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Oh, that wasn’t good. Not at all.
“Tired, but it’s been a long day. I thought I’d come and ask if Macey’s ready for bed.” Rónán’s corresponding smile was faker than any Macey had given the other selkie, which gave her a great sense of contentment. He wasn’t into this in the slightest.
“Great idea,” she said, but didn’t try to move the selkie draped all over him out of the way.
“Good night, Cara,” Rónán said, dipping his shoulder and letting her touch fall from him.
“Good night,” Macey added sweetly before slipping her arm around Rónán’s waist.
“Ready?” he asked her. She nodded once.
“Night, Amber,” Macey called.
“Night,” the beithir answered, already only half paying attention as she looked around for her mage. Macey smiled to herself. She was grateful her friend had someone of her own to take care of and take care of her. Despite Izban’s somewhat sour disposition, he was good to Amber.
“So…Cara?” Macey prodded once they were out of earshot.
Rónán sighed. “Where to even start with her,” he muttered. “She’s one of the leaders’ daughters.”
“One of?”
“Yes, he has six. She’s the youngest and the most spoiled. Though the others are almost as bad. You’d have thought he’d have stopped after the first one.”
Macey laughed. “Not a fan of the family?”
“Not at all. They look down on just about any selkie who is born beneath them. Which is pretty much all of us.”
“So why was she draping herself all over you like a monkey in a banana tree?”
Rónán gave her a confused look. “A monkey?”
“You know, clinging to you as if you were the last selkie alive and you were her only chance to repopulate the earth with seal shifters.”
Rónán stared at her, slightly shocked. “You realise seal shifters and selkies are two very different species, right?”
“They are? Huh.” She hadn’t given it much thought, if she was honest. She’d never really had to. “Okay, sorry. Repopulate with selkies then.”
Rónán’s next sigh was when Macey realised he was just trying to avoid her question, so she waited for him to go on. “Because to her, that’s what I am. Not all selkies have magic like me, but that didn’t used to be the case. Hundreds of years ago, all selkies had magic. But our bloodlines have become somewhat tainted over the years…”
“By humans?” Macey interrupted.
“Yes, by humans. And other races, I suspect, but I have no real proof of those. Anyway, our bloodlines became polluted and now there’s less of us born with the ability to actually use magic. Everyone else is just stuck with the shifting side of things, and even that isn’t quite like yours.”
“Not like mine how?” she prompted, but he ignored her.
“Cara decided years ago that the best solution to her lack of magic was to mate with me and have children. I doubt she could gain power directly with that plan, but I think she’d be able to make a good grab for it in her children’s names.” He shrugged.
“This is about power?” Macey’s jaw dropped open, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.
“Isn’t everything? Isn’t what Mahoun and the others are doing just the same?”
“I suppose so.” She frowned. She’d never really thought about it like that. Or maybe she had and just couldn’t remember. “Sorry, I’m tired. My brain is a little slow right now.”
“We’re almost home,” he reassured her, his arms supporting her shoulders.
“Home?”
“My house. It’s not very big, but the bed is large enough for the two of us. Three, even, if one of the others wants to join us, but you look like all you want is sleep.”
