by Godiva Glenn
His phone felt heavy in his pocket, and as he sipped the oaky wine the urge to check it again won over the logic that nothing new had come through. The home screen was still void of anything interesting. A few taps and he was left staring at that damned question from the matchmaker. He groaned at his moment of weakness and slid his finger to the side, dialing her number.
The ring pulsed three times before she picked up.
“Pavel? To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Your text. What did it mean?” he asked.
“It was simply a question. Nothing more.”
“Nothing more?” He stared down at his wine, swirling it gently by the stem. “Is there no reason for me to visit the States, then? Why would you ask?”
A soft breath carried through the phone. “Curiosity. But it seems I rushed something. I’m not sure it would fit.”
“You found someone?”
“I thought, that perhaps. But it was only a possibility, and now it’s not a definite.”
“Why?”
“Does it matter? I haven’t forgotten about you. You’re at the top of my list.”
He glanced to the sky and pushed away the frustration he was sure would shine in his voice if he didn’t watch it. “But you’ve told me before that you don’t make mistakes. How did you perhaps, possibly, find someone? Why aren’t you certain?”
“I introduce people based on intuition, and there are things that can cloud intuition.”
“Could I meet her anyhow? I’m curious.”
She sighed into the phone. “I would like to be transparent here, but I know you. You see the best in everyone, and I don’t want you to be hurt.”
“My heart’s been broken before. That’s hardly a concern. I know it’s foolish, but I’d take love lost over the loneliness of bachelordom any day.”
“That’s not the only hurt you could experience. This young woman is, well, dangerous.”
“A shifter, then? I know you’ve matched everyone and every type. From trees to dragons.”
“If only it were that simple. No, she’s fae, though. And you’ve met a few of those. They come with a disclaimer. Magic is unpredictable,” Mrs. Wilder murmured. “Until I understand her situation in full, I’m not convinced she’s the one for you.”
“What changed your mind? You wouldn’t have asked me about my travel plans if you were uncertain. What was your discovery?”
“The danger was the discovery. As I said, you’ve met a few fae. They aren’t always forthcoming. Maybe I’ve misunderstood her, but maybe not. I can’t entirely decide, truthfully.”
“I see.” He sipped his wine and nodded to himself. “I respect your judgment.”
“You’re a catch, Pavel. I hope you realize that. I love all of my clients, but you are something else. Take that for the compliment it is.”
Her praise didn’t go unwelcomed, but it didn’t lift his spirits. His family aside, he was constantly talked up. Women loved him. Men loved him. But it was empty appreciation, not the soul-consuming passion he longed for. “Thank you, Gerri.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Of course. Have a lovely day.”
“You too.”
He slid the phone into his pocket and downed the wine in one unappreciative gulp. He’d been raised to be respectful and reliable. Finishing school and rigorous social activities helped him become charming and entertaining. Still, to his parents, he was a disappointment. His brother was perfection incarnate and he was the rough counterfeit, for reasons he couldn’t grasp and no longer cared to understand.
Glancing at his watch, he counted forward. With luck, he could be in the States in roughly sixteen hours. Screw patience. He wanted to try reckless for a change. He wanted to meet this dangerous fae and see for himself if they were a fit.
* * * *
After a quick nap, Pavel was up and ready to take on the world. Granted, his brain was operating under a fog of jet lag, but he was determined to press on. He stopped by a coffee shop before hiring a cab to take him to the office address listed on Mrs. Wilder’s website. The iced latte was akin to injecting sugar into his veins, and it would help him face her. He predicted some anger, on her part. On realizing that, he asked the driver to make a stop so he could pick up cookies and a delightfully aromatic salted caramel fudge he’d stumbled across in the shop.
“Did you need flowers, too?” The driver asked over his shoulder.
“Flowers? Oh, no. It’s not that sort of apology. I’m just dropping in unexpected.”
The driver shrugged and sped through the town as if traffic laws and road courtesy were things out of a fairy tale. They arrived at the building in one piece, but Pavel was certain he’d nearly met his maker several times during the short trip. He paid his driver and fought the urge to hug the sidewalk. This city was not the sprawling, busy metropolis of New York, yet he’d managed the find the one taxi that drove like it was.
He’d done New York enough times to recognize the sort.
He shook out his arms and legs then approached the door with gifts at the ready. Just as he went to knock, a voice stopped him.
“You better have a damn good explanation,” Mrs. Wilder called out a few steps away. Her heels tapped the pavement as she met with him, and her blue eyes surveyed him head to toe. “How did you beat me to work in the morning?”
“My flight arrived at a horrendously early time.” He held out the paper bag of cookies and fudge. “But I brought treats.”
She took the bag but replied only with an exasperated sound.
“You know why I’m here.”
“I do,” she snapped. “I know why. I just didn’t expect such a foolish action from you.”
He glanced at her office door. “Well, it seemed like a clever idea at the time.”
“Were you drunk?” she asked. She opened the bag and sniffed. “Oh. Double chocolate salted caramel.”
“I wasn’t drunk, no.” He grinned, guessing where her mind was going. He’d once helped a friend write an email to Gerri requesting her help, and it was done at one in the morning after countless drinks and shots.
Mrs. Wilder sighed, and the frustration lining her face slid away. “At least you brought the nice sweets.” She clicked her tongue and pulled him into a warm hug. “You’re looking good, by the way. Tall and handsome as ever.”
“You’re looking dashing. I’m not sure you’re capable of ever looking less.”
“Flattery will get you everything,” she murmured. “Fine. Come in but give me a moment to settle down. Then we’ll talk. But just because you arrived on my doorstep doesn’t mean I’m giving you any information. I don’t reward unruly behavior.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She shuddered. “No. Gerri is fine, I’ve told you before. No ma’am, and no Mrs. Wilder.”
Despite her insistence that she couldn’t be swayed, Pavel felt a surge of triumph. He was one step closer to meeting his mysterious, dangerous woman.
Three
Annika
Annika squinted out across the sparkling water from the pier where she sat, legs dangling over the side between the slats of the wooden railing. The sun was high and hit the water at an angle that made the surface white and glittery. It was beautiful, and though she visited often to swim and sunbathe, the beach here wasn’t anything like back home.
When she’d ventured through the waters of Prism to dive through the portal, she didn’t know where she’d end up. She’d landed on this beach, and that was good enough for her at the time. She couldn’t imagine things not going well.
But lately, she could barely make it through the day without being tugged at by the distant waters of her world. She’d ventured back to where she’d exited the rift, but on this side, the portal didn’t exist. She could never go back unless she turned herself in and begged for passage through the official gateway between Prism and Earth. Prism was wonderful, and she missed her friends, but she’d made a choice and she planned to stick with it.
It wasn’t that life on Prism was worth running from. Far from it. She’d be crazy to not appreciate her home, flaws and all. She ran from herself and the bad decisions she’d made in the past. Decisions she kept making, over and over, until she realized that she was never going to change. Being on Earth forced her to change.
It was lonely here, but that’s where she’d hoped that Gerri could have helped. Annika had learned quickly that she couldn’t rely on first impressions with anyone. She’d told Gerri the truth. She didn’t control the magic that made her damn-near irresistible at first sight—what Gerri and many humans referred to as fae glamour.
The involuntary magic was something Annika had heard of but never experienced, given that she’d never before seen a human face to face. Her first few days on Earth had been amazing until the magic faded. Then everyone she’d met treated her as a normal stranger. Some of them were suspicious once the glamour wore off, of course.
It had helped her get each of her past jobs, but given the effect, she couldn’t just go on a hunt for true love. No, it wouldn’t be the best start to a relationship. That’s why it seemed like a miracle to have met a paranormal dating expert. But she’d blown it in less than an hour.
She leaned her head against the rough railing and closed her eyes. The tumble and crash of waves played in the back of her mind. Not the ones currently flowing around the pier, but the distant and unreachable waters of Prism. She heard them constantly. The humans knew the selkie lore, but they could never truly understand it.
Even though Gerri had said the words that the sea was Annika’s first love, she couldn’t fathom how true it was. Yet beyond the heart-wrenching pull of Prism’s waters, Annika found herself wishing for something else. Comfort. Familiarity. Forgiveness.
The moment she’d swam through the portal, she’d betrayed and abandoned her best friend. A friend she’d had so long, she couldn’t remember what life was like before him. They’d grown up together and given the average lifespan of a selkie—forever—that truly meant something. The years didn’t matter to their kind, so she couldn’t say exactly how old she was, and that made the friendship that much more valuable.
But she’d left. Knowing Cam, he blamed himself. He’d found the rift and had intended on reporting it. The urge to travel and explore the unknown tempted him, though, and he shared his discovery with Annika before letting anyone else know. Of course, he didn’t expect her to go through, especially without saying goodbye, but then again, she hadn’t thought it would be a one-way trip.
One moment of pain had led her through, and she hadn’t thought twice.
“Penny for your thoughts?” a voice asked.
Annika looked up, surprised to find Gerri standing on the pier. Her navy and floral dress danced in the breeze, but her hair seemed immune to the playful wind. Annika wished she knew what sort of creature Gerri was. Perhaps a shifter that could fly. It seemed fitting.
She stood and brushed at her cheeks where hot tears had fallen. She didn’t recall crying, but her thoughts had been distant. “What are you doing here?”
“I knew I’d find you here,” Gerri replied. She gazed over the water. “It’s been a while since I came to the beach.”
“It’s a long drive.” Annika had settled inland in an attempt to quell her longing, not that it worked.
Gerri shrugged. “Not to me. But let’s get down to business.”
“Business? You already told me…” Annika wilted. “Unless you mean something else. Are you turning me in?”
Gerri arched a brow and strode past Annika to sit on a bench. She patted beside herself on the painted but peeling seat. “I wouldn’t do that. You’ve given me no reason to consider it.”
Annika joined her. “Are you saying you’re reconsidering helping me?”
“I am.” Gerri lifted her chin and chuckled softly. “Someone’s forced my hand, in a way.”
“What? How—”
“Nevermind that. There’s more you aren’t telling me, and I need to know everything if I’m going to take on the crazy task of finding a mate for a selkie.” Gerri’s eyes narrowed on Annika. “For starters, why did you leave Prism?”
Annika froze. The truth wasn’t a good credit in her favor, yet a lie could lead to Gerri rejecting her a second time. Then again, she was a matchmaker. She understood love, and the mistakes involving it, right? Annika drew in a deep breath. “I left because I’d broken up with someone.”
“That’s all? You left your planet over that?”
“I know it must seem trivial to you, but yes.” Annika smiled weakly. “I loved someone, and though he loved me, we fought almost as much as we agreed. He was passionate and stubborn, and no matter how many times we each walked away from each other, we kept returning.”
“Oh.” The single word held volumes of understanding. “One of those relationships.”
“Teall and I had fire. He could brush my hand and my heart would pound, my blood would race, and my knees would shake. I was addicted to his touch.” Annika winced at recalling her weakness. “But in other matters, we weren’t so compatible. He didn’t know how or when to yield. We’d fight over the silliest matters. We couldn’t see eye to eye.”
“How long were you together?”
Annika lifted her hands. “I honestly couldn’t say. Time isn’t something we tend to measure in precision. Nearly from the moment I first found the desire to mate, I suppose.”
Gerri frowned. “Why do I suspect you mean decades, if not centuries?”
“Likely. The selkies don’t pay attention to time, not like the rest of the fae. Much like we don’t deal with politics. We… play. We follow our hearts and do what we enjoy. And though I hate the notion that we are simple or foolish, I’ll admit that we often become too wrapped up in our own enjoyment. We neglect things others would deem as important. Like what year it is.” She laughed dryly. “And now I have mastered time. Humans live by the clock.”
“Fascinating,” Gerri said with awe. “But also, I suppose I could see why you would think you needed to get that much distance between each other.”
“I would keep going back to him. No matter how angry I was. I don’t know why. Stupidity. Weakness.”
“Love is strange.”
“But I don’t want that kind of love. I want a love that doesn’t involve regret and shame.” Annika reached out and took Gerri’s hand. “He wasn’t my true love. He couldn’t be. If he were, we wouldn’t have been unhappy the way we were.”
Gerri’s expression seemed conflicted. “Dear, you’d be surprised at how often that is true love, but it needs to be cleaned up. I’ve had some wild couples come to me in your same situation, and their true path led them right back to each other.”
“Not for me,” Annika insisted. “Teall is as far away as he could be. Some nights I miss him, but distance gives me clarity. What we had was toxic.”
“I understand that, too.” Gerri squeezed Annika’s hand. “Then what do you want? What, to you, makes a man suitable?”
Annika shrugged. “I don’t know. Someone who smiles and laughs. Someone fun.”
“That’s it?”
“I thought you would know what I needed. Perhaps through your own magic?”
Amusement lifted the corners of Gerri’s lips. “I don’t have magic that tells me these things. You have to look inside yourself and be honest.”
“I want a true companion. Someone who won’t let me down. Someone who will let me win an argument now and then.” Annika tilted her head. “A best friend to hold me and keep me happy. A man who won’t make me cry over him.”
“And in the bed?”
Annika startled from her dreamy thoughts of the perfect man. “In the bed? Are you allowed to ask that?”
“Well, I just did.”
“My appetites are the same as any selkie.”
“Like any fae, then? Anything, everything, and often?” Gerri asked.
“That sounds about right.” Annika couldn’t hi
de her impish smile. The selkies were the most adventurous and libidinous of the fae, to the point where other fae judged them for it. Not that selkies gave a damn what the other fae thought.
Gerri’s eyes lifted and scanned the beach. “You didn’t say he needed to swim.”
“I thought maybe you’d try to encourage me to avoid the water.”
“Does it make it harder? Does this water call to the same as Prism’s?”
“Honestly? I can’t tell. The pain is there regardless.”
“Then don’t make it worse.” Gerri stood. “I assume you’re unemployed once more?”
Annika pouted. “Yeah.” She’d be embarrassed if she cared enough about slinging ice cream, but she didn’t. Mostly she was frustrated. Wendy had let her go and claimed Annika didn’t have enough drive. “Probably for the best. I don’t think dairy likes me.”
“I see. Are you able to get by for the time being?”
“Oh, yes. I don’t spend money often. Everything goes to my rent, but even that’s not much…”
Gerri brushed at her dress, flicking away specks of dried paint that had peeled up from the bench. “Those days may be behind you soon enough. But in any case, expect a call from a gentleman by the name of Pavel.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Though… and I hate to say this, but maybe don’t tell him you’re a selkie until the second or third date.”
“Why?” Annika asked. “Shouldn’t I be honest?”
“You should, certainly. But he can wait. Besides, I know your magic. I’m sure you’re curious to see how he is by the second date, regardless, and then you can explain why he was overwhelmed on the first. I’m only giving this advice because I know him. If you tell him immediately, you’ll both spend the first date over-thinking and you won’t have any fun.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense.”
Gerri waved. “Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thank you so much!” Annika called as Gerri walked away.
She turned to the water as hope bubbled through her. There was no doubt in her mind that Gerri would live up to expectations. Annika was ready for true love.
