The Silkie's Call

by Laura Browning

  Damn. Somehow, he had to find a way to help Poppy and Cayden get together. And that would mean going against Poppy’s wishes, but now that he knew the entire story, he found he didn’t have a problem with that.

  ****

  Cayden spent the rest of the day in the bay and the sound, swimming, hunting and ignoring the calls from his mother. She assaulted him with her telepathy. Of all things, why did he have to have a mother who could project her thoughts? After being inundated all afternoon, he finally responded.

  Leave me alone. If you ever want to see me again, you’ve got to give me space now.

  Silence. It was what he’d fucking wanted, but it felt so lonely.

  Seven years he’d spent longing for his family, longing for Bell, and he’d already screwed everything up. Cayden swiveled and twisted in and out of rocks and junk scattered along the sea floor. He narrowly slipped through a gap in a fishing net that was tangled on part of an old ship’s hull and silently took himself to task. He knew better. The ocean was unforgiving to those who made mistakes. Distraction was deadly above and below the surface. On that point, Ciaran was absolutely correct.

  Chapter 7

  Taylor was very close-mouthed about his conversation with Cayden, but Annabel sensed a real change had taken place. Yet every time she tried to broach the subject, Taylor turned it away. Apparently even her brother wasn’t immune to Cayden’s magic. He left for the weekend, saying vaguely that he’d promised Sydney he would visit his toddler nephew, Thomas Remington Hensley, IV or little I.V. as Taylor had taken to calling him behind Sydney’s back.

  So here Annabel now sat, her legs hanging limply over the end of the dock. She had wheeled down in the chair, and although she didn’t look forward to the return trip, she knew she could do it, as long as she was careful not to overtax herself. She stared down at the water with equal parts longing and trepidation. She needed to swim, needed the water to help her exercise her legs, especially with Taylor not there to help.

  A sudden splash a few feet away made her look up. A harbor seal had its head poked out of the water watching her. Annabel suddenly had the strangest feeling as she stared at the seal.

  She vividly remembered the summer, fourteen years ago, when she had laughed and played with another seal. Whiskers. Her best friend. She smiled sadly as she looked at this seal. It ducked below the surface. Then just a few seconds later, it reappeared, closer this time.

  Now she swallowed nervously. No way could she get away if it decided to approach her. She braced her hands, intending to move herself back slowly when the seal suddenly rolled over onto its side and flapped one of its flippers at her. Annabel’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help herself, she giggled. The seal rolled onto its back and clapped both flippers together. She caught her breath.

  Whiskers had done that! Surely not. Surely this couldn’t be the same seal?

  She stared into the seal’s dark, liquid eyes. It swam closer, bigger than she remembered and she drew back. As she stared into its dark eyes again, an odd compulsion made her whisper, “Whiskers?” And then she felt immediately silly for having done so.

  The seal gently nudged her feet, startling a cry from Annabel partly because she couldn’t feel its touch, only see it. At her cry, the large animal ducked under the water then surfaced several feet away with an athletic, graceful flip. It surfaced again and made a soft growling noise, almost like a purr. Some of the tension eased from her. Once again it approached, this time stopping right at her feet where it began to blow bubbles.

  “Oh! It is you.” Annabel laughed. Then her laughter turned to tears and Whiskers nudged her feet again. She wiped her face and pulled her t-shirt over her head. She scooted her body to the very end of the dock and levered herself down into the water. She must have lost her mind, she thought. What were the odds that this really was the seal from so long ago? Almost non-existent. But when he came back again and gently bumped her, blowing bubbles around her, she was convinced. She laughed out loud and struck out swimming, moving her body in the modified dolphin kick that she was able to make her legs do.

  The seal stayed right by her side, turning when she turned, and when she paused to rest, hovering close enough that she could hang onto him for support. She stroked his sleek head. Somehow he sensed that she had different needs now than she had when she was little.

  All too soon, she turned regretfully back to the dock. Fatigue drained her reserves. She touched the seal’s head.

  “I have to go. I shouldn’t have stayed as long as I did.”

  He blew bubbles at her. When she reached the ladder at the dock, she hooked her hands as high as she could reach and pulled up until she could lock her legs in place and reach up again. She got to the top and twisted. Whiskers had disappeared. Annabel grabbed her towel and blotted herself dry. The muscles in her arms trembled. She looked over her shoulder at the ramp up to the house. It looked a lot longer than it had earlier.

  She would just rest a while. Then she would be ready to tackle it. After a new coating of sunscreen, she rolled over onto her stomach and put her head in her arms. It felt good to lie here with the warmth of the dock below her, the sun on her back, and the gentle lapping of the water. She had forgotten how wonderful it was, how it always restored her, and realized that in trying to blot out the heart-wrenching events of seven years ago, she had also blotted out the heart-warming ones.

  Maybe she should keep the house. She could live here year round. She mentally shook her head. What was she thinking? She couldn’t drive. She needed help with the sailboat. Summer maybe, but there was no way she could live here in winter. No. She would have to go back to the city, find a place there with good accessibility. She had already pretty much decided she would take a year off from school. She could always finish next year.

  ****

  “Bell?” Cayden’s voice was quiet, with an edge of wary reserve.

  She rolled over and pushed herself to a sitting position. “What are you doing here, Cayden?” she asked, equally wary.

  He glanced away and then back to her again. “Taylor said he was going to be away this weekend, and he asked me to just drop by and check on you.”

  Annabel grimaced. “Checking to make sure the cripple doesn’t do anything she shouldn’t?”

  Cayden scowled. “He worries about you. Is that so wrong?”

  Annabel brushed her hair behind one ear. “No. I’m sorry. Look, I’m fine so you don’t need to hang around like some babysitter.”

  He arched a brow at her. “Trying to get rid of me?”

  She tilted her head, and for just a second it reminded him forcibly of Taylor. How had the entire world not realized the relationship between those two?

  “Yes, Cayden. I am. I was never the picture of grace before my accident. Now, even less so. I have to get in my chair and get up that ramp. It’s not pretty. I don’t need an audience. So go away.”

  His mouth tightened. “I could help.”

  She glared at him. “I don’t need your damn help! I’ve fought for seven years to get where I am now. Where were you then?” She brushed a hand across her face, obviously fighting for calm. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”

  “I’m here now, Bell.”

  She looked up at him, so far above her. His eyes were dark and sincere. So handsome it made her heart ache. She swallowed convulsively. Conceding anything made her feel weak, something she’d sworn she’d never be again.

  “Wait for me at the end of the dock. You can push me up the ramp.”

  He nodded and turned his back on her to walk that way. After gathering her towel, her MP3 player, and the rest of her belongings and shoving them in the bag on the back of her chair, Annabel maneuvered around so she could use the bar next to her chair to pull herself up. She sat for a moment with her head bowed after getting herself into the chair, more tired than she wanted to admit. Expertly, she turned the chair and began rolling up the dock to where Cayden waited for her.

  He leaned casually a
gainst one of the posts, but straightened away when she approached. His feet were bare, and it suddenly dawned on her that she had never seen him wear a pair of shoes. He had beautiful feet, long and arched. The rest of him had been just as beautiful. Was it still? As if he realized where her thoughts were going, he smiled slowly, but instead of embarrassing her, she found herself smiling back.

  “Here, Let me,” he said quietly and began pushing her up the ramp from the dock to the house. “Were you really going to be able to do this by yourself?” he asked curiously.

  “I would have had to take some breaks.”

  He didn’t reply, but she felt his disapproval flowing over her in waves. Annabel dismissed it. She had more important concerns at the moment; chief among them was the ominous tightening of the muscles in her thighs. Oh God! All she needed right now was to start having muscle spasms, and if her thighs were already tightening, chances were other parts of her were already going into spasm and she just couldn’t feel it.

  She tried to keep her tone casual. “If you don’t mind just pushing me on into the kitchen, I won’t impose on you anymore.”

  He chuckled. “Trying to get rid of me again?” He paused to get the door and turned to glance down at her. His brows drew together. “Is something wrong?”

  She gritted her teeth. “No. I’m fine.”

  He stood uncertainly in the kitchen. “Well. Okay. If you need anything, you can call the Yacht Club Marina. I’m usually around there in the evenings.”

  “Fine. You really don’t need to worry, though.” Go. Just go before I embarrass myself!

  Cayden blinked like something had startled him, and then he turned to leave. As soon as he was out the door, Annabel scrambled to get to her valium. She twisted the cap and tapped two pills into the palm of her hand, throwing them in her mouth and dry swallowing. The first spasms hit as she turned to wheel out of the kitchen and she choked back a cry of pain. If she could just get to her bed and get in it, she could live with it until the drugs kicked in.

  ****

  Cayden stood outside, staring back at the house. He had heard her thought! What was she worried would embarrass her? He wanted to go back inside. He opened his mind, trying to feel her, sense what was going through her head, but the only thing he could feel was tightness and pain. He grimaced as it rolled through him. Spasms? Was that what was going on? He sprinted back up the steps and into the house, through the kitchen and down the short hall. She had already managed to slide onto her bed, but her face was contorted with pain.

  She opened her eyes as he slipped into her room and her face flushed. “Go away, Cayden!” she cried, but there was no real conviction in her voice, just a weariness and the pain that never seemed to quite leave it.

  “I can’t leave you like this, Bell,” he said quietly, urgently. “Tell me what I can do to help.”

  She hesitated, but pain contorted her expression, driving her like a demon. “My leg muscles are cramping,” she admitted. “They need to be massaged and moved. I’ve taken some valium, but it hasn’t had a chance to kick in yet.”

  He stepped forward and began to gently massage her legs with her instructions guiding him. After a few minutes, he felt her start to relax.

  “Better?” he murmured.

  Her eyes drooped. “Mmm.”

  “What about your thigh muscles? Do I need to massage them?”

  “I—if you don’t mind.”

  Cayden watched her changing expression, ignoring his own physical discomfort. As the hard knots of muscle in her leg relaxed, the tension in her face eased. He just hoped like hell she didn’t open her eyes to see the effect this was having on him. Far from relaxing for him, his cock was painfully aroused. He was starved for her! It would be so easy to touch the soft folds between her thighs. Even now the tantalizing aroma that was uniquely hers filled his nostrils and made his cock twitch with longing. All he had to do was slide his hand just a little higher…

  “All right now?” he asked, trying to keep the tension out of his voice.

  “Umm,” she breathed softly, and he realized she had gone to sleep.

  Cayden escaped out onto the porch overlooking the dock. With a frustrated groan, he unzipped his pants and pulled his stiff, swollen cock out. His fingers brushed over the engorged head. As he began to stroke his aching shaft, hoping for relief, his mind went back to the first time he’d really been alone with her, when he was sure there were no prying eyes. It was right there on that dock. He’d found her after a fight with her father.

  “Bell?” he’d asked softly. “What’s the matter?”

  She looked around but saw no boat.

  “How did you get here?”

  He sat down next to her and took her hand. “I brought the boat, but I hauled in farther up the beach.”

  “He doesn’t want me to see you anymore!” she whispered.

  Cayden felt like he’d been punched.

  “Why?”

  Poppy looked at him, her chin trembling. “It’s my Aunt Helen’s fault! She told him people were talking about us. I have to go with him to the city for a couple of days.”

  Cayden had turned toward her and pulled her over until his arms went round her. “Oh, Bell, don’t cry. You’ll be back, won’t you?”

  “Yes, but I don’t want to go,” she confessed. “I want to be with you.”

  She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against his throat. Cayden breathed in the flowery scent of her hair and felt her lithe body nestle against him. He was careful to keep his hands on her back and her shoulders. Friends. Though he knew it would land him in a world of hurt, he’d promised himself he wouldn’t touch her. Not until they were both ready.

  Over the years, his feelings for her had grown stronger and stronger. The spark that reignited the very first time he saw her again now raged. A heat that threatened to engulf what few good intentions he still had. He moved his hand so he could put it underneath her chin and tilt her face up to his.

  Their lips met, and this time the kiss was not quick. It was not light. Their inexperience made it tentative to begin with, but the passion on both sides was as intense as it was innocent. His body was telling him how much he wanted her, while his mind kept reminding him of his promises.

  “Bell!”

  It was a whisper against her mouth. A protest. It held the knowledge that they needed to stop, even as his body ached, letting him know just how much he wanted to continue.

  “Please!” she pleaded.

  He nibbled at her lips and her mouth parted for him. Cayden groaned. He felt her heat, and smelled her scent. The Silkie in him knew he could take her, wanted to take her. He knew if he touched her now she would be moist and ready for him. His body ached, crying out for the release only she could give him.

  “No!” he said harshly and tore his mouth away from her. “Oh Bell, not like this! Not when you’re upset and angry with your dad! Not here! Not on the end of the dock!”

  He buried his face against her hair.

  “I love you,” he whispered.

  “Then why wait?” Poppy pleaded. “When we both feel the same way?”

  Cayden set her away from him, just enough to prevent them touching one another as anything more than the friends they had been as children. He had to be sensible, yet in the back of his mind was always the reminder that he was supposed to mate with her. It was his destiny, but not hers. Not until she was older.

  “Not yet, Bell. I want it to be right for both of us.”

  She stuck her lower lip out, and her mutinous look suddenly made him chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.” He said and then added with real feeling. “Trust me on that. I think we could both use some cooling off. Wanna go for a swim?”

  “I don’t have a suit.”

  “Just skinny dip.”

  “I thought we were being restrained and mature.”

  “Then don’t look. I won’t if you won’t.”

  She
tilted her head to look up at him. “Turn your back then.”

  When he had turned away, he heard the rustle of her clothing and then a splash as she dove off the end of the dock. He turned to see her t-shirt and the tiny piece of cloth that passed for her underwear. He picked it up, but nervousness and uncertainty made him drop it as if he had picked up a hot potato.

  Seven years later, Cayden thought disgustedly, he was still just as overcome by the scent of her, and now he stood here like a hormone-crazed adolescent getting his rocks off just thinking about Bell. That night, he’d been a virgin who hadn’t known what to do or how to handle it, and the truth was things weren’t much different now. He could still smell the sweet fragrance of her sex. His fingers worked his cock from the shaft to the head. Would she still smell as sweet? As he fantasized about burying his face between her thighs, his cock jerked and his come spurted on the ground again and again until his nuts felt drained. He gasped for breath and then shut his eyes. He needed to be inside her and soon. He’d already waited a lifetime.

  ****

  Annabel wheeled back down to the dock the next day around lunchtime. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do with Taylor still gone, but she wanted to see if Whiskers would come back again. When she didn’t see him, she felt a vague sense of disappointment. Still, now that she was down here, she needed to swim, just not as much as she had yesterday. She slipped off her shirt and eased down into the water. She played for a little while and then took a deep breath, before diving down where she could skim along the bottom using her arms and her dolphin kick.

  Holding her breath for a long time was the one thing she had learned from Cayden seven years ago. As she explored the bottom for a couple of minutes, she moved forward a few more feet and then saw a sleek body moving lazily toward her. She smiled, and the seal swimming toward her barrel-rolled and moved supplely around her body in the lightest of caresses, blowing bubbles at her as he passed. Annabel giggled and then had to surface, gasping for air.