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I seldom attended the balls. Mainly because my presence upset my uncle's wife, Elaine. She claimed that I didn’t have the decorum needed to represent the family.
As most of the meals in the castle inevitably turned into feasts and festivals, I had been confined to my rooms to eat my meals—though I had often snuck away to the silvers.
As I watched the selkies gather their instruments and hug their close friends as they entered the ballroom, my brain couldn’t wrap itself around the idea that balls were meant to be fun.
The fiddle was unpracticed, but every skipped note gathered an indulgent cheer. The young selkie was pink-cheeked and apologetic, no doubt playing their first concert. Another selkie proudly pointed to a cake they had made and told everyone to try a piece as they had made it themselves. The dresses weren’t ornate, gem-encrusted affairs like the undine choice of clothing. Instead, the selkies favored plain fabrics.
Rainn led us to his suites after seeing his mother, and clothing had been delivered soon after. I hadn’t chosen my dress, but it shone like my pearls did under the ocean, complimenting my hair. I brushed my hands over the smooth fabric, though it seemed impervious to wrinkles. The dress was unusually soft. Tor and Rainn had been given tunics, though Rainn’s embroidery was much more complex, inlaid with seals made of silver thread around the collar and cuffs. Tor’s clothing lacked detail, but I sensed he liked it that way.
A single cheerful note drifted through the air, greeted by cheers, and some of the selkies on the edge of the ballroom hurried excitedly to the center of the room to join hands and form a circle. They moved with practiced steps, two to the right and one to the left. Hands in the air and spin.
I watched, fascinated, as the circle moved to the beat. Smiling, shining eyes.
Rainn reached for my hand, linking his fingers with mine. “Would you like to dance?”
“I don’t know the steps,” I whispered, looking back at the circle.
He tugged my hand. “I’ll show you.”
My cheeks grew warm. “Rainn—”
Rainn ignored my protests, leading me to the dancing selkies. I shot Tor a pleading look over my shoulder, but he laughed and waved a hand. Tor mouthed the words ‘Good luck.’ I narrowed my eyes and stuck out my tongue.
Rainn shouldered his way into the circle, though he didn’t have to try hard as the other selkies excitedly made room for us. A woman on the left linked her fingers with mine and shot me an encouraging smile, and I did my best to step to the side at the appropriate times.
Surrounded by the press of warm bodies, fevered breathing, and the jaunty beat of a song, I looked down at Rainn’s feet, copying the steps. I tripped over his feet several times, but Rainn laughed each time. After a few minutes, my feet seemed to learn the steps, even if they dribbled from my mind like water in cupped hands. The music got faster, and I continued to dance. Rainn’s hand on mine grew slick with sweat, and his laughter rang in my ears.
We split off from the crowd when the music changed, growing slower but more tumultuous, like the rising waves of the tide. Rainn took my other hand and spun me in a circle. His sky-blue eyes shone as he cupped my waist, both breathing heavily, close enough for our noses to touch. He reached up, brushing a thumb against my cheek.
“I thank the gods every day that you are my Shíorghrá,” Rainn whispered before he brushed his lips against mine. Every inch of my skin tingled, coming alive, and I melted in his embrace, opening my mouth to allow his tongue to push past my lips as he deepened the kiss.
Around us, the music continued to play, and the dancers paid no mind as the youngest selkie prince kissed me until my head spun.
Rainn pulled me away from the dance floor, stopping every few steps to kiss me before tugging my hand and dragging me through a hidden door behind a forgotten tapestry.
“What are you doing?” I asked through hushed laughter.
“I couldn’t help myself.” Rainn gripped the top of my arms. My back rested against the stone wall. He pressed his lips to the seam of my jaw, speaking between kisses. “I haven’t seen you laugh like that before.” He pulled away, his eyes sparkling in the shadows. “I liked it.” He leaned in and kissed my throat.
“Rainn…” I groaned his name as my fingers tangled in his hair.
“You’ll have to be quiet unless you want everyone in the hall to know how you sound when you come.” Rainn grinned wickedly against my skin.
“Rainn!” I slapped his arms.
He pressed his lips against mine, hard and demanding. Every muscle in my body melted, and I had no intention of pushing him away. Instead, I took my time, brushing my fingers over the fabric of his embellished tunic—feeling the taut lines of muscle under the leather. I groaned as Rainn tilted his head to the side and deepened the kiss.
Whenever Rainn Shallows kissed me, he awakened a different part of my body that I hadn’t been aware of before. My core throbbed as I pressed myself to his body. He shifted position, using his knee to part my legs.
I rocked my hips, unable to contain the movement, as Rainn’s hands tangled in my hair. His lips parted, and his tongue brushed over mine. His thigh rested against my core, and my dress was thin enough that I could feel his body heat through the fabric.
“We’ll be missed if we are gone much longer.” Rainn grinned against my lips.
“Don’t care.” I panted, pulling his face back to mine.
“We’ll have to be quick.”
“Don’t care,” I repeated harshly. “Now.”
