Page 41 of Selkie AU: Beyond the Storm

I turned back toward the couple to see Panak already ushering Miki and her child away. “There’s no time. I have to help her.”

“There’s time,” he said, one finger urging me to look at him again as he traced it over my jaw. “I know where they live, Milo. If we need to find her again, we can, easily. Okay?”

I huffed in frustration, turning back to see silver eyes looking back at me as Miki was all but dragged away, the child in her arms starting to cry without making a sound.

20

Rowan

Something was wrong. I basically had to drag Milo back to the house so we could talk properly with no one overhearing. He was worried about Miki, and from the interaction we’d just experienced, I didn’t blame him.

I knew Panak. We’d grown up together. He was a quiet, introverted fisherman, and I’d thought perhaps we were quite similar.

Almost two years ago, he’d gone missing for a few weeks, then he reappeared like nothing had happened, only he had Miki with him. He claimed she was his wife and they’d gotten marriedwhile he was away. The town loved to gossip about it, though admittedly very little of that gossip made its way to me.

They did everything together, went everywhere together. Miki accompanied Panak on his boat each day when he went fishing. When she’d been heavily pregnant, he’d stayed home with her instead of going out to work, and only recently had he returned, this time with Miki and their son accompanying him.

I’d thought it a little odd to take a baby out, especially when the weather was so cold and harsh. But Panak had recently upgraded his boat to one with an internal cabin, and I figured it ultimately wasn’t any of my business.

They very much kept to themselves. They seemed happy.

So, what was that at the market? And why was Milo so insistent that Miki needed help?

“She’s a selkie,” Milo huffed, kicking his boots off as I closed the front door.

The statement shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. Miki looked just like Milo. Silver eyes, long wavy white hair. Of course, I hadn’t known selkies existed until a couple of weeks ago, so I hadn’t even thought of Miki until today, or considered the possibility that another selkie was already living in our town.

“Okay,” I answered. “I believe you. Why do you think she needs help?”

“Because that man took her coat!” He stomped his foot.

“How do you know that?”

“My goddess told me.”

So that was why he suddenly ran off? I inhaled deeply. “Your goddess specifically told you that Panak stole Miki’s coat?”

“Well, not in words.”

“Then what?”

“Instinct. Like… a pull. She wants me to help Miki, and Miki couldn’t hear when I projected at her and she can’t speak, so she mustn’t have her coat.”

“Projected?”

“Mind speak.”

“Selkies have telepathy?”

“Not important, Rowan!”

Sounded a bit important, but it could wait. “Okay, okay, just… let’s slow down for a moment. If Miki needs help, then I’ll help you help her. But we need a plan and we need to be calm about this. Do you agree?”

Milo huffed.

“She’s been with Panak for almost two years. If she needs help, it isn’t urgent. We can take a moment to sort ourselves so that we can figure out the best way to help her.”

Milo inhaled, then exhaled slowly, the tension easing from his shoulders. “Okay.”