Page 20 of The Merman’s Betrothal (Outcast Hearts #2)

A fter seeing the leatherback into safe hands at the palace, Fionn was finally free to acknowledge the giddy feeling in his stomach.

Something strange had happened to him after witnessing the eruption of Rory’s bottled-up passion for ocean life.

Stranger even than the vibration of his soul when their bond ignited.

In a way, Fionn’s first connection to Rory in the club had felt like it was happening to somebody else.

Like Fionn was watching their first kiss from afar, unable to prevent his body from answering the call.

This, though, was an extremely internal sensation.

As though a shoal of seahorses had taken up residence inside him and were fluttering about behind his ribs.

It had begun, on a small scale, when Fionn watched how compassionate Rory became next to the stricken leatherback.

His tenderness in cutting away her plastic shackles sent warm tremors down Fionn’s spine.

And then the feeling had burst into a flurry inside his chest when Rory revealed his anger.

His righteous, honourable anger that made Fionn question why he didn’t know more about the problems that had inspired such ardour in this otherwise grumpy human.

He found himself wanting to provide Rory with answers.

He’d even… by the Deep Gods, Fionn had even suggested that they might leave the Minch together. The thought had never seriously crossed his mind before.

He needed to tell Neacel all of this at once. The young Minchman had invited Fionn to his home previously and Fionn easily remembered the way. Neacel’s underwater cave was tucked into the base of a small nearby island.

Strands of kelp growing from the seabed formed an inverted curtain across the wide entrance. Fionn paused briefly and hollered through it. ‘ Neacel! Are you home? ’

The response seemed startled. ‘ Your Highness? ’

Fionn took that as permission and swam inside. He came upon Neacel hurriedly shoving something into a storage alcove. His kilt was lopsided, like he hadn’t quite put it on properly.

‘ You need to tighten your kilt, ’ Fionn told him helpfully.

Neacel’s cheeks flushed as he rearranged it. ‘ How can I help you, Your Highness? ’

‘ Again, I would prefer you call me Fionn. ’

‘ I apologise for the habit. Has something happened? You look… exuberant? ’

‘ Do I? ’ Fionn hadn’t considered what his face might be giving away for him. ‘ I suppose I am. It has been an eventful day. ’

‘ Aha. Would you like to tell me over some supper? Here, let’s have some more light.

’ Neacel placed his palm on a glass orb that was mounted on the rock wall.

The heat of his touch stirred the tiny organisms inside, provoking them to glow.

They illuminated the chamber in a soft greenish light.

It reflected off a metal chain floating around Neacel’s neck.

‘ That’s a pretty thing, ’ Fionn remarked. ‘ I like the pink gem on it. ’

The colour drained from Neacel’s face. ‘ It’s. Um. A necklace. ’

‘ I’ve never seen one like that. ’

Neacel lifted it off over his head. ‘ It’s a human one, ’ he mumbled, slipping the wispy silver trinket into a pouch at his waist.

‘ I see. Well, guess what happened today with Rory? ’

Neacel blinked rapidly, evidently caught off by this change of subject, though Fionn couldn’t see why. He knew why Fionn was visiting, didn’t he?

‘ I’m sure I couldn’t guess at all. Please tell me. ’

With great enthusiasm and in considerable detail, Fionn launched into his account of the day’s adventure.

Neacel’s expression first opened in surprise at Rory’s willingness to travel in the water, then fell at Fionn’s description of the leatherback’s condition, and then seemed to turn inward, his serious eyes conveying sage understanding alongside a sly twist to his smile.

‘ It sounds like you are quite sweet on him, Your Hi— Fionn. ’

‘ He was impressive, Neacel. A natural in the currents. And so strong on land, and yet also so tender. You should have seen the way he looked at her. And the way he spoke! The passion in his voice… ’ Fionn’s DeepSong was so lively that it spun the water into little vortexes around him as he spoke.

While he continued singing Rory’s praises, Neacel placed a cooking pot over the heat vent in the cave floor. He dropped in a handful of mussels and secured the lid to let them them boil.

‘ It seems you are making progress, ’ Neacel said once Fionn had gone quiet. The wry tilt to his mouth dared to suggest he might be referring to more than just Fionn’s bond with Rory. ‘ It is good to see that you are developing a true connection. ’

The word choice struck Fionn as strange. ‘ Why do you say ‘true’ as though it were not already so? What could be more true than a soul bond chosen by fate? ’

‘ A good question. I suppose I meant that you seem to have warmed towards him considerably. It’s rather romantic. ’ Neacel gave a heartfelt sigh. ‘ I long for the kind of infatuation you describe. Perhaps one day someone will speak so fondly of me. ’

‘ You think I’m infatuated? ’ Fionn said doubtfully. Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure what that was supposed to feel like. Nor had he even really considered anything about how he ought to feel for his soul mate beyond a general physical attraction.

This thought stirred an unfamiliar sense of yearning in him.

How briefly Rory had been in his arms. How thrilling it had been to hold him so close. How the experience had left him with a strange emptiness that he wished to fill.

Fionn shook it away. These feelings seemed like a distraction. He felt he was failing in his mission. If he couldn’t persuade Rory to join him soon, all his hopes for a better fate would be futile.

‘ Despite everything, he still rejects me. Even when I thought we understood one another, he keeps his distance. ’ Fionn swam an agitated loop across the chamber while Neacel retrieved the cooked mussels with a bronze ladle.

‘ You just need to give it more time. ’

‘ I do not have time! ’

‘ I understand. But, with respect, I think you are too used to mastering things quickly. ’ Neacel passed Fionn a mussel and caught the rest inside a basket so they didn’t float away.

‘ If you break a spear while you are practicing with it, you can simply pick up another. The same cannot be said of people. ’

What was that supposed to mean?

‘ I’ve spent years honing my skills with the spear, ’ Fionn argued back. ‘ I would not be so clumsy as to break one! ’

Neacel pursed his lips in a way that indicated Fionn had missed the point. ‘ I do not disagree. But a person is not a weapon to be mastered.’ He pointed his ladle at Fionn. ‘ You cannot win him over through sheer willpower alone. ’

‘ I should not have to win him at all! Did the fates not choose us as a perfect match? ’ Fionn clung to his hazy idea of what a fated bond should look like, echoing Neacel’s previous awe for it and conveniently forgetting all the trials confronted by Nechtan and Bridei in their legendary romance.

‘ I don’t know about perfect. ’ Neacel raised his eyebrows. ‘ But I suspect that any love worth having is one that is worth fighting for. ’

‘ As if you would know, ’ Fionn scoffed. ‘ What experience do you have in matters of the heart? ’

Oh, no. He’d said something callous without thinking. Neacel looked as though he’d been slapped.

Fionn guiltily remembered his promise to introduce Neacel to Seòras, and how he’d thought it cruel of Iomhar to even let this diminutive Minchman entertain the idea of courting someone so formidable.

By Bluefolk standards, Neacel had drawn all the short straws for outward appeal.

He was too small, too lithe, not enough muscle.

And according to his tattoos he hadn’t made up for this shortfall with the usual past-times of brawling, hunting, or physical games that others turned to.

All this added up to a Minchman with few mating prospects.

‘ I shall prepare more food, ’ Neacel said abruptly. He swam past Fionn and disappeared into the rear chamber.

Fionn stared glumly at the uneaten mussel still in his hand. Regardless of whether he won or lost Rory, he hoped he would still have a friend at the end of all this.

But surely Neacel could understand the urgency of his situation? Fionn couldn’t simply wait around for Rory to make up his mind. There had to be a way to make things go faster.

The soul bond tugged restlessly in his chest, adding to his agitation. Fionn stared at the wall and considered his next move.