“And,” the selkie said, “if you don’t return to us with the pelt, there will be no realm you can flee to where you can escape us.”
“I’d expect nothing less. When will you know if your queen approves?”
She tapped her head, indicating that she could speak to her queen psychically. “Momentarily. She is considering your request now.”
A group of humans were gathered in the parking lot, staring at the two naked selkies, surrounded by their family in seal form. They gaped, and one of them lifted his phone, obviously recording this little interaction.
Mella glanced at him, and the phone disappeared from his hand. His curses carried across the beach, but the entire group turned and made tracks.
“Our queen says we may help you,” she announced, and my hands shook as relief swept through me. Mella smiled at me.
“I’m glad my debt will be used for something so important.”
“If I wasn’t desperate, I wouldn’t have called in the debt,” I told her. “I don’t truly believe you owe me anything.”
“Then she would have been shamed to not help the one who set her free,” the selkie leader said. “You have kept her from having to bear that shame.”
“Okay. How does this work?”
Mella smiled. “Well, since I’ll be stuck in human form, I’ll hang out with your wolf.”
Kyla grinned at her. “I’m Kyla. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Mella. And I’m sure you have.” She shot me a rueful grin and I laughed, feeling lighter than I had since I left Durham.
We checked into the closest hotel. Kyla and Mella ordered room service, with the wolf ordering enough that the kitchen must have assumed we had a football team up here. She hadn’t had a chance to grab breakfast that morning.
Mella, now bundled in the hotel’s robe, reclined on the bed and flicked on the TV, laughing at my expression.
“I didn’t get to do this kind of thing either when I was chained up in that library. I’ll be fine, Danica.”
Kyla sent me a look. “I don’t like you going alone.”
“I’m not exactly thrilled about it, but it has to happen.”
“They could kill you before you get near their kingdom.”
Mella shook her head. “The merfolk aren’t exactly used to humans finding a way to take the trip down to them. Their kingdom is magically protected from ships, submarines and the like, and a scuba diver wouldn’t be able to get deep enough.
“But I can?”
She nodded. “My pelt will protect you. Whatever you do, don’t remove it.”
I had a vision of myself drowning, hundreds of feet below the surface, the pelt floating away, just out of reach.
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then I did it again.
“Not a fan of the water?” Mella asked.
“I can swim, but it’s not exactly something I did a lot of, growing up.”
“I wish I could go with you. But even if one of my friends followed you, they would be turned away as soon as they got near the merfolk’s territory.”
“I understand. I’ll be fine.” I focused on the steps I’d need to take, since thinking about being beneath the surface of the ocean wasn’t exactly helpful. “How will I know which way to go?”
“My pelt will guide you. All you’ll have to do is relax.”
17
