Read Online The Selkie by Melanie Jackson - Free Book Online Page A

with yer blood and the memories therein, instead of yer shut-up mind.”
    Run, a voice whispered.
    I will not!
    But even as she thought this, fingers, incredibly strong and yet gentle, curled about her nape. He touched a place behind her ear and pulled her forward so that he could bend down and kiss her there. He touched her with the tip of his tongue. The kiss startled her into immobility,and after a moment, Hexy’s legs began to buckle.
    Rory quickly caught her, pressing her against his body—impossibly warm, even after his prolonged immersion in the sea—and held her until she had regained her balance. As soon as she was steady, he turned her so her back was to the ocean and the disappearing sun. For one moment, she feared that he was going to carry her out into deeper water and perform some sort of strange baptism that would completely subjugate her will.
    “Ye’ve questions about what ye’ve seen?” he suggested, his face buried in her tangled hair. The intimacy seemed normal. “Ask me, lass, fer I’ll tell ye anything ye wish tae know, teach ye anything ye need tae remember.”
    “No, I have no questions,” Hexy denied, leaning against Rory because her own limbs seemed unable to support her. But she lied. She did have questions, if only her sluggish brain could sort them out!
    “It must seem passing strange, what ye’ve seen and felt this day. But ’tis not sae odd, Hexy lass. Sometimes I ween the old smell and come down tae visit here. Through the years I’ve made friends with the ocean and almost all who live in her.” His voice was persuasive. “Ye can understand that, can ye not? Yer brother loved the sea tae, did he not? Sae talk tae me. Tellme yer thoughts, yer memories, what ye see when ye dream. Ask me what ye wish tae know.”
    Hexy swallowed. Though it was silliness, perhaps it was better to ask Rory about what she had seen—what she was feeling. Maybe he could explain the incredible thoughts running through her head.
    “You were playing with a seal.” It wasn’t exactly a question, but not strong enough to be a declarative sentence either.
    “Aye, I was. He’s a young one yet and still a wee bit frolicsome.” Rory fisted a hand in her hair and tilted her head upward so their eyes met. “Were ye frightened? Ye shouldnae be. Seals are gentle creatures, nae threat tae any man. They shouldnae disturb ye.”
    “I’m not disturbed. I—it was fun to watch. I would have liked to have come, too, but I was afraid of the tide.” And she was not ready to put off her clothes and wade into the cold.
    “Would ye have liked tae come wi’ us? Well, mayhap one day ye will.” His hand loosened in her hair, and he caressed her gently. His smile was pleased. “And when ye come ye’ll hae nae fear. I promise this.”
    “You saw your brother, Keir, too?” she asked, aware that she was standing in the arms of a naked man—a very strange naked man—but finding it beyond her power to move away.
    “I did. He was settin’ out on yon rock,croonin’ like a daft mavis. He never could sing.”
    “And he had news?” In spite of Rory’s heated flesh, Hexy was beginning to tremble with cold. The ocean was draining the very life out of her through the soles of her feet.
    “Aye.” Rory frowned, noticing the tremors that were moving through her body. His voice was brisk, yet suddenly more normal: “Come out of the water, Hexy lass. Ye’ll catch yer death. Poor love! Ye look as miserable as a sheep in a snowstorm. Mayhap a bit sadder even.”
    Not waiting for her to move, Rory lifted her in his arms and walked swiftly up the beach, apparently unbothered by her wet weight or the sharp-edged grains of sand beneath his naked feet. They were jagged enough to cause lacerations, but perhaps he always went barefoot and his soles were more calloused than usual.
    “Wring out yer skirts and empty yer shoes whilst I dress in this sheep’s clothing,” he instructed her, setting her on her shod feet. His voice