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“No,” he said, his voice rough. “No, I said that I have other obligations that keep me from being anything other than this.”

“A time traveler?”

“An O’Rourke Protector. It’s my destiny, Ellie.”

She smiled sadly at him. “It sounds lonely.”

“It is now.”

She glanced down, unsure what to say to that, and caught sight of his léine—red with amber plaid. “Nice skirt.”

“Same to you.”

“I saw that, once.”

He frowned. “My léine? You’re mistaken.”

She shook her head. “No. I went snooping one day at your house. I found that piece of cloth, and the shirt you’re wearing, and the sword, in the safe in your closet.”

“I must’ve left it unlocked. Careless of me.”

“Very. My fingers ached for days after I sliced them.”

He grasped her hands and turned them upwards, though it was too dark and long healed. “I’m sorry my weapon caused you pain. So you were in my bedroom, huh? Like what you saw?”

She laughed a little at his attempt at levity, but sobered as a hollowness filled her chest. “Colin, what’s a Protector?”

He gently dropped her hands and looked into the dark night, his profile silhouetted as his face turned contemplative.

“My purpose is to protect the time travelers in my family; I need to ensure the generations continue, to protect—” He halted, then shrugged.

“Well, suffice it to say that my life is dedicated to the protection and safety of the line. That’s the gist of it, anyway. ”

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, even saying it 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.

A moment passed as they both caught their breath.

“This…we can’t. I won’t do this to you.”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered. “There’s something between us, something powerful…”

He took another step back. “Forgive me, Ellie. I can’t do this.”

Ellie’s heart cracked a little at the distance, but the hurt made her bold. “Can’t? Or won’t?”

He shook his head, then beckoned for her to head down the stairs, but she crossed her arms and planted her feet.

“So everyone gets a happy life but you?”

He froze. “What?”

Ellie stood firm. “Your cousin Brianagh, she got her happily ever after. And your cousin Aidan—you set him and Emma up using that hire-me-a-publicity-manager stunt. She told me all about it. And then, of course, there are the countless couples who’ve come to Celtic Connections. You’ve helped them, too. Why not you?”

Colin slowly tucked an errant piece of hair behind her ear, leaving his hand on her jaw, and gave her a heartbreaking smile. “The Fates have a different tale for me.”

“Maybe it’s a fairy tale,” Ellie replied in a low voice, cursing the hope that crept into her tone.

Slowly, his hand fell from her jaw and his eyes locked on her mouth, and he shook his head. “No, Ellie. They aren’t that kind to me. But I’ll be damned sure they’re that kind to you.”

He turned away, and Ellie’s heart, which she was certain hadn’t yet fully mended from his last rejection, broke all over again.