Page 10 of The Rake OR The Orca Who Met His Match in a Selkie Desiring Revenge

Beneath the letter was another sheet of paper, half filled with writing she couldn’t read. A translation, she surmised, judging by the reference books and dictionaries she found stacked around the desk, but it wasn’t complete. In fact, it appeared to stop just before the information about the blood rite.

Aegir might not know what kind of control he had on her yet, but it was plain her days were numbered. As soon as he finished translating this passage, he’d know that she was forever bound to him. Thesecond any command fell from his lips and reached her ears, she would be compelled to obey it.

She’d escaped captivity before, and she couldn’t stomach the idea of being kept captive once more. She didn’t want to see the transformation that came over Aegir when he realized that he was not only her savior, but her owner as well.

Heart beating quickly in her chest, Elspeth undressed, tying what little clothing she had in a knot. Every fiber of her being told her that she needed to leave, and quickly. Clutching her pelt around her, she climbed onto his bed, creaking the window open. She looked around, memorizing the small space. It had seemed so cozy and inviting, she’d have loved to have been able to stay. How nice it would’ve been, to have ridden in luxury all the way home.

But no, it didn’t matter how nice he was, how beautiful her cage might be, she couldn’t submit to a man’s control again. And what was more, she now had some idea of where her brother was. The letter had been postmarked from a town named Sunax, which looked to be north of their current location in the Konfusmeer Ocean.5 It boggled her mind that the ship had carried hersofar from home. And so, though she had little else togo on, she at least had a heading.

Never leave your pelt behind.

Travel only exactly where you mean to be.

Never go out on the ocean alone.

Two out of three rules wasn’t terrible, and the third couldn’t be helped, really. Perhaps her rules needed modification…

As she plunged into the water, something bubbled inside her. It wasn’t hope—nothing so innocent. Its molten heat felt more akin to desire. But instead of sexual desire, she felt the desire for revenge settled deep inside her.

She’d never killed anyone nor ever even really hurt anyone, but out there, somewhere near Sunax there was a Navigator who held her brother captive, and only his death would rectify that situation.

1. The Pathian Empire spent a great deal of energy to keep the peoples of Caihalaith separate as much as possible. By isolating cultures, they were able to perpetuate myths and sew fear that prevented cross-cultural cooperation.

2.The Lady’s Revengeis a steamship, modified to be run by only one or two people. Aegir’s work benefitted from a discreet crew, and though such things are common nowadays, at the time, it was entirely unheard of in Caihalaith.

3. He wasabsolutelyposing.

4. Selkies tend to have young in bursts, with a higher instance of twins than humanoids without animal affinities.

5. Sunax, situated on the western coast of Caihalaith is a settlement of basilisks and was one of the settlements most frequently in active rebellion against the Empire.

Chapter four

Aegir

IN WHICH AEGIR IS ENTIRELY PATHETIC

Aegir shuffled back intothe bunk room, flopping down on his temporary bed.

“Still hasn’t come out?” Jokith asked, using a fish bone to pick between his massive shark teeth.

“No, the breakfast I left for her this morning is untouched outside.” Aegir ran his hands through his hair, sighing in frustration. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. She seemed agreeable enough yesterday, it’s not like I tried to seduce her.”

“You brought her breakfast. Did you bring her water? Maybe she’s dehydrated.”

Aegir whipped his head off his pillow and looked at hisfriend, who seemed entirely serious.

“She’s not a plant who’s going to get dehydrated overnight. And of course I brought her water. Maybe I brought her the wrong kind of food…”1

Perhaps selkies didn’t eat porridge or fruit, maybe they subsisted solely on fish. He hadn’t considered that she might be an obligate carnivore, but that would explain why she’d turned her nose up at the meal he’d offered. Yes. For dinner, he’d ensure that there was only fish on her plate, freshly caught. He’d at least have a clue based on what she ate from her lunch tray, if anything.

For some reason he couldn’t quite fathom, he’d had trouble getting the strange woman out of his mind. Perhaps it had been too long since he had sex. There was no other reason for her to be sticking quite so tightly. She was a barnacle in his brain, a niggling responsibility that he could neither shirk nor wait to be rid of.

When he returned at sundown with her supper, however, her lunch remained untouched.

“Son of a bitch,” he swore. He rapped on the door several times with his knuckles. “Elspeth, are you in there? You haven’t been eating and I’m starting to get worried. If you could just tell me what you like to eat, I’m sure I’ll be able to find something.” He was met with her continued silence. He knockedagain, louder this time. “Elspeth, now, you see here! Open this damn door or I’m going to bring it down.”

He had obviously never had any trouble with wounds healing badly, but he had seen wounds that had festered, had seen people get fevers when they couldn’t heal.2