The Lord and the Mermaid: Wildecoast Saga Book 1 by Bernadette Rowley

Author:Bernadette Rowley [Rowley, Bernadette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781760300746
Publisher: Momentum
Published: 2015-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Meri sat huddled in the bow of the skiff, her changing lower half hidden by the blanket. Her mind buzzed with the events of the afternoon and she still found it difficult to believe that Nikolas had chosen her over his dead brother. Perhaps he was not as furious with her as he wanted her to believe, or perhaps he just could not leave anyone to the mercy of her family. At least he had seen the extent of the fate she faced if she stayed with them. Meri shuddered at the thought.

She allowed herself to dream of a future with Nikolas for just a few moments. He would protect and cherish her and perhaps give her children to love. As long as there were no daughters conceived, all would be well. The bargain he had made struck fear into her heart. Of course Nikolas did not yet know that a daughter for them was eminently possible, but he soon would. Meri would have to tell him before he observed the changes himself. Soon, she would tell him soon. Perhaps tomorrow. After his unpredictable behavior today, she couldn’t imagine what his reaction would be. He would certainly be angry, but when she explained that it was his love that had wrought the changes, perhaps he would have a different perspective.

The wind slowly dropped off and Nikolas furled the sails and pulled the food bag from under his seat. He handed Meri the watered-down wine and she drank long and deeply. A pity it was not full strength. She could certainly use something stronger.

Nikolas offered her bread but she shook her head. “I am not hungry.”

“You must keep up your strength.”

“I am fine, Nikolas. I will break my fast on fresh fish in the morning. Do not concern yourself.”

“But I do concern myself with you, and that’s the mystery, Merielle,” Nikolas said, frustration oozing from every part of him. “Since that first day I found you on the beach, I’ve been concerning myself with you and I don’t seem to be able to stop it.”

Meri hid the smile that tugged at her lips, grateful for the fading light. “I am truly grateful that you chose me over bringing Jon home, Nikolas. I know how important finding him was.”

“Important, yes, but I found him and satisfied myself that it was indeed his body. I spent time with my brother, and hope he is now in the halls of the dead with our parents. Bringing him back was only a small part of that. I couldn’t allow those creatures to take you, not when I know how much that would hurt you.”

Meri smiled. “Always the honorable man, Nikolas.”

He snorted. “It has nothing to do with honor! You might have lied to me, but you don’t deserve to be tortured. Your family are cruel in the extreme. Whatever has passed between us, I couldn’t sentence you to that.”

“What is between us, Nikolas?”

“Before I learned of Jon, I believed we were becoming close.”

“And now?”

“Now, I don’t think I can trust you, but I can’t see my life without you in it.

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