Riptide [Kismet Cove] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (25 page)

Jess let go of Rory’s hand and went to hug Evan. “I love you both, but right now I’m afraid Evan is my favorite. Sorry, Rory.”

“Oh sure, thrown over for pancakes.” Rory threw up his hands in mock surrender. “I see how this is going to be. You just stick with breakfast boy over there then, J.J. Clearly you don’t need one of my foot massages.”

“That’s not fair!” Jess laughed and kissed Evan on the cheek. “Syrup’s in the cupboard, sexy. Thank you so much, this will be perfect.”

Then she followed Rory over to the couch and flopped down, lifting her sock-covered feet into his lap the moment he sat down. “Yes, please.”

“Fickle creature,” Rory teased and tugged her socks off.

Jess let her eyes close and groaned in encouragement as he started working the sore spots on her arches with strong fingers. She could hear Evan puttering around in the kitchen, and as normalcy returned to her world it was easy to let go of the worst parts of her day and just hang on to the good things. Jess let her thoughts drift where they may, and she found herself remembering some of the stories her mother had told her about selkies as a little girl. That’s when it hit her.

“The box!” Jess yelled and sat up, startling Rory. “I completely forgot about the box. How could I be so stupid?” She scrambled up off the couch and stood up, looking around the room until she spotted the heavy wood and metal box her mother had asked Jess to bring to Tofino with her. Without explaining herself, she bolted across the living room and tossed aside the various papers and assorted junk she’d managed to pile on top of it in the short period of time she’d been in residence.

The moment she had unearthed it Jess hauled it out of the corner, only to realize Rory and Evan were crouched beside her and were helping her manhandle the bulky container out into the middle of the living room floor.

“What the hell is in this thing, bricks?” Evan grunted and then stiffened as he took a closer look. “Holy shit. Rory, is this what I think it is?” He rapped a knuckle on one of the bands of metal that crisscrossed the entire surface of the box.

“Iron,” Rory confirmed as she touched another one of the bands. “The whole thing is wrapped in iron.”

The two men exchanged knowing looks then looked at Jess with pity in their eyes. “So what’s the big deal about iron?” she asked as she worked to undo the ancient latches.

“It’s got magic dampening properties,” Rory told her.

“Did you just say
magic
? As in abracadabra and hocus pocus, magic?” Jess demanded as she managed to wrench the second latch open and lifted the lid.

“What did you think selkies were, sweetheart? A human-seal hybrid? An alien DNA experiment gone awry? We are magical creatures, and iron is one of the few things that messes with our mojo.”

Evan and Rory stared into the box, and Jess heard them both sigh sadly as they looked at the contents.

“This must have been your mother’s pelt.” Rory started to reach out to touch it but then withdrew his hand. “She locked it away in an iron box so she could never change forms.”

“What the hell happened to her that she’d do that to herself?” Evan asked in a voice thick with emotion.

“I don’t understand,” Jess whispered as she very carefully touched the dried and brittle fur. “You both sound almost horrified at the idea she did this.”

“Until you’ve experienced it for yourself, you won’t understand completely. But what your mother did to herself would be a bit like cutting out a part of her soul on purpose,” Evan explained and she felt both of them rest a hand on her back as she leaned closer and lifted the pelt up out of the box. It weighed almost nothing despite its size, and Jess realized it was completely dried out. It was pale silver and marked with darker rings of gray and Jess laid it gently on the floor in front of them. If they could have spread it out, it would have been large enough to cover a human being.

“It’s beautiful,” she said and stroked the fur very carefully with her fingers.

“Jess, look.” Rory lifted a hand and pointed into the box. “That’s got to be yours.”

Lying at the bottom of the box was a second pelt, almost identical to her mother’s in color and markings. Jess held her breath as she reached in and gingerly lifted it out, cradling silver fur in her hands. It was soft and pliant to the touch, and an undeniable sense of
rightness
flowed through her as she held onto it.

“This is me,” she breathed in awe. “I can feel it.”

“She had to have taken this from you when you were only a child.” Evan sighed. “You probably don’t even remember changing.”

Jess blew out a long breath. “How does this even work? Was I born human or…” She lifted the pelt slightly. “This?”

Rory explained. “Pups are born with the same form as their mother at the time of their birth, and then they stay in that form for the next six years or so. Seal-form selkies just need to imagine a human shape and the pelt comes off. For human-form selkie children, it’s the reverse.

“The change from human to seal is instinctive, especially when we’re in the water. Take a selkie child of the right age out into the water and tell them to imagine their seal form while playing and splashing around, and it usually doesn’t take very long for them to change forms. After that, the pelt is hidden in a safe place and the child learns to summon the change at will.”

“What do you mean, hidden?” Jess asked, feeling lost. “Don’t we need it to transform? I don’t understand.”

Rory answered her. “A selkie doesn’t need to have their pelt physically with them to transform. It’s more a symbol or a talisman than an actual pelt we wear. We just need to summon the power it holds.”

“Power,” Jess breathed the word. “You’re talking about actual magic again. Do you have any idea how hard it is to accept all this?”

“We know,” Evan murmured. “You just keep asking questions, Jess. I promise, this is all real. We’re really selkies, all of us.”

“So why can’t I change?” she asked, looking at Rory.

“Well for starters you didn’t know you could. How could you summon an ability you didn’t know you had? Plus, your pelt was contained inside an iron box.”

“And that was enough to stop the…magic?” Jess stumbled over the last word.

“It would be enough to stop any of us from being able to transform,” Evan chimed in. “You’ve read the legends, right? Sometimes humans would find a selkie’s pelt and use iron to block the magic so the selkie couldn’t transform and effectively became a slave to the one who possessed their pelt.”

So we hide our pelts very carefully.” Rory explained. “We keep ours tucked away in a fireproof safe. We’ll keep yours there too, when you’re ready.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

Both of them leaned in close and Jess basked in the warmth of their presence, grateful they were here with her. Her mother had to have known that by sending Jess back to Tofino, all of this would have come out eventually, and Jess was thankful that she had Rory and Evan’s love and patience while she muddled her way through all these revelations.

Jess unfolded her pelt so she could see the silver and charcoal coloring more clearly, and a folded note fell onto the floor. Her name had been clearly written on it in her mother’s elegant handwriting.

“Mom.” She whispered the single word and felt tears pricking at her eyes again. “She always did like getting in the last word.”

I think you’ve spent enough time kneeling on the floor.” Rory was already moving and helping Jess to her feet as he spoke.

“I’m just going to make sure I didn’t burn dinner. Give me a minute.” Evan kissed her cheek and then jogged back to the kitchen.

Rory settled her in the middle of the couch and sat down beside her, drawing her up against his chest and curving one strong arm around her waist. “How are you holding up?” he asked and she heard the concern in his tone.

“All things considered, I’m doing pretty well. I haven’t run screaming out into the woods just yet, so I’d say I’m coping nicely.”

“When you’re ready, Evan and I will help you learn to take your other form. Now that you know what we are, there are so many things we can tell you that we couldn’t before.”

“Just remember that after today, we’re not allowed any more secrets. I don’t think I can take any more dramatic surprises in this lifetime.”

“I think we’ve covered all the big ones. The rest we can show you as you get used to the idea that you’re not who you thought you were.”

Evan came around the couch and joined them, cuddling up close to Jess. “Read the letter, sweetheart. Then we’re going to put this soap opera on hold and go have something to eat.”

Jess laid the pelt in her lap and unfolded the note.

My darling Jess,

I hope that by the time you are reading this, you’ve already found at least some of the answers to the questions you always wanted to know. You always wanted to know where I was born, who my family was, and why you never saw any of your relatives. I’m sorry that I never gave you the answers you deserved. At the time I believed it was for the best, but now I know I should have given you at least some of the answers you wanted. Now it’s too late and I fear you’ll have to find out for yourself.

Once you’ve read this letter I want you to go find Emma Frazier. She lives just up the road from your cabin in a place called Kismet Cove. There was a time when she was my dearest and closest friend, and I know she will be able to help you make sense of what I’m going to tell you.

Before I married your father, my name was Mara Silk. My parents were Jack and Alicia Silk. They are very likely still living at Kismet Cove. Before you go to speak to them, please, talk to Emma and show her this letter. She’ll understand what is needed.

Jess, be wary of your grandfather. Don’t let him try to take control of your life in any way. He is the reason I left home all those years ago, and he may still be a threat to you now. He ordered me to marry against my wishes, and when I refused to agree to the marriage he beat me and made it clear to me I had no choice in the matter. I was already in love with your father, and rather than face a lifetime of unhappiness with my father’s choice for me, I ran to your father’s cabin and begged him to take me away. We eloped that night.

I had to keep you safe, and to do that I made decisions that weren’t really mine to make. I denied you your heritage, and I will always regret that I wasn’t brave enough to tell you the truth. I hope one day you will forgive me for keeping secrets from you, but I truly believed it was necessary. Be happy, my beautiful daughter.

Love always,

Mom

Jess read the letter and then read it again, and when she was done there were several tearstains on the paper. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about granddad trying to order me around like he did mom. I have you two to protect me from him.”

Rory reached around and took the letter from her and handed it to Evan. “I read it over her shoulder, but you really need to read this, too,” was all he said to Evan before turning his attention back to Jess.

“Baby, your grandfather passed away a few years ago, so you’d be safe from him no matter what. Your grandmother and her other mate, Michael, are still alive and living here, though. They’ll be very happy to meet you, they’re good souls.”

Evan sucked in a breath and handed the letter back to Jess as he finished reading it. “It’s what everyone suspected was happening back then. I guess now we have proof.”

“Proof of what?” Jess demanded.

Evan was the one who answered. “About the time your mom took off, other younger members of the colony started disappearing, too. Rory’s grandfather and some of the other parents of the time were obsessed with improving the bloodlines. There was a lot of talk of forced pairings and other nastiness, but the ones who were involved all left the colony so there was no one to confirm anything. Instead of improving the bloodlines, the colony lost nearly half a generation. We’re still recovering from that imbalance.”

“So my mom wasn’t the only one.”

“No, she wasn’t. But that exodus is one of the reason’s my father is so hung up on our mating to someone of the right bloodline. He’s better than my grandfather, but he was still influenced by the bastard. When it’s my turn to lead, things are going to be different.” Rory made the last line sound like a vow, and Jess turned her head to kiss his cheek. “Yes, we will.”

“Spoken like a true princess-in-training,” Evan said approvingly and patted her knee. “So, can we please eat now? Jess still needs to sop up the last of that tequila, and I’m starving. Breakfast was a long time ago.”

“I think food is a great idea.” Jess sat up and smiled at her two men. “Then I want to take you two to bed so you can make me forget all about this day, selkies, and most especially Renee.”

“Yeah, about her—” Rory started to speak and Jess put a finger to his lips to silence him.

“I know you didn’t sleep with her, no matter what she said. I know my boys, and she was not even close to your type.”

“So what is our type?” Evan helped her to her feet and then hauled her into his arms for a slow, lingering kiss before she could answer.

When he finally released her she took an unsteady step backward and bumped into Rory, who turned her around and kissed her just as intently as Evan had just done. By the time he lifted his head to breathe Jess’s head was spinning and she knew the answer to Evan’s question.

“
I’m
your type. And I happen to be one of a kind.”

After dinner Rory waved them off, claiming that since Evan had done the cooking, it was only fair someone else do the dishes. Evan sent his blood-brother a silent message of gratitude and snagged Jess’s hand, leading her away from the kitchen before she could even consider offering to help.

He led her down the hall to the bathroom and kicked the door closed behind them. He’d been waiting for his moment to get Jess alone, and he wasn’t going to waste the time Rory had given them.

Evan tugged her into his arms and held her close, letting her soft warmth and soothing scent ease some of the anxiety he’d been feeling since he first realized she’d run away from them, hours before. He knew her upset was his fault, and every time he looked back at the scene at Darius’s home he wished he could go back and undo the moment he’d gloated over confirmation Jess was a selkie.