Page 66 of The Rake OR The Orca Who Met His Match in a Selkie Desiring Revenge
"Goddess, I missed how you smell today," he whispered.
"You've got a real thing for smell, don't you?"
"Perhaps, maybe it's just you. Now, please, I need you in my bed, sweetly snoring."
Elspeth turned toward him in affront. "I beg your pardon! I do not snore!"
"On the contrary, my siren. You sing the sweetest little snoring song in your sleep, and it is absolutely precious."
Elspeth hadn't ever heard that she snored, and she and Feann had shared a room for their entire life. She opened her mouth to protest further but Aegir snuck in to kiss her, slipping his tongue inside and stroking until she was dizzy. He swept her up, carried her to the bed, and tossed her down so she bounced on his mattress.
"There you are, exactly where you belong." He gazed down at her, his face so plainly adoring that Elspeth thought she might cry.
"I don't know that I've ever seen anything more perfect than you in my bed." He whispered it, barely on the edge of Elspeth's hearing, perhaps it wasn't even meant for her.
Without a word, Aegir climbed into bed next to her. Swift fingers untied her layers, divestingher until she lay in her chemise. He removed his own clothing and padded to the side of the room to turn the knob that doused the lights. In seconds, they were plunged into darkness, the dim light of the moon painting Aegir in shadows. The bright white of his coloring danced with them in a game of chase, the dips and swells of his torso capturing shadows and swallowing them whole.
Everything felt momentous as he crawled into bed next to her, curling around her and sheltering her.
And in the dark,quiet, wrapped in Aegir’s arms, the truth that Elspeth had kept safely locked away began creeping from its containment. All of the planning had helped distract her, but the truth plagued her. It scratched at the walls of where she shoved it, refusing to be ignored any longer.
He’s bonded, it said.
You’ll have to kill, it said.
You aren’t prepared, it said.
Learning how little was actually affected by the bond had freed her in many ways, but she had no hope that it would do the same for Feann.
He hadn’t accidentally fallen into a bond with the man who seemed determined to shelter and care for him.She could remember vividly the sneer on the elf’s face as he smeared his blood across Feann’s pelt. She doubted if he even looked at Feann as a person. And for them, they would have to sever the bond. There was no way the elf would let him go willingly.
Which meant, Elspeth would need to do as she had always done—whatever was needed to care for those she loved, and in this case, that meant she needed to kill. As much as she hated the Navigator, the thought of taking a life still made her stomach roil. Because though Aegir would—if she needed—handle it, she still felt like she should—for Feann. Shouldn’t she? If she couldn’t even kill for him, what sort of sister was she?
They’d outlined their plan, and she’d trained.
Tomorrow, she'd have her brother back.
Tomorrow, she'd know what her future held.
Tomorrow, she'd take back control of her life.
Though it wasn’t yetafter sundown, the sky was dark with clouds, the wind whipped Elspeth’s hairaround her, and the distant roll of thunder promised escalation.
"Remember," Jokith said. "I can't talk to you underwater like this freak can, so I'll just nod or shake my head."
"Right, I remember." Elspeth breathed deep, shivering with anticipation.
"Let's go sink some boats!" Jokith yelled, leaping over the gunwale.
"We will rescue your brother, I promise." Aegir whispered to her. He pressed a kiss to her lips, holding her shoulders firm.
"We will. He'll be safe." She said the words like speaking them would will it into being. She couldn't even bear to consider the possibility that he wouldn't.
"Race you." Aegir gave her a cheeky smile and took a head start, plunging into the water. With a growl of frustration, Elspeth followed him, the cool salt of the ocean washing over her like a balm. If nothing else, at least she had this, the depths welcoming her. The sea may roil above her, but these were currents she knew how to navigate. With as far north as they’d traveled, she was even beginning to recognize the tastes of her childhood, of salmon and charr, in the water.
Jokith swam ahead, rocketing to and fro, barely containing his excitement.
"Is he always like this?" Elspethasked.