by Leia Stone
I liked to think I wasn’t prideful, and that compliments didn’t do much to my healthy sense of self-confidence, but I basked in his appreciation despite myself.
“I can’t believe...” He shook his head. “I can’t believe how lucky I am.”
A flush crept across my cheeks, but I wasn’t entirely sure it was due to his praise. He was one fine man, and he was all but naked in front of me. I ogled him without bothering to hide what I was doing.
A grin that promised mischief and pleasure—so much pleasure—consumed his face.
In quick movements, he freed himself of his boots, pants, and boxers. And then I really got to ogle. His body was all strong, virile man. Mmm, my favorite flavor.
Brock closed the distance between us and swept me up into his arms, cradling me against his bare chest while he stalked toward the bed.
He was about to throw me onto it when I shook my head as a bit of awareness came over me. “No, not on the bed. I have apollyon gunk on me.” It’d mostly gotten on my clothes, but even after hosing off, surely there was something gross on me. Not that Brock looked like he cared one bit. If he gave me another twenty seconds, I probably wouldn’t care anymore either.
“Fine,” he said, and pivoted toward the bathroom. He leaned me against the counter while he turned on the shower. Then he was pressed between my spread legs, and even scraps of lace were burdensome.
A groan rumbled in his throat as he pressed another kiss against my flushed lips and unclasped my bra. I swallowed and arched my back, offering my breasts to him. He didn’t disappoint, and by the time he’d pressed both of them together and run his tongue across both nipples enough times to make me lose my mind, it was I and not he who slid my thong down to pool on the floor at my feet.
His eyes flashed a bright amber yellow as he took both of my hands and led me into the shower. The water was hot, and as he lathered soap between his bare palms and proceeded to soap me up everywhere that mattered, the temperature rocketed.
I couldn’t take it anymore, and from the way the wolf reared in his gaze, I could tell he couldn’t either.
Still, he managed to put me first. He sat on the tile seat in his shower, away from the direct spray as the water rinsed the soap from my body. Then he spread his legs and beckoned me to climb aboard the pleasure train.
He didn’t need to suggest it twice. I took what he offered and didn’t hold back when ecstasy pushed at my senses until it rolled through me in shockwaves that left me gasping and panting, digging my fingers into his shoulders.
I gave as good as I took, and by the time the hot water began to cool, we’d familiarized ourselves with every nook and angle of his shower. My legs were so wobbly they barely held me.
Brock toweled me off with a gentleness that suggested love instead of passion, then carried me back out into the room, again cradled against his chest. When he deposited me on the bed and wrapped his body around me, I decided heaven was actually to be found on Earth.
“So, you want to move in with me?” He planted a soft whisper of a kiss right beneath my ear. I didn’t have it in me to resist anything he asked of me and I realized I did want to move in with him.
“Mm,” I said, and pressed further into his body. He wrapped strong arms and legs around me, cocooning me in a sense of safety. “Will we have lots of this if I move in with you?”
“As much as you want,” he whispered, his voice once more taking on tinges of passion.
“Whenever I want?” I asked.
“Whenever you want,” he said, beginning to run a fresh trail of kisses along my neck.
“Even now?”
“Even now.” His voice was becoming rougher and he pushed onto one elbow. “Do you want me now?”
Honey, I think I’ll always want you. But I was too chicken to say that; I was nearly too chicken to think it. “I definitely want you now,” I said instead.
He twisted his body on top of mine and held my eyes. “Eve, will you move in with me?”
I grinned. “Yes. I will.”
He beamed and the gesture was infectious.
A giggle escaped me. “Do I get my reward for agreeing now?”
“Hell yeah you do.” With his forearms pressed against the bed to either side of my shoulders, he lowered his face to capture my lips. “Mine,” he murmured against them.
A thrill swept across my body as I arched up to claim his mouth. I was definitely his. There was no going back now.
17 Selkies Are Assholes
Those of us going to the selkie cave gathered on Gran’s porch early the next morning. No time like the present to take on some seal shifters in need of an attitude adjustment. I waited next to the group of cars while the others gathered the last of the things they’d need. Patting my belt, I was double-checking that my gun, spare ammo, badge, and a few choice vials of Gran’s magic were where they were supposed to be when I sensed Cass staring at me.
‘What?’ I said.
He grinned and wagged his hips back and forth, making the early morning sunlight reflect off the iridescent fabric of his booty shorts. ‘You got nookie last night.’
I tried not to smile but failed miserably.
He pointed at me. ‘And this morning!’
I wasn’t about to deny facts, especially not to Cass, who probably appreciated sex more than any other creature alive. I let my grin fly.
‘You’re fucking in love.’ His tone was incredulous. ‘You’re totally batshit crazy for him.’
‘Hey,’ I snapped defensively. ‘You’re gaga over Tianna too.’
‘Yeah, well, have you seen my T?’ His eyes grew nostalgic as he squeezed the air in front of him. ‘Hummana, hummana.’
‘Cass, please tell me you’re not picturing groping Tianna right now.’
‘I’m not,’ he answered too quickly.
Ew, he totally was.
‘I agreed to move in with Brock.’ That would definitely distract him.
But where I assumed he’d make fun of me for being whipped or suggest it was too fast, too soon, he simply rubbed at his fuzzy hot pink goatee instead. ‘I’ve been thinking about asking T to move in with me, you know, since I have my own place now and all.’
Our bounty for catching Calista had come in, and that would hold us both over for a while.
My jaw dropped open. ‘But you’re an equal opportunity lover of the fae, of all the fae. You told me yourself a hundred times you could never settle on just one. You’re a man with a taste for many flavors. You’re...’ I faded off at the look on his face. ‘You’re in love. You’re honest to goodness in love.’
He shrugged furry pink shoulders, making his dark blue wings creep next to his ears. ‘Strange times, Ev. What can I say?’
Well, there was no fucking denying the times were strange. Then I had a thought that panicked me, surprising me at the intensity of my reaction. ‘We’ll still be BFFs, right?’
Cass strolled right up to me and wrapped my thighs in a tight hug. I crouched down so we could properly embrace and he leaned his head against my shoulder. ‘Girl, we’ll always be besties. There isn’t a thing on Earth that can come between us.’
Relief flooded through me. It had been Cass and me against the world for so long … now we were growing up, falling in love, and having babies and shit.
I sniffled.
‘You and me are forever. We always have been.’ He squeezed me with his small arms. ‘But if you ever tell anyone we had this sappy moment, I’ll deny it till my dying day. It’d mess with my badass persona, you know? I have a reputation to protect. Pulling off hot pants like these is harder than it looks.’
Man, I loved the fuck out of this demon imp. ‘Your secret is safe with me.’
“Break up the love-fest,” Tianna called ahead. “We’ve got some selkie ass to kick.”
“We’re hoping not to even have to interact with the selkies, remember?” Haru said, he and his brother trailing behind the Amazonian fae-witch.
“In and out with
out disturbing a thing,” Reo added.
Tianna flicked her copper hair behind her shoulder. “You boys just don’t want me to have any fun.”
A shotgun cocked while Molly swept out onto the porch of Gran’s cabin. She appeared to be inspecting the rifle.
Tianna pointed at Molly. “You don’t want her to have any fun either.”
Realizing Tianna was referring to her, Molly looked up, smiling from behind a sheet of bright violet hair.
“Shit. This isn’t going to go down quietly, is it?” Brock said against my ear, sidling next to me and settling possessive hands around my hips.
I shook my head. “Not a chance.”
Selkies were territorial bitches, and if they didn’t let me in to their little healing water cave, there’d be hell to pay.
We loaded up into two cars, Tianna and Brock’s, and peeled out of there, a convoy of chaos and redemption.
We drove through Washington all morning and made it to Bellingham around noon. We were so far up the state that we were near the Vancouver, Canada border. Once in Bellingham, Haru instructed us to rent a private boat and we made our way over to Lummi Island.
“How do you know about this place?” Molly shouted above the sound of the wind gliding across our motorboat as Brock drove to the island.
Molly was out of her mind excited that she might be about to see a real life selkie. They were super reclusive and kept to themselves most of the time.
“We have a similar cove in Japan,” Haru said. “It’s our job as kitsune protectors to know all the places where we could heal the kitsune’s sword.”
I raised one eyebrow. “So swords have broken before?”
Reo nodded this time, his dark hair pulled up into a sexy man bun. “A kitsune’s power isn’t dependent on their katana, but they aren’t as powerful without the use of it. The first thing the Akuma does when they want to take out a kitsune is break their blade, to limit the kitsune’s range of magic.”
Fear gnawed at my gut. Was I weakened now that my katana was broken? Is that what he was essentially saying? I gulped. My magic, kitsune or otherwise, didn’t feel any different, but I hadn’t exactly tried to use it.
“And this kitsune killing faction still doesn’t know I exist, right?”
Haru shrugged. “We hope not. It’s our goal to keep your existence a secret at least until you can permanently close the gate.”
The wind picked up and a frigid blast whipped across the boat, making me wish I’d thought to dress in something warmer than my usual crop tank-top. I’d left my leather jacket at the cabin.
Brock slowed as the island came into view. Thick green trees spanned the length of the oasis. I’d spent the last several years living in the concrete jungle of LA. This was so raw and untouched in comparison. “It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
Haru nodded. “There’s an artists’ colony here. They produce quite striking paintings.”
Reo dipped over Brock’s shoulder to indicate he steer the boat over to a small wooden dock near a rocky beach. There were trees for miles in both directions, and except for far off in the distance, it didn’t look like this part of the island was inhabited.
Nerves swam in my gut. Selkies were a bit of a wild card. We were taught about them at the Bounty Hunter Academy, but it was a lot of guess work and word of mouth stories. They kept to themselves, abhorred strangers, and were prone to reacting with violence if anybody approached their habitats. I’d only ever heard of one instance in which one had been brought in and booked for a crime.
Haru consulted a map on his phone. “It’s about a five to ten minute walk from here.”
Good, because I had an uneasy feeling about this. The sooner we got it done, the better.
Cass flew out of the boat as it brushed against the dock, Tianna tossed him the rope and my bestie worked to moor us. I grabbed the leather bag that held the pieces of my katana and climbed out, sensing Brock’s concerned gaze on my back. If my baby daddy was going to worry about me when all I was doing was climbing out of a damn boat, it was going to be a very long day.
Once we’d all disembarked, Haru and Reo led our small party along the edge of a pebbled beach to a thick copse of trees beyond.
Brock, positioned like a sentinel, didn’t leave my side. “I should have brought Sabine,” he muttered.
“I’ll be fine.” I hoped I wasn’t lying. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with some hormonally charged selkies. Besides, we didn’t want to charge in with a big crew and alert them to our presence. Brock was the only wolf present, then my odd bunch. It was going to have to do.
Once we left the beach, we traipsed across ancient tree roots and rocks. Critters chirped and scattered off to the sides of the path while we forged through the virgin wilderness.
After we’d been walking for a few minutes, a hissing noise filtered through the sounds of nature, and Haru put up his fist, military speak for “stop or we might walk into a trap.” Every one of us halted immediately, quietly withdrawing our weapons.
The hissing grew louder. Bushes rustled to our left and a woman walked out of the trees. She was stark naked but for a seal skin draped around her shoulders, leaving the entire front of her body naked and exposed.
Selkie.
“You’re trespassing. Fuck off,” she snarled, showcasing pointy teeth behind thin lips.
My eyes flicked over to Molly, who was staring, open-mouthed. Her shotgun hung uselessly at her side, but just because this woman was naked and unarmed didn’t mean she was harmless. Selkies would kill you and not skip a beat.
My lover stepped forward. “I’m Brock, alpha of the wild hunter pack.”
The selkie’s eyes washed over his body like she was preparing to seduce him. “Werewolf,” she purred, and I had to restrain myself from launching forward and wringing her fucking neck for talking to my man in a sex voice.
Brock cleared his throat. “Yes, I am. We’re here to access your healing pool, then we’ll be on our way.”
Haru was creeping slowly, working to mute his footfalls across the forest floor, trying to get behind the selkie while her attention was diverted. Did he think she was going to attack? She was undressing my man with her eyes, not broadcasting violence.
But when Haru crunched fallen leaves with his next step, she spun half around, keeping him and us in her sights at the same time. “Stop, warrior,” she hissed.
Haru froze, not bothering to pretend he hadn’t been trying to sneak up on her. He gripped his unsheathed katana in a tight hand. The selkie’s eyes were sharp—gleaming with a wild edge, but astute. I doubted she missed much, which made her all the more dangerous.
The selkie eyed Molly and Tianna, before boring her eyes into me. “Which one of you is the kitsune?”
What the fuck?
Reo stepped in front of me, his katana pointed at the creature. Brock growled, and Cass unzipped his black leather Gucci fanny pack, loaded with Gran’s magic potions.
The selkie tipped her head back and laughed, a horrifying sound that set me on edge. I got a great view of her sharp teeth and shivered. They were more animal than human.
“Do you know nothing of my kind, you idiots?” She surveyed us all, one by one, scanning us with a predatory gleam to her wild eyes.
Tianna put things together first. “You can read minds?”
The selkie looked at her approvingly. “To a certain degree, yes. It’s a greater challenge in a group such as yours, made up of so many magical creatures.” She pointed a look at Cass, who tilted his chin up at her and tightened his grip on his gun.
“You have a kitsune in your midst,” she said, making the slithery words somehow seem like a threat.
Brock let loose a full wolf growl and inched closer to the selkie, edging his body so as to be more fully between me and the creature.
All mirth faded from her face as she locked eyes with the very menacing, possessive alpha. The selkie was shorter than me and slim. Although she was covered in lean, ropey muscles, Broc
k probably weighed more than twice what she did. He drew up to his full height to tower over her, the muscles of his forearms tensed and on display. Any normal creature would be intimidated as all hell.
“What the fuck do you want?” Brock snapped.
The selkie glared at him for a full minute before stroking her wet hair, trailing her fingers across the long strands all the way past her bare breasts, lingering there. She was probably trying to draw Brock’s attention to her body, but my wolf kept his narrowed eyes pinned on her face.
She scowled. “The healing pool keeps my clan young and strong. To share its power would be foolish.”
Everyone in our group tightened their grips on their weapons. Tianna held a nasty-looking broadsword, and tilted it so the sunlight filtering through the trees overhead would glint across the deadly blade.
“We’re only asking as a courtesy,” I said, speaking for the first time. “We’re not leaving without using it.” Her eyes locked on mine. I didn’t even blink as she tried to intimidate me. Good luck with that, selkie bitch.
“Ahh, kitsune.” She grinned as the saliva glistened on her razor-sharp teeth. She was looking at me oddly—maybe behind me or right through me—in a daze. She stared for long enough that I decided we’d just have to knock her out or kill her.
“Oh, I see,” she finally spoke. “You seek to mend your katana and close the gate to the underworld. Well, why didn’t you say so? Come along.” She spun and slipped into the trees that surrounded us, her seal skin cloak dragging behind her.
‘I want what she’s smoking,’ Cass told me.
‘Totally,’ I answered.
Fuck. She’d read my mind. I probably should have thrown up a protection spell or something. Tianna would have reminded me to do it if only we’d realized selkies were mind readers. I hoped the selkie didn’t have any other unpleasant tricks up her sleeves ... uh, under her skin cloak.
Brock wasn’t buying her helpful act any more than I was. He positioned himself in front of me as we followed behind her, weaving through trees. “Why are you so cooperative all of a sudden?” His voice dripped with suspicion.
