Page 32 of Duncan

“Hello, Your Majesty. My name is Nicole Fairburn.” She had never seen a more impressive man, even if he did have gills and webbed appendages. “Do you know who killed this woman?”

“I only just now tasted her blood in the water.” He came ashore, climbing out before he went down on one knee and lifted the edge of Shaw’s tunic. “Och, the poor thing. Likely a village lass.” He carefully covered the corpse again. “Forgive me for no’ attending you since your arrival. I have been much occupied of late.”

His polite excuse almost made her smile.

“I know why you’re avoiding me, King Merrick. Lady Valerie explained the reason I should also stay away from you and your people.” He was frowning and staring at her as if he recognized her, Nicole noticed. “Do you want me to leave?”

“Why should I send away such a beauty?” He added a smile to the outrageous flattery as he sat down on the bank. “Truly, I dinnae wish you go. I could gaze upon you for the rest of the day.”

She thought of the pine martens. “That’s probably due to my effect on you and your people, not my beauty.”

“I love another, so I reckon I may resist your charms.” His expression grew more serious. “I am told you wish leave Caladh for the mainland so you may use the druids’ portal. You ken I must remove your memories of the island before we take you there.”

“Yes, Valerie explained the procedure.” She saw a brown crab emerge from the water’s edge and start crawling toward the remains, and picked up a stick of driftwood to prod and discourage it. “I’d like to keep my memories of my time, if that’s possible. I need to go to the authorities about the attempt on my life that brought me here. I won’t tell them anything about you, the MacMar or the island.”

“I shall attempt preserve such remembrances, but ’tis an imperfect method.” He reached over and tapped the crab on the back of its shell, making it scurry back into the water. “If you return to your future, you shall prove the first lady come from there who made such a choice. Dinnae you much like Duncan MacMar, then?”

She stiffened. “The healer is a fine man, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know the clan. It’s just that my dad is in terrible danger.” She told him about Hudson’s attack on her, and added, “I’m afraid my brother will do the same thing to him.”

“I understand your worry. Rebels murdered my sire, and my blood-kin wished steal rule from me. All for a throne I never once desired.” Merrick’s expression grew stern as he looked out at the sea. “I shall do what I can so you may return and save your sire, lass.”

She nodded, glad that he understood although sorry she’d reminded him of his own tragedies. “Thank you, Your Majesty, and I’m so sorry about what I did to your courier.”

“Say naught of such.” Merrick reached out and touched her hand. “The only happiness I ken of late, ’tis proving of service.”

Nicole pulled away, but not in time to stop the transference. It pushed the air out of her lungs, and when she took another breath it burned in her throat. Her heart throbbed deeply and painfully under her breast, pulsing between slow, aching jolts. When she looked at the astonished king, tears filled her eyes.

“You should tell someone how much you’re suffering,” she whispered.

Merrick’s eyes narrowed. “You look as I do when I think on Meg, my one true love. She shallnae agree to wed me or permit me transform her, for she hates the sea. I should tell everyone of her and my broken heart, aye?”

“So you shall, you eejit.” Duncan came down the bank and scooped her up into his arms. “Go and whinge at Connal.” Without waiting for a reply from the king he carried her up to the trail and started striding toward the castle.

Nicole wondered why he looked so angry. “He didn’t know what would happen, Duncan. Besides, it’s not like an injury. I think this time I just absorbed his emotions–”

“Aye, you did. Merrick suffers from a broken heart, and so he shall for the remainder of his days.” He stopped and glared down at her. “Such pain, ’tis often fatal for mortals, you stupit wench.”

“Why are you yelling at me and calling me names?” Nicole countered. “He knew about my power over his kind. He reached out to me before I could stop him.”

Duncan took in a deep breath, looked up at the sky, and then started walking again. He carried her through the gates, past some astonished-looking vassals and up to the infirmary, where he unceremoniously dropped her onto his pallet.

“Dinnae,” he told her as she tried to sit up. “The full force of Merrick’s heartbreak, ’tisnae yet come over you.”

“It’s just sadness, Healer. I can certainly… ” Her voice died in her throat as a huge darkness seemed to billow up inside her. It made sobs spill from her lips and tears stream down her face. When she tried to breathe, her chest hurt so much she couldn’t get any air into her lungs.

“I have you, lass, and I shall heal you.” Duncan quickly stretched out beside her, and pulled her into his arms. “Dinnae resist.”

“No one should go through this,” Nicole said, sobbing the words. “The king must have been in horrible pain. I can hardly stand it.”

“’Tis suffering of the worst kind, for ’tis the same for them both.” He stroked her back as she wept against his chest. “Merrick’s loved a lass he can never wed, nor change. He cannae dwell on land, and she despises the sea. The lass, ’tis feared by his kind as a jinx, and she cannae forget her sisters who drowned. Yet they’ve a passion for each other that near sets fire to the air whenever they meet.”

Nicole knuckled away her tears before she lifted her head and met his gaze. “They’re like you and me.”

“I reckon.” He stroked his thumb across her cheek. “At least I may touch you now and again.”

For a moment Nicole thought she would kiss him, and pressed her lips together until the reckless impulse passed.

“I never realized that heartbreak could do so much damage to someone. No wonder my dad’s still such a mess.” She saw how he was frowning and added, “My mother left us when I was little, and he’s always been overprotective of me. I’m glad he didn’t want me to suffer the way he did.”