Page 83 of Between Salt and Serenades

For the love of all things salty, Zellia was right. I am pure mush.

“You did good, girls,” Evina said, patting us tenderly on the backs before wandering off to find my grandfather. Breena and I pulled away from Rory as my sister came barreling around the corner. Zellia rushed over to the former fisherman to see what kind of tasty treats he held. She shooed us away as she peeled back the cotton cloths on his dishes. He laughed as she peeked inside, his cheeks brightening with each hearty chuckle.

Zellia came to visit me often, and Rory always kept a bonnet shell on his person in case she needed to reach him. Without fail, he would pick her up from the Dreslee every time she summoned him. The two had grown close over the months, but I also think Rory liked the excuse to be back out on the water. After we defeated the hybrids, he was quick to say goodbye to his life as a fisherman, and many of his former crew did the same. For the past several months, he’s been pondering his true passions, and somewhere along the way, he became a transporting service for sea fae.

Rory’s second most frequent customer entered sometime shortly after, a beautiful selkie woman on his arm.

“Niven! Nehra!” Breena cried out. “You made it!”

Breena ran over to her older brother and his new mate, embracing them both with equal measure. We quite liked Nehra. Breena had known her since she was just a pup, but Niven had never expressed romantic interest in her until after Breena decided to stay in Barthoah. Breena suspected he never would have settled down with a mate while she was still in the SelkieCove. Life in our new home seemed much easier on Breena, knowing that, in her absence, Niven finally felt free to live a life for himself. As the older sister, Niven and I were alike in that way.

My grandfather and Rory’s mother chatted in two high-back chairs as he stoked the fire raging in our central hearth. The summer days were long gone, replaced by biting winds and snow I had yet to get used to. The warmth of my selkie helped ease my transition, and depths, did that woman love the snow. She claimed her blubber kept her nice and warm, but I didn’t have the heart to tell her humans don’t have blubber. The biggest fib I held onto was allowing her to believe otherwise, so I’d say my conscience was clear.

I joined Wallace and Evina in the sitting room, and Breena brought over a tartan blanket, a goblet of cranberry mead, and a plate full of warm, savory food. I could get used to this life. Never would I let a day pass where Breena didn’t know how grateful I was for her and just how damned loved she was. Here, in this room, surrounded by family and friends, it was impossible not to feel the love. When they all returned to their homes and were blowing out their candles for the night, I would still be by her side, and unlike the candles, my love would never dim.