Duncan (Immortal Highlander Clan MacMar #5)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

T he cabin’s overhead lights blanched Nicole Fairburn’s apricot hair, rendering it almost as pale as her fair skin. Combined with the silver beaded gown she wore, she resembled a very tense ghost version of herself. With the soothing movement of the sea all around her, she should have relaxed while she finished dressing. Yet the annual family reunion party on her father’s mega yacht, which was sailing from Martha’s Vineyard to Boston, meant navigating a maze of relatives, all of whom wanted to use her influence over her father. Listening to Brittany Alston complain while they got ready for the banquet was pleasant by comparison.

“Eww. This lipstick makes me look like a sloppy vampire,” her cousin said as she frowned at the cabin’s wall mirror. “Speaking of monsters, Peaches, I wouldn’t eat or drink anything tonight if I were you. Someone probably dropped some bugs or spit in it.”

“The caterers wouldn’t allow it,” Nicole said, shuddering at the thought.

Brittany hmphed. “Anyone can be bribed.”

Being the daughter of one of the richest men in the world made most people envy her, but Nicole had thought at least her father’s relatives would give her a pass. It wasn’t as if they could complain about her conduct; she didn’t waste her generous allowance on partying, shopping or jet-setting around the world. Since graduating college she’d spent most of her time working to help those less fortunate. Despite that, she couldn’t escape being Maxwell Fairburn’s daughter, or the fact that she had been cherished and pampered since the day she’d been born.

A princess doesn’t complain about her advantages, her aunt Merry, who wasn’t at all like the rest of the family, would say. She uses them to help others. Do good with yours, sweetness.

“I’m sure you’re wrong, Ritzie.” Nicole glanced over her shoulder. “Have I done something to upset the family?”

“No, but they all hate you anyway.” The other girl fluffed her bangs. “You’re so clueless, Peaches. You never think about what you’re going to inherit. All of our relatives work for Uncle Max because he owns a huge international corporate empire. Forbes talks about him so often he should have his own dedicated page. God does not have as much money as your old man.”

“You’ll have to check with the Vatican on that,” she countered, finally able to relax a little. “I still don’t see how my father’s wealth justifies spit and bugs in my dinner.”

“You’re living a super cushy life with all the perks in Martha’s Vineyard, plus Aspen, San Francisco, and Washington DC, as well as any place you go on vacation,” her cousin countered. “The staff at every estate adores you and lives to make you happy. You eat gourmet food every day, wear clothes custom-designed for you, and had the best education money could buy. You could do nothing but shop for the rest of your life, and you’d barely make a dent in the Fairburn fortune. You can also have any guy you want, because you’re sweet, pretty and always look fantastic, but you live like a nun.” She made a helpless gesture. “I mean, what’s not to hate?”

Probably another long list of things she’d never asked for or wanted, Nicole thought as she dabbed a little perfume on her wrists. “Should I give up my super cushy life, then, and go live in a cave in the mountains?”

“Uncle Max would never let you leave without a GPS implant,” her cousin assured her. “He’d also hire Jean Louis-Deniot to design the cave interior, Alain Ducasse to cook cave food for you, and a team of ex-Green Berets to guard the entire mountain range. Hey, you never told me what Uncle Max gave you for graduating Stanford with honors. Was it that very fine cherry Lambo I saw parked by the docks?”

“That’s Hudson’s graduation Lamborghini,” she corrected her as she fastened around her neck a silver chain with the red stone leaf pendant that had belonged to her aunt.

Brittany made a snorting sound. “Figures. What about that gorgeous apricot Bentley with the sapphire-blue interior that I saw your dad’s driver parking at the docks?”

“That’s the car Dad tried to give me. I gave it back and instead had him send a donation in my name to Feeding America.” She saw her cousin’s reflection scowl, and chided, “Ritz, who rides around in a car that matches the colors of their hair and eyes?”

The other girl made a scathing sound. “If my pops wasn’t so cheap, I would. A golden Ferrari with green silk interior.”

“Your eyes are hazel, and silk always makes you sweat,” Nicole reminded her.

“Shut up, Peach Head.” She pouted at the mirror. “Daddy wants me to get a part-time job and live in campus housing while I’m doing my post grad at Harvard, can you believe that? Like I’m some grubby scholarship student.”

“I waited tables while I was at Stanford,” Nicole mentioned. “It was fun, plus I got to meet a lot of people.” Her father hadn’t let her use her real name or live on campus, however.

“You love doing things like that. It’s like you were born poor but got switched at the hospital. Not me.” The younger girl went over to the porthole to look out at the ocean. “I love being rich and privileged, but I hate my father. I think I’m starting to hate you, too.”

“I hope you change your mind.” She picked up their wraps and went to drape Brittany’s over her shoulders. “Because I like you a lot.”

That was true, as they had been friends since they were toddlers. When they were little Brittany hadn’t cared about who had the most toys or the prettiest dresses. Only over time had she noticed the differences between them, especially when Maxwell had begun restricting who saw Nicole. By the time they were teenagers her cousin was only allowed to visit on her birthday and Christmas, and they’d drifted apart. It didn’t help that her mother kept pushing her daughter to copy her cousin.

“Why do you always make me hate myself?” Her cousin breathed on the round circle of glass and drew an unhappy face in the patch of mist. “On top of everything else, you’re nice to me and everyone no matter what.”

“I’ve gotten into plenty of fights with you,” she chided. “Remember when you wanted to set fire to your sister’s doll collection?”

“Right, I gave you a black eye for flushing the matches. If not for that I probably would have burned us both alive, too.” She turned around and hugged her. “Sorry, Peach.”

She patted her back. “See? We might as well be sisters.”

“You can say that because you’ve never had one.” Brittany pulled back and rolled her eyes. “Cam is such a waste of oxygen. Did I tell you what she did to me the other day? I went to see if she’d taken my new Chanel bag, and she came storming into the closet like I was a burglar or something…”

As Nicole listened to her latest tale of sibling rivalry, she thought of her brother, Hudson Ellis. After his parents were killed in a house fire, Maxwell had brought the twelve-year-old orphan to live with them. Nicole had been the same age, and had always wanted a sibling, so at first she had been delighted. She’d tried to befriend Hudson, but he’d simply ignored her and fawned on her father. Over the last six months her brother had been hanging around her a lot more, but his smiles never reached his eyes.

Why does he keep hovering and watching me?

It wasn’t as if four years at Stanford had changed Nicole in any significant way. She was still the same scrawny girl with the pointy nose and cleft chin. She had nice skin, although it was so sensitive to light she had to put on sunscreen before she stepped one foot outside during the day. Her only real claim to beauty, her long mane of strawberry-blonde hair, was thick but superfine, and wilted during any attempt at styling. Fashion didn’t interest her; the crystal-encrusted gray gown she was wearing to the banquet tonight was one Maxwell had chosen. Even the blue diamond earrings she wore had belonged to her mother.

Her ambitions proved to be even more painfully ordinary than her looks. She managed her father’s various charity concerns, and collected donations for no-kill animal shelters, domestic crises centers, and homeless organizations. When her trust fund became available, she’d use it to set up her own foundation for education and research funding to make the future better for the planet.

As for her personality, Nicole had always been a quiet homebody. She genuinely had no interest in shopping, pampering herself, or hobnobbing with the daughters of other wealthy men. She liked to read books, garden, and cook whenever she could convince the kitchen staff to let her. Her idea of a perfect day was one she could do whatever she liked while daydreaming. Her father often said she reminded him of an oversize fairy who had gotten lost in the real world.

What he didn’t say was how much she resembled her mother, Sylvie Fairburn, who had disappeared when Nicole was four. Rumors still circulated that she had killed herself or that Maxwell had murdered her, but the police never found a trace. After seven years Maxwell had had her declared dead. Since then Sylvie remained a taboo subject between them, but Nicole often wished she could ask her father more about her.

Don’t bother, her aunt Merry had warned when she’d asked about her parents’ relationship. Maxwell just wanted to own Syl, as if she were an art object.

Tonight as she and Brittany entered the yacht’s huge banquet room, Nicole saw Hudson and her father standing at the far end. Because her brother emulated Maxwell in all things, he looked like her dad, from the short, precise cut of his dark hair to the very conservative manner in which he dressed. From their expressions it looked as if they had been arguing again, something that seemed to be happening a lot lately. Maxwell tended to be demanding no matter what the situation, as he always wanted to make the decisions. Her brother usually catered to him without question, but since last year things between them had been strained.

Hudson caught her eye and shook his head slightly.

That meant for her to stay out of it, so Nicole made a trip around the room to say hello to her relatives and assure the catering and serving staff didn’t need any more supplies or help. The family collectively greeted her with hearty phoniness, some still watching her father and brother as they said hello. Brittany’s mother Sherona gave her a tight smile before she marched her daughter away to scold her for something.

“Mom’s pissed,” a languid voice drawled. “Brittle Brain stole my nicest Gucci purse.”

Nicole glanced at Cameron Alston, Brittany’s older sister, who had dressed in a bright green sequined gown that complimented her emerald jewelry. Plastic surgery and Botox treatments had refined her already pretty face into a motionless mask of perfection. It seemed ironic that she’d chosen that unkind nickname for her sister. Cameron had dyed her drab brown hair a light ash blonde so often it looked as if the strands might shatter if anyone touched them.

“Aren’t you going to defend the greedy little bitch again?” the older girl said, nudging her with an elbow. “After all, she thinks she’s your bestie.”

Accustomed as she was to her snideness and taunting, Nicole intensely disliked Cameron’s constant, malicious torment of Brittany. The younger girl might not be perfect, but unlike her older sister she was a genuinely sweet, caring person.

“Don’t call your sister hurtful names, Cam.” She deliberately checked her flawless manicure as if she were bored. “She wouldn’t take anything of yours. Besides, you probably have a hundred Gucci purses.”

“She stole my favorite one, and Mom has been really tight-fisted lately.” The brunette’s blood-red painted lips snidely framed her blinding white teeth. “Buy me a new one, Cuz? I want the 1947 bamboo-handled crocodile purse.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “That would make an amazing birthday gift, and you’d be bailing out the brat. Again.”

Nicole had no idea what she was talking about—she never carried purses—but she guessed it was probably the most expensive one Gucci had ever made.

“Your birthday was two months ago,” she told her cousin, “and I don’t think you need another overpriced bag.”

“Geez, Louise, you’re just as cheap as your old man.” Cam leaned closer and dropped her voice to a discreet murmur. “I saw Hudson the other day at Tiffany’s, looking at diamond engagement rings. Think he means to propose again? You should tell him that I won’t settle for anything under twenty carats.”

Nicole had noticed her brother doing similar things, like reading bridal magazines, watching a wedding movie, and visiting several other high-end jewelry shops. Yet as far as she knew Hudson had no intention of marrying Cameron, as Maxwell had strongly disapproved of the match, and forced him to put an end to it last year.

“You should ask my brother what he’s planning to do,” Nicole finally said.

“He never talks to me these days. But I know how fast every guy falls in love with you and your trust fund.” The older girl suckled the tip of one finger for a moment. “I guess you know exactly what Huddie wants, too, huh?”

What she was implying nauseated her, but long practice helped her keep her composure. “Excuse me, I need to speak to my father.”

By the time she joined Maxwell Fairburn on the other side of the room a small crowd of his siblings and in-laws surrounded him, and Hudson had vanished. Nicole edged her way through the entourage, smiling at her relatives as they made way for her while barely hiding their annoyance. Her father put his arm around her shoulders, and told everyone to go to their tables as dinner was being served. He then ushered Nicole outside to the long, wide deck.

“You’re late,” Maxwell scolded her after kissing her temple.

“Yes, but that makes me fashionable.” She smiled up at him. “Everything looks great. Hungry?”

“I lost my appetite.” Her father grimaced and pressed his palm to the center of his chest. “Damned heartburn is driving me crazy.”

They stood together at the railing to watch the sunset gild the bluffs and white dunes of the shoreline. This is what he enjoys most, Nicole thought as the sadness that swamped her whenever she looked at the sea returned. There were changes with her father that concerned her, too. Maxwell’s shoulders looked bonier, and the suit he wore appeared looser than the last time he’d worn it. He had blamed indigestion as the reason he had been steadily losing weight, but she doubted that was the real reason .

Maybe that was what he and Hud were arguing about earlier.

“After the reunion I want to sit down with you,” Maxwell said, in the same tone he used for speeches. “Our Aerotech division is going public next month. Engineering and Development landed that new pipeline contract with Canada. I’m particularly concerned with Fairburn Pharmaceuticals and the proposed strategy for producing more vital drugs domestically–”

“You know I’m not involved in any of that, Dad.” She turned toward him. “Shouldn’t you discuss your plans with Hudson?”

His expression darkened. “That boy doesn’t have the same head for business as you do.”

Nicole’s heart sank. Maxwell only referred to her brother as “that boy” when he was very angry with him. The last big fight they’d had, back when her father had forced Hudson to break off his engagement, had created a rift between them that seemed to be getting worse.

“We’re family, Daddy.” She knew he liked it when she called him that. “Hud may not be like you, but he tries to make you happy. He also knows more about the business.”

Maxwell started to say something, and then shook his head. “We’ll deal with all this tomorrow. When it’s time to move the party over to the ballroom I only want to dance with you. Sherona’s girls stomp all over my toes.”

Nicole winced. “They mean well, too.”

“They mean to put me in a wheelchair.” He put an arm around her. “Now, let’s go back inside, and make sure your cousins aren’t trying to stab each other with their salad forks.”

After the lavish meal Nicole grew sleepy. The chat with her father had ruined her appetite, and then she’d made the mistake of sipping most of a cocktail on a nearly-empty stomach. During a lull in conversation at her table, she left the banquet room to get some air. The moonlight on the ocean looked like someone had spilled an endless stream of chrome paint across the world, but the cool, salty breeze helped her wake up. Music and laughter from the ball room at the other end of the yacht where everyone was gravitating made most of her tension melt away. The relatives would work off what they’d drunk with the meal by dancing. In a few hours they would reach the docks and close the reunion with one last family portrait on the top deck.

Someday I’ll be in charge of all this.

Nicole would never tell her father, but that thought deeply depressed her. Why did she have to continue this useless tradition? The only reason the family came was because they feared offending Maxwell.

The sound of heavy footsteps pulled her out of her self-pity party, and she turned to see her brother Hudson walking toward her. He’d shed his dinner jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves and unbuttoned his collar. Judging by the rigid set of his jaw something had upset him.

“Why aren’t you dancing?” she asked.

“Cameron just told Sherona she’d screw a snake if someone would hold its head for her. Brittany is probably still giggling.” He joined her at the railing and leaned over to stare at the water. “What are you doing out here? I thought you were glued to Maxwell.”

Hudson usually referred to their father as “Dad” so that sounded odd.

“He unglued himself to talk to Uncle Charlie about the merger with CP Enterprises and Ruellco.” She glanced at him. “Everything okay with you two?”

“It will be soon.” He turned toward her, his big body stiff, his pale brown eyes as aloof as always. “I need to talk to you before we go back in.”

Nicole sensed he was about to tell her something unpleasant. It couldn’t be about Cameron; Nicole knew Hudson wouldn’t go against their father to get involved with her again. That left whatever Hudson and Maxwell had been arguing about earlier. Maxwell never liked going to the doctor, and as he’d gotten older had become more secretive about his health. She wondered if her father was sicker than he’d mentioned, and had been hiding his condition from both of them. That would explain why her brother was so upset.

“If it’s Dad–” she said, at the same time her brother said, “I’m in love with you.”

They both went still and silent as they stared at each other, and Nicole heard Cameron sneering again: I guess you know exactly what Huddie wants, too, huh?

“That’s not a great joke.” Of course he was kidding, Nicole thought, he was her brother. Her problem with men had never affected him. “Let’s go and help Dad, okay? He’ll want to do the family portrait soon.”

“Don’t run away from me, Nicole.” He put his big hands on her shoulders, which seemed colder and clammier than usual, and moved his thumbs back and forth against her skin. “I’m tired of watching other men fawn over you. I want you to be mine. Marry me. ”

Her heart sank as she stepped out of reach. “You’re drunk. Come inside, and I’ll get some coffee for you.”

“I fell in love with you when we were just kids. I’ve loved you and only you all my life.” He turned his head for a moment to rub his mouth on his sleeve. “I’ll make you very happy, I swear it.”

Every word he’d said sounded forced. He didn’t love her or want to marry her, she knew that much. Hudson had never been interested in anyone but himself and Maxwell. He’d barely noticed her when they were children—and why was he sweating so much?

“Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on, Brother?” she asked, deliberately reminding him of their relationship.

He took hold of her shoulders. “Nothing but this. I want you to start planning the wedding as soon as we get back. We’ll go to Tiffany’s tomorrow and pick out an engagement ring. I went to look and they’ve got some real beauties.”

So Cam had been right and wrong. “Did you mention this proposal to Dad? Because he won’t approve.”

“Maxwell can’t stop us if we elope.” He dragged her up against him. “I’ll take good care of you, Nicky. ”

This close she could smell the Scotch on his breath, and saw again the coldness in his eyes. Either he really was drunk, or he was scheming to use her out of anger. Regardless, the only way to put an end to this was quickly and directly, in case he was being sincere.

“I’m not marrying you, Hudson,” Nicole told him. “If I ever did anything to make you think I wanted to, I’m sorry. I can’t think of you in a romantic sense.”

His hands fell away. “You’re never going to give us a chance, are you?”

“There is no us .” She glanced at the door to the banquet room, and the hallway just past it. “Not in the way you’re thinking. I love you as my brother.”

“You love me? The stray orphan kid your father decided to toss some scraps? Be honest instead of bullshitting me.” He looked her over, his expression becoming scornful. “You think I’m trash because my parents worked for Maxwell.”

Anger surged in her, hot and unexpected. “I’ve considered you my brother since you came to live with us. Dad’s always made sure you had the best of everything, just like me. If it wasn’t for him you would have ended up in foster care.”

“I’ve earned my place in this family, while you’ve just stood around and looked pretty,” her brother countered. “I’ve become the man he wanted me to be. I am the son you could never be for him.”

He seemed to be a lot angrier now, as if he hated her as much as he’d claimed to love her. This side of him always made her nervous, as it reminded her of how much bigger and stronger he was. Men she rejected sometimes became very angry with her, but she was almost sure it wasn’t that. Back when Hudson got angry when he first came to live with them he would throw and break things, and then try to blame one of the servants. Her father had finally taken him to a therapist, after which her brother seemed to calm down.

Hudson wouldn’t hurt her now, Nicole thought. He’d had too much to drink, however, and it was best she got away from him before he lost his temper.

“We’ll talk about this tomorrow, after you calm down,” Nicole said, and quickly walked away to the stairs, making her way below deck to her cabin. Only once she’d closed the door did she let out the breath she’d been holding.

Her knees shook a little as she went over to sit down at the little vanity. The paleness of her reflection in the pedestal mirror shocked her; Hudson had scared her more than she’d thought. She needed to talk to her father in the morning about this. The chain of her pendant snagged on a strand of her hair, so she took it off, untangled it and hung it in the mirror’s top finial. Her phone rang, and when she glanced at the display she saw her father’s name.

“Where did you disappear to, sweetheart?” Maxwell asked when she answered. “You still owe me a dance.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon,” she told him. “I just need to fix my face.”

As she switched off the phone, Nicole saw a ghostly image of a very handsome man with long silver-streaked black hair appear in the mirror. When she glanced over her shoulder she saw the face also appeared in the other mirror on the cabin wall. A miniature of the image reflected off the shiny surface of her pendant, too—or was it coming from the red stone?

A deep, mellow male voice murmured, Your face, ’tis quite lovely as ’tis.

That almost seemed to be coming from inside her head, although after drinking the cocktail she was probably imagining it. She eyed the small intercom speaker by the door; he was probably standing outside and speaking to her through that. As for his image, Brittany had always been a practical joker, and she had spent a long time in front of the mirror. Maybe she had set up some kind of mini-projector.

She might as well go along with the prank .

“Thank you.” She rose and walked over to stand where her cousin had, surreptitiously looking for whatever gadget she’d planted to make the illusion of the man appear. “Are you the magic mirror on the wall? Because I know I’m not the fairest of them all.”

I’m no mirror, my lady, only a healer from afar. His smile made his serious face transform with breathtaking masculine beauty. I dinnae reckon we shall ever meet.

He sounded like a Scotsman, Nicole thought, charmed. She couldn’t resist reaching out and touching the mirror, just as he seemed to do the same thing. For a split second she thought his skin pressed against hers, but of course she was imagining it. He was such a good-looking man it almost hurt to look into his pretty eyes.

Never again was she drinking on an empty stomach, Nicole thought. “Are you sure we can’t find each other?” she asked. “I think I already have a crush on you.”

His lips twisted. I’m no’ a fair prospect, my lady.

Her gaze shifted to the silver streaks in his hair, which hinted that the pain she saw flicker across his face might not be simply emotional. Either way he’d suffered deeply. He’d called himself a healer from afar; if that meant he worked in the medical profession then it might even be true .

“I know how that is,” she assured him. “All I have to offer is a little beauty, which will fade in a few years, and outrageous wealth, which turns everyone into snakes. I should just give it all away and live in a cottage somewhere.” Hot tears made her blink quickly. “Want to join me?”

Wistfulness replaced the pain in his dark eyes. If only I could.

“My name is Nicole Fairburn, if you change your mind.” If the guy was an actor Brittany had hired to play the part, then she might be able to meet him tomorrow. “What should I call you?”

The sound of a footstep behind her was all Nicole heard as a terrible weight smashed into the back of her head, and she blacked out.

Pain and cold wind roused her, and she opened her eyes to find herself sliding across the deck and out of the cabin. The back of her skull and both of her legs had gone numb, and something wet, hot and sticky was running down her neck and in between her shoulder blades. Above her Hudson held her by the ankles and was dragging her to the railing.

“Hud.” Her mouth didn’t want to work, and neither did her legs, which seemed as heavy as if they’d been cast in cement. How hard had he hit her? “No. Please.”

“As long as you live, Maxwell will never name me as his heir.” He grunted as he hauled her off the deck and swung her up into his arms, his feet shifting unsteadily. “You should have agreed to marry me, Nicole. Then all you would have had to do is look pretty for the family photos until the old bastard died.”

“Help.” He was lifting her above the railing, and then pushing her over it. The waves of the sea below her looked like an abyss of darkness. “Someone.”

“No one can hear you beg, Sis. Much as I’d like to listen to it, it’s time for you to get out of my way.” Hudson dropped her.

Everything that happened from there seemed to go very fast, as if time had suddenly shifted into high gear. She fell through light and shadow, and then her head hit something hard, knocking her out again.

Unconscious, but somehow still aware of what was happening, Nicole watched the dark, icy sea gulp down her body. Bubbles poured out of her mouth as she stopped fighting, and her hair and gown drifted around her like glittering seaweed. Was she drowning? Had she already drowned? She no longer seemed to be inside her body, but floated without any sensation at all. Perhaps this was the near-death experience so many people who temporarily died claimed to have. Could she be having one of those? Or could she somehow survive this ?

Does it really matter? Hudson hates me, and Dad wants me to live his life—from inside a cage, where I’ll always be safe, and alone.

Of all the ways Nicole had thought her life might end, being killed over her father’s fortune had not been one of them. Hudson had probably planned to murder her whether she married him or not. Maybe she hadn’t deserved the privileged life she’d had, but she’d done nothing to justify dying this way. She hadn’t had enough time to do anything. Oddly there seemed only one thing she truly regretted.

I just wish I could have met that beautiful man in the mirror.

Something sparkled in the water, catching Nicole’s eye. A lovely silver ring with a glowing green stone floated up out of the darkness, as if trying to reach her body. She moved closer, and became aware of two great forces tugging at her corpse. The ocean’s depths and the yacht’s propellers seemed to be fighting over which would take her body. The prospect of being crushed by the sea’s pressure or chopped to pieces by the huge propeller blades made her reach out for the last beauty she would ever likely see.

Blue and green lights swirled around her body as the pretty ring reached her limp hand and slid onto her finger. In an instant all the terror and sadness drained away from her.

Do you wish meet the healer, my child? a deep male voice, very much like the one belonging to the man in the mirror, asked.

Nicole suspected this was all part of her NDE hallucination, if that was what she was experiencing. Still, if there was even the slightest chance for her to escape her fate, she wanted it. Yes, please. Take me to him, please, God.

A woman uttered a pretty laugh. We’re no’ gods, lass. We gave our hearts to those we loved.

Shall you do the same for Duncan and our clan? the man asked.

Nicole didn’t know what or who he referred to, but it didn’t matter. I give you my word, I will.

The sea current and the drag of the propellers stopped, and for a moment Nicole saw her own eyes open and reflect the blue-green light surrounding her. That one sign of life made her pour herself through the water until she slammed back into her body, no longer numb or drowning but completely, desperately alive.

Bright white moonlight pierced the darkness of the sea, and Nicole kicked her legs furiously as she swam up toward it. Her gown dragged at her, but the joy of finding she was still alive propelled her all the way to the surface. When she broke through the gentle waves and took her first breath, she used it to laugh.

“I’m not dead.” Nothing hurt, the terrible wound had vanished, and her legs worked again. She had never experienced such a sense of being filled with delight, as if in another moment she might explode with happiness. She couldn’t see her father’s yacht anymore, however.

I’m not where I was.

A short distance away she saw a massive, shadowy island; somehow she had been swept into its crescent-shaped bay. Not a single electric light glowed on the land, so it couldn’t be Nantucket. Squinting until her eyes adjusted to the pale light, Nicole swam toward the beach, the sea’s silty bottom touching her toes when she stopped to tread water. The warmth of the water was wrong for the northern Atlantic, too. This seemed more like the Caribbean.

Where the heck am I?

As she found her footing and reach to push her dripping-wet hair out of her eyes, she saw the ring on her hand. In the faint light it looked just as beautiful as it had in the water. Looking at the stone reminded her of the lights she’d seen, and the two voices that had spoken to her.

“He said Duncan, and the clan.” Her gaze shifted to the island, and a huge structure atop the cliffs that loomed against the night sky. “Is that a castle up there?”

Nicole carefully made her way to shore, where she saw a dark figure collapsed on top of a dune. She lifted her sodden skirts as she hurried through the shallow water, once almost falling on her face. As she waded onto the shore she caught her foot on some jagged-edged rocks. Glancing down she saw some bloody scratches, and then heard a groan from ahead of her. Ignoring her own wound, she slogged through the sand until she reached a man sprawled face-down. She knelt down and looked all over him for wounds before she gently pushed him over onto his back. Sand fell away from his body and head, and when she brushed his silver-streaked dark hair from his handsome face she saw who he was.

“Healer?” He stirred a little as she said that. “Are you Duncan?”

“Aye.” He groaned, and then opened his eyes and stared at her as if he’d never before seen a woman. “Nicole?”