Midnight Lies (Shifter Island #2) - Raye Wagner Page 0,45

captain’s chair. The engine ripped to life, and he drove us toward Alpha Island. After about ten minutes, he cut the engine and faced me.

“We’re about a hundred meters out,” he said. “If we get any closer, the wolves will be able to hear and see the boat coming in to dock.”

“So … are we rowing the rest of the way?” I asked, shaking my head as I glanced at the bottom of the boat. “Because I don’t see any oars.”

“No,” he said, his gaze darting toward the tree-lined shore. “We’ll need to swim in.”

I didn’t bother to remind him of the octopus monster that tried to take me out earlier. I just nodded. At least we knew the selkies would not be a problem this time.

With a little help from Rage, we slid silently into the water.

Immediately, I felt something dark slither around my ankles and froze, eyes wide.

Two seal heads popped up from the surface of the water and looked at us, giving me a mild heart attack. I was about to ask them what they wanted or what was going on when their upper body shifted to human form—like a merman. “The king said if you got into the water, we were to help you get to shore safely.”

Relief washed over me. At first, I hadn’t been sure if they were about to attack or what.

“Thank you,” I told them, holding my hand out while I treaded water. “But it’ll be dangerous. We’re being hunted by the alpha king’s men.”

Rage cleared his throat. “If you’d rather return to King Ozark, I’ll not think less of you or your liege—”

“To abandon you would not only be dishonorable but a death sentence,” one said. “My name is Harp, and this is Gray. We’re at your service.”

Gray, the other selkie, nodded from the water. “I’d suggest no more conversation until we know what awaits us on shore.”

Okay… Did it matter that they were helping us because the king coerced them by threatening death? Maybe. But if Rage wasn’t going to protest the aid, I wouldn’t either.

Still, in their half-human form, the selkies indicated that we hold on to their backs. Reaching around, I clasped my hands around one of their necks and held on, unsure what to expect. The selkie’s face went from human to seal in seconds and then dipped under the water a few inches.

I looked at my mate, ‘I didn’t know they could partial shift like that.’

Rage stared into the water at his selkie warrior.

Rage’s eyes widened. ‘I think we still have a lot to learn about the selkies.’

‘Yeah,’ I quipped. ‘I guess so.’

The selkie with Rage shifted into his seal form. Then, without further warning, we sped off. I had to bite down a squeal of excitement. These were dire circumstances, and we were about to fight for the Midnight brothers … but damn, this was fun.

They were fast!

We drew near the dock, and both Rage and I scanned the dark beach. If Kaja and her sisters were here, I couldn’t see them.

Less than a hundred feet out, I spotted the guards—at least twenty of them: one at the head of the trail leading up to the school, one on the docks, and then the others littered in between.

Damn. I guess Kaja never got my message.

‘Let me go on shore first,’ Rage said, letting go of the selkie.

Before I could answer, the guard on the dock spoke.

“Selkie attack! Harvest girls’ dorm!”

Wha…? I stared at the guard and then grinned. I mean I felt bad that Kaja had pinned an attack on the selkies, what with our new alliance, but it had worked. All twenty guards pulled their swords and started running toward the dorms.

Yes!

We crept closer to the shore, all of us crawling up the beach, flat and low.

For one hot second, I thought my plan had worked perfectly, but then two of the guards paused and stayed back. One of them scanned the water and then pointed into the darkness.

“There’s a boat out there.”

What? Looking over my shoulder, I saw the moonlight glistening off the metal speedboat. Crap!

“Halt!” The guard on the dock drew his sword, scanning the beach. “Who’s out th—?”

Several things happened at once.

Rage sprang from the water, running up the beach, and shouted, “Stand down!”

The selkie in front of me threw a small blade at the guard standing at the top of the trail leading to the dorms. The knife hit with a small thunk, lodging right in the guard’s neck. With