Ocean's Surrender

When a lonely woman has lost all trust, it takes an otherworldly creature to restore her faith in mankind. River is still recovering from the attack by an ex-boyfriend a year ago that left him dead, and her grievously injured. Damaged emotionally and physically, she is continually tormented by her attacker’s brother, who blames her for it all. Worse than his blame, though, is her own—River believes she was at fault for letting the attack happen. Fen can sense River’s emotional pain like a beacon in the night. A selkie, he is compelled to help her on her path to healing, both emotionally and physically. Leading her on a journey to claim her own strength, he also helps her draw closer to Leo, the paramedic who saved her life that dark day…and who has never forgotten her. Warning: This book features an abused woman, a man who wants desperately to help, and a sexy selkie who knows just how to heal what ails them all.

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B Cincinnati OH 45249 Ocean’s Surrender Copyright © 2012 by Denise Townsend ISBN: 978-1-61921-262-6 Edited by Heather Osborn Cover by Valerie Tibbs All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: July 2012 www.samhainpublishing.com

Ocean’s Surrender Denise Townsend

Chapter One

Whatever pain Fen was sensing, it wasn’t coming from the young human in front of him. “I can swim too, but not as well as I bet you can. I bet you can swim really good, huh? ’Cause I like swimming. I can swim forwards, and backwards, and I can swim on my back and I can swim like a frog…” Jason kept talking, his tousled brown hair and innocent face reflecting the peace Fen could sense made up the young man’s core. He had the open, curious soul of a child even though he had to be in his early twenties. But while Jason might have the soul of a child, he had the body of a Mafia heavy in a film. At least four inches taller than Fen’s six-feet, Jason would tower over most other mortals. He was also big. Not the chiseled musculature of a man who cared about his appearance, but a heavy, padded out kind of strength. And yet, despite his size, Jason’s gentle nature shone through in everything he did: in his words, his expression, the soft cast of his gaze and his evident enthusiasm for the simple pleasures in life, like swimming. “Most people don’t like when I swim alone, ’cause they know I’m slow, but River knows I swim real good so she doesn’t mind me going in the water, but only you can swim around here, ’cause it’s really cold. Around here the rest of us can only swim in pools, but I wish I could swim in the sea too…” Fen listened with half an ear, enjoying Jason’s vibe. But Fen hadn’t come because he felt happiness, he’d been drawn to a pain so fierce and repressed it

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had nowhere to go but out, through the supernatural channels long since gone dormant in humans but still active in Fen’s people. It was the kind of pain that Fen couldn’t ignore. And so Fen tried to nail down Jason’s more complex emotions, to see if there was more going on than Jason let on, or if he was somehow attached to the source of the pain Fen had felt. It was difficult, however, as Jason’s feelings were as scattered and freewheeling as his thoughts. Fen shifted his sealskin around him, enjoying its heavy weight and the supernatural tingle that reminded him of its power. As a selkie, Fen could shapeshift between his current man-form and that of a seal. He could also cloak himself in a magical glamour, or a very powerful illusion. For example, he could make it appear like he was wearing human clothes, instead of just his sealskin cloak. He could also make his features appear less selkie, and more human. Normally when he met a new human, he’d exchange his own pointed, fey features with their disturbing black eyes for an appearance emulating the golden-haired, blue-eyed surfers he’d often met in the waters off California. He didn’t bother with any of these tricks, however, with Jason. And none of these tricks represented Fen’s real power. For Fen was an empath, capable of sensing other people’s emotions and letting them feel his own. His power was exceptionally potent for his kind. With effort he could even see the memories of certain scenes played out before him, if they were carried on powerful emotions. Such memories had to be very traumatic or joyful to bind the actual memory to the emotion, and he had to stretch his abilities to the breaking point. So Fen didn’t do it often, and he needn’t do it with Jason. Jason was an open book.

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Fen smiled again as Jason started telling him about the different places he’d been that had not been near water, and therefore not conducive to swimming. While Fen was ageless–an immortal being born of the ocean, his mother and mistress–Jason was probably somewhere between eighteen and twenty-five. It was hard to tell. For despite his huge size, he had the mind of a cheerful, if incorrigible, eight year old. The human had explained to Fen that he was born with no air, but it was stated factually. Jason seemed to accept his condition with grace, and had a life full of things he loved. “So I can’t swim here like you as it’s too cold, but I have my animals to take care of, and they keep me busy. And I have my sister, River. You’d like my sister. She’s the best sister in the whole world.” Fen’s attention refocused as Jason started talking about River. For while Jason’s thoughts were awash with love for his sister, they were also–for the first time since Fen had met Jason a few days ago–peppered with sadness and regret. It wasn’t the right sadness and regret, as whatever emotion had first drawn Fen to this little strip of beach in Eastport, Maine, had been both more powerful and edged with genuine misery. But it was the first hint Fen had received that all wasn’t perfect in Jason’s world. “What kind of animals do you have?” Fen asked, wanting Jason to keep talking so Fen could read closer into what he was sensing. “I’ve got a nanny goat, Sheila, and I keep chickens and bees. The bees make wax and honey, and River sells that, or makes candles and stuff. She doesn’t keep animals, she keeps plants, and she can make the wax smell good. From the chickens we get eggs and sometimes meat, and it’s sad to kill them but sometimes you have to eat and that’s what the chickens are for, but I make it real quick, I just twist…” Jason made a wringing motion with his hands, “and then they’re dead and they didn’t feel nothin’.”

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Again, Fen felt a wave of more complicated emotions spread out from Jason, but he wasn’t sure if the man was sad about his chickens or something else. “River makes good chicken too. She fries it or cooks it in the oven, but I like fried best, but she says it’s not healthy so she doesn’t do that too much. Would you like to eat some of my chicken?” Fen smiled. “I would, Jason. And I’d definitely like to meet your sister.” Jason fell silent, assessing Fen with large brown eyes. Fen knew, at that moment, that while Jason might not see the world as other adults did, he saw it with his own unique clarity. “She would like you,” Jason said, eventually. “And you could help her, couldn’t you?” Fen nodded, choosing his words carefully. “I might be able to. It depends. Do you know what’s wrong with her?” As Jason spoke his next words, Fen was nearly bowled over by the man’s overwhelming sense of concern, regret and guilt. “She’s sad,” Jason said. “She’s just so sad it hurts. It hurts her, but it hurts me too. Will you help?” The fact Fen was there already answered that question, as the selkie had been drawn to this beach from miles away at sea by a pain so fierce it had stolen the breath from his chest. Instead Fen let Jason feel that what Fen said next was true. “I’ll do anything I can, Jason.” Jason closed his eyes, knowing that Fen meant every word. Relief rose in the human’s chest, and Fen responded with a comforting wave of answering emotion that wrapped around Jason like a blanket. Just then, Jason’s cell phone made a beeping sound. He looked down, then looked up at Fen expectantly.

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“Wanna come over and meet my animals? And my sister?” Jason asked. Fen smiled. “Yes, I do. But I’m going to make it so she can’t see me, all right?” “Why? Wait, you can do that?” “Yes,” Fen answered. “I can do that. And I don’t want your sister to see me yet, because I want to see what she’s like, when she doesn’t know there’s a stranger around.” Jason’s answering smile was huge and bright. “But you’re not a stranger. I mean, I didn’t know you before today, but now I know you real well. I can feel you. Do you do that on purpose?” “I did some of it, yes. But you see true as well, Jason.” Brown eyes studied Fen’s black, until Jason nodded. The truth was that, while Fen had purposefully let Jason feel that his intentions were only to help, Jason had an empathy all his own. It wasn’t a form of magic, as was Fen’s. Rather, it was born from being watchful, from being ignored and from being underestimated. But it was powerful nonetheless, and Fen suspected he’d found a strong ally in the human. Because Fen was convinced, from sensing the emotions swirling about Jason in regard to his sister, River, that she was the root of the pain Fen had felt. A pain so deep he’d had to investigate. For no one deserved to live like that, especially as a mortal. Human life flared short, but not always bright, and Fen hated seeing another’s chance at happiness wasted. Watching Jason’s long, ungainly strides always made River smile. She’d called him from the kitchen to bring him home, tucking the phone under her chin so she could finish chopping vegetables for the salad. When she put the phone down, she continued chopping, keeping one eye peering out of the window in

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front of her. As silly as it was, she couldn’t help but feel relieved when he appeared as he always did, as if by magic, melting out of the trees protecting their backyard from the ocean wind. Now that she knew he was safe, she could concentrate on finishing dinner. Honoring her Cajun roots–her father had given her the offbeat humor and fiery temper that came with a last name like Thibodaux–she’d made a pot of red beans and rice, but she’d exchanged Cajun sausage for chorizo, a delicious switch inspired by her Spanish mother. If they were shitty parents, they were definitely amazing cooks, she thought wryly, as she added the chopped tomato to the salad and started in on the avocado. Her parents had met when both were far from home in New York City. Her father–roguishly handsome and completely commitment phobic–had wanted to be an actor. Her mother had come to America wanting to be a model, despite being about a foot too short for the industry standard. He’d ended up a street performer, she a waitress, until the fateful day a hard rain had driven him from his position on the corner into the diner behind him. His waitress’s delicate, dark features and gorgeous accent had so captivated him that he parted with enough money for a coffee. He’d ended up leaving with her to begin the long drive to Los Angeles on his motorcycle, stopping in Vegas to get married. As she usually did when thinking of her parents, River couldn’t help but shake her head. Their perfect love had quickly turned sour, although they could never quite abandon each other. Instead, every year or so, her father would move out for another woman. Either that, or her mother would take off with her and Jason, sometimes for another man. River and Jason would spend six months or a year in their new location before her mother would pack them up to head home after her father left whatever bimbo he’d shacked up with. Or, if her mother had

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been the one to leave that time, then her father would eventually reappear to claim them from her latest loser boyfriend. Together again, her parents would enact a parody of domestic bliss consisting of too much drinking and a little violence, until the whole cycle repeated itself. That cycle had seemed endless, until River was eighteen. By then, she’d saved up enough money to get her and Jason on a bus. They’d spent a year in Lafayette, Louisiana, with her father’s extended family, until she’d inherited an eccentric uncle’s shale money and been able to make a real home for her and Jason, here in Eastport. As she scooped the last of the avocado into the bowl, she looked through the window again to find Jason waving at her with the frenetic happiness of a puppy. She grinned at him, waving back, watching with affection as he turned back to feeding his nanny goat, Sheila. He was chatting away to his animals, as he always did, although occasionally he would look over as if there were someone just a little bit shorter standing next to him, to whom he was actually talking. He’s always got an imaginary friend running around with him, she thought affectionately, although it had been less amusing when it became an issue with one of the jail social workers. She’d assumed Jason’s imaginary friends were a manifestation of his trauma, rather than his long-time buddies. Wishing she hadn’t thought about the social worker, or that jail, she felt the perpetual heavy weight she carried with her settle on her heart. Winston Churchill had thought of his own depression as a black dog, and River thought that was an apt metaphor. Her sadness certainly felt as if it were living, and capable of tracking her down to force itself upon her at any moment. River sighed, then shook her head as if she could force out the terrible memories wracking her brain. She breathed deeply once, then again, and a third

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time, imagining she was exhaling out all that negativity, before moving to collect the small bowl in which she always made their cane-vinegar and balsamic dressing. She owed it to Jason to be happy. He deserved the life her parents had never been able to provide: a life of stability, order and routine. When she looked out the window again her expression was carefully placid. Jason was still chatting away, but now he was feeding his chickens. He reached down to pick up his favorite hen, a crazily tufted creature that was of exotic heirloom stock. Her brother’s big hands were incredibly gentle as he stroked the little creature, which instantly settled against his chest. They loved him right up to the moment he killed them, something that she used to admire. But now, River’s greatest shame was that even she saw such actions differently. Nowadays, when Jason went out to prepare a chicken for their dinner, she could only see those big hands wrapped around a human head, and the efficiency with which her brother had taken another man’s life. Tears blurred her eyes as the black dog came panting to lie across her and crush her. She tried to focus on the dressing, but her breath wouldn’t stop coming too fast and she was afraid she’d have a panic attack. Finally, River gave up and sat down on the kitchen floor, her arms crossed over her knees and her back bowed as she waited for the shivering to stop. Every time I break down like this, she reminded herself, it’s a betrayal. Jason may be a murderer, but it’s because I made him one.

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Chapter Two

“I think it’s so cool he can turn into a seal. I mean, I had no idea that could happen. I mean, I knew there were werewolves and like vampires can turn into bats but like can you imagine turning into a seal? I’d love to swim like that. I’d like to fly too. What if you could be a seal and a bird? Swim and fly? Wow.” River smiled as Jason stopped talking, his first silence of more than a few seconds since he’d come into the shop an hour ago. She looked over to find him sitting, as he often did, wrapped up in the fantasy he’d been recounting. Jason was blessed with a vivid imagination, hinting at the artist or writer he could have been if his umbilical cord hadn’t been wrapped around his neck at birth, cutting off his oxygen for just long enough to impair his mental faculties forever. So it was normal for him to create fantasy friends, although the exotic twist of making that friend a selkie was new. Someone must have told Jason about the seal shapeshifters, and he’d run with the mythology. While Jason thought, River took a moment to redo her long, curly black hair back into the ponytail from which it had escaped. She also slid off her soft grey cardigan, one of a number of long-sleeved layers she wore, despite the relative warmth of the burgeoning spring. When the cardigan was off, she tied it around her waist before making sure her sleeves were entirely rolled down. She hated it when people could see her scars. “What would you rather do, River? Swim or fly?” he asked, finally, as if needing her to clarify the situation for him.

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“I don’t know,” River said, placing one of her handmade candles, wrapped in pretty tissue paper for sale, on the shelf in front of her. She kept placing more candles as she thought through Jason’s question. “I think flight, actually,” she said, eventually. “It would be wonderful to be able to go somewhere far away, and then be able to come back all on my own, and still have time to make you supper.” She’d meant her words singly, but Jason’s face fell. “I wish you didn’t have to always make me supper. I mean, I love your suppers, especially when you put the hot dogs in the macaroni and cheese, but I wish you could be anywhere you wanted and not always having to take care of me.” Her heart breaking, River quickly replaced the candles she was stocking in the bag at her feet and went to her brother. “Oh, Jason, I didn’t mean it that way. We’re family. We take care of each other, and you take just as good care of me as I do of you.” Jason stared into his sister’s eyes. They had the same eyes–limpid and large as a doe’s, both the color of aged mahogany. Finally, he hugged her close. She was five foot four, a whole foot shorter than her brother, with a curvy build that still left him over one hundred pounds heavier. His hugs could have been crushing, but he was, as always, gentle. “Okay, sis,” he said. “Whatever you say. You’re the boss, Tony Danza.” She laughed again at the joke he’d made a thousand times, ever since he’d heard it in a movie. “Now how about you help me stock these shelves?” she asked, changing the subject. “Your bees have been so busy I’ve got enough candles for a million tourists.”

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He giggled like a small boy, a sound that could be disconcerting coming from his huge frame, and stood up from his customary stool in the corner of the store. They worked companionably side by side for an hour, him smelling every candle before placing it on the shelf. She didn’t begrudge his attentions, however, as the candles were really a joint effort. He raised the bees that supplied the wax and the honey she used in her honey candy, and she raised the herbs and flowers that she used to scent the candles. They stocked candles and set out the day’s fresh candy, then she set Jason to dusting the display cases filled with jewelry made by local artists. When she’d first moved to Eastport, her shop had only been for plants and flowers. But there just weren’t enough native Eastporters to support the store, so they’d expanded into the tourist market. Now her little shop sold her products, along with things like quilts, jewelry and Maine related goodies made by other area residents. She kept a small commission, and nobody who came in looking to buy a quilt or necklace ever left without some candy or a candle, so everyone won. When all was set to rights and clean, she opened the shop. Jason took up his position in the corner, and slowly locals and tourists began to trickle in. All in all, it was a typical day in Eastport, something she no longer took for granted after their troubles of the last year. Indeed, the day’s precious normality lulled her into a false sense of complacency, and it wasn’t until she saw their postman, Hector, standing outside of her door that she realized something was wrong. “Jason, did you get the shop mail yesterday?” she asked. “No, it didn’t come.” “I didn’t think so. And it didn’t come the day before, either.”

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After they’d lost their power once and their water service twice, she no longer took such “coincidences” for granted. “Hey, Hector,” she said as she popped her head out of the window. “Any mail for us?” River also passed Hector one of her honey candies, as she knew the postman, a wiry older man in his late fifties, had a sweet tooth. “I was just going through my pack,” he said, pocketing the candy with a wink, “and no, I can’t find anything. But that’s not right. I’ve been missing your candy for at least three days, now. Lemme make a call.” River stepped out onto the sidewalk to join Hector as he pulled out his cell and pressed a few buttons. She waved at Jason through the now closed door of the shop to let him know she was okay. “I’m just checking on the Thibodaux’s mail…What? There’s a hold on it? She’s standing right here with me.” River’s stomach flip-flopped, as it always did when confronted with the work of their harasser. “No, it’s not supposed to be there,” Hector said, as River confirmed his words with a firm shake of her head. “Who ordered it?” Silence as Hector listened. “Done over the internet, huh? Great. Listen, if any more of this kind of stuff happens, ignore it unless you see River Thibodaux herself walk in and ask for it. I mean it. I don’t care if it’s not policy.” Hector’s voice fell. “You know what’s going on here, Sal.” More silence. River stared down at her feet. Just like that, her and Jason’s perfectly normal day was shattered. “All right, good. Cancel that hold and I’ll see you later. Bye.” Hector shut his phone, looking uncomfortable.

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“Sorry about that, River. Looks like there was a, er, hold put on your mail. But I’ll get it to you tonight, after work, no problem. It was probably our mistake.” “It wasn’t your mistake,” River said quietly. “And it’s okay, you don’t need to bring it by tonight. Tomorrow, with the regular mail, is fine.” Hector took a step towards River, putting his hand on her shoulder. “Look, River, you know that we all support you. What happened with Trevor wasn’t your fault. And one of these days Rick’s going to give up, move on and leave you alone.” River blinked furiously, trying to quell the tears in her eyes. A second later, Jason was there. “You okay, River?” he asked. He always knew when she was upset, anyway, but he’d been able to see her through the window. “Yes, Jason, everything’s fine. We’ll have our mail here tomorrow, thanks to Hector.” Hector smiled at Jason, but it was a nervous smile. Even the nicest of their neighbors were a little bit afraid of Jason, nowadays. That might actually hurt the most, River realized. “Everything okay here?” came a new voice, from behind her. Her already knotted stomach flip-flopped again, but this time for an entirely different reason. “Leo!” Jason shouted, like a delighted little boy, causing Hector to start. Carefully schooling her features into a polite, but decidedly distant expression, River turned around to meet Leo’s warm hazel gaze. And why did we give up men forever, again? her body asked, as it always did when Leo was around. For a second, she couldn’t think of the reason to save her life.

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“Hi, Leo,” Hector said, shaking the other man’s hand. That meant Leo’s eyes finally left hers, and she could breathe again. And admire. The paramedic looked as delicious as always in his uniform. Of mixed race, Leo’s skin was a honey-kissed cafe au lait, his flesh like dark velvet covering the hard lines of his lean, muscular body. His shoulder length hair, done up in a thick mass of small braids, was caught at the nape of his neck by a silver ring. His features, meanwhile, were perfect. Masculine yet sensual, with a straight nose, strong jaw and the kind of full, firm lips that begged for kisses. River only belatedly realized she was staring at those lips when Leo turned back towards her. “I’ve come to take the big man out for lunch,” he said. “We’ve got things to discuss, you know.” Jason nodded his head happily. “Manly things.” “Yes, manly things. Over pizza and iced tea, as manly things should be discussed.” “And chocolate ice cream?” Jason asked. “Of course. Chocolate ice cream is a requirement for manly discussions.” River found herself giggling, to her surprise. That didn’t happen much anymore, and, admittedly, the giggle sounded rusty. Leo’s answering smile was pleased, and she felt a hot flush in her cheeks and much, much lower down. Which only made her blush deepen. “Well,” Hector said, “I’ve got to get back to my rounds. But it was nice seeing you, Leo. Take care, Jason, and sorry again for the misunderstanding, River.” “What misunderstanding?” Leo asked, after Hector had walked away.

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“Oh, nothing,” River said. “There was just a hold put on my mail, but now it’s cleared up.” “Rick?” Leo asked, an edge to his voice. “I’m sure it was just an accident,” River lied. Jason looked relieved, even if Leo remained skeptical. She could tell he wanted to say something more, but he glanced at Jason and stayed his tongue. “We’ll talk later,” was all he said. She nodded, both dreading and anticipating a private conversation with the paramedic. “Can we go?” Jason asked, in his friendly, blunt manner. Leo laughed as he took a moment to take off his paramedic’s jacket. Underneath, his shirt was short-sleeved, showing off the tribal tattoos decorating both of his muscular arms. River’s mouth watered, and she swallowed hastily. “Let’s go, big man,” Jason said, but paused to look at River. “You sure you don’t want to come with us?” “It’s men’s time,” Jason whined, even as River shook her head. “No, you two go on. I’ll be fine.” “Okay. But we’ll talk later, yeah?” Leo asked. “Sure. You two have fun.” “We will!” Jason practically shouted, inching away like a he was straining at an invisible leash. “Bye, River,” Leo said, his hazel eyes touching her face like a caress. She suppressed a shiver, her own gaze dropping to his mouth. “Bye, Leo.” The two men walked away, and River’s fingers reflexively moved to her own lips. She touched them, regretfully.

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They had, after all, once felt the touch of Leo’s own mouth. But she couldn’t remember any of it. The kiss hadn’t been romantic. Leo had given her the kiss of life, bringing her back from the dead.

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Chapter Three

“Ohmigod I’m so tired. That was awesome. We walked forever, River, like seriously forever. How many miles do you think we walked? Like a hundred? I bet like a hundred. Definitely like fifty. Wow.” Jason flopped down on their sofa, hanging his long legs over the end so he didn’t have to take off his hiking boots but wouldn’t get them on the sofa. Her own body ached wearily, but it felt good. She loved their long Sunday walks, not least because they left Jason so exhausted he took a long nap afterward, every time. She loved him more than anything, but Jason’s ceaseless energy meant she did look forward to her few moments of quiet. Sitting to take off her own hiking boots, River smiled as Jason instantly started snoring like a chainsaw. He was like a cat with his ability to sleep anytime, anywhere. She usually envied him that talent. But not right then, as she moved into the kitchen to pour herself a dram of the Laphroig sitting on the island separating their small kitchen from the living room. She poured the golden brown liquor into a glass, raising it to her nose for a greedy sniff. It smelled of the earth and the sea, a combination she couldn’t resist. Taking her dram, River walked out of the house she shared with her brother, across the lawn and through the little gap in the small line of trees that separated their property from the public beach. She only stopped long enough to grab the folding chair she kept tucked against her porch.

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Once at the beach, River took her usual spot staring over the ocean. She settled back into the little chair, stretching her legs out in front of her. Her layers of sweater cuddled around her, and her jeans were warm against the slightly cooler evening air. Raising the dram to her nose again before taking a sip, River sighed happily as the warming liquid slid down her throat. She relished these moments alone, sipping her favorite drink and watching the waves roll in. Only then did she have the chance to stop, assess and think about whether or not she was meeting her goals. River’s own needs were few, but her ambitions for her brother had always been focused and a little audacious. Ever since Jason was born, when River was six, she’d been his real caregiver. Her mother and father were very loving, in their own way, but they were also selfish—too wrapped up in their constant drama to give Jason what he needed. They’d been incapable of creating any stability, for themselves or their children, and it’s that stability that her brother so desperately needed. As a little girl, River had promised herself that she’d provide for Jason what her parents couldn’t: a safe environment full of both love and routine, so that he could thrive. Her whole point in coming to Eastport and starting her business had been to bring that dream to fruition. She’d first come to the sleepy, seaside village after visiting a boyfriend who worked for the Coast Guard and had been transferred there. Her relationship with the young man had never gone anywhere, but her feelings for Eastport had been love at first sight. As soon as she’d inherited her uncle’s money, and discovered the now ex-boyfriend had long since moved to another base, she had immediately packed her and Jason’s things and set off for Maine. In Eastport, all her dreams of stability had come to fruition. She’d bought them a house, and their shop, and she’d had enough of a financial cushion to

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keep it going till she could figure out how to make it viable. She’d made all her dreams for them come true, for a while, till she made one huge mistake. She’d done the same thing her mom always had, and fallen in with the wrong man. In just hours, everything she’d fought for had been undone. She’d never let that happen again. Staring at the sea, River did her customary mental exercise in which she got rid of everything she didn’t need. It started small: little luxuries she denied herself so that they could afford Jason’s beloved adult daycare, including the little field trips that cost extra. She thought of how much Jason had loved the last trip to Bar Harbor, lingering on the pride he’d felt for his off-centered pictures of the event. He’d been beside himself with delight when the daycare center had hung an enlarged photo he’d taken that day, framed beautifully, in their cafeteria. Next she put aside the other things she didn’t need. She didn’t need her mother or her father’s help, as they had very little to give and what they did have came at a price. She didn’t need a lot of friends, as social lives cost money that was for Jason. And she certainly didn’t need to date, as that only brought chaos. As usual, when she thought of dating, she thought of Leo. Maybe we could…? a tentative part of her heart suggested. But it was quickly shot down by the rest of her. No more men. Ever. I’ll end up just like Mom. Or Dad, for that matter. I’m obviously no better at judging the opposite sex than they are. Mulling her parents, she took another sip of scotch. And nearly choked on it. For there, walking up the beach, was a man. A stranger. My shotgun, River thought, cursing herself for having let her guard down. Where is it?

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It was where it always was, of course, on the top shelf of the closet next to her bed. Loaded and ready for someone to try to hurt her, or Jason, again. River frantically calculated how long it would take her to get to the house if she needed to, even as she stood up so fast her knees cracked alarmingly. And just as quickly, she calmed. River wasn’t sure why–after all, the man coming towards her was no less a stranger. But there was something about him… “Hello there,” the man said, as he drew closer. She appraised him with steady eyes, not trusting that feeling in her gut that made her want to invite him in for a drink. He might look clean cut and handsome, with the golden hair, ruggedly handsome features, and sun-kissed skin of a Hollywood sufer-Viking, but she reminded herself, again, that she didn’t know him. Men were dangerous. “Sorry, I’m interrupting you. I was on a walk. I thought I’d ask you for some advice on trails?” The stranger had an accent River couldn’t quite place. It wasn’t quite Irish, but close. Nor was it Scottish, although that was close too. River continued to stare, not speaking, until the silence became uncomfortable even for her. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’ve been rude. I can leave you alone…” The man took a step back, then turned as if to walk away. “No,” River said, feeling guilty for being so rude. “It’s fine. I’m the one who should apologize.” The man turned back to her, and River noticed his eyes were a stormy greyish-blue. For a second they flashed larger and darker in his face, and she got the impression his hair was wilder and more exotically golden, flowing upward like a crown. Then the vision faded, and her sight was normal again.

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Feeling suddenly off guard and inexplicably curious, River couldn’t help but take the hand he extended. His skin was very warm, his palms callused, and River shivered at the rasp of his skin against hers. “I’m Fen,” he said. “And I’m River.” “Is this your beach? Is that why you looked at me like I was an invading horde?” River ducked her head. “No, I’m sorry about that. This is a public beach. But no one ever comes this way besides me or my brother, at least not until it’s fully summer.” “Then no wonder I startled you. I’m sorry.” River felt he was sorry, which startled her as much as his sudden appearance. “So you have a brother?” Fen asked, although he knew he had the right woman. He would have bet his sealskin on that fact, not least because of the miasma of negative emotions she was radiating. Loneliness vied with guilt, which was currently slap-fighting anger, which had sadness in a rough headlock. Hers had to be the pain that had called him. And although it was shallow of him, he couldn’t help but be pleased he had answered. No matter what, he would have helped. If it had turned out to be Jason who was in such pain, or an eighty-year-old, or a nun, Fen would have done everything he could. No one deserved to live in such pain. But that didn’t mean Fen felt nothing at the fact it wasn’t Jason, or an eightyyear-old, or a nun who had called him, but a beautiful young woman who housed her pain in a voluptuous body. Her sort of soft curves were made for sensuality, for enjoyment, not as a binding for such agony.

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“Do you mind if I sit a spell?” he asked, going ahead and doing so before she answered. His long legs folded neatly on the sand a few feet away from her chair, which she resumed, if warily. “So are there good walking trails around here?” Fen asked in his curious accent. She instantly felt at ease. And yet, she forced herself to remember, he is still a stranger… “Yes, there are tons.” She leaned forward to use a finger to write in the sand. “Here’s where you are now…” Fen feigned careful attention for River’s moving finger and her low, throaty voice. But he was really listening to her emotions. They were as conflicted as any he’d ever felt. Meanwhile, he’d been very careful to let her feel what he was feeling–to make sure she could sense how he meant her no harm, and actually wished her well. It wasn’t a manipulative glamour–he wasn’t making her feel anything that didn’t originate in his own heart. Selkies, except for the very few who were born wrong and turned worse, were incapable of lying about their feelings. After all, all they really did was sense and radiate what was already there. That’s why River’s continued skepticism surprised him. Being able to feel another person’s essence and know their intentions was powerful stuff, and yet she was able to shrug it off like he really was a random stranger. “That’s great,” he said, when it was clear she was finished telling him about the trails he already knew well. “I think that last one will be perfect. I don’t suppose you’d like to join me? If not now, at some point?” Again, he radiated his interest and his good intentions. “No,” she said, as automatically as if he’d been sending out the wholly opposite vibe. “Thanks for asking, but I have commitments.”

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Her own emotions clarified on that last word, “commitments”. She meant it, with a passion he couldn’t quite understand. “That’s all right, then,” Fen said. “But do you mind if I sit here a moment or two longer? The view is beautiful.” Fen purposely kept his eyes on River as he spoke, so that she knew he was speaking about her and not just the ocean in front of them. Backed up by his empathic ability to share his interest in her, his words would normally have had a mortal woman falling into his arms in seconds. River merely frowned. “I suppose,” she said, not sounding thrilled about it. “Although I wasn’t doing anything.” “You look like you were thinking.” “Well, yes, I was.” “Is there something you’d like to talk about?” Fen hoped, for a split second, that it would be that easy. But when River’s lush mouth bowed to give him that same cynical frown, he knew it wouldn’t be. That said, cynicism and all, River still charmed Fen in a way he hadn’t felt for a while. She was obviously bright, and strong. Plus, she was a challenge. River’s natural barriers were far stronger than a normal human being’s, posing a pleasant challenge. Of course, it also didn’t hurt that she was petite and succulent, startlingly curvaceous for a woman so small. Equally enticing was the long ebony hair that swirled in dark waves to her shoulders, and the velvety brown eyes that made him think of tobacco or aged wood. “To be perfectly frank, I was thinking about all the things I need to get done today and tomorrow,” River said, pointedly. Ouch. Fen thought, amused. “Oh. Well, I see. Are you working tomorrow?” River’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, why?”

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“No reason. It was nice meeting you, River. I hope to repeat the pleasure, soon.” And with that, Fen took himself down the beach towards that last path River had told him about. River watched him go, feeling an unaccountable urge to call him back. She resisted, however, knowing such feelings were childish. He’s just some tourist, she told herself. Nothing special. And with that, she shrugged Fen off with practiced ease to return home, back to her brother and her responsibilities. Fen, meanwhile, stopped walking as soon as she stood from her little chair, making himself invisible to watch her silent ascent up the beach. He could feel that she’d dismissed him, that she thought she’d never see him again. But Fen had other plans. The selkie would get to the bottom of her hurt and help her, for to do otherwise would be like leaving a wounded animal bleeding in the forest. She didn’t realize how close she was to a real emotional catastrophe. The control she exerted over herself was a dangerous lie—a desperate attempt to keep a bomb from exploding by duct taping over it as tightly as possible. One didn’t need to be an empath to imagine the results when that bomb exploded. Fen wasn’t going to let that happen. He’d get through that self-destructive armor and see to the wounds underneath. He just needed to figure out how. I need to think outside of the box, he thought, one of his favorite human expressions. The thought sparked another, and another. Or maybe inside the skin? For if River had proved so adroit at throwing off Fen, the man, he could always see what she made of Fen, the selkie.

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Chapter Four

“These smell absolutely gorgeous,” Fen said, inhaling deeply the candle he held to his perfectly chiseled nose. Startled, River jumped, dropping the tray of potted kitchen herbs she was carrying in from the back room. Like some superhero in a movie, Fen was suddenly there, rescuing the pots from midair before they could crash to the ground. But he was also suddenly there, crowding into River’s personal space, far too close for a strange man–or any man, besides Jason–ever again. She backed away hastily, putting a healthy distance between her and the blond haired man before her. Fen could practically smell the acrid scent of the fear roiling in her emotions, and he cursed himself. He also amped up the steady waves of goodwill that he was emitting, as well as his concern. “Are you all right, River?” “Of course I am,” she snapped, before visibly gathering herself. “I’m sorry, that was rude. Thank you for saving the plants.” “Well, it was my fault you dropped them. I didn’t mean to surprise you.” “Which was silly. This is a shop, and people come in. I just didn’t expect anyone this early.” “I’m a bit of an early bird,” Fen admitted. River assessed him with quiet eyes, and when she spoke again, all of her emotional shields had snapped back into place.

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“So what can I help you with?” she asked. He was now merely another customer, to be served and then booted out the door. “Well,” Fen said, suddenly at a loss for how to move the conversation to the fact he was a magical seal shapeshifter, a Prince of the Sea and an empath drawn first by her pain and then by her, as a woman. Of all that information, Fen was pretty sure she’d find that last bit the hardest to stomach. Luckily, like a messenger sent from the gods, in walked Jason. “Hey, River! Hi, man!” Jason said, as soon as he’d shut the shop door behind him. Jason kept going, walking toward the back room to hang up his light spring coat, when Fen met his eye. Jason snapped to a halt, his eyes locked on Fen’s. The two men regarded each other, as River looked between the two, even more startled than she had been by Fen’s sudden presence in her shop. Jason’s face was in full “concentration mode”, as if he were trying to figure out a great mystery. Fen’s expression was friendly and open, but also curious and somehow anticipatory, as if he was as interested in finding out what Jason was mulling over as River. Finally Jason snapped his fingers exaggeratedly, another thing he’d learned from an ancient TV show. “Fen!” the young man shouted, his expression now one of pure delight. River’s attention snapped back to Fen, who laughed as if Jason had just given him the perfect gift. Fen opened his arms and Jason went and gave him a spinecracking hug, picking the stranger up off his feet he was so excited. River moved in to separate them, but not because she was worried about Fen’s back. She knew every single person Jason knew, and Fen wasn’t on the list. And they certainly shouldn’t be at the hugging stage.

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Who is this stranger, and am I going to have to kill him? River thought, all of her protective instincts raging. Jason was, after all, a big handsome man with an open, trusting nature and the natural reserve of an eight-year-old. He was tempting prey for the kind of monster who was into that sort of thing, and River had spent a goodly portion of her life making sure such predators knew Jason was protected by something not necessarily bigger, but decidedly badder, than they were. Jason obligingly set Fen down, patting the other man on the head affectionately. At least six foot, Fen couldn’t have been used to such treatment, but he only seemed pleased at Jason’s actions. “You look so different!” Jason crowed. “But I see you in there!” Fen laughed with delight, like he and Jason were sharing some wonderful secret joke. “How do you know Fen, Jason?” River said, interrupting their little love fest with a voice cold enough to focus Jason’s attention back to her. “He lives on our beach!” River stared at her brother, then looked over at Fen. “Not your beach, exactly,” Fen clarified. “But I do like to spend time in the waters around that area.” “What?” River asked, her voice edged with anger. For what Fen said made no sense. Those waters were far too cold to swim in, at any time of year, without a lot of protective gear. And right now the waters were still icy from winter, as they took far longer to warm during spring than the earth. “Oh, River, don’t be like that. I’ve already told you about Fen.” “No, you haven’t, Jason. I’d have remembered if you did. Who are you?” she challenged Fen.

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“He’s my friend,” Jason answered, before Fen had the chance. “He lives in the ocean, and he came out because he knew I was sad. But I told him you were sadder, so he wanted to meet you too.” River’s eyes narrowed and Fen sighed, internally. Jason was only trying to help, but the selkie could sense that Jason had punched about sixteen of his sister’s hot buttons in one sentence. “We don’t need help, first of all, and second of all, this is ridiculous. He can’t live in the sea, and we don’t need help. And what do you mean I’m sad…” River’s voice trailed off as comprehension dawned. “Wait, are you sad, Jason?” Fen liked River even more, seeing how swiftly her mind cleared of anything but care for her brother. “Sometimes I’m sad you’re sad,” her brother admitted, sheepishly. His quiet words hit River like a punch in the gut, causing Jason to change the subject by pointing at Fen. “But he’s going to help, because he’s magic, and he doesn’t even really look like he does now but I recognized him anyway.” Fen laughed, a sharp bark of a laugh, like that of a seal. When he spoke again, those traces of accent River had heard before were stronger. “That you did, mate. You are a clever lad. You do see more than most people, don’t you?” Jason nodded, grinning at the praise. “I can’t do some things real good, like math, but I see lots because I watch lots.” Fen nodded solemnly. “And that’s the practice of a wise man.” “Wait, stop,” River said. “What the hell is going on? What have you told my brother? And why are you fucking with my family?” “River,” Jason scolded, but Fen only smiled at her. “I’m not ‘fucking with your family’, River. I really am here to help, if you’ll let me. And all I’ve told your brother is the truth.”

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“That you’re magic?” River demanded, still furious. “And what does he mean that you don’t look the same? Are you in disguise or something? What kind of person runs around in disguise?” Fen let her ask her angry questions, emitting only calm and care. He spoke when she’d finished, and then his voice was as equable and reasonable as a professional newscaster. “One kind of person who needs a disguise is the kind who isn’t quite a person, in the sense that you mean, and doesn’t quite look human.” Before River could challenge Fen’s words, as she was clearly about to do, Fen dropped his human glamour. Suddenly there stood before River and Jason a man the same size and shape as the original, and yet somehow his presence was huge, filling the shop. The skin that had appeared tan before was now more golden, more exotic, and the blond hair was a darker, more metallic hue, like a golden crown, flowing up toward the ceiling. As if he’s underwater, even now, observed the part of River’s brain that hadn’t gone speechless. But it was Fen’s eyes that were most changed. From a stormy-grey, they’d become huge, liquid and black. Seal’s eyes, River realized. The smell of the ocean filled River’s small shop, and her ears caught the faraway sound of waves. “What are you?” she marveled, noting with an air of distraction that she felt only calm and peace, when she should have been freaking out. “I am of the sea, River,” Fen said, his voice resonant with a timbre that hadn’t been there before. “And I was drawn here, to you, for you. I do want to help. But you must be ready and willing.”

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For the first time in a very long time, River had no words. “If you are, then come to me tonight, alone, to your beach. I’ll explain everything then. But only if it’s what you want.” And with that, Fen vanished. River and Jason stood in silence. But while Jason’s face glowed with happiness, the emotions tracing over River’s features were far more difficult to read. Finally, the sister turned to her brother. “What the hell just happened, Jason? And start at the beginning.” Eagerly, Jason obliged.

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Chapter Five

“You’re not going to need that,” Jason said, obviously mortified by his sister’s behavior. She loaded the other shotgun shell, anyway. There was no way she was meeting any man, let alone one who claimed to be magical, without a weapon. River wasn’t ever going to be vulnerable again. She snapped closed her father’s old break-action shotgun, then got ready to argue with her brother. “You’re not going with me, Jason.” Her voice was firm, to let him know she wasn’t budging on this issue. “Duh. Of course I’m not. He said he wants to see you alone.” It took River’s brain a second to catch up with Jason’s words. “Really? You don’t want to come?” “Why would I?” “Well, um, normally when I do something you want to come too. Make sure I’m okay.” “You’re just meeting Fen. He’s awesome. So don’t shoot him.” “Jason, you just met this guy, and he’s claiming some pretty crazy stuff. I don’t know how you can trust him like this, especially after…” “He’s nothing like that guy,” Jason said, giving River a look of total incredulity like she was trying to convince him a gerbil was as fierce as a T-Rex, his favorite dinosaur. “You can trust Fen.” “No, we can’t, Jason. We can’t trust him.”

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“You mean you can’t trust anybody,” Jason said, sadly. That note of melancholy gave River pause. What had Jason meant when he said he was sad, and sad because she was sad? She didn’t want him feeling like that. The whole point of all of this was to make Jason happy. But being safe was important too… “I don’t mean that at all, Jase. We can trust each other.” “And we can trust other people too.” “Well, yes. But it’s not the same…” “We can trust Mrs. McGee. She takes me to the daycare every time I go, and we trust her.” “Yes, but…” “And we can trust Stan who drives the bus.” “I know, Jason. But I’m talking about a different kind of trust…” “We can trust Leo too.” That shut River up. The fact was, she wanted to trust Leo, and she wanted to trust him the way she meant the word, “trust”. The paramedic had come into the store only a few hours after their encounter with Fen, to take Jason to the barber, and she’d desperately wanted to tell him what happened. She was scared to meet Fen alone, and she was scared to tell anyone else what happened, for fear of sounding crazy. After all, the story involved a man who claimed to be a sea-prince changing his features and then disappearing as if by magic. Hours of thinking about the events had led her to believe that it had to be a trick—mirrors, or some sort of mind-altering drug. But that wouldn’t make it sound any less crazy. Or any less scary. So she’d wanted to ask Leo to come with her that night. He was so capable, so brave and so strong.

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Which was why she couldn’t ever beg him for favors. To do so would be to rely on him. It would mean bringing a stranger into the little bubble that was her and Jason’s world. And that would once more make that bubble vulnerable. River wasn’t ever going to let that happen again. So she’d let Jason and Leo leave without a word, and spent her own short lunch hour back at home cleaning and checking their old gun. “I know we can trust Leo,” she said, her voice strangely quiet. But that didn’t mean she ever would. “Well, you can trust Fen too. You know you can, you just don’t want to admit you can trust anybody.” With a shiver, River remembered Fen’s words about how her brother could see more than others, because he was one who watched. Was that really how he saw her? Was that really how she’d become? “This isn’t about me,” River insisted. “This is about safety, and the fact this guy’s a stranger.” “Then why are you going?” Why am I going? she thought, to herself. The fact was, she couldn’t really answer that question. There was too much going on inside of her. There was fear, for herself and for Jason. But stronger than any fear was the need to take care of this herself, rather than be rescued again. River also desperately wanted to keep Jason away from trouble. It was her turn to kill someone in self-defense, after all. Such straightforward feelings were only the top layer of why River wanted to see this thing through with Fen. Deep down, and well hidden behind years of

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carefully cultivated cynicism, River was also curious. She wanted to know what this stranger really was. For there lurked an even deeper, totally unacknowledged part of River that wanted to believe. Her mother and father had been lousy parents, but exceptional storytellers. They’d told her the folktales of Europe and Louisiana, and she’d believed so fiercely when she was a child, in fairies and magic and mysterious forces that would try to hurt a body for no obvious reason, and even more mysterious forces that would rescue someone, just because they could. Those stories had always ended well, something River rarely saw reflected in her own young life. The truth was that, hidden deep inside, there lurked a part of River that was still a lonely girl wanting to believe in love and life and magic. But after so many experiences ranging from the banal to the truly terrible, that innocent part was deeply hidden. Which meant River wasn’t ready to admit any other reason for seeing Fen than to put the fear of God into him. “I’m going because I’m getting to the bottom of that man’s story. And if he’s lying, I’m going to make sure he never comes back to hurt you, Jason.” “And if he’s telling the truth?” “Then I’m going to tell him to stay far away from the both of us. We don’t need his kind of help.” Jason sighed, obviously disappointed in her. River picked up the shotgun and headed for the sliding doors at the back of the house. “If I’m not back in a few hours, call the police.” Jason just stared at his sister with a long-suffering, patient look, as if she were the one who was a little slow.

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“Yeah, sure, River,” he said. “I’m going downstairs to watch a movie. Have fun with Fen.” And that’s just what he proceeded to do. He’s not going to call the police, River realized. I could be out all night and he wouldn’t do it. He really does trust this guy. And that’s what really pissed River off. She knew she was being ridiculous, but River slammed the glass door shut behind her when she left. Should I call Leo, since Jason isn’t going to be any kind of backup? It was tempting, especially knowing her brother had lost his mind over Fen. Leo will know what to do… No, she thought fiercely, shaking her head as if she could shake off whatever need was clouding her judgment. I’m taking care of this by myself. I won’t have anyone else handling my problems for me, ever again. With a determined stride, River walked through her backyard and towards the sea. Pine needles crunched under her feet as she crossed the little wooded threshold separating her property from the beach. As soon as her feet hit sand, River took a Rambo stance, shotgun at the ready. Only there was no one there. The beach was empty, the descending sun making an idyllic scene of the lonely stretch of beach she’d planned on making her battle ground. Feeling part boob, part secret agent, River crept forward peering around her carefully. “Hello?” she called. “Anybody there?” Silence. She decided bravado was the answer. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

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A bird called from the trees behind her, but other than that, nothing. He’s not even here. He’s just some punk kid fucking with Jason, and he got me too. The shotgun suddenly felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. Why the hell am I carrying this thing? And when did I become someone who even owns a shotgun, let alone plans on using it? Disgusted with herself, River sat down on the sand, staring down at the gun lying across her lap. She took a deep breath, then released it slowly, trying to get her thoughts back in order. Her beach was the place she retreated to so she could relax, be alone and finally feel at peace. It felt different now, knowing that Fen had been here, poisoning her brother with his lies. It felt like she’d lost one more place to feel safe, as if one more thing had been spoiled. That’s when the shape came out of the water. Springing to her feet like a ninja, River pointed the shotgun squarely at the intruder. Only to realize she was threatening deadly violence on a seal. It blinked its huge black eyes at her, its golden coat catching the last dregs of sunshine lighting the sky. Now River really felt like an idiot. She lowered her weapon. “Er, sorry, Mr. Seal. I’m not really going to shoot you.” The seal nodded at her, as if it understood her. Meanwhile, the adrenaline was still coursing through River’s system, with nowhere else to go but out of her mouth, in a stream of nervous babble. “You’re a strange fellow. What’re you doing here, all alone?”

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The seal’s only response was to come closer to her. Alarmed, she took a step back. It stopped its forward motion as she did so. Do seals attack humans? She frantically tried to remember her seal lore. It shook its head side to side, and then flopped down off its front flippers, staring up at her with its wide, innocent eyes. She suddenly really wanted to touch it. Despite herself, she took a step forward. It only watched her, so she took another. Only when she took a third did it finally move, rolling over on its back like a dog, still looking up at her in clear invitation. “Really?” she marveled. “Do you really want me to pet you?” She couldn’t imagine this was normal behavior, but for some reason it felt right. When she thought about touching the seal, she knew it wanted her to do just that. Taking a few more cautious steps forward, River edged around to approach the seal from the side. She figured if it was really a rabid seal intent on attacking her, she’d be able to get out of its way before it managed to regain its feet. Er, flippers. She crept forward two more paces and it snorted gently, reproachfully eyeballing the shotgun still clutched in her left hand. “Oh, right. Sorry,” River said, setting the shotgun behind her on the sand. She’d have to clean it when this was over, but she really didn’t think she was going to need it. The seal not only acted friendly, but also felt friendly. And the animal was so beautiful River didn’t want to question a notion that would have seemed crazy at any other time. So River kept inching forward, her hands clenched at her sides, until she was looming over it.

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That close, the animal was huge. Much larger than she’d imagined the seals she’d seen cavorting on the small islands dotting Maine’s coast to be. They’d converge in droves, rolling around each other sensually, their days seeming to consist of nothing more than playing, hunting and basking. More than once, River had wished she could be a seal, if only for a short time. “You’re beautiful,” she murmured, squatting down to sit on her heels, an arm’s length from the animal. It blinked at her as if accepting her compliment, snuffling in a seal chuckle. And then it held out its right flipper, as if inviting her in. Next thing she knew, her own arm was extended, her fingers brushing against the warm, soft fur of its front flipper. She noticed with surprise that the seal had nails. Who knew? she thought. And I wonder how the seals cut them? When the seal didn’t move at her touch, her fingers grew bolder, stroking further along its flipper. Stock still, it only snuffled gently as she scooted forward on the balls of her feet. When it still didn’t move, she touched the warm soft fur of its flank. It made a noise like a sigh, and closed its eyes happily. River couldn’t help it. She laughed with delight, a low sound of genuine pleasure, the sort she hadn’t made in a very long time. “You do like being petted, don’t you?” she asked the seal, rhetorically. “You are a silly thing. Like a puppy. Maybe you were raised by humans?” Unable to understand why a wild animal would behave this way, but too enchanted by the moment to want to ruin it, River scooted forward a little more. Now she was close enough that she could run her hand, palm down, over the creature’s flank. The feel of its fur under her hand was utterly delicious.

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“No wonder they made you into coats,” she murmured, unable to resist. One of the seal’s eyes snapped open, glaring at her in approbation. She chuckled; figuring it was upset she’d stopped petting. “Sorry,” she said, moving even closer so she could use both hands. She stroked over the creature’s huge, muscular shape with happy alacrity, enjoying its evident pleasure. Petting the seal was like stroking a horse, it was so large and sleek, but its reactions were more like that of a clever dog. She realized at some point that she was giggling and cooing like a little girl with a doll, talking to the huge animal in baby talk. She couldn’t help it. Its faith in her made something in her heart twist, and she wanted it to know she would never betray that trust. The seal’s eyes opened, locking on hers. A wave of emotion swept over her, but they weren’t River’s own. And yet she could feel, as clearly as daylight on her face, that something wanted her to know she could trust, that she was safe and that she was cared for. Tears sprang to her eyes as something deep inside of her—a voice she would never let speak under normal circumstances—answered with a resounding yes. It wanted to be safe and to trust too. Before she could take back such mutinous thoughts, the seal’s form began to shimmer. Unable to look away or to remove her hands, River’s body was engulfed in the warm glow emanating from the body in front of her. The seal’s flippers moved down, extending into hands that parted the fur from beneath her palms. Her flesh now rested on warm human skin, and when the shimmering stopped the seal had disappeared. Her hands now rested on Fen’s muscular belly, but the eyes that looked up at her were still the seal’s.

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There was a thud as her butt hit the sand behind her, her brain unable to process what it had just experienced. And then Fen began to speak.

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Chapter Six

“Hello there, River,” the selkie said, smiling down at River’s hands on his stomach. River snatched them back, but her still-shocked body didn’t move away. “You didn’t have to do that.” Fen sat up, his inhuman black eyes inches away from River’s. I should be panicking, River realized. Whatever this man is, he’s not human. I should be reaching for my shotgun. But instead, River’s surprise was being replaced by a warm calm that she knew came from Fen, but that she also knew was honest. She really shouldn’t fear him. He had no intention to hurt her. In fact, he clearly intended the opposite. River blushed, feeling an answering surge of lust rise in her own belly to meet the selkie’s. Her eyes flicked down, to where that smooth golden belly tapered down to strong, narrow hips and groin. Blushing furiously, her eyes popped back up to meet Fen’s. “What are you?” she whispered. “I’m a selkie,” Fen said, in the same voice one might say, “I’m from Milwaukee.” “Isn’t that…?” “A seal shapeshifter, yes.”

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River had only recently seen Ondine, and remembered her disappointment at the film’s ending. She’d wanted the girl to be magic, not something sordid and all-too-human. “What does that mean?” River asked, her emotions roiling. Fen felt trepidation–a natural reaction for a human faced with an alteration of their worldview. But he also felt excitement, interest, and a touch of joy, as if some deep-seated prayer of River’s had been granted to her. “If you mean how I work, I have this sealskin.” Fen reached up to where a sealskin did, indeed, lie underneath him. “If I don this, I’m a seal. If I take it off, I’m a man.” Fen’s hand moved from his skin to her face, only to playfully flick the tip of her nose with his thumb. River felt an answering shiver in her spine. “But what does it mean?” she repeated, at a loss for words. Fen studied the woman before him, and her emotions. “Ah,” he said. “You mean why am I here, and what do I want with you, and what will my being here mean for you and Jason?” River nodded, mutely. “What do you think it means, lass?” Fen asked, shifting forward ever so slowly so that his firm, lush lips were just inches from River’s own. “It means magic is real?” River asked first, and Fen smiled, desperately wanting to kiss her but wanting her to want it, as well. “You’ve always hoped it to be real, haven’t you?” he asked of her. She nodded, her eyes moving to his mouth. “Well, you were right, sweet girl. Magic is real.” “Are you all that’s out there?” “No. There are other selkies. And many other creatures.” “Are they all like…you?” “What do you mean, like me?”

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“I mean, you seem…good. I feel…safe. Are you making me feel this way?” At that question, River backed away a few inches, and Fen felt her searching for those barriers his revelation had finally burst through. “I’m not making you feel anything that’s not real,” Fen soothed, reaching up to run a hand gently down her arm, over her layers of clothing. His touch settled her, but she looked down at his hand as if surprised it could do so. “I am letting you feel what I feel. It’s like a broadcast. I’m opening my emotions to you. But you would feel anything that was there, whether positive or not. I mean you only good, so you feel that. But if I did mean you harm, you’d feel that too.” River felt Fen’s honesty as he spoke. She also knew that she’d face quite a philosophical conundrum if she ever tried explaining how this whole “I feel I can trust him because I can feel I trust him” worked. But it did work. All those well-honed knives of distrust and fear that had grown up inside of her withdrew in Fen’s presence. And how often did a girl meet a man who was really magic, anyway? “So you’re magic. And you’re good,” she said. Fen smiled. “I am magic. And I don’t know if I’m good, but I try to be. Although sometimes I can be very greedy.” Fen’s inhumanly dark gaze swept over River’s body in a possessive, hungry way that made her cunt clench. Fen lingered over her desire, pleased at how deeply and intensely she could feel. River would be a wonderful lover. “What else?” she asked, almost shyly. “Well, most of it you can guess. I’m of the sea—she’s my mother, my lover, my sanctuary. I’m only a guest on land.” Interesting, River though, filing that information away for later.

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“And why are you here?” she asked, realizing that Fen might have good intentions, but that she didn’t know the parameters of those good intentions. What if he thinks I need a supernatural babydaddy? Isn’t that what all the Fae did in the stories my mother read to me? Knocked up the humans, since they had trouble conceiving? The knives crept back into position as her wariness flooded through Fen’s empathic channels. “I’m only here because I sensed someone was in trouble. I didn’t know who it was, or how. I thought it was your brother, at first.” “So you do know Jason?” “Oh, yes. We’ve had quite a few chats, now. He’s delightful.” The selkie’s emotions glowed with genuine affection, and a paternal protectiveness that eased River’s mind. The sad fact was that some people were drawn to Jason’s vulnerability and child-like innocence for all the wrong reasons, with intentions that were anything but protective. River had learned the hard way that any man coming into her mother’s life, and later her own, was a potential predator. Luckily, between River and her mom, the predators had been weeded out almost immediately. Mom was a flake with a thing for losers, but she also had a knack for spotting the true Bad Hats. Ironically, that ability had not passed on to her otherwise much more cautious and conservative daughter. “He is delightful,” River agreed, her love for her brother emanating from her. “And he loves you very much,” Fen said, carefully. “He’s worried about you.”

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River’s emotions careened alarmingly, a thousand disparate emotions sparking like a trail of gunpowder accidentally set alight. “What? That’s ridiculous. I’m fine.” Fen only gazed at her quietly, causing River to sputter. “Okay, I’ll admit it’s been a rough year. But all that stuff is over and we’re good. We’re fine. I’m fine. Besides, I’m the one who takes care of Jason, not the other way around.” To her irritation, River knew her voice had grown petulant. “You’ve always taken care of Jason, haven’t you?” “Somebody had to.” “What about your parents?” “They were pretty useless,” River answered, automatically. “Really?” Fen asked, leaning back on his hands. River couldn’t help but admire his body as he did so, and regret that he’d moved away. But it also felt like she had room to think, suddenly. So she did. “No, I’m being unfair. Our parents loved us. They were just both in their own worlds. And they were always fighting and leaving each other, dragging us around the country as they broke up, then made up. And in between there was always a string of equally unstable boyfriends and girlfriends. We never had any security, and that’s what Jason needed more than anything else. He needed to be safe.” “We can never really be safe, River, although we can feel safe.” River gave the selkie a sharp side-eye. “Feeling safe is being safe,” was her only response. Fen let it go, for now. “So why is Jason worried about you?” River shrugged her shoulders, a look of irritation crossing her features.

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“I’ve got no idea. He’s never talked to me about it. But I’m fine.” “He told me he worries you don’t have any fun.” “What? We have fun all the time. We go bowling, and for pizza, and we watch movies…” “Those things are fun, yes. But they’re sort of for Jason, aren’t they?” “We have fun together. It’s fine.” “You like that word, ‘fine.’” River gave Fen a withering look. The selkie only smiled at her. “So you have fun with Jason,” he said. “But when do you have your own fun?” “That is my fun.” “But can you see how Jason might feel like you’re always taking care of him, rather than yourself?” River winced, Fen’s casual words hitting like a punch. “He takes care of me, believe me,” she said, her voice haunted. Then she rallied her knives. “Why am I even talking to you about all this?” Fen knew he’d gone as far as they could that day. “You’re right. We’re only just getting to know each other. So how about we have some fun?” His smile was sensual, and his desire beat against her in dizzying waves. River’s own arousal answered Fen’s, two-fold. But he’s a stranger, and I don’t do boyfriends, she reminded herself, trying to quell her sudden need to ravage him. “Fun?” she asked, stalling. “Fun, yes. I thought we could go swimming.” Well that put a whole new spin on things.

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“What?” she demanded. “That’s ridiculous, we can’t go swimming. Well, I can’t at least.” “Why not?” That sexy smile remained, although now amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes. “I’d die, you nut. It’s freezing out there.” “River, you just watched me change from a seal into a man. We talked about how I’m magic. You don’t think I have my ways?” “How do I know you’re not just going to drown me?” she asked, even though she could feel he had no intention of drowning her. “That’s sirens who like to drown people, and you’d know it if I was a siren. They’re part fish, first of all, and they sing a lot.” “Oh,” she said, flabbergasted that there were, indeed, killer merfolk out there. “I just want to take you swimming. I think you’ll enjoy it.” There was something about the way he said “enjoy”, and the way he felt when he said it, that made River desperately want to take him up on his offer at the same time she wanted to run away. She eyed Fen, in all his golden, inhuman beauty. Then she looked out toward the sea. She’d always loved swimming. “Okay,” she heard herself whisper, before she knew she’d made a decision. Fen’s happiness radiated into her, and he leaned forward to cup her jaw in his strong hand. “Thank you,” was all he said, before his lips brushed hers in a feather-light kiss. When she opened her eyes, he was still smiling at her. Then he stood, pulling her up to her feet. “Now take off your clothes,” he said, as he strode away towards the water.

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Chapter Seven

River couldn’t believe she was standing there, buck naked, ready to plunge with a stranger into the freezing cold Atlantic. First of all, there was the whole swimming-in-a-freezing-ocean-that-couldkill-her thing. But even bigger than that, really, was the fact of her scars. She never let anyone see her scars. But it was dark out, the moon lighting everything in a soft way she told herself wouldn’t reflect her damaged body. Indeed, as she’d slowly pulled her clothes off, she’d been delighted to see that was almost true. The burn and slash marks that covered her were almost invisible in the unearthly light. Almost. But Fen, sensing her trepidation and seeing the slow, watchful way she took off her own clothing, wouldn’t have commented on those terrible markings if his life depended on it. All the same, his eyes noticed every one, his need to know what happened to her tempered only by his sensitivity to the fact she was nowhere near ready to talk. Now, Fen squeezed her hand encouragingly, pulling her gently towards the water. “Trust me,” Fen said, knowing full well the weight of what he was asking her to do. Even he was a little surprised when she did.

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But Fen had seen it before–mortals who’d grown up with the idea of magic permeating their lives, only to become convinced as adults that their dreams had been lies. And yet a deep, secret place inside of them still believed and, more importantly, still wanted to be proven correct. River haltingly walked forward with him, her eyes wide with a mixture of adrenaline and natural fear. The ocean before them was relatively calm, but the waters around Maine were never gentle. Plus, as every inhabitant of Eastport knew, the Old Sow–fifth largest whirlpool on the planet–lurked just off shore. It could easily sink the largest boat, and yet it kept itself hidden, marking its presence with only an occasional swirl accompanied by the slurping noise that some said had given the Sow her name. When their feet hit the water, Fen paused, speaking to River gently but firmly. “Feel that, River? Does it feel cold?” River had been prepared for a blast of ice over her naked feet, and the early spring air around them was, indeed, nippy. But the water washing over her skin was warm, as it had been when she’d swum off the waters of Florida as a child. “No,” she marveled. “It’s not. How are you doing this?” “Magic,” Fen said, with a broad wink. “Ready for more?” This time River was the one to walk boldly forward, dragging Fen behind her. River laughed delightedly as the water met her calves, and then her knees, and then nipped up her thighs. Still the water was warm. Fen kept a firm grasp on her hand as she plunged in deeper; feeling the sea close over her hips, then move up her flat belly to her breasts. A few more steps and she was on her tiptoes. Fen smiled at her encouragingly and swam so that he

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was in front of her. With one gentle tug, she was off her tiptoes and treading water next to him. And that’s when she believed, to the core of her being, that Fen was really, truly magic, for the sea felt like it never had before. A strong swimmer, River was still used to fighting the water. Their relationship had always been straightforward: it wanted to drag her down, she wanted to stay afloat. But now? It was like the water wanted whatever she wanted. They would work together, a part of each other. “Is this what the ocean is always like for you?” she asked Fen, as they treaded water together. He nodded. “Aye, sweet girl. She’s mine, and I’m hers.” “It’s incredible.” “I’ll show you incredible,” the selkie bragged, winking at her cheekily as he pulled her towards him. Before she could react, his mouth had again found hers in a quick fierce kiss that left her lips feeling wounded when he withdrew. He nuzzled her nose as he gave her instructions. “Never let go of my hand,” Fen warned. “That’s how I’m able to lend you my power. You won’t feel the cold, nor will you need to breathe as long as we’re touching. But that last part is the hardest to adjust to, so we can swim close to the surface as long as you need to, to feel comfortable.” Wide-eyed, she nodded. “Ready, River?” “Oh, yes,” she told Fen, and he could feel an answering wash of excitement course through him via his empathic channels. “Come, then.” And with that, they were off.

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They started, as Fen had said they would, close to the surface. Coasting waves would lift them, as if they were toddlers in a mother’s arms, and River had never felt so sheltered, so protected. Why does he ever leave? she wondered. This is heaven. Initially, as they swam, River’s instincts would propel her to the surface, where she’d breathe deeply before plunging back to join Fen, who always maintained a firm grip on her hand. But then they started diving deeper, and those trips to the surface became fewer and fewer, until eventually River realized they’d been under the water for a very long time and she didn’t need air. She should have been gasping for breath at that point, but instead her lungs felt pleasantly half full and she had no need either to inhale or exhale. So she let Fen draw her deeper, until they were at the bottom of the sea. The truth was that Maine wasn’t Costa Rica, and there were no tropical reefs full of jeweled fish and exotic sea plants. But still there was much to see. And see she did, an aspect of Fen’s magic that she figured he’d forgotten to mention. It had been dusk when they’d met on the beach, and by the time they’d got near the water the moon had risen fat and full on the horizon. So even though they weren’t that deep, and she could still make out light of the moon above them, glimmering hazily through the water, the waters around her should have been pitch black. Instead, she could see perfectly, as if her eyes were enormous black light catchers like Fen’s were. Together, Fen and River picked their way across the seabed, Fen pointing out interesting fish and other animals. Lobsters abounded, skittering away on their many legs, and River thought longingly of little pots of butter. The fish were almost all grey, at least at first glance. But upon paying them more attention,

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River discovered they came in a multiplicity of grays, some iridescent or shiny, others matte, or speckled or striped. River liked the idea of such beauty, such life, hidden in plain sight. Another sight that River couldn’t help but like was that of Fen. The selkie’s golden body cut through the water, the elegant lines of his muscles reflected in the curve of an underwater sand dune, or the undulating frond of a sea plant. His hand in hers felt natural. He led her when she was willing, but happily followed when she pulled him towards something that she wanted to investigate. And every time those long, muscular limbs brushed against her she felt it like the touch of a brand. Then he really started to touch her. His free hand would brush down her back as she peered at something interesting, or trace over her shoulders, or move about her heavy black hair to get it out of her eyes. So River started to touch him back. It started with a swirl of her thumb over his palm when his free hand brushed down her sides. Then her free hand was using every excuse to make contact. She’d get his attention by running small, dexterous fingers down his arm or thank him for showing her something with a gentle caress of his face. Meanwhile, the part of River that was always questioning, and fearful and angry found it had no voice under the sea. She’d already put too much trust in Fen not to believe he meant her no harm, and the whole experience of swimming like this was too magical to allow the horrid oppression of her reality any power. For the first time in a long time, River let herself simply be. She didn’t analyze, or criticize, or look for reasons to doubt. Instead, she simply enjoyed everything she was feeling. Indeed, she was so wrapped up in the moment that

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she hardly registered when those feelings went from awe at the experience to a pounding lust for the man who’d given it to her. Her desire shimmered from her in such hot waves that Fen could barely concentrate. He knew that River was granting him the sort of trust she never granted anyone, anymore, and he wanted to reward her for that. He wanted her to feel the pleasure she’d been denying herself, so she’d remember that not all submission was giving away one’s power, and that to feel anything one had to risk feeling at all. This time, when Fen kissed her, he didn’t tease, but took her lips with the full force of his passion. They were still near the seabed, picking over some relics of a sunken ship, and River had given him a look of such delight that he couldn’t help it. Fen’s mouth found hers and River had melted against him, tucking her body into his in a way that made him instantly hard, instantly eager for her. Their kiss was anything but gentle, but it was River who made it that way. Her mouth crushed against Fen’s, her nails raking none-too-lightly over his back as if in punishment for the extremity of her desire. The ocean carried them upward, Fen using his connection with the sea to let the water lead them. But River barely even noticed when her back bumped sand and the cool air crisped against her skin. With an adroit motion, Fen laid down his sealskin and suddenly she was lying on top of it. It was warm and soft beneath her, while Fen was so hot and hard above her. The selkie’s mouth found hers again, an exchange of lips and tongues that left her breathless. But now he had full access to her body, and both hands free. One of those hands fisted roughly in her hair, pulling just enough to make her arch her neck and upper back. His mouth found her throat, kissing and biting

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gently down her flesh till his warm mouth found her nipple. River cried out, arching into him as he suckled deeply before moving to her other breast. At the same time, Fen’s fingers found her aching cunt. He gently brushed his fingertips over her lust-swollen lips, before finding her wetness only to swirl it upward, touching her clit. River cried out into the night air, suddenly very glad that Jason had made it clear he wasn’t going to call the police. Because she really didn’t want to be rescued from this delicious need. “Mmm, sweet girl,” Fen groaned, nipping at her scarred belly. He considered asking her about the markings, but then decided that now wasn’t the time. Now was for pleasure, not the dredging up of what had to be painful memories. So Fen kept quiet, but his fingers left her clit to move lower, one finger dipping into her heat. “More, Fen,” she moaned, and he answered her pleas with a second finger. Stretched deliciously around him, River couldn’t help but pump her hips. Fen responded by stroking her slowly, in and out. She nearly wept when his thumb found her aching bud. “You’re so wet, River. So tight. You’re soaking my fingers.” Fen stroked her clit with a firmer touch, and River groaned obligingly, her thighs trembling. Fen brushed another kiss over her belly, and added a third finger. “Oh God, Fen. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” Fen chuckled. “I’ve no intention of stopping, sweet girl, till you come for me.” His fingers plunged deeper, his thumb on her clit, his hot breath tickling her belly as he told her to come for him, over and over, until she did. Biting down on a knuckle so she wouldn’t scream, River shattered around Fen’s fingers. It had been a long time since she’d achieved orgasm with another

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human being, and she’d forgotten how intense it was to be brought by someone else. Fen used all his long experience to draw out her pleasure, until she couldn’t take it anymore and she drew him away from her and up for a long kiss. The selkie obliged her, letting his body drape over hers. She could feel his erection hard and hot against her belly, but for right now she needed to catch her breath. Fen, however, had other ideas. Grinning down at her, Fen nudged apart her knees so that he could slide his fat cock over her wet lips and let her feel the full weight of his desire without penetrating her. “Don’t get too comfortable, lass,” he said, as River felt waves of pleasure wracking her body while his cock brushed against her over-sensitized flesh. “We’re just getting started.”

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Chapter Eight

River trembled, either at Fen’s words, at the constant movement of him against her, or both. “Do you have protection?” River asked, reality piercing through the haze of pleasure numbing her brain. Fen opened himself to River, letting her feel the truth of his words. “We’ve no need, lass. I am immune to human diseases, including carrying them. And we are infertile except for certain times in our magical cycle.” “Magical cycle?” River asked, curious, yet trusting. “We’re creatures of the moon and the tide. Our bodies mimic the cycles of both, and our fertility is tied up with our magic. Under the right circumstances, we’d have a chance at pregnancy, together. But not right now.” River would rather have died than admit she believed a stranger telling her that he was magic, and that therefore sex was somehow safe, but she did. His honesty was a pure white spark lighting up his words, and everything in her believed Fen was telling her the truth. So she pushed herself up on her elbows to reach his lips, kissing him gently before sucking his lower lip into her mouth for a gentle nibble. Fen sighed, his hands fisting in her hair as he slid himself against her more ardently. “Oh, Fen,” River whispered. “I want you inside of me.” “Soon, lass. But there’s other things we’ve yet to do.”

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With that, Fen pushed her back against his still warm sealskin, kissing down her throat, down between her luscious, dark-tipped breasts and over her soft belly. His breath was hot against her most sensitive flesh as Fen pushed her legs apart. River squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation, taking a firm grip of Fen’s sealskin. Still she bucked, hard, arching her back and pushing her hips towards his mouth as she felt his tongue lick slowly up the slit of her sex. He did it again, and again, till River could barely stand it, wantonly pushing herself up to meet his mouth. Only then did Fen make his tongue into a point that slid between her folds. The new sensation made River sob, clutching convulsively at the soft fur beneath her. Using his thumbs to part her lips, Fen nuzzled into her sex, finding her clitoris to suckle gently. River’s answering gasp pleased him, as did her hand on the top of head, holding him to her. So he did it again, suckling gently with his lips before using his tongue on her, flicking her clit gently. Her hips bucked again as she ground against his mouth. Clearly she wanted more, and Fen was never one to disappoint a lady. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease her, first. Releasing her clit, Fen lapped lower, till his tongue found her tight opening. He made a stiff little cock of his tongue, before plunging deep. Coated in her sweet, salty juices, Fen tongue-fucked her till she begged for more. Fen withdrew only long enough to coat his thumb in her wetness. His tongue returned to her tight sheath as his thumb found her clit, circling in an ever-tightening orbit until he found the center of her pleasure. “Oh Fen, yes, please…” River begged, the pleasure nearly too much. “Please,” she repeated, “Oh please.”

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Fen rubbed her clit more roughly as River continued to beg, her soft words spurring him on. Meanwhile, River was shocked at her own behavior. Before Trevor had come along, River had always enjoyed sex. Raised with few inhibitions, she’d had no trouble sharing her body with another. But after what happened, River had suddenly grown self-conscious. She was scarred, and not just metaphorically, and those scars reminded her daily that she needed to be more cautious, more contained. But here, with Fen, some of the old River returned. She’d always been shameless and greedy when it came to her own pleasure, although she also enjoyed giving as much as she did receiving. Hearing her voice begging for release was almost a relief to her, despite her surprise at hearing it again. Part of her had been afraid that Trevor had torn that ardent, lusting River away from her. But there she was, alive and well. And driving Fen’s own desire to an almost maddening peak. Her soft begging made him want to give her everything he had. He wanted to make her come a dozen times, using fingers, tongue and cock, until even she could beg no more. Then he’d make her come one more time, simply because he could, and because she would enjoy it. Hungrily, matching River’s greed, Fen moved his mouth up back to her clit and his fingers back to her slick opening. Pushing inside of her, he gathered her wetness. River groaned eagerly when she felt those soaked fingers move to her ass, swirling more lubrication over her already soaked flesh. When he was satisfied she was prepared, Fen pushed two fingers into her cunt as she felt his thumb’s gentle pressure at her ass. She pushed against him, opening herself to him, and his thumb popped in to fill her gorgeously. River groaned low and deep, loving the feeling of being totally filled, feeling her orgasm rise in her belly.

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“Harder, Fen. More. Give me more.” And the selkie did; plunging his fingers in and out of her cunt as his thumb plundered her ass. Meanwhile his mouth was busy on her clit–a constant suckling pressure combined with the constant rubbing of his talented tongue. River’s ass and cunt clenched down on Fen’s fingers as she neared the brink and then plunged over, orgasming with a harsh cry and a flood of wetness around his fingers. Turned on by her noisy indulgence in her pleasure, Fen groaned against her, feeling his cock harden even more in response. Finally, River pushed him away, the sensations too much. Fen sat back on his heels to enjoy her splayed out, wet and wanton before him. But he didn’t have long to admire the view. A few seconds after the last quakes of orgasm finished toying with her body, she pounced. “My turn,” she said, licking Fen’s lips to taste herself, then kissing him deeply. Maneuvering the pair of them so that Fen took her place lying on his back on his sealskin, she began to kiss down the selkie’s body. She licked the sea salt off of him, loving the taste of the ocean mingled with the warm taste of his flesh. His nipples were hard little beads, sweet to suck on. It was even sweeter to hear his low moans of encouragement, his fingers finding her tight nipples to squeeze and pinch gently before she moved further down his body. Tight, model-worthy washboard abs and chiseled hips met her tongue as she licked over his skin, feeling his cock jut between her hanging breasts. She purposefully brushed forwards and backwards, letting him feel her nipples at his groin. When he groaned, she lowered just enough that his cock was caught between her soft flesh. River raised her head to meet Fen’s eyes as she pumped

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him gently between her plump breasts. Fen couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight of her, although his head did fall back on a loud moan when she tucked her chin to her chest in order to lick the tip of his cock as it peeked out at her. River licked again, and again, moving as she did so, till she knelt between Fen’s knees. She raked her nails gently over the flesh of his inner thighs to encourage him to spread wide, giving her room to work. When he obliged her, she locked her eyes back on his as she licked up the underside of his long, hard cock. Fen moaned, and then he moaned again as she repeated the long, slow licks. Only belatedly did Fen realize she was treating his cock as he had her pussy, teasing him with those long strokes of her tongue when what he really wanted was that hot mouth wrapped around him. “River,” he sighed, his hand finding her jaw in a soft caress. Gathering his balls in her free hand to massage them gently, River finally gave Fen what he wanted and took him into her mouth, as deeply as she could. Already at the edge, Fen nearly came as River’s tongue slithered against the sensitive underside of his cock, even as she pumped her tight lips around him over and over. “River,” Fen warned, feeling her nail tickle over his asshole to find the sensitive place right behind his balls. “You’re going to make me come, lass. But I want to fuck you…I want to be inside you… Oh gods, River…” Fen’s own pleadings trailed off in a series of groans as River ignored him, continuing to slide him in and out of her mouth, her fingers wrapping around to stroke what her mouth couldn’t take. “Please,” Fen begged, touching her hair. Finally, River stopped. She gave Fen’s cock one last, lingering lick, before moving up his body. Her knees moved to plant themselves firmly on either side of his trim hips. Fen

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braced himself as River caught up his cock in her hand, moving it to her cunt where she started sliding the tip back and forth against her dripping wet sex. “Oh fuck, Fen,” River moaned, inarticulate with desire. She rubbed Fen’s cock against her clit till she felt her pleasure rising sharp and sure in her belly for a third time. Only then did she move him to her slick opening, groaning as he pushed his hips upwards so he began, ever so slowly, to penetrate her. Shifting forward to rest her weight on the hands that she placed just above Fen’s shoulders, River’s breasts hung in the selkie’s face as she slid her tight, wet heat over Fen’s rigid cock. They both moaned when River bottomed out, and they both moaned when she began to ride him. “So full,” River murmured, as Fen took one of her nipples in his mouth to suck until River, practically sobbing with pleasure, urged him to give attention to her other breast. His thumb also moved to reclaim her clit, sliding through her wet lips till he felt her hard little nub. River’s thrusts down on Fen became rougher, less controlled, as Fen stroked. Eventually, his own pleasure rising, he began to meet her on the upstroke, pushing his cock into her even as she ground down on him. “So close,” she murmured. “I’m so close…” “Come for me, River. I want to feel you come all over me. Come on my cock.” At his words River’s head fell back, her eyes shut as she rode him faster. Fen reveled in the sight of her seeking out her own climax, using him for her pleasure. “That’s it, River. Come for me. I want you to come for me, now.” And River did, breaking above him in a wave of bliss that sent his own orgasm building in his balls. He held her hips in his hands as he fucked upward with swift, rough strokes, pistoning in and out of her tight sheath. She gushed

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around him, clutching him spasmodically as she wailed out her orgasm. Feeling all that wet, grasping heat was too much and Fen came inside her in hot spurts. When they came to their senses, River was lying over Fen’s chest. They were both sweaty, and trembling, and gloriously sated. “You’re amazing, lass,” Fen told River pushing the hair away from her forehead for a kiss. “And you’re not so bad yourself,” River said, with a sweet little giggle. Then they lay in silence for a few long minutes, listening to their thundering hearts slow as the night air cooled their overheated flesh. And then, as if a switch had been hit, River went cold in Fen’s arms. Not physically cold–she was still warm where she lay, but emotionally, it was like she pressed a button that snapped all of her emotional shields back into place. “Well, that was fun,” River said, getting up off Fen like she was dismounting from a bicycle. Fen watched her curiously. It wasn’t often that a mortal surprised him. “I’m assuming from everything you said about ‘the sea is my mistress’ and you’re not for land-living that we don’t have to have any of those pesky ‘commitment talks,’” River said, making gratuitous use of air quotes with her fingers, in between pulling on her clothes. “Because I’m definitely not into any commitment with another man, ever again. Not that I didn’t have fun. I did really enjoy that, and you’re a great guy. Er, great selkie. But I should be going.” Fen let River go ahead and talk, not bothering to interrupt her. When she was fully dressed, she turned to him. “Will you be hanging out here for much longer?” she asked, and Fen could sense the hope she tamped down even as he registered it.

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“Yes, River,” he told her, calmly, “I’m definitely going to be here a little while longer.” “Good. I mean, that’s cool. Whatever. I’ll probably see you again, then. Or not. But I have to go.” Fen only smiled at the woman in front of him, an indulgent, knowing smile that made her decidedly uncomfortable. “No problem, River. You have a good night.” “You too,” River said, and then she bolted back to her house. Shaking his head, Fen lay back on his sealskin with a contented sigh. He knew River wasn’t going to make things easy; she was still way too caught up in her own trauma. But thinking of River’s lush little body and her innate sensuality, he wasn’t worried. The selkie definitely had his work cut out for him, when it came to getting River to accept she couldn’t shut the world out, let alone her own emotions. And he was going to enjoy every minute of the job.

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Chapter Nine

This is a mistake, River thought, as she trailed after Jason toward their assigned lane. The bowling alley was crowded, what with the Thursday Leagues out in force and the usual crowd of teenagers, couples on dates and families. There wasn’t a lot to do in Eastport, Maine, after all. But Thursday Bowling was a longstanding tradition that Jason loved, especially now that they had a third. “Hey, Jason. Hello, River,” Leo said, standing up to shake Jason’s hand and give River a hug. For a split second, River imagined melting into Leo’s arms as she had Fen’s, but she restrained herself. Leo wasn’t Fen; he wasn’t married to the sea, and therefore safe. Instead he was steady, and single, and gorgeous and here. Plus, she knew he liked her. She couldn’t think of a more dangerous combination. In truth, River would have avoided Leo like the plague if it hadn’t been for the paramedic’s relationship with Jason. And not only was it a solid friendship that was good for Jason, but it was a friendship that had started because River had failed, and pretty dramatically, to keep Jason safe. So River was well aware she owed Leo big time, and that she owed Jason this friendship, at the least. All three made small talk as they changed into their bowling shoes, with Jason monopolizing the conversation. He told them about the art project he was making at his adult day care, and gave Leo updates on all of his beasts. Jason

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was very concerned about his honeybees after watching a documentary on Colony Collapse Disorder, and was monitoring them with as much love and care as a mother over her child. While Jason talked, Leo couldn’t keep his eyes off of River. She was as gorgeous as ever, with her ripe curves, dark hair and eyes and strong, yet feminine, features. But there was also something different about her. “Did you get your hair cut or something?” Leo asked her, as they went to choose their bowling balls from the racks. “No,” River said. “Although I probably should. Why?” “You just look different somehow,” Leo said, his gaze brushing over her face with his customary watchful intensity that always unnerved her. She considered telling Leo she was tired, having spent a goodly portion of that night fucking a mythological creature, but she thought that wouldn’t go over well on a number of levels. So instead she did what she did best and gave him a cryptic smile, refusing to answer his implied question. “So who’s up first?” she asked rhetorically, to change the subject. “Me! Me! Me!” Jason hollered, jumping up and down, just like he always did. And so the three bowled, as they had almost every Thursday since River was recovered enough. That Leo had been the one to take Jason bowling those Thursdays she’d still been in hospital, after her brother had been released from jail, was part of the reason she was here. And as usual, Jason kicked their butts. He was a ferocious, fiercely competitive bowler with almost perfect form. River, meanwhile, was usually too busy furtively watching Leo, who was equally busy furtively watching River.

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Jason had, of course, noticed their lack of attention to the game, as he noticed everything. But with his instincts that held more wisdom than a lot of people’s intellect, he never commented. He knew, somehow, that his sister and Leo needed to work out whatever it was between them, and that these silent musings were important. He helped them along by goofing off, entertaining himself and acting absolutely content, so that their attention could remain on each other even as they acted like it was really on him. When they were nearing the end of their set, and it was River’s turn, she’d long since grown bored of bowling. Her mind was more preoccupied than usual. She couldn’t stop thinking of Fen, first of all, nor could she stop comparing Leo’s watchful strength to that of the happy-go-lucky selkie. Which was why she was glad she wasn’t carrying her bowling ball when she heard Jason telling Leo about his new friend. “He comes from the sea and he’s so nice. You’d really like him, Leo. He reminds me of you, kind of, although you’ve got different skin and hair, and he doesn’t have tattoos or anything. But he has a sealskin and when he puts it on he is a seal. Isn’t that cool?” “You been reading about selkies, bro?” Leo asked, smiling. River’s heart fluttered. “You know about them?” she asked, her voice sharp even to her own ears. Leo looked up at her curiously, wondering why her words held such an edge. “Sure I know about them. I majored in the history of folklore in college. Which is why I’m a paramedic, obviously,” he said, wryly. “So you studied them?” River asked, carefully. There was a big difference between reading a book about them and doing the sort of studying she’d done

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last night. If Leo knew selkies really existed, they were about to have a much different conversation than if he’d only read about them. “Yeah, they’re a really popular mythology from a lot of the northern cultures. I guess it makes sense; seals are oddly human sometimes. Although I think selkies were really just a handy excuse for explaining how somebody got knocked up when their husband was away at sea, without pointing fingers at Sven the Handsome Blacksmith.” He thinks they’re a myth, River thought, unsure whether to be disappointed or relieved. The fact was that it would have been nice to discuss Fen with another person, besides Jason. Not least because her brother’s acceptance of this magical creature from mythology was utterly complete. When she’d seen her brother the next morning, she’d been ready to talk about how it could be possible Fen existed, about the ramifications for the human race, and a thousand other things that were racing through her head. But instead of those conversations, Jason had just said, “So, do you believe me now?” River had nodded, saying, “He’s a selkie all right. But what does it all mean, Jason?” She’d blurted out that question without thinking, still stunned at the implications of Fen’s existence. But Jason had looked at her like she was an idiot. “It means he can change into a seal. Duh. Did you get more milk yesterday?” Her brother had proceeded to pour himself a bowl of cereal and watch cartoons, obviously completely unfazed by the same set of facts that had made River’s world spin. So River would have loved to talk to someone about Fen, and yet she wasn’t sure that person should be Leo. Not least because of the nature of her and Fen’s

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relationship. It was one thing to interact with a selkie, and another thing entirely to interact with a selkie, naked, all over the selkie’s face. “Ooo, I can read about selkies?” Jason interrupted. Then he added, just for good measure, “Since I’m friends with one, and all.” Leo gave Jason a strange look, and then burst out laughing. “You crack me up, Jase. Seriously. That was a good one. Now who wants pizza?” That was another rhetorical question, the response to which was guaranteed to be Jason once again jumping up and down, waving his arms, shouting, “Me! Me! Me!” River not only used to love Jason’s adorably over-excited response, but also how everyone else in the bowling alley would smile at her brother’s antics. He’d been known as a gentle giant, and had become sort of a mascot for the town. But now of the faces watching Jason, some were dark with suspicion, some with fear and some with sadness. Instead of a gentle giant, he was now just as often considered a threat to be watched. Leo went to buy the pizza as River and Jason changed into their street shoes and cleaned up their garbage before gathering their things and Leo’s. The routine was bowling, then pizza, then home. Rick, Trevor’s brother, was not part of the routine. Rick came out of nowhere, knocking the empty Styrofoam cups out of River’s hand before she could even react. Like Trevor had been, Rick wasn’t very tall. At just around five foot six, he probably weighed about what River did. But he was all lean muscle, just like his brother, and River had learned the hard way just how strong the Walton boys could be.

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Luckily, Jason was already far ahead, near the trashcans, and he was moving towards where Leo stood at the food counter. Hopefully River could take care of this situation without either man even noticing. “Enjoying your fucking night out, bitch? My brother’s in the god damned ground because of you, and you’re fucking bowling.” Rick advanced on her menacingly. He was so angry as to be physically trembling, his face beet-red with fury. Silence arced out around her, as a few people moved forward to help but paused, unsure what to do unless Rick actually attacked. “I don’t want any trouble, Rick,” River said, trying to control the emotion in her voice. Rick didn’t look at all like Trevor, who had taken after their father’s dark, patrician good looks. Instead, Rick favored his mother’s pale, milksop features. But angry as Rick was, River could suddenly see the family resemblance. Rick made a low, howling noise halfway between contempt and utter despair. “You don’t fucking want trouble?” he asked. “Really? You don’t fucking want trouble?” Rick took a menacing step forward, causing River to step back. She cursed herself, wishing she’d stood her ground. “He was my brother, you fucking whore, and now he’s gone. He’s gone, and here you are, with that murdering fucking brother, bowling.” And then Rick spit at River, full in the face. The hot liquid hit River’s cheek, and she gagged, remembering other spit landing on her body, other fluids and being bound and helpless. Her eyes were wide, her mind trapped back in time, back in history, as Rick recognized his victim’s paralysis and took a step forward, ready to strike.

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“Get away from River!” came a thundering voice as Jason’s huge bulk muscled between Rick and his sister. At the same time, Leo was there, holding a struggling Rick from behind and dragging River’s assailant safely away. And then the cavalry arrived. Luckily, the bowling alley was across the street from the police station, so it had only taken a minute for Sherriff White to walk over after the first concerned call from another bowler. And she was almost as pissed as Jason. At just under six foot and built like a buff, red-headed amazon, Sherriff Amanda White watched over Eastport like she was part mother-hen and part avenging fury. As usual, Officer Tyrone Harris, her short but powerfully built deputy, followed Sherriff White closely. Tyrone had perfected the policeman’s talent of being absolutely inscrutable, and yet somehow obviously always unimpressed. Right now Tyrone was looking at Rick with a face both devoid of expression and completely condescending, all at the same time. “Rick Walton. What have I told you about harassing the innocent citizens of this town?” Sherriff White asked, irritation coating every word. “Get this asshole off me, Sherriff, I haven’t done anything. He attacked me. He and that psycho bitch.” Sherriff White tutted. “I think you’ll find that Leo here is a paramedic for this county, and therefore has responsibilities to keep the peace.” River knew that bit about paramedics was bullshit, but appreciated Sheriff White’s take on things. “What’s going to happen now, Rick, is that Leo here is going to hand you over to Officer Harris. Office Harris is going to take you to my office, where we’re going to have a chat. Another chat,” Sheriff White said, sarcastically emphasizing “another”.

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She also handed River a clean, white handkerchief, which River accepted gratefully, scrubbing it against her cheek. White nodded at her deputy, who smoothly manhandled Rick into a firm hold before frog marching the young man towards the bowling alley doors. Rick didn’t struggle, although he did shoot River a look of such murderous fury her stomach clenched. But the look was also laced with despair, which was why–no matter what he did–River couldn’t hate Rick. At the end of the day, of every day, Rick’s brother was dead. She thought about what she would have done if Jason were killed, and she couldn’t help but sympathize. “What went wrong in that family?” Sheriff White murmured, once Rick was outside and the curious bystanders had cleared away. “Trevor was a monster. Rick’s only eighteen, and he’s well on his way to being even worse.” “That much money makes people weird,” Leo said. “Especially when it’s money they didn’t actually earn.” Now that Rick was gone and the situation was over, River felt a shudder wrack her body. She felt like a dog shaking off a sheen of dirty water. Leo saw River shake and took a step towards her, raising his hand as if to touch her. Leo’s hand dropped when River stepped quickly away, moving closer to Jason and putting a safe distance between them and the rest of the crowd. The paramedic tamped down on his disappointment. She still needs time, he told himself, as he had hundreds of times before. But even Leo was starting to wonder if River would ever break out of the shell she’d erected around herself after Trevor’s attack. Meanwhile, Sheriff White wasn’t done with River. “Will you please press charges this time?” the sheriff asked.

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River looked down at her feet, but her demeanor wasn’t one of submission. Rather, River looked like she was preparing to charge into battle, and one she’d fought a hundred times before, at that. “No,” River said, firmly if quietly. “He has a right to be angry.” Sheriff White’s face went blank and she didn’t respond immediately. Leo was pretty sure she was counting to ten, because that’s what Leo was doing himself. “River,” the sheriff said, eventually, in a carefully schooled voice, “that’s ridiculous. Trevor got what was coming to him. You were the victim in that situation, and now Rick is taking up where his brother left off. He does not have a right to be angry, at least not with you. And he certainly does not have the right to harass you. Don’t think I don’t know about the mail. And what was it the week before? Wasn’t it your water? And the week before, when we had all those storms. Didn’t all your gutters at the shop suddenly get stopped up with bricks?” River remained quiet, studying her shoes. Jason shuffled uncomfortably before patting his sister on the back like she was an unsettled horse. Leo ached to go to her, but he knew she’d reject his help. And it was becoming increasingly more difficult not to believe she was rejecting him, as a man. When River didn’t respond to her, Sheriff White shook her head. “How long are you going to live like this, River?” was all she asked. River still didn’t respond. “Fine,” the sheriff said, her voice gone brusque and businesslike. “Suit yourself. But I am keeping Rick overnight, until he cools down. I’ll let you know when he’s back out. Jason, take care, buddy. Leo, thanks for your help. River, take care of yourself.” With that, the Sheriff walked away.

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Sheriff White’s parting words to River were normal, but her inflection spoke volumes. River felt her face grow red with shame. Because I can’t take care of myself, River realized, growing numb with the thought. Suddenly unable to breathe, and desperate to get away from the prying eyes of all the people in the bowling alley, River headed towards the doors, stopping only to drop off her bowling shoes. Jason called out to her about the pizza, but his sister ignored him. “Go sit in our normal booth, Jase, and get the pizza when they call my name. I’ll be back in a sec,” Leo said, before heading out after River. He found her standing right outside the light cast from the building’s interior lights, as if she’d sought out the shadows. Her fists were clenched, and she was staring into the darkness, looking like a lost lamb. “River,” Leo asked, gently. “Are you okay?” River didn’t respond, although another long shudder wracked her body. “River? Honey?” “Don’t call me that,” she said, her voice distant. “He called me that.” “Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Silence. “River? What’s going on? You’re worrying me.” That got to her. She turned on her heel, staring him full in the face. “Well, you shouldn’t be worried about me, Leo. I’m not yours to worry about, and I didn’t ask for your help.” Leo looked like he’d been slapped, and River’s heart dropped. But whatever bile had built up inside her could no longer be contained, and it just kept pouring forth.

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“So why don’t you end this charade, huh? You can stop hanging around, stop acting like you’re taking care of me and Jason. I take care of me, and I take care of Jason, and we don’t need anybody else. Got it?” A dozen possible reactions coursed through Leo, but he didn’t let any of those responses through. Instead, he turned to his training. She’s like a wounded thing, his training recognized, even if his heart felt bruised. She’s snapping at anyone trying to help. So instead of losing his temper with River, or trying to hurt her back, or complaining of his own abused feelings, Leo’s voice was firm but compassionate. “We all need other people, River. And I’m not going to let you push me away like that. But I also know you need some time to think about what happened tonight. So I’ll finish dinner with Jason, and take him over to my place to watch a movie. I’ll drop him off after that, unless he falls asleep on the couch. Then I’ll drop him off in the morning.” River stared at Leo as if he were speaking Portuguese. “You go home, pour yourself a drink and relax. Rick’s safe in jail, and I think you should use that time to really think about what you’re going to do. Because you can’t go on like this.” With that, Leo walked back into the bowling alley. River was left standing, stunned. For a second, she didn’t know what to do. Part of her wanted to run after Leo and apologize. Another part wanted to run after him and tell him to fuck off, then take Jason home with her, where he belonged. But there was a final voice that spoke in her mind, suggesting something that she found both completely crazy but utterly tempting. She wanted to talk to Fen. That third voice won, and off she headed towards her beach.

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Chapter Ten

Fen could feel River coming a mile away. The woman’s emotional distress was so acute that Fen didn’t bother with a clothing glamour, let alone human features. Instead he shifted shape, striding from the ocean as quickly as his long legs would carry him. When River saw Fen coming towards her, his naked flesh golden in the moonlight, she considered heading the other way. What am I doing, running to this man? But by then she was close enough to see his face, etched with pure concern that she knew was for her. At the same time, his inhuman features actually calmed her. He’s not a man, she reminded herself, something which she found oddly comforting. Then Fen was directly in front of her, holding out his arms. With a strangled sob, River launched herself toward him. Embraced by his strong arms, River felt Fen’s calm, steady energy. He asked nothing from her, only held her, as she struggled to get her defenses back up. And when she failed, and began sobbing in his arms, Fen’s response was to pick her up and take her back to her house. He knew she needed the comfort of her own things, her own smells and her own rituals. He could also sense that Jason wasn’t home.

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River shook in Fen’s arms as he carried her, not ceasing her shivering even when he set her down on her sofa and wrapped her up in the afghan she kept folded on the chair in the corner. He left her only to pour them both a dram from the bottle of Laphroig he’d spotted on the island, using small plastic cups left drying on the draining board. When he returned, River had stopped crying. She hadn’t moved, however, except for her shivering, and she barely seemed to register when he handed her the small cup. “Take a sip, honey,” Fen told her. She looked up at him but her eyes were unseeing as fat tears formed anew. “Don’t call me that,” she said, and then she was sobbing as hard as she had on the beach. Reconsidering his original plan, Fen reclaimed her cup and set both his and hers on the coffee table before gathering River up in his arms. “Shhh,” he soothed, rocking her as he would a child while he made quiet, comforting noises. When she finally stopped sobbing, he lifted her chin so he could meet her red, swollen eyes. “Tell me what happened, lass.” And she did. It all came out in a confusing string of sentences that Fen couldn’t begin to translate. “Rick came to the bowling alley, and he was a dick. But then I yelled at Leo and Jason was so sad about it all, and Sheriff White obviously thinks I’m some idiot woman who can’t sort herself out to save her life. And I was so mean to Leo, and all he wants to do is help…”

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More tears dripped, as Fen tried to sort out River’s emotional tangle. Regret was the easiest thing to begin with, as River was attaching the emotion so obviously to this “Leo”. “Who’s Leo?” Fen asked, gently. He was determined to get to the bottom of River’s story, tonight. The woman in his arms was so close to breaking, and he knew it all sprang from some central trauma she was determined to cover up. “Leo found me. He saved me. And I think he loves me.” None of that made sense to Fen, except what River was feeling. “And you love him,” he told her, gently. “I can’t,” was her only answer, her eyes sliding from Fen’s face in misery. “Why not?” “I can’t trust him.” “That’s not what you’re feeling, River. You feel like you know that’s a lie.” Fen paused as River made a sound like a wounded animal. “I think you know you can trust him, and that you do already trust him. But you don’t want to.” River buried her face in her hands. “Let’s start from the beginning. How did Leo save you?” River looked up at Fen, and the selkie could feel her deciding whether or not to tell him. He could sense it was a big step for her to do so; that she hadn’t talked about what happened with anyone. Indeed, her trauma over the memories was so intense that he caught a flash, just a glimpse, of a red-headed woman in an official-looking uniform taking notes as River heard her own words coming from her mouth with emotionless specificity. Fen realized he was seeing the last time River talked about whatever happened to her.

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She’s been closed up this entire time, Fen realized. She must have told this woman, probably the police, about what happened and then bottled it up entirely to let it fester away inside of her. No wonder she’s about to collapse. “I told you about my parents, about how they didn’t give Jason and me a lot of stability,” River said at the same time she reached for her dram. Fen nodded, as River took a long swallow, then another, and another. When the glass was empty, River sat back on the sofa, wrapping herself up like a caterpillar in the afghan. When she spoke again her voice was throaty from the whisky. “Well, I made a promise to myself as a girl that I would grow up to give Jason all that my parents couldn’t. I know that sounds kinda dramatic, but it really wasn’t. Jason and I have always gotten along really well, and he’s easy to live with. I think I also needed something to focus on, when I was a kid. Our parents are good people in a lot of ways, but they weren’t great parents. They liked to party, and they liked drama.” “Did they abuse you?” Fen asked, rather bluntly. “Oh, no, nothing like that. They were just always fighting, and running away with other people. So my brother and I moved a lot, all over the country. Jason and I went to thirteen schools, total, in eighteen years.” “That must have been hard, for making friends and stuff.” “Yeah, it was. We pretty much only ever had each other. So then I turned eighteen, and I took Jason to live with my dad’s relatives, down in Louisiana.” “How’d that turn out?” “Great, actually. My dad’s Cajun, and his family is amazing. All crazy as hell, but wonderful people. We rented a little trailer out on my grandma’s land, and we had four whole years in the same place while I went to college in Lafayette, all paid for by scholarships.” “Why’d you leave?”

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“My dad wanted to move in with us. My mom had left him again, and this time she seemed genuinely happy with her new guy. So he turned to us. And we were staying with his family, so it’s not like we could say no. But the drama started back up immediately. He started dating an alcoholic, and she crashed his truck into a tree. My dad tried to be her white knight and claim that he was driving, so his insurance went through the roof. He lost the car, and then he lost the job he’d gotten because he couldn’t get to work. And then my mom decided she wasn’t happy, and he wanted us all to move in together, again, like Jason and I were still kids. “But then my uncle died, and left me some money. So I brought Jason up here. I figured it was as far as I could get from Louisiana, and it was far too cold for my parents to want to follow. But my brother loves the sea, and I fell in love with Eastport when I visited a boyfriend here.” “So you moved here, and started your business, and you did what you said you were going to do: you gave Jason stability.” “For a long time, yes. We were here about four years before everything was really secure, but then I finally figured out how to make the business work, and the house was paid for, and everything seemed golden.” “So what happened?” River sighed, looking longingly at the bottle of Laphroig still on the island. Fen went to fetch it, pouring her another small dram. She took a grateful sip before continuing. “Then I met Trevor Walton. I hadn’t dated much in Eastport, except for a couple of Coast Guard guys I knew were only here for a little while. Everything was so busy for a long time, and Eastport is such a small town. I knew from watching my mom and dad’s lives how relationships-gone-sour can really ruin a person’s life in a place as tiny as Eastport, where you can’t get away from your

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ex, and where everyone knows your business. So I didn’t want to date loads of people until I knew the lay of the land.” “So who is Trevor?” “Who was Trevor,” River answered, with a pained expression. “The Waltons are Eastport’s true swanks–rich folk from bigger cities who summer in Maine. I knew they were summer folk, but that’s all I knew. I also knew they’d been here forever, if not all year round, and that everyone knew them. “So when Trevor started coming in my store, I was intrigued. He and his family were only here in summers, so if a relationship didn’t work out, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. That he was handsome and charming didn’t hurt, and he was really nice to Jason.” “So you started dating?” “Eventually. He came home from graduate school to work on his thesis in January, and I finally told him I’d go out with him in February. At first it was wonderful.” Fen could feel River’s emotions building inside of her as she talked, a dark miasma of anger, regret and residual fear. “Turns out the Waltons weren’t just swanks, they were Swanks. They were incredibly wealthy, like the kind of wealthy that rides in helicopters and has livein staff. “But at first Trevor seemed down to earth. He drove his own car; he’d make his own sandwiches. I marveled at how well adjusted he was, considering. Until there came the day I first told him ‘no’.” River took another sip of her dram before setting it down. Fen was surprised at what she did next, cuddling up next to him and resting her shoulder on his chest. He was still naked but for the sealskin draped over his shoulders, and she

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shared her afghan with him, letting her small hand rest on the warm skin of his hip. “The first time he freaked out was when he asked me to take a week off, suddenly, and go with him to Paris. He wanted to do some research for something in his thesis. But I had a store to run, and Jason to take care of, and I told him that I couldn’t just take off. Trevor flipped out. It’s like I’d told him I was sleeping with somebody else. He was screaming, beating on his steering wheel. He was like another person.” “What’d you do?” “I got out of the car, walked home and locked my doors. He came by a couple of hours later with flowers, apologizing. Said he was under a lot of stress and that he’d never do it again.” Fen stroked a hand over River’s silky dark hair. “And you forgave him.” “Yes, but I was more careful. And I started to see more signs he wasn’t all there. He’d get mad at little things, or he’d expect things from people that just weren’t reasonable. Like he had a maid fired for not answering his personal cell phone once, when he’d never told her that she should do that. But he felt like he’d missed an important call because of her, so he had his dad fire her. “And the more stuff I noticed, the more I backed off. But the more I backed off, the harder he pursued me. It became ridiculous, with him giving me all these presents I didn’t want. Plus he was basically stalking me, making sure he knew where I was at all times.” “Sounds quite psycho, really,” Fen said, dampening his empathic output so that River wouldn’t become distracted by Fen’s own anger at this Trevor person. “Well, turns out he was. The irony is that I always told myself I’d never be like my mom or dad, with their string of losers. So I pick the one guy in Eastport

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to date who seems great on the surface, but who turns out to be not a flake, no, but a violent sociopath.” River’s emotions turned to fury, which quickly morphed into such bleak despair that Fen actually gasped. River smoothed a hand down his chest, realizing her empathic selkie must feel her own pain. “What happened?” Fen asked, dreading the truth. For he’d seen that network of fine scars, offset only by rougher, uglier marks, crisscrossing her body. “I broke it off with Trevor one night. I did it at the shop, figuring I’d be safer there. I told him to stop by after we closed, which was at about six. I told Jason to pick me up at seven, assuming he’d be a good excuse to leave if Trevor was trying to talk me out of something, or whatever. “But Trevor must have figured out what I was going to do by my tone, or something. Some creepy sixth sense, who knows. When I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore, he pulled out a rope. He tied me up and beat the shit out of me for a solid hour. He had a knife with him, and a Zippo. He used it to cut me, or he’d heat it up and burn me. He was hard the whole time, sometimes masturbating on me, although he never raped me. It was when he started strangling me that Jason walked in.” As she’d told Fen her story, River’s voice had been completely flat, her face a mask of calm Fen knew hid a blaze of emotions. He felt them washing over him—all the horror and despair of that night coupled with a guilt so profound it was crushing. “What did Jason do?” “He walked up to Trevor and snapped his neck. Just broke it, like he was wringing the life out of one of his chickens. There’s no doubt he saved my life; a few seconds more and Trevor would have crushed my windpipe.”

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Fen didn’t respond right away. He just tightened his hold on River, hugging her close and letting her feel his acceptance of her words. “Your brother saved your life,” the selkie said, eventually. “Yes. And I ruined his. He’s now seen as a killer. He was in jail, for a whole week, while Trevor’s family tried to get him indicted for murder. And I couldn’t do shit, because I was in the hospital.” With that, River sat up, extricating herself from Fen’s hug and the blankets in which she was wrapped. She stood, angrily, stalking over to peer out of the glass doors at the back of her house. “So I did all of this,” River said, her emotions slamming into Fen. “I let someone in who betrayed us. I made Jason into a killer. I ruined his life. I…” River’s voice faded. Fen could see tears dripping down her cheeks, reflected in the glass doors. Fen thought through what she said, and what she felt, and he made a decision. “River,” the selkie said, in a commanding voice that made the woman turn her head towards him. “No more of that talk. Such talk ends now.” She turned fully, anger rising within her as she prepared to argue. But Fen was serious. “No, River. This ends. Now.”

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River’s eyes narrowed at Fen, her Cajun temper quickly replacing all the guilt he was feeling seconds before. “Don’t tell me what will and will not end, in my own house,” she started, but he didn’t let her finish. Instead, he used his preternatural speed to cross the room to her, his mouth crushing against hers to stop the flow of words. She returned his kiss, but angrily, her lust finding expression in her outpouring of temper. When he pulled away abruptly, her expression was stormy but her eyes were dark with desire. With deliberate slowness, Fen pulled River’s light sweater over her head, doing the same to the cami he found underneath. Next he underdid her bra. Her leggings and panties went last, pushed down her legs, at which time he also removed her shoes. She flinched at the sight of her scars in the bright light of the living room, but she figured she’d already bared herself to the selkie, emotionally. He might as well see just how ugly she was. When River was naked before him, Fen pulled her up against him, her soft breasts rubbing gently against his hard abdomen. Then he bent low as if to kiss her, but at the last second his lips found her ear, instead. “You did nothing wrong,” was all he said.

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River went still in his arms, her anger going out like a wet match while her misery rose like a flood threatening to swamp over them both. “You did nothing wrong,” Fen repeated. River finally spoke, but in a voice so small even Fen’s acute hearing couldn’t make it out. “What, lass?” “I did everything wrong.” Fen sighed, turning River in his arms so she faced the glass doors in front of them. With the room well lit against the darkness outside, they acted like a perfect mirror. In which River watched Fen swat her firmly on her plump backside. “Ow, Fen, what the fuck?” she demanded. So he swatted her again. It wasn’t a hard spank, just a light sting. But it surprised her enough to break through that funk of misery threatening to send them both spiraling into the festering pain she held inside of her. “You did nothing wrong,” Fen repeated, his voice husky in River’s ear as he held her firmly in his grasp. River met Fen’s eyes in the reflection and articulated her next sentence carefully, in clear challenge. “I’ll say it again. I did everything wrong.” The slap on her rump was a bit harder now, leaving a delicious sting that Fen’s hand rubbed out with a gentle caress. She felt her belly clench with desire even as her frustration with the selkie increased. “What did you do wrong, then, River?” “I let a complete psychopath into our lives…” she started, but his hand spanking her bottom again stopped her.

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“No, you trusted someone who anyone would assume you should have trusted.” The whole time Fen was speaking, his hand roved gently over her bottom. “Now what else.” “I didn’t see the signs in time,” she started, only to feel another firm spank. River couldn’t help but gasp, a hot flush of desire running through her system. Fen’s hand rubbing away the sting only made her want him more. “No, you did see the signs and you did know to back off. You did the right thing. What else?” Her eyes locked on Fen’s, knowing he’d spank her but saying it anyway. “I let him get to me. I let him hurt me. I let him…” Smack came Fen’s hand across her bottom. “Trevor was a monster clever at disguising himself…” Smack. “but you found out despite him…” Smack. “and he then revealed himself to be something you never could have anticipated…” Smack. “so you are not…” Smack. “to blame…” Smack. “yourself.” River was shaking in Fen’s arms, her rump rising to meet his palm as he spanked her lightly, but firmly. This was a dangerous game Fen was playing, he knew that, but she had to understand that what Trevor did had nothing to do with her letting herself be vulnerable. In fact, she hadn’t trusted Trevor. She’d

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backed away from him, knowing he was bad news. She’d done the right thing, but no one in that town had any idea what lay behind that charming facade. How could they? Most monsters get away with being that way because the rest of the world is too decent to even conceive of their desires, their fantasies. “Now ask yourself, sweet girl,” Fen said, letting his hand move lower, from the heated, red skin of her bottom to the wet cleft he knew was waiting for him. His fingers found her hot and wanting, and she gasped when he touched her intimately. “Ask yourself if you’re stupid to trust, when you trust me.” River gasped again as Fen’s fingers sought out and found her clit, rubbing her own wetness against her. “Ask yourself if you’re weak, as you are now, in my arms.” Fen slid two fingers inside of River, fucking her gently as the fingers of his free hand moved upward to pinch her nipple. “Are you my victim, River?” he asked, letting her feel his desire for her— how much he wanted her, and how he’d do anything, at that moment, to please her. “No,” River whispered, hips pushing back onto his fingers, wanting more of him inside of her. “What are you, then?” he asked, his black gaze spearing hers in the mirrored glass. “Your lover,” she whispered. He growled in affirmation, finding her clit with his thumb. “Yes, that’s exactly what you are, sweet girl. You’re my lover, and I want you to come for me. Come for me, River. Come for me now…” And suddenly she was there, her belly in knots as pleasure coursed up through her from her cunt. The orgasm would have knocked her down if Fen

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hadn’t been there, holding her up. Yet still he kept his fingers moving, drawing out her pleasure till she thought she would weep. While she was still reeling, Fen picked River up and carried her into her bedroom. At the sight of her queen-sized brass bed with its spindled headboard, Fen had an inspiration. Lying River down on her bed, he looked around for what he needed. Perfect, he thought, seeing a pretty silk scarf thrown decoratively over the changing screen she kept in the corner. When he grabbed it and came back to the bed, River’s eyes watched him with trepidation. “What are you doing?” River asked, as he gathered her wrists in his hands. “Tying you up. If you’ll let me.” A hot flush of fear coursed through River as Fen remembered her whispered words. “He’d brought some rope. He tied me up.” “Why are you doing this?” she asked, starting to shiver again. “Because you can trust me,” Fen told her, running a hand gently over her cheek. “Because I only want to pleasure you. Because I want you to understand that giving up control isn’t the same thing as asking to be hurt.” Her dark-velvet eyes were still wide in her pale face, but desire was beginning to edge out River’s fear. “What will I do to you, do you think, if I tie you up?” Fen asked River, stroking the soft silk of the scarf over her heated skin. “I don’t know,” River said. “River, you do know. What am I going to do, if you’re stretched out like this in front of me, naked, your little sex dripping and your hands tied tight over your head?”

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Lust snaked around River’s thoughts, and she took a deep breath. When she spoke her voice was quiet, but rough. “You’re going to fuck me.” Fen stroked her breast approvingly. “Yes. And what else am I going to do?” “You’ll make me come again.” “Good girl. What else?” “Would you like to come?” she asked, her back arching into his hand. He lowered his mouth to one of her tight little nipples as a reward. “Yes, sweet girl,” he answered her, once he’d ceased his soft sucking. “I do want to come. So will you let me? May I tie you up, and fuck you, and make you come? “Do you trust me?” Fen’s last question was pointed, but River was too far gone to protest. “Oh god, yes,” she sobbed. “I want you to fuck me, Fen.” The knot Fen tied around River’s wrists was a joke. She could have undone it at any point with a sharp tug, or slipped a hand out without even undoing it. But it was what that soft silk represented that was important to Fen. Fen wanted River to understand that what had happened to her wasn’t because of any choice she made. In fact, Trevor had acted to take all of her choices away from her. That’s what he’d wanted, from the beginning, although there had been no way for River to know that. So it wasn’t trust that had gotten River into trouble. She hadn’t even been that trusting, if she’d just be honest with herself. As soon as Trevor had shown signs he wasn’t quite all there, she’d backed away. And River certainly couldn’t go through the rest of her life not trusting anyone except her brother. Every real relationship is based on trust, and

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vulnerability is the natural outcome of caring for someone. So in her attempt to keep herself “safe”, River was just caging herself in, alone, with only her demons for company. “Is this okay?” Fen asked River, gliding his hand down her warm flank and sending out reassuring waves of calm and desire. Nothing in his emotions spoke of a desire to hurt her, or to see her weak. All he wanted was to pleasure her, but she had to let go of all those walls for him to really do so. River nodded, her emotions still a jumble. But Fen knew how to fix that. His fingers went first, finding her plump nether lips and parting them gently. Then he found her clit, pinching it lightly between forefinger and thumb. “What having you like this does for me,” Fen told her, “is that now your pleasure becomes my responsibility.” The selkie moved to kneel between River’s thighs, never stopping his gentle pressure on her clit. “With your hands tied like that, you can’t make yourself come. You can’t even really change your position.” He slid a finger inside of her, slowly, although he kept a gentle pressure on her clit with his thumb. River whimpered, her eyes never leaving his. Her fear was also abating, all the negative emotions in that jumble slowly being replaced by desire, and, albeit even more slowly, with trust. “So that means that I have to make sure you come, River. As your lover, I want that, and with you tied like this it’s all on me. I’m assuming you want to come?” “Yes,” River whispered, her hips bucking gently as his fingers never stopped touching. “Tell me what you want, sweet girl.”

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“I want to come, Fen, I want you to make me come.” River’s voice was rough with need, her eyes blazing with desire. But there was still not perfect trust there, and just the faintest edge of fear. So Fen kept his fingers where they were, but moved up River’s body so their faces were inches from one another. He kissed her gently, still manipulating her wet cunt with his talented fingers. But he also placed his free hand on her wrists, to remind her of her bindings. She kissed him back, but her emotions had snarled again. He rubbed her more firmly, feeling her pleasure soar clear and strong, if nothing else. “I’ll let you come, River, but you have to do something for me first.” “What?” she asked, breathless, her thighs quivering where they brushed his hand. “You have to say it wasn’t your fault.” River froze, all her emotions spiraling downward. But Fen wasn’t letting her off the hook. “Look at yourself, right now, River. You just met me. You’ve known me for bare days. And yet you let me strip you, tie you up, fuck you with my fingers. Why?” River’s expression was haunted, as she sought for words. “I’m not…I can’t…” “Just answer the question, lass. Why are you allowing me to do this to you?” To punctuate his words, Fen’s fingers started to move in River’s cunt again, but slowly, gently, as if they were a reminder rather than that driving force of pleasure they’d been before. “Because it’s you,” River said. “But I’m a stranger, River. What is it about me?” “You don’t…you don’t want to hurt me.”

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“How do you know that?” “I can feel it.” “But how? Couldn’t I be lying?” Fen’s thumb was back on River’s clit, thrumming gently. Her emotions were settling enough for her to feel her body, something that had been impossible when the first shock of Fen’s question had hit her. “Yes. I suppose. But you’re not.” “But how do you know, River?” “I don’t,” she said eventually. “I just trust you.” Fen kissed the girl as reward, and filled her with another finger, making her gasp. “And without that trust, I couldn’t do this,” Fen said, thrusting into her gently. “Nor could I do this.” This time he added a third finger, rubbing River harder so that she groaned, her cunt weeping around his fingers. “Ultimately, that would mean I couldn’t make you do this, either.” Fen’s lips closed on River’s as his expert fingers, guided by his ability to sense the ebb and flow of River’s desire, drove the girl to a thundering orgasm. He sucked on her lips through her moans, never letting go of her wrists, reminding her that pleasure was inevitably a product of vulnerability—the vulnerability of loving another, either with the flesh, or the heart or with both. When her last gasps had died in her throat, and her tight cunt was quivering with only the slightest of aftershocks, Fen withdrew his fingers. Drawing River close, he kept kissing her as he untied her wrists. She wrapped her arms around him and he stroked her back until she lay, quiescent and at peace. Only then did Fen pull away to look into her eyes. “Say it, River.” The command was implacable.

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“It wasn’t my fault,” River said, her voice small and unsure. Fen kissed her, letting his affection for her spill over them both. She didn’t believe what she’d just said, but it was a start. And he had all night to keep convincing her.

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“You will have so much fun!” Jason shouted, prancing in place like a show pony he was so excited. Fen looked at Jason affectionately, but River rolled her eyes. “We’re just going to dinner,” she said, huffily, although she was really looking forward to the evening. She hadn’t been on a date since Trevor. “And you will have so much fun!” Cue more prancing. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” River asked her brother. “You’re joking, right? You two are going on a date. That’s gross.” “It’s not gross, Jason. Fen and I are just friends.” Jason gave her the Look. It was the one he usually gave people who spoke to him extra loud and slow like he was deaf, or who asked him if he needed help tying his shoes. “Sure, Sis. Whatever you say. I’m gonna be totally fine. What I’m gonna do is, when you leave, I’m going to go right home. There’s tuna salad you made yesterday in the fridge, so I’m going to eat that. And then I’ll put my dishes in the sink. And then I’m going to watch the shows I DVRed, and then maybe a movie and then burn down the house.” “Jason!” “I mean, go to bed.” Her brother gave River a cheeky grin, doing another little happy shuffle. “I’ll be fine, and I’ll lock the doors, and you’ll have fun.” “Well, then,” River said, laughing. “That’s a plan, then.”

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She went into the back room to fetch her coat and make sure those doors were locked. Then she went back out into the store, where Fen helped her into her jacket like a gentleman. River couldn’t help but admire him in his jeans and green sweater. Not least because she knew they weren’t real, and that without the magic of his glamour he’d be walking around buck-naked but for his sealskin cloak. And no matter how good he looked in those glamoured jeans, she couldn’t wait to see him again in just his golden skin. It was also strange having blue eyes looking at her, rather than black, and those fey features smoothed out into far blander, if handsome, human ones. But no matter what he looked like, he felt like Fen–his emotions projected at her speaking of the same quiet strength, gentleness and affection she’d grown used to. Once they were outside, she made sure to lock both locks on the front door. Her encounter with Rick had reminded her that security was an issue, in a town where she hadn’t worried about her back door’s broken deadbolt for the first two years she’d owned the place. It made her sad how much things had changed, but that wasn’t a thought for tonight. Tonight is about having fun, she thought, as she said good-bye to Jason and took Fen’s arm to lead him to their destination–the little restaurant on the water front that had a bar named after the Old Sow. “You’re really going to like this place,” River told Fen. “It’s very Maine…all seafood, big portions. I imagine you eat a lot.” Fen laughed. “Hey, I get a lot of exercise. Both in the water and on land,” he said teasingly, running the fingers of his free hand over hers, where it rested in the crook of his arm. “Then we’d better keep your strength up, because tonight I…”

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“River?” Someone asked, from behind her. Fen felt River’s emotions plunge into complete panic as she turned. Ready to defend her, Fen stepped in front of her defensively, to protect her from the handsome man with dark skin and braids standing in front of them. That River’s emotions had turned from panic to dread only made Fen more certain the man was a threat. And yet all the man was feeling was sadness so profound it must have been debilitating. “Leo,” River said. “I thought you were working tonight.” Oh, Fen thought, realizing what had just happened. It’s the man who saved her life. Whom she loves. Who just caught her out on a date. A human might have done something stupid, at that point as there was so much emotion swirling around. Leo’s sadness was turning into anger, and River’s dread was turning into defensiveness at seeing Leo’s anger. But Fen was a selkie, used to working with the ever-changing moods of his ocean. A couple of humans caught up in their own drama was child’s play for Fen. “Oh,” Fen said, radiating friendliness and calm, as well as his genuine excitement at meeting Leo. “You’re Leo? River has told me so much about you. I was hoping I’d get to meet you, and here you are.” Fen wasn’t lying, as he let both River and Leo feel. After all, Fen had been cooking up plans for the paramedic ever since River had mentioned him, but the selkie had thought it would take him at least a few weeks to get them off the ground. But here Leo was in the flesh. And Lord and Lady, did the man ever love River. And she loved him, even if she wouldn’t let herself. Leo’s eyes went to Fen, reflecting the human’s confusion. He’d been ready for a confrontation, and to learn that the woman he loved was ready to date again, just not him. Leo hadn’t expected Fen’s friendliness.

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“And who are you?” Leo asked, trying to keep his voice polite, even if he couldn’t match Fen’s friendliness. “I’m Fen. I’m a friend of River’s, just passing through.” “Oh. Passing through?” “Yes, definitely passing through. I’ve got other commitments, I’m afraid.” Immediately Leo relaxed, if only marginally. “Oh, well, sorry to hear that,” Leo lied. “But I should let you two get going. You have a good night.” Leo prepared to walk away, without even speaking to River. “Leo,” River said her voice rich with unspoken emotions. “Yes, Leo, stop,” Fen said. “You should come out with us.” “What?” the paramedic asked, giving Fen an incredulous look. Instead of talking, Fen practically assaulted Leo with the seriousness of his offer. “Yes, Leo,” River said, her voice almost pleading. “We’d love it if you came with us.” She couldn’t believe she was saying that, but she also knew it was true. When Fen had first suggested Leo join them, River had thought the selkie was losing his mind. But then she knew it would be okay. On the one hand, she felt Fen’s desire to get to know Leo better. On the other, she also knew that if she let Leo walk away right now, something would be damaged between them. It wouldn’t be irreparable, but it would be there. And she was self-aware enough to know that she couldn’t repair damage in another relationship if she couldn’t even fix it in herself. Without Fen’s help, she was afraid that any rift between her and Leo would quickly become a divide. But isn’t that what I want? she thought. To be free? To be left alone?

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She couldn’t answer that question, right now, although even that indecision spoke volumes. But she did know she didn’t want to hurt Leo. Not like this. Not after everything he’d given her, with such generosity. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a third wheel.” Doubt laced Leo’s words, just as regret and the acrid tang of bitterness laced his emotions. “You will certainly not be a third wheel,” Fen told the paramedic, making sure he felt Fen’s genuineness. “We really want you to come with us.” Leo was pretty sure he was setting himself up for a fall, but he couldn’t help himself. “Okay, if you’re sure.” “Definitely,” Fen and River replied, as if on cue. And then they set off, down to the pub, River walking between the two men– one dark, one light–who each had the kind of grip on her heart she’d sworn she’d never allow, ever again.

“To apologies,” River said, once she’d accepted the beer Fen gave her. He’d bought this round, although she didn’t want to know how he’d paid for them. Did that sealskin of his have pockets? Both men looked at her curiously as they clinked their glasses with hers, taking a sip to complete the ritual. “Leo, I have to apologize to you. I’m sorry about how I behaved at the bowling alley.” “River, don’t worry about it. Rick had just attacked you. You weren’t yourself.”

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Fen raised an eyebrow at the mention of Rick. He knew there had to be more to River’s story than just Trevor’s death, as something had specifically set her off the night before. Something that couldn’t have been Trevor, since he was dead. “No, that’s no excuse for my behavior. I was a bitch to you, and all you were doing was watching my back. I’m sorry.” “Well, apology accepted. And you know I always have your back.” “I know,” River said, blushing and looking down at her beer. It warmed the cockles of Fen’s heart, watching the two mortals together. But he was too curious not to interrupt the moment. “Who’s Rick?” he asked. “Oh, sorry,” River said. “It’s my night for saying sorry, apparently. We didn’t get to that part of the story, did we?” Fen shook his head. “Rick is Trevor’s younger brother. Ten years younger, actually. He’s just a boy.” Leo rumbled his disapproval. “That’s definitely not an excuse.” River shrugged, an odd choice of expression borne out of the frustration Fen felt rising within her. “He’s eighteen now, River,” Leo chastised. “And his brother died when Rick was seventeen. I can’t imagine that pain.” Fen let the pair stare each other down for a bit, before interrupting. “So what’s Rick been up to since his brother’s death?” “He blames River and Jason,” Leo said, before River could respond. “He refuses to believe his brother was a fucking psycho, despite what he did to River. Rick thinks they manipulated Trevor into snapping, or that they faked the evidence or something. Even their parents admit Trevor had a mean streak, but Rick just won’t have it.”

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“So what’s he been doing?” “He won’t stop harassing her. He was supposed to go to college, but he postponed his enrollment to take some time to recover. Instead of recovering, however, he moved into his parent’s summer house and has been making a nuisance of himself ever since.” “He’s hurting,” River said. “He’s delusional. And he’s going to end up seriously hurting one of you, or ending up dead like Trevor.” Leo’s words dropped like a bomb on the table. River looked haunted. “What does he do to harass you?” Fen asked River gently. “In the grand scheme of things, and compared to the loss of his brother, not that much,” River said, causing Leo to groan in exasperation. River shot the paramedic a caustic look. “He’s had the utilities cut off on my shop. Gummed the locks. Written some stuff, after he first moved back, on my windows. But it’s just all kid’s stuff, really.” “Confronting you like that at the bowling alley was not kid’s stuff,” Leo said. River didn’t respond. Fen frowned. “Do you think it’s a situation of his behavior escalating, or what?” “I think he wants to keep her prisoner. If he does that, he’s happy. As long as all she does is work and sleep, he’s okay just reminding her about what happened. Which is bad enough, since it wasn’t River’s fault Trevor’s dead, nor is it Jason’s. The guy was a fucking psycho.” “Leo,” River said, her emotions warring inside of her. Fen cheated a bit then by letting her feel what Leo was feeling, a heady combination of emotions all based on his anger at how River had been hurt, and his implacable promise never to let her get hurt like that again.

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River stared at Leo, her eyes wide, and when Leo spoke that time, it was just for her. “What he did to you. The way you looked when we got there…” River placed a hand on Leo’s, where it lay on the table. This time, Fen didn’t interrupt their silence. “Anyway, Rick’s not here right now, and I don’t want him ruining our night,” River said, pulling her hand away from Leo’s with a gentle caress. Fen saw and smiled. “You’re right,” Leo replied. “And I’m hungry.” “You’re always hungry.” Leo shot River a withering look at her reply, then picked up the menu lying in front of them. The three ordered and ate, talking companionably the whole time. Fen asked most of the questions, no doubt because he didn’t want too many asked of him. He’d told Leo he worked at sea, and had known River for “long enough”, and some other vague answers that didn’t really satisfy the paramedic. But Fen was also radiating such good natured honesty that Leo didn’t feel he needed to pry. It also helped that Fen made Leo constantly aware that he wasn’t a threat by letting the other man feel that Fen’s affection for River held not a trace of possessiveness. In fact, they managed to close the bar out without even noticing. The conversation was good, and the chemistry between the three was undeniable. It was with real regret that Leo said he had to get home, as an early shift awaited him tomorrow morning. Eventually, they said their good-byes, Fen shook Leo’s hand, using the contact to carefully scan Leo’s emotions. Gone was any trace of jealousy or concern, although Fen thought he sensed a faint regret on Leo’s part that the paramedic couldn’t make the night last longer.

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Interesting, Fen thought. If Leo were naturally open-minded, that would help things out immeasurably. When Leo and River said good-bye that night, River embraced him longer than she ever had. Normally their hugs were perfunctory, with her pushing away after a polite millisecond. This time however, she let herself be pulled into the gravity of Leo’s warm, strong body. In that moment, River felt safe. She wondered if Fen weren’t working his mojo on her. “You guys need a lift?” Leo asked. “No, thanks, we’ll walk,” River said. Leo knew he should feel jealousy at that “we”, but whatever had passed between the three of them that evening meant he couldn’t be. Despite the fact he suspected River and Fen were lovers, Leo knew the other man didn’t want to possess River in any way. They said their final good-byes and Leo walked back to his car, River watching him. When she turned back towards Fen, his senses were overwhelmed by the woman’s sexual desire. And the selkie couldn’t have been happier that her being so worked up was only partially because of him.

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Chapter Thirteen

“Where’s Jason?” Fen muttered into River’s mouth. The woman had practically attacked him as soon as the front door was closed. “His room’s in the basement. Mine’s on the second floor. We can’t hear each other if we scream.” River only pulled away from Fen long enough to put the selkie at ease, before moving in for another long, deep kiss. Freed from any concern over shocking Jason, Fen’s desire poured over River in a deluge. Hers rose to his, a heady combination of lust, anticipation and something else…something that spoke of other, unrequited passions and a deep longing. For as much as River wanted the man currently carrying her upstairs to her bedroom, she wanted another man, who wasn’t here. Fen’s main concern was to figure out whether or not River would rather have Leo here, over him, or if River could entertain the idea of Leo being here, with Fen. This concern didn’t spring from jealousy, however. It was because Fen had ideas, and he wanted to use tonight to test whether those ideas were possibilities. River’s teeth found Fen’s lower lip, biting gently before licking away the sting. Her tongue twined in his, then her hands buried themselves in his hair. “Naked,” she commanded, pulling away just enough to have her say. Obligingly, Fen’s glamour shimmered then faded, leaving the selkie clad only in golden flesh and his sealskin.

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“Better,” she said, as Fen placed River on the edge of her bed. She pushed him away long enough to look at him, admiring the long lines of muscular physique, her eyes lingering on the rigid length of Fen’s hard cock. “Mmmm,” River sighed, reaching forward a small hand to touch Fen reverently. He shivered as her fingers brushed against the swollen head of him, then moaned as her fist closed to stroke him with slow, sure movements. She watched Fen’s face, loving his pleasure. He’d dropped his glamour entirely, leaving his true form bare to her. She loved how his liquid eyes closed with every long stroke back, then opened to look at her hand on his cock as she stroked gently. He leaned forward enough to grasp the bottom of her shirt, and she released his sex for the brief moment it took for him to strip off her sweater, long sleeved T-shirt, and cami. Her bra followed. Then she leaned forward to find him again, but this time with her mouth. “Oh, River,” Fen gasped, as her warm, wet tongue found the head of his cock, and then licked lovingly down the underside of his shaft. Her hand moved to cup his balls as she moved back up to suck in just his tip, rolling her tongue around him as if savoring his taste. His right hand fisted in her hair as his left reached down to squeeze her breast, pulling her into him as he gently began to fuck her mouth. “That feels so good, River. I love your mouth on me.” Fen was rewarded with a gentle squeeze of his balls and an extra swirl of the girl’s talented tongue. “But what would you do if there were two cocks here, lass?” Fen asked. River looked up at him with lust-dark eyes. He used the hand on her hair to pace her, and to keep her mouth full. It was his turn to talk, and he wanted her to react with her body and her emotions rather than her words.

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“I saw how you looked at Leo,” Fen murmured, filling River’s mouth. She made a noise, whether of protest or agreement, he couldn’t tell. But what he knew for certain was that her lust peaked at his words. He knew if he touched her now, her pussy would be wet, getting wetter as he spoke. “I felt your desire for him too, River. I know you want him.” River whimpered, Fen’s cock pushing in and out of her mouth. Whether a reflection of her lust or as encouragement, River’s suction on Fen’s cock increased. He thought of repairing fishing nets as he tamped down on his desire to come. The woman had a ridiculously talented mouth. “I think you’d like it if he were here right now, River. I think you’d like it if his cock was here too, before you.” River’s head bobbed faster, her mouth sucked harder. Her lust rose in her and Fen saw her hand move between her legs. She touched herself as he continued. “I’d love to see you like that, River. Your mouth on him, your hand on me. Then you’d switch. We’d both be so hard for you. Wanting you. Would you like that, River?” Her only response was to suck harder, her fingers between her legs moving faster. River’s desire was almost overwhelming as she saw the fantasy Fen spun out before them. No amount of mental net repairing was going to keep Fen from coming if she kept this up. “Where would you like us to come? Would you want us to come in your mouth? On your breasts? Or would you like us to fuck you? Both of us at once, taking turns?” River made a strangled sound around Fen’s cock, her eyelids heavy. She pulled back, and Fen wondered what she would say.

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“I’d want you to come in my mouth. I’d want to taste you,” she said, meeting his eyes as she took him back into her mouth. Fen groaned. “Is that what you want, lass? Do you want me to come for you?” River’s dug her nails into Fen’s ass in a clear affirmative. And so Fen let himself go, fucking in and out of River’s mouth till he felt his own orgasm sweep through him. Steadying River’s mouth on his cock, he jetted into her mouth, long strings of come that she swallowed, loving his cries of release as she pulled the last of his orgasm from him. Only when the touch of her mouth was too much did he push her away, gently. “Don’t stop touching yourself,” he told her, as he let his trembling knees pull him, kneeling, to the carpet. River did as Fen asked, keeping her fingers on her clit as he pushed her legs apart. He watched her, his eyes roving from her cunt to her face, from the source of her pleasure up to see its effect. He felt her thighs tremble, and he stroked his hands gently over them. “Imagine sitting here, like you are now, with me kneeling in front of you.” River watched Fen’s mouth as he spoke, her expression hazy. “And imagine Leo, sitting behind you. You’re leaning back, on his chest.” River sighed, her fingers dipping to fill her cunt. She also shifted, just slightly, as if leaning back in an imaginary lover’s arms. “Would you like his hands on your breasts? Maybe pinching your nipples?” “Oh, yes,” River whispered, breathless. “He could also hold your legs apart for me,” Fen said, shifting forward slightly. His cock was already growing hard again, his eyes now locked on

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River’s fingers; on her dripping sex and her obvious enjoyment of their shared fantasy. “He’d hold them open, as I tasted you.” Fen leaned forward, stroking his tongue over River’s lips, her fingers. “Maybe he’d hold your hands too, like that scarf did last night.” With that, Fen pushed away River’s hand, grasping both her wrists behind her back with his left hand, as his right held her sex open for him. “You’d be ours to play with, sweet girl. Ours to pleasure. Would you like that?” Fen made sure that question was rhetorical by sucking River’s clit firmly into his mouth, flicking his tongue over her. She bucked her hips against him, but didn’t fight his hold on her wrists. Fen kept up his manipulation of her cunt with his lips, his tongue, and eventually his fingers, until she was just on the brink of coming for him. “Please, Fen,” she begged, almost incoherent with need. But Fen had other ideas. He stood, and she saw how hard he was for her once more. “Do you have any toys?” he asked, to her obvious surprise. “Um, yes,” she said. “In the nightstand.” “May I?” Fen asked, indicating the nightstand. River nodded. Fen slid open the drawer and smiled. Perfect, he thought. For the drawer contained two vibrators–one quite slim and long, the other thicker. There was also a small bottle of lube. Fen took out all three items, laying them on the bed. River watched him with wide eyes. “On your knees, River,” Fen said, giving her a sly smile. River’s throat worked as she gulped, but she did as Fen commanded.

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Fen’s hands found the soft globes of River’s succulent little ass, massaging her gently. His fingers then ran up her spine, until he could push her shoulders to the bed. Vulnerable and exposed before him, River shivered. But Fen’s constant touching gentled her. “Gods, you’re gorgeous, lass. Do you know that?” River didn’t answer, except with a throaty moan when Fen’s fingers once again found her sex. “Your body was made for pleasure. You’re so soft, so round. And so sensitive. Your pussy is soaked, perfect for fucking.” River rocked her hips back on Fen’s fingers, mewling her pleasure. She wanted to kill him when, seconds before she came, Fen again withdrew his fingers. But her irritation was short lived, as his cock was at her wet opening a moment later. “I’m going to fuck you now, River. My cock in your cunt and my fingers in your ass.” The head of his cock parted her lips as she heard him pop open the cap on her lube. A cold swirl of wetness splashed on her asshole, before his thumb was there, rubbing it in and letting it warm. When he finally sank deep, he did just as he’d warned. His cock went first, filling her deeply, with his finger pushing into her ass a second later. He gave her a second to adjust to both types of penetration before withdrawing, only to fill her again and again. Pumping her with cock and fingers, working the ring of her anus till it accepted a second finger, stretching her with a sweet ache that only increased as a third finger joined the others. “Oh fuck,” River groaned, fisting the pillow in front of her. “Oh, Fen…”

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“God you feel good, River. Now imagine Leo’s in front of you. Imagine sucking him, while I fuck you. Would you like that?” “Oh god, yes,” the girl whispered. She could almost feel it—Fen’s cock so big, joined by those clever fingers that pushed into her ass with a pleasure she’d never imagined. She felt his fingers slide out of her ass, and then she felt more liquid. Finally, she felt something cold and hard pushing into her. My vibrator, she realized, knowing he’d chosen the slimmer, plastic model. But it didn’t feel small pushing into her tight ass. He kept his cock shafted deep as he pushed her toy in, till River really knew what it was to be full. “Oh fuck,” she groaned. Then, keeping the vibe buried deep in her ass, Fen began to fuck River with long, slow strokes. “It doesn’t have to a vibrator fucking you right now,” Fen told her, finding her clit with his free hand. Strumming across the center of her pleasure, Fen felt her cunt tighten spasmodically on his cock. She was so close to coming he’d have to be careful–he didn’t want to bring her until he was ready. “It could be Leo,” Fen said. “It could be Leo buried in your ass. Me buried in your pussy.” He fucked her harder, before stilling himself deep inside of her. Then he slowly began fucking her ass with the vibrator. “Imagine a real cock, instead of plastic. Would you like that?” “Oh god, yes,” River groaned. So Fen obliged her. River felt the hard plastic slide out of her ass, another application of cold lube, and then Fen’s cock was there. Much bigger than the vibrator had been, River didn’t know if she could accommodate him in her tight ass. “Push onto me,” Fen whispered, through gritted teeth. “Relax, and push…” River did as he asked, feeling his cock push past her tight ring with a dizzying combination of pleasure and pain.

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Fen held himself there, until she relaxed around him, then he began pushing, slowly feeding more of himself into her. He kept up that slow, steady fucking until River pushed back on him, clearly indicating she wanted more. “Touch yourself, sweet girl,” he told her, and she did. Rubbing her own clit, she shuddered as he fucked the velvet glove of her ass. “Do you think you’d like this, with another man?” Fen asked. “Yes,” River groaned. “Oh, yes…” Fen pushed deeper into her, before he reached for her shoulders. Then he pulled her so she was kneeling, his chest pressed against her back, his cock still buried deep inside of her. “Leo would fuck your mouth, first,” Fen whispered in her ear. “He’d fuck your face while I fucked your ass.” Fen reached for the other, larger vibrator. River moaned when she heard him switch it on, its buzzing filling the room. “But then he’d kneel before you too.” Fen moved the vibrator to River’s pussy, pushing her fingers away as he pushed the vibe’s buzzing head against her clit. River gasped, shuddering around him, against him. “And he’d want to fuck you too, River. He’d want to be buried deep in your pussy. Would you like that?” To punctuate his words, Fen moved the head of the vibrator lower, to the opening of River’s wet sex. “Oh god, yes,” River groaned. Fen teased her with the buzzing tip of the vibrator. “Tell me what you’d want, River. Tell me, exactly.” “I’d want him to fuck me,” River groaned. “I’d want Leo to fuck me while you fucked me too.”

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Hearing River’s gasped words, feeling her clenching on his cock, Fen knew he wasn’t going to be able to last much longer. But neither was River, and when he pushed the buzzing head of the thick vibe between her lips to sink deep into her cunt, he knew they were both lost. “Oh my god, Fen, make me come, make me…” Fen obliged her, flicking the index finger of the hand holding the vibe over her clit. River’s orgasm was shattering. She clenched down so hard on Fen’s cock he had to fight to stay in her, his own orgasm rising in his balls. He kept fucking her, with both the vibe and his cock, as she wailed in his arms, urging him to fuck her harder, to come insider of her, to fill her ass. Her words pushed him over the edge and he did as she commanded, filling her with a load of his thick cream. Before they collapsed forward, he pulled the vibe from her quivering pussy, but he stayed inside of her. Kissing the nape of her neck, he kept his heavy weight balanced on his elbows. She gasped as he ground his still thick cock into her, pushing up at him even as she moaned it was too much. “Did you enjoy that?” he asked. “Oh yes,” she said. “I did, as well. You’re amazing.” Another grind, answered by another gasp, as well as a wave of affection that they shared between them, equally. “That was pretty incredible,” River admitted. Fen’s teeth closed one more time on her nape, causing her to shiver. “Yes, it was. But just think how much better it would be if Leo had really been here.”

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Fen let River think that over, as he rubbed against her, feeling his body already gearing up for another round.

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Chapter Fourteen

Her feet crunching on the broken glass, River inspected the damage. Fen looked on, exuding both anger over the attack and concern for the woman turning a brave face to the world. This is what I get for having a good time, River thought to herself. For last night had been perfect. Spending time with both Leo and Fen, clearing the air with Leo, and then a night of mind-blowing sex with Fen—it had been the sort of evening she never thought she’d have again. So, as if to remind her why she shouldn’t have such pleasures, Rick had been busy smashing the two huge bay windows that fronted her shop. He’d also smashed the glass in her door. She hadn’t gone inside, yet, but she could see a few of her glass cases had been shattered as well. Not wanting to disturb any evidence, River peered over the edge of one of the broken windows. “I’m assuming Rick did this?” Fen asked, his voice low with anger. River shrugged, but it was a gesture of hopelessness rather than confusion. “Probably.” “Well, I don’t think he actually went inside,” Fen said, pointing out the rocks laying on the floor of her store. “I think he did all the damage from out here, so hopefully nothing’s missing.” River ran a hand over her long, curly ponytail, self-touching protectively as she tried to sort out her emotions.

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“This has to end, River.” Fen’s voice was gentle, but firm. He’d felt her guilt over Rick, and on one level he lauded her empathy for the boy having lost a brother. But this had gone too far, and might get worse if it weren’t nipped in the bud. And yet, Fen really didn’t know what River would do. He hadn’t expected their progress, such as it was, to be tested so soon. Meanwhile, River looked around, assessing the damage. The windows would be expensive to replace, of course. As would the glass cases. But it was the violence of the act that made up her mind. In her heart of hearts, she could understand Rick’s sadness and his need to lash out at something. She understood that she and Jason were convenient, in that regard, and she also understood that it was a lot easier for Rick to blame them than it was for him to confront his brother’s own crimes. It had been one thing to apply all those excuses to missed mail or gummed locks. But this violence–this reckless smashing and destruction–that was something that Trevor himself might have done. She’d wanted to believe that Trevor was a fluke, but maybe the tree he fell off was, indeed, rotten. What if Rick was only beginning his own reign of terror? With a heartfelt sigh and genuine regret that it had to come to this, River pulled out her cell, dialed 911 and hit send.

“I’ve been waiting for you to call,” Sheriff White said, as she stepped out of the squad car parked rakishly on the sidewalk in front of River’s shop. “Wait, you knew about this?” River asked, confused. “This? No. We were all on the other side of the county last night, breaking up a domestic. Didn’t see any of this damage till you called it in.”

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“Then why were you waiting for me to call?” “Because I knew Rick would eventually completely flip his biscuit, or you’d finally lose patience with him. So I had these ready.” Sheriff White reached into the car, pulling out a thick sheaf of official looking paper. “What’s that?” River asked curiously as Fen joined her. The Sheriff eyed the blond man curiously, until River realized they hadn’t met. “Oh, sorry. Sheriff, this is Fen. Fen, this is Sheriff White.” “Nice to meet you,” the Sheriff said, shaking Fen’s hand. The selkie was watching the law-woman curiously, and River wondered what he was sensing. The Sheriff had always seemed completely in charge and totally put together, so River couldn’t imagine she had some secret emotional scars that might attract Fen’s attention. But I guess we can never really know what’s going on inside of another person, River realized. For someone who’d had such a tumultuous life, River should have already been well aware of that fact. But in reality, River’s encounters with other people had been relatively straightforward. Her mother and father were exactly what they said on the package. Five minutes interacting with her mom and her crazy, hippie-inspired outfits and dramatic way of speaking, and one knew pretty much everything one needed to know about Inma Garcia-Cruz Thibodaux. Her father was equally transparent: all gruff laugh, tattoos, chain-smoking, good-oleboy. Her mother and father’s significant others, meanwhile, were always, inevitably, cut from the exact same cloth as all the rest, so River had always known what to expect from them. Her father’s extended Cajun family,

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meanwhile, were also equally straightforward. They were all mad as hatters, but they were paradoxically proud of their eccentricities. River had grown up with chaos, yes, but never subterfuge. She’d never had to deal with people who pretended to be one thing, but were another thing entirely. So realizing that Trevor and his wealthy family, people who seemed to have everything and seemed to be so perfect, could be hiding some horrible truth about themselves, shook River to the core. But in a good way. Maybe I couldn’t have known? she thought to herself. Maybe that’s part of what made Trevor so fucked up…always having to be something he wasn’t. And I couldn’t have known, because nobody knew. The fact was the Waltons were revered around these parts, no small feat for a summering swank family. Normally, such itinerant visitors were treated with affability mixed with contempt. But the Waltons had singlehandedly built the local children’s clinic, were the face of any major charity event or outreach program in Eastport, and pretty much funded the annual Pirate Festival, a major tourist draw for a town that couldn’t otherwise compete with the likes of Bar Harbor or Seal Harbor. The idea that they weren’t the fairy godfamily everyone assumed them to be floored River, but all evidence was pointing to something seriously wrong if they had two sons with such extreme problems. While River put all this together, Fen watched her carefully, knowing she was thinking through something major because of her fluctuating emotions. So he made small talk with the Sheriff, until River came to some conclusion. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly, as that’s not how his empathy worked. But whatever she’d decided left River feeling a little bit confused, like whatever it was still had to settle, but also confident and less stressed.

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“So what is that, Sheriff?” River repeated, pointing at the sheaf of papers. “A restraining order, half filled out. I knew it would come to this eventually, I just didn’t know what would set it off. But are you ready now?” Without hesitation, River nodded. “Yes. This has gone far enough.” Fen knew what a huge step blaming Rick over herself was for River, and the selkie let his hand rest on her shoulder in support. “Excellent. You’re making the right choice, River. Rick’s gotten away with way too much already.” Using a clipboard from her squad car, Sheriff White filled out the missing information on her restraining order, getting witness statements from both River and Fen. River hoped they would never have to track Fen down to the address in Bar Harbor that he provided, as she was pretty sure they’d find nothing there. When the paperwork was finished, Sheriff White rose to her full height. “I’m going to file these documents with the court, then head over to Rick’s. I’m going to be honest–I don’t think he’s going to take this very well. But he has to know this behavior can’t continue, and that we’re now able to seek real legal recourse if it does. I want you to be careful though, River. Where’s Jason?” “He’s still at the house, taking care of the animals.” “I’ll send Tyrone over to pick him up when I get to the station. He’s been asking to come hang out, so this will be a good time.” Jason had become good friends with the Sheriff and her deputies during the week he’d spent in Eastport’s tiny jail, while Trevor’s family had done everything they could to have him charged with murder. Even with all their money and clout however, the charges wouldn’t stick, and finally Jason was freed. It was very typical of her brother that he’d made the best of his time in the pokey, and had come out fast friends with his jailers.

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“That would be great, Sheriff. Thank you. I’ve got a lot to clean up here anyway.” “Good.” Sheriff White went to leave, then stopped. Turning, she eyed Fen appraisingly. “You sticking around?” she asked the selkie. He nodded. “As long as River needs me.” “Good. Take care of our girl.” And with that, the Sheriff was off to serve Rick’s papers. River watched the other woman leave with trepidation. She knew that, no matter what, Rick was going to be furious and she couldn’t help but wonder if the restraining order wouldn’t push him over the edge. Until today his acts hadn’t been overtly violent. But after seeing her shop, she knew that, like his brother, he was capable of a lot more than what was on the surface. “Do you have brooms?” Fen asked, knowing she needed a distraction. Today would be a long day for her, no matter what, but worrying wasn’t going to help. River nodded, taking the selkie to the backroom where all the cleaning stuff was stored. He began sweeping the inside of the shop and she ran two stores down to the hardware store, where she bought two pairs of heavy duty gloves and equally heavy duty trash bags. When she returned, Fen was already sweeping clean the inside of the store, and she joined him. After an hour, the store itself was free of glass, and together they began sweeping up and disposing of all the broken glass on the sidewalk. The sun was warm that day, one of the first really spring days yet that May. With all that lovely light, and the fresh wind blowing off of the ocean that lay just in front of them, River was almost able to forget the circumstances of their cleaning and enjoy the afternoon. Hours had gone by and they were tying off the last of the garbage bags.

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“Want a water?” Fen asked, as River ran her forearm over her sweaty forehead. “Yes, please. I’ll start loading the bags to take to the dump.” Fen headed to the back of the store, where she had a little refrigerator stocked with water and milk for her coffee. River carefully picked up two of the glass-filled trash bags and headed towards her old jeep, parked behind her shop. When she walked back to the front to get another two bags, Rick was waiting. “You fucking cunt!” the teenager said, launching out of his car. His face was a snarling mask of rage that River recognized. Trevor had worn a mask just like that when he cut and burned her. Only when he was choking her that night, did Trevor start to smile. That’s when she’d realized he’d enjoyed every minute, and that her death would be some sort of climax for him. They are fucking psycho, River realized. The thought galvanized her, and she refused to run away as he barreled towards her. Bracing herself for a blow that never came, River slowly opened her eyes only to have her vision filled by Fen’s broad shoulders. The selkie was standing between her and her attacker, but when she looked around Fen she saw Rick dangling a few feet in the air, held up by Leo’s strong arms. Despite his precarious position, Rick kept yelling at River. “Fucking get the cops on me like I’m some sort of criminal? You’re the fucking criminal, you and your retarded animal of a brother.” “Shut it, Rick,” Leo warned, trying to get a firmer grip on the boy, but Rick was fighting like a trapped animal. Fen took care of the situation by stepping forward and hitting Rick hard, but precisely, in the stomach. River was stunned by the almost surgical strike, as Rick went limp in Leo’s arms, crumpling to the sidewalk.

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The wail of sirens sounded in the distance, undoubtedly summoned by one of the many passersby gawking at the spectacle. River kept her distance from Rick, refusing to flinch when the boy raised his head so his now watering eyes met her. “He’s in the ground,” Rick said, still barely able to speak from Fen’s blow. “And you’re out at bars, laughing it up with friends…” So that’s what set him off, River realized. He must have seen us out last night. It’s my having a life that enrages him… River didn’t move any closer to Rick, but she did keep her eyes on him. “Trevor tried to kill me, Rick. You have to understand that. You know what he did to me.” The look Rick gave her was so full of hate that she shivered. “You deserve everything you got then, and you’ll deserve what you get now,” Rick said, then spat weakly at her. Sheriff White was lucky she got there when she did, because Fen looked ready to show Rick exactly who did deserve what, and Leo was obviously more than willing to help.

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Chapter Fifteen

River was silent on the walk home, although Fen could sense the emotional storm raging inside of her. When they were inside her house, she took off her light spring jacket, checking her phone as she did so. “Tyrone texted. He took Jason out on patrol with him, so he wasn’t around when they brought in Rick. He’ll drop him off tonight when his shift ends.” Instead of putting the phone down when she’d read the text to Fen, River kept staring at it. Fen felt her emotions coalesce into that tremendous guilt that weighed her down, and fat tears welled up in her eyes. “River, lass, tell me what’s wrong,” Fen said, taking the phone away from her before leading her to her couch. The truth was that the selkie had expected such a moment. River had made such quick progress that she was bound to have a relapse, plummeting right back to square one despite what they’d achieved. It was a normal part of the process in recovering from trauma, and Fen hoped that the ghost of Trevor could finally be exorcised from River’s life tonight. “I’ve just so fucked this up,” River said, obviously trying her best not to cry. “The whole point of all of this was to keep Jason safe, and look what I’ve done.” “River, you didn’t…” “I get, now, that Trevor was a monster. I even get that he was good at being a monster, or good at hiding it, I mean. But still. I should have known better.” “What do you mean?”

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“I saw my mother do this over and over again. My father did it too, but we weren’t dependent on him the way we were on my mom.” “Do what, River?” “Exactly what I just did. Let these idiots, these creeps, into her life. Into our lives. That’s what she never got: that whomever she dated, we were stuck with them too. All the losers she brought home, she brought to our home. So I should have known better.” Fen shifted River around so that he could meet her eyes. “Known better than to have done what, exactly?” Fen asked. “To ever have dated a guy like Trevor,” she replied, refusing to meet the selkie’s gaze. “But, River, we’ve already talked about how you couldn’t have known Trevor was the way he was. In fact, he probably looked like the perfect package, to the whole town.” “Still,” she said stubbornly. “I should have known.” Fen sampled her emotions, trying to use them to understand what was really going through River’s head. After all, she’d felt like she finally believed the truth of what she’d told Rick—that his brother had been a monster. But here she was, apparently back at square one in terms of mistakenly taking responsibility for someone else’s actions. So he delved deep into what she was feeling. Uppermost was that overwhelming guilt, yes. But underneath that guilt, much more deeply rooted, was fear. And underlying that fear, shame. “This isn’t just about Jason is it, River?” Fen asked quietly. Her response was immediate. A flurry of words accompanied by a little explosion of anger. “Of course it is, Fen,” she snapped. “I’m supposed to protect him.”

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“But you were the one who was attacked,” the selkie said gently. River shifted looking uncomfortable. Fen knew they were at the heart of the woman’s trauma now. It was a place she didn’t want to go, but she had to. “Take off your shirt,” Fen asked of her, knowing she’d refuse. “No.” “Please, River.” “Why?” “Because you keep making what happened to you about everyone else. And yes, other people were affected. But you were the one who Trevor attacked. You were the one who was in the hospital for…how long?” River looked down at her hand, lying in her lap. “Three weeks.” “Please, take off your shirt.” Finally she did. In the bright light of River’s sunlit living room, Fen could see all the scars he’d caressed and kissed in their harsh reality. They didn’t make River any less attractive, but they did speak of the trauma she’d endured. The trauma she was determined to ignore. “What’s this one from?” Fen asked, running his thumb over a roughly circular scar, decorating her ribcage on her right side. “My rib. I was kicked. It broke and pierced the skin.” River’s voice was eerily robotic, flat and emotionless as if she were reporting on something that had nothing to do with her. Fen kept himself from wincing, and also carefully kept his own emotions– which were boiling with rage–thoroughly behind his shields. “And this?” This time Fen’s gentle thumb found the discolored patch of skin on her belly, right below her navel. “From a skin graft. There was a burned patch.”

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Fen noted River’s language–and how she never mentioned Trevor or his culpability. One might think she’d done these things to herself, rather than had them done to her. Stroking his fingertips down the long slashes that crisscrossed her stomach, Fen asked about them next. River wouldn’t answer. Instead, she stared down at Fen’s fingers where they gently caressed her, as if she were very far away—in another time, another place. “River?” Fen prompted, despite feeling her fear and shame rising to overtake her guilt. The girl had to face her demons, or they would continue to rule her life. “X marks the spot,” she said finally in a hoarse whisper. “What spot?” Fen asked, even though he dreaded the answer. “Trevor enjoyed what he was doing. It made him…excited. When he’d beaten me so badly I couldn’t move anymore, he showed me how much he enjoyed what he was doing.” “Did he rape you?” “No. But he masturbated on me.” Fen didn’t stop stroking River’s scarred belly, although if she’d been able to see his eyes, she would have seen the rage that sparked in his ebony gaze. “It was like he wanted to be distant,” River mused. “I think if he’d raped me it would have made more sense actually. It would have been a story I could understand—I didn’t let him have me, so he took what he wanted.” “I don’t think someone like Trevor ever makes sense,” Fen warned. But River was in her own world. And it was a dangerous one. Fen had purposely ripped off the bandages, so River could see the wound underneath. But while Fen knew this was an important first step for her, he also knew its risks.

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So Fen carefully used his own empathy like a wedge, inserting a cushion between her and her own emotions, to buoy her. He basically kept her floating, at a distance, so that she could look, and poke and prod what she found inside of herself without spiraling downward into her own trauma. Kept safe by Fen, River did exactly as he’d hoped she’d do, and looked closely. “But maybe it did make sense. Maybe that’s what he’d wanted from the beginning. We never had sex, did I tell you that?” Fen shook his head. He also moved so that they both could lie down on River’s sofa together. His touches to her multiple scars were ceaseless, meanwhile letting her know that whatever had been done to her body didn’t faze him in the least. She was River, not some amalgamation of her trauma. “I thought it was odd that he never tried, although we really didn’t date long at all. We certainly fooled around. But I don’t think he ever really got an erection. In case you didn’t notice, I’m pretty forward with my lovers, so I’m used to making the first move. I definitely reached for him a couple of times. He’d bat my hand away pretty quickly, but I could tell there hadn’t been much to grab at anyway.” Fen’s warm palm made long, lazy strokes over River’s ribcage. His lips were near her temple, and he kissed the delicate shell of her ear as he asked softly, “Do you think he needed your pain?” “Yes,” she said, twisting her neck up so she could see Fen’s expression. He kept it carefully neutral—focused on listening to her, without judgment. “I think he engineered situations, hoping he could get mad at me. Looking back, he did little things to piss me off. Like he would show up late for dates, or not call or whatever. But to be honest, I wasn’t that into him. And I’m so independent, and my life’s always so busy. Half the time I’d have forgotten that

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we had plans, and he’d try to get into this big fight about something I didn’t even care about. So he’d be trying to fight, and I’d sort of be ignoring him, or I’d make an excuse to hang up or go do something somewhere else. Or Jason would show up, and suddenly things were cool. “But yeah, I never let him get really angry until that night he flipped out in his car. I actually argued with him that night about Paris. He was so adamant we go that weekend, and I thought it was so crazy he couldn’t understand what I was saying about my responsibilities. So I told him no, and I told him why and we ended up arguing. I didn’t walk away, and Jason wasn’t around to see why we were shouting.” “And Trevor flipped out?” “Oh, yeah. But looking back, I can see now that it was like I flipped a switch, and as much as he lit up with anger I think he also just lit up. Like I’d made his day, in a sick way. “I just wanted him to understand that I wasn’t saying what he was accusing me of. He thought I didn’t appreciate him and was rejecting his generosity. I would love to go to Paris, are you kidding me? But I couldn’t go that weekend. That’s all I was saying. ‘Give me a month, dude. I just need a month.’ But the more I tried to explain, the more he accused me of things.” “He wanted you to get mad.” “Exactly. And I did. I told him that because of the way he was behaving, I wasn’t sure if I wanted anything to do with him, let alone go to Paris.” “And he went nuts?” “Yeah. We were in a restaurant parking lot, or he might have attacked me then. Instead he just raged. It was scary, but to be honest, it was so crazy part of me thought it was kind of funny. I was watching a grown man throw a temper tantrum, for Christ’s sake.

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“And that helped me get my own control back. What I’d said about changing my mind about him hadn’t been an idle threat, and seeing him beating on his steering wheel while calling me names and holding his breath only made me see the truth about him. He was good at hiding it, at acting normal, but all that privilege had affected him. I’m too Cajun for that shit,” River joked, and Fen not only chuckled but also kissed her cheek lingeringly. That she’d gone from nearly catatonic with grief and fear a half-hour ago to making a joke now was huge. “So I did what I should have done from the beginning and just withdrew myself from that fight. I got out of the car and told him I’d see him tomorrow. Then I marched right back into the restaurant, and had a drink at the bar till I knew he’d left. Trevor was never one for public showdowns. He was better the next day, but once I saw what he was really like, I couldn't unsee it, and I kept noticing more things that were off. So, a few weeks later, I decided to end it. I told him he could come by the shop at six, after I was finished with my inventory. ” “You did the right thing.” “Yes, well, I should have ended it right then, right after the Paris tantrum. Made him come inside the restaurant with me, and then ended it. I shouldn't have waited, let alone tried to break up with him in private. Inviting him to my empty shop at night was exactly what he wanted.” River’s fear shivered back up inside of her, but Fen wasn’t having it. “Think through what you just said, lass. You’d have been at your shop at that time anyway. And let me guess, you’re often at the shop that late, at least a few days a week, aren’t you?” “Well, yes, but…”

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“So you broke up with him that night of the first fight, in the restaurant. Someone like that would still have come after you. Maybe not then, but he wasn’t going to wait. And besides, he had to know what you intended. It was pretty obvious. You warned him that his behavior was making you reassess your feelings, and he responded by totally flipping out. Instead of trying to make things better, you walk away, and tell him you want to talk to him after he cools down. I’d know that was a death knell for the relationship, myself.” “But that just takes me back to the start, Fen. Why did I let him in at all?” Fen thought through what River was really asking, even as he sorted through her emotional backlash. She wasn’t lying to him, but she wasn’t asking what she was really worried about. And then Fen realized what was happening. River was too smart to articulate her real fear, because she knew it wasn’t reasonable. But it didn’t change the fact she felt it, and deeply. What she was feeling was perfectly normal, considering what she’d gone through. But it was also dangerous, for other reasons. And Fen’s job was to make River see what she was really doing to herself.

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Chapter Sixteen

“I don’t think you mean Trevor, when you ask why you let him in,” Fen said. “Of course I mean Trevor,” was River’s sharp reply. “Who else would I be talking about?” “No, lass. Think about it. We’ve already established you couldn’t know. We’ve already established you didn’t really let Trevor in. And you kicked him right out the second he showed signs he had a screw loose.” Fen kept a hand on River’s soft stomach as he sat up, scooting around her body so that he sat between her legs; one of her thighs lay over his lap while the other lay behind him. “So I think, when you ask me why you let in Trevor, you’re really asking why you let anyone in.” Fen felt River’s temper rise, even as her eyes refused to meet his. “That’s ridiculous. I let in all sorts of people.” “Like whom? Besides Jason?” “There are all sorts of people here I’m friends with. And my family.” “Then where are they, River?” River was mute, her emotions boiling. Not least because she couldn’t respond to that. For all intents and purposes, she and Jason were utterly alone here in Eastport. The only real exception was Leo, and half the time River was doing her best to push him away. Fen had to make her understand that her brother wasn’t enough to make up her world, no matter how “safe” it felt to do so.

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“I think that trust is something you’ve always had a problem with, River, because of how you were raised. You’re obviously capable of great love and great devotion. I see that in your relationship with Jason, of course, and I know you love the rest of your family, even if you recognize your parents’ weaknesses. “But how many people do you really trust?” River stayed quiet, unable to answer. The fact was she knew that Fen was right. She’d always kept a certain distance between her and everyone else, except for Jason. They’d had to rely on each other so much during their tumultuous childhood. So she’d learned to trust her brother, even as she’d absorbed the idea she couldn’t trust anyone else. Even her parents, who she loved and she knew loved her and her brother, couldn’t really be trusted. They’d never tried to hurt her, and they would have been crushed at the idea that they’d made choices that had made her life difficult, and Jason’s even more so. But the fact is they tended to think first about their own happiness, and secondly about their children’s. From their earliest moments, the people they’d relied on most had let her and Jason down, over and over again. Fen could feel her sorting out her feelings, so he continued. “I think what Trevor did only served as proof for you of something you decided long ago anyway. That people aren’t to be trusted.” “Are you saying I looked for a Trevor?” River asked, reproachfully. “Not at all. In fact, I have no doubt you planned on keeping Trevor at arm’s length as well. He just had other plans. And when he turned out to be psycho– something you could never have foreseen–you threw trust into his coffin with him.” River sat up, pulling her legs away from Fen.

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“First of all, even if that’s true, can you blame me? And look at us right now. I’m half naked in front of you, telling you everything. Isn’t this trust?” Fen smiled. “It is, and I’m both grateful and happy that you have the trust you have in me. But it’s limited, River. Admit it.” “What, do I need to take my pants off too? Is that ‘unlimited’ enough for you?” Fen laughed, despite himself, although River wasn’t being happy-funny, she was as pissed off as he’d seen her. But her anger was because he was right, and she knew it deep down. “No. Your faith in me is perfect. But I’m the one who’s limited, aren’t I? After all, I’m not of your world. You know I’m only a guest. I’m not even human.” “But I still trust you,” she whispered, and her care for him washed over Fen. The selkie couldn’t help but react. “Oh, sweet girl,” he soothed, pulling her in so he could find her lips with his. Their kiss was gentle, deepening as Fen let River feel how much he cared for her too. “You do trust me,” he told her, nuzzling her nose gently with his own. “And your trust is something I will always treasure. But I want you to trust me even more.” “How?” she asked, even as she found his lips for another kiss. He reciprocated, before pulling away. “I want us to do a little experiment. It’s an experiment about trust, and why trust is so important.” “What is it?” He smiled. “You’ll have to trust me.” She gave him a dirty look, her anxiety rising. But she also knew she was being challenged, and River wasn’t one to back down without a fight.

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“Fine. Let’s try your experiment. Because I do trust you, Fen.” Her words threw down her own gauntlet in response to his. “Good,” he said as he stood. “Wait here,” he said. “I need something.” River couldn’t help but shiver in anticipation. Knowing Fen, any lessons he had to impart would probably involve pleasure. Fen walked upstairs, knowing exactly what he wanted and where to find it. He’d seen it peeking out of River’s toy drawer the night before–a black and purple silk scarf, perfect for his intentions. When he’d fetched the scarf, he kept it behind his back as he returned to the woman waiting for him. She was watching him with a combination of desire and nervousness, but of a very particular variety. It’s not that she thought he’d hurt her. Rather River feared what the selkie might uncover within her. Fen also suspected she was nervous about what would happen if she did confront and overcome those fears. She’d lived one way for a very long time after all, and changing her ways would be difficult. But the lesson Fen had to teach would hopefully impart the value of trust to River. She’d only ever seen trust as something to be violated and he needed her to understand what else trust could bring to her life. When Fen was at her side, he dropped his glamour. Where there had been that dreamily handsome human surfer wearing jeans and a T-shirt, now there stood before her a lord of the sea. Golden hair and skin beckoned her touch, while his dark eyes roved over her body as he let her feel every ounce of his desire for her. “Shut your eyes, lass,” he asked of her. “Why?” He smiled. “Trust me.”

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She stared at him long and hard, but then she did as he asked. Her eyes closed, but her fists did as well. No matter what River claimed, even the smallest act of faith in another was difficult for her. “Good girl,” Fen murmured, letting his affection for her bubble up over the surface of his desire. The selkie knelt down, leaning over to kiss River gently. Her eyes fluttered open, then shut again as she sighed. “Keep them closed,” Fen said, when he broke off the kiss. He then brushed the ends of the silk scarf gently up her body, from her feet to her neck, and then back down. River shivered, goose bumps rising on her flesh at the soft caress of the cool silk. “I’m going to blindfold you now,” Fen told River. “I’m going to do it so that you really can’t see, okay?” After a second, River nodded. Fen did as he’d told her he would, and raised the length of fabric to her eyes. He folded it over a few times, ensuring its opacity, before he laid it over her vision. Then he tied it firmly behind her head. “Can you see?” “No.” And Fen could sense she couldn’t–her emotions flaring at her lack of vision. “Come with me then.” Fen took River’s hand and stood, then helped pull her to her feet. Her nerves flared, but she followed as he led her into her kitchen and towards her table. “Lean back,” he said, moving his big body against hers so that she took a step back. Her upper thighs hit the edge of her kitchen table and his hands moved behind her body to slow her descent as she toppled gently backward.

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Their position also meant she felt the hot, hard length of Fen’s cock brushing against her belly, then she felt him even through her jeans, at the top of her thighs, as she continued her backwards momentum. “The thing with trust,” Fen said, “is that it’s the kind of social contract we must enter into, in order to benefit from it.” Fen’s large hand was behind her head as he pushed her gently the rest of the way, so she was laying full length on the table. The cool air of her kitchen beaded her nipples and then Fen’s hands were moving to find her belt buckle. “For example, we trust people to take us places all the time–taxi drivers, bus drivers, train conductors. We trust they’re not maniacs, and therefore we get in their vehicles.” The belt was undone, and Fen started in on River’s jeans. “Our everyday lives consist of all sorts of small acts of trust. We trust waiters don’t spit in our food. We trust doctors actually send in and study our lab reports. We trust our postmen don’t read our mail, or that the person stamping our milk with an expiration date is honest.” Her zipper being pulled down was loud in River’s ears. When she felt Fen tugging at her pants, she arched her back obligingly, helping him pull them off of her. He took her panties with her jeans. Fen took a moment to admire River’s lush curves, the dark hollow between her legs and the shadows created by her breasts falling along her body. “And from such small acts of trust, we get small pleasures: not having to drive ourselves, mail delivered, fresh milk.” Fen’s hands found River’s hips and pulled her down the table slightly so her knees were just off the side. He let his hands run down her thighs, hooking his hands under those knees but not yet parting them.

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“But bigger pleasures require bigger acts of trust. Like us, right now. You’re trusting me, by letting me strip you. By letting me blindfold you. By lying in front of me, naked as you are, and vulnerable.” Now Fen did pull River’s knees up and open, so that her feet rested where her knees had been, and her sex hung in front of him like a plump fruit, ripe for plucking. “Because you’ve trusted me, it means that I can do this…” Fen’s lowered his mouth to River’s cunt, placing a chaste kiss just at the top of her slit. River whimpered, either with desire or with disappointment he hadn’t done more. “I can do this,” Fen continued, this time spreading her lips gently with his thumb so he could kiss her little clit directly. “And this.” This time Fen used his tongue, a long lap up the length of River that made her back arch and her breath rush out in a gasp. “And this.” Fen licked again, and again, and again, until River was shuddering beneath him. Fen added a thick finger, than another, plunging in and out of River’s cunt until she writhed. He never stopped tonguing her all the while, his tongue savoring the wet splash of her sex even as her soft cries echoed in his ears. When he knew she was desperately close, close enough that he could feel her walls shuddering around his fingers, grasping at him hungrily, Fen moved so that he loomed over River, his mouth close to her ear. His fingers never left her however, and his thick thumb took up his tongue’s former position rubbing her clit.

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“Because you’ve trusted me, I can make you come,” Fen murmured, as River moved her face blindly, seeking out his lips. He let her catch him, and she ran her tongue over his mouth, tasting herself, before rising up to kiss him fiercely. Fen’s desire poured over her as he kissed her back, but then he pulled away, wanting to finish what he had to say. “And you trust me, don’t you, River. You always knew you could trust me.” River whimpered, her hips rising as her cunt pulsed, and he knew she was right on the verge. His thumb moved faster, pushing her over the edge. Her come-cries rang in her small kitchen as she let herself go, let herself fall into pleasure. Meanwhile, over her cries, she heard Fen’s calm voice speaking in her own ear. “You knew you could trust me, because you can trust yourself, River.” Aftershocks hit hard as his thumb and fingers kept working her, so powerfully it was like another tiny orgasm. But again, despite all her own cries, all she could hear was Fen. “You can trust yourself,” he repeated, until she silenced him with a kiss. Then she sat up, ripping the blindfold off as she did so. She didn’t speak to her selkie, and he could feel a thousand emotions raging underneath under fevered flesh. But then all he could feel was her pushing him backwards, into the kitchen chair behind him. And then the soft skin of her thighs on either side of his as she straddled him, and her hot wet sheath as she mounted him. Lost in his own pleasure, Fen didn’t notice River’s tears. And then they were gone, wiped away as she buried her face in his neck and rode him till they both found their release.

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Chapter Seventeen

“Large iced coffee,” Leo said, passing Fen his drink. “And a corn muffin.” Then the paramedic turned to River, divvying out her treats from the bag he carried. “Large coffee and an everything bagel. Here’s your sweetener and your extra cream cheese.” “Thanks, Leo,” River said, accepting her breakfast. “No problem,” Leo said, digging out his own bagel before taking a sip of his iced tea. The three were sitting around the little table in the back of River’s shop, enjoying breakfast before she opened for the day. Jason should already be at his adult day care, so they didn’t have to worry about him. But worried they were, for Rick had been let out of jail three days ago, and he’d promptly sworn vengeance on River for putting him there. Of course, Rick’s threats had only caused Sheriff White to lock him up for a few more hours. Eventually however, mommy and daddy had sent a lawyer, and White had to let the boy go. This time, the lawyer had also obviously counseled his client to keep quiet on his way out of the jail, and not continue with the behavior that had landed him there in the first place. But no one was dumb enough to think he’d changed his mind about getting back at River. Which was why, if Rick paid any attention, he’d see he had a less than discreet police escort. Tyrone and another deputy had spent the past evening

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trailing the kid around, and they’d keep at it until he decided to leave Eastport for good. A constant police presence was an age-old way of getting rid of undesirables, and Sheriff White saw no reason to fix what wasn’t already broken. Meanwhile, River had enjoyed three days of being escorted around town by Leo and Fen. I never knew being guarded would be so much fun, River thought, watching the two men fondly. They were talking quietly as they ate, Fen questioning Leo about his job. They were so physically different, one dawn and one dusk, and yet she sensed the same, steady gentleness in them both. Leo caught her watching him, and gave her a little wink, smiling affectionately. She returned his grin as her heart skipped a beat. He’s dealing with all of this so well, she thought. The fact was that Leo had more than impressed her by how well he dealt with Fen’s presence in her life. She knew it wasn’t entirely Leo, and that Fen had his own ways of helping to reassure the paramedic. But he’d reacted to Fen’s continued presence with a generosity that astounded her, treating both her and the other man with total kindness. Not a lot of people could do that, she acknowledged. I know I couldn’t. Just imagining Leo with another woman made River’s claws come out, even though she knew that was ridiculous. She’d never revealed to Leo that she was at all interested in him, and by this point he had to be completely reconsidering any feelings he may have had for her. It’s one thing to rescue a damsel in distress, but it’s another thing entirely to rescue her again, and again, and again… And until the situation with Rick was resolved, that’s what would happen. She’d always be watching over her shoulder, worried about both her safety and Jason’s. And who would want to be a part of that, especially when there was

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obviously something seriously wrong with the Walton boys. The thought of another person, especially Leo, getting hurt because of his attachment to her made her cringe. So as much as she’d enjoyed Fen and Leo’s company over the last three days, she was equally sick with worry. If they suffer because of me, I’ll never forgive myself. Fen, feeling River’s emotions shift, looked up to see her watching Leo. She reflected the concern she felt, and he knew she was fussing internally over their involvement in the Rick situation. So Fen reached out, and took River’s hand where it rested on the table. “We’re here for you, River, because we want to be. Not because of any other reason. We want to be here.” Leo looked startled for a split second, until Fen pointedly looked at River’s free hand. Leo cottoned on quickly, and a shiver of pleasure traced up River’s spine at the touch of the paramedic’s callused palm fitting into her own. “Yes,” Leo said, that affectionate smile returning to bow his full lips. “We’d be here no matter what the problem.” “I don’t know if I deserve that,” River said. She included both of them in her words, but Fen knew she was really talking to Leo. The paramedic only squeezed her hand in his. “Nonsense. We’re friends, River.” Horrified, but unable to control her reaction, River felt tears well up in her eyes. Saved by the bell, she thought, as her phone rang. She reached for it with grateful alacrity, flipping it open with a practiced motion after she noted who was calling.

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“Sheriff White?” she said as greeting, hoping it was good news. Maybe the Walton family lawyer had finally convinced Rick to leave, and move back home to his parents in their main house in Boston. “River. I’m calling to give you a head’s up. Rick slipped his tail. We’ve got no idea where he is right now, so watch yourself till we track him down.” “Oh,” River said, feeling fear’s cold knife plunging into her breast. “I don’t want you to panic. We’ll send Tyrone over to your shop, and another deputy over to your brother’s day care. Why don’t you give him a head’s up too, so that he doesn’t get too excited when my deputy arrives.” “Good idea, I’ll do that. Thanks for calling.” “No problem. Don’t worry, we’ll find Rick shortly. In five minutes, all of Eastport will know to call me if they see him.” “Thanks, Sheriff,” River said, noting with detachment that her lips felt numb. Then she flipped shut her phone, turning to her bodyguards. “Looks like you two might earn your keep,” River said. “Rick’s missing. He got away from his police guard and nobody knows where he is.” Immediately the two men dropped their relaxed airs and snapped to attention. “What? When?” “Just now. I’m supposed to call Jason at the day care. He should be there by now.” River said that as much to calm herself as to be informative. After all, she’d only gotten to work about twenty minutes ago, and she and Jason left at the same time. Meanwhile, the walk to the community center housing his day care was another fifteen minutes longer than hers was to work. He would have made it way before Rick got loose, she told herself. If he left on time. If he didn’t sleep in. Or have an extra breakfast. Or…

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River cursed herself for not insisting they take him directly to day care, as they’d tried to do. Or at least made him leave with them, so they knew he got off on time and they were with him half the way. But walking himself places was one of her brother’s biggest responsibilities, and therefore one of his most fiercely guarded pleasures. Rick and Trevor had already taken so much from Jason that taking away his morning walk when Rick was safely being watched had just seemed cruel. Ignoring the fact her hands were trembling, River scrolled through her phone contacts till she found the center’s number. She pressed send, and waited. “Hi, Daisy? It’s River. Can I talk to my brother, please?” Fen and Leo leaned in to listen, concern tracing over both their faces. They’d been part of the decision to let Jason walk to day care alone, and they were also regretting it. “He didn’t come in? Are you sure? Look, I’m sorry, this is very important, but you have to be sure… Yes, please check the building.” River’s eyes flashed up to meet Fen’s, then Leo’s. “Daisy doesn’t think he came in, she’s checking… Daisy? Yes, I’m here. Are you sure? Okay, listen, please call the police. Tell Sheriff White that Jason didn’t show up. Tell her we’re going back to the house to look for him. Rick got away and… Yes, exactly. Thank you.” River flicked shut her phone, standing as she did so. Leo and Fen were already on their feet, and Leo had his jacket on and the keys to his car in his hand. Looking back on that day, River would never be able to remember walking to the car. Instead, one minute they were in the shop and the next minute she was in the front seat, with Leo leaning over to buckle her in.

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“Just drive,” she wheezed. Fen tried to calm her with a mixture of an empathic wave and reaching forward to stroke her arm from where he sat in the back seat. But River wasn’t to be calmed, at least not until she saw her brother, safe and sound, in front of her. Leo peeled out of his parking spot across the street from her shop, heading at a sharp clip towards River’s house. It was only a few minutes away by car, but River had never felt time move so slowly. Once they were on their way, Leo reminded River of the obvious, which she had forgotten in her panic. “Try his cell,” Leo said, his voice calm but firm. “Of course,” River said, fumbling open her phone with numb fingers. Scrolling through her numbers again, River found Jason’s seldom-used cell, and tried that. “It’s ringing,” she told the men. That was good—chances were usually fiftyfifty that Jason’s phone hadn’t seen a charger that week, or even that month. “Voice mail,” she said, and then swore vehemently. “Try your house,” said Fen, his turn to state the obvious. River did so. “No one’s answering.” “Still want to head there?” Leo asked. “Yeah. We’ll start at the house and work our way out, if he’s not there.” And already, they were close. Close enough that Fen… “Wait, stop,” the selkie said, sharply. “Stop the car,” Fen repeated, putting the force on an empathic shove behind his words. Only then did Leo do as Fen requested, and pulled to the shoulder of the road. They were only a few driveways away from River’s own home, although with the size of the lots that meant they were still a safe distance away. “River,” Fen said, radiating calm, “Rick has Jason.”

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“How do you…?” Before River could finish her question, Fen was already answering it. “I can sense both of them.” “Oh my God,” River said, leaning back in her seat, her face drained of blood. Leo, meanwhile, was looking at Fen like he was mad as pancakes. “What’s going on?” The paramedic asked, trying to keep his voice neutral. “It’s a long story, Leo, but you have to trust me. I can…sense things. And right now I know that Rick has Jason, and that they’re at River’s. We have to get there now, but not by car.” “How do you know that, exactly?” Leo asked, unable to believe that Fen could know something for which Leo had seen no proof. “Leo,” River said, turning to the paramedic. “You just have to trust Fen. Trust us. If Fen says Rick has Jason, then he does.” Everything in Leo’s training, which demanded hard evidence before any procedure was done, went against what his instinct was telling him: that Fen was telling the truth. But River trusts him, Leo thought. And the paramedic knew, then, what he was going to do, even if he didn’t understand why. “All right,” Leo said, moving his car another few feet off the road before switching it off. “What’s the plan?”

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Only Leo’s hand gripping her arm kept River from running headlong into danger at the sight of Rick holding a gun on her brother. They were right inside the living room, in front of the open sliding glass doors that led into the backyard. Jason was lying on his stomach on the ground, Rick’s foot on his back and a rifle pointed down at Jason’s head. River, Fen and Leo were safely hidden in the line of trees dividing the backyard from the beach, where they could watch unseen by Rick. “Stay calm,” Fen said. “We’ll get him out. Just give me a second.” River emitted an almost imperceptible whimper, and Leo gathered her to him—partially to comfort her but also to make sure she didn’t bolt towards the house. Meanwhile, the paramedic watched Fen curiously. Leo had no idea what the blond man was up to, but he was obviously doing something. Fen had his eyes shut and his hands extended, as if they were feeling for something, or serving as antennae. Eventually Fen started to speak, although his voice was so eerily distant it caused Leo to shiver and pull River’s soft warmth closer to his chest. “So angry, but also so lost. Not caring anymore, just wanting it to end. Everything unfair, everything dark…” Fen’s voice trailed off for a moment, then resumed. “Love twisted to anger twisted to denial twisted…” Suddenly, Fen shook his head sharply, as if coming back to himself.

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“Such pain,” he summarized, looking out at Rick with a mixture of pity and dread in his eyes. “What’s going on?” Leo whispered, suitably freaked out even if he didn’t know what the hell was happening. “River, do you have your key?” Fen said, focusing in on the here and now. “Yes, of course.” “Give it to Leo. Leo, can you sneak around front, and go in that way? I’ll confront Rick directly, but we may need someone in the wings.” “Are you sure, man? He could just shoot you.” Fen smiled. “Have no fear, Leo. Mortal weapons do not threaten me.” As he spoke, Fen straightened, and for a second Leo saw another Fen, lying beneath the surface of the surfer-boy he pretended to be. This Fen was as golden as the sun, his hair a nimbus of light flowing upward like a crown, and his eyes as ageless and powerful as the sea. Leo blinked, and Fen was himself again. “Okay,” Leo said, filing away about a hundred questions to ask after this was all over. “I can do that, no problem. But should we wait for the police?” “No,” Fen said. “We must hurry. If we wait for the police it will be too late.” “Why?” asked River, scared by Fen’s adamant tone. “Rick is not well,” Fen explained, trying to articulate what he felt from the boy. “He feels his world has been taken from him, and he’s obsessed with revenge. But he’s also ready for it all to be over…” “Oh, shit,” Leo said, realizing where Fen was going, but River looked confused. “Suicide by cop,” Leo told her, knowing she needed the truth. Fen nodded. “That would be an apt description, yes. He plans on taking out you, your brother and whomever else he can before they kill him. The only

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reason Jason is still alive is that Rick wants an audience, as well as an executioner.” “Oh, Jesus,” River breathed. “How can we stop him?” “I have a plan,” Fen said. “Rick’s world was turned upside down and he believes nothing is fair anymore. He doesn’t want to live in a place like this, but he’s wrong. What happened does make sense, he just needs to see that.” “And you can make him see?” River asked. Fen smiled at the woman, letting her feel his calm, his strength. “I believe so. But we must go now.” River handed Leo her keys, and the paramedic took off. Meanwhile, Fen kept a firm grip on River with his left hand, keeping his body in front of hers in such a way that he shielded her even as Rick could see she was with him. And then they approached the house. Jason’s fear and confusion were overwhelming, and Fen ached for him. But the selkie was also relieved–Jason’s already heightened emotional state would make Fen’s job easier. Rick had immediately spotted them, meanwhile, and had adjusted his position. He now faced the open door, holding the gun tight to the back of Jason’s head. “Stop right there!” Rick shouted, when they were about halfway across the lawn. But Fen kept walking. “I said stop!” the boy cried. “If we stop here, we can’t talk,” Fen said, calmly. The truth was really that the kind of empathic magic that Fen wanted to work required they be in closer proximity to Rick and Jason. “I’ll shoot him, you motherfucker, so stop walking!” “Just a few more feet,” Fen said, raising his free hand in a placating gesture.

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When Fen was in range for what he wanted to do, he stopped. “Who the fuck are you?” Rick demanded. The boy’s arms were trembling alarmingly, considering the loaded rifle he was aiming at another person. “I’m Fen. I’m friends with River and Jason.” “Those fuckers don’t get to have friends. Not anymore.” Fen could feel Rick’s anger ratcheting even higher, and the selkie began to put his plan into effect. The first step was to keep Rick focused on Fen, and to get him more empathically open. Unfortunately that meant getting him even more emotional. “Of course they get to have friends,” Fen said, calmly. “They’re nice people.” “They’re lying fucking murderers,” Rick shouted, digging the gun into Jason’s skull in a way that Fen imagined was very painful. River dug her nails into Fen’s forearm but the selkie ignored her. “No, they’re good people. People who have suffered enough because of you, and because of your brother.” “Trevor never did anything! They murdered him and no one cares, because of their lies. He was a good man!” “He was a monster, Rick. And from your own behavior, you’re becoming one too.” Fen could feel two things happening. The first was that he could feel Rick’s anger not only increasing exponentially, but dividing itself between him and Jason. He could also feel Leo’s presence in the house, and knew the paramedic was closing in on Rick. “Your brother attacked someone he professed to care about, and now you’re attacking your neighbors, Rick. Who does that? Are you really going to shoot them? Are you going to shoot me? You don’t even know me.”

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“Trevor was not a monster. And you’re protecting them, so you’re the monster.” “What happened to the two of you?” Fen asked Rick, changing track. “What?” Rick asked, confused. He’d also let up the pressure from the rifle on Jason’s head. “What happened to the both of you, to damage you so much?” Fen knew he’d hit a nerve, as Rick’s emotions began fluctuating wildly. He was nearly where Fen needed him. “Was it abuse?” Fen asked, trying to translate Rick’s emotions into words. “Yes, I think it was. But who abused you? Was it someone abusing you both, or was Trevor born a monster, and you were his first victim?” Under normal circumstances, Fen would never treat such subjects as a weapon to be used against another. These circumstances were far from normal however, and Fen was willing to do what he had to in order to get River, Jason and Rick out of this alive, despite Rick’s worst intentions. “You know nothing about me, stop talking like you know me!” Rick shouted, finally raising the gun from the back of Jason’s head to point it at Fen. Meanwhile, Rick’s emotions hit crisis point, and Fen had Rick right where he wanted him. But so did Leo. At the same second, both Fen and Leo attacked–Leo physically, and Fen emotionally. Swooping in from behind, Leo grabbed Rick in bear hug that immobilized his arms, and caused him to drop the rifle. It fell right next to Jason’s hand, but the young man didn’t even bother to push it away. Instead, River ran forward to grab it. Rick, however, wasn’t even struggling in Leo’s grasp. Instead, he was staring forward, his eyes gone glassy. River noticed that Jason, lying still on the carpet,

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was immobilized with the same expression. Fearing something had happened to him that she hadn’t seen, River dropped to her knees. Her brother didn’t respond when she shook him, but he was definitely breathing, and his pulse was thundering in his neck when she felt for it. Both Leo and River started when Jason and Rick cried out simultaneously, a howl of torment so scared and broken that it came from their souls. Leo looked at Fen, alarmed, but the blond man was unmoving–his hands raised as if he were holding something they couldn’t see together. For that’s exactly what Fen was doing. Using the strength of Jason’s fear to plunge into the young man’s memories, Fen had looked for what he knew had to be there. An event as traumatic as seeing his sister nearly murdered, and his having killed a man, must have left the kind of trauma that an empath like Fen could use in a situation like this. And Fen had found exactly what he’d been looking for–a moment of time, imprinted like a strip of film, in Jason’s emotional core. Using Jason’s own emotions as a conduit, Fen fed that memory to Rick. That’s why the selkie had needed Rick emotionally volatile. Volatility inevitably meant vulnerability, and Rick’s fresh anger had opened the boy up to Jason’s memories. Unfortunately, Fen had to see what Rick did, as well… Moving in a body bigger than his own, both taller, and clumsier, but tightly controlled because we know we break things or hurt things if we let ourselves go… We catch a glimpse of our self in the windows of the shop next to our sister’s, and we smile. We’ve worn our hat, and River will be happy, because she worries about us getting cold. But River’s front room is dark, and the door is locked, and that’s not right. She leaves it open, this is Eastport and no one comes in and why is it locked? Fumbling for a key we never use, figuring out which one it is, as keys are fun to collect and what if we

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throw one away and it’s important? This is the one, door is unlocked, that’s when we hear noises. Shop front is dark and back door to storage room is open only a crack but that door is really never shut why would River shut it? And what’s that sound, like a dog that’s been hit by a car like we heard that one time when the neighbor’s dog ran into the street, and another sound, someone moaning. Jason’s more than old enough to know those moans, and know that sound and their father had explained what all of that meant and that it was natural for boys in private, just not to be done in public, so why would that sound be in River’s back room? Moving over the ground on carefully silent feet not knowing if we should be there, not knowing if we’d get in trouble, and looking through the crack in the door and seeing our sister, on the ground, naked and bleeding, with staring eyes, like the dog that had been hit, and that dog had died… But there’s no car, only Trevor, Trevor with a knife and a lighter and a baseball bat dropped by his feet, his hands moving in front of him so we can’t see but we know what he’s doing. Before we can even react, before we can even really see what’s there, in front of us, he’s finishing and something’s splashing on River. Then Trevor’s sitting on River, his hands are around her throat. River’s eyes flick to ours and she mouths, “help me” but then there’s a bubble of blood coming out of her mouth and Trevor is gripping tight and shaking her. That’s when we step forward and our hands are on his head and we’re twisting because she’s so hurt and he’s in the way and he’s going to kill our sister… Rick goes slack in Leo’s grip at the same time that Jason’s eyes close and Fen slumps to his knees. River’s at his side in a flash, catching him before he can fall all the way to the ground. Leo, meanwhile, is checking Rick’s vitals, then Jason’s, then Fen’s. “They’re fine, they just passed out,” Leo says. “What the hell is going on, River?” 154

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“I honestly don’t know,” River says. “But Fen isn’t…he’s got, um, special powers. He’s very, er, special…” “How? Who is he?” Then Leo remembered that black-eyed figure wearing the blond surfer-like a mask and he shivers. “What is he?” River’s eyes snap from Fen’s face to Leo’s, and her voice is sharp when she speaks to the paramedic. “He’s something amazing, something good, and don’t ever forget that.” Before she can say more, Rick groans then heaves himself onto his back. Leo scrambles back over, ready to jump on the boy. But there’s no need. Rick’s just laying there, fat tears dripping down his cheeks. “Uh, Rick?” Leo asks. Rick’s gaze moves to Leo, but there’s no recognition, there. “What he did to her,” Rick says. “He really did do that to her. He was going to kill her.” Finally, Rick actually sees Leo. “He was going to kill her,” Rick repeats. “He did kill her,” Leo says. “I’m the one who brought her back.” To his astonishment, Rick grasps at Leo’s hand, takes it and squeezes. “Thank you. Thank you for not letting her die…” Leo looks around to see Jason watching Rick with clear eyes that are empty and pure, like they were before the attack and haven’t been since. River’s helping Fen sit up, the selkie staring at Rick intently. Then Fen smiles, just as the front door is kicked in by Tyrone. Sheriff White will tell the story of the criminal who held out his wrists to her, begging her to arrest him and apologizing profusely, for many years to come.

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“I’d feel more comfortable if we kept him in for the night, just to be sure,” Jason’s doctor told River. Turns out that Rick had gotten Jason on the ground by sneaking up on him, then cracked him in the back of the head with the rifle butt. Her brother had a concussion, and as much as River hated the idea of leaving him in the hospital, she also didn’t want to take any chances. “If you think that’s for the best,” River replied. “But can we see him now?” “Of course. He’s in good spirits, and has been asking for you. Just don’t let him get too excited.” River nodded, and she headed in the room with Fen and Leo. Jason beamed at her from where he lay in bed. They hung back, though, till the nurse stopped fussing and took her leave, patting Jason on the arm as she did so and telling him to call if he needed anything. “River!” Jason hollered, way too loud for the small room. “I get pudding!” When River had been in the hospital for so long, Jason had taken a bizarre but nearly obsessive love of the hospital pudding she was served every night. Even now, Leo sometimes snuck him some out of the kitchens if the paramedic had free time at the hospital between delivering patients. “Shhh,” River warned, but laughed as she did so. “I’m glad you get pudding, but don’t forget you’re in a hospital.” “You’re right, I’m sorry. But pudding!”

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“Yes, pudding.” And then River did what she’d been itching to do for the past hour and leaned over Jason’s bed to give him a fierce hug. “Hey, sis, I’m all right,” he said, patting her awkwardly on the back. “Nothing was going to happen. You were there, you wouldn’t let it.” River felt tears well up in her eyes. She had no doubt that Rick was completely serious about the intentions Fen had sussed out of the boy–to kill Jason, then her and then suicide by cop. The fact that Jason thought he’d been safe that whole time was laughable. “Oh God, Jason,” she said, letting him go and then sitting on the edge of the bed. “I wish I could believe that. But if Fen and Leo hadn’t been there…” Jason looked over at the two men, who’d been hanging back to give River and her brother space. “They’re our friends,” Jason told River, and she realized that’s how he saw the whole situation. To Jason, it was obvious that Fen and Leo had saved them, just as she imagined it was obvious he’d saved her from Trevor. It’s what people did when they loved someone—they saved them. “But thanks anyway, guys. You rocked. Fen, that was so cool. How did you do that?” Jason asked, eyeing the selkie avidly as Leo turned to Fen as well. “Yes, Fen. Exactly what did you do?” the paramedic asked. Since Sheriff White had shown up, they’d been surrounded by others at all times, and this was the first chance Leo had to ask the questions burning in the back of his mind. Silence fell on the room as Leo stared at Fen, then River, then Jason. River and Fen avoided his gaze, obviously trying to figure out what to say. Only Jason seemed at ease, grinning openly at each person in turn. “Geez, guys, it’s not that complicated,” he said, obviously growing tired of the uncomfortable silence.

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“Fen’s magic, Leo. And it’s so cool. He can turn into a seal and he lives in the ocean and he can like feel what you feel but he doesn’t pry, it’s not weird or anything and…” Leo held up his hand, silencing Jason. “What,” the paramedic asked Fen, sounding angry, “have you been telling them?” River sighed. “He’s not been telling us lies, Leo. Think about it. Was anything that happened today normal?” “No, but things usually aren’t normal when there’s a neighbor trying to kill us. That doesn’t mean there was magic…” Fen stayed quiet, letting River and Jason talk for him. “What about knowing Rick was with Jason? And making Rick collapse like that?” River asked. “That could have been anything…I mean, how could it be magic. Magic doesn’t exist…right?” This time, when Leo looked at Fen, his gaze was inquisitive, not accusatory. “All kinds of magic exist,” the selkie told the paramedic, “including me.” And with that, Fen dropped his glamour. Leo stared at the obviously inhuman form before him, his eyes wide and his fists clenched. But he reacted with neither fear nor anger when he finally did speak. “I’ve seen you,” Leo whispered. “I’ve seen you…” His voice held only wonder. Seeing Leo accept what, for a lot of people, would have been unacceptable made River love him even more.

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“I thought I was crazy, but there were times it was like you were wearing a blond man like a mask. Which is creepy. So what are you, really?” “I’m a selkie, a…” “Seal shape-shifter,” Leo said, joy now lacing his words, along with wonder. “That’s why River was asking about selkies. And you’ve got…other powers?” “My people are empathic. We can sense the emotions of others, and transmit our own. We can also broadcast the emotions we feel from one person, to another.” “Wow. That’s some pretty powerful mojo.” “It can be,” Fen said, nodding at Leo’s words. “But it makes us vulnerable, in other ways. It is difficult, if not impossible, for our kind to lie, although we still sometimes suffer the kinds of mental illnesses that skew our versions of truth. And it is difficult to go through a long life, feeling so much.” River had never thought about that–about how much Fen must suffer, feeling others’ pain. She’d never really stopped to think why the selkie had shown up to help her, but it made more sense now. She wondered how many other mortals he’d helped, and whether his methods were always so…hands on. She was surprised to find herself a little turned on by the thought. Then she smiled when Fen glanced over at her, undoubtedly feeling her little twinge of lust. He does bring it out in me, she mused. And while she wasn’t entirely sure what “it” was, she was more than willing to indulge. “So what did you do to Rick, exactly?” Leo asked. “I’m one of the more powerful empaths of my people, and there are times when really traumatic events create a bond between the emotions felt at the time, and the memories of what happened. I figured what happened to River and Jason with Trevor had to be traumatic enough to create such a memory. And it

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was. So I broke Rick down to the point where he was as far gone in his anger and pain as he could be, then I piggybacked Jason’s memories of finding River into Rick’s mind, through Jason’s own amped up emotions.” “Wow,” Leo said. “I’m not sure I get that, totally, but wow.” “Basically, I made Rick see what Jason saw, and feel what he felt, when he saw Trevor trying to kill his sister.” “Holy shit.” “Yes. It was effective.” “So what’s going to happen to Rick?” “I should ask you that. I’m not entirely familiar with human justice, in this century.” Fen frowned as he spoke, making River realize that the selkie was actually worried about the boy. “Don’t worry,” she told Fen. “This century is pretty understanding of things like trauma, and we’ll help Rick avoid prison and get the help he needs, if he’s willing to get it.” “And what do you mean ‘this century’?” demanded Jason, excitedly. “How old are you, Fen?” All eyes were on the selkie as he smiled. “Old. But not a dinosaur.” Then Fen shook himself all over, like a dog shaking off water, and suddenly he was back to blond, and clothed and blue-eyed. “Now, Leo. How about a cup of coffee? I think River and Jason need to talk.” “’Kay, bye guys! I’ll see you tomorrow! I’m going to get pudding!” Both Leo and Fen laughed. Then they each stepped forward, Fen to hug Jason and Leo to engage him in a complicated handshake that ended in a series of high fives. Jason loved every second, and when they were done, Leo also gave him a hug.

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“Bye, bro. See you tomorrow. We’ll take care of River till you’re up and about.” “I know you will,” Jason said, and for once it wasn’t only Fen’s eyes that glowed with a wisdom no one would have expected. Leo and Fen left, closing the door behind them. River turned to Jason. “What’s up?” she asked, cutting to the chase. “I just wanna see how you are, and let you see how I am,” Jason said. For once, he spoke slowly and carefully, as if he wanted to get every word right. “I’m fine. You were the one who was attacked…” “But I’m fine too,” Jason interrupted. “I’m really fine. I think this is all over now.” “I hope so.” Jason shook his head. “I felt him, Riv. We were connected, and I felt what he felt, just like he felt me. I know what Trevor did for him, growing up. They have a bad father…” Jason’s words trailed off, and he was visibly trying to keep it together. River laid a hand on his, where it lay on the bed. “They had a bad father,” Jason said, when he was ready. “But Trevor made sure that Rick never got hurt. He took all the pain on himself, and he took all that hurt on himself, for lots of years. It ended though, and they were growing up and Rick thought it was over. But they both ended up not right. And I think Rick knew that, but he couldn’t admit it, ’cuz I guess that would make it all real…” River sighed, not knowing if she wanted to hear this. She felt like she’d just been able to really blame Trevor, rather than herself, and here she was discovering her attacker was also a victim. Jason looked up at her with his piercing brown gaze, and she wondered if he hadn’t been left with a little of Fen’s leftover empathy still scooting around in his brain.

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“That doesn’t make what Trevor did better,” her brother warned her. “Don’t think that. That’s what Rick saw, what I felt him see. He saw his brother wasn’t right no more.” “Any more,” River corrected reflexively, her mind trying to process everything she was hearing. “So Rick gets it, River. He knows Trevor was something I can’t say ’cuz I can’t swear. But he knows. And he knows I only was saving you, ’cuz I love you and I was so scared…” Something hot and wet dripped down River’s cheeks, and she realized she was crying. But she kept her gaze leveled on Jason’s. “You did the right thing,” she told him. “You did the right thing.” Jason held out his arms, and then enveloped her in a bear hug when she leaned into him. “You never said that before,” he whispered, his own voice thick with tears. “I’m so sorry, Jason. You saved my life. Thank you so much.” Jason big hand patted her back, his signal he accepted her gratitude. “I just couldn’t tell you,” she said, sitting up and wiping her eyes. She really wanted him to understand her reasons, stupid as they were, for doing what she did. “I felt like it was all my fault, and that I’d been so stupid, and I couldn’t thank you for something that ruined your life.” Jason snorted. “Riv, you’re so smart but so dumb sometimes. My life wasn’t ruined. It’s just like it was, but I still have you.” “But the town, everyone thinks you’re dangerous…” Jason rolled his eyes. “The only people who think bad things about me are the people who always did. Only instead of thinking I’m just some big retard,

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they think I’m a big strangler-retard. But the people who had got to know me for real, they thought I was the same person.” Despite herself, River giggled at her brother’s appraisal of their fellow Eastporters. “I think you’re smarter than the rest of us, Jason,” she told him, going in for another hug. “I do too, sometimes,” he said. “But I’m not. I need help with a lot of stuff. But I can do a lot of things on my own, sis. And you can’t not live ’cuz of me.” “What?” River said, her body gone stiff in the circle of his arms. “You keep not living, ’cuz of me. But that just makes me feel bad.” River sat up. “What do you mean?” “Like you don’t let anybody near us, ’cuz you think everyone’s bad for me. But they’re not bad for me. And I’m happier when you’re happier.” “What about Trevor?” she whispered, looking down at her own knees. “Everybody liked Trevor. Trevor was like even more popular than me, till he went nuts and tried to kill you. “So here’s what’s going to happen,” Jason said, knowing he’d finally made his sister hear him. “We’re going to have a lot more friends. You’re going to have a lot more friends. Eastport is going to be our home, not just where we live. And you’re going to date Leo, ’kay?” River blushed. “Jason!” “Ohmigod, River, Leo really likes you and you guys should date. Fen has to go back to the ocean, anyway, and he wants you to date Leo too. And you can probably date both at the same time, and they won’t care, just don’t tell Mrs. Fontanelli, because she would totally freak out. Well don’t tell anyone that, around here actually, and I won’t either.”

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River cleared her throat, knowing she was blushing like crazy. “Okay, yeah, I’m not talking about this anymore with you. And definitely not Mrs. Fontanelli,” she added, just imagining Jason’s very sweet, very Christian and very conservative day care teacher, being told that River was dating two men at the same time. “’Kay. But I’m right, and you know it,” Jason said. River nodded. He was right. She needed to start living her own life, and leave her brother free to live his.

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Chapter Twenty

For the first time in a really long time, River felt safe. Walking into the bar, she’d known Rick wouldn’t be there. Then taking a seat with Leo and Fen at a high corner table with three stools, one that had waitress service, she knew she didn’t have to worry about Rick walking in. She also knew she could eat her whole meal without worrying about someone vandalizing her property, or making her life difficult. And she knew that pretty soon, all of Eastport would know what Rick had done. The people who still wondered what had really happened that night Trevor died would know the truth. But would they know all of the truth? “Penny for your thoughts, lass?” Fen asked, handing River a menu. “I’m thinking about Rick.” Leo groaned. “No more Rick! You don’t have worry about him anymore.” River shook her head. “I’m not worried about him, I’m worried for him. We have to help him.” Leo looked at her like she might be smoking the rock, but Fen appeared unsurprised. “When you guys left the room, one of the things that Jason told me was he saw or felt some of Rick’s memories, just like Rick was seeing his. And he felt what Trevor and Rick’s dad did to them. Well, what their dad did to Trevor, and would have done to Rick if Trevor hadn’t kept him distracted.”

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“Fuck. Are you serious?” Leo was obviously as disturbed as River at this news. “Yes. So Trevor was a monster.” River pronounced these words carefully, as if she’d just learned to pronounce them. “But he was made into one, and by the same person who nearly did the same thing to Rick. Their dad nearly ruined both those boys. It’s not fair that Rick suffers, that Trevor died, when their dad’s going to go free.” “You’re right,” Leo said. “Sorry I reacted that way.” “Don’t be. I’ve only been sensible about any of this for about the last twenty minutes.” Leo couldn’t help but laugh, admiring both River’s sense of humor and the level way she admitted to having been wrong. Not that Leo blamed her. In fact, Leo had seen enough trauma to understand how well River was recovering from the type of event that might have ruined someone else. Casting a look toward the selkie quietly pretending to read his menu in order to give Leo and River a sense of privacy, the paramedic wondered how much of this mental and emotional wellness was because of Fen. Leo began to realize how much he owed his magical new friend, although he had no idea how he’d ever repay any of it. What do selkies like? he wondered. Sardines? A ball to balance on his nose? Fen glanced up at Leo, cocking his eyebrow at the other man. Leo found himself blushing, and he hurriedly turned back to River. “Well what’s the plan for Rick?” Leo asked. River shrugged. “I’ll talk to him,” Fen said. “Encourage him to talk to the police. The fact is, Sheriff White has to be wondering what went wrong with those two.” “But their dad is so rich, so powerful.”

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“And he’s also lost one son, and nearly lost another. As did their mother. She has to know something, whether or not she was ever willing to admit it to herself. But I think you’ll discover that even the most abusive parent doesn’t want to think he’s actually, irrevocably hurt his child. They do what they do by convincing themselves it’s not that bad, or it’s a form of love or that it’s not hurting anyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if the father admits to what happened, upon being confronted. Or that the mother tells what she knows.” “But what if they don’t? They didn’t fess up after Trevor.” This time it was Leo who spoke. “Yeah, but look how they went after Jason. It was crazy. But it makes sense that they did so, if what Fen is saying is true. They went after Jason so they could blame him, blame you, rather than blame themselves.” River shivered, wondering how people could blame everything else but themselves, knowing they’d done such wrong. “And have no fear,” Fen said. “I can be sure I’m around, to have my own talk with Rick’s father if need be.” For a second Fen’s eyes flashed his real, immortal dark gaze, before flashing back to a benign blue. “But I don’t think it’ll come to that. Your Sheriff White seems a very capable woman.” “That she is,” Leo said, laughing. “And she’s got an incredible right hook. I know, ’cuz I’ve patched up more than a few perps who mistakenly thought she was ‘just a girl’…” Leo continued with his stories, making them all laugh. They ordered food, and beer and they had a great time. River had forgotten what it felt like not to feel hunted, or haunted, and it felt good.

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It also felt good to be with Leo, and with Fen. The selkie had become incredibly important to her, and she cherished his presence in her life. Paradoxically, however, her affection for and closeness to Fen somehow only exacerbated her feelings of closeness to Leo. For while she knew Fen would leave, she knew her life would continue without him. She’d miss him yes, and she hoped he’d visit. I’ll look forward to his visits, on a number of levels, she thought, heat rising in her cheeks. But at the thought of living without Leo, her heart swam in her chest, as if cast adrift. Without really thinking what she was doing, she reached out her fingers and touched his tattooed forearm where it lay on the table. He broke off what he was saying mid-sentence, looking down at her hand in shock. When he looked back up at her face, his expression was as concerned, as gentle, and as loving as it always was. “River?” he asked, clearly holding back from saying anything more. She’d held him at arm’s length for so long, she realized he must have no idea where he stood with her. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.” Then she leaned forward and did what she’d wanted to do for so very long, placing a small hand on Leo’s jaw in open invitation. It’s all the encouragement the man needed–he leaned forward too, and met her lips with his own. The kiss was a tiny thing really, especially considering that the first time their lips had met, Leo had given River back her life. And yet River felt this kiss was no less potent, no less life-affirming. It told her Leo desired her as much as she did him, and whispered a sensual promise

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that she felt in the points of her nipples, in the pit of her stomach and deep in her cunt. Her legs trembled as she pushed away and hopped down from her stool. “Um, bathroom,” she murmured, running away with very little dignity. Fen watched her go, shaking his head with a combination of pride in her first, baby step towards Leo, and acknowledgement that he still had a lot of work to do. Leo meanwhile was staring like he’d just been poleaxed. “You okay?” Fen eventually asked him. “Um, yeah. I think. What just happened?” “Our River was just trying to tell you she likes you. She’s not had a lot of practice.” “Um, er…” “Listen. I have a proposition. How open-minded are you, exactly?” It was Leo’s turn to arch an eyebrow at Fen, while he tried to think how to answer that question. Finally, Leo gave up and just thought his answer. Upon the waves of Leo’s desire and love for River, Fen got the barest taste of just how open Leo really was. Fen smiled. River didn’t stand a chance.

Dinner had been fabulous, and River was feeling a pleasant two-beer buzz as she walked into the house with Fen and Leo. She decided to ignore the signs of today’s drama that still littered the front room and moved into the kitchen.

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“Beer? Soda? Water?” she asked her guests. Both men cadged one last beer, but River only poured herself a small glass of water, which she promptly drained. “I know this doesn’t make me a very good hostess, but do you guys mind if I go take a shower?” Fen carefully kept his emotions dampened, so she couldn’t sense his excitement. A shower was the perfect distraction; the perfect way to get River out of the way so he and Leo could put their plan into effect. “Not at all,” Leo said, his voice carefully neutral. “Thanks. Hospitals squick me out still.” “No problem. Take your time.” River went upstairs to her attic bedroom with its en suite. She could have sworn the two men were planning something, but what? Involuntarily she shivered, but it was a shiver of anticipation. Various fantasies skittered through her head, some her own and some created by Fen’s whispers in her ears while they made love. But she reminded herself that while Fen might not have any human hang ups regarding sex, Fen wasn’t Leo. It was one thing to fantasize about someone, another thing entirely for that person to indulge, or even accept, those fantasies. Leo had never seemed very conservative to her, but the scenes she’d played out with Fen had been pretty extreme. She also figured that the fact Leo really did care for her might be a bad thing, where her fantasies were concerned. So many men compartmentalized their sex lives into stuff they expected to do with beloved partners, and stuff they could only do with strangers they didn’t have to respect. River had never understood that need to compartmentalize, and she actually thought it was pretty dangerous to try to live one’s life one way, while fantasizing about other lives. But still, River knew it happened all the time.

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“And you don’t even know what you’d do with him if you had him,” River said to herself, as she stripped off her dirty clothes in front of her mirror. She didn’t mean sexually, of course. Leo was a banquet upon which she’d feast, if she ever got him in the sack. But she knew she’d want so much more from him, especially once she’d tasted him. And after so many years alone, so many years telling herself that letting anyone in was dangerous to her and Jason’s fragile independence, knowing she wanted someone was a lot different than knowing how to keep someone. River sighed heavily as she made her way into her attached bathroom. She brushed her teeth as she let the shower warm up, stepping in with a grateful little groan once it was the perfect temperature. Aware her guests were downstairs waiting for her, River had meant to hurry. But the hot water felt too good on her body, which had gone through quite a bit of stress that day. So instead of grabbing her shampoo as she’d intended, she paused for a few moments to let the hot water run down her back and soothe her. Then the bathroom door opened. “Fen!” she gasped, peering at him through her glass shower door. The selkie was naked, although he held something in his hand that he hung from the hook on the back of her bathroom door as he closed it. “River,” Fen said, smiling at her sensually. Then he was sliding open her shower door and stepping in. “Where’s Leo?” she asked, hoping he hadn’t gone home but also praying he wasn’t downstairs, having to endure her naked in the shower with Fen while he twiddled his thumbs. Surely Fen wouldn’t be so insensitive? “He’s fine,” Fen said. “I just thought you might need some help…” Fen grinned wickedly as he reached for River’s shampoo, pouring a little into his hand.

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“But he can’t just sit there…” “Don’t worry about Leo,” Fen commanded, a smug little smile on his face. “Now turn around.” River did as Fen asked, figuring the sooner they got back downstairs the better. But Fen took his time shampooing her hair, massaging her scalp in a way that relaxed River utterly even as she wanted to hurry. So she cut the massage short by leaning forward under the water as Fen tutted. “Why the rush?” he asked, reaching for her conditioner. “Leo’s waiting, Fen. This is…it’s rude.” “Don’t worry about Leo, lass. He’s not going anywhere, believe me. He’d wait for you till the end of days if he had to.” River frowned. “That’s not true.” “You know it is,” Fen replied. He twirled his finger to indicate he wanted her to turn around, which she did. Then she felt his hands again in her hair, smoothing through the conditioner. “Leo loves you. And you love him.” Fen’s voice was sure, brooking no argument. “I don’t…er, I can’t…I mean…” Fen chuckled, tugging gently at her hair in approbation. “Don’t deny it, lass. I’m an empath, you can’t lie to me about what you feel.” River went silent, sifting through her own emotions as Fen finished conditioning her hair. Then he reached for the bar of soap in its stand, to run it over her shoulders, then down her arms. River stayed quiet as Fen washed her back, her ripe bottom, then down the backs of her legs. Hands on her shoulders turned her around, and then he did the same thing to her front. Her nipples

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pearled at the touch of the soap, her eyes watching his slow movements with sensual detachment. After he crouched to clean River’s feet, he stood up, rubbing the soap vigorously between his hands till he’d worked up a thick lather. Then he reached between her legs. His fingers were gentle but insistent as he cleaned her most intimate places, causing her to gasp. She also marveled at the turn of events that found her contemplating her love for one man, who sat downstairs, while another man she also cared for stroked her cunt upstairs. When Fen was finished, he carefully washed the soap away, cleaning her thoroughly. “Out, lass, time to dry off.” River did as he said, standing like a child while he toweled off her hair, then her body. The selkie admired her while he dried himself off. Her skin was deliciously pink after her shower–her curly hair falling in slick waves down her shoulders. When they were both dry, Fen reached for his surprise–her black silk scarf he’d brought with him and hung on the back of her door. He held it up grinning wickedly. River’s eyes widened. Before he could speak, she knew what he was going to say. “Do you trust me, lass?”

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Chapter Twenty-One

The blindfold was cool against River’s eyelids, the silk a heavy weight reminding her of both her vulnerability and her trust in Fen, all at the same time. It turned her on, and she marveled at how far she’d come, and how fast. Fen kept his big body against hers, guiding her out of her bathroom in a way that made her feel completely secure. The shuffle forward was still awkward, although she couldn’t help but enjoy the press of him against her. Already hard, his cock rubbed deliciously against the small of her back. “A little more.” Fen pushed her gently forward as he murmured in her ear, stealing a little suckle at the plump lobe dangling seductively in front of him. She gave a little whimper as his lips closed over her sensitive flesh, shimmying a little against him. He grunted into her ear. “What’s going on?” River whispered, wondering why she was blindfolded, and what was waiting for her in her bedroom. She had some idea of course, but she didn’t understand why now; why like this. “It’s your last lesson, sweet girl. You’ve done so well already, but there’s still one last thing I want to show you.” “What?” River’s voice was tremulous still, but also throaty with lust. “It’s a lesson about trust, and about vulnerability. And about how these things can be their own reward.” River felt something soft but firm brush up against her knee—her mattress. They were at the side of her bed. Fen’s hands found the back of her knee, then,

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caressing her as he encouraged her upwards to kneel upon the bed. But the selkie stayed behind her, his hands moving up to rest on her elbows. “You’ve done so good this week—taking risks, trusting me. And you’ve come so far. But I’m safe, aren’t I, River?” River quivered, and Fen could smell her lust blooming in the small room. It was too much of a temptation. The fingers of his left hand reached up to caress her breast, pinching her nipple gently, as his right slipped between her legs. She was already soaked, and he dragged his index finger through her wetness, enjoying her sighs of pleasure. His lips found her neck, and then his teeth bit gently as his finger swirled over her clit. She shuddered, always so sensitive. “You know that as much as I care for you, that this isn’t my home. So your putting faith in me is easier for you. I present no risk to the orderly world you’ve built around yourself. But I think that world is as much a cage as anything else.” River’s emotions tumbled around Fen’s words, but not nearly as much as they might once have done. She knew he spoke the truth, even if she didn’t necessarily know what to do to fix the situation. “So now you’ve got to take another risk, River. A bigger risk. A real risk.” Fen’s finger left River’s clit; his other hand left her breast. They found her elbows again, running down her forearms to her wrists. He moved her arms forward and suddenly she was touching warm skin, traced by crinkly hair. River took a sharp intake of breath, knowing that whoever that flesh belonged to, it was neither hers nor Fen’s. Meanwhile, the selkie guided her hands–drawing them gently down the long expanse of flesh to what had to be the top of a foot. He then raised her hands again, leading her fingertips further out, to what must have been another leg. Again warm skin traced by hair greeted her fingers.

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But this time Fen dragged her hands upwards, over the hard expanse of a calf, over a knee, to what had to be a thigh. River heard the owner of the thigh give a low, breathy moan. Leo, River knew, although her imagination was still running rampant. Is he watching her? Why is he just lying there? Why the blindfold? “Here you are, in my arms.” Fen pushed gently on River’s hip, causing her to scoot over, higher up Leo’s body. The selkie led her hands to Leo’s closest arm, the right one, so that she could stroke down the muscular biceps, the strong forearms. “But now you have to touch someone else. Let someone else in. Someone who isn’t as safe as I am.” Fen drew her hands down another arm, and River’s imagination savored the touch as much as her fingers did. She could picture those perfect tattoos climbing around Leo’s strong arms, and she knew they were under her hands now, where she’d always wanted them. “This is someone who can be with you, River. Who can share your life. But you have to be willing to share.” Fen moved River’s hands together and forward, so she could brush down Leo’s muscular chest. Her fingers caressed the hard mounds of Leo’s pectorals, then down the six-pack of his abs. River tensed, unsure how far Fen would take her hands, but he stopped short of Leo’s groin. Instead Fen brought her hands back up Leo’s sides, and this time the paramedic’s low moan echoed in River’s ears as her fingertips traced ever so lightly down his ribs. “So this is your final lesson, sweet girl.” Fen’s voice was lust-rough in her ear. “It builds on everything we’ve worked on–on trust, and vulnerability and on taking risks in order to reap rewards.”

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Fen moved River’s hands back down Leo’s ribs, and then brought them together, over the crinkly hair at Leo’s belly. “But your new lesson for today, your most important lesson, is about sharing. How do you feel about sharing, River?” Fen guided River’s left hand back to his own aching cock, sighing as she wrapped her soft palm around him. Her right hand he guided to Leo, already erect and waiting for her. She touched Leo’s cock hesitantly, as if afraid he would protest. Instead Leo’s hips bucked, pushing into her hand as he moaned. “River?” Fen prompted, not letting her off the hook. “I think I’m going to like sharing,” River said, her voice throaty. Her hand on Fen’s cock never ceased its sensual pumping. “Good,” Fen said, loving the sight of River blindfolded, a hard cock in each hand, her lips parted with desire. “But the sharing is two-fold. You’re sharing yourself, which is wonderful. But you’ve got to let other people share with you too. You can’t just give, River. Sometimes you’re allowed to take as well.” And with that, Fen gently removed the silk scarf from over River’s eyes. River blinked in the soft light cast by her small table lamp. It was the only light in the room, but it was enough to momentarily blind her. Quickly, however, her eyes adjusted, and she gasped at the sight in front of her. It was, as she knew, Leo lying before her. But he too was blindfolded, with another of her scarves–this one gauzy and purple. But folded as it was, River had no doubt that Leo would be as blind as she had been. That wasn’t the end of it however. Leo was also strapped to the brass columns of her headboard. She recognized his belt wrapped around one wrist,

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and the other was her own, discarded on her bedroom floor with her jeans when she’d gone to take a shower. “Oh my goodness,” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight of Leo’s powerful body spread out before her, for her to enjoy as she would. “What do you think, River?” Fen asked, running his hands down the girl’s back, and then up her front to cup her breasts. His fingers found her nipples and he pinched lightly, pushing his hips forward in a gentle reminder for her to keep stroking. “He’s so beautiful,” River said, her hand moving on Fen’s cock again. But her hand on Leo’s erect flesh was still, as if she wasn’t sure whether she was allowed, now that her being able to see had changed the game. “He is. And he wants you. Enough to let you see him like this; to take him like this. What do you feel towards him, right now?” Fen felt River’s answer before she could articulate it–a rush of desire so heady it made the selkie almost lose control over his own passion. He had to stop her hand on his cock until he was able to wrestle his lust away from hers and regain possession of himself. “I want him,” River said finding words for her deep-seated need. “What do you want him for?” Fen asked. “I want to touch him. To kiss him. I want to use my mouth on him. I want to make him come…” “So you want to do what, River? What do you want to do to him exactly?” “I want to love him,” she whispered. “I want to make him feel good.” Fen smiled, leaning down to kiss River’s shoulder.

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“Yes, sweet girl. That’s the reward we get when people make themselves vulnerable to us. We get to enjoy them; to love them. We would never want to hurt them, or abuse them or take from them.” Fen paused. Unspoken, but there nonetheless, was the fact that what Trevor had done to her was abnormal. He’d wanted the opposite of everything she wanted right now, upon seeing Leo so vulnerable and willing to give of himself. Trevor was a pervert in the true sense of the word—not because he was kinky, but because he wanted to take the bonds we all needed to love and understand each other, and he wanted to twist them into something painful, something destructive. Trevor had wanted to use trust to turn it into deception; he’d wanted to use love to turn into pain and fear. The problem wasn’t with ideals such as love, or trust or vulnerability, no matter how impossible they might seem in the real world. The problem had been Trevor himself. He was sick, River realized. And I can’t let his view of the world win. I can’t let him take over my life. Because she nearly had. She’d nearly let Trevor take all her natural instincts of distrust and insularity and morph them into something extreme, something that would have kept her from all other people except Jason, until she’d built a fort around her brother and herself that no one else could ever penetrate. “I just want to love him,” River said, finishing Fen’s lecture for him. The selkie couldn’t have been happier. “Exactly, lass. You just want to love him. To reward him for his trust.” River’s hand gone still on Leo’s cock, started moving again. She explored his thick, hard length with gentle fingers. And still she couldn’t take her eyes off him, feasting on the sight of him.

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Fen let go of River’s breasts and took a step back, so that her hand fell away from his own aching cock. Then the selkie swatted her very gently on her plump buttock. “Well what are you waiting for, River?” Fen asked. “Leo deserves his reward.” River finally did manage to look away from Leo, her eyes dark with lust. Fen cocked an eyebrow at her and she smiled. Leo was being a very good boy, after all.

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Chapter Twenty-Two

What River wasn’t sure about when it came to threesomes, was the logistics. She’d fantasized about them before, and she’d seen enough porn to know how they could work. But the difference between watching people who were actually choreographed and reality were markedly different. Especially since, while Fen’s body and his pleasures were completely known to her, Leo was a mystery. But Fen made things easy by backing off. The selkie moved away from where River knelt beside Leo, towards the armchair that stood in the corner of her room, next to her nightstand. Fen sat, watching with avid eyes. She knew he’d be there, seeing everything she did to Leo, imagining she were doing it with him, and enjoying every second. The thought turned her on immensely. So knowing she had an audience consisting of one man who could only feel her, and one man who could only see her, River acted accordingly. Keeping her eyes locked on Fen’s, she moved so that she knelt between Leo’s knees. The paramedic moved his legs apart obligingly, but she still noticed how tense he was, either through nervousness, anticipation or both. The first thing she did was lean forward slightly to run her nails all the way from his shoulders, down his chest and belly, then down his thighs, trailing her nails back over his calves. Leo’s cock throbbed incredibly hard as she did so, her eyes latched first on his sex, and then roving upwards towards his mouth.

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A kiss, she thought. I want a kiss. And so she leaned forward, planting small hands on either side of his muscular shoulders. Her full breasts crushed against his chest as she moved even closer, till her lips were mere centimeters from his own. “Can I kiss you, Leo?” she asked, because part of all of this was knowing that even if someone was vulnerable, they weren’t to be taken advantage of. She wanted to be sure Leo wanted her as much as she wanted him. But his response was immediate and heartfelt. “River,” was all he said, but with such a wealth of emotion riding that single word that the owner of that name nearly wept. So much emotion, in fact, River’s eyes flicked to Fen’s. The selkie must have had something to do with the fact she could feel Leo’s emotions. Which means he can feel mine, she realized, a second later. Before Fen, that thought might have scared River. To her affection was power, and she’d always been too scared to give any of her power away. But now after she got over that initial, reflexive reaction of fear, all River felt was anticipation. At the same time Leo felt River’s mouth close on his so gently, he felt the tide of her emotions washing over him. He recognized fear, yes, and trepidation…the awareness that they were embarking upon something huge. But alongside those worries there lapped at him River’s love, her ferocity of devotion and her keen desire. “River,” Leo repeated, moaning her name into her lips. Shivering at the yearning in his voice, River deepened her kiss, letting her tongue play against his. She also arched her back, so her soft belly made contact with his cock, her breasts crushed harder into his chest.

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Her lust was a tight knot of agony in her belly, and further below, her cunt pulsed wetly, begging for attention. River’s eyes flicked over, to where Fen watched her kiss Leo, the selkie’s big hand fisting his cock. She wondered when he’d join in. But for now she had this body before her. And it was one that, if she were honest, she’d wanted for so very long. With a gentle nip she detached her lips from Leo’s, only to begin to kiss her way down his body. She started with the area behind his ear, sucking on the soft lobe that dangled before her like a sweet. He bucked gently up at her at both actions, letting her know his enjoyment. But it was his neck he really enjoyed her kissing, and his hands fisted on their belt restraints told her that he liked her gentle bites even more. “More,” Leo sighed, as she moved further down his neck, finding the tempting dip of his clavicles with first tongue, then teeth. Only then did she move lower, moving her knees carefully as she glided down his body, hyperconscious of her own pleasure as her beaded nipples dragged over the crisp hairs of his belly. And speaking of nipples, she thought, as she dragged her tongue over one of Leo’s. “Yes,” was his response, coupled with soft groans as she swirled her tongue round his other nipple, then moved between the two. She loved how receptive he was, how open his enjoyment. For a second River was tempted to remove his blindfold so that she could see her lover’s eyes, but she decided against it. She liked him like this, at her mercy. Instead of reaching for the scarf covering his eyes, she moved lower on Leo’s body. Her breasts came into contact with the super-heated flesh of his engorged cock, and they both resonated with the contact. Teasingly, slowly, River made

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sure to fit his swollen dick between her plump flesh, stroking up and down, as she kissed first up his belly, then down, then up and down again. “River, please,” Leo moaned, his knuckles white where they grasped the leather of his bindings. “What, Leo?” River murmured, her eyes flitting between the sensual moue of her paramedic’s mouth and the sight of Fen, leaning forward in his chair so he didn’t miss a second, pumping his cock between his fingers. “God, you’re killing me,” he groaned. “I’m going to come…” “I want you to come,” was River’s response, as she moved a few inches lower on his body, just low enough that her tongue could lap at the salty drop of fluid at his tip. His groan was harsher this time–a man obviously at the end of his rope. “River…” She smiled. He didn’t deserve such torture. So instead of continuing to tease him, River moved lower, her small hands pushing apart his thighs, as she lapped gently at Leo’s balls. “Holy fuck,” was all he could say, unable to stop himself from pushing his hips up at her sweet little mouth. He’d wanted this woman for so ridiculously long–had loved her with an intensity that had been painful at times. To finally have her, devoting herself like this to him, was beyond his every fantasy. Even more fantastical however, was the fact he could feel how much she not only wanted him, but loved him. Her desire to please him, to pleasure him, was rooted in the sort of affection and trust he thought she’d never feel for him. Leo also realized he felt River’s emotions because of Fen, and he knew the selkie was still in the room with them. But that fact didn’t bother Leo. In fact, the thought of sharing River with Fen only turned him on, not least because Leo recognized the gifts the selkie had given the couple.

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First the selkie had helped River open her heart to Leo, then Fen had saved both River and her brother from Rick. All thoughts but River suddenly melted as her mouth moved from his balls, her tongue lapping in long strokes up the underside of his shaft, and then her hot mouth closed on his head. “Oh, God, yes,” Leo groaned. River took him as deeply as she could, then pulled back, dragging her lips along his flesh, only to bob again, and again, until Leo begged her for release. That’s when Fen couldn’t take anymore. The selkie made a noise, causing River to meet his gaze. His black eyes–for he’d dropped his glamour, coming to his humans in his own skin–were pleading, and River responded by letting up on her human lover’s cock just long enough to give her supernatural lover a sexy, come-hither smile. “Fen’s going to join us now, Leo,” she told him, wondering what he was seeing in his mind’s eye, behind his blindfold. “He’s walking behind the bed. He’s running his hand over my back, over my hips, over my ass…” A soft gasp told Leo that Fen was touching River intimately now. The paramedic’s own fingers itched to touch the woman, knowing she’d be so wet, so ready. Her tongue lapping at him again only partially distracted him, and then her words brought him right back where he’d been. “He’s fingering me now. Fuck, I’m so wet….” another throaty moan, then River was able to start talking again. “His fingers are inside of me, pumping…his thumb’s on my clit…but I want him to fuck me…”

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River took Leo back in her mouth, sucking him hard and fast, stroking up and down with tongue and lips and teeth. He knew she was trying to keep a rein on her own pleasure, till he was ready. “Oh god, Fen,” River moaned. “Fuck me. Fuck me and make me come…” Her mouth was again full, and it was Leo’s turn to moan, nearly orgasming at the fantasies of what he couldn’t see happening in that room raging through his mind. He could “see” River on her knees between his thighs, sucking him so ardently as the selkie worked her with his fingers. They both groaned in anticipation when the bed dipped as Fen joined them, kneeling behind River. “Is this what you want, lass?” Leo heard Fen ask. The girl moaned an affirmation around his cock, sending a humming sensation straight up Leo’s spine. Suddenly River was moaning even louder, the humming increasing. Her mouth watered along his cock, and Leo knew that Fen must have pushed his cock inside of her. The selkie, meanwhile, loved his own view. River’s dark, curly hair spread out over Leo’s strong brown thighs, the sounds of her moans as wet and full as those emitting from her cunt, stuffed with his cock. Leo’s jaw was slack as he moaned his own pleasure. He was so close, sending waves of lust crashing through both of his lovers. “I can’t,” the paramedic moaned. “I can’t hold back.” River only sucked him harder, and Fen let his hand fall down between the girl’s legs. He found the ripe, wet clit that was the center of her pleasure, and he began rubbing her in the quick, rough strokes he knew would bring her as quickly as possible.

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Fen also fucked her harder, not wanting to come in her yet, but wanting her to know she was theirs–her man’s and her selkie’s–as much as they were hers. Suddenly the belt holding Leo’s left hand came free, and his hand immediately found River’s hair. She sighed as his fingers tangled in her long curls, and then he helped her find his rhythm, fucking up into her throat, even as she moved her mouth on him. “Make him come, lass,” Fen admonished her, rubbing her all the while. He also upped the stakes by wetting the thumb of his other hand in his mouth, and bringing it to the rosebud of her anus. His finger swirled, and she bucked against him, her pussy squeezing him tightly even as she nearly came. She was lost when she felt that thick thumb push in, past the tight ring of her ass, penetrating her as slowly and inexorably as she knew Fen would, or Leo would, or both men would, later in the night. That thought was the last straw. Fen felt River shatter a second before Leo knew she was coming by her strangled cries. Her pussy convulsed around Fen, milking him with an aggressive suckling that nearly made him lose control. The wash of her emotions was even stronger, as was Leo’s as he neared his own climax. “I said make him come,” Fen commanded, giving River a sharp slap on her ass. To his surprise, that only set her off again, her pussy quivering in renewed pleasure around him. A second later, River succeeded. Her hot mouth, the wet suckling and soft mewls of pleasure, brought Leo’s own orgasm crashing up through his balls. He steadied River’s head as he shot jet after jet of his semen down her throat. But despite his obvious enjoyment, the blindfold Leo wore was wet with his tears.

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He was still crying when River removed his blindfold, kissing the tears away with such gentleness and love he almost believed he’d give up the pleasure of her mouth on him for this moment of closeness. Almost.

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Chapter Twenty-Three

“You didn’t come,” River said to Fen, when she eventually extricated herself from Fen’s arms to sit up. She undid the belts binding Leo’s wrists to her bed, running her hand provocatively down the paramedic’s chest as she turned back to her selkie. “No,” was all he said. Leo sat up in bed, scooting back as he did so. His moving gave River room to turn her body to Fen. But she made sure to bend over slowly, getting on her hands and knees slowly, sensually, looking back at Leo the whole time. He licked his lips, watching every movement she made with ardent eyes. The only other time he’d seen her naked body she’d been ravaged by Trevor, after all. Now his eyes took in every curve, every flare, every soft pad of flesh. That she was so scarred didn’t bother him. He saw the marks on her body as evidence of her courage, her resilience, as well as what they’d gone through afterward together. Once on her hands and knees, River made sure she parted her thighs, giving Leo a good view of her slick sex. But her own eyes had moved to Fen’s dark, selkie gaze. He was enjoying not only the display she presented to both he and Leo, but also the waves of emotion rolling off of her. He could feel River’s pleasure, her affection for both her partners, her burgeoning love for Leo and her own amazement at her actions and the situation.

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Fen couldn’t wait to amaze her even more, although she was doing quite well on her own. River, meanwhile, had finally positioned herself where she wanted to be— body open and inviting for Leo, while facing Fen and that hard cock that had given her such pleasure and not yet taken any for himself. Just not fair, she thought, as she reached out a small hand to stroke, oh so gently, down Fen’s hot length. He grunted in approval, moving forward. “Let me taste you,” she said, looking up at him with that chocolate gaze. How could he resist? Fen moved forward a bit more, and River took a firmer grasp on the base of his cock. But before she tasted him, she looked back at Leo. “Touch me,” was all she said, and then she faced front, until her breath was kissing the tip of Fen’s cock a second before her tongue lapped out. She could taste not only the salty precome beading his tip, but her own juices coating his hard shaft. The thought that she tasted them together, mingled, actually turned her on even more, although even that excitement was eclipsed when she felt Leo’s first, tentative touch on the back of her thigh. Moving her soft mouth down the length of Fen’s cock, River closed her eyes with a sigh as Leo’s hands grew bolder. She felt the bed dip as he moved– probably to his knees–so he had better access to all that warm skin. Fen watched inch after inch of his cock disappear into River’s mouth, felt her tongue moving on the underside of him in delightful circles, as Leo’s dark hands roved over River’s pale flesh. The paramedic began at the woman’s shoulders– touching her almost reverently, running his palms down the length of her back. He did this again and again, as if memorizing her, sometimes running his hands down over her spine, sometimes over the outside of her ribs. Leo’s hands would always stop just short over her backside, until one time they didn’t. Instead he let

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his hands continue on their path, down over the soft globes of her ass, down her plump thighs and then back up. Fen meanwhile, knotted his hands in River’s hair, and began pumping himself gently in and out of her mouth. He knew she loved this–loved giving pleasure, loved knowing he was using her for his pleasure. So he let River feel just what that mouth of hers did to him. Leo’s hands, meanwhile, were growing bolder. He was not only rubbing her ass, letting his hands trail up the inner length of her thighs, but he was rubbing in such a way that his view of her sex was increased. He loved the soft curls dusting her mound; the flash of her pink sex and darker pink anus winking at him. Eventually it was too much for Leo, and he had to have a taste. So he moved around till he could kneel in front of her, on his elbows, and dip his face into her warm, wet sex. Fen knew to brace himself when Leo went in, but still River’s moan around his cock nearly made the selkie come. Her pleasure and her excitement overwhelmed him, and it only increased as Leo’s long licks up her slit grew bolder, until he was licking all the way from her oversensitive clit to rim her equally sensitive asshole. Sensing how close she was, Leo desperately wanted to make River come. He lapped at her clit even as his fingers pushed into her pussy. He kept lapping, fucking her gently, hearing her moans muffled by Fen’s cock. Leo knew she was close, so he sat back on his heels, moving his fingers to her clit to caress her with rough, sure strokes as his fingers, wet from her drenched pussy, found her asshole. Pushing into her with a thick finger made River cry out, losing Fen’s cock as her eyes closed, her expression one of utter pleasure.

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“Come for him, River,” Fen said. He held her jaw, staring down at her eyes as he talked to her. “Come all over his fingers.” And River did, coming in a great whoosh of pleasure. Fen felt his balls tighten, hearing her orgasm echo in harsh cries through the room and seeing her body shake. When he pushed his cock into her mouth again she was still moaning, but she accepted it gladly. As she continued to orgasm, Leo’s fingers expertly driving her ever onward, Fen let himself go. He plunged once, twice, three times down her hot mouth, sucking feverishly at him in the throes of her own orgasm, until he too, came. She swallowed every drop, her eyes still unfocused, suffused with pleasure. Fen withdrew from River’s mouth, moving sideways to collapse on the bed. Without him there to support her, River also sprawled forward, looking back at Leo with a delighted expression. Not least because she could see the paramedic was hard again, and ready for more. She moved on to her back, letting her thighs fall open as she gestured to him. “Come fuck me, Leo,” she said. He didn’t need to be asked twice. Moving up her body, she thrilled at the sight of his dark, tattooed arms where she’d always wanted them–around her, holding him above her, so that he could make love to her. He kissed her then, and Fen made sure to let her feel every emotion coursing through the paramedic’s body–all that love, all that lust, focused on her. “I love you,” Leo whispered, even as she reached down to take him in her hand. “I know,” she said. She wasn’t quite able to tell him the same, but she knew Fen would make sure Leo felt what she was really saying–that she loved him too.

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But she also rubbed the tip of his cock against the slick heat of her cunt, just in case he wasn’t getting the message. “Oh, River,” Leo moaned, as he sank deep. She was so wet, so tight, her pussy clutching at him as he moved in, then out, as slowly as he possibly could, considering what he wanted was to slam into her over and over, taking her, marking her as his own. River groaned back her own pleasure, her hands moving all over him, everywhere she could reach. They were learning each others’ bodies, bodies they’d both fantasized about for so long. Why on earth did I wait? River wondered. Now that she was finally here, in Leo’s arms, it made no sense ever to be anywhere else. What was I thinking? Leo’s thoughts ran along similar lines—him wondering why on earth she’d ever thought it was a good idea to hold out on this. For being in each other’s arms felt right, in a way Leo had never experienced before. Pumping into her over and over, Leo learned River’s face in a new way. He saw the expressions she made when he pushed into her as far as he could, and the look she gave him when he withdrew, then pushed again. He learned the sighs she made, the whimpers and the soft mewls. He learned she bit her lip when she got too near her inner precipice, and that she bit his if he pushed her too near that place before she was ready. “Sweet River,” Leo murmured, hovering above her on his elbow while he allowed his other hand to explore the front of her–those plump breasts with their fat little nipples, her soft belly. When his fingers moved lower, to find her clit, she buried her face upwards, into his neck, biting and kissing him to keep herself under control.

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Leo wanted to make River come again, but the girl had other ideas. She pushed him up, away, rough enough to startle him. But it was only so that she could sit up and shove him back, so he lay before her. “My turn,” she said with a wicked grin, as she flung her knee over him. They both cried out as she slid down, down, till her wet lips were grinding against his groin and her mouth locked on his in an ardent kiss. Then she sat back up, riding him with long, sure strokes. She also looked around for Fen. The selkie was watching the couple, stroking himself, getting himself hard again. River couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of him, ready for another round. She crooked a finger, and Fen was never one to keep a lady waiting. Her mouth went first. Bending at the waist, she didn’t stand on ceremony but sucked him in with a long, hard draw. Conveniently, this put him nearer the front of her bed, where her nightstand was. He opened the drawer, pulling out her smaller vibe and the bottle of lube. Of course, River saw. The lust that swamped over Leo and Fen nearly wrecked them both, and Fen hastily dampened her desire for fear they’d both come too early. After all, Fen had spent the last ten minutes not only watching Leo and River fuck, but also choreographing Round Three, which depended on Round Two, this round, ending a certain way. So Fen kept River’s lust from driving them to the edge, even as he moved behind the girl. A gentle pressure between her shoulder blades encouraged her to lean forward, putting her weight on the hands planted on either side of Leo’s shoulders. It also left her ass open and exposed to Fen.

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River gasped as something slick and cold dripped into her crack, and then she felt Fen’s smooth it down, in and over her asshole. Then his finger dipped in, pushing inside of her, almost immediately to be joined by a second. He scissored his fingers, opening her, even as he turned on the slim vibe. Both River and Leo’s eyes widened as Fen worked, ever so slowly, the gently vibrating plastic into River’s backside. “Holy shit,” Leo whispered, desperately thinking of baseball, football, darts, bowling…anything to keep from coming at this wholly unfamiliar, yet utterly exquisite, sensation. Fen’s large warm hand on the small of River’s back helped settle her, as he continued to slide the slim vibe in and out. He was stretching her, opening her for the main event. He was also driving Leo insane. “Fen,” the paramedic barked, nearly at the end of his rope. The vibrations against his cock were getting to be too much. Fen smirked at the paramedic, as he moved behind River and gently pulled out the vibe. The reprieve was short-lived, however, for Fen’s thick cock almost immediately replaced the vibrator. The selkie pushed, gently but inexorably, as River collapsed forward onto Leo’s chest. Winding his hands in her hair, the paramedic raised her lips to his, kissing her as he watched the pleasure-pain drift over her face. “So full,” she whispered, eyes widening to Manga proportions as Fen finally bottomed out. “So fucking full…” She knew she was a goner when Fen started to move inside of her, fucking her ass gently. The pressure from being stuffed so full of cock pushed her clit forward, making it rub against Leo with every stroke. “More,” she whimpered. “More…”

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Then Leo started to move as well, timing his thrusts so that one of them was always filling the girl. River meanwhile, just let them fuck her, use her, fill her– she’d never felt so completely fucked, so full, yet so paradoxically safe at the same time. She could let herself go, let herself be pleasured by these two men, whom she trusted utterly. And, she told herself, coming to her senses long enough to see Leo peering at her with absolute wonder, whom I maybe love. A little bit. Okay, more than a little bit. Her orgasm came seconds later, sweeping over her as inexorably as the tides, buffeting her to and fro as if she were a boat on storm-tossed waves. This time, Fen opened his empathic channels wide so he and Leo could feel every crest of her climax. Both men came seconds later, caught up with River in their shared pleasure. Next thing River knew, Leo’s fingers were still in her cunt, enjoying the soft spasms and stringing along her orgasm. She was somehow lying between the two men. She didn’t remember anything but her climax–not when they’d pulled out, or how she’d ended up in this position, cuddled between them with Leo’s fingers between her legs. But she wasn’t complaining. Instead she snuggled close, content in a way she would never have thought possible just a short week before. In fact, this was a perfect moment. A moment River wished could last forever. A moment… “Round Three?” Fen asked, tracing a hand up River’s ribs before lazily pinching her nipple.

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A moment that’s just going to get better, River realized, giggling as she turned to her selkie to see what he had planned for them next.

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Chapter Twenty-Four

“What is it?” Leo mumbled in River’s ear, then stole the opportunity to kiss that delicate shell. Even mostly asleep, he could still marvel that he now had the opportunity to do so. “I think Fen just left.” River sat up in the bed, listening intently. She’d been asleep, but had woken up when she heard Fen moving around her bedroom. The selkie had gone to the bathroom, and she’d nearly dozed off again until she realized he hadn’t come back. Fully awake now, River heard someone creep downstairs, and then she heard the sliding back door open and close. “I’m going to go check on him,” she said. She stood, but Leo grabbed her hand. “River,” was all he said, but she could hear the anxiety in his words. Even without Fen, she could read Leo like an open book. She always could, she realized. She turned around to lean over Leo, kissing his lips roughly, firmly. “I just want to see if he’s leaving, for good. I’d never go with him. I couldn’t if I wanted, anyway.” “Do you want to?” Leo could barely choke out the words. “No,” River said, smoothing a soft hand over the paramedic’s stubble-rough jaw. “I have everything I’ve ever wanted, right here. I just want to say goodbye, if he’s leaving.”

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Leo’s relief was palpable. She guessed that without Fen there, actively helping Leo understand how their little ménage worked, Leo was worried she might love the selkie more than him. But it wasn’t about whom she loved more. She loved both men equally, if she were honest. But only one of them wanted to be held on to, and River was smart enough to understand that while love smoothed the way for a lot of things, it couldn’t really conquer everything. She also understood that sometimes loving someone was its own gift and its own reward. “Want me to go with you?” Leo asked. River paused. “No, if you don’t mind. I want to thank him. For you, and for everything else he gave me.” Leo laughed. “He didn’t give me to you. I was always yours.” “But I wasn’t ready to accept that. Fen helped me get there.” Leo lay back on the pillows. “Then go. Tell him thank you for me too. Tell him I’d like to see him again, and that he’s always welcome here.” A grin split River’s face. “You mean that?” “Of course,” Leo said. “He had his Round Three, but I never got my Round Four.” Seemingly impossibly, River actually felt her belly throb with lust she’d assumed she was way too shagged out to feel, maybe ever again. She leaned over this man, this generous, sensual, wonderful man, this man who had become her man and she kissed him again. “I love you.” She hadn’t told him that yet, and she felt it was the right time. Leo smiled up at her, beatifically.

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“I know. Now go say goodbye to Fen, and then get back up here. We can improvise with Round Three and a Half.” “Mmmm, I like that plan,” River replied, going to grab her robe and her hard-soled indoor/outdoor slippers. The walk to the beach was chilly pre-dawn, and River was glad she’d grabbed her flashlight off of its hook by the back door. Fen was standing just at the water’s edge, clearly waiting for her. “Hey,” she said, coming to stand next to him, shoulder to shoulder. “Hey.” “She’s gorgeous tonight,” River said, admiring the moon’s light rippling off the swells of the waves lapping the shore. “Yes. But she’s always a looker.” River laughed, but with a note of sadness. “Are you leaving?” “Aye. But just for a few days. I’ve got to take care of Rick’s father, if need be, so I won’t be far.” “Why not just stay? Till everything is over?” Fen turned to River, and she admired his strong, fey features, turned silver in the moonlight. “Because you and Leo need to build up what we started tonight. And you need to do it without me. I make things too easy,” Fen teased, leaning forward to kiss River’s forehead gently. “I guess you do,” River said, thinking about how Leo was so confident about her relationship with the selkie when Fen was there, but less confident when Fen was gone. The selkie’s empathic abilities stood in for the communicating they needed to do for themselves. “But you’ll come back to visit?” River asked.

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“Yes. I’ll be back soon, and then I’ll drop in periodically. I’ve grown quite fond of Jason.” “Hey,” River said, swatting at Fen’s shoulder affectionately. Fen laughed. “And I’ve grown quite fond of you, lass. And that man you’ve got wrapped around your finger.” River blushed, looking down. “He’s not wrapped around my finger.” Placing a finger under River’s chin, the selkie raised her eyes to his. “Yes, he is, River. That man back there would do anything for you. And he’ll bear the burden alone, if he has to.” “But he’s not alone, I’m here,” River protested. “Yes, you are. But if when I leave, you get cold feet, he’ll let you walk away. Do you understand what I’m saying?” “No,” River said, her voice small. “I’m telling you that he loves you so much he’ll let you make the biggest mistake of your life. He’ll let you pretend you don’t need him, that you don’t want him. He’ll let you wall yourself up here, in this little house, like Rapunzel in her tower. “It will kill him, but he’ll let you do that, if he thinks it’s what you really want.” “But I don’t want that,” River said, her voice firm. “Good. I know you don’t. But I know that’s how you lived for a very, very long time. Probably longer than you know. Then everything with Trevor only exacerbated all those tendencies. Those fears. “When we’ve done something for a very long time, especially when we do them for good reasons, even if they’re damaging ones, it’s easy to go back to our old habits.”

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Finally River realized what Fen was worried about. And it was legitimate. After all she’d just been commenting to herself about how much Leo changed the moment Fen left the room. Fen had the same fears about her changing with his leaving. But what if… “Is that the only reason you’re sticking around?” she asked. For while she hated the idea of never seeing the selkie again, she also hated the idea of him sacrificing his own life just to babysit her and make sure she didn’t indulge in her own weaknesses. “Lord and Lady, no,” Fen said. Then his arms were around her and he was drawing her close. “I’m sticking around because I don’t want to leave yet. I love you, I love your family. I love being with you. I can’t be here always, but I can be here sometimes. When I need to see you. If you’ll have me.” “Of course,” River said, turning her face up to his. “You saved me, Fen.” It was the only way she could think of to thank him; to tell him how much his intervention in her life meant to her. “Pish posh,” Fen replied, dipping his face down for a gentle kiss—just a brush of his lips against hers. “You saved yourself, lass. You were ready. You called for help. You called for me. I couldn’t have done anything to change you, if you weren’t ready to change.” “But you still fixed everything.” “I think you would have fixed everything, eventually, without me. And I know you’ll be more than okay when I leave.” “Then why the warnings?” River teased, stroking a hand down the soft fur of the sealskin, draped in its familiar place over his shoulder.

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Fen laughed. “I should have put my emphasis on ‘eventually’. I know you’d have figured things out, and I know even if you backed away now you’d figure out that was a mistake too, eventually. But I don’t want you to lose one more second of your life to that fear. Not one.” When he spoke those last words his black eyes glowed with the wisdom of his immortal life. River suddenly wondered how old he was. She wondered just what he had loved, and lost, in his long life. And how he kept going, despite the immensity of agelessness. She voiced none of this, however. Some instinct told her that to do so would be to point out the obvious, the painful and raise issues that neither she nor Fen could address. So instead she said what she should have, all along. “Thank you.” Then she stood up on her tiptoes, to kiss him. Fen kissed her back, letting his own love for her drape over them both like a warm, heavy cloak. “One more swim?” he asked when they ended their kiss, waggling his eyebrows at the sea. River shook her head. “No, that’s your world. Despite how much I enjoyed our first swim. Besides, I should get back to Leo.” Fen’s smile was bright in the breaking dawn, and if there was any sadness or loneliness there, River couldn’t see it. “Yes. Return to Leo. Hold him as you’ve wanted to do for so long, and don’t be afraid to love him as fiercely as we both know you’re capable. And when Jason comes home, tell him I’ll be by in a few days, for another visit.” “Just a few days?” River asked, surprised. Fen cocked an eyebrow at her. “Should I stay away longer?” “No, not at all. I’m glad you’re coming back so soon. Leo’s got plans for Round Four.”

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Upon hearing those words, the look Fen gave her was hot, predatory. “That means I’ll have to renumber my plans as Rounds Five and Six.” River shivered, partially with lust, partially with her tired body’s trepidation. “You’re going to be the death of me.” “Not the death, no. Many little deaths, yes,” Fen joked, referring to the French euphemism for orgasm, le petit mort. “So cultured, for a merman,” River teased. “Selkie, and don’t you forget it.” While he probably could have stood around joking with this beloved human for hours, Fen knew it was time to take his leave. Even if it was just a short leave, it always felt like a leave. So he took a determined step back, after placing one last, gentle kiss on River’s cheek. Then he drew his sealskin up over his shoulders, calling on its magic as he pulled it over his head. River watched as the skin grew to cover his whole body, then seemed to pull itself inward, taking Fen with it. Finally there lay on the beach an enormous golden-coated seal. River crouched, stroking her hands along those sleek flanks as she had that first time she’d seen his true form. “See you soon, Fen,” she said, hoping that was always the way they’d take their leave, in future. For as much as she couldn’t imagine her everyday life now, without Leo, she couldn’t imagine a life entirely devoid of Fen, either. The seal bobbed his head in a seal nod, barking too loudly in the cold morning air. As dawn’s rosy fingers touched his sea, Fen trundled, admittedly rather inelegantly, into the water. But once in his element, River watched him flash away with all the grace and power of his magical heritage.

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Refusing to cry at a good-bye that was not—would never be—a real goodbye, River turned back to her house, and to the man waiting for her. “Hey, you’re up,” she said, surprised to see Leo in her kitchen. The paramedic had his back to her, half buried as he was in her fridge. “Yeah. I promise I wasn’t spying. But you left and I realized I was starving.” “I can’t imagine why,” she said with a giggle as she crept up behind him to wrap her arms around that deliciously dark, narrow waist. “Well,” he said, as he used one hand to run his fingers down the forearms draped around his stomach and his other hand to pull a carton of eggs out of the fridge, “someone kept me awake all night with her voracious sexual demands.” River kissed the small of his back, just over the waistband of the boxer-briefs he’d donned for propriety’s sake. “Did he go?” was all Leo asked, from the safety of the fridge. “Yes,” she said. “But he’ll be back, for visits.” “Good,” was all Leo said. But he meant it. “And now I’m going to put you to work indulging the voracious demands of mah belleh. I’m starving too,” River admitted. “Pancakes?” Leo asked. “Eggs?” “Omelettes,” River said, firmly. “With cheese and bacon.” Leo nodded, pulling out the cheese, bacon and the whole-wheat bread River kept in the fridge as she was the only one who ever ate it. He set his burdens on the counter before turning back to River. “Your wish is my command,” he told her, bowing deeply at the waist. Leo’s joke, instead of making River laugh, made River remember what Fen had said, about the fact the paramedic loved her so much that he’d let her walk away. To said paramedic’s horror, the woman he loved started crying.

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“River, honey, it’s okay,” he told her, misinterpreting her tears. “I bet Fen’ll be back really soon. He’s not going to stay away from you, who could?” River threw her arms around Leo, holding him so tightly it was a little uncomfortable. Her words were fierce in his ear. “No, it’s not that. It’s just… I want you to know how much I love you. I’ve always loved you. I was just so scared.” “River, it’s okay. I love you too…” “No, you have to listen,” River commanded, letting Leo go just enough to peer into his eyes. “You have to hear me. I love you, Leo. But if something happens and I freak out, and I forget that, you have to remind me. Because I would regret it, every day, if my fear gets the better of me again.” Leo couldn’t help but laugh, mostly because he was so relieved. He gathered her close, this time in a gentle embrace. “I will, River. Believe me, I will. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” Those were the kinds of words that would have sent River running only a few weeks ago. But now they settled her, comforted her. “Good,” she said, settling closer into their hug, enjoying this feeling of being protected, after so very long. It was at that moment Leo knew everything was going to be all right. River might still have bad days, but she wanted this. She wanted him. And together they would make it. Together they’d create the stable home she’d always craved, and there would always be room for the selkie who helped bring them together.

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About the Author

Denise Townsend is a fantasy of salt, sea air and sun-kissed skin. She was born to tell sensual stories that explore female sexuality and strengths. To find out more about Denise, visit www.denisetownsend.com.

Look for these titles by Denise Townsend

Now Available: Ocean’s Touch

A lonely widow and a handsome artist have a chance for happiness…with the help of a sexy selkie, that is.

Ocean’s Touch

© 2011 Denise Townsend After the death of Meredith’s husband many years before, she allowed his legacy to take over her life. A shell of a woman, she finds little joy in her day-today tasks. Drawn to her pain, the empathic selkie Dylan knows she’s ready to live and love again, and he knows that he’s just the man for the job. As Dylan draws Meredith out of her shell, he realizes that to truly free her, he needs to help her accept her budding love for Alexander, an artist who challenges Meredith on every level: intellectually, emotionally and sexually. To achieve a true happy ending, Dylan must help his chosen humans break down their emotional barriers in order to grab the happiness they so deserve.

Enjoy the following excerpt for Ocean’s Touch Dylan sat in the shadows of a copse of pine trees, at the very edge of the woman’s property, watching her dark-haired figure bend itself into a series of ridiculously sexy poses. Not that she has any idea how sexy they are, he thought sadly. Wrapping himself tighter in his sealskin and his glamoured invisibility, he stood to move closer to the pagoda. Dylan had been watching the woman for a few weeks now. At first, he’d come for the lovely expanse of her well-maintained beach, so very similar to those of his Orkney birthplace. Soon enough, however, she had been what drew him close. He’d taken to watching her during her outdoor exercises, then at her house, and finally he’d even followed her into town. Keeping himself invisible,

he’d hoped to glean some indication of what made someone so strong so miserable, and why she felt it was important never to admit her pain, even to herself. “You’re so sad, lass,” he whispered in his rich Scottish brogue, feeling the waves of emptiness and desolation flowing off her like waves. An empath, as were all of his people, Dylan felt her emotional turmoil like a knife. “And the worst part is, you don’t ken how lost you are,” he murmured. She hid it well, under cover of a perfect posture, a constant involvement in the work and charity that took up so much of her time, and that placid expression she kept pasted on her face. To other humans she probably seemed perfectly content, but he saw the truth in her large brown eyes. For the pain that beat off her formed in his own breast as an almost physical ache. She was grieving a dead husband, that much he knew. But the man had been buried five years now, and Dylan sensed something more…another loss, even stronger because it was unacknowledged. “Aye, lass, there’s something more to you and to your grief,” he told her distant form, watching appreciatively as she raised her rear end high in the air with her hands still planted firmly on her mat. “And you can be sure I won’t give up till I find out what it is,” Dylan vowed, pulling his sealskin a little higher on his shoulders.