Page 83 of Once upon a Summer Night

Ellie nodded, though she didn’t understand, not really. “But why do you need to protect them? What’ll happen if you don’t?”

Colin grimaced. “I suspect that only Reilly has the answer to that. And, truth be told, I’d rather not find out firsthand. Reilly is the man in charge; he reports directly to the Fates and has the ultimate ability to travel through time at his choosing.”

“It’s a difficult tale to believe.” She faced the sea again, wishing she could see it. “Looking around, though, I suppose I could believe it. I can feel the stones, taste the food, and see the people. Look, over there you can see men lighting torches around the door to the castle. And just on the other side of this turret is a bunch of warriors, arrows and swords ready for an attack. But…”

“It’s surreal,” Colin supplied. “I know. It happens to me each time I land in a new year. If I think too hard on it, I give myself a headache.”

“So this happens to you often? Time traveling?”

Hell, evensayingit made her feel foolish.

“Often enough,” he replied. “I come back to Bri most frequently, as this is the most dangerous time for our family. So many things can go wrong. Kidnapping, death by sickness, battles that hit too close to home…Nick is a formidable foe, but he is the best of allies. He’s also more powerful than any other leader of his time. He commands men from many clans in battle and in peace. He determines whether people live or die…and his only daughter has been a target since she was born. She will bear the next generation of time travelers.”

“How many times have you saved her?”

“Nine.”

Ellie contemplated this for a few moments. “Who gave you this…profession?”

He laughed humorlessly. “I was born with the ability. Reilly’s the one who trained me. But it’s the Fates that determine my life. They decide where I need to be, when I need to be there, and for how long.”

“Always to protect your family?”

“Yes. Some branch or another. It’s what I’ll do until the day I die.”

“This isn’t Reilly’s training academy?”

Colin slid her a look. “I’d love it to be. But no.”

Ellie chewed her lip. “Reenactment actors?”

“Negative.”

“A really crazy dream?”

“Some might call it a nightmare,” he said, almost under his breath.

She stepped closer to him as the breeze raised gooseflesh on her arms. “Is it still summer?”

Colin pulled her against him, his warmth seeping into her, and turned her away from the breeze so that she was bracketed between him and the center wall of the parapet. “Yes. But you know how Irish summers are.”

“Especially nights by the ocean,” she confirmed, leaning into him a little more. She bit her lip, unsure what to say next.

“I’m sorry, Ellie.”

She searched his face in the pale moonlight. “For what?”

His mouth was inches from hers. “For all of it. You, getting dragged into this part of my world.”

She gazed into his fathomless eyes. “There’s more to you than you let on, that’s for certain.”

“And I’m sorry you have to see it. I wish I could undo this. All of this.”

“All of this?” she whispered.

He nodded, and the pain etched into his features was more than she could take. She reached up and pulled his lips to hers, first gently, then more insistently. She moaned softly, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue between her lips. She eagerly accepted him, all rational thought abandoned. She clutched his linen tunic, fisting her hands into the soft material, and kissed him, pouring herself into the contact, craving more…

He pulled away, leaving Ellie a little more than off-balance, and smoothly caught her as she tripped forward.

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