"And you're mine." She presses her forehead to mine. "Forever."
We dress slowly, neither of us rushing. When we emerge from the cave, dawn is breaking over the ocean.
The walk back feels different. Charged with new energy. The brotherhood waits a respectful distance away, and Moira approaches first, her expression satisfied.
"The bond is complete." She examines our markings with professional interest. "Properly sealed. The waters have gained two guardians instead of one."
"What does that mean exactly?" she asks.
"It means you're tied to these waters now as much as Grayson is." Moira gestures toward the ocean. "You're a guardian of the deep now, Isla. Responsible for what sleeps below."
The weight of Moira's words settles on her shoulders. Guardian of the deep. Responsible for protecting waters she barely understands, creatures she's still learning about, magicshe's only begun to access. Instead of fear, certainty fills her. This is right. This is hers.
"What happened with Maritime Development Corporation?" She needs to know the practical details.
"Finn dealt with the corporation during the ritual." Rafe steps forward. "Without Carrick, the board panicked. Especially when certain illegal activities in their financial records came to light."
"They're done." Kian's voice carries satisfaction. "Assets frozen, board members arrested, permits revoked. The sacred waters are safe."
Relief floods her expression. The battle we fought, the damage I sustained—it was worth it. The entity remains sealed. The corporation is destroyed. The waters are protected.
"And Carrick's body?" I ask what she's afraid to voice.
"Never found." Finn crosses his arms. "Either the entity dissolved him or the deep claimed him. Either way, he's gone."
Later, at the inn, Moira serves soup and fresh bread. Isla and I sit close, hands linked on the table between us. The brotherhood toasts our completed bond with whiskey, welcoming Isla to their ranks with genuine warmth.
By the time we make it back to the tower, exhaustion has caught up with both of us. We collapse into bed—our bed now—and sleep twined together. When I wake, afternoon sunlight streams through the windows. Isla's weight rests in my arms, her hair spread across my chest, her breathing deep and even. I sense her dreams without intrusion. Just the emotional texture. Contentment. Peace.
"Ready to test your selkie form?" I speak quietly. "The ocean is calling. I can tell."
She stirs, stretching against me like a cat. "How can you tell?"
"We're connected now. To each other, but also to the waters we protect. When one of us needs something, the other knows." I trace patterns on her bare shoulder. "You need to swim."
Her eyes open, gray and clear. "You're right. I can feel it now that you mention it. The pull toward the water."
Minutes later, we're walking down to the beach together. The water is calm today, waves lapping gently at the shore. I strip and let the transformation ripple through me. Bones restructure, fur erupts, and suddenly the world looks different.
Isla strips and wades into the shallows. The pendant at her throat glows warm, and she calls her selkie forward. The transformation comes easier now, more natural than before. Her body flows from human to seal with practiced grace, and suddenly she's diving beneath the surface.
Joy explodes between us. Pure, uncomplicated delight at being what she is. She surfaces and dives again, swimming circles around my bear form in the shallows.
I sense her amusement, her pleasure at seeing me try to keep up with her acrobatics. Her selkie is showing off for my bear, celebrating being alive and whole and mated.
We play until the sun begins setting. When we finally return to shore and let the transformation take us back to human form, Isla is glowing with satisfaction.
"That was incredible." She wraps her arms around my waist, looking up at me with shining eyes. "I've never felt so free."
"That's what being selkie means." I pull her close, pressing a kiss to her damp hair. "Understanding your place in the ocean. Your connection to something bigger than yourself."
Back at the tower, everything looks different through mated eyes. Her research equipment shares shelf space with my fishing gear. Her books about marine biology sit beside my journals documenting guardian duties. One shared existence created from what we brought individually.
She stands at the window, watching the sunset paint the ocean gold and red. I move behind her, my presence familiar now as her own heartbeat.
"What comes next?" she asks without turning.
I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her back against my chest. "We do what makes sense. You study these waters, protect them through science and understanding. I fish and guard like I always have. Together we see threats from both sides."
