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I didn’t know how long I paced before Tor stole into the suite, quietly closing the door behind him.
“What happened?” The Kelpie asked, his hand twitching for a blade. “Did something happen?”
“River—” I started to say before Rainn cracked his neck to the side and stood up.
“Tormalugh and I are going to take a walk,” Rainn announced, his voice delicate.
Tor’s heavy brow furrowed, but he didn’t argue. “Will you be okay on your own for a little while?” He asked over Rainn’s shoulder as the selkie moved toward the door.
“Yes?” The word came out as a question.
“Don’t leave the suite until we return.” Rainn did not turn to face me as he spoke.
Both men left the room, leaving me alone in the royal suite. I glanced down at the bed and sat down with a sigh. Why did I have the feeling that Rainn would do something dangerous and a little stupid? Maybe Rainn was even angrier than I was, but I hadn’t seen it because I had never seen Rainn Shallows lose his temper?
Chapter Three
Tormalugh POV
Tormalugh watched Rainn as he sauntered before him with his hands in his pockets. Rainn’s face was clear of tension, and his gaze locked somewhere far away—but Tor felt Rainn’s anger stirring his stomach, demanding he take a sip.
Kelpies prayed on emotions. The more unpleasant, the better. Anger often tasted like sweet cakes with spun sugar. The kind that couldn’t be eaten underwater.
“Where are we going?” Tor kept his tone light, attempting to mimic Rainn’s nonchalance.
“River’s suite is just through here,” Rainn said as if they were discussing the weather. “Do you remember when Maeve washed up on the Skala Beach?”
Tor frowned. “Yes?”
“I’d always wondered how she had made it through the rocks. I’d assumed that most of her injuries came from the Skala Isles, as they chew up most Fae that don’t have permission to pass them. But then came the problem of the undine guards.”
“The Undine are not welcome at the Skala Beach,” Tor said carefully.
Rainn snapped his fingers and pointed toward Tor. “Exactly.” He exclaimed. “Then, this evening, River mistakenly believed he was alone in the tunnel behind the ballroom. He might have let slip that he was paid by the undine king to allow the guards to dump Maeve’s body.”
“Her body.” Tor felt his blood run cold.
“I assume that if we had not found Maeve when we did, she likely would have been killed on sight,” Rainn said without emotion.
“The undine are not welcome on the Skala Beach.” Tor echoed. “You’re certain it was River?”
“Yes.” Rainn turned to face him, his eyes tumultuous like the heavy storm. “He made himself quite clear.”
Both men stopped speaking as they wove around the corner, passing row after row of similar doors. Adorned with silver filigree and carved opal handles, carved to look like leaping seals.
As the oldest of the Selkie Queen’s children, River had lived hundreds of years to Rainn’s paltry twenty-five. Rainn was a mere baby compared to his older brother, though Tor wouldn’t dare to mention it.
River had fought wars long forgotten while Rainn had been coddled. Tor knew this, but he did not say it out loud. He respected his friend, though he had no idea what retribution Rainn planned to instill.
Selkie magic was a strange thing. Filled with intent, but often with a mind of its own. Selkies were wild Fae, just as the kelpies were, but their magic couldn’t be more different.
Tor had to pull on his magic to change a memory or thought. He could pull emotions and eat them, but he had to think about it each time. The mind required careful balance.
Selkies simply expected their magic to work, so it did. They expected the Skala Isles to protect them, so the Skala Isles grew teeth and did their bidding. The queen expected a sunlit garden in the middle of a cave; therefore, it was there. Waiting. Built from her magic and the expectation that it would be there waiting.
Rainn didn’t often speak about his magic, though he had always kept his skin close to him until he had gifted it to Maeve. Tor often wondered if Rainn held little power compared to his siblings—embarrassed to show that side of his Selkie heritage.
Rain found a door that looked the same as all of the others. He pushed it open without knocking, grabbing Tor’s sleeve and tugging him through.
