Page 24 of The Rake OR The Orca Who Met His Match in a Selkie Desiring Revenge

"Alright, well, all of that sounds like things I can support. I—Aegir, I should warn you, I don't fully understand the bond and what it does." She looked away, the feeling of her captor's hands on her pelt tormenting her and the echo of his words ringing in her ears.

"We'll figure it out, I'm sure of it." He cracked an eye. "Is there anything I should avoid? Anything that would make you uncomfortable?"

Elspeth bit her lip, several ideas immediately flashing into her head, though the thought of voicing them made her want to sick up.

After a few moments of silence, Aegir nodded his head. "That's fine, I understand. Well, I’m still worried about the ‘order’ situation. I can't promise I'll never bark out an order expecting to be obeyed, especially on the ship—I am a captain, after all. But, I need you to know that I meant what I said. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do."

Elspeth pursed her lips. “I’ll try.” He might have tried to be careful with his words, but almost nothing was ironclad. “Shall we make sure it’s still working?”

"Perhaps it will help us both feel better." Aegir leaned forward to rest an arm on his knee. "Then I order you to stand on the bed and do a silly dance... Anything?"4

"Not a bit," she whispered. Elspeth expected to feel the direction settle into her. Instead, she sat, cross legged on the bed and couldn't feel a single difference. How would she know if it worked if there was no indication? Could it really be that simple? Had he really found a lasting way around what she'd assumed wouldbe the worst situation of her life? The dread that had gripped her chest since she'd learned of the situation loosened. Dumping her art supplies on the bed, she bolted to stand on the floor.

"Aegir, I think it’s still working!”

He crossed to her, any semblance of his prior character gone from his demeanor. Aegir wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her in a circle. She'd been so worried that she'd never be free again. That she'd always be subject to Aegir's whims if he ever found out about the bond. Instead, he'd freed her. At least from some of the more dangerous aspects. Her whole body tingled with joy, and something far more tempting. Aegir's body pressed against hers, and the easy way he held her and tilted his head onto her own felt soperfect,for a moment at least.

He spun her around, repositioning his hands on her to better support her weight and in doing so, he grasped onto her pelt. She’d imagined this, a gorgeous person spinning her around, their eyes alight with joy. "Oh my beautiful si—Elspeth, are you well?"

Thatword—beautiful—made her whole body go rigid. She didn't have much memory of her captivity, she'd forgotten as much of it as she could. But thatwordshook what little foundation she'd begun to rebuild.Ice pumped through her veins, but not the serenity of an ice flow. No, it was the sluggish panic of being trapped, the ice a smooth sheet above her as she ran out of air, not a hole to breathe anywhere in sight. Her body drifted under the water, floating.

The world spun around her, her very reality unmoored. Her breathing quickened as memories whipped through her, dragging her backward in time and twisting her current experience.

The spinning became the rocking of a ship.

The waves slapping against the hull, wild and free.

She tried to flee to a place in her mind where he couldn’t reach her, with his fingernails so caked in dirt and breath that stank of rum.

In her mind, she was riding those waves, not the ship.

In her mind, there were no fingers on her pelt, only the cool slip of the water as she dove beneath its foamy surface.

In her heart, her chest raced, and she pushed against the body that held her, that caged her. She had to get away she had to—

Abruptly, they stopped spinning and she was placed gently on the floor, though she still swayed with the ship. Aegir spoke, but his voicedidn’t belong. Not on the Navigator’s ship. But didn’t he? Wasn’theher captor now?

Elspeth shook her head, trying to clear the feelings and remember where she was. Her eyes caught on the hearth, on the glowing fire within.

There was no hearth on the Navigator’s ship. She was here, now, at the inn. Aegir tried to get her attention again, but she brushed his hands away. Instead, she hung onto the fire’s warm glow, allowing her eyes to unfocus and the firelight to blur until it was all she saw. Its light was mesmerizing and so, so warm. It held her, allowed her to sink inside, shielded from the whips of memory. It beckoned her in, seducing her with its warmth and the assurance of the present.

She whined when she was lifted and carried away from the light, confused. The rest of the world assailed her, beckoning her back so she could be whipped once more. Elspeth drew in a shaky breath and screamed when the soft sheets brushed against her back. She scrabbled for her pelt as the hands left her, clasping it around her like a shield. Those hands would touch it first, and though that was horrid, perhaps they would leave her alone. Perhaps she’d be covered enough…

But no hands slid along her fur. No weight bent the mattress. And still, the fire flickered. Its crackles were a gently prodding reminder, a tickle telling her she was not, in fact, on that ship. She was not, in fact, truly captive. Tinkling of porcelain joined the percussion of the fire as a steaming cup of tea was set next to her on the side table. Footsteps retreated, a brief interlude, and then the true melody began. At first, it wandered, a humming song that softly meandered through the room.

Flicking her eyes to the teacup, she snuck a shaky hand out of her pelt and claimed it. She clutched the cup, its heat permeating and reinforcing the fire’s message. In the background, the humming continued, settling into a melody that felt like a memory.

Instead of on a ship, it called to chilly days huddled by the fire, of her father’s exuberant voice, her brother’s clumsy strumming, and her mother’s steady hand as she tapped out the rhythm on her knee. The words were missing, but perhaps the melody, the memory, was enough. The humming continued, and eventually, she blinked, following it to the present.

Aegir sat in the chair near her, ostensibly reading a book, though she noted that he did not turn the pages. Instead, he hummed,staring it down, as if the book might give him the answer to some elusive question. She lifted the teacup, watching him.

He was a handsome man, one she’d normally think far too fine for her. Even at rest, his nightclothes spoke of wealth and sophistication, neither of which she’d ever had any hope of for herself. With his attention off of her, weight lifted from Elspeth’s chest. Things had been going relatively well. At least, until he touched her and called her beautiful.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“If anything I ever do offends you, I always want you to speak up.” He shifted his weight in the chair, perhaps it was uncomfortable.

“It wasn’t offensive… or at least it shouldn’t have been,” she said “I think… that word. It doesn’t sit right after… everything.”