“I didn’t want you to contact the authorities. They might discover my Sisterhood.”

  “Sisterhood? There are more of you?” God, what kind of crazy-assed conversation was this?

  “A whole community on one of the islands no one ever visits.” She hesitated. “Your friend Nate is there.”

  “Jesus H…” He jumped to his feet. “You knew this all along and didn’t tell me?”

  “Please don’t be angry.” She looked as if she’d cry again.

  “How else do you expect me to be?” He would not fall for tears. She’d lied to him, not the other way around. “You’ve known this all the time. Why in hell wouldn’t you tell me?”

  “Because you’d try to find him, and the Sisterhood won’t allow that.” She covered her face with her hands. “Because I wanted to keep you here so I could mate with you.”

  For a moment, his legs went weak as if they’d fail him completely. So, he sank back onto the sand. Mate with him. Not give each other the gift of great sex but mate with him. Not fall in…

  No. Hell, no. He wasn’t going there. Whatever his feelings had been or were now, she’d lied to him. She’d used him. She’d used his own body as a weapon against him. “All right. Why don’t we back up, and you can tell me everything from the beginning?”

  “We live in a Sisterhood. Once in her life, a sister finds a human male and mates with him. Once we’ve conceived a girl child, we wipe his memory of us and return to our community.”

  “A girl child only?”

  “Our body chemistry rejects the sort of sperm that creates a boy,” she answered.

  “So that’s what you’ve been doing with me. And you might be preg…” He squeezed his eyes shut against that possibility. But what had he thought would happen the way they’d been going at it without protection? He opened his eyes again. “Are you carrying my child?”

  “Probably,” she said. “I think so.”

  At least she appeared to be telling the truth now. She couldn’t gain anything by making up a story like that. But how was he supposed to believe in women who could turn into seals and a whole colony of them the outside world knew nothing about? Magic again. He’d happily never hear that word again.

  “This happened to Nate?” he asked.

  “Ara mated with him here, but he was able to find us. And our Mother allowed him to stay,” she said. “He’s very happy.”

  “That’s that, then,” he said. “When were you planning to zap my memory and leave?”

  “Soon, I think. When I return to the Sisterhood, I’ll tell Nate to come find you to reassure you he’s all right.”

  “Very thoughtful.” She couldn’t miss the sarcasm in his voice. He’d fallen for someone who’d lied to him, used him, and planned to leave him.

  “We require nothing of you, Mark,” she said. “You’ll forget me, you’ll find Nate, and you’ll go back to New York where you can be happy.”

  Funny, he didn’t feel so happy right now. But did she really care about that? At least, she hadn’t tried to tell him again that she loved him. He really didn’t need to hear that lie again.

  He got up and palmed the sand off his shorts. “I’m going to go back to the hut. Why don’t you dust off that memory-zapping magic and get ready to use it on me?”

  * * *

  They didn’t speak for the rest of the day. Uma waited for the best opportunity to use the magic that would erase his memory of her. She couldn’t do it from a great distance, but if she performed the spell while he could see her, he’d catch her walking away and still have her image in his mind. That might pull up other images, and the whole enterprise would prove useless.

  Even though she hadn’t wanted to allow herself to hope, she waited for some sign that he could accept her now that she’d told him the truth. Discovering you’d been having sex with a selkie had to be hard, but Nate had gotten past it. Mark clearly wouldn’t, or he would have made some move toward her. Instead, the one time she’d tried to approach him -- right after he’d seen her shift -- he’d held out his hands to keep her away. Then at the end of their argument, he’d as much as ordered her to leave him.

  He didn’t want her. He was a creature of cities and rigid rules of reality. Then, too, she’d lied to him over and over. She could hardly blame him for being angry about that.

  So, it was time to leave. She should have conceived by now. She’d have the healer confirm that when she returned to the Sisterhood. She’d have her daughter and continue in the life selkies traditionally lived. She’d be happy as soon as she got over craving Mark.

  She went looking for him and found him sitting at the water’s edge, staring straight ahead of him. For a moment, she drank in the sight of him… the last she’d ever have. She couldn’t see his face, but she could view his body. The muscles of his back under his shirt. Skin she’d stroked as he’d moved inside her. She even had a bit of a view of his tight butt.

  Before he could turn around and ruin this chance to leave him, she searched inward for the spell that would erase his every memory of her. She concentrated on it, sending it out toward him. He jumped a bit in response, but didn’t do anything to allow him to see her.

  She left quickly and went to the place where she’d hidden her seal skin. She removed his shirt and left it on the beach. He could find it later and wonder how it had gotten there. Then, she got into her skin and centered herself until she’d assumed her alternate form. The ocean and her Sisterhood called to her, so she slid down to the water and left this island behind.

  Chapter Six

  When Uma arrived home, the beach was empty. Just as well. Explaining how things had gone with her mate would have proved difficult without bursting into tears, so she headed toward her small cottage at the outskirts of the village surrounding the central meeting center.

  She hadn’t escaped notice, though, and soon her sisters gathered around her, full of questions.

  “How was it?” one asked.

  “Was he really sexy?” another asked.

  “Are you with child?” came another.

  She accepted hugs and thanked the gods for them. “It was wonderful. Yes, he was very sexy. I’ll find out if I’m pregnant soon.”

  Mother Inu stood off at a distance, her smile approving. As a young girl, she’d always pictured this moment as a highlight of her life -- blossoming into full membership of the Sisterhood. Only the birth of her daughter could outshine it. Her mate, as amazing as he might be, would only be a means to an end. She wouldn’t have a gaping hole in her chest where her heart ought to be because she’d left him behind.

  The other sisters parted to allow Inu to approach Uma and place a kiss on her forehead. “Welcome back, child.”

  “Thank you, Mother.”

  Inu put her arm around Uma and led her away from the others. “Was your mate kind to you?”

  Kind was an odd word, not the first Uma would have used. “He was good to me.”

  “And he satisfied you?”

  Uma stopped walking and gazed into the Mother’s face. “Do you mean…”

  “Sexually,” Inu said. “Did you have orgasms?”

  “Many.”

  “Good, then,” Inu said. “You will have conceived.”

  “You had twins,” Uma said. “Does that mean your mate was exceptionally good at satisfying you?”

  Inu’s cheeks colored. Even in maturity and with the authority over all the selkies, the Mother blushed at the question. “He was exceptionally good.”

  How hard it must have been for Inu to give him up, and yet, she’d done it. Maybe she had words of wisdom to share. “Will the longing for him go away?”

  Inu didn’t answer for a moment. She just hugged Uma’s shoulders. “You must master it.”

  “Forever?”

  “You’ll have your daughter as comfort,” Inu answered.

  She would love her daughter with all her heart. And because love was so magical, she could give that to her daughter and still have plenty for her sisters. What she felt for Mark was different, though. No amount of comfort could soothe that ache.

  “Understood,” she said. They did understand each other, although the realization was anything but reassuring. She would have to struggle with wanting him for the rest of her life. Perhaps she would have fared better by never mating at all.

  “Uma!” came a cry. Ara was headed toward her at a near-run. Nate followed not far behind. Inu stepped away and allowed Ara to wrap her arms around Uma in a warm hug.

  “You’re back,” Ara said into Uma’s ear.

  “Where else would I be?”

  Ara eased Uma away from her. “Was it wonderful? Did he make you happy?”

  “In bed and in the water,” Uma answered. “Yes, he made me very happy.”

  Nate chuckled. “That sounds like Mark, all right.”

  “I guess he had lots of relationships in New York,” Uma said.

  “He was always good to his partners,” Nate said.

  As she’d told Inu, Mark had been very good to her. He hadn’t inserted dishonesty into their relationship. She had. And now, she would pay the price.

  “Stop it, both of you,” Ara said. “I want to know if the two of you fell in love.”

  Uma didn’t answer, but her expression must have given her away because Ara’s smile disappeared. “Maybe we should go inside.”

  “Good idea,” Nate added. He gestured toward the house he shared with Ara. Uma headed down the path with Ara’s arm through hers.

  Once inside, Nate pulled out a chair at the kitchen table to seat his mate and then Uma. “I’ll make some tea.”

  “Tea?” Uma repeated.

  “He prefers beer, but we’ll have to go to an inhabited island for that,” Ara said. “Now, tell me everything that happened between you and Mark.”

  “What you’d expect.” Uma wove her fingers together and set her hand on the tabletop. “We had a lot of sex.”

  “That also sounds like Mark,” Nate said from where he was preparing tea.

  “You should visit him so he knows you’re all right,” Uma said. “Then, he can go back to New York.”

  Nate gazed at his mate with an expression so full of love, Uma’s chest hurt to watch.

  “I haven’t wanted to leave Ara,” he said.

  “She’s right,” Ara said. “I’ll be fine without you for a little while.”

  Ara squeezed Uma’s hands. “So, you had a lot of sex, and…”

  “… and he wanted me to go to New York with him.”

  Nate coughed. “New York? I can’t see one of you swimming in the East River.”

  “He didn’t know I was a selkie. I kept everything a secret from him.”

  “You were only doing what we’re supposed to do,” Ara said.

  “He didn’t see it that way. He was very angry when he discovered the truth.”

  Nate set a container of sugar and a plate of lemon slices on the table. “He hates dishonesty, all right.”

  “And he would hate me,” Uma said. “If he remembered me at all.”

  “Oh, honey.” Ara reached out and touched Uma’s shoulder. “I’m sure he didn’t hate you.”

  “He hates everything about these islands. He thinks the iguanas are ugly.”

  “They are,” Nate said.

  Ara gave him a look. “Not helping.”

  He shrugged and poured hot water into three mugs.

  “He said he’d seen enough reptiles for a lifetime. He couldn’t wait to get back to New York where he could get Thai take-out whenever he wanted.” She hesitated. “He said he doesn’t believe in magic.”

  Nate brought a tray with the mugs of tea and spoons to the table and sat down. “I was like that.”

  “You loved the islands,” Ara said.

  “I mean the part about not believing in magic. Until I found it right under my nose.” Ara and Nate gazed at each other that way again, and Uma had to stare at her mug to avoid being overwhelmed with jealousy.

  “So, he’s New York, and I’m Galapagos,” she said. “We don’t fit.”

  “We can fix this, surely.” Ara glanced at Nate.

  He held his hands up. “Oh, no. I’m not getting involved in Mark’s love life.”

  “You told me once, my mate would have to fight for me before I could have him for life,” Uma said. “Mark’s not going to do that. I’ll just have to get over him.”

  * * *

  Why in hell was he sitting here staring out over the same patch of water he’d watched for the last three days? Why in hell didn’t he just contact the authorities to report an American missing among these islands and get his ass back to Manhattan where he could have a decent shower and some good Scotch? What in hell was wrong with him?

  Instead of doing what any sane person would, Mark continued to sit near the water’s edge and search for any sign of… what… any sign of what? His body had recorded a loss of days, like the sense of the passage of time while you’re asleep. You can’t tell exactly how long you’ve been out, but you have a sense of whether it was a few minutes or a few hours. He felt as though he’d been in a coma and had missed something really important. Or had forgotten it.

  And he’d lost more than time. Frustrating in the extreme not to know what. Just that something important was gone. And so, he was sitting here searching for it without even knowing what to look for. Whatever it was, it could fill the hole inside him. He needed it.

  He ought to laugh out loud. The guy who had everything in the greatest city in the US, sitting on the beach of this inconsequential volcanic outcropping in the middle of nowhere, needing something. He never would have believed it.

  His stomach growled. How long had it been since he’d eaten anything? He’d scrambled some eggs and fried some bacon shortly after getting up. That could have been hours ago. He still didn’t have a good sense of time.

  It was all the fragments of memories… tiny images that flashed across his brain and then disappeared. Like a dream. Some frankly erotic. He spent lots of time horny as hell. If he went back to New York, he could call his latest friend with benefits. Kay probably missed him, and they could scratch each other’s itches. If only he could make himself leave this damned, fucking island.

  Then, something did appear at a distance. Just a spot for a moment, and the just-perceptible sound of a Zodiac engine. He stood, shaded his eyes with his hand and stared as the boat got closer.

  Yes, a Zodiac with a man in it, headed right for him. He waved with his free hand to welcome the visitor. If it was someone from the government, he could report Nate’s absence. Then, maybe, he’d leave. If not an official, at least he could have a rational conversation with someone.

  He finally recognized the man. Nate! Damn, he’d come here to search for him, and Nate had found him, instead. Now, he really could leave and finally get his life back.

  When Nate landed on the beach, Mark went to help pull the Zodiac up onto the sand. Then, he threw his arms around Nate. “Where the fuck have you been?”

  “It’s a long story,” Nate answered. “Why are you here? You call any place outside Manhattan ‘roughing it.’”

  “I came looking for you. One minute, you’re talking about an Emmy-winning documentary, and the next… radio silence.”

  Nate turned three shades of red. “Yeah, well. Things got complicated.”

  “I’ll say. I get here, and all your stuff is right where you left it before you took off to God-knows-where. As if the aliens took you up to the mother ship.”

  “I’m back now. I’ll gather up my equipment, and you can go back to New York.”

  “That’s not our deal. I want my documentary about the new species…” Another of those images flashed into his head. The species of… yeah, seals… had somehow set it off. He shook his head to get rid of it.

  Nate studied him. “Are you okay?”

  “Sure. The isolation must be getting to me. I haven’t seen another human being for…” But that wasn’t true. He had interacted with someone. Someone he couldn’t remember. Damn it all, why couldn’t he remember? “This place has done something to me. The iguanas don’t look ugly to me anymore. I enjoy looking at the scenery.”

  And he missed… he’d lost… something or someone. And he kept hoping magic would fix that. Magic, of all things. “Did you feel weird while you were staying here?”

  Now, Nate was really staring at him. “Weird how?”

  “I think I lost some days. And something else. It’s like right out of touch of my mind, but it’s still stuck there.”

  “Something you desperately want?”

  “Yeah.” What a relief that someone else might understand. “Exactly like that.”

  Nate was silent for a few seconds. “I wasn’t going to do this…”

  “If it’s something that’ll help, please do.”

  “Did you finish all my beer?” Nate asked.

  “I brought some of my own. There’s still a couple of bottles left.”

  Nate clapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s go drink some.”

  Mark followed Nate up to the hut. Once inside, Mark opened a couple of beers he’d brought with him and handed one to Nate.

  “You’d better sit down,” Nate said.

  Mark sat on the bed and waited, holding the bottle between his palms.

  “You had a visitor,” Nate began. “She would have shown up, naked, out of nowhere.”

  The truth hit him in the gut. That had happened. It was part -- the main part -- of what was bugging him. “Go on.”

  “Her name was U --”

  “-- Uma. Holy crap, you’re right.”

  “And she gave you the best sex of your life,” Nate said.

  Mark almost dropped his beer as memories flooded him, blinding him. She’d shown up in his bed while he was having an erotic dream. From that moment, she’d owned him, although he hadn’t realized it until later. When sanity returned, he looked up at Nate. “How do you know that?”

  “Because the same thing happened to me.”

  “You and Uma?” Please, don’t let her be some kind of nymph who tempted every man she met.

 

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