Part 17 (2/2)

”Excellent.” Donald patted her shoulder awkwardly. Maggie knew he tried hard but physical affection never came easily to him. Just at that moment, though, she didn't care. She had enough affection for both of them.

”Oh, Donald,” she whispered as he slipped the ring with its tiny chip of a diamond onto her finger. ”This is so romantic! I can't believe you asked me here in the lab where we first met. I can't believe we're really going to be married. I can't believe...

...that I cheated on him that way!

Suddenly Maggie's head broke the surface of the red, slimy water and someone pushed her up onto a rough, cold surface out of the wet depths. She coughed and gasped, looking around wildly through smeared gla.s.ses.

Where am I? What happened? Where's Donald? I didn't cheat on him, did I? I wouldn't do that. I'm not that kind of girl...am I? What's going on?

”You okay, blondie? You're not hurt are you?”

The deep anxious voice in her ear was completely unfamiliar. Maggie looked around and saw a huge, muscular man dragging himself wearily out of a swimming pool filled with blood. His thick black hair was slicked back from his face and his eyes were a strange, pale blue with slitted oval pupils like a cat's. His bare chest was scarred, as though he'd been in several fights and the black leather pants he wore clung to long, muscular legs. The man reached for her but Maggie pulled away, her mind going blank.

”Who are you?”

”You know d.a.m.n well, who I am. Now let me look at you-my eyes were doing that thing again. Want to make sure I didn't hurt you.”

”No-get back.” Maggie evaded his grasp. ”Where's Donald?”

”Donald?” He sounded irritable and his eyes flashed briefly red. ”Isn't that the name of your stupid fiance?”

”Yes, that's him. Where is he? I had a crazy idea I did something wrong-that I cheated on him. But I would never. I...I...” Maggie put a hand to her forehead, still keeping her distance from the strange man. Her head ached-had she hit it on the edge of the pool when she fell in? Even worse, her back burned-burned like someone had dipped a knife in fire and decided to carve into her flesh. What was going on with her? Who was this big, muscular stranger and where was she?

”Maggie, come on...” He reached for her again and Maggie scooted backwards, nearly falling into the pool again. ”Stop that!” The man lunged forward and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the edge by sheer force.

”Let me go!” Maggie gasped, slapping at the large hand around her arm. ”Don't touch me-I don't know you!”

”Sorry.” He dropped her arm at once. ”Just don't want to have to dive in and drag you out again. I've had enough of that f.u.c.king Remembrance Pool to last me a lifetime.”

”Remembrance Pool?” Something about that sounded familiar. Maggie frowned, trying to bring the thought forward but it wouldn't come. All she could think about was the burning in her back. G.o.d, it hurt! She reached behind her, trying to touch the wounded spot and nearly cried with pain. ”Ow! My back!”

”That's right-the scratches.” The man frowned. ”You're probably having a reaction.”

Suddenly a strange pinkish white creature with pink and blue striped eyes and waving, tentacles for hair came rus.h.i.+ng up to her.

”Lady Pope'nose! Are you all right? I saw everything. My deepest apologies...”

Maggie shrank away from the strange creature which was reaching out to her. ”Get away! Where's Donald?” Suddenly tears were very close to the surface. Her head ached and she didn't recognize anyone and her back was on fire. ”Donald,” she sobbed. ”I want Donald! He was here just a minute ago-he was asking me to marry him. Where is he?”

”d.a.m.n it,” the muscular man swore. ”She's got fresh cuts on her back from a run in with one of the trees in your d.a.m.ned Dreaming Woods,” he told the weird alien creature. ”The waters of Remembrance are still working on her-she's stuck in a loop. Quick-get her something to wash it out.”

”Oh dear!” The creature looked concerned. ”Come right this way-we have a decontamination shower located in the annex.”

Over Maggie's vigorous protests, the muscular man lifted her as though she weighed no more than a piece of paper and marched her through a crowd of richly but scantily clad women and bare chested men who appeared to be their servants. The alien led them to a large, echoing room and pressed a b.u.t.ton on a blue marble wall. Suddenly hot water began pouring down from the ceiling above.

”I'll leave you,” the alien said. ”Call if you have need of me.”

Maggie could barely hear the strange, high voice over the roar of the water rus.h.i.+ng down on her head. She was half drowned and thoroughly frightened.

”Let me go!” She beat against the stranger's broad, bare chest, fighting with all her might. ”Let me go-put me down!”

”Hold still. You have to get that d.a.m.n stuff off your skin and out of the cuts.” He held her tightly-too tightly to get free but that didn't stop Maggie from struggling as hard as she could. Reaching up, she clawed at him, leaving long red furrows in his cheek. They started to bleed at once. The man gave a m.u.f.fled curse and jerked his head back, but still he refused to let her go, even with the blood dripping down his face.

Even as frightened as she was, Maggie couldn't keep it up forever.

”Please,” she gasped, exhausted at last. ”Please, I can't...can't do this.” She started to cry again. ”I just...just want Donald.”

”Yes, so you've said-repeatedly,” he growled. Pulling her closer, he put her head on his shoulder and cradled her body with one arm. With the other hand he lifted her hair, making sure the warm water gus.h.i.+ng down from overhead poured directly over her burning back.

Maggie whimpered in pain and wiggled against him but even one handed his grip was firm. She wasn't going anywhere. Finally the burning in her back began to subside. As it did, her head began to clear.

I'm at a spa, she remembered although it seemed a strange place to find herself. I was going to Gaia but I got sidetracked and wound up running off with him. With... She wiped at the smeared lenses of her gla.s.ses and looked at the huge, muscular man who was holding her from the corner of her eye. Kor. That's right-his name is Kor, she suddenly remembered. I rescued him from Lady Pope'nose. Why did I do that? Oh right-because of the dreams.

Though she was trying to study him surrept.i.tiously, he saw her staring.

”So, blondie-feeling better?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

”I...” Maggie put a hand to her head and pushed the wet hair out of her face. ”I don't know.”

”You sound more like yourself,” he rumbled, finally stepping out of the flow of water coming from the ceiling. ”That's good anyway.”

”What happened?” Maggie demanded. ”How did I end up here?” Her head was still throbbing and the past and present were only gradually beginning to separate.

”That crazy Ponce'beast female pushed you in the deep end,” Kor growled. ”I jumped in to get you out.”

”Oh.” Maggie s.h.i.+vered as the things she'd seen in the blood red water began to resurface. ”I remember now-I had...had so many memories down there.”

He looked away. ”Yeah. So did I. Things I thought I'd forgotten...tried to forget, anyway.”

When he turned his head, Maggie saw the long, b.l.o.o.d.y furrows on his cheek-they looked like fresh scratch marks.

”Oh, Kor!” she gasped, reaching to touch his face. ”Your cheek!”

”It's fine.” He jerked his head away from her seeking fingers.

”But...you're bleeding.” More and more details were becoming clear. Maggie remembered him dragging her out of the pool... remembered her throbbing head and the burning in her back...remembered fighting and struggling to be free of his arms. ”Did...did I do that?” she asked timidly.

”It doesn't matter.” He rubbed his bleeding cheek against his broad, bare shoulder.

”No, it's not-I hurt you! Oh, Kor, I'm so sorry!” Maggie wanted to cry she felt so bad. ”I would never...I was just so frightened. And you're so big and strong and scary and I didn't know you.”

”No, and you didn't want to know me either.” He looked at her directly at last. ”I'm not the male you wanted when you were in pain...in fear. I'm not the one you were crying out for.”

Maggie didn't know what to say. She did remember begging to see Donald-maybe because all of the memories she'd had in the Remembrance Pool were of him. Now why would that be? whispered the snarky little voice in her head. Maybe because you were cheating on him at the banquet tonight? Cheating with the same man holding you in his arms right now?

Maggie felt a fresh surge of guilt. Oh, G.o.d, no matter how she justified it, she had been doing things she shouldn't with one man while she was engaged to another. The tiny diamond chip on her finger winked reproachfully at her as though to remind her of the man who had given it to her-the man she'd left behind. Donald.

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