Meribella couldn't stop humming as she walked down mainstreet the next morning. Locals eyed her with amusement at her uncharacteristic friendliness, waving and calling hello to anyone who walked by. Harold, the old rascal who'd been waiting near Raff's loft apartment, winked at her before entering a store, and she couldn't manage to be bothered. Even the Alpha's infuriating possessiveness this morning hadn't dimmed her happiness. She'd merely kissed him on the cheek, while he insisted she stay in the house with a guard until he returned, and told him he was crazy.

None of the strange nightmares and worries had plagued her sleep last night, and she'd woken to breakfast and flowers in bed. Damn, if she didn't feel like a princess and every other cliched romance trope. But she'd finally experienced contentment, and for the first time, the idea of being landlocked didn't sound so terrible to her. A life with Raff- if that's what he wanted, and after all of the pain and sacrifices he'd made to keep her in his life, she couldn't imagine he didn't- sounded like the perfect foundation for a new dream. It was a dream of paper butterflies at the moment, fragile and easily destroyed, but so beautiful.

But then... there was the tricky part about her being part human, mostly human according to Caspian. Was the Fae blood she possessed enough to keep her from getting pregnant? And what if she was human enough to get pregnant, but Fae enough to survive?

Don't be naive. I'm sure over the centuries, they tried everything. Especially, if research was done. The thought whisked in a cloud over her sunshine. She'd yet to prove that Raff was innocent of Mac's claim; she was going by gut instinct that he wouldn't do such a thing. However, her years of mistrusting the outside world made it difficult to discard the allegation without investigating, no matter how good the man made her feel. She just didn't know how to go about it.

"Really Meribella... his scent is all over you."

She screamed, but managed to whip around and fall into the defensive position Thorne had drilled into her. "Caspian! What the hell? You don't sneak up on people." She dropped her fists to her side, though she wanted to land at least one good punch just to vent her frustration.

As usual, he was clad in only a pair of pants, his chiseled chest bare and damp from his recent emergence from the sea. They'd left the busiest section of town behind as they reached the harbor, but a few people strolled around the docks, some blatant in their appreciation of the man. He paid them no attention, his disapproving gaze trained on Meribella.

"My apologies. I did try to be obvious about my approach, but you were lost in thought."

She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and sighed. "Why are you not still looking for Kai?"

They fell in step together, their long legs matching the other's stride with ease. The air was clear, making it easy to peer across the ocean's surface for miles. Yesterday's storm was long gone, only bits of debris strewn about a reminder of its fury. She was almost sad she missed being out on the water while the lightning forked into the sea and thunder boomed in sync with the crashing waves. But only almost... she found her adrenaline high elsewhere last night. Which brought her back to her question.

"Caspian, what are you doing here?"

"I believe I posed a question first."

"No, I believe you made a statement full of accusation."

"You are descended from the Selkie's greatest clan leaders, and yet you are fornicating with a dog. A dog that is in direct opposition to our queen!"

Forcing her breathing to remain even, she snatched Caspian by the arm and made him to stop. "When you met me, you made it very clear that I was human in all the ways that counted. I can never visit the Selkie Island. I can never swim for miles beneath the water with my ancestors. I can never be the mate of a selkie...and yet you come here and try to tell me who I can and cannot sleep with. And furthermore, I have told you, she is not my queen!"

"Meribella, do you not understand the peril you are facing? You will die giving birth to his spawn."

She rolled her eyes. "It's called birth control, and we'll be safe."

Caspian shook his head. "No. It's part of the curse. A werewolf could sleep with a sterile human woman, and she would become pregnant. In fact, that's why many human women consent to sleep with the bastards. They want a child so bad, they don't care about their own life. And their life is the cost. If you've slept with him, you're already carrying his child."

"N-no," she whimpered, turquoise eyes darting back and forth across his face, looking for a sign of dishonesty. Caspian mistook her distress as fear, and he pulled the ends of his hair. But it wasn't from the fear of losing her life, not in the physical sense. But of seeing the human life she finally wanted stolen from her by the cruel truth.

"Meribella," he held her hand in his, his grip tight and his eyes pleading. "We can find something that will rid your body of that parasite. We will not lose you."

"Stop," she snapped, pulling away. "I'm not pregnant because we didn't have sex. At least not," she gestured suggestively, "all the way."

The selkie sagged with relief. "Thank the gods."

"Why are you so concerned about me? You've met me a total of three times." She began to walk away, needing to move or else she'd dissolve into tears.

"You are family. We protect each other. And for whatever reason, you are Star Blessed. That is the highest honor amongst our people."

Meribella jammed her key into the door her boat house, but she looked over her shoulder before turning it, "That's it, isn't it. You went home and told everyone that a human had the gift, and they've instructed you to keep an eye on me. What else, Caspian? Are you to drag me home?"

Not letting him speak, she shoved the door open and froze. The galley chairs had been ripped from their bolts and tossed into the sliding doors. Glass littered the floor, and behind the fresh fragrance of rain, the same copper scent of blood that had stung her nose on the beach now burned a fire down her throat.

"Thorne!" she cried out, stumbling into the room, avoiding Caspian's attempt to stop her.

"Meribella, they could still be here."

"I don't give a fuck, Caspian. Thorne!" She scoured the small space, seeing no sign of her friend.

Hope blossomed, and she remembered the witch's powerful display just the day before. But this was a morning for crushing paper butterflies. She reached the stairs that led to the rooms below. With a shaky breath, she peered below, and there Thorne lay, her tawny skin ashen and smeared with blood.