Page 21 of The Dark Will Rise

I didn’t know how I would get all of the names straight. They all blended together.

“I heard about River.” Storm took a sip from her glass, staring Rainn down. “Ma didn’t tell me why our brother languishes in the dungeon as we speak. Apparently, he was missing most of the hair on his head when he was placed behind bars.”

I turned to Rainn, waiting for him to elaborate.

Rainn bared his teeth, but it wasn’t a smile. Not quite. Storm mirrored the expression, and I felt like I was watching two sharks fighting over territory. “River loves his hair.” Rainn mused, his eyes hard. “Perhaps it will do him good to lose something he loves. An eye for an eye and all that.”

“Hmm,” Storm murmured.

The door closed as two more selkies entered while I had been distracted. A female with hair as long as the selkie queen’s, though her face was different. Her nose was too broad, and face too round. She was beautiful, but no doubt favored her father’s likeness. “Cove.” Rainn tilted his head in greeting.

The male selkie slid into the seat next to Storm, stealing the jug of wine and pouring himself a generous serving. “Hael.” He said his attention on me. “And who might you be?”

Storm elbowed him. “She’s Rainn’s Shíorghrá. Idiot.” She snapped.

Hael’s grin turned predatory. “Congratulations, brother. Though we knew she was your mate, I commend you on finally having the balls to leave the Skala Beach to go and find her.”

Rainn rolled his eyes.

“How did you two love birds meet?” Hael took a slug from his wine. “Did you bond over poetry and swim under the stars.”

“He kidnapped me,” I said dryly. “After the siege on the frosted sands at the Mer-king’s behest. He followed me across Night Court and faced the sirens and a Kraken for me.”

“Don’t forget that he gave you his coat but lied about it for several weeks.” Tor snickered into his hand.

Rainn glared at him. “You lied about the Shíorghrá markings!”

I put my head in my hands, letting loose an exasperated sigh. “You’re both liars; how about that?”

“What is taking Ma so long?” One of the twins murmured, turning to the door.

The other chuckled. “I don’t know, Wave. I’m enjoying myself.”

“Wait…” Hael sat up. “You’re both mated to her?”

Storm toasted with her glass. “I commend you.” She told me. “Not just for having the power to hold two mates, but the patience as well.”

Cove, who had been silent until that moment, cleared her throat. “If memory serves, the Mad Queen’s prophecy stated that when all five lake creeds join together, the lake will know peace.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Has she met the Mer-King and the Mac Eoin heir?”

“Met them?” Rainn snorted. “They’re besotted. Cormac tried to kill her.”

“Just like his father.” Cove’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “Always trying to destroy the things he loves.”

“Cormac doesn’t love me.” My stomach clenched, and something icy washed over my body at the thought of Cormac Illfinn and his murderous face.

If Cormac wanted to possess me, that was long past. He had stabbed me in the back. He killed me.

Storm and Cove exchanged glances.

I took the moment of silence as a reprieve and studied each of Rainn’s siblings. Checking the coats chained to their belts. I wasn’t sure how the coat business worked entirely, only that a selkie could be controlled if their coat was stolen. Rainn had given his away, and each time it returned to me. Even when Arden stole his coat and hid it for me to find, Rainn still belonged to me.

Some of his siblings had chained coats, and the others wore capes with the same soft fur as my blanket. Each one was different, with spots, stripes, and colors ranging from black to pale grey, with tan and brown in between.

Rainn’s coat was a deep brown, like old wood. Part of the reason it had taken me so long to realize that the gift was so much more than a blanket. His selkie form was so quick underwater that his coloring was hard to spot.

The conversation continued around me as the selkie queen’s lateness was ignored, and the food was plated.

Seeing the same fish prepared so differently across the lake always surprised me. The Reeds preferred their fish boiled with the spelled stoves or the hot springs under the castle.

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