Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Riordan saw Wade off with a lingering kiss, wishing he could follow the younger man back to the hotel, but he needed to be near his siblings after the night's events. He'd offered to let Wade stay the night, but Wade had wanted to check on Ella. Riordan didn't like that Wade would be traveling around Boston alone but knew he'd be able to take care of himself. A dragon who could pay for help from Lucien, of all people, wasn't someone most people would mess with.

Only Niall didn't know Wade was a dragon or from the New York City god pack. Wade cheerfully considered that knowledge his ace in the hole, and Riordan wasn't going to tell him he was wrong. From what he'd seen, Wade would be a serious adversary if they were on opposite sides of a fight.

"You should tell Wade about your fixation," Saoirse said once Wade's car had disappeared around the corner.

Riordan shook his head, hands tucked into his jacket pockets as they headed back inside. "I'm not going to put that on him."

He would never make Wade feel obligated for anything, not after what he'd disclosed in the basement of the pub. It was a wonder Wade was as cheerful and confident as he was, and Riordan had a feeling it came down to the core of the New York City god pack. People didn't get to grow and thrive without feeling safe.

Besides, Riordan didn't want to make Wade sad when he inevitably gave leadership of the clan to Donal and traded his skin for Saoirse's. There was no hope of a relationship where he was going. He'd take comfort in a dream of something he'd never had rather than aching over what was lost.

He locked the door behind them, sensing the gentle pulse of the threshold as it settled around the foundation of the home. The threshold was old, having been laid down decades ago, and was strong enough to keep out unwanted visitors, even if it couldn't keep out phone calls.

Riordan's phone rang, piercing the late-night quiet and causing his siblings to pause in their trek upstairs. He pulled it out of his pocket, hoping it was Wade, but his heart sank when he recognized the number Niall had given him the other week when the other fae had first handed down his demands. He didn't want to answer it.

"Who is it?" Donal asked.

Riordan grimaced, finally forcing himself to accept the call and put the phone to his ear. "Niall."

"You must think yourself rather clever for interceding with the Boston Night Court," Niall said in a silky voice full of violence.

"I went to warn Abhartach. You were the one who attacked while Lucien was visiting."

"I was chasing after a broken bargain. It seems I must chase after you as well."

He couldn't stop the way his heart beat a little faster. "We still have time on the bargain."

"Not after tonight, you don't. Tomorrow afternoon, you will give me your skin, or you will hand over your sister. What will it be, hm? Your clan or your family?"

Niall ended the call, and Riordan closed his eyes, the threat ringing in his ears like a sonic boom.

He shook himself back to clarity when Saoirse touched her hand to his chest, pressing her palm over his rapidly beating heart. She looked up at him, face so pale, eyes so big, and he didn't want to ever not see her face in his life. "Don't do it. I'll go to him."

"Like hell you will," Donal growled as he clattered down the steps.

Riordan dragged his little sister into a hug, holding her tight. "Donal is right. You aren't going to him."

"But—" she gasped out against his chest.

Riordan met Donal's gaze over their sister's hunched form, his older brother's expression one of twisting grief. "If it has to be one of us, it'll be me, and I won't let him take the clan."

Saoirse poked him hard in the side. "No. The clan needs you. We need you. You're the one we all agreed to lead us."

"This is me leading, deartháir beag ."

"Riordan," Donal said softly.

He shook his head, fighting back the surge of fear and grief working its way up his throat. "Let's just—get some sleep. We'll go for a swim in the morning. Do a patrol. Spend the day together."

Figure out how to say goodbye, even if he didn't say it. His siblings heard the unspoken words anyway. Saoirse squeezed him tight enough to nearly crack his ribs for a few seconds more before letting him go. They all went upstairs and disappeared into their bedrooms, getting into sleeping clothes, but ended up sprawled across Riordan's bed in the way they always had when the world got hard. They'd huddled in piles as seal pups when they were young, and that need for closeness and skin contact hadn't ever faded.

If Riordan didn't sleep at all that night, well, he was the only one who knew.

No alarm was set, but they all woke well before dawn. The melancholy quiet of the morning seemed to infiltrate everyone's mood, leaving conversation by the wayside. They got dressed, and Saoirse made coffee, pouring it all into one big tumbler that they all sipped out of on the slow walk to the beach. Saoirse sniffled after every sip she took, causing Riordan to wrap an arm around her and pull her close, matching his stride to hers.

"This is my fault," she said quietly.

Riordan worked his jaw, hating the fact that she even thought to blame herself when she was the victim. "No, it's not. It never will be."

In the shadows between streetlights, he caught Donal looking back at him, his older brother giving a curt nod to Riordan's unspoken question about their sister. He knew Donal would do his damnedest to keep the guilt from eating Saoirse up inside, but he also knew it would be difficult on both of them after he'd gone.

They made it to the beach, all three of them pulling off their shoes and walking barefoot onto cold sand, feet staying dry until they reached the tidal line. In the early morning darkness, Donal and Riordan undressed and shook their jackets out into sealskin, draping the furry warmth over their shoulders. Saoirse bundled up their clothes and settled down cross-legged on the sand, clutching the tumbler of coffee in both hands. "I'll wait for you here."

The only reason Riordan hadn't called on someone else from the clan to keep her company was because she still had Gwen's artifact hanging from her throat. He and Donal left Saoirse on the sand, wading out into the cold waters of the bay, waves lapping against their bodies. Riordan slipped his sealskin off his shoulder as the water reached his chest, plunging it beneath the surface. Before he could sink under as well, Donal caught his arm.

"I don't want to be chief," Donal said in a low, wrecked voice. "The clan was always yours to lead."

"You'll be good at it," Riordan replied, reaching up to grip his brother's hand. "Saoirse will help."

"There has to be another way. Ella could help. There's Wade?—"

"Niall cut the time. I don't know when he'll come to collect, but it's today, and I won't let him keep Saoirse," Riordan cut in.

"I don't want that bastard to keep either of you."

Riordan smiled tightly and shook his head. "Let's swim, yeah? One last time."

He needed to feel the ocean against his skin, to swim through the vastness of it and know what home felt like one last time. He was under no illusions that he'd ever step foot in the ocean again. No one whose skin was stolen ever experienced the waves once they were land-bound. Oh, they might see the ocean from a distance, might hear its siren song in their dreams and nightmares, but they'd never swim in it again, not as they were.

So Riordan held his breath and sank beneath the surface, twisting his skin around himself and tumbling into a shift, coming out of the roll in his seal form. Donal was right beside him in the water, just as quick, following where Riordan swam into the deep, dark waters of the sea. He missed having Saoirse with them, but she'd get back in the water soon enough.

They didn't do an official patrol, staying within sight of the shore as they played in the waves. It was bittersweet, knowing what he was losing, but it was worth who he was saving. By the time the sun was up and the water less murky near the surface, Riordan reluctantly called an end to the swim. He got Donal's attention with a nose nudge against his older brother's side, and they swam to the surface. Right before they broke it, a strange, chilling, sonorous echo flowed through the water, coming from the deep waters farther out in the bay, in the open ocean.

It made Riordan want to get back to shore fast , and Donal seemed to feel the same. They swam quickly through the water until they reached the beach. Riordan twisted in the shallow waves, riding them in as a human and coming up out of the water with his sealskin wrapped around his waist.

"What was that ?" Donal asked, swiping a hand over his wet hair.

"A threat Lady Caith warned us about," Riordan said grimly. "You'll need to be careful. Make sure the clans are aware there's something out there in the water that means us harm."

Donal opened his mouth to argue but then paused, eyes narrowing as he looked past Riordan. "Huh. He looks mad."

"Who?" Riordan faced the shore and realized Wade was standing beside Saoirse, arms crossed over his chest and scowling. It was still early enough that no one else was on the beach in their general vicinity. The sun had barely cleared the horizon, sending everyone's shadows stretching out to the west along the sand. "Wade."

"I called him," Saoirse said, a stubborn look on her face. "I told him what you were planning to do."

"Which is dumb ," Wade said fiercely. "You aren't giving up your skin today. I told you I'd help you stop Niall, but this isn't what I was talking about."

"Wade—"

Wade held up a finger. "Nope. I don't want to hear it. At least, not until I've had a chance to investigate Niall's territory."

"You can't go back there."

"I didn't get to go in the first place. We got waylaid by Lady Caith. And yes, I'm going. I'm good at sniffing out magical hoards, and I still need to find Casey and Harper. Just because Niall gave you an ultimatum doesn't mean you have to give in right away. He wants your skin today? He can come and try to take it one second to midnight, and then I'll fry his ass for the audacity."

Wade was so incensed on Riordan's behalf that the younger man's protectiveness left him feeling warm. And if today was honestly going to be the last day of his freedom, he wasn't going to regret any choices. So he left the surf behind for dry sand, crowding into Wade's space and kissing him deeply. Wade made a sound that he quickly swallowed, licking his way into Wade's mouth with a focus that made his lungs burn.

When they finally parted, Wade just stared at him, a flush to his cheeks that couldn't be blamed on the rising sun. "That's not going to distract me."

"A pity," Riordan murmured.

"Also, you're wet and mostly naked. Get dressed. This isn't a nudist beach. None of us need a ticket."

Donal and Saoirse laughed at that, and Riordan chose to ignore his siblings.

"How's that fixation going, boyo?" Donal asked innocently as he and Riordan started getting dressed.

"What fixation?" Wade asked.

"Nothing," Riordan said hastily. "Come on, let's get back to the house."

"I'll drive you all back."

It was a couple blocks, but Riordan wasn't going to argue, not when Wade had a stubborn set to his jaw. They all piled into his Audi, and he drove for barely a minute back home. They all got out, but Wade didn't. Riordan paused in closing his door, peering at Wade. "Are you coming inside? I'll make you breakfast."

"As much as I really want to, I think I need to get to Beacon Hill," Wade said.

"You're actually saying no to food?"

"I know . Don't tell my pack." Wade cracked a smile, and Riordan tried to return it. "Don't stay here today. Go back to my hotel room. I brought you an extra key card. Niall won't know to look for you there."

Wade flipped open the center console and pulled out a little envelope that held an electronic key card. Riordan didn't know how to decline it—what use would he have for it after Niall took him?—but he couldn't say no to Wade. Riordan accepted the key card and pocketed it, unsure how to tell Wade he wasn't sure he'd get to use it.

"What are you going to do in Beacon Hill?"

Wade smiled, his teeth more fangs than anything else, brown eyes flashing gold for a split second. "Hunting."

Riordan wanted to protest, to offer to go along, but he knew that would just put himself within Niall's reach. For all that Wade was a dragon and bargains couldn't work on him, Riordan wasn't so lucky. "Call me when you're done. I'll worry if you don't."

"Sure. Just don't give up your skin to Niall, or I'll have to hunt you next."

Riordan managed a smile before straightening and closing the car door. He waved goodbye to Wade and stepped up onto the sidewalk. Wade drove off, and Riordan watched him go until the car turned the corner.

"Maybe you should've gone with him," Saoirse said.

"I'm not leaving you to Niall," Riordan said.

"Will you go to the hotel?" Riordan didn't answer her as he headed inside their home, making her poke him in the back. "That's what I thought. If you're going to be dumb about all this, then put your skin in the trunk while you handle clan stuff. It'll buy us time if Niall comes back around."

Riordan didn't know if the trunk would be enough to stop Niall from stealing his skin. If Niall was truly a prayer-born god of some sort, he doubted their clan's magic would be capable of keeping them safe. Certainly, he hadn't been.

That fact galled him, and Riordan hated feeling like a failure.

"So what's the plan?" Saoirse asked after Riordan and Donal had locked their skins away in the trunk upstairs. "And don't say giving your skin to Niall in exchange for mine."

"That is the plan," Riordan said with a shake of his head. "I won't let him keep your skin."

"Well, we won't let him have the clan."

"He won't if I give leadership over to Donal."

"I don't want it," Donal said stubbornly. "I never wanted to be chief, and certainly not like this. You're not giving Wade or Ella enough trust to help us out, and I think you should."

"Wade seems like he could wriggle his way out of anything, and he knows dangerous people that put Niall on the defensive," Saoirse added.

Riordan gave both his siblings a pained look. "I don't think we should rely on the support of two master vampires when they said they didn't want an alliance."

"Then what do you want to do? I'm not losing you, boyo."

"I'm with Saoirse," Donal said, meeting Riordan's gaze. "Even if we're on the run until Wade and Ella can get Saoirse's skin back, that keeps you and the clan out of Niall's hands."

"Going on the run means we give up our territory, and he wins," Riordan protested. "I won't let that happen."

"Then let Wade do his thing while we go to ground in Boston for a few days."

Riordan wanted to believe their options would work, he did, but he knew what Niall was capable of, and he was terrified of leaving his sister to that fate. "You need to be prepared to take over."

Donal reached out and gripped his shoulders, giving him a shake. "You need to be prepared for us not letting you go."

Saoirse threw her arms around both of them, squeezing in her own hug. "It's all of us or none of us. That's what we promised when we left for these shores."

Riordan closed his eyes and pulled his siblings close into a tight three-way hug. He ducked his head and closed his eyes, breathing in their scents, committing everything to memory. "All right. Let's get the clan safe."

More than fifty selkies were part of Clan Maguire, some of whom traveled west with them centuries ago and all the others finding their way to them over the years. They'd been lucky in that none who'd become clan had ever tried to break the clan up. Riordan was never cruel, and he was willing to work hard to keep the clan and territory safe. He wouldn't ask anything of his clan that he wasn't willing to do himself.

Donal got a pot of coffee brewing while Saoirse went upstairs to pack go-bags for each of them. Riordan settled himself at the kitchen table and pulled out his phone, opening up the group message that had the clan's captains' contacts. Each person in the chat was responsible for notifying upward of ten selkies in their contacts cohort to give out his orders. This way, Riordan wasn't trying to wrangle dozens of people at once. He'd give the orders that needed to be given, and the others would see them done.

He knew none of them would like what he had to say.

Niall has called in the bargain. I want the clan to go to ground in Boston. No arguments. It hopefully won't be for long. If things get bad, Donal will be chief.

"No I won't," Donal said as he set a mug of coffee down beside Riordan. "Because we'll find a way out of this. We always do."

Riordan tapped furiously at his phone as he tried to respond to the anticipated deluge of text messages that was filling up his screen. "Right now, I have to get the clan out of harm's way."

It meant needing to stay at their home for the next few hours because inevitably some of the clan stopped by to try to change his mind and others to figure out how to handle the clan's myriad of businesses. Maguire's Pub could still stay open and be run by the mundane humans on staff. Donal had to revise the schedule, and the pub would be closing early on two of the nights due to staffing shortages. He'd see if Ella could send some werecreatures around to keep an eye on it.

"Is that it?" Saoirse asked a little impatiently after they'd seen the last clan member out of the home. "Send another text and tell people to stop coming around. We need to leave."

It was close to noon, and so far, Niall hadn't come around, but that wasn't to say he wouldn't. Riordan pocketed his phone and nodded at his sister. "Let's get out of here."

"Our bags are already in the car."

They were taking only one because Donal and Saoirse were insistent that Riordan stay with Wade. He didn't like leaving them alone, but they had a condo in Back Bay the two would lie low in for a day or so.

Someone knocked on the front door before they could leave for the garage in the back. Whoever was on the porch felt like fae to his senses.

And they felt familiar.

Donal went to open the door, revealing their guest. "Lady Caith."

Riordan peered over his brother's shoulder at where Lady Caith stood on the porch, dressed in a sleek white business suit with a gold metallic blouse beneath the tailored jacket. Her magenta hair fell down to her waist in styled waves this time, the delicate points of her ears peeking through. She wore minimal jewelry, even if the pair of fae guards with her were practically bristling with weapons most likely glamoured to be hidden. Riordan could pick them out because fae magic was easy enough to sense and adjust for while this close.

"Chief Riordan," Lady Caith said. The use of his title made Riordan blink in surprise, as it was rare to have someone of her stature actually acknowledge his rank. "May I come in?"

"We were just leaving," Riordan said, but he still stepped back, and Donal did as well. Saoirse was practically vibrating beside him with the clear desire to get moving.

Lady Caith stepped inside their home, her guards coming with her. Donal inched closer, subtly putting himself between Riordan and the guards. Lady Caith glanced around, letting nothing show on her face about her opinion of their home. Riordan knew it didn't look like they had money, even if they did, but he was proud of the home he and his siblings had been in for decades.

"My fae tell me that Niall has become the target of the Boston Night Court."

"We didn't broker an alliance with Abhartach. He wasn't receptive."

"Neither was Lucien," Saoirse retorted.

Lady Caith stilled, her attention snapping to Saoirse. "The daywalker is in Boston?"

"Wade seemed friendly with him."

"Not really," Riordan hastened to say. "But they know each other. Neither master vampire was happy about Niall dropping in like he did."

Lady Caith folded her hands together and focused on Riordan. It unnerved him to some degree, but he didn't let it show. "Niall has been testing my territory borders. Several of my guards have been harmed. One has been murdered."

"Nothing's made the news," Riordan said.

Lady Caith's lips curled fractionally. "I know how to keep such disagreements out of sight of mundane humans."

Her words might have been an insult, but Riordan chose not to take them that way. She was here for a reason, and he rather thought he knew why, which meant he wasn't going to muck up their chances of making her an ally, even if only temporarily. "I've told my clan to go to ground for the next few days. We're buying Wade time to scope out Niall's territory right now."

"And do you believe he will be able to find what was stolen?"

"I don't know, but he's trying." Riordan tactfully didn't say it was more than what Lady Caith was doing, but he rather thought the words were heard anyway, judging by how she narrowed her eyes.

"Niall would not hide his hostages out in the open. That was not how he conducted himself when he was mortal."

Some tiny kindle of hope burned in his chest, and Riordan had to try his hardest not to snuff it out. "If you have any ideas on where Niall might be keeping the god pack alphas and my sister's skin, then tell me. I'd bargain with you for that."

Lady Caith tilted her head, eyeing him with an unblinking gaze. "As you would bargain with Niall?"

"I won't leave my sister's skin with him." She had to know the choices that left him; otherwise, he doubted she'd be knocking on his door.

"In that case, I believe we can come to an arrangement."

"We're not jumping from one toxic bargain into another," Donal said sharply.

"I have no desire for your skin. What I want is Niall gone from Boston. Denying him territory is a way to box him in and push him out. Which means I will not let him have yours."

"How kind of you," Riordan said wryly.

"If you were leaving, I assume it was to keep yourselves out of Niall's reach. In which case, we should discuss terms of an alliance somewhere else."

"Your territory?"

"If you like. It would?—"

The window shattered as something crashed through it, magic exploding outward with a concussive bang that tore through the air and the threshold, sending them all flying. Riordan slammed into the stairs, all the air leaving his lungs as he landed, knocking his head against one edge hard enough that everything spun in a sickening way.

Then, his entire world went up in flames.