Page 24

Early the next morning, Zeke and Rick made their way to Celine’s quarters on the other side of the island. Rick walked quietly beside Zeke, his usual calm offset slightly by the faint line between his brows.

“Her people were checking on her through the night, right?” Zeke asked, more to reassure himself than anything.

Rick gave him a sidelong look. “They would’ve called me had she needed more help.”

Zeke nodded, jaw tight. He still couldn’t get the image out of his mind of her so weak and bleeding on the beach the day before. Seeing her like that had ignited something primal in him—panic, yes, but also a bone-deep need to protect her.

When they reached the barracks where Celine’s room was located, the Navy shifters greeted them with nods and a few smiles. Slowly but surely, the Army guys were gaining acceptance and even a bit of respect on this mostly-Navy base.

A tall woman named Dara led them to Celine’s door and waited while Rick took the lead, knocking politely.

Zeke stood back, trying not to let his anxiety show.

He expected she’d still be laid up in bed, but when the door opened, Celine was standing there barefoot, wrapped in a thick robe, her hair damp but combed back.

Her eyes were clearer than they’d been the day before, but fatigue lingered in the corners.

“Morning,” she said, her voice a little rough, but a lot more energetic than Zeke had expected.

His chest eased at the sight of her standing upright, her eyes sharp. “Morning.”

Rick stepped forward, his expression softening. “Mind if I do a quick check to make sure I didn’t miss anything?”

Celine blinked, then nodded and stepped aside to let them in.

The small room was simple and clean, with a small touches that showed she was a civilian, not one of the military staff. She had a set of soft chairs in one corner, and she went there, motioning for Rick to take the other chair. Zeke stood off to one side, watching all.

Celine pulled her robe tighter around her, eyes widening.

Zeke tried not to hover or look like he wanted to wrap her in blankets and never let her leave his sight again while Rick sat beside her.

He held out his hands to her, and she took them both, allowing him the light touch. “This will just take a minute.”

Rick’s eyes closed, his expression going still.

Zeke knew the look—Rick wasn’t just scanning vitals.

He was reaching beneath the surface, checking for magical residue, trauma, internal strain.

At least, that’s how Rick had explained his methods to Zeke.

He still wasn’t sure about all the magical stuff, though they’d all been learning as fast as they could.

After a few moments, Rick opened his eyes and released her hands.

“You’re clear,” he said with a nod. “Mild bruising, a little magical interference lingering around your aura, but nothing dangerous. You can move around—light activity only for today. No heavy work. No swimming in the ocean either, though I suppose your other half wants to do just that.”

Celine cracked a smile. “I’ll try to behave.”

Zeke let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Thanks, Doc.”

“Yes, thank you,” Celine echoed.

Rick stood, smiling gently at her. “You’re very welcome. And a lot tougher than you look. I expected you to still be on bedrest today, but I guess I have a lot to learn about shifter constitution.”

“We all heal pretty fast as long as there’s no poison in our systems to mess with our natural magic. You took care of that already, and I can’t thank you enough,” Celine said, smiling gratefully at Rick.

“Just doing my job, ma’am,” Rick replied gently. “I’ll head back, now that I know you’re all right, but don’t hesitate to call me if you have any problems. Okay?”

“Will do, but I slept well, and I feel good. Raring to go, in fact,” she told them both.

“Just don’t overdo it. Light activity only, like I said. Go take a stroll on the beach if you must get outside, but nothing more than that.”

“Yes, sir,” she joked, giving him a little salute that wasn’t anywhere near military precision. Rick smiled and headed for the door.

Zeke didn’t move. He wasn’t going anywhere until he’d had a chance to talk with her. Maybe he’d invite her on that stroll Rick had so helpfully suggested.

As the door to Celine’s room closed behind Rick, silence settled between Zeke and Celine. It wasn’t uncomfortable, just…aware.

Celine stood, the long robe shifting subtly around her legs as she moved to the single window in the room.

“The ocean’s calmer today,” she said softly.

Zeke joined her, watching the morning light ripple across the water. “Want to go for that walk? Just down the beach a bit. Slow pace. Like Rick ordered.”

She looked up at him, something unreadable in her eyes, then nodded. “Yeah. I’d like that.”

Ten minutes later, they walked side by side along the shoreline. The wet sand was firm underfoot, the breeze lifting Celine’s hair and tossing it gently across her shoulders.

Zeke kept his pace easy, matching her smaller strides. He didn’t push, didn’t ask questions. He was just enjoying being in her presence on this beautiful morning. The weather was fine, and everybody he cared about was safe for the moment.

“Thank you,” she said quietly, her voice nearly drowned by the waves. “For pulling me out.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” He hadn’t quite meant to say that. To be so transparent with his growing feelings. They were deeper than even he expected.

She stopped, turning to face him, her gaze meeting and holding his. It was as if she was searching for the meaning behind his words… Or maybe, something deeper…

“You didn’t even hesitate to jump in after me,” she said, like it was something remarkable.

Zeke stepped closer, his voice low. “There’s no universe in which I wouldn’t go after you when you were in trouble.”

She held his gaze for a long moment, then reached for his hand.

They walked on in silence, fingers entwined, the sound of the surf washing away the weight of the day before.

They walked along slowly like that for a while, fingers laced, the morning tide coming in along the shore a few feet away.

Celine didn’t say much, and Zeke didn’t rush her.

She was sorting through something. He could feel it in the way her grip would tighten briefly, then ease, as if waves were passing through her from the inside out.

When they reached a stretch of beach where the dunes rose behind them like sheltering arms, she slowed, then stopped entirely. Zeke followed her gaze as she looked out to the ocean. She wasn’t really looking at the water anymore.

“There’s a cove not too far from my childhood home,” she said quietly. “I used to swim there with my parents when I was little. It was our secret spot.”

Zeke said nothing, just waited.

She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly seeming smaller despite the power he knew lived beneath her skin.

“I keep thinking about how they died. Not just the fact of it, but how sudden it was. How violent. One moment, they were alive, the next…” She shook her head. “It still doesn’t feel real sometimes. Like if I go back to the house, or swim to that cove, I’ll find them there. Waiting.”

Zeke moved closer, gently placing a hand at her back. She didn’t flinch, just leaned into the contact like she needed him to ground her in the here and now.

“They were murdered,” she whispered. “And I wasn’t there to even try to stop it. I don’t know if I’ll ever stop feeling guilty.”

Zeke’s voice was quiet, rough with emotion. “That’s not on you, babe. If you’d been there, you would have died too.”

“I know that in my head,” she said. “But my wild heart doesn’t always listen.”

He turned toward her then, resting one of his hands lightly against her cheek.

“Your survival is important, Celine. In fact, you’ve done more than survive.

You’ve held your ground in a world that doesn’t fight fair.

You’ve held onto hope. You’ve fought through the pain with the help of your family and friends, and you’ve kept your heart open. ”

She blinked, and he could see the shimmer of unshed tears in her eyes, but she didn’t let them fall.

“That’s what draws me to you,” he added softly. “Not just your strength. Your beautiful, hopeful soul.”

“You mean that?” Celine exhaled, seeming a bit shaky.

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”

She stepped into him then, her hands rising to rest against his chest. Zeke lowered his head slowly, giving her time to pull away.

She didn’t.

Their lips met, and the world spun off its axis. At least, that’s how it felt to Zeke. He loved the feel of her in his arms, especially after the fear of losing her light the night before. She was warm and soft under his hands, and she moved into his kiss, stroking his ego…and his desire.

He broke away to look deep into her eyes. “I almost lost you. Don’t ever scare me like that again.”

“I’ll do my best,” she promised with a light smile, then rose on her tiptoes to kiss him again.

He was helpless to resist, not that he ever wanted to turn down a kiss from the woman who was fast becoming his safe port in the storm of life. Their lips met again—warmer this time, deeper.

He was fully present in the moment, not caring who might see them or what others might think.

This was purely about him and her. Zeke and Celine.

Two beings discovering each other on this sliver of beach, halfway between the ocean and the land.

A place where a selkie and a human could meet on equal terms.

When they finally broke apart, Celine stayed close, her forehead resting against his chest.

“Things might not get easier from here. I still need to find justice for my parents,” she murmured.

“I know,” Zeke agreed softly. “And I’m going to help with that.

I’ve already spoken to your grandfather about helping.

And my unit wants to try to shut down Kettering’s operation in the long run, though we haven’t figured out exactly how we’re going to do that yet.

I’m just saying, there will be trials in our future, but whatever comes, I hope we can face it together. ”

She lifted her head to meet his gaze. “You already spoke to Gramps?”

“We had a little chat after dinner last night. He’s a good man, your grandfather,” Zeke observed.

“He’s the best,” Celine agreed. “I’m glad you two are getting along. He’s very important to me, Zeke. And… I think… I think you’re becoming important to me too.”

“Well, thank heaven for that,” Zeke muttered, grinning as he sealed her words with another kiss.

Gentler, this time, it was a kiss of gentle discovery, of souls meeting and agreeing to spending more time with each other to see where this deep attraction might lead.

Zeke couldn’t get enough of her, but they had time now.

They both were on the same page and that gave him more hope than he’d had before.

The waves rolled in nearby, creeping ever closer, but neither of them moved. The tide might shift, and storms might come, but right now, in this fragile slice of morning, they had each other.

And for the first time in a long time, that was enough.

*

Celine took things easy the rest of that day.

Zeke had to be on duty, so she didn’t see him again until the next morning, when she reported for her first shift back in the kitchen at his barracks building.

Zeke was at breakfast, and when she saw him in the serving line, and they managed to say a few words to each other, he told her he was off duty for the rest of the morning.

He also invited her for another walk along the shore, and she agreed, taking her long morning break with him. They walked down to the waterline and made their way around the curve of the island, heading away from the barracks building.

“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” she quipped as they walked along the beach. “It seems all we ever do is stroll along the shore.”

“Well, I’d offer to take you out dancing, but while stuck on this island, our options are kind of limited.” He smiled at her, reaching for her hand now that they were out of sight of everyone else for the moment.

“That’s okay. I think walking along the beach is incredibly romantic. Both halves of my soul enjoy this setting. The beach is one of my favorite places ever,” she admitted, smiling over at him.

“Mine too.” He breathed deeply, holding her gaze. “Actually, anyplace you are is my favorite place ever.”

And just like that, the mood changed from playful to passionate…and sort of wondrous.