Swallowing down the emotion rising in my throat, I slipped it into a little pocket sewn into my dress. Once my hands were free again, they wandered to Breena’s face. My thumb traced the faint freckles on her cheeks, and I peered down into those mesmerizing brown eyes.
Her lips pouted then parted, but I kissed her words away, not being able to handle any more sweet promises. Part of me wanted to drown in pretty sentiments, yet there was the reasonable, weary side of me that screamed somewhere in my mind. The voice reverberated off the sides of my skull, reminding me that we were merely days away from returning home.
“Let’s get you a sandwich,” I said when I pulled away from her supple lips.
“Will you feed it to me in the sun?” Breena stuck out her foot from under her night dress. “I need to feel it on my skin. I won’t fully be healed until I do.”
“Well then, what are you waiting for? The sun awaits you.” I ushered her out the door, patting the key in my pocket to ensure I still had the precious piece of brass.
The two of us wandered outside and sat upon the bench positioned on Rory’s front porch. Breena flattened her feet on the warm stone and closed her eyes to take in the mild summer day. Birds chirped in nearby roan trees, and a vibrant orange butterfly landed upon Breena’s umber curls. I wouldn’t dare disturb her; she found her slice of peace this morning, and even this dainty flying creature could sense that.
Zellia came out only long enough to drop off a plate of sandwiches and a stack of cookies my grandfather had brought over for Breena. We thanked my sister and dove right into the goodies.
The selkie hummed as she took a bite, and then she paused. “These aren’t Rory’s cookies; these are your grandfathers. When did he come by?”Breena wiped the corner of her mouth and waited for my response with a crease between her eyes.
“Last night. He came by a few times over the past few days, bringing a treat with him each visit, in case you’d been woken.” Brushing my fingers across her arm, I paused at a small, lighter patch on her skin. I circled the beautiful mark with my thumb, wondering how many unique little marks she wore.
“Three days,” Breena whispered, her chin tucking closer to her neck, as if to protect herself from this news.
“Zellia and I needed to heal too, so you didn’t miss out on much! When we returned from the caves, our magic was all but depleted.”
“I supposed I’m simply caught up on rest, right?” Breena said, her cheeks rounding as her lips pulled into a weary grin. “How is your magic now?”
We’ve been regaining it, but could you have imagined if we’d soaked in that pool much longer? It makes me wonder how long the hybrids are forced to sit in the diluted pools, their magic being stripped from them by the harvesting runes carved into the stone. The water was like pin pricks on my skin, and I’d just assumed the sensation was because of the salt. I’d been too distracted by the hybrid and trying to pull information from her to understand what was going on.”
“I can’t believe they take turns having their magic taken, and all for what?” she asked, though we both knew it wasn’t a question I could answer. I did have a theory, but it wasn’t something I was willing to voice until Breena had at least wipedthe sleep from her eyes and had something to eat that was more substantial than buttery shortbread and tea sandwiches.
“Will you tell me something?” Breena sat back on the bench and crossed her legs at the ankle. She began swinging them when I took more than a second to answer, restlessness already finding her.
“Anything.”
“Will you be able to return to your pod?” Her question was like shards of ice to my bloodstream. This morning, I’d been in my head about how the two of us could never work, but there Breena sat, reminding me of the state in which I had left my home.
“I’m not sure.” Shaking my head, I released a deep breath and admitted one of my deepest fears. “I’m not sure if they will accept me back, even if we break the nets and free the fish. I feel as though I could single handedly save the entire sea, and they still wouldn’t accept me back after raising a hand to Tetwin.”
“Well, you know if they don’t, you always have a place with me. I know Selkie Cove isn’t really set up for sirens, but?—”
“You would bring me with you?” I cut her off, my heart stilling in my chest.
“Of course, Sid. Do you think I want to leave you behind?” she asked, planting her feet firmly on the ground and pouring all of herself into me with a single look. “Your pod may have turned their backs on you, but I will always be here to help you build a new one. Me, Rory, your grandfather, and of course, Zellia too.Weare your pod, even if by the end of the week, we’re all in different places.”
I tipped over, curling into Breena and resting my head in her lap. She held my head, playing with the long strands of my hair, sending chills through my body in a way I cherished like no other.
“I don’t know what scares me more: not being accepted back, or admitting I don’t know if I want to go back.” The whisper left my lips, and as I stared at the rose bushes in front of us, I knew I’d never be able to unsay those words. Breena’s hand paused, hovering just above my temple.
I could still feel the pieces of my hair tangled into her fingers as she said, “What if I said I didn’t want you to?”
All the air in my lungs left me, and for a moment, it was impossible for me to fill them once more. I sat upright, meeting Breena’s gaze with a certain intensity I didn’t think existed outside of a hunt.
“Would you stay with me? Here, on land?” My mouth felt numb, my lips moving of their own accord.
“For how long?” Breena asked, tucking her plump bottom lip between her teeth.
“I don’t know, but what I do know for certain is that I never want to leave your side.” My voice wavered but kept pushing through my tight vocal cords and the tears threatening to unleash themselves. It didn’t matter. The only thing that did was right in front of me, staring at me, waiting for me to continue with bated breath.
“Whether it is at sea or on land, I don’t want to go back to the way things were. Breena, you have changed me, every cell in my body, and I have never felt more myself. I have never loved another being the way I love you, and depths, I’ll be damned if I let you slip between my fingers.”
“Sid…” Breena trailed off, her eyes wide. For a moment, her frozen features had me spiraling through potential outcomes my confidence had not allowed me to consider. “I love you with everything I have and then some. I don’t care where we go, so long as I have you.”
