Page 56 of Selkie AU: Beyond the Storm

“Just ice,” he responded. “There’s a big iceberg not too far ahead. Should we go around it?”

I frowned as I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I can feel it. The pull. We’rehere. Could they be deep beneath the surface?”

“I’ll send some orcas to check,” he told me, letting go of the boat and dipping back beneath the surface.

I paced as we waited for confirmation. It was so quiet here, but something in the air felt off.Other. I just couldn’t place why.

Where were they?

It took less time than I expected before Kova was pulling himself up onto the side of the boat again. “Duck!” he projected frantically.

“Duck?” Were orca afraid of birds or something?

“Duck now!” he shouted, his voice sounding distorted out of the water.

Before I could process it, Rowan’s body was slamming into mine and taking us both down to the floor of the boat along with three selkies standing close by.

Not even a second later, a long, pointed stick soared through the air where our heads had just been, its metallic pointed tip embedding into the back wall of Rowan’s boat.

Holy shit.

“What in all the seas was that?” I exclaimed.

“Stay down!” Rowan demanded as he shuffled off us to yank at the stick. “It’s a fucking harpoon.”

Where had it come from? I turned to the area heavily obscured by the fog. There should have been nothing but ice in front of us.

My eyes met Kova’s. We spoke at the same time. “They’re in the iceberg.”

28

Rowan

Absolutely not.

I felt for Miki, really I did. I wished very much that I could help get her coat back so she and Panak could raise their family together in good health. I wanted nothing but the best for them, but now there were fuckingharpoonsbeing shot at Milo,andhe’d already nearly beeneatenonce.

As much as I wanted to help Miki, I had my own family to protect. That family was Milo, and whatever children we may or may not have in the future. There wouldn’t be a future at all, though, if we were eaten or impaled. Enough was enough. We’dtried, but we were sorely unprepared for this situation. I was getting us out of here.

Keeping my head low, I started the motor, then rushed to the helm to turn us the fuck around.

“What are you doing?” Milo asked, standing up to dash over to me.

“Get down, Milo!” I scolded, completely unsure of where the next harpoon, or whatever else, might come from as I went full throttle back the way we’d come.

As long as I continued straight, I knew we wouldn’t crash into anything in the fog.

Unfortunately, that didn’t mean anything wouldn’t crash intousin the fog.

It was an orca, probably, that jostled the boat suddenly, sending us rapidly off course. Shit. Another huge bump, definitely orca, and I was no longer sure exactly which way we’d come from in this damn fog. I had to just make my best guess.

“Rowan.” Milo yanked at my arm. “You’re going the wrong way.”

I didn’t answer. He could be as angry at me as he wanted to be, and any of the selkies currently on my boat that wanted to stay were welcome to jump off any time. What was important was to get Milo to safety.

A jagged wall of white appeared through the fog in front of us. I cursed as I spun the wheel rapidly to avoid the ice. A near miss. My pulse thumped in my ears as I continued in a new direction.

Again a tower of ice foiled our escape, and this time my boat scraped against the side of it, taking off paint but thankfully not doing any structural damage,probably. I could still get us home.