One Salt Sea: An October Daye Novel

“Good.” I poked him in the shoulder. “It’s already afternoon, sleepyhead.”


He opened his eyes, smiling drowsily. “Hey,” he said, tugging me closer. This close, his lack of pupils was very evident. His eyes were like a seal’s, dark from side to side. “Did you sleep okay?”

I answered with a kiss. Connor replied in kind, sliding a webbed hand down my back to cup the swell of my hip. I wasn’t thinking about the coming war, or the fact that I hadn’t brushed my teeth. I was only thinking about the sleek line of Connor’s body pressing against me. Selkies have less body hair in their human forms than you’d expect; they’re natural swimmers, streamlined, with the sort of musculature Olympic athletes have to struggle for. He rolled me onto my back, wrapping his fingers around my wrists. The webs between them were as cool as the rest of his skin was hot.

“How about you?” I asked him sweetly, running the toes of one foot down the side of his leg. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Except for the snoring, sure,” he said, and smiled.

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at that, resting my head against his shoulder. This time of year, the way the light was coming through the window meant we had two, maybe three hours before we needed to get serious about heading for the Queen’s Court. I had too much to do to lie around in bed, the temptations of my Selkie lover aside.

“Sometimes being responsible sucks,” I grumbled, and rolled out of bed. I grabbed my robe from the floor. “Come on, Connor. Time to face another night in Fairyland.”

Connor groaned and followed me to the kitchen.

Conversation died in favor of nutrition, or what passed for it around my place. Connor ate fresh fruit and granola, while I had most of a pot of coffee, pouring the last of it into a bowl of Lucky Charms before starting a new pot.

“You eat like a six year old,” said Connor, grinning at me as he put his bowl in the sink.

“A caffeinated six year old,” I corrected.

“My apologies. You eat like a caffeinated six year old.” He walked back and kissed me lightly. “I need to check in and get changed for tonight. I’ll come back and get you in a few hours?”

“I should be getting ready myself,” I said regretfully. “Stay safe, okay? I’m not ready to break up with you again.”

He laughed a little. “I’ll try not to run into any knives.”

“I’ll hold you to that. Open roads.”

Connor kissed me again. “Open roads, sweet tides, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Liar,” I said, and let him go. That was something I was getting less and less comfortable doing . . . and if we couldn’t stop this war from happening that was something I might have to do forever.





FOUR


I FINISHED MY CEREAL after seeing Connor out. The Queen’s Court isn’t the sort of place I go when I want a good meal, and I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be time for takeout afterward. When I was done, I picked up the portable phone and headed toward my room. If I was going to attend a formal affair without embarrassing myself, I was going to need a little help. That’s why I have my friends on speed dial.

A cheery, out-of-breath female voice picked up on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Hey, Stacy.” I held the phone between my cheek and shoulder as I started digging through my closet. What do you wear to a diplomatic event that’s supposed to be the first step toward preventing a war? Besides “lots of weapons.” The last thing I wanted to do was start a new conflict by wearing the wrong kind of sword.

“Toby! What’s up, honey?” Someone was shrieking in the background. That actually helped my nerves. Stacy and her husband have five kids. I’d be more worried if someone wasn’t shrieking in the background.

“Nothing much. Are you busy?”