by Naomi Clark
“Adrian!” Una called. “Come and meet your uncle!”
He paused, nerves showing, and Charley shoved him again. “Go!”
It had only ever been her and Fiona. Her dad, whoever and wherever he was, had never mattered. It had never bothered her. But now, watching Una and Adrian ringed by selkies, hugging, crying, laughing… Charley hugged herself and smiled sadly. It was beautiful. It was poignant. She wondered if she belonged.
“Charley!” Nessa hurled herself toward Charley, leaping over a seal and landing lightly in front of her. “Come on, come and swim.” She hauled Charley to the water.
Charley pulled her to a stop. “How did you do this? What about selkies never mixing with humans?” She had to raise her voice to be heard over the wails and barks of the seals.
Nessa kissed her cheek. “Everyone remembered Una. So many of us missed her, thought she was dead. When I told them … I didn’t have to do anything, leannán. They wanted this. The whole colony wanted them both.” She gestured to Adrian, on his knees and disappearing under a crush of seal pups. “They don’t have skins, but they’re still ours. It wasn’t Una’s fault her husband burnt hers and it isn’t Adrian’s fault either. Why should they be punished?”
Charley’s eyes stung and Nessa kissed the tears away. “Come and swim,” she whispered, tugging at Charley’s coat. “You’re ours too. Well, mine.”
“Will I meet your parents?” Charley looked around at the beach full of seals, overwhelmed by the idea and hungry for it.
“Later.” Nessa cast off her dress and tossed it away. It hit the water and drifted off, leaving Nessa invitingly naked and glowing under the moonlight.
Charley stripped off hurriedly. The night was cold and the ocean was colder, but she plunged out into the gray waters with a war-cry, knowing it was better to embrace the waves than fight them. Nessa swam easily alongside her, as she had done on countless night swims before. The only difference this time was the seals gliding alongside them, escorting them through the white-tipped waves. Charley felt like a fairy tale princess, a pirate queen.
She trod water so she could look back at the beach, and saw Una and Adrian dancing in the surf with a coterie of selkies. Laughter drifted over the water, filling the night. Nessa joined her while the seals peeled away, darting under the waves and out of sight.
“You did good,” Charley said.
Nessa shook her head, wiping a lock of soaked hair out of her eyes. “We did it, leannán,” she said. “If you hadn’t made me calm down and look for my skin, we wouldn’t be here.”
Charley flushed, more pleased than she wanted to let on. “What else would I have done? I wouldn’t have you cut off from this.” She splashed Nessa, sending a cascade of water over them both.
Nessa flipped onto her back and kicked water at Charley, who dived under and came up behind Nessa, locking her arms round her waist. They twisted in a flurry of waves, wrestling in the water. Of course Nessa won, finally ducking Charley under and pulling her out to float in her arms while Nessa lazily trod water, her fingers gliding over Charley’s hips and breasts, making patterns in the salt water on her skin. Charley closed her eyes, letting the slow, dreamy arousal build.
They’d drifted far from the beach. Una, Adrian, and the selkies were just faint smudges on the horizon. The dark waters cradled them and Nessa’s strong body supported them effortlessly. They could float for miles and Charley would never worry. Nessa would anchor her against the tides and bring them back to shore.
She realized after a few minutes’ silent drifting that Nessa was guiding them inland, but not toward the celebration on the beach. She followed the curve of the land, towing Charley toward their sea caves. The tide was in and the caves were awash, inaccessible. But you could swim past the cave mouth and find a small, secret cove, sheltered by sheer cliffs. During the day, it was a prized spot for fishermen. Now, with night still cloaking the world, it was a shadowed sanctuary.
Charley and Nessa slunk ashore, dripping wet and icily cold. Charley pulled Nessa into her arms, pressing their bodies together for warmth. “Wish you had your bloody skin with you now,” she said, kissing Nessa’s throat.
“It’s safe with my parents. And there are better ways to warm up.”
“Show me.”
Nessa pushed her down into the silky sand and cupped her ankle, trailing soft kisses up Charley’s leg until she reached the juncture of her thighs. She eased two fingers into Charley, sending warm shivers through her. As Nessa slowly slid her fingers back and forth, she moved her free hand to cup Charley’s breast, gently massaging and circling her nipple. The cool night air rolling off the ocean added to Charley’s arousal and she moved her hips in rhythm with Nessa’s touch.
Soon the heat gathering in Charley was enough to drive away the chill of the sea, and she was lost in sensation, from Nessa’s hands and lips coaxing her ever closer to orgasm and the wind whipping over her bare skin, teasing her already taut nipples. Even the sand underneath her, although a little abrasive, was just another sensual feeling, another layer of pleasure.
Nessa leaned down to kiss her, sliding her body along Charley’s and rubbing her thumb over Charley’s clit. The sudden, unexpected pressure rocked Charley and combined with the passion of Nessa’s kiss to send her tumbling into her climax. Her body blazed with it, and she knotted her fingers in Nessa’s hair, returning her kiss with all the love and fire she could show.
She lay gasping in the sand as the orgasm passed, and Nessa curled up beside her, kissing her hair and murmuring endearments in Gaelic. A deep, warm contentment settled over Charley and rolled over so she could snuggle in against Nessa, twining their fingers together.
They lay in silence, listening to the endless rush of the ocean on the shore. The air carried the unearthly seal song to them, reminding them that not too far away, Una and Adrian were discovering a happiness of their own.
“Should we go back?” Charley asked Nessa.
“Soon,” Nessa said. “They aren’t going anywhere.”
The End
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Other Books by Naomi Clark:
www.evernightpublishing.com/naomi-clark
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Evernight Publishing
www.evernightpublishing.com
