The Selkie Sorceress (Seal Island Trilogy, Book 3) (38 page)

Nuala shook her head, confused. “How?”

“I can never give you back what my sister took from you. But I can give you back what was once yours. What still
belongs
to you.”

Nuala’s eyes widened, darting around the beach as a distressed baying rose from the selkies. “They will never accept this,” Nuala whispered. “I have made mistakes. I have done wrong.”

“What?” Brigid pressed. “What have you done?”

“I…I stole a child—an infant—from his home and his family.” Her gaze shifted to Owen. “I never meant to hurt anyone. I…I thought it would be better to take a child with no memories, than a grown man. I never wanted to…cause anyone pain.”

“This child,” Brigid said slowly, realization dawning as she followed Nuala’s gaze to Owen. “Is he back with his real family now?”

Nuala nodded.

Brigid squeezed her hand. “Then I forgive you.”

Nuala tried to tug her hand away. She tried to back away from Brigid, but Brigid held on. “This,” Brigid said, raising her voice so everyone on the beach could hear her, “is my first and last command as your leader.” She pulled Nuala to her feet. “You are the last white selkie, and I choose you as my queen.”

Nuala opened her mouth to speak, but Brigid knelt, bowing her head. Gradually, one by one, the selkies began to move. They shuffled over the beach, gathering around Nuala. Closing their eyes, they rested their chins in the sand at her feet.

NUALA’S HANDS SHOOK
as she reached into the curragh and pulled out Owen’s pelt. Across the beach, Caitlin’s arms tightened around her son when she saw what Nuala held. But Nuala walked slowly toward them, her heart breaking as her fingers curled around the pelt.

“I am sorry,” she said to Caitlin. “For everything I did to you.” She looked up as Liam walked up behind Caitlin, laying a protective hand on her shoulder. “To both of you.” Tears swam into her eyes as she gazed down at Owen. “I should never have taken you away from them.”

He blinked up at her with those sweet, trusting eyes and she felt a tear slip. She released her grip on his pelt, letting it drop into the smoldering fire at her feet.

Caitlin sucked in a breath and Liam jerked back.

“Wait!” Owen tried to scramble away, but Caitlin grabbed him, holding him tight. “What are you doing?”

“What I should have done a long time ago,” Nuala whispered. The leather cracked as it went up in flames. “You belong with them, Owen. With your real parents.”

Owen struggled against his mother’s arms, staring at his burning seal-skin. “But what if I want to visit you?”

“I will always be with you. I will never stop loving you or protecting you from my place in the sea.” Nuala knelt, and Caitlin let him go. Owen rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her neck. She closed her eyes, hugging him back.

The song of the sea rose over the waves, a restless, breathless rhythm calling her home. She pulled back, taking his small face in her hands. “I love you, Owen.”

“I love you, too,” he whispered, his fingers clinging to the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

She pressed her lips to his forehead. “Goodbye,” she whispered brokenly. She stood, turning away from him. She walked back across the sand to the curragh and pulled out her own pelt. It was white again. It had changed back the moment Moira’s powers had drained. Everything that was rightfully hers had been returned.

She lifted her eyes to the sea, to the sparkle of moonlight glimmering over the surface. All around her, selkies slipped into the water, sliding from rocks into the waves, shuffling over the sand to follow her back to the kingdom.

She walked into the waves, wading out into the surf until the cool water lapped at her waist. With one last look back at the island, she dove, letting the song of the sea carry her home.

Four months later

G
lenna and Sam stood at the railing of Seal Island’s brand new passenger ferry. The islanders whistled and clapped as Liam dipped Caitlin under the arch of yellow roses, sealing their marriage with a dramatic kiss. Dominic popped open a bottle of champagne as Caitlin came up blushing. Tara laughed, tossing rose petals on the bride and groom as they made their way through the small gathering of friends and neighbors.

Finn clapped Liam on the back and walked to the helm, revving the engine and steering them out of the harbor for a tour around the island. The pale yellow ribbons and fuchsia vines strung along the rail fluttered in the wind. Seagulls rode the fresh spring breezes, their cries echoing over the soaring cliffs.

“You know,” Sam leaned down as they each took a glass of champagne. “This is the second wedding we’ve been to together.”

Glenna arched a brow. “I’m not sure we were
together
at Tara and Dom’s wedding.”

“No?” Sam asked, feigning surprise.

Glenna took a sip of champagne, eyeing him over the lip of her glass. “All I was thinking about then was how to get rid of you.”

Sam smiled. “I guess I’m not that easy to shake, after all.”

“No.” Glenna lowered her glass. “You’re not.”

“Maybe that’s a good thing,” he suggested, the wind blowing his blond hair back from his face.

“I think,” she said, lacing their fingers together, “it’s one of your best traits.”

Sam laughed as Liam and Caitlin walked up to them. Caitlin’s red curls were swept back from her face with two pearl-encrusted combs. Her blue eyes were shining and her cheeks were flushed with color.

“The dress is perfect,” Glenna said, picking rose petals out of Caitlin’s hair.

Caitlin smiled, running a hand down the blue empire-waist coat that Sarah had embroidered for her to wear over Fiona’s simple lace wedding dress. “And look,” she said, lifting the hem of the dress and wiggling her white satin slipper. “I got away without wearing heels.”

OWEN SWIPED A
piece of wedding cake from Kelsey and wandered over to the railing. He picked at the almond icing with his fingers, gazing at the wakes fanning out behind the boat. When Ronan walked up to stand beside him, he tensed.

“Hey,” Ronan said.

“Hey.” Owen continued to gaze down into the water. Ronan’s family had moved back to the island a few weeks ago. They’d been staying with relatives in Cork since their house had burned down and had to be rebuilt. So far, he’d kept his distance. But Owen knew it was only a matter of time.

“So…” Ronan hooked his arm over the railing. “I heard you went after one of those mermen.”

Owen pinched off a corner of the cake, popping it in his mouth. “Yeah.”

“Were you scared?”

“Maybe.”

“I heard they had spears, and really sharp scales.”

“They did.”

Ronan looked down, scuffing his shoe over the deck. “I’m a pretty fast swimmer…but maybe you could teach me a few tricks sometime.”

Owen’s eyebrows shot up. He turned to face Ronan. “Seriously?”

Ronan nodded.

“Okay,” Owen said slowly. “But only if you teach me how to play football so we can beat the girls.”

Ronan’s face lit up. He pushed off the railing, trotting back toward the stern of the boat. “I think Finn’s got some buoys we could practice with now.”

Owen set down his plate down on the table where Kelsey and Ashling were cutting the cake.

Kelsey smiled sweetly up at him. “You’ll still never beat us.”

Ashling grinned. “Never.”

BRIGID HOOKED HER
arm through Sister Evelyn’s. “I’m so glad you came.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Sister Evelyn smiled, plucking a bite of cake from Brigid’s plate. “I think I might need to ask your granddaughter for this recipe.”

Brigid beamed at Kelsey. “Can you believe I have grandchildren? Two of them?”

“I can, and I do.” Sister Evelyn wiped her fingers on a napkin, lowering her voice. “Have you heard anything back from Aidan yet?”

Brigid shook her head. They’d tracked down her youngest son—the one who’d been given up for adoption without her consent. His name was Aidan O’Malley and he lived in the States. They’d attempted to make contact weeks ago, but they hadn’t heard anything back yet. “Sam said it might take some time.”

Sister Evelyn patted her hand. “I know it’s not easy to be patient.”

“No.” Brigid gazed out at the sunlight sparking over the surface of the sea. “It’s not.”

“He’ll come around when the time is right.”

Brigid looked back to her friend. “But there is something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” She took a deep breath. “Why did you take me in, when you knew I could never be one of you?”

“When I see someone in need, I help them,” Sister Evelyn said simply. “You needed shelter, protection, and friends. I knew I could offer you that.”

Brigid searched her friend’s kind brown eyes. “Did you know…what I was?”

“I had my suspicions,” Sister Evelyn admitted. “You were
very
fond of that river.”

Brigid laughed, looking across the deck at Liam and Dominic clinking glasses and joking with each other. “What do you think of my sons?”

“I think your sons are two of the handsomest men in Ireland,” Sister Evelyn said, her eyes shifting to Glenna and Sam. “And your niece looks very happy.”