defense. “You’re just not what I expected is all.”
I watch her walk deeper into the room, hands clasped together as if she’s pondering something. Besides King Triton, she’s the only other middle-aged adult I’ve seen here on the island.
And she irks me.
The air feels thicker in her midst, different. As though something else walked in with her that wasn’t human.
“You’re in a heap of trouble, son,” she conveys. “How did you pass the veil?”
A heavy sigh escapes my lips because I’m tired of being asked the same question. “I have no clue.”
“Did you feel anything the closer you got to the island?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“I’m sure you know by now that no one besides a Siren and myself can get passed the veil.”
“And what are you?” I prod.
She gives a weak lift of her shoulders. “They call me the sea witch because, just like the girls, I’m not understood so easily.”
“Then what would you call yourself?”
“I am a sea witch,” she alludes softly. “But I’m also a Selkie.”
I blink at her. “A what?” She chuckles, a light and easeful sound throughout the room as she bows her head into her chest.
“We’re an endangered species. A Selkie is a shapeshifter, who have been torn about through legends, just like Vikings. You’re known to be violent creatures. I’m known to be malevolent and cruel.”
I perk a brow. “Are you?”
“Only when it comes to the girls.” A small quirk of her lips tells me they mean something to her. “I’ve helped raise them since their mother was murdered, fought quite a bit with them too. I never had children of my own because when the Hunters came into existence, I never wanted to bring another being into danger.”
“If you have magical powers, why don’t you just annihilate them?” I challenge.
“Because not all bad things need to be killed,” she offers. “Just their minds altered. If I believed everything that was said about your people, I’d let the girls rip your heart out of your chest.”
I furrow my brows. “But you’re not? And why should I believe you?”
Pulling up a small stool from the corner of the room, she keeps a safe distance from me and sits down.
“It’s what I just said,” she replies. “Altered minds. There’s more to you than meets the eye. I can feel it.”
I fix her with a skeptical look. “I’m just a warrior on a mission.”
“That passed the veil that I personally put up.”
I express half a shrug. “Didn’t do a very good job.”
She chuckles again. “Apparently something is wrong. And I intend to find out what. Which brings me to why I am here instead of Davina.”
Her name captures my attention. “What do you want to know?”
“Davina stated that you mentioned your father needing the cuff for your people, do you know what for?”
I weigh my options, telling her would possibly put my clan at risk. The magic that my father stated that lied in the cuff would bring creatures from it to protect us. If this sea witch knew about it, she may want it too.
“I don’t question my father,” I vouch. “I just do as I’m told.”
She bobs her head. “Fair enough, I imagine. Have you ever had any sort of extraordinary things happen to you that were unexplainable?”
“I’m not an enchanting creature,” I chide. “I’m a man who kills his enemies and protects his people. Nothing more or less.”
The sea witch/Selkie stands from her chair. “I’m trying to help you, so help yourself. If I don’t have any explanation as to why you’re here then your men that you wanted to protect so much are going to die. I raised these Sirens, but when they are pushed into a corner or threatened, not even I can get through to them. And with Davina—” she sighs. “—you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into, boy.”
“Looks like I’ll have to take my chances,” I quip, keeping her gaze.
“Then you’re in a whole world of pain,” she consents delicately. “She’ll kill them. Your men, she hasn’t—”
“I don’t know anything else than what I told you,” I allude. “I can’t make something up to appease her.”
The woman takes a deep breath. “Good luck.” Turning on her heel, she leaves the room and me with my thoughts.
I’m going to need more than luck.
I’ll need a fucking miracle to get me out of here alive.
The moment I enter the room, Dagen gets on his feet and brushes his palms on his thighs. We haven’t seen each other in four days,