AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Down at Motham Quay, the selkie had everything ready. The boat was in pristine condition. This guy came from over the other side of the ranges. Tor had used his team before, and had brought him in especially for today because he knew he was reliable.
Already it was the most beautiful morning, balmy and warm. The water was like a millpond and Orc Island beckoned, a hazy purple outline on the horizon.
Which made it seem kind of odd that Shona was dressed in a coat, with her hair tucked up under a wide-brimmed hat.
“It won’t be cold, pet.”
“Last time I froze, remember? I had to borrow your waistcoat.”
He smirked, remembering. “I would always keep you warm.”
She just laughed.
When they arrived at the cove, Tor gave the selkie a stern look. “You stay put. We’ll be a while.”
“You can trust me, sir.”
“Can’t say the same for your Motham cousins.”
The selkie shook his head. “Very distant relatives. I disown the lot of them.”
“Good man.” Tor gave his arm a hefty pat.
And then they were picking their way up the path, her hand in his, a picnic in his backpack, just like that first time. Tor could barely contain his excitement, except… Shona was still rugged up as if it was mid-winter.
“I could take your coat and put it in my backpack?” he suggested.
“No thanks, I want to keep it on.”
He frowned. Whatever made her happy, he guessed.
When they got to the water’s edge, he suggested a swim. But no, damn it, she said she wasn’t quite ready to put her swimsuit on.
“Can’t you just jump in naked like last time?” he grumbled.
“Nope,” she said, pulling her sunhat lower over her face and stalking off.
“Where are you going?”
“To get ready.”
Tor’s brows drew into a sharp v. Did she even want to be here with him? She’d been talking about it so much… the implications had been obvious, or so he’d thought, but now she was behaving all coy and secretive.
A great big cloud hung over his head as he sat and waited for her, throwing pebbles into the azure water. He’d had a vision of how this day would go, how special it would be, the two of them reliving how they first got together. Under his pants he was even wearing his special mate-bonding sporran. He was ready to knot her and finally make her his, officially.
Except now… she was being… weird.
He sighed.
Whatever. He’d accept it, wait until she came out of her funk. In all honesty, this was the first time they hadn’t been totally in sync with one another’s moods. You had to accept your partner would have off days. He just wished it hadn’t happened today.
And then he felt a thump on his shoulder.
Not enough to hurt, but enough to make him jump.
He turned around.
And his eyes nearly fell out of his head.
