by Rosanna Leo
He wiped at his tears and drew her in for a tight embrace. He didn’t let her go for the longest time. Each pass of his hands over her face and back was one she felt all the way down to her toes. They finally fell together onto the mattress. Wrapped in his arms, they slept in the little stone cottage by the sea.
Chapter 14
The next evening was the one Mack and Beth had designated for their trek to the finman island of Hildaland. As much as Mack wanted to keep Beth hidden in the stone cottage where he could love her for hours on end, he knew it was time to eradicate the threat from the orange-eyed finman. And Beth was just as eager to free herself of his finny clutches.
They’d spent the day with the family coordinating a plan of attack. There wasn’t a Kirk present who didn’t want a go at the finman. Mack could see his parents and siblings had already unofficially adopted Beth. They were all itching to fight for her. In fact, Jamie and Edan had taken turns to teach Beth a few defensive maneuvers. And as much as it made Mack’s stomach roil in apprehension to watch her play fight on the beach with his brothers, he was glad of their help.
It was decided Angus and Calan would stay home with their parents and the women in case there should be any sort of retaliation on the Kirks. And even though the girls had put up a fuss at not being able to play a more active role, they recognized the need to keep the family intact. Mack would swim out to Mermaid’s Mound with Beth, and they’d be joined by Jamie, Edan, Drummond, and Breannan.
Before they headed to the beach at midnight en masse, Mack retrieved his bow and arrows, carrying his selkie pelt as well since he’d need to shift to swim with Beth. Mack led the way to the beach.
Beth had been strangely calm as they’d made their plans. She didn’t say a word as they walked along the path to the shore; she just kept her eyes on the sea and her hand clasped in his.
He pulled her in for a hug. “Are you all right, love?”
She gazed at him, her sparkly eyes full of love for him and her face serious. “I’ll be better when this is over.” She sighed and scratched the skin on her neck, right under where the finman charm lay again.
He touched the necklace chain. “I hate that you have to wear this.”
“It’ll be gone soon.” The corner of her lip curled up. “I love you, Mack. Please don’t ever forget it.”
Forget it? Why would he forget it? Before he could question her, the family clustered about them.
“All ready, son?” asked Alun.
“Uh, yeah,” Mack replied, still eyeing his weirdly calm mate. He adjusted the quiver of arrows over his shoulder and turned to his brothers. “Got your daggers?”
There was a chorus of “ayes” which was interrupted by a loud crack of thunder. Within seconds the sky was black, darkened further by clouds that hadn’t been there moments ago. They all turned to the now-churning sea, and mist from the choppy whitecaps hit Mack’s face. Beth tugged on his sleeve, and he looked at her. She was white and was staring at a figure on the water.
Fearsome orange eyes stared out at them from under a long, black cloak.
Mack reached for his arrow with one hand and for Beth with the other.
“Selkie,” the finman hissed, his reedy voice carrying over the waves. “She is mine.”
“Never,” shouted Mack as his brothers all reached for their weapons. Angus, Calan, and Alun placed themselves in front of their wives. The other brothers circled around Beth and Mack.
“I saw her first. She belongs with me,” answered the finman. He let out a hideous cackle. “Unless you’d prefer to give me one of your other women.”
Calan and Angus stepped forward, teeth gritted. “You’ll have to go through us, finfuck,” threatened Calan.
A black cloud hovered over the finman. He raised his fins to it, and the cloud rolled through the sky, headed toward the group of selkies.
Angus turned to Elsie, who’d brought a still-awake Morgan out with her so she could see the little party off to the Mound. The baby was now crying, awakened by thunder. “Run to the house, love,” Angus uttered. “Now.”
Elsie nodded and took a step. A droning chant sounded from the finman’s foul mouth. A burst of lightning issued from the enormous thundercloud, aiming for the panicked Elsie.
“No!” The cry that came from Angus chilled Mack to the bone. He watched, dazed, as his brother reached for his wife.
What had happened? This wasn’t supposed to happen.
As the lightning struck Elsie, she did not fall. She remained upright, seemingly unhurt, but the baby was ripped from her arms. The young mother shrieked as Morgan flew into the sky toward the black cloud. The howling baby sailed with demon speed and landed in the finman’s arms.
“Morgan,” cried Elsie as tears of terror coursed down her face. She fell to her knees as Maggie and Fae ran to her.
Angus roared in fury, grabbed his dagger, and raced to the water. “I’ll kill you!”
“What a pretty baby,” cooed the finman in a sickening voice Mack would never forget.
The other men chased Angus to the water’s edge, each one determined to tear the finman limb from limb. Mack joined them, his feet pounding the sand. He aimed his arrow, but as good a shot as he was, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t hit Morgan.
He’d never felt so helpless. The only blessing in the insane farce was Beth was safe on the beach with the other women. He turned to her.
She wasn’t there.
Bile clawed its way up his throat. Mack looked around and shouted out for her. He prayed that in the confusion with Morgan she’d managed to run to the house.
And then he spotted her further down the beach. She was in the water, swimming at a good clip toward the finman.
“Beth, no!”
His frenzied shout got everyone’s attention, and they all noticed Beth in the water. It seemed to Mack time stood still in that moment. He knew what she was doing. She was offering herself up, hoping to keep the finman from hurting Morgan.
Beth. If there is a god in heaven, please…
Mack didn’t stop to utter any more prayers. His mate and his niece were out there, and there was no way he’d let the finman have either one of them.
He stood still, vaguely aware of his brothers and father standing in a line next to him. Finmen weren’t the only creatures with power over the elements. Selkies were gifted in this manner as well.
Concentrating on Beth, Mack gritted his teeth and called upon the power he’d never once used in malice. He summoned a wave, one big enough to push her back to shore but not enough of a swell to inundate her. The wave grew in front of her, a gentle force compelling her backward.
Still she swam, fighting to get to the finman. As the wave formed a wall ahead of her, she defied it, diving and plowing right through it.
Angus stood beside him. Mack shot him a glance. His brother’s eyes were red, and the lines in his face made him appear grim, nearing despondent.
“He won’t have my pup.”
Angus called forth his own power and summoned a wave meant to force the finman and Morgan to the water’s edge.
It didn’t budge them.
Alun put a hand on Angus’ shoulder. “He’s a tough one. Let me help.” Alun stared at the finman, his eyes almost glowing, and lightning crackled around him.
Elsie stumbled forward. “No. The baby!”
As the selkie family tried to consider their next move, the finman laughed and laughed. “I like this child. Perhaps I’ll keep her too. In a few years, she’ll be fit for childbearing.”
Elsie raced into the water, crying, but Angus held her back. “If you touch our daughter,” he swore, “I’ll squeeze the last putrid breath from your body.”
Mack fought to keep the wave in front of Beth, but it was difficult. He could swear something was working against him. It should be easy to drag Beth back to shore, but she seemed able to overcome and swim through each swell of cold water pounding her body. It must be due to the finman’s abilities; he posse
ssed remarkable powers. A sweat broke out on Mack’s brow. His temple throbbed with the intensity of a mallet hitting an anvil. Still, he stared after his mate and did all he could to keep her safe and out of the finman’s foul clutches.
All at once, the black sky split open and lightning shot toward Beth.
“No!”
Mack realized afterward the anguished scream was his.
The lightning forked toward her, hauled her dripping out of the sea, and carried her to the finman. As she reached the beast, the finman made Morgan levitate. The baby once again sailed through the sky, landing safely in Angus’ arms, but screaming her head off as if offended she now reeked of finman. Angus enfolded Elsie in his arms, and the parents kissed the babe until she quieted.
As the finman grasped Beth, she turned toward Mack. Her eyes were haunted, and her face was red from exertion. She mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.”
The finman held her in his finny arms, laughed once more, and threw her into his waiting kayak. The bedeviled vessel tore away from them, dragging Beth screaming and writhing into the depths of the black sea.
Mack could have turned to stone. His throat became as dry as parchment, and his spirit felt just as brittle. He couldn’t string his thoughts together. And he was certain his heart was slowing down, dragging him into a numbing obscurity that terrified him.
My mate. Beth, my love.
His agony mutated into a searing, blind fury, and the need to harm and kill seized him. He turned to his family, his body shaking with a penetrating cold that had nothing to do with the damned mist. “I’m going to Hildaland. I’m going after her.”
Edan, Jamie, Drummond, and Breannan stepped forward and replied as a determined unit, “We’re coming.”
Mack didn’t waste another second. He glanced at Angus to make sure the baby was okay. She was. He turned to the sea. He and his brothers stripped quickly and stepped into the frigid waves. They wrapped their pelts around them and adjusted their weapons over their bodies with belts. They charged into the waves. As he shifted into his seal self, swimming deeper and deeper, Mack vowed to find Beth or die trying.
* * * *
It didn’t take them long to swim to Mermaid’s Mound, which was in reality a large, flat rock perfect for sunning oneself. Mack and his brothers had raced many a time as young selkies. Speed wasn’t an issue for any of them, and yet tonight they were all determined to break records.
As soon as they reached the craggy rock in the middle of the sea, one that would not register on any human charts or maps, they divested themselves of their skins and stowed them in a deep crevice in the rock. They soon heard the sound of water splashing on the far end of the rock. Bracing themselves, the men waited as three mermaids propped their heavenly bodies up on the rock.
In another time, Mack would have enjoyed the view. No sane man could have looked away. The maids all sported long, dark locks that shimmered almost green when wet. Top models would have carved up their own faces in an attempt to achieve the magnificent bone structure of the mermaids. And their bodies were rounded and lush, as perfect as they could be. Their tails, although off-putting, were beautiful with golden scales that shimmered, even at night. The gilded scales inched up their torsos and delicately circled plump breasts that would corrupt a saint.
He stared through uninterested eyes. None of it mattered. He only had eyes for Beth.
“Damn,” Jamie uttered. “It’s been years since I’ve had a mermaid.”
One of the fishy lasses spoke in a musical voice meant to seduce. “Shall we correct your oversight tonight, selkie?” She smiled at Jamie, and her green eyes twinkled with mischief as she eyed his boner.
One of the other mermaids gestured toward Edan and let out a laugh that sounded like wind chimes. “I like the one with the ginger hair.”
Drummond griped, “It’s always about the hair with Edan.”
Edan grinned. “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.”
“Enough foolishness,” Mack declared, already tired of the game. He addressed the mermaids, one of whom was flapping her tail toward Breannan, splashing him with promiscuous grace. “Ladies, we’re on a mission and need to use the Mound.”
The first mermaid beckoned to him with a graceful finger. “You can use my mound, selkie.” She nodded at Jamie. “You and your brother.”
“Christ Almighty,” Jamie muttered under his breath, clearly fighting a major case of sexual temptation.
“As enticing as the offer is,” Mack continued, “that’s not what we’re here for. My mate has been taken to Hildaland, and I need to get her back.”
All three mermaids gasped in horror. Every supernatural creature in the region was aware of the depraved finmen. Still, their fingers were possessive clamps on their rock, their eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Mack reached for the necklaces he’d borrowed from his mother. He’d stowed them in his quiver, and when he pulled them out, they sparkled in the moonlight. The fish maidens sighed in rapture. The one who’d been eyeing Edan tore her gaze away and reached for one of the necklaces. “So lovely! I like the one with the pearl!”
“And they will be yours if you let us use the Mound.”
The mermaids hesitated, clearly torn, their flashing eyes locked on the jewelry. Mack fingered a large emerald on one of the necklaces. “A green emerald to match beautiful green eyes.”
“Me,” one of them shouted. “Give it to me!”
“No, me,” said another.
“How about this, ladies,” Mack said. “I’ll toss them into the water and let you decide which you prefer. And we’ll use the rock. Deal?”
The mermaids nodded. “Deal.”
Mack tossed the necklaces, making sure to throw them far away. With a giggle, the mermaids plunged into the deeps and swam after the baubles. He watched them pushing and shoving at each other to get to the sinking jewels until they disappeared.
“Mental note,” Jamie said. “Clear my schedule for some serious mermaid time in the near future.”
Free to work, the men positioned themselves in the center of the large rock. Mack took one of his arrows and scored the tip across his palm, cutting into his skin. It stung like a bugger, but he didn’t flinch. He wasn’t going to moan about his small pains when Beth could be suffering somewhere.
If he touches her… The idea the finman might force himself on her was repugnant. It made his skin crawl.
Edan elbowed him. “Don’t go there. Concentrate on the task at hand.”
Edan, always the levelheaded one. Mack looked at him and the other brothers. “Thank you. For everything.”
“Never mind that,” Jamie urged. “Spill your blood, man, so we can get off this bewitched boulder.”
Mack let his blood drip onto the rock. Within seconds a flickering mauve light appeared, emanating from the Mound. And with it five black cloaks out of nowhere. On the garments was a note. It was from Ingrid, the realtor/witch. Fancy that. Mack read it.
You’ll need these on Hildaland. Be careful.
Each man slid into a cloak and concealed his weapons.
“How do I look as a finshit?” Jamie joked as he pulled the dark hood over his strawberry-blond locks. “Better than they do, I’d wager.”
Breannan thumped him. “Only you would check your looks at a moment like this.”
“Quiet, you two,” Drummond urged. He nodded at the mauve light on the Mound. “The magic’s working.”
They all watched as the small illumination spread, casting a glow on the nearest waves. The light lengthened and seemed to point in a northeasterly direction, fanning out into the distance. Within moments another island appeared on the horizon where there hadn’t been one before. Hildaland.
Mack’s lip curled as he glared at the finman island. From a distance, it appeared to be nothing more than a rock formation, and yet he knew it was a home to death and ruination. And Beth was there. He felt it in his heart.
“Let’s go,” he muttered, motioning to his b
rothers. “I don’t want her there a second more than she has to be.”
With that, they all dived into the water once again and swam as men to Hildaland.
* * * *
As the finman yanked her out of his kayak onto a rocky shore, the first thing Beth noticed was the stench. It seemed the entire island was drenched in the odor of decay, new and old. It seemed to permeate the very soil, choking out any vegetation. Covering her mouth and nose as he tied up his little boat, she made her second observation. The entire island was littered with skeletons. There were so many human bones they were ground into the gravel beneath her feet.
How many women had been lured here through the ages? How many women had had the misfortune of this being their last sight?
As the finman cursed over the knot he was tying, Beth shot a quick glance around. There were no buildings, no flowers or trees. Nothing that would make the place welcoming in any way. And perhaps the dark creatures preferred it that way. Maybe it had developed this way because of the dismal acts perpetrated on these shores.
She looked for other fin people but couldn’t see any. And then she noticed the opening to a large cave about fifty feet ahead. It was the only sign that anyone lived there at all. Mack said there were others. Did they all live in caves?
Beth heard a skitter of noise and then realized it was just her erratic breathing. Steady. You can do this. Do it for Mack. She shoved her hand in her jeans pocket, thanking God she’d worn a baggier pair, and touched the tip of the small dagger there. The weapon Ingrid had given her looked dainty and almost feminine compared to Mack’s arrows, but it was enough to do the trick.
“Prick your finger, lass,” Ingrid had counseled. “And make it good. Hildaland is a dank, wretched place. Even your selkie man will need help there. Let the blood from your finger drip onto the ground as you walk. Machar will catch your scent and will follow you.”
“Why can’t we tell Mack about the plan?” Beth had asked Ingrid.
“Because,” Ingrid had replied, “your man’s temper runs hot where you are concerned. The more he knows, the more you are all in danger. He’ll be tempted to strike too soon, and the finman will unleash his wrath on the family. If you want to keep them from harm on that beach, you must carry out the plan and trust that Machar will follow.”
