hooves. And the riders were getting closer, fast.

Burke was on his feet with lightning speed. His three guards stood at attention, waiting for the riders to burst through the copse of trees. Brianagh was pulled behind Burke, placed between him and the opening of the structure.

“Do not open that without me,” he snarled. “If you do, I will go to the Maguire clan next and take care of your friend. And I’ll erase her new clan too.” His eyes held the promise of a determined madman.

“Burke.” Nioclas walked out of the forest, and Brianagh’s heart flipped in her chest.

He had come for her.

The horses they’d heard were nowhere to be seen, but Burke didn’t seem to notice. “I see Kildare didn’t finish you,” he said, his voice flat. “What a waste. At least I got what I came for, though…and, because you can’t see her where she stands—” He pulled her in front of him and placed a wicked-looking dagger at her throat. “—she’s right here. Safe as can be…unless you walk closer.”

“Release her,” Nioclas growled. “She can’t do what you think she can.”

“She’s already admitted it to me,” Burke snapped. “If I die, she dies with me, and it’s my understanding that your line dies out when she does, so truly…if you kill me, you accomplish what I want, anyway.”

“I thought you wanted your power and your clan back,” Nioclas challenged.

“I want your death more,” Burke replied, hatred and hysteria lacing his words. “Tell whatever other men you brought with you to stand back, or I’ll kill her right now.” He tightened his grip on the dagger. “I have very little to lose, lad.”

Nioclas put his hands up. “My men will not move unless I give them leave to do so.”

“Well-trained pups, are they?” Burke sneered. “All the more foolish for you.”

“Perhaps,” Nioclas agreed. Brianagh couldn’t see his eyes—he was too far away—but she never took her eyes off him. If she had to have a last look, she wanted her final vision to be of her love, ready to defend her in the predawn mist.

A movement to their right distracted Burke. Using all she’d learned at her self-defense class, she kicked backward and up as hard as she could, pushing his arm away from her neck. She twisted out of his grasp, then gasped as she saw Aidan, like an avenging angel, standing over them. He grabbed her by her wrists and yanked her behind him, then staggered back as the dagger that was at her throat not a moment before landed in his right shoulder.

Nioclas rushed in, calling out for his men, and suddenly there were men everywhere. Brianagh clutched at Aidan, screaming his name. There was so much blood, and she needed to staunch it. She was grabbed by the shoulders, but she shook off whoever it was as she tried to pull Aidan away from the battle.

A pair of arms went around Aidan’s waist, and Brianagh glanced up into Colin’s eyes.

“Hands on rock,” he said urgently. She placed both hands on the rock, and Colin, in the same voice she’d heard only once before in her life, said, “Le cumhacht na bhFáithe, ordaím duit oscailt don mháthair.”

“With the power of the Fates, I command you to open to the Mother.”

The rock widened and she stumbled inside, Colin following her as he dragged Aidan in with them. The wall closed immediately, and she felt her way along the wall to the small passageway.

“Colin, how d-did y-you…” she stuttered. “This is Aidan. We need to stop the bleeding! And we need to get to Nioclas! He’s outside, we have to let him in!”

Colin placed a hand on her arm. “Slow down, Bri. Your friend here has passed out. And sunrise is just about here.” He carefully worked the dagger free and laid it on the ground. Ripping his shirt into pieces, he quickly made a tourniquet. “We can’t see the light from this side, but it still works the same,” Colin explained in a rush. “Lie against your friend and hold onto him. I’ll hold onto you, and we’ll make it back. James is there and he will help.”

“But Nioclas…”

“This is all I’m allowed to do,” Colin implored. “Hold onto him!”

Bri laid against Aidan’s chest, wrapping her arms around him, ignoring the pain in her wrists and arm. Without warning, the world around her exploded into shards of light, and her only coherent thought was,Please let them live.

Chapter 25

“He doesn’t look so good.”

Colin’s voice floated to her as if he were very far away. Slowly, Brianagh came to. She was lying down on someone, her face skyward. Arms were around her. She struggled to sit up but couldn’t move her limbs very well. Whoever was holding her helped her into an upright position, then steadied her as she clutched her spinning head. Blinking in the light, Brianagh dimly realized she was sitting with Colin on the ground.

“Col?”

“Go slow, Bri. James and Reilly are stabilizing your friend so we can get a move on, before we get caught here,” Colin said, steadying her.

“I’m bleeding,” she said numbly, looking at her dress. “A lot.”

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