Page 17 of The Merman’s Betrothal (Outcast Hearts #2)

R eluctantly, Rory began to get used to Fionn showing up while he was at work.

The merman had an uncanny knack for knowing which line of creels he was heading out to lay or haul in on any given day, and liked to pop out of the water just as Rory was slowing the Star into position.

The blue menace contented himself with watching from the water. Perhaps after Rory’s furious outburst he’d had second thoughts about this whole soul mate business and was starting to back off.

Yet he still appeared every day that week, and often attempted to engage Rory in conversation.

Fionn asked polite questions Rory was sure he either already knew the answer to or had no real interest in—what is that equipment called, how many creels do you put down at once, do you prefer lobsters or spider crabs?

Rory told himself that he tolerated it because Fionn brought Acha along with him. It was always a pleasure to see a seal up close, and this one was especially playful. And Fionn, with her, became playful too.

Rory caught himself stalling more than once in his work, distracted by the grey seal and her blue friend diving in and out of the water or throwing sticks for each other to catch.

‘Don’t you have a job?’ he remarked on one drizzly afternoon. Hunched inside his raincoat, Rory felt warmer than usual—but he wouldn’t admit it was because of the company.

The rain didn’t seem to bother the pair at all. Fionn pulled Acha to a stop and called up to Rory. ‘What do you mean, a job?’

‘Shouldn’t you be running your kingdom, or whatever?’ There was a smirk in Rory’s voice and he knew it. The pair looked ridiculous together, frolicking in the waves.

Acha rolled onto her back and playfully nipped at Fionn’s arm. Fionn, apparently offended by Rory’s comment, ignored her in favour of attempting to make himself look serious. ‘My father runs our kingdom, but that doesn’t mean I have not also got many important duties to carry out.’

‘Like what?’

Fionn’s cerulean cheeks caught a tinge of navy. ‘I… help protect our people from threats.’

‘Like humans?’

‘Indeed.’

Rory busied himself with spooling a loose rope. ‘Well, if we’re such a threat, why don’t you get your kingdom to wage war on us, then? Might be a good incentive for humans to stop fucking up the ocean if a whole army of mer-monsters marched out of it.’

From the corner of his eye, he saw Fionn crack a smile. ‘I like your thinking. But, as I am always being told, the uncertain complexity of diplomacy is more valuable than the certain chaos of war.’

‘Sounds nebulous.’

The merman chuckled. ‘One of Iomhar’s sayings. I find they are often meaningless if one digs too deep into them.’

Rory threw a spider crab out to Acha. She caught it with a happy snap just before it landed in the water.

‘Is Iomhar the one who helped you try to kidnap me that night?’

‘No, that was Neacel, who is a forager. Iomhar is a great warrior. He taught me well in combat.’

Rory found himself getting interested, despite his efforts not to be. He’d spent too many sleepless nights wondering about Fionn’s life under the waves. ‘So, he’s a soldier? You’ve got a whole army down there?’

‘Not an army. Again, you seem to think immediately of war.’

Rory rolled his eyes. ‘Sorry, my human is showing.’

To his surprise, Fionn barked out a laugh. The merman quickly reined it in with a tight frown. ‘Apologies, I don’t wish to cause offence.’

‘None taken.’ Fully ensnared by curiosity now, Rory leaned over the railing. ‘What do you need warriors for, then?’

‘To protect us against the monsters of the deep.’ Fionn tipped his chin up, shoulders straight as a rod.

If pride could be visible to the naked eye, Fionn would be utterly drenched in it.

Rory thought this a little too keenly while staring at the sea spray glistening on Fionn’s skin. And then the words sank in.

‘Monsters?’ he asked sharply. ‘What the hell do you mean, monsters?’

‘Sea serpents, kraken. Giant and ancient beasts beyond your comprehension.’ Familiar lofty arrogance re-entered Fionn’s voice.

It was like he couldn’t help himself from being condescending while boasting about his knowledge.

‘We have patrolled these seas for centuries. Made them safer, to your benefit, and without your thanks. And then there are the threats from beyond the veil, from the fae realm and—’

‘I get it,’ Rory interrupted flatly. ‘I don’t want to know.’

‘My point is that humans owe us a great deal for—’

‘I said I get it,’ Rory cut in, suddenly bristling all over. For a minute or two he’d felt like they were actually getting along. And then the prick had to pull out his swagger and ruin everything and—fuck.

Rory was lying to himself. Because the thought of that blue bastard fighting off some fanged or tentacled monster in the middle of the ocean actually made him hard as hell.

Fionn the fucking warrior merman. With his spear and his proud chin and those thick thighs that Rory rarely glimpsed from the water but which he was certain could crush the skull of any sea serpent dumb enough to get between them. Jesus Christ, to get between them.

It was becoming a lot harder for Rory to think up excuses for his increasingly lewd daydreams. At some point, he was daunted to admit, he might have to recognise that he was actually attracted to the bugger.

During their conversation, Acha had disappeared underwater. She re-surfaced now with a loud, shrieking bark to get Fionn’s attention.

The merman shot to her side. ‘What is wrong, Acha?’

She keened again and Fionn tilted his head to listen.

‘Do you understand her?’ Rory stared at them both with intrigue and concern. Acha sounded like she was in pain.

‘Not as language,’ Fionn replied distractedly, still intent on Acha’s strange noises. ‘More like feeling. She has heard something from the other seals. There is a creature trapped somewhere nearby. I must go.’

‘Wait!’ Rory threw out his hand as though he could stop Fionn from diving. To his amazement, the merman stopped and turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. ‘I… Can I help?’

For a split-second Rory thought he saw a glimmer of delight cross Fionn’s face. It was hastily replaced by an imperious frown. ‘If you can keep up.’

Fionn began to swim west towards Lewis and Harris, the largest landmass of the Outer Hebrides.

Rory ran to the helm and pushed the Star’s little engine up to speed.

It was difficult to keep Fionn in view in front of him—his skin blended so well with the water—but Acha helped keep him on track by regularly cresting the waves, with her bright fur shining even in the rain.

After around thirty minutes of this Rory guessed they were indeed heading for the far coastline, which was still a long way off. Even going at the Star’s top speed of around twenty knots (and he rarely pushed her past ten) the cliffs were at least an hour away.

He knew this was a problem when he heard the thump of Fionn’s feet hitting the deck. How the merman had managed to grapple his way onto the speeding boat, he didn’t want to contemplate.

‘Can this vessel not go any faster?’ Fionn demanded behind him.

Rory’s skin prickled. Irritation or exhilaration? ‘Not if I still want her seaworthy tomorrow, she won’t.’

Fionn’s hand landed gently on his shoulder. ‘I am sorry, Rory. I must continue alone. It sounds like a creature in great pain. Every second may count.’

You are slowing us down, were the unspoken words Rory heard loud and clear.

‘I get it,’ he muttered and reduced the throttle. The Star juddered as he kicked it into reverse gear to start decelerating. No point continuing to waste fuel.

But, damn, he’d been excited to do something worthwhile for a second there.

Fionn lingered. The warmth of his hand burned through Rory’s coat—a ridiculous sensation, because the material was thick and designed to keep out the worst of the wind and rain, so surely it was just Rory’s imagination.

In a low voice that made the hairs tingle on the back of Rory’s neck, Fionn murmured, ‘There might be another way.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘How long can you hold your breath?’

Rory gulped. He stared out at the grey rain pattering over the waves. Was Fionn suggesting he go for a swim?

‘About a minute,’ he replied weakly. ‘Maybe.’

Fionn turned Rory to face him. ‘I can get us there fast. Less than a minute. Through the water. It shall be very cold and you must hold your breath. But I am not asking you to.’ The merman paused, and Rory had the strangest feeling of waves rushing through his chest again.

‘I sense that you want to, so I will bring you with me if you ask.’

Rory’s whole mind glazed over. Did he want to be involved in this that badly? Was he going to risk his own life in the hands of a merman just to rescue some unknown, injured sea creature?

Of course, he knew the answer before he’d finished the thought. The photo of the Great Barrier Reef swung on the edge of his peripheral vision. The place he really wanted to be. The work he really wanted to do. If not now, when?

He stripped off his coat and his waterproof over-trousers, then his boots. ‘They’ll just add drag,’ he said to answer Fionn’s confused stare. He kept his first layer of clothes on.

Inside, Rory felt drunk. What was this madness he was agreeing to? Why did it feel like he was about to step over the horizon he constantly longed to touch?

Fionn had done something to him. Not just the weird stuff like the kisses and the hot flushes and the burgeoning sense that his inner world was tilting. More than that. Meeting Fionn had woken a buried part of him up.

Rory straightened his shoulders and crossed his arms. ‘What next?’

A smile tipped the edge of Fionn’s mouth. ‘I shall hold onto you. Be assured, I will not let you go.’