Page 28 of Rock of Stages
With a look of disgust, he shifted to selkie form and dove into the deep. I stared after him, waiting several seconds for that sneaky shadow to resurface, but the surface remained calm.
“How did you find me, Caleb?” Naiya whispered, her voice tinged with awe.
I cupped her face, our foreheads nearly touching, and our breath mingled in the salty sea air. “I felt you,” I said. “The bond. I’ve been feeling it grow since you left.”
She gazed at me, a wondrous gleam in her eyes. “I’ve been feeling it too.”
I tipped my forehead to touch hers as we treaded water in each other’s orbit. “You're my mate, Naiya. I will always come for you.” In a softer voice, I added, “I love you.”
Her lips trembled and then formed a luminous smile. “I love you too.”
I pressed my lips to hers and kissed her. The energy between us sizzled, searing into my soul that this was right, this was perfect. It didn’t matter that we were sea and sky—we were mates.
We pulled away a fraction, holding each other there in the ocean.
She tilted her head and flashed a sly smile. “We’ve met like this before, gargoyle.”
I chuckled. “True, mermaid.” I grunted. “Same selkie causing trouble.” I pushed a strand of wet hair off her cheek. “Then you saved me.”
Her eyes gleamed. “This time, you saved me.”
A lump of emotion formed in my throat, and I swallowed it down.
She ran her hands over my back. “How about you show me those beautiful wings of yours again and fly us back onboard?”
I gazed down at her. “Excellent suggestion.”
Seconds later, I unfurled my wings and she squealed as I flew upward. She clung to me and then laughed, her tail hanging down toward the ocean.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
Her breath hitched. “Yes.” Magic shimmered against my skin as she transformed, her tail reforming as legs. She glanced around us and exhaled. “It’s exhilarating up here. Incredible to see the sea from the sky.”
“Indeed.” I couldn’t think of anything better than holding my mate as we soared beneath the moon. “Can we fly for a few minutes before returning to the ship?”
She held me more tightly. “Yes, show me your world.” She kissed my cheek. “Let’s fly, my gargoyle mate.”
EPILOGUE
NAIYA
The stars and moonlight sparkled over the ocean as I stepped outside near the pool deck. The ship rocked gently beneath my feet—no longer strange as I’d gotten used to this rhythm—and legs.
Caleb leaned against a railing with his signature don’t-mess-with-me stance, his blue-gray eyes scanning the horizon. He turned, as if he sensed me approach. When his eyes found mine, his face softened into the smile that he seemed to reserve just for me.
“There’s my beautiful mate.” He kissed me and pulled me into his giant arms. Tingles danced up my skin and my toes curled—that was one of the advantages of feet. He pulled back and gazed down at me. “How was your night?”
“Brilliant.” I beamed. The Moonlight Siren had hired me for the rest of the sailing season, and I spent most of my time working behind-the-scenes on productions. Carina mentionedshe’d try to get me a small role performing on a new show next season, but for now, I’d learn everything I could.
“Proud of you,” he said, brushing his fingers over the back of my neck.
The last three weeks had flown by in the blur. On dock days, I often swam with Carina and the other sea shifters. Now, I belonged to two worlds and relished exploring them both—especially whenever I could do so with Caleb.
We made our way to a table beside the dragon pool where the rest of his band had gathered with their mates. I loved when we met up like this after our shifts—a family of supernaturals, forging our own way on as we sailed the sea. As laughter rippled around the table, a massive shifter walked by.
Van leaned forward and muttered, “I thought our rock lobster was big, but that shifter’s biceps could probably crush Caleb’s drum set.”
“No one better lay a finger on my instrument,” Caleb grumbled.
