Page 69 of Once upon a Summer Night

“Sorry, mate, but we don’t do photo ops,” Reilly snarled.

Colin picked up the camera. “If you want this back, you’ll tell me why you’re out here.”

The man, terrified, darted his gaze between the two men. “I just wanted a picture, lads!”

“Do we look like lads to you?” Reilly pressed him a little harder into the tree, and the man shook his head quickly, realizing that he had just angered three very large, heavily armed men.

Colin pressed a couple of buttons on the camera and, using the directions on the small screen, scrolled through the last few images. His fury grew with each shot of the surprised, then horrified, women.

“You chased them,” Colin snapped, deleting the pictures. “You chased two defenseless women into the forest, just to get a damn picture? How the hell do you sleep at night, you worthless—”

“Which way did they go?” Reilly interrupted. The man, shaking and red faced, pointed to his left, and Reilly dropped him, hard, to the ground. “If I ever see you on this land again, you will absolutely wish you’d chosen a different career path.”

Meanwhile, James had fully deleted the images, crushed the memory card against a nearby stump, and threw the camera against a tree. The camera broke into several pieces. The photographer was smart enough not to say a word, though his eyes looked ready to pop out of his face.

They didn’t bother to look back, but instead began to track the women. Broken twigs and branches, flattened bushes,even a few footprints from the women’s sneakers—all signs led them on to a sudden, unnatural space between four trees. Between each tree lay a log, creating a near-perfect square in the center of the forest.

Hail littered the ground, as did multiple sneaker tracks.

Colin groaned and dropped his satchel, then leaned against one of the trees. “Damn it! How are we going to find them?”

Deep in thought, Reilly didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, he paced the perimeter, his eyes searching for something. His head snapped up, and he strode to Colin.

“Your promise.”

Colin blinked. “What?”

Reilly rustled in Colin’s bag and pulled out the red and gold cloth. “Put your léine on, O’Rourke, and tell me if this doesn’t makes sense. You made a promise to keep Eleanor safe. You, as her Protector and soul mate, gave the promise without any restrictions or selfish motives. Correct?”

As he wrapped the complicated folds of the léine, Colin’s muffled, outraged reply was unintelligible.

James cut in calmly, “Yes, yes, we know she’s not your mate. You’ve been vocal enough about it.”

Reilly held Colin’s sword as he tied the knots in the léine. “Whether you like it or not, you’re connected to her more than any other person. If she is indeed your mate, you’ll be able to get to her.”

Colin’s shoulders tensed. “Let’s get going. So much for sleeping in my own bed tonight.”

Reilly paused and closed his eyes for a moment, holding up his hand for silence. “Did you try to leave?”

Colin frowned. “I’m supposed to be flying out tonight.”

Reilly blew out an aggravated breath. “I tried to tell you, O’Rourke. If you weren’t connected, you’d be able to travel freely and leave her sidewithout repercussions. Yet here we stand.”

“You were already going back, though,” Colin pointed out. “Where, or when, do you think they’ve gone?”

Reilly shrugged. “You lead the way, cousin. I’ll follow you wherever the Fates take you, but I can’t promise I’ll stay, as my first duty this time is to Claire.”

“I don’t know where to direct my travel,” Colin replied tersely. He’d traveled without Reilly before, but always with a destination in mind, and always at sunset via Dowth, the monolithic structure not far from Reilly’s cottage. The sky around them was darkened to well past sunset.

Reilly raised his brow, and Colin laughed humorlessly. “I thought that was reserved for you.”

Reilly adjusted his sword and leveled a look at Colin. “I can use it freely, aye. But for all of the Protectors, it’s reserved for times of great need.” He paused. “Need such as your soul mate being lost somewhere in time.” He held Colin’s surprised stare. “Do it, O’Rourke. I’ll ensure James and I follow.”

Colin’s chest constricted even further, and without another word, he held out his right hand, fingers splayed, and murmured a word long forgotten in a dead language.

And with that, they were gone.

The rain began in earnest,soaking the three souls standing in the poor shelter of a tree. Ellie and Gwen huddled together for warmth, and young Aidan merely waited, confident that someone would be along from the castle soon.

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