Page 51 of Between Salt and Serenades
He shook his head almost the entire time I spoke, so I softened the blow when I said, “When the fisherman, Rory, dropped me off on his boat just short of the first layer of rocks, I cut one of the hybrid’s enclosures and freed the creatures within it. There’s some in the cove right now, and more are most likely on their way.”
Niven’s face lifted, and a bit of color returned to his face.
“You let me bake on this hot rock with you for hours while fish swim about our cove? Are you mad?” he asked, placing his large hands on either side of my shoulders and giving me a good shake. “Let’s go! This conversation can wait.”
Niven began pulling his pelt over his human flesh until none of it remained. He morphed into a silvery seal with speckles and oval rings then scooted off to the water’s edge. Though I was no longer hungry, I followed him to the water, guilt overcoming me that I hadn’t thought to tell him, or anyone else, about the fish first. I knew as soon as I did, there would be a frenzy.
I kept the news of the fish to myself as I dove into the water after Niven. My clan, the true seals, and the kelpies would all find fish soon enough. For now, all I could do was watch my brother joyfully swim in spirals and loops on his way to have his first proper meal in, well, I wasn’t sure how long.
“You don’t understand, I need to talk with them now! Don’t you realize how important this is?” I asked, walking down the shore with my pelt wrapped around me like a tiny, furry dress. Niven’s was firmly secured around his waist the way most of the men, and plenty of the women, wore it. “It’s not just about the sirens. These netted enclosures are takingourfood too, Niven. Sitting by and doing nothing will be the death of us all. We have the privilege of growing legs and walking away from the sea, but what about the sea fae who can’t? What about the sharks, and the orc?—”
“The orcas? You’re going to try to sell me on this by saying the orcas need our help?” Niven’s jaw locked, and I cursed myself for my poor choice of words.
My toes dug into the sand beneath us, and I was thankful for the soft surface after the long day lounging upon our stones. Niven and I meandered around the sandy area, a private place to talk about such sensitive matters. The selkies in our clan rarely journeyed this far to the small strip of sand just outside the cove.
I smacked my lips, peered over at Niven, and said, “I know what they do to our kind, what one did to Dad, but the sea is imbalanced. Every single one of us, from the clams to the whales, is important. Ifallof us are to survive, we need to work with the sirens and end this horrible war.”
“You sound like Mom, you know. She cared about this sea down to the last mollusk. I do too, you know; we just go about things differently,” Niven said.
“Well, maybe it’s finally time we get on the same page. The clan leaders won’t listen to me if evenyoudon’t believe in me.”
“I believe in you, Breena, always, but I couldn’t blindly have your back and follow you to a human-infested land if I didn’t have my questions answered first. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t understand the situation fully. Haven’t I always told you to be armed with a question or two?”
“You have,” I admitted with a sigh. “So does this mean you’ll come with me to speak to the clan leaders?”
“I will, but not today.”
“Well, why not?” My pacing halted, and I buried my toes in the sand, refusing to move from my very spot. My eyes were glued on my brother, his chest deflated when he finally met my gaze.
“We’re reaching the end of pupping season,” Niven said. “The leaders have their hands full with finding care for abandoned baby seals, and one of them has had a child of their own.”
“Aila gave birth?” I asked. “I haven’t been gone that long, yet I feel like I’ve missed so much.”
“She has. A boy,” Niven said with a soft smile. I knew he was eager to have his own one day. He’d forgone finding a mate because, for some reason, the man felt like he was still responsible for raising me. Maybe when I left, he would finally find someone and have a life of his own. He deserved that more than almost anyone I knew. “And it’s a busy time of year, Breena. You know how it is. I promise I’ll get something set up with them; it’s just going to take a few days.”
“Okay, but I’m trusting you with this, Niven. Please don’t let me down.” Flashing him a warning glare, I started pulling my buried feet free from the sand.
“Have I ever?” he asked, his hand over his chest, eyes wide.
“Yes! You’re not perfect, you know.” I gave him a weak shove. I’d grown used to being gentle with Sidra but forgot my brother’s strength was a match for my own. When he flashed me a “That’s all you’ve got?” stare, I shoved him a little harder, loving that Ididn’t need to hold back with my own kind. Sirens were so fragile with their light, thin bones. It was so cute.
“Are you coming?” Niven said as he stepped onto the path leading to our small village, a village that was nothing like Barthoah. The cluster of stone buildings didn’t have a name; it was simply the heart of the cove. There were buildings for learning, healing, sleeping, and arts, and that was pretty much all we needed. We spent most of our days with a tail, whether we were fully transitioned or not, so there was no use for anything fancier than what we had.
Casting my gaze over to my brother, I said, “I’ll meet up with you later. I think I’m going to hang out here for a little while longer.”
“Suit yourself. Just be back to the cove before nightfall, please,” he said, concern flickering in his eyes for the briefest of seconds before he straightened his posture.
“Yeah, yeah.” I waved him off with a small grin. The man was ever the protector.
When would he realize I no longer need one?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS
As fish swam past me, leaving a trail of bubbles in their wake, my gaze traced up my scaled tail. Being so close to the light, my tail was brighter, with vibrant hues of blue and pink that melted into purple. Shreds of white fabric floated around my tail, as if I’d gotten caught in the sails of a sunken boat.
My gaze landed on my hands and the translucent skin laced between my fingers from knuckle to knuckle. The light from the sun flashed off my new nails, which stretched far beyond where the old ones ever did. These talons were deadly sharp, made to cut through flesh and bone. So, when I ran my pointer finger from the top of my bodice and down the length of the dress, the fabric split into two with no fight.
