The Master and the Sorceress Page 21

  *

  Despite the softness of the bed beneath her, Meri slept soundly for some hours, but she awoke to a throbbing right shoulder. She sat up in the bed and tossed the blanket from her tail. It still gleamed in the faint light, a sure sign that she was well-hydrated. Nikolas stuck his head into the room and delicious seafood aromas floated in with him.

  She took a moment to admire what she could see of him. Golden tanned skin, unruly knotted blond locks that were now free to cascade down his back, piercing eyes that were neither green or blue, wide cheek bones with that wicked scar, and a strong square jaw. Nikolas was an individual of uncommon attractiveness. Where was the woman to share his home? And how did he come to be living in this shack on the cliffs when his whole bearing bespoke power and command. Had he fallen on hard times?

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  “I am ravenous, Nikolas.”

  “Good,” he said, entering the room fully so she could admire the rest of him. His arms reached towards her, snagging her body to his chest and conveying her from the room and back to the kitchen table. A bowl of steaming food lay before her. This time it teemed with pieces of fish, mussels, crabs and prawns, and strands of seaweed entwined the tasty morsels. There were no horrid lumps of orange or brown to be seen.

  Meri gazed at him in surprise. “This is not the same as the earlier repast, Nikolas. I do not see those …” She could not remember the word for the nasty things.

  “Vegetables,” he said.

  “Yes, that is the word I seek.”

  “You didn’t like them, so I cooked without them. I can’t promise I’ll always do so, but I can’t see you discard so much of your meal. You need your strength.”

  “It will not be your concern after this night.”

  “I’ve been giving that some thought.”

  Meri’s heart jumped at his words, but she pulled her sudden joy back under control. Wait. “Oh?” Yes, that was calm, controlled, dignified. She must step carefully with this man for no matter what she hoped to gain, it would not help to anger him.

  Nikolas frowned, as if expecting a different response. “Yes. I may have been somewhat hasty to suggest tossing you out after a night’s rest.” His gaze burned and under it, she became hot. “Your shoulder will be long healing and you might not survive if I were to return you to the sea. Strangely, I don’t wish to be responsible for your demise.”

  “I am hardly defenseless.” Too late, she realized that reminding him of the events earlier when she nearly killed him might not help her case.

  “You have defenses, yes, but they won’t help you swim and dive.” He paused as if to judge the effect of his words. “I’d like to offer you refuge until your shoulder is healed.”

  “Thank you, but are you certain you wish to do this?”

  “No. I’m almost certain I’ll live to regret taking you in, but equally, I can’t abide the thought of you adrift in the sea or falling prey to some hungry killer whale.”

  His words made real her situation, the fact that she had taken her first steps on the path away from her family, the ocean, everything she had ever known. The realities of the world Nikolas inhabited might be far more frightening than anything she had yet encountered.

  “I’ve upset you.” His gaze trapped hers again, not warm, not welcoming, and not trusting.

  Meri shivered. She could not tell Nikolas she had turned her back on the sea. One such as she simply could not do that, at least not in this form. He would ask more questions, and if he found out what she truly planned he would never trust her, never let down his guard. No, best just to accept his hospitality.

  “I thank you for extending your protection beyond the morrow, Nikolas.” She returned his gaze, distracted by the turquoise of his eyes. “You are right. I would be vulnerable were I to return to the sea, but I am equally vulnerable in your world. I do not think you realize how much care I will require. And then there is the need for secrecy.”

  “I receive few visitors here. As for your care, I think I can manage.”

  At his smirk, her heart quickened but Meri wrangled her errant feelings back under control. This man hated her, and the only reason he allowed her in his house was … Why would Nikolas agree to keep her underfoot? He said he could not abide the thought of her alone and vulnerable but that could not be the only reason. His hatred of her people was personal.

  “Why are you really helping me, Nikolas?” she asked. “How can you bring yourself to aid one of the mer people?”

  A small muscle twitched in his jaw and his shoulders tensed. “I don’t wish to talk about this.”

  “Tell me why you hate me.”

  Nikolas stood, and his chair fell over backwards. He tangled his hands in the locks of his hair, pulling them as if he wished to cause himself pain. Meri watched, trying to wrap herself in calm, wondering if he would reveal his torment.

  “Your people killed my brother,” he said finally.