Madly and Wolfhardt (18 page)

I felt as if, for just a second, Jackson let me in—really let me in—and I had no idea how much I wanted exactly that until I had it. 

But I did.  It felt so good, so right, I knew I wouldn’t rest until I could recapture it as many times as possible in the coming days.  I knew our time was limited and I had every intention of making the most of what was left.

“Sentinel Hamilton?”

A voice broke into our cozy cocoon.  Jackson and I both turned just in time to see the doctor approaching.  He wore the typical long white coat of medical professionals and, though I’d never seen him before, I could tell by the look on his swarthy face that he didn’t have good news.

He walked straight up to Jackson and stuck out his hand. 

“Lance Duffy.  Nice to meet you.  I’ve heard great things.”

I felt a swell of pride at his words, even though Jackson wasn’t mine to feel proud of.

Jackson pumped the doctor’s hand in three short bursts and nodded.

“Thank you.  This,” Jackson said, turning to me, “is Princess Madly James.  It’s important that she be kept in the loop with regards to anything pertaining to the Lore.”

Doctor Duffy bowed his head in my direction.

“Princess.”

I nodded in return and when he raised his head, I asked, “So what can you tell us about Aidan Saint’s condition?”

“Unfortunately, Princess, there is no precedent through which we might glean any useful information, but I can see no reason why the infected saliva would not affect a Mer as it would a human.  Our physiology is very similar and the curse is supernatural.  I think it would be safest to operate under the assumption that Mer are susceptible to transferrable Lore curses, just as humans are.  Of course, certainty will come with time, but I think it’s important to take the necessary precautions, just in case.”

“Precautions?  What precautions?” I asked.

CHAPTER TEN

Dr. Duffy glanced at Jackson before answering my questions.

“Mr. Saint will need to be monitored until such time as his reaction to the saliva can be determined.”

“Monitored?”

“Yes.”

“Is that your way of saying that Aidan will have to be, like, quarantined?”

“I think ‘quarantined’ is a strong word.  I prefer to think of it as simply keeping a close eye on him for a few days, especially until the full moon has passed.”

“But that’s tomorrow.  You think if he’s not showing any signs of…infection by then, that he won’t?”

“I think that would be a very good indication that he might be in the clear.”

“Is there no blood test or anything you can do to check him out?”

Dr. Duffy shook his head.

“We’re doing all that we can.  We’re flying blind here, Princess.  Again, a calamity like this is unprecedented in Mer culture, in Mer
history. 
We’re all doing the best we can.”

I bit my lip to keep my sigh of frustration quietly contained within my mouth.

“I know, Doctor.  And I appreciate everything that’s being done to return Atlas to rights and the Lore to captivity.”

“That is the one benefit of this breakdown in communication: at least the Saint family won’t have to suffer, too.  The waiting and anxiety would be nearly unbearable.  We should have concrete answers by the time Atlas is restored to rightful power.  I suspect that this lockdown will prevent the royals from having to make some tough decisions.”

Tough decisions?
  I thought.  Like what?  Surely he didn’t think they would order something be done to contain Aidan if he was infected.  Surely not.

As I considered this, the doctor’s words began to cause me some confusion.  Lance Duffy’s black hair and his station on land proclaimed him something less than royalty, but his knowledge of Lore and the decision-making paradigm of royalty suggested something else entirely.

“And how have you become familiar with the plight of the royals?”

Dr. Duffy straightened his spine, rising to his full height, which put him just a tad taller than me.

“I might not appear to have royal blood, Princess, but I assure you, it’s there.”

I felt immediately contrite for my crass question.

“I’m so sorry, Dr. Duffy.  I know that must’ve sounded terribly snobbish and elitist.  I certainly didn’t mean it that way.  I’m just a bit confused, that’s all.”

Dr. Duffy smiled tolerantly, apparently willing to forgive my insensitivity.

“It’s a common misunderstanding, unfortunately.  My mother was royal.  She was from the Donnelly line.  When it came time for her to marry her betrothed, she refused, choosing instead to marry her true love, a Sentinel, and live out her life on land.  My sister has the typical royal characteristics, while I share those of my father.”

His story struck home in a big way.  I couldn’t help but steal a glance at Jackson, who was frowning as he listened intently to the doctor.

“And what did the Major Warden have to say about her…choice?” 

I was going to say betrayal, because that’s what it was considered to be, but I didn’t want to further offend the good doctor.

“Of course, she was exiled and stricken from the Donnelly lineage, but she says it was never of any real consequence to her.  She never valued life at court as much as she valued the love of my father.”

“I admire her for her devotion to your father.  I’ve never been in agreement with the age-old tradition of royal bloodlines only marrying their own kind.  But I do know how difficult and painful it would be to be seen as an outcast and disowned by one’s family.  I know her sacrifice couldn’t have been easy.”

“Easy, no.  Worth it, according to her, very much so.”

I nodded, falling silent as I absorbed what he’d said.  I’d only heard of a few instances where a royal defied Mer law and those hadn’t ended well.  Maybe there were more instances, ones like these, that were just ignored, swept under the rug to lessen embarrassment.  Evidently, they were not talked about since the offending parties were no longer allowed in Atlas.

Again, my eyes slid over to Jackson, drawn to him of their own accord.  His frown was still in place, but now, rather than watching Dr. Duffy, he was watching me. 

I don’t know what passed between us in the few seconds before Dr. Duffy spoke again, but it almost felt like hope.  It’s very possible that I imagined it, a cruel trick of my desperate heart.  I’d likely never know for sure.  But for the time being, it made me feel better to believe I’d felt it.

“Well, I suppose that answered your question.  Now, shall we go see Mr. Saint?”

“Of course,” I said, turning to lead our trio back toward Aidan’s room.

The talk between Aidan and Dr. Duffy went surprisingly well.  We’d offered to step out, but Aidan had wanted us to stay, so we did. 

Jackson left with Dr. Duffy and shortly after that, Jersey excused herself.  I could tell that she was upset by the whole ordeal and Jersey was the world’s worst about hiding her feelings.  She was probably leaving so that Aidan wouldn’t see how troubled she was by his predicament.  What Jersey didn’t know was that she was too late.  Aidan already knew.

“The funny thing is, she thinks she’s actually keeping her feelings to herself,” Aidan said quietly when Jersey had disappeared through the door.  “I don’t think she could be more of an open book if we fileted her.”

“But she tries. 
She
thinks she’s doing you a favor.”

“Yeah,” Aidan agreed.  “I guess it’s the thought that counts.”

I nodded and we fell into a silence that stretched on and on.  Neither of us wanted to address the elephant in the room.

“I’m going to get something to drink.  You want something?”

“Nah.  I’m ok,” he said, waving me off.

“Be right back,” I promised as I walked toward the door.

“Madly,” Aidan called just before I turned the corner.  His voice was so low, I almost didn’t hear him.

“Yeah?” I answered, looking back.  “Did you change your mind?”

“No, I just…I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.”

Aidan’s eyes were downcast as he smoothed his already wrinkle-free dressing.  I recognized it as gesture of anxiety.  I was just surprised to see him using it.  Aidan wasn’t the anxious type.  I couldn’t remember ever seeing him truly worried about something, not like he appeared to be worried now.

“For what?” I asked, walking back to the bed.

Aidan leaned his head back against his pillow, staring up into my face with his soft hazel eyes.

“I feel like everything I’ve done lately has driven a wedge between us.”

“Like what, Aidan?  You’re being ridiculous.”

“Like Kellina, for one.  I never expected to feel this way about anybody but you, and I’ve handled it terribly.  And now this.  How can I expect you to marry a freak?”

“Aidan, you’ve done nothing wrong.  I’m not upset about Kellina.  I know you can’t help it.  No one can really help how they feel.  But it doesn’t change anything.  And neither does this,” I said, indicating his leg, the bite that could, in fact, forever change our lives. 

“I just want you to know that if it turns out that I’m infected, I will refuse to marry you.  If I refuse our betrothal, the brunt of the Mer wrath will fall on me, not on you.  I would never expect you to go through with our marriage if I’m some kind of furry, flesh-eating beast.”

He said the last with a grin, as if to say he didn’t think it was the worst thing in the world, turning into a feral creature.  But his lighthearted humor didn’t reach his eyes.  He was truly worried about what would become of him.  I was, too. 

I’d cared for Aidan for too long, been his best friend for too many years to abandon him now.

“Don’t even say that.  We’ll get through this together.  I’m not going to turn and run just because you’ve got a problem with hair, fangs and the full moon.”

Aidan reached for my hand, squeezing my fingers.

“I appreciate that, Madly.  But what about children?  I know you’ve always wanted a big family, but did you really intend to have a litter?”

I felt the blood rush from my face.  It was bad enough to be discussing a future with Aidan rather than Jackson.  Add to that some sort of crippling curse and the prospect of mutant children and I was suddenly not feeling so well.

Slapping those selfish thoughts aside, I put on my bravest smile and squeezed Aidan’s fingers back.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.  No one says you’re going to turn into anything more than an incredibly handsome Warden Major.  Let’s not borrow trouble.”

He searched my eyes and I tried to flood them with certainty and assurance. It must’ve worked because his tense features relaxed and he kissed the backs of my fingers.

“What would I do without you Madly?”

My response was cut off by the clearing of a throat behind me.  I turned to see Jackson standing in the doorway.  Again.  My face flushed as I wondered how much he’d heard, but I couldn’t tell by his expression.  It was perfectly controlled, a bland façade of professionalism.

“Princess, are you ready to go?”

As Jackson addressed me, his eyes gave away nothing.  They were cool and empty, distant.