Sealed Fate: Paranormal Dating Agency (Otherworld Shifters Book 5) Read online

  Cam held up a hand. “I didn’t mean it to be taken that way.”

  “How did you mean it, then?” Pavel looked back over his shoulder. Annika was likely walking along the beach with Teall, not listening in, yet Pavel lowered his voice. “I can’t be asked this.”

  “I don’t know what Annika feels for me. I don’t know if I’m alone in my curiosity. But I asked you this because it would be up to you to ask her about it.”

  “This is insane,” Pavel repeated. He filled his glass again, and his eyes had a somewhat wild gloss to them. “Why do you think Annika would ever agree to it?”

  “Because she’s a selkie? Because this isn’t ‘where you’re from’ as you keep putting it? And mostly because she’s done it before. Her and Teall had other partners occasionally. None remained through their splits, of course.”

  Pavel smiled, but it wasn’t an expression of happiness. It seemed awkward and forced. “You’ve got me in a weird position here.”

  “How so?”

  “I don’t know whether your honesty is welcome and refreshing or wholly inappropriate. I’ve studied etiquette and this is an area which was never covered, obviously.”

  “I can’t force your hand, nor was I aiming to. I only spoke of my interest.”

  “Right, right. I’m still adjusting to the magical lighting and the fact that my girlfriend can put on a length of fur and become a seal. Still a bit whiplashed from being yanked across the galaxy, even.” Pavel rubbed his temples. “And if I just say no, I won’t share Annika, am I being judgmental? Am I limiting her and her needs? Is this another way humans trap selkies?”

  Cam offered a sympathetic look. “I think you’re over-thinking. This has nothing to do with judgment, and monogamy isn’t so vicious as to be a trap… exactly.”

  “But it could be. She could stifle her needs to make me happy, and I suspect she would.” Pavel pushed his drink away. “It’s all terribly insane,” he said and stood. “But perhaps the most insane part is that… I need time to think on it.”

  He left the table and retired to the room he’d occupied before he’d begun sleeping with Annika. After a few minutes, the sound of the sea flute carried through the house. He was still learning, so the tune was simple yet pleasant.

  Cam stared down at his glass. Quite possibly, he’d overstepped. How could he know the proper limits and guides for interacting with a non-fae? He’d been courteous. If Teall had earned a second chance, why couldn’t he? Why was his one mistake fated to haunt him forever?

  As he listened to the slow melody, another possibility became clear. Pavel could ask Cam to leave. If that came around, Cam wouldn’t fight it. He didn’t want to ruin Annika’s chance at happiness. Regardless, he didn’t regret opening up to Pavel. Whatever happened, he’d at least taken a step forward instead of remaining quiet and on the side.

  Fourteen

  Pavel

  Pavel stared into the shell-lined mirror of the bathroom and smoothed his hair down. The scent of eggs wafted to him, making his stomach growl, but he remained fixated. His friends back home often joked about the time he spent getting ready. It wasn’t vanity, really. More of a ritual that felt and comfortable. It lent him focus and confidence. He didn’t need to be complimented on his appearance, but he wanted to look at himself and see a man with his affairs in order.

  Some days, appearing to have everything together was the only thing that kept the chaos in his mind from spilling out. He often walked a fine line along losing his shit altogether, so to speak.

  Before Prism, his main stress came from his family. He’d often become overwhelmed by expectations and obligations. It all seemed trivial now that he was on another planet and involved with a part-time seal. He shoved his hands into his pockets and took a step back, giving himself a final scrutinizing once-over before turning and leaving the room.

  Annika and Cam were in the kitchen, eating kelp salad and picking small chunks of egg directly from the pan.

  The eggs, which came from a large bird that somewhat resembled a seagull, were quite tasty, and the only thing they ever ate that hadn’t been fished up from the water. Pavel was strangely satisfied by the meals of lightly salted fish day in and day out but looked forward to the orange eggs.

  Eggs were one of the things that had the same name on Earth and Prism. As Annika and Cam had explained, the fae of Prism had frequented Earth often while the languages were still developing, so there was a fair share of overlap. They left some language on Earth and took some Earth words home as well.

  He waved awkwardly as he walked up. He still wasn’t sure how to act as a guest in a home with his girlfriend and her roommate. And now that he knew how Cam felt about Annika, it was a little stranger than before.

  “Ooh, maybe fruit?” Annika asked Cam.

  Cam nodded then noticed Pavel. “We already fixed you a plate.”

  Pavel found his food on the other side of Annika and leaned against the counter as he ate. “Fruit?” he asked. “Are you already planning lunch?”

  She turned and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Cam’s heading to the village today. I have a special dinner planned for when he returns, and I think fruit would be a good dessert.”

  “I see.” He eyed Cam, and their conversation the previous day came rushing back. He swept it aside as best he could and focused on his food. “Maybe next time I’ll join you. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Prism. Just not today.”

  “Are you feeling okay?” Annika wiped her hands on a cloth then cupped Pavel’s face against her palms.

  “Yeah, I’m not sick. I didn’t get enough sleep to walk the however many miles to town.” He smiled. He wasn’t lying. The rest of the planet was a mystery to him.

  “I’m sure we could bribe a kelpie to give you a ride,” Cam said. “They love humans.”

  Annika wrinkled her nose as she lowered her hands from Pavel’s face. “Funny, but no. If there were a female human, sure. They love giving those rides.”

  Pavel caught the near-laugh at the end of her sentence. “I take it kelpies aren’t like lore either? They do more than drown people?”

  “They probably drowned people back in the day,” Cam admitted.

  “Most kelpies are male. They loved to seduce women, though. Not a challenging task since they’re strong and handsome… and well, hung like horses,” Annika said somewhat wistfully.

  “And they can alter their appearance at will. Think human body but with hooves, for example,” Cam said.

  “More likely, human body with a massive…” Annika stopped herself and smiled deviously.

  Pavel gave her a look. “Did you date a kelpie?”

  “No. But I had a cousin who did, and she loved talking about him,” she admitted. “They don’t have long attention spans, apparently, and they constantly drip sea water. It was a mess that wasn’t meant to be.”

  Pavel shoveled down his eggs and avoided thinking about a woman and a half-man half-horse doing anything. He regretted asking about it at all.

  “You broke him,” Cam remarked. “Now every time he sees a kelpie he’s going to be thinking about their staffs.”

  “I’d rather think about this special dinner tonight,” Pavel deflected.

  Annika spun away. “It’s a secret. But… I may have sort of invited Teall to join us.”

  “I see.” Pavel kept his face neutral. He’d agreed to this. He just didn’t expect it to start so soon. “Well, that’s certainly special in itself.”

  “He loves my cooking. Getting to know each other is bound to be rough to start, but if he’s too busy enjoying the meal, won’t that help keep things pleasant?”

  “I suppose,” Pavel said.

  “I’ll be back just in time,” Cam said. “But on that note, I should be going.”

  Annika gave him a quick hug and gentle nudge toward the door. “Hurry back.”

  After he’d gone, Pavel set down his empty plate and poured himself a glass of water. “Can I help you get anything done?”
>
  “No. I’m sorry to say, but I’ll be busy all day. I thought perhaps you could try contacting Iona, though. I’ve tried and Cam has tried, and I don’t know why it never occurred to either of us earlier, but she’d probably pop by to answer your questions.”

  He hadn’t forgotten about the undine, but with everything else, it had been easier to put thanking her and asking her questions on the back burner. “How do I go about that?”

  “Fill a basin with water and add a pretty shell then simply call her name and wait. If she’s available and wants to chat, she’ll appear.”

  “In the basin?”

  “Mmmhmm.”

  He drank his water and didn’t think too hard on it. By this time, he had more questions for Iona than he had initially. He needed to start thinking about the future, after all. A being made of water could hopefully shed some light on loving a water fae, right?

  * * * *

  While Annika was off preparing for her secret special dinner meal, Pavel did as instructed and filled a bowl with water and his opinion of a pretty shell.

  He’d been staring at it for the last ten minutes and calling for Iona, but nothing was happening. Instead of giving up, he began to look at the process with an analytical eye. The shell had to be somewhat of an offering. A trinket to help coax her attention, he assumed.

  With that in mind, he dug through the basket of Annika’s spare shells and tried various ones to see if that was the problem. More time passed with no success, but he had decided that of all the shells, one of pearly blue was the fanciest.

  He stirred the water with his finger and whispered the undine’s name. The water was cold and gave him another idea. He emptied the bowl halfway then warmed some water on the fire. He mixed the water until it seemed the proper temperature for a bath, then went ahead and added a small, golden seed pearl he’d found on the floor.

  “Iona?” He gazed hopefully into the bowl.

  The surface rippled with his breath, and after a second, the ripples continued to disturb the surface, far longer than a simple breath could have accomplished. The conical shell rocked onto its side and the pearl floated to the top. A tiny, translucent blue hand formed around the pearl, and a miniature woman rose from the bowl to lean on the edge. Her sparkling clear blue eyes blinked at him.

  “Pavel, I believe it is?” she asked.

  He instinctively began to offer his hand but withdrew it at the absurdity of trying to shake hands with a watery woman only a few inches tall. “Yes. Thank you for answering my call.”

  She glanced at the pearl and spun it in her hand, observing it. “Well. It was about time I dropped in on you anyhow. I should have come sooner, but I knew you were in capable hands. Your health is splendid, correct?”

  “Yes. Thanks to you.”

  “No need to thank me. I did what needed to be done. Though, I wish I would have detected the rift in the first place so no one could have traveled through.”

  “I’d imagine it’s tricky trying to watch every bit of water across a planet,” he reasoned.

  “It is. And since my best friend is on another planet, I end up traveling often.” She waved her free hand and looked him over. “But that’s neither here nor there. I’m glad you’re thriving here, but I have to drop a bit of news on you.”

  “Uh, okay?”

  “You’ve heard of the courts by now, correct? The thing is, when humans come to Prism, they have to be claimed by a court. Pure or Virtuous. Your pick.”

  Pavel leaned closer to the bowl. “Why would I do that? I don’t know anything about their system.”

  “It’s the law. Currently, you’re a guest on Prism, but we don’t usually have guests. In fact, I can think of only two or three humans that have been on Prism in the last decade that didn’t stay here forever.”

  “When you say forever…”

  “I do mean forever. That’s the thing. If you come here, it usually means you’re meant to be here for eternity. But in order to settle down and survive that eternity, you have to bond with the land. Either court will do, but you have to pledge yourself to them.”

  “Wait a moment. Claiming… pledging… what exactly am I getting into?”

  “The claiming is just a wording detail, as they will claim responsibility for your actions since as a human you are… well, just trust me. You want to be claimed.”

  “Uh…”

  “They also have to accept you, but I wouldn’t worry about that. They looove humans.”

  “Whoa. Slow down. Bond with the land? And why can’t I just pledge myself here?” He had no interest in getting involved in either court. Neither held appeal given their past treatment of the selkies, plus he didn’t want to risk making a poor decision. What if they had hidden obligations?

  “Selkies aren’t a court. They’re just neutral and exempt from the system.” She tossed the pearl from hand to hand. “You can’t bond through the selkies because bonding is an actual blood ritual. It has to be done at a place of power, and only two available such places exist.”

  More questions rose with each point she made, but one, in particular, stood out. “What do you mean by blood ritual?” Images of being tied down and stabbed or slit invaded his head. Unless the blood wasn’t his own… “Is this a sacrifice thing? They won’t kill something, will they?”

  She stared solidly at him then broke out in laughter. It was a strange sound, like an echoing bell. “It’s a cut on your hand!” She splashed him with a sprinkle of water. “Mortals, I swear.”

  “Well… fine. But listen, I don’t know if I want to join a court. They sound a bit pretentious and inclusive.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. Yet, the rules stand.”

  He crossed his arms, considering the lesser of two evils. “Are the selkies the only neutral fae?”

  “Nearly. The aspects are neutral of course. The deities as well, though of both of those groups, almost all are resting in the fade. Which leaves selkies and banshees. Technically spriggans, as well, but neither court wants spriggans anyhow.”

  Pavel nodded as if everything she said made sense. “Kelpies and naiads?”

  “Both have mostly pledged to the Virtuous court. Simply for proximity to water.”

  “How are the neutral groups deemed, though?”

  Iona rested her chin on her translucent hand. “Good question. In the case of spriggans, it’s because they can’t be reasoned with. They’re ignorant brutes. For banshees, because their primary magic is to announce death, and death has no allegiance. And selkies, well, because if you take their skin, they’re just plain old humans with a desperate need to find their skins.”

  “I see.” Unfortunately, her explanation didn’t include a loophole he could exploit to gain his own neutrality. “But what if I don’t want to live forever?”

  “Then go back to Earth.”

  “That’s not what I said. I want to be with Annika.”

  “Then remain and bond. That’s the only way you’ll live as long as her. If you love her, you should probably want that.” Iona rippled in the water, bouncing up and down. “Immortality is divine. Why wouldn’t you want it?”

  Because death gave life meaning? Because immortality seemed unnatural? What could he say that wouldn’t insult an ancient immortal water spirit? “The notion of forever is intimidating.”

  Her head tilted. “I suppose it could be if you make a lot of mistakes and have to face them century after century. Or on the flip side, you could master the violin and never see your lover fade away.”

  “How did you know I played the violin?”

  “I eavesdrop. It’s a fae thing,” she said smiling. “But I have to go, dear Pavel. As much as I love teaching little humans our ways, I can’t show you special attention just because you nearly died.”

  “That’s a bit harsh.”

  “Oh, it wasn’t meant to be. You have friends here, though. They can tell you everything I have, after all.” She spun the pearl in her hand. “And thank you for the warm wa
ter. You’d be amazed at how many never consider it.”

  She was gone within a blink, leaving the bowl calm and undisturbed. The pearl had vanished with her, but the shell remained, unappreciated. He glanced out the window and saw endless beach, a sight that somewhat taunted him.

  He had to make a choice. Stay or go. And if he stayed, it meant joining up with fae that he wasn’t sure he’d like. He’d have to learn more about each court, certainly.

  He stood and paced the room. In all, it was a small house, but it was cozier than cramped. Cam’s fishing nets were hanging in one corner, and Annika’s books were scattered across every surface. There was an entire room of Teall’s things still.

  Pavel crossed the living area and peeked into Cam’s room, which he’d never had reason to visit before. It was clean and uncluttered. He’d lived here for centuries in this room, next to a woman he loved but couldn’t find the right moment to be with.

  Pavel couldn’t help but give brief consideration that he may be the third wheel in things, not Cam.

  Perhaps Cam and Annika were meant to be, and Pavel was a catalyst to bring them together?

  His feelings for Annika were strong, he couldn’t deny that, but something held him back. An emptiness that weighed heavily in his heart kept him at bay. Kept him from falling completely. Otherwise, he was certain he loved Annika.

  The emptiness was something, however. It made picturing a future with Annika difficult. He’d give anything to understand the source. It didn’t feel like anything he’d experienced before. It wasn’t born of missing his family or friends, or even his usual lifestyle. No, it was infinitely more potent.

  Normally, though, he would be happy to sit down with a friend and talk about this sort of thing. Sure, guys often suppressed their emotional nature, but that’s why Pavel surrounded himself with vivacious women as friends.

  And speaking of friends, he realized he should’ve asked Iona about Vevina. He could definitely use the bubbly fae’s advice right about now.

  * * * *

  Pavel, Cam, and Teall waited outside while Annika finished setting the table inside. Whatever dinner was, she meant it when she said it would be a surprise. She’d kicked Pavel out when she started cooking, and no one had been allowed to enter since.