Page 24 of Kraken the Seal

Nina

I woke up before Delmar again, but this time I was prepared. I knew how to make coffee. He'd explained that he tried not to use electricity if he could help it, so he made coffee on the gas stove with a percolator.

I prepped it the way he'd shown me, put it on the stove to heat, and set the timer on my phone. It wasn't as fast as a drip machine, but the novelty was fun. If it became annoying, I'd talk to Delmar about how we could switch to a drip machine. If this boat was going to be our new home, then maybe I could pay for some upgrades so he didn't have to be so careful about using electric items.

Or maybe we could buy a bigger boat. One with a real shower. Using a hose on the deck to get the saltwater out of my hair hadn't been easy.

Even better, we could live part-time at my place and part-time here! That would be the best of both worlds.

I was so focused on planning our future that I didn't notice the folded piece of paper taped to the round window in the cabin door until it fluttered.

Startled by the movement, I turned and stared at the window until I figured out what I was looking at. Opening the door, I looked around. There were people gathering on the pier with steaming mugs of coffee to stare down at us again, but no one on the dock or boat.

I pulled the note off and shut the door. Unfolding the paper revealed a handwritten note with a time and place, but nothing else.

“There’s brief and then there’s asshole,” I muttered. “I hope they don’t expect me to go alone. I should send Delmar first. That would make them nervous and teach them to write a demanding note like this one.”

“Nina?”

I looked up to find Delmar in front of the bed wearing only board shorts and looking sleepy and adorable. He was rubbing his fingers through his hair and stifling a yawn.

Holding up the piece of paper, I waved it a little. “We have a time and place.”

He ambled forward and took the message, looking at both the front and back of the paper. “I guess they didn’t want to confuse us with too many details.”

I rolled my eyes as the timer on my phone went off. “Coffee!” I declared and moved to the stove.

“My love for you is eternal,” he said, joining me at the kitchenette.

I grinned. “Or for as long as the coffee lasts?”

“I'd love you for at least a half hour after the coffee was gone,” he said, pulling mugs out of a cabinet. I poured coffee into both of them, and soon we were sitting at the tiny kitchen table sipping coffee. I debated about making some toast, but my stomach was in knots.

“At least the meeting is soon,” I said. “We don't have to hang out here for days waiting for them.”

“We might have an answer and leave before noon,” he said, looking cheerful. “There's an adorable town we can visit on the way home.”

I appreciated the way he was trying to make this seem like a fun weekend trip we'd decided to take instead of a search for magical help. It didn't do anything to untie the knot in my belly, but it made me feel like we were in a partnership. I wasn't in this alone.

We were fated mates. I'd never face anything alone ever again.

A few days ago, I would've scoffed if someone told me I'd meet the love of my life and dream about settling into a home together, or boat, I guess. Now I couldn't imagine life without Delmar. It was crazy how quickly someone could adapt.

My anxiety got worse. “I don't trust these people.”

Delmar nodded. “Same. Who makes women go through their men to be heard? My mom would slap anyone who said she wasn't allowed to talk for herself.”

The image of a lady kraken letting her tentacles loose on these men made me grin. It almost made me want to be a kraken.

“We need to have a strategy," I said.

“Strategy? For what?”

“To deal with Mayor Norris, or whoever shows up to talk to us,” I explained. “I'm sure they won't mess with us physically because you're a big scary kraken.”

He puffed up. “That's right!”

I grinned. “Except there are a lot of ways to manipulate or coerce people that don't have anything to do with physical force. That's why we need a strategy. Tell me everything you know about selkie history, culture, and religion.”