Page 7 of The Rake OR The Orca Who Met His Match in a Selkie Desiring Revenge
“Offend?” she said. “You’ve done far more than offend. But if you’re really so daft as to not see that, I’m not about to enlighten you.”
1. Not all elves are rich, of course, but generally, even the poorest elves are often better off than other races.
2. Aegir practices an art called lunology, which allows him to alter his body at the basest level. It should be noted that Aegir is an exceptionally talented lunologist; most of his people maintain only their human form and one shifted form.
3. Jokith would have been much happier slaughtering elves wholesale, likely dying himself in the process.
4. As lunula does not appear naturally on the continent of Caihalaith, it’s imperative that any operatives there bring a supply with them. Stored in a powdered form, it still glows, however it is mixed with charcoal to dim the light as much as is possible.
Chapter three
Elspeth
IN WHICH ONE CAPTOR IS TRADED FOR ANOTHER, THOUGH PERHAPS WITH BETTER RESULTS, AND ELSPETH EMBARKSON A QUEST FOR REVENGE
She’d thought she wasin a worst-case scenario on the ship where she’d been kept, but Elspeth couldn’t see how this was any better. Despite her efforts, she was tied to this man. A man who’d tried toeather.
Behave or I’ll bleed on your pelt.
The threat that had haunted her days and echoed through her dreams at night had come true, though at the hands of a different captor.
She squinted at his finger.It wasn’t possible.The man’s hand washealed. If she didn’t know better, she’d guess he’d never been bitten at all. Her pelt taunted her with the truth, the smears of his blood slowly fading as it sucked it up like a sponge.
He was, she realized, an odd sort of fish kin, though it was not like she knew all the peoples of the Empire.1 In fact, she’d tried to learn as little about the rest of the place as possible. They had nothing that would affect Hillskerry, nothing they wanted. Even though he was back in a semi-humanoid form, the man was stillmassive. He loomed over her, his broad frame blotting out the first morning sun behind him.
The ground shifted beneath her, and Elspeth realized that they were on a boat. Blinking, she looked around. It was unlike any she’d seen before. There was no mast or sails, she couldn’t even see any paddles. Instead, there was a large structure in the middle, a huge wheel near the back, and smoke pumping from a tube.
“Where have you brought me?” she asked, unable to keep the tightness from her voice.
“This is my ship, the—” the man cut off, shaking his head. “Doesn’t matter. I brought you here because you were injured.”
Wet locks of black hair fell over his forehead, shaking back-and-forth with his laughter.
“I guess you weren’t acting strange because you were ill. You were acting strange because you’re not a seal. Are you a selkie then?”
So, he knew that much at least.
“I am.” There was no point in denying it, if he knew enough to know what a selkie was at all.
“That’swonderful! I’ve only just heard about your people. I’m Aegir, by the way.”
Perhaps he knew very little, then. He clearly didn’t know much about her pelt, nor did it seem as if he’d given much thought at all to the spots of his blood she could feel seeping into it.
“If you don’t mind—” she held her hand out toward her pelt.
His eyes widened, and he handed it over quickly. “Of course, I’m sorry. I hope that wasn’t—I mean I wasn’t trying to—never mind. Anyhow, I’m Aegir. And you are…”
He reallydidn’tseem to understand how closely they were tied now. If she could avoid him finding out, she might be able to escape him yet. She’d only feel compelled to obey him if she could hear him. If she got away before he learned, then it might be a non-issue. Perhaps he never needed to know about their bond. She didn’t know if she could be bound to anyone else in this way, but escaping before he realized would be more than enough for her.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, he cocked his head. “Well, I guess you don’t have to tell me your name if you don’t want to. As soon as you’re well, we’ll see about getting you back to yourpeople.” He leaned over and finished wrapping a bandage around her leg. Had he been doing that, touching her, the whole time? She’d become disconnected from her body during her captivity, but it was more acute than she’d realized.
He sat up taller, raising a hand to whisk some hair out of his face. “As you can see, I have a boat, so I can take you back home. If you could just give me a heading, we’ll be on our way.” He stood then, wiping his hands on his bare legs, as if he were wearing pants.
He offered her a hand and frowned when she stood on her own. They were far out to sea, the shoreline barely visible in the distance.
“I—I suppose I’m not entirely certain. I know what my island looks like, and I know what’s on the mainland near us, but otherwise, I’m not entirely sure.” Shame and heat rose from her chest into her face. She hated feeling stupid in front of him, this man who would be her jailer.
As if he hadn’t a care in the world, he threw back his head in laughter, hands on his hips. Sunlight glinted on bits of metal that pierced his ears, far more than she’d ever seen anyone have. Somehow, he didn’t seem nearly as large as he had before. In the water, she could’ve sworn he had been many times her size, almost able to swallow her in one bite. Now, though he was still quite large, he wasn’t even twice as tall.