MERIBELLA

Meribella waited for Raff to respond. His handsome features were frozen somewhere between innocence and terror, and if she wasn't so irritated about Mariah's presence, she'd find it adorable. As it was, she was tempted to rush out into the night and show the shifter she wasn't the only one with claws.

"Man stuff," Lincoln jumped in. He crossed his arms and looked so impressed within himself that Meribella couldn't hold back her snort of laughter.

"Raff?"

"He's not lying," Raff said cryptically. He pulled her into his arms, his lips seeking to distract her. She allowed it for a moment, enjoying the tingles his tongue sweeping through mouth sent to her toes, but she pulled away with a wistful sigh.

"I suppose I'll leave it at that. As long as it didn't have anything to do with Mariah's dramatic exit. Thorne said it looked like she was crying."

"Oh it had something to do with it all right," Lincoln snarled, "but it's nothing we couldn't handle."

"She's lucky." Thorne joined them, her black eyes hard. "You two let her leave here in tears; I would've sent her home in pieces. I love Joe to death, but his daughter is a menace."

"Girls, Mariah has been through a lot. We need to give her a little slack," Raff's lips turned down, and his scent shifted. Beneath the pine and cinnamon, the cloying scent of decaying flowers threaded. It burned her nose, but she recognized it for what it was. Regret and sadness. As much as she disliked the woman, she had been a good friend to Raff. And she would always be family to him.

"So what brings you two here?" Thorne asked, wrapping her arms around the Beta's neck and drawing him into a deep kiss, making a sound in the back of her throat normally reserved for the bedroom.

She turned away when Lincoln's hands dropped below the witch's belt. Clearing her throat, she looked up at Raff and found herself blushing at the intensity raging in his eyes. "I see the wheel's turning," she whispered, standing up on her tiptoes.

"They never stop where you're concerned," he admitted, "but it doesn't help being around those two. Makes me feel all competitive."

"Men," she said, slapping his chest. "But really, what are you doing here? You don't usually come down here when I'm working. Not after the last incident."

Now it was Raff who went red. The supernatural community knew very well who Meribella belonged to, and they kept their hands off. Unfortunately, the human tourists weren't privy to such information, and a man had made the mistake of getting handsy after too many drinks. Long story short: Raff ended up paying to rebuild the entrance, and Joe suggested the werewolf stay far away on night's Meribella worked.

"I just wanted to check on you. We didn't get the chance to talk much after your mom dropped the bombshell on us, and you left for work."

All the warmth Raff's touch had conjured fled, and her stomach turned to ice. "I'm not going to say I'm okay, but we have time. Whether it's to figure out a solution or come to terms with what will be."

His thumb spread a tear across her cheek, and she leaned into the touch. "We will deal with whatever happens. As long as we do it together. If there's one thing I've learned in the last year, it's that disaster strikes when we don't work together."

"Agreed," she said. "Now get out of here before I get fired for not working. Vivian is giving me and Thorne the stink eye."

"Yes ma'am," he said, hoisting Lincoln out of his seat causing Thorne to shriek in protest. "We've got to go."

"Dude, that was rude AF."

"Sometimes I think you're a teenage girl," Thorne said, rolling her eyes.

"That's not what you told me last night."

"Out!" Meribella shouted, shaking her head as her friends laughed. All of the cold in her blood melted at the sound. No matter what was in store for them, she had these amazing people in her life. She would cling tightly to moments like this, and they would come through the other side. Together.

"See you later," Thorne said, nabbing another kiss before grabbing a tray of drinks from the bar.

Meribella turned to do the same before she remembered. "Don't think I've forgotten. I want to know what you two were gossiping about."

The Alpha and his Beta just looked at each other and grinned looking for all the world like they were six and had been caught snitching cookies. Raff winked before bolting for the exit, and she returned to her work. The pain of her mother's decision had not faded, but it had been soothed. And for that she was grateful.

                                                   **************************************

 Rubbing her aching feet, Meribella dropped onto the edge of her bed in the boathouse. The glowing numbers on her alarm clark had long since switched into the a.m. She had every intention of returning to Raff's condo, especially now that her mother was staying there, but she needed to pick up a few items first.

"Best to not sit still too long or you'll go to sleep," she said out loud, wincing as she stood. Ocean dwellers didn't have to deal with sore feet. Just another positive to add to that list.

She shoved several changes of clothes into her bag, knowing she wouldn't get a chance to come back for a few days. When the small satchel was full, she reached under her bed for another one and dumped its contents on her bed. It wasn't much. Mostly lip gloss and spare change, but Kai's diary and map landed with a clunk besides the junk.

"Whatcha got there?" Thorne asked from the doorway, a toothbrush dangling from her mouth.

Meribella sighed and picked up the journal. It's worn edges were as familiar to her as her own hands. She knew every page and line by heart, once believing it held the secrets to her happiness. Now she knew better. It was filled with the carefully constructed lies of a sad and bitter woman. She handed the map to the witch while she flipped through the book.

"This was all my selkie ancestor passed down to us before she disappeared. She started keeping the journal shortly after Charles stole her skin. At first, she writes about being lonely, missing the sea, and trying to raise a child. Later, after Charles took her to the other side of the country by ship, she starts writing about the places she had looked for her skin. That's where the map came in. First she marked off the places she'd looked, then my grandmother, my mother, and me. The last time I searched for it was the night I met Raff."

"This map isn't a normal map," Thorne declared, minty spittle soaring through the air in her excitement. "It's a witchling map."

Meribella shrugged. "Does that make it do something special?"

The witch glared and spread the yellowed paper across the bed. There was nothing on the map that Meribella hadn't seen before, but Thorne wasn't done. Her hand hovering above the map, she whispered, "Profero."

The black lines shimmered but nothing else happened. "Impressive, Thorne."

"Shush. You know the ocean. I know witchcraft." She picked the map up and walked up the stairs. Meribella trailed after her, following her onto the deck. The promised storm had arrived, and blistering cracks of lightning split the horizon. White froth laced the churning black waters, and the strong wind crackled the paper, making her fear it would tear. But it held strong. Far stronger than normal paper its age would.

"Look," Thorne said.

Meribella peered over her shoulder. A pulsing blue dot had appeared on the map, its location precisely where their boat was moored. From its center, a blue line extended into the ocean. "Where does it lead? The line just ends."

"If we followed it, it would continue on until it led us to the secret location tied to the map. The map would then act like a key. It would allow the beholder to see through any enchantments hiding the location. These were given to welcome guests so that they might find their way. I've only ever seen two before. One was for Atlantis and the other Camelot."

Goosebumps spread across Meribella's skin, and she stepped back from the metal railing. There was only one enchanted place Kai would be interested in. "It has to lead to Selkie Island."

"Tego." The dot disappeared. Thorne folded it up and handed it back to Meribella. "Will you go?"

"No," Meribella said without hesitation. "My home is here with the people I love. The only reason Caspian came looking for us was because of Kai's power. They've had a hundred years to find me. I wasted enough time looking for them."

Thorne drew her into a hug. "I'm so glad you know this now." She pulled away, her hands settling on her Meribella's shoulder. "But if you change your mind, you know I'm coming with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."