Sealed with a Kick (3 page)

Now that she knew what she was looking for, she returned to meet the horse halfway. He thundered along the current, his hooves making contact and propelling him against the pressure of the water.

She swam along at his side, up and over him and around him in circles as he ran tirelessly through the waves.

He seemed happy to run through the sea around the Isthmus, and Berry’s beast was happy to have someone to play with.

Inside the baby seal, she screamed and cursed, but once her beast had someone to play with, there was no stopping her. Berry watched her beast bring shells to the horse as it ran through the waves and snarled in frustration.

Being cute and adorable was what baby seals did best, but through some twist of fate, Berry’s beast had never grown up. She would always appear to be the equivalent of a seal infant, and that was a turnoff for all members of the seal herd except for the creepy beach master.

She didn’t have any interest in him, and he had far too much interest in her.

The galloping horse slowed, and she followed him to the wet entrance of the hotel.

Berry was relieved as she left the water and was able to take on her human body again. She hadn’t thought that she would have an audience, but since he was still in the water, she had a chance to put on her robe and step aside.

Human hands pulled him out of the water, or perhaps they were fey hands. He pushed himself out and sat on the edge, wringing his hair out before flicking the dark mass over his shoulder.

He looked at her and smiled slightly. “So, that was a surprise.”

She smirked and crossed her arms over her breasts, though the robe covered her pretty decently. “My beast or the fact that I can hold my breath for ten minutes?”

“Your penchant for seashells. You have an excellent eye for it.” He rose to his feet and shook himself slightly.

The air in the room was warm, and the sight of his naked body increased the heat dramatically. Berry turned her gaze back to the water instead of counting his abs and following the road to his erection.

“Uh, thanks. I don’t deserve credit for it. My beast has her own idea of what is pretty.” She turned and put her foot on the first step when he spoke.

“Would you like to get breakfast?”

She looked over her shoulder, her dark hair giving her a peculiar view of him through the veil, “I will meet you in the lobby in ten minutes. Have pants on.”

He laughed, and she pattered up the stairs to her room. The shower took under four minutes, and she was ready to decide on her clothing.

She grabbed one of her puffy sweatshirts and held it up. Well, he had already seen her naked.

She put her daily camouflage away and put on her bra and a formfitting, glowing blue shirt.

Her skirt was tight black cotton, and the heeled sandals were strapped into place in under a minute. Everything she had was outlined in fabric, and she just needed to brush her hair out and she was ready.

The sable tangle turned into even waves with just a little effort, and nine minutes after she had entered her room, she was on her way down to the lobby.

Ashko was waiting at the base of the stairs, and he held his hand out to her. “The Crossroads?”

She smiled with a shake of her head. “There is a breakfast place just a few blocks away.”

“Will they be open this early?”

She chuckled. “I would say so. The owner is starting up and is eager to build a client base. He said any time day or night. I am taking him at his word.”

“He?”

“Jonas. He makes a mean pancake.”

It felt awkward to be in contact with him, but she slid her arm around his because he seemed to expect it.

She directed him out the main doors of the tower and across the separation between fresh and saltwater. They moved at an easy pace, and the light was just caressing the ripples on the water.

Ashko asked her softly. “Why did you swim in the dark?”

She chuckled. “Who were you talking to in the wet room?”

“The call? Just information gathering. I don’t know much about seals.”

She laughed. “I haven’t seen a horse running under the water like that. What happens to your riders?”

“They are fastened to my back by my magic. If I wish it, they drown.” He cleared his throat. “Just for the record, I haven’t done that in centuries.”

She sighed. “Oh. Good. The shifters are a little brutal when it comes to herd, pack or other group mentality. Killing is something we get used to, as is making sure that it looks like natural causes.”

The walked to a small building that didn’t have signage up yet. The moment they entered it, there was no mistaking the smells of breakfast.

The single person inside the building smiled at them as they came in. “Morning, Berry. Sit where you like.”

“Morning, Jonas. This is Ashko. He was sent by the seers.”

Jonas paused for a moment and then continued flipping the bacon. “Pleased to meet you, Ashko.”

Berry aimed for the seat so she could watch Jonas, but Ashko frowned and selected another table so that they would be at right angles and share the view.

Jonas smiled. “Menus are on the table. Just shout out when you are ready.”

Ashko glanced at her. “You have been here before?”

“Twice. Jonas is a great talker.”

Ashko looked at the man in the kitchen with the tattoos wrapped around his forehead. He was marked as a love-talker. Yeah, Ashko could bet that the man was an excellent conversationalist.

“He’s fey.”

Berry laughed. “Yeah, the ears gave it away.”

“What is he doing at the Isthmus?”

Berry whistled and said, “Coffee, please.”

Ashko blinked and added, “Two, please.”

Jonas nodded, and he came around the corner with a pot and two cups. “You two are up early. Well, I know that Berry is an early riser, but most of the Kelpie like to hang out in the mists.”

Berry smirked. Jonas was a tattletale. He would tell Berry the truth of any fey in her vicinity.

“I have already seen the horse in the waves, Jonas, but thanks for that.”

“And has he seen the fluff in the surf?” Jonas smirked as he poured the coffee.

Berry shut down. Her emotions drew in, and she started to put the wall up.

Ashko pulled her hand to his lips, and he said, “I have seen the seal in the surf. Her beast and mine played, and now, we are hungry.”

Berry exhaled softly, revelling in the caress of his lips on her skin. The sparking between them was exceptionally strong, and it was addictive.

She looked from him to Jonas and finally settled on the menu. “Jonas, I am having waffles.”

Jonas left them to their own devices, and when the food came, she said quietly, “Thanks for that.”

“For what? You are what you are. I am what I am. It cannot be changed, so you use it.”

She smiled and attacked the waffles, strawberries and cream. The bacon on the side made the berries all the sweeter.

Berry left one strawberry for last. “So, how long were you talking with my brother?”

He paused. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, there are two reasons. The first is because that is what he always says to me, and the second is that I could hear his voice through the phone. Shifters are tricky that way.”

Colour crept up his cheeks. “I needed to understand some things.”

“Like my language and demeanour, and my challenging fey to arm wrestle?”

He waved his fork in the air with the last of his hash browns dangling. “Precisely. He told me that you were made wary by the reaction to your beast. The way you reacted to strangers out of an urge to make them wary of you.”

“Wow. This is pretty deep for this early in the day.”

He smiled slowly. “I love getting deep first thing in the morning.”

It was her turn to blush. “Right. Back to the witty repartee.”

“I am serious. My mind has been on seducing you a thousand times over with every flick of your tongue on the cream.”

“You appear to have a one-track mind.”

“I am a male seeking a mate. There isn’t anything else that we think of once we have identified her.”

“So, you are just going to chase after me with a relentless stream of innuendo until I flop on my back with my legs spread?”

He smiled and sipped at his coffee. “I would prefer you on your hands and knees so I could lose myself in those hips and that ass of yours.”

She choked on her own coffee before dabbing at her lips with a napkin. “That was graphic.”

“I am a beast of the fields. Blunt is my forte. I can give as good as I get.”

Berry checked her shirt for crumbs and pulled a fleck of waffle out of her bra. It was on her way to her lips when he grabbed her fingers and redirected them to his mouth.

She stared at her fingertips as he sucked on them, and when she tried to pull her fingers free, he licked delicately at her nails before letting her go.

She yanked her hand back sharply as the tiny touch of his tongue sent a flicker of reaction through her. She would swear that her clit throbbed in reaction.

“Berry, what do you do during the day before you torture my kind?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Sometimes I sleep; other times, I work on the library at the Isthmus. The tower can create anything you want, so you just stand there and remember. The books just appear.”

He smirked. “Doesn’t that infringe on copyright?”

She shrugged. “It hasn’t come up yet, and the books can’t be removed from the building. I think we are safe. The DVD collection might be a little different, but until the enforcement branch gets themselves to the Crossroads, we are perfectly fine.”

He snickered.

She got up and walked over to the payment pad Jonas had embedded in his wall. “Thanks for breakfast.”

He sighed. “We could have made such beautiful music together, Berry.”

She started. “Why are you saying that?”

“You and he vibrate with the same level of energy. You are a much better match.”

She glanced over to where Ashko was waiting for her. “What do you mean?”

“You are emotional energy; he is physical. It is a damned good match. The seers have really outdone themselves.” Jonas winked. “If he isn’t any good in bed, send him to me. I am sure I can offer him some pointers.”

Ashko raised his voice. “I will ask my lover, not you, chatterbox.”

Berry felt her cheeks heat again. “Great breakfast. Have a nice day, Jonas.”

He gave her a wink and a wave.

Berry walked toward the door, and Ashko followed her.

“I have a question for you, Beryl.”

She glanced back at him as they entered the slowly populating street. “Shoot.”

“Would you go for a ride with me? Or rather, on me?”

She looked at her skirt and sandals. “Do I have a chance to change?”

He smiled. “You will be fine. I can’t see you when you are on my back anyway.”

“On the water or the land?”

“Across the hills. They have been calling to me, and I would like you to join me if you are not too busy.”

She winced. All she had was time here until she came up with her mate. “Let’s go. I haven’t been on horseback since I was in high school.”

His expression of delight was genuine. He took her hand and tugged her toward the pathway that led up to the hills.

A tree stood on a hilltop, and he stopped when he reached the summit.

“I will change, and you can use the tree to climb on my back.”

She snorted and waved for him to commence.

“You do not have a problem with nudity?” He peeled off the dark-blue t-shirt he was wearing and exposed his tattoo of a tribal horse’s head with a mane made of waves.

“Nope. Don’t get me wrong, you are very well put together, but shifters can’t worry too much about getting naked. It is necessary to our shifting. Being stuck in a bra and flopping around on a beach isn’t fun.”

He grinned. “It sounds like a fun afternoon to me.”

She rolled her eyes as he toed off his shoes before unsnapping his jeans. He had her full attention as he lowered the zipper and peeled away the denim.

Berry had a thought as his erection sprang free and he shoved the denim down. “Can’t the fey just shift in and out of their clothing without changing?”

He balanced on one leg at a time as he stripped. “Yes. Yes, we can. I am surprised that you know that.”

She smirked and crossed her arms. “Don’t get me wrong. Your... uh... display is very impressive. I would just like to see your beast while I am human.”

His erection was mouth-wateringly hard. There was a gleam at the tip that Berry wanted to touch and taste, but she held back.

He turned toward her, showing off.

She wrinkled her nose and walked up to him with a smile. “Get on all fours, Ashko.”

He grinned, kissed her cheek and stepped aside to become a huge horse with grey and rich-green colouration. Under the water, it had been hard to see him, but he was definitely designed for the water.

Gill slits were flat on his neck, his ears were flared like small fish fins and his eyes were an unrelieved black.

He tossed his mane, and she took it as an invitation to mount him. She wiggled her skirt up until it was barely covering her underwear, and she grabbed a handful of his mane while pulling herself onto his back. She settled on him, her back straight and her weight pressed firmly on his back.

He shook his mane and took a few cautious steps forward. Berry got into the rhythm of his movements, and when he picked up speed, she leaned forward. The landscape blurred past as he ran, and she relaxed into the roll of muscle, bone and hide under her thighs.

The prickle of horsehair abraded her inner thighs as Ashko ran across the hills, circled around the Crossroads and then bolted back to the Isthmus.

Time didn’t flow right when she was on his back. The sun was setting when they stopped beneath the tree, and she slid off his sweaty back with a groan.

Getting her thighs to close was the trickiest part of the moment. By the time she was in a normal standing position, Ashko was next to her, dressed and grinning. “That was fun. Would you care for dinner?”