by Maribel Fox
“Do you even know anything about my siren-ness? I don’t… Much less your thing,” I add, frowning.
Miles shakes his head. Weirdly, it makes me feel more confident. It makes no sense but being in the dark with him is better than being in it alone.
“Haven’t exactly gone out of my way to learn about being a selkie. Not sure the Wikipedia article’s going to cut it.”
“Sounds like we both have a lot of research to do.”
“Oh no. I know how you hate research,” he teases, a hint of a smile still threatening to crack through.
“Miles Halloran, was that a joke?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“It’s allowed, just not expected.”
“You’re telling me you’re still surprised by anything at this point?” he asks.
“Touché.”
“How’s this for a surprise?” He pulls me against him, and in one swift move, his lips are on mine. The spark between us as fresh as ever, a zap I feel all the way to my toes.
Is that magic? Or just us?
Does it matter?
His hand settles into the curve of my lower back, and it feels like it was made to sit there, warmth spreading from his fingertips, a familiar itch working through my nerves as he deepens the kiss, a new desperation rippling through. He holds me tighter, barely giving me space to breathe before he finally breaks away.
“I’m sorry, that was…”
“Don’t you dare apologize for that,” I whisper between gasping breaths. I feel dizzy, disoriented, a little wobbly in the knees, all from a kiss. And he wants to apologize? This man really is nuts.
“I doubt it’ll be long before they send an underage search party for us,” he mutters, hand still resting on my lower back possessively. He’s disappointed enough by the statement to make me wonder what he’d be suggesting if that weren’t an imminent threat.
“Guess we should get back,” I say, more to myself than him, hoping it’ll help calm my heart rate.
“Maybe Rue will know where to start with our research,” he says. “She seems to know a lot more than anyone gives her credit for.”
“Don’t all bartenders?”
“Guess you’ve got a point.”
I don’t mention that Rue’s likely to point us to Alistair, who’s unlikely to loan me any more books after what happened to the last ones he entrusted into my care. There’s always Ku, though. He seemed friendly and knowledgeable.
Mostly, I’m glad that Miles and I are talking about this, that we have a plan to figure it out together. And it’s kind of cute that he knows studying it will make me feel better about the whole situation. He’s gone this long without studying his nature of his own accord. I doubt he’d be interested in it now if it wasn’t for me.
I’m still nervous about all of this. I know there’s still so much we don’t know, so many factors to consider, but I’ve always felt better when Miles is around. I’ve always felt like I can take on the world if he’s by my side.
A little magical heritage is far from the whole world. It’ll be a piece of cake.
28
Callie
“There you are,” Ava says the moment we walk through the door. “We were about ready to send Ian out to look for you.”
Miles gives me an ‘I told you so’ look that I do my best to ignore.
The bar is much fuller than before. Twice as many people here now, but they all seem to know each other. No one seems like a stranger.
“Come on, you need to meet Lili,” Ava says, tugging on my arm. “I think you two will like each other.”
I let her pull me after her, but I don’t have anything to say to that. I mean, what do you say to something like that? What does it even mean? I don’t know Lili, so I have no idea what this opinion of Ava’s says about her perception of me.
“Lil, this is the one I was telling you about — Callie. Remember when Rue and I told you there’s another harem in town?”
My eyes grow big before I can stop them, jaw dropping. I snap it shut before untangling my thoughts. The woman’s gorgeous. Like turn-your-brain-to-mush beautiful. She’s got an hourglass a pinup would kill for, and warm, exotic features that couldn’t possibly belong to a mere human. “You’re… dragon?”
Lili snorts. “Yes. I dragon. I also succubus,” she says, tucking a non-existent stray strand of hair behind her ear. Her hair is flawlessly in place, silky, impossibly shiny.
“Callie here’s a siren,” Ava says, excited to share the big news from the sounds of it. I don’t know why it’s big news. Why it’s exciting. Jury’s still out from where I’m sitting.
Lili arches a sculpted brow, her full lips curling into a sly smile. “That so? Welcome. Have you met my boys? You tell me if they cause you any trouble, I’m not afraid to whip them into shape for misbehaving,” she says with a wink that makes me tingle in weird ways.
Yeah, I definitely believe she’s a succubus.
“Your… boys?” Words shouldn’t be so hard, but she leaves me feeling kind of tongue-tied. Her effortless confidence reminds me too much of the popular girls growing up, her other-worldly beauty is another matter entirely. I don’t know which one’s making my throat close up, mouth going dry, but I know it’s hard to talk to Lili like a normal person.
“Yeah, there’s Ocho over there talking to Kush — Kush is Ava’s, obviously, lucky girl. Didn’t leave any angels for the rest of us.” Ava’s face is turning pinker by the second, and she quietly slips away to the bar a couple feet away, waving Rue over.
As tempting as a drink is right now, I need to stop using that as my answer to complicated situations. I never did that before I came back to town and it’s a bad habit to develop. Time to nip it in the bud while I can.
“Then there’s Is and Ku over there, heads together as usual—”
“Yeah, I’ve met them all at the diner, they’re good guys.”
Lili smiles a slow, patient smile. “Dima’s over there in the corner. Don’t let the fact that he’s a werewolf fool you. He’s a marshmallow inside. And Maal is… Oh, there he is, at the bar.” She waves after catching the guy’s gaze, and he lights up, waving enthusiastically. I don’t think I’ve seen either of the last two around before, but I move past that pretty quickly because I can do math.
“Five? How do you manage five men?”
Lili grins. “A healthy dose of intimidation.”
Ava laughs, happy to nurse her pink drink. Lili’s not laughing though. I’m not sure it’s a joke. Especially after her earlier comments. I think Lili has a very different relationship with her guys than Ava.
“Honestly, we’ve all been through a lot. Keeps things in perspective,” Lili adds, clearing her throat.
“Ye ready then?” Seamus asks, breaking into our little girl’s chat. Ava’s eyes go wide.
“Shoot! No— Well, yes, but I need to explain to Callie—”
“I thought that was what you were doing,” says Raj, mildly bored.
“Explain what to Callie?” I hate that my voice goes so high when I ask it.
“There’s a team of researchers tearing up the beach, probably trying to figure out how to open that portal if they know about it—”
“Vanessa, my old boss, I know. She has my research, so they know a lot more than I’d like.” I’m still bitter that my work is in her hands. I’d rather it be destroyed than someone else take credit for it. Especially her.
“Right,” Ava says, making a face. By now, her guys are all gathered around, everyone seeming ready for something. Even Miles is hanging nearby, a grim expression on his face. “Well, we’re hoping we can convince them to move along, and since you know them, you could be a liaison.”
I snort, looking past Ava to Seamus, but he’s not laughing. No one else is.
“You expect to just… ask them to leave nicely?”
“It’s worth a shot,” Ava says, defensive, arms folded over her chest. “I’m sure they’re missing some permit, or this beach is pro
tected, or something. We can get creative.”
I think she’s being naive as hell, but I also realize this is one of those instances where she’s probably going to have to fall on her face before she realizes she’s wrong.
“So we’re taking a field trip to the beach? Are they even down there after that flash flood this morning?”
“They are,” Kush answers. “Blocked off the whole beach. Can’t even get to my surf spot.”
“I could tell you about some better ones,” Miles offers.
“Great, let’s go,” Ava says, clapping her hands, all patience seemingly lost. I guess this is how she handles all those men: with ever-fraying patience. I wonder if she thinks it’s worth it.
Miles sticks close by my side the whole trek down to the beach, and even though I’m not holding one of the shards, I know Henri is with us too. Our own little group among the others. That’s surprisingly comforting.
It’s quite the procession, and the path down the sandy hillside to the beach is narrow, so Ava and her guys get there before I do, Lili and her crew in between us.
The researchers are combing the beach, the whole area roped off, and out in the bay, there’s a boat— a research vessel slightly larger and much shinier than Miles’. No doubt it’s equipped with all kinds of fancy radar and sonar and imaging software. Half a dozen divers. The kinds of things department coffers can fund. Things I could never afford.
They’re going to be miles ahead in no time.
The rain’s picking up again on the descent, and I use Miles’ shoulder for support, his footing sure as ever. There’s no missing the tightness in his jaw when he looks out at the bay, probably feeling just as violated as I do. Neither of us have any real ownership over the area, but it feels like it’s ours. It’s always felt like something about this place belongs to me and vice versa, but I certainly don’t mind sharing with Miles.
Vanessa though? No way.
I didn’t intentionally hang in the back of the extra-large group, but everyone else was together, so it just happened, and now I can see the confrontation on the beach happening before I can do anything about it.
Even though I wasn’t close enough to see it, I imagine the moment Vanessa spotted the first person coming toward her site she was already marching over to tell them off. By the time I am close enough to see, she’s realized there’s more than a dozen people coming at her and she’s already yelling threats.
“This is a closed site. Leave now or I’ll have you arrested for trespassing!”
“Hi,” Ava tries with a bright smile. “I’m Ava McGowan, owner of the B&B up the hill?” She gestures, but Vanessa doesn’t follow the movement, just glaring at us all instead. I don’t think she’s spotted me in the group yet, and it’s not exactly easy to work my way through the tightening barrier around Ava, her men closing in protectively.
“Barron?” Vanessa calls, drawing the attention of a big guy I’ve never seen before. He doesn’t exactly look the academic type. He looks more like a bouncer if anything. He cracks his knuckles; lightning flashes.
“Miss, I warned you, this is a closed site and I will have you forcibly removed if you don’t leave n—”
“Like hell ye will,” Seamus growls, stepping forward, fists clenched ready for a fight. The light in his eyes says he wants a fight. Crazy Irishman. Way to perpetuate stereotypes.
Shit. The last thing we need is a brawl on the beach, any of these guys getting hurt. Ava and Lili would never forgive me.
“Get. Back,” Vanessa screeches over the roar of wind. Some of the team behind her is scrambling to ward of gusts of sand, trying to protect their work where they can. The boat in the bay bobs on the choppy waters like a rubber duck in a bathtub. It makes me feel a little seasick just watching it.
These storms are ridiculous. This area’s always been stormy and wet, but never like this. And it seems like the storm always picks up just when I’m most upse—
…Holy shit. I’m an idiot.
A colossal, massive, enormous idiot.
All this time it’s been staring me in the face and I’ve just been refusing to see it.
“What’re ye gonna do?” Seamus challenges, backed up by the rest of Ava’s harem. Lili’s guy’s not far behind.
So much for me being a liaison. Or diplomacy working at all. Not that I really expected that to go very far. Vanessa’s never been the type to bend for anyone, not even reason.
Ironic for a scientist.
Miles is still by my side, and I know he’d jump into the brawl in a heartbeat if that’s what he needed to do, but I also know Miles would prefer to never be in a fight again. Two fights with Trenton probably filled his quota for a decade or two.
Screw it.
If this is my curse, to have these powers, the least I can do is use them. Generally, I’d want to ease in, try things in a controlled environment if possible, but this is a trial by fire.
Seamus told me to trust my gut. That’s easier said than done. I know the storms seem to intensify when I’m upset. I can use that. While the Court and my former employer and coworkers grow closer to an all-out battle on the beach, I turn inward. I focus on all the rejection I’ve faced the last twelve years. All the smug old men thinking I’m a secretary, the women like Vanessa determined to tear others down. I think about my dad and about Miles, about how angry I still am about the secrets and lies, and there’s no doubt the sky’s darkening, wind stronger than ever. I think about my mom leaving, all the time I wasted wondering why I wasn’t enough for her. About the dozens of committees and boards and grant directors who’ve looked down at me for my age, my gender, my area of study, or some combination.
Twenty-plus years of people telling me I can’t is long enough.
A hand slips into mine and I jump, heart in my throat when I turn to Miles. His fingers lace with mine and he squeezes, eyes shimmering with something I can only describe as love. I know that’s a big label to put on it for him, but we’ve been friends long enough that it would be weirder if we didn’t love each other in some capacity.
“Stand in the water,” he says, seeming to come to some internal decision. “It’ll supercharge you. I know that much.”
Even with the surf churning, gales blowing, the sky dark enough for twilight despite it being early afternoon, I’m not sure this is going to work. I don’t know that it’s going to be enough to get their attention. I have to try, but what if this is as much as I can do? It’s already more than I ever imagined, but what if it’s not enough?
“Will you come with me?” I ask, fingers locked with his. With him at my side, I can do anything.
Hey, even if it’s a placebo effect, those have been shown to be remarkably effective.
Miles leans in, his hair already plastered to his forehead with rain. He kisses the side of my head, lips lingering a second.
“Always. But the power is all you.”
I swallow, throat tight, and nod.
“Let’s do it.”
Before taking a step, I kick off my shoes, damp sand cold under my soles. Then I march toward the water. Once I start, I don’t think. The ocean pulls me like a magnet, holding my attention completely. Water wraps around my ankles, and I keep marching, one hand still linked with Miles’.
By the time the water’s kissing my upper thighs, I realize I stripped somewhere between here and the beach. I don’t know where my clothes are — I’m still in a bra and panties, so I’m not skinny dipping — but it’s not something I’m thinking about right now. I try looking back at the shore, searching for them, but all I see is Vanessa and her team scrambling away from the churning waves eroding their site and submerging their markers.
I’m also not thinking about the cold of the bay. I don’t feel it. I feel the embrace of the water, the connection with the sky, with the energy between the two, and it’s incredible.
The air is alive, the oceans are alive, and I’m connected to it all. Miles was right; being in the water is making everything more.
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When the water covers my chest, I feel a sudden jolt. A surge of power. Not just an awareness of the energy and magic, but the ability to control it.
To release it.
The swirling tornado that’s been building up inside of me, the feelings I spent a lifetime bottling up.
Miles squeezes my hand, and that’s all the reassurance I need.
I don’t know how I do it, but everything seems to act on my silent command. The sky flashes, waves churning.
The research ship long ago gave up on making it into shore and seems to be hoping to weather the storm anchored in place. A wave comes up on one side, then another on the opposite, in moments the boat’s spinning in place as a whirlpool opens up underneath it, those fancy satellite dishes ripped away in the wind shear.
The crew’s been bailing out, only critical crew left, and even they abandon as the whirlpool rips the boat apart the same way the waves chewed away the site on shore.
Bright orange dots of life vests and boats bob in the chaos of the waves, the normally peaceful bay acting so erratically I suspect the experts will be talking about this for decades to come, searching for an explanation.
But it’s over now.
For now, at least.
I don’t suspect that this will deter Vanessa forever, but it’ll certainly slow her down.
That realization sends a wave of relaxation through me, clouds parting, wind dying down.
For the first time in a long time, sun shines on the beach.
29
Henri
The bay rages as I’ve never seen it rage before, the ocean as furious as the day it swallowed me whole. Only on this day, it’s because of Callie.
Beautiful, captivating, immensely powerful Callie.
She’s breath-taking, and that’s said as someone who hasn’t drawn breath in half a millennium. The water moves to her will, dispersing her enemies, destroying their vessel — a shame for the vessel, but there are casualties in every war.
I do not feel worthy to even watch her incredible display. She is a goddess of the sea, I a mere victim of it. I’m lucky to even bear witness to this.