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After what seemed like an age, and yet no time later, the feeling suddenly stopped and Macey collapsed to the floor in a heap, no longer able to keep her eyes open.
Macey
Four
Little selkie, little seal,
In the morning you will feel
Brush of waves in sea so deep
I will hold you while you sleep.
Macey woke to the same voice that had sung to her just before she'd fallen unconscious. This time, however, she recognised who it was. Rónán.
The selkie's baritone was rich and warm, embracing her, making her feel like he was hugging her.
Which was also true. She was lying on his lap, his arms around her chest, holding her while singing his lullaby. It felt rather good to be in his arms. She resisted smiling, not wanting him to know that she was awake.
"Little selkie, little seal,
Careful now, or they will steal
Keep your one true skin all wrapped
or you'll be forever trapped."
The tune turned sadder, and Macey couldn't help but ask, "Is that what happened to you?"
"You're awake," Rónán said, stating the obvious. "How are you feeling?"
Macey took a quick inventory of her body. There wasn't any pain, but she did feel a strange tingling in her limbs.
"Fine, I think. What exactly happened?"
"Do you want the long or the short version."
"Short," she replied impatiently.
"You glowed. All the pipes burst. The pool refilled itself. It started raining inside the house. And... ehm... you've got scales."
"What?!"
Macey shot up from her comfortable position on Rónán's lap and looked at her arms. They were covered in tiny, smooth scales, just like the ones she had when she was in her kelpie form. Except that right now, she was human. Her bare legs were the same, the scales reflecting the light of the brightly lit pool room.
"By the fucking waves," she muttered, inspecting her hands and feet. There was no webbing, luckily, and the scales were smaller and lighter, blending in a little more but still distinctly non-human.
"My face?" she asked, turning to Rónán.
"No scales," he said and she sighed in relief. That's when she noticed that Rónán was bare chested, his chiseled abs capturing her gaze.
"What happened to your shirt?"
She knew she was distracting both herself and him, but he seemed happy to oblige.
He grinned. "You're wearing it. I thought you'd be more comfortable waking up with some clothes rather than being naked."
"Thanks, I guess." She really didn't want to think about the fact that he'd dressed her. That she'd probably been in his lap, naked. That he was shirtless. That she was almost drooling.
