Sea Struck (Lupine Bay Book 3)

by Maribel Fox

“No,” I answer, leaving it at that.

  Is seems to sense that I’m putting up a wall, backing off instead of pushing harder.

  “How did you meet Ku?” he asks, deftly changing the subject.

  “She came into Bathory today,” Ku answers for me, eying the couple on the other side of the table. And they are acting like a couple. Nothing overt, but their body language says it all. Which is weird, because I’ve heard Iseul talk about his ‘lady’ a few times in adoring tones. I always figured he had a wife or girlfriend he’s crazy about, but this is… unexpected.

  Even more unexpected is how Ku seems jealous about it. That’s what it is, I realize. The weird dynamic, the tension between the three of them — maybe why Ku even called me over here in the first place, so he didn’t have to be the third wheel.

  Judy brings me a stack of non-fancycakes without me ever ordering, and I accept it with a smile, even though I probably would’ve ordered a patty melt and fries if left to my own devices. Some downsides to everyone knowing you so well. If you’re predictable, it’s harder to change.

  The three guys are foodless, so I assume they ate before I showed up and they’re just hanging out. It does feel strange to be the only person eating, and I don’t like the weird anxiety I’m suddenly getting about people watching me eat. I’ve never before considered if I move my jaw too much when I chew, or breathe through my nose too loudly, but suddenly it’s all I can think about and I need to focus on something else.

  From the corner of my eye I see Ocho quickly kiss the back of Iseul’s knuckles, and the warm flush that creeps up Is’s neck in response. Next to me, Ku stiffens, and I’m tired of playing the guessing game.

  “So uh… Are you two…?” I ask, waving my fork between them to elaborate.

  “Of course we are,” Ocho answers readily, no prodding or prying needed. “But it’s not just us two. Ku is in the harem too. Have you met Dima or Maal yet?”

  “You’re… A harem?” I don’t know what the hell he’s talking about, but he seems thrilled to explain it to me. He’s the only one. Iseul’s clearly trying to get his attention, and Ku’s not at all comfortable with this conversation, but now my interest is piqued.

  “Yeah, you know what that is, chica? Reverse it. One lady, five of us. Course our lady encourages us to enjoy each other,” he coos in Is’s direction, his dark shadowy look almost contagious.

  Weird trick of the light.

  “Ocho—” Is mutters softly.

  “Couldn’t ask for a better set-up if you ask me, eh big guy?” Ocho teases across the table.

  “That’s enough,” Ku says sharply. “This isn’t something we should talk about—”

  Ocho scoffs. “Why not? She’s your friend right? Thought we only needed to watch what we say around the humans.”

  “What?” The first thought in my brain also becomes the first out my mouth.

  Is chuckles, shaking his head while sending sharp looks at Ocho. I don’t know what the hell is happening here, but I think it might be time for me to get my tab.

  The front door slams open, and every head in the place turns.

  My stomach plummets.

  “Where’she?” Trenton slurs, stumbling into the diner. “Where’s that bitch?”

  “Fuck,” I hiss, wishing I could crawl into a hole and disappear. Why didn’t he leave town? What is he trying to achieve here?

  “You know him?” Is asks, suddenly on high alert.

  “My ex,” I whisper, just before Trenton spots me.

  With a shaky finger thrust my way, he bellows, “You! The fuck you think you are? They banned me at that shit-hole bar ‘cause of you,” he slurs, drunker than I’ve ever seen him.

  I don’t think I’m the reason he’s banned if he got sloppy drunk like this. Or maybe the ban’s why he’s sloppy drunk, but I’m not taking responsibility for that. Lightning flashes out over the bay, making the lights in the diner flicker and dim too.

  “Congrats,” Is says, jumping to his feet, quickly flanked on either side by the other two. “You’ve just gotten yourself banned from the Duck too.”

  “You gonna find your own way out, or we need to help you ese?” Ocho tosses in, easily the most menacing of the three despite Ku’s bulk.

  Trenton realizes he’s outnumbered, but the way he looks at me chills me. It’s like there’s nothing there. He’s drawn whatever conclusions he wants to about these guys, and whatever he thought he felt for me before is gone.

  Maybe he’ll finally leave me alone.

  Somehow, the cold fury in his eyes makes me think I won’t be that lucky.

  “Regret this,” Trenton slurs, thrusting his finger toward my face again. Ocho takes a step forward, standing between us, and Trenton the coward doesn’t even try to fight.

  We all watch him stagger out of the diner, but the whole mood of the place is affected by his appearance.

  “He seems like a piece of work,” Is says with a sympathetic expression.

  I sigh. “Yeah. He wasn’t quite like that when we were together, but he really seems to have lost it lately. I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

  “Don’t be,” Is says.

  “Glad we were here to help,” Ocho adds.

  As nice as they’re being about it, I’m still supremely embarrassed and just want to get out of here.

  “Thanks for the dinner company… and for all that,” I add with a wave toward the door. “I should probably head back up the hill if I want to look at those books at all tonight.”

  All three guys exchange a look.

  “What?”

  “I need to go to The Shamrock anyway. Why don’t I escort you?” Ocho offers.

  I snort. The thought that Trenton would ever hurt me is ridiculous.

  Or is it?

  I’ve still got a bruise on my arm from where he grabbed me.

  That sobers me a little and considering how wasted he is right now… Yeah, a little protection would make me feel safer.

  “Thanks,” I say with a nod.

  “We’ll catch up to you later,” Is says to Ocho, staying behind with Ku who looks a lot more relaxed once it’s just the two of them.

  Ocho’s not a huge guy by any means, but he manages to cast an impressively large shadow as we walk up the hill. Dusk is already in full swing, made darker by the distant storms. The higher we climb up the hill, the more light there seems to be waiting for us further ahead, but once there, only shadows await.

  Another weird trick of the light, I’m sure.

  The footpath heads through a thicket of trees before breaking open to the clearing leading up to the house. In the trees, the rain almost stops. The pitter patter of drops is high in the canopy, far away and quiet. It feels like another world.

  “Someone left something for you,” comes an Irish brogue from the trees somewhere.

  Ocho curses under his breath. “Amigo, you smell so much like the tree I didn’t see you there. We need to have a chat in a few minutes.”

  I can’t really see Seamus, even though I have an idea of which shadow is his outline.

  “Someone left something for me?” I ask, stomach sinking. Surely Trenton’s not crazy enough to send me a bomb or something, right?

  “On the porch,” Seamus says.

  “Thanks,” I mutter, not sure I want to know what it is. Ocho seems to follow my line of thinking, still tense even though he doesn’t say anything.

  “You guys know each other?” I ask to fill the silence and distract myself. They’re both new residents since I left town, and from what I know, none of them have been here long.

  Ocho laughs. “Of course. We have to be on good terms with the other harem in town or it would be weird.”

  What’s weird is that statement.

  No time to dwell on it though, because I spot the thing left for me on the porch: my bike.

  I let out a sigh of relief, but it’s bittersweet. Miles could have brought it back when I was here, and we could’ve tried another kiss… But
I’m pretty sure he’s avoiding me after the first one.

  This doesn’t help convince me otherwise.

  “You good?” Ocho asks once I’m at the front door.

  I nod. “Thanks for the escort.”

  “No problem,” he answers, and I’m pretty sure he’s smiling though it’s really hard to see in the darkness.

  Though it’s far too late to be out in this weather, it’s not all that late in the grand scheme of things, and there’s a cheerful fire crackling in the fireplace, beckoning me to do my research in the living room.

  Don’t mind if I do, honestly. My room is nice, but it’s tiny. The bed’s a double, not even a queen, so spreading out all these books would be a struggle. Why struggle when there’s a lovely old rug in front of a warm fire calling my name?

  I head upstairs to change and grab the books, then make myself a drink before I settle in, all set up for a long night of reading.

  I crack the first book, start to read, and the words all swim together. I re-read the same paragraph half a dozen times without knowing what it says, because I’m thinking about my bike and that kiss last night and how much I wish Miles wasn’t avoiding me so we could try again. I was nervous. I know I can do better.

  I’ve been dreaming about kissing him for about as long as I’ve thought kissing a boy would be a cool thing to try. I always had a big crush on Miles and kissing him is pretty much a lifelong dream, as weird as that sounds.

  And boy, my imagination did not do it justice. Even taken off-guard Miles is a great kisser. So great that just one kiss is enough to have me distracted and twitterpated a whole day later. I haven’t even seen him in the last twenty-four hours and he’s somehow stopping me from focusing on my research. Something that’s never happened before.

  Ridiculous.

  Shape up, girl, I tell myself. This problem’s not going away, so I need to learn to deal with it.

  Even if I don’t ever get another chance to kiss him.

  15

  Miles

  Babysitting was not what I wanted to do today.

  Skipping out on my plans with Callie — especially after she was so excited with this new direction yesterday — was not what I wanted to do.

  But sometimes, duty calls.

  Sometimes, your sister’s babysitter flakes out and she needs you to watch her kids so she can work. It’s certainly not what I laid in bed dreaming about last night, but it’s not boring. Lucas and Logan are more than a handful. They’re a whole basket full, but I think I’ve successfully managed to tire them out by the time Ella comes home.

  “You’re a lifesaver, Miles,” she says with an exhausted sigh, sinking down at the kitchen table where I’ve already got a plate made up for her. She works hard — doubly so raising the twins on her own — she deserves a little break now and then.

  “They’ve already had their baths and they’re just playing upstairs waiting for you to tuck them in.

  “Ugh. Why are you so good? I’m going to have to think extra hard about your Christmas present this year.”

  “You better not. I like my annual matching socks and sweater.”

  She sticks her tongue out at me. “I know you wear them.”

  “All the damn time,” I agree. “The wool’s got great natural weatherproofing. Keeps me nice and warm and dry.”

  Ella shakes her head, tucking into the mashed potatoes. “You don’t have to stick around here with me. I’m sure you have better things to do. Thanks for giving up your day.”

  I shrug. “Not like I’ve got anything exciting waiting for me at home.” Just a pissed-off ghost.

  “Still, not every guy would be there for his sister like you. I really appreciate it.”

  I hate when she gets sentimental like this. No one knows why Ella feels the need to clearly articulate all her feelings, but we’ve all agreed in the family that it’s weird.

  “You’d do the same for me,” I mutter, giving her the hug she’s silently asking for with arms out-stretched. “See you this weekend?”

  “Of course.”

  The roads are slick as hell, so I take it extra slow on the bike heading back to the houseboat. The last thing I want to do after a day of wrangling the twins is argue with a dead pirate, but I need to get him out of my house.

  First, we need to lay some ground rules.

  “Surely you must be joking, mon ami?” Henri laughs after I tell him my terms.

  “Why does everyone think I’m joking? I don’t joke. Don’t talk to her, don’t show yourself to her. She doesn’t know about magical stuff and it needs to stay that way.”

  Henri scoffs, pacing best he can while sinking through the floor like it’s quicksand. “What are you so afraid of?”

  “I’m not afraid of anything. I just know Callie, and I know she wouldn’t take well to finding out about the existence of something like you.” …Or me. If I think I don’t have a shot with Callie as a human, I’ve got less than a prayer as a selkie.

  She hates the ocean.

  I’m born of it.

  How the hell could that ever work?

  Callie’s far more logical than me. She wouldn’t blatantly ignore facts like I do. She’d see how pointless any kind of match between us would be and that would be that.

  “Or, perhaps, you are trying to keep her all to yourself, no?”

  “No,” I snap quickly. Too quickly. Shit. He caught it too, his transparent face curving into a smug smile.

  “Look, I’ve never had anyone react well to finding out about magic, and I just don’t want to go through that with Callie,” I say, feeling ridiculous for pleading with a damn ghost. This is what I’ve been reduced to.

  “You have too little faith in her. Stop standing in her way so she can repair the ring.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “The stones you fool. It would be easier if I could talk to her. She at least is not a complete imbecile.”

  “Do you want to go back to the beach or not?” I ask, threatening him with the stone again.

  “You want to be rid of me as much as I wish to be rid of you, mon ami. I call your bluff.”

  Screw this guy. I’m not going to sit here arguing with him back and forth anymore. Maybe if he sees what he’s missing he’ll come around. I tuck the stone in my pocket and head out, grabbing Callie’s bike at the end of the dock.

  “I knew you would see things my way,” Henri crows triumphantly.

  I snort. “Sure. You on the beach yet?”

  There’s no end to his incessant babbling all the way to the B&B, and I have to say, I’m really tempted to toss his ass in the woods and leave him there, but I can’t bring myself to do it. He’s made it pretty clear that he can only move between the stones if they’re near each other. Listening to him tell it, it’s our fault he’s stuck on my boat. Says he used to be able to move freely around the bay before we started collecting the rocks.

  Not sure how I feel about knowing he’s been around all this time while I’ve been in the bay and didn’t know it.

  The longer he yammers on, the more I wonder if he’s got a point about me underestimating Callie. Maybe she wouldn’t run off in a panic and leave town and cut me out of her life forever.

  But it is a distinct possibility. Those are odds I’m not a fan of.

  I leave Callie’s bike propped up against the side of the B&B on the porch and head around to The Shamrock with my mind already on a frosty beverage.

  Before I get that far, there’s someone else stumbling out, and he doesn’t take long to spot me.

  Damn it.

  Callie’s ex. The last person I want to see right now, especially without a bar full of patrons to back me up. I can take the guy, but I’d rather avoid a fight if I can.

  The way he’s looking at me, doesn’t seem like I can.

  “You sonnovabitch!” he grunts, words slurring together.

  “I don’t want any trouble,” I say, holding up my hands in the universal sign of peace.<
br />
  “Yeah, I betchu don’t. I do though,” he says, head lolling. The guy’s way too drunk to be in public. I’m honestly not sure how he’s standing. Judging by the swaying, it’s not easy. Suddenly a sway turns into a charge and the guy tackles me before I can react.

  “Mind your business,” the guy growls, trying to throw punches my way, none of them landing. We’re both squirming on the ground, but I’ve actually got my wits about me.

  “Callie is my business you tool,” I grunt, bringing my knee up into his stomach.

  “I said, get the hell off him,” says a different voice, and then a scrappy-looking Irishman is dragging Trenton off of me and shoving him away. “Get to feck you gobshite. And don’t show your cunting face around here again or there’ll be heat on your arse.”

  There are more obscenities exchanged between them, but I’m mostly dusting myself off while Seamus gets the guy the hell out of here.

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Ah, ye had him. Figured you’d like to not be covered in mud though.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  “Take care,” he says, before disappearing into the trees.

  I finish dusting myself off, looking back longingly at the bar. I could really use that beer now, but I’d rather not have the pirate talking my ear off the whole time. Take him to the beach first.

  He’s being suspiciously quiet considering all that just went down. I reach into my pocket, but the rock isn’t there.

  Shit.

  He’s got to be around here somewhere. Probably fell out during the fight.

  I wasn’t really planning on abandoning him away from the water.

  I can’t find the stone anywhere, though, and it’s too dark to see a damn thing, so I’m going to have to come back and look in the morning.

  There’s a lot to do in the morning.

  Talking to Callie first and foremost. I don’t know if Henri’s right about telling her the whole truth, but now that he’s out of my sight, I think I need to tell her something. Not now though. In the morning.

  I feel like the pirate ghost may be too big of a problem for us to tackle alone, though. Seeing Seamus has given me an idea. This kind of thing is probably under the purview of the local court. Why not let them deal with it?