The door swung open, the cool air cooling the redness of her face and chest. The entire way down the hill to the New Garden Harbor, she could hardly keep the smile off of her face, bouncing down the path. She felt like a young girl again, smitten by some handsome fool. Even once she reached the harbor, Gilla could see that Ceara was all too pleased with herself. He was sitting at his stall with his wife, Agata. She was tying back her long, golden locks, preparing to help Gilla with the deliveries. All smiles, Ceara bound over to the stall, plopping the pouch of coins down on the counter. Gilla gave her a curious look as he stood to gather the pouch. 

“What’s gotten into you, young lady?” he asked, a smirk brewing, barely covered by his long, graying beard. Agata perked up, smiling wide at Ceara. 

“Oh, I do know that look!” she exclaimed, coming to stand next to her husband at the counter. “This girl fancies someone!” Ceara couldn’t stifle her own grin. She cleared her throat, staring off into the sea for a moment as Agata melted into delighted squeals. Agata pranced around the stall counter, grabbing Ceara by the shoulders.

“You must tell me everything!” she said, pulling Ceara with her to sit at a table not far off from the merchant’s stalls. Ceara laughed at Agata’s excitement, unsure of where to begin.

“Daire wants me to come by the tavern tonight, and-” Agata’s squealing interrupted her, so she paused, giggling at Agata’s excitement. 

“I knew it was Daire! Tell me everything!” she squealed. 

“Well, he wants to make up for all his drunk come-ons. So, he’s invited me to go drink at the tavern while he acts as my knight in shining armor.” Ceara rolled her eyes, unable to wipe the smile off her face. Agata sat back, a hand on her chest, her jaw dropped in pure joy.

“Oh, that’s adorable.” Agata clapped a hand onto Ceara’s knee, squeezing her in excitement. Ceara shrugged, her smile faltering slightly. 

“I don’t know if I’m going to go.”

“But, you have to! Ceara, you two have been staring at each other for weeks now. You have to take the dive at some point.” Agata gave Ceara a pointed look, as though a concerned mother looking at her daughter. 

“I don’t go out and drink, Agata. It’s not my style. Besides, I don’t care to be falling over drunk.” Agata waved a hand, dismissing her worries. 

“Just come with me! Gilla has the children tonight, me and a friend were already planning to go out. We can keep an eye out for you.” Ceara relaxed slightly. It wouldn’t be so bad to spend some time with some other women and have some fun. After all, she rarely went to socialize with human women; it couldn’t hurt?

“You better make sure I don’t make a fool of myself if I go,” she said. Agata clapped her hands happily. 

“You are definitely coming! And of course we’re going to look out for you. What else would you expect?” asked Agata. She squeezed Ceara’s knee once more, before getting up to return to the merchant stall. 

“It’s Daire, darling! She’s finally doing it!” Agata yelled to her husband. Gilla looked at Ceara with a glimmer in his eye, smiling ear to ear. Ceara blushed, then waved as she turned to walk up the path to her private cove. 

Ceara was feeling a mix of emotions as she wandered up her path. She’d feel a burst of excitement and giddiness, sending her bouncing over the dirt path, her dress flowing and flying as she flounced the skirt around in her hands. A moment later, she was filled with dread and anxiety. She had maintained careful control of herself and surroundings while on human lands. Even knowing that she would be safe with people she trusted still left her feeling vulnerable. 

Humans couldn’t know about her existence as a Selkie. Even among the Jade Cliffs village, people had a mixed reaction to Selkies; some didn’t believe in Selkies at all, while others felt immense hatred toward any non-human being. Worse, others worshipped and fetishized the idea of capturing a Selkie wife. Even within the harbor market, Ceara had heard men openly speaking about capturing a Selkie’s coat so that they could breed beautiful, strong children as they pleased. After all, Selkie women made wonderful wives. Some men took delight in the fact that all he had to do was threaten to destroy her coat to keep his imagined Selkie wife from ever saying no to whatever he might request. 

Ceara shuddered, shaking the thought out of her head. If she was going out tonight, then she had people looking out for her. There was nothing to be afraid of, as long as nobody found her secret. Ceara cast her eyes around, ensuring that nobody was around to witness her ducking into the magically concealed entry to her cove. Seeing no one, Ceara dipped down, brushing past the shrubs. Her anxiety was eating her alive as she sprinted to her yew tree, quickly scaling the branches to search for her coat. The thudding in her chest calmed as she reached the top of the tree, grabbing the tightly folded coat into her arms. She squeezed it to her chest for a moment, relaxing now that she knew her coat was safe. 

Balanced on a thicker branch, Ceara carefully removed her satin dress, gently folding it to be placed back into the large basket of dresses. Seal coat in hand, Ceara made her way down the branches, racing to the shoreline. The cool water splashed up her legs as she threw the coat over her shoulders. She splashed into the waters.

A kick of a seal’s tail later, and Ceara was racing through the water. All fear, insecurity, or vulnerability left her body as she flowed through the sea. She dove deep into the waters pushing her speed to their limits, exhilaration radiating through her. The currents sent her flying through the water at thrilling speeds. She followed the coastline, checking out villages near Jade Cliffs with curiosity. Eventually she turned back, ready to return to her cove. 

Ceara was completely exhausted by the time she made her way back to the cove. She made her way into a shady, private space to curl up for a nap. This spot was delightfully comfortable as she steadily wedged herself into the soft, cool feeling of the soft sand scrubbing over her skin and forming a small pillow to rest her head on. She sighed, yawning as she curled into her favorite nap hideout. With one final stretch, Ceara lost herself in thoughts of Daire. 


*****


Ceara walked through the water in her sapphire blue dress, the length being pulled back from her legs by the motion of the water. She ran her hands over the long sleeves of the dress, catching a chill from the night air. A thick fog obscured her vision as she walked. She knew where she needed to go, so she just kept walking. As the fog began to clear, the door of the Royal Otter Tavern came into view. Ceara dashed toward the door, tossing it open and rushing in. 

The tavern was completely empty. She walked around, looking for anyone who might be sitting in a corner. When she found no one around, she ventured into the kitchen. She could smell Rian’s bread, but to her surprise, Rian wasn’t there either. She opened the ovens, finding them empty, then closed them, confused. She continued down the hallway to Daire’s office, certain that somebody had to be around.

Pulling open the door revealed a stressed out looking Daire sat at his table with his head in his hands. She reached her hand out, trying to provide some comfort. Instead, Daire looked at her, the stress melting away to reveal hunger in his eyes. Ceara glanced down at her body. Somehow her dress had melted away, leaving her standing completely nude in front of him. Unashamed, she pulled him up to her; one of his hands immediately wrapped around her lower back, the other laced into the hair at the nape of her neck. His tongue pressed past her lips, entwined with her own. She moaned into his mouth, her arms wrapped tightly around Daire’s strong neck. 

The more she moaned, the more Daire’s hands explored the curves of her body. He leaned her back against the door frame, pinning her under his lips. His face drifted down into the curve of her neck, decorating her skin with kisses and love bites while his fingertips pressed into her flesh. A gasp echoed into the dream space as Daire pinched her nipple between his fingers. Daire’s hands traveled over her body, passing over her ass before dipping between her thighs. He pulled her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. 

After a moment, he leaned forward and they fell; as Ceara expected to hit the ground, she found her dreamscape dropping her into a warm, lush bed. Daire’s clothing had vanished, his warm skin feeling like a live wire everywhere their bodies were pressed together. The anticipation ran rampant in her body, keenly aware of the tip of Daire’s cock pressing against her exposed lips. Daire continued his trail of kisses down from her neck, between her breasts and over the soft flesh of her stomach. 

Before long, Daire had positioned Ceara’s thighs on his shoulders. She could feel the longing liquids dripping from her as his breath warmed her, teased her, and drove her to brinks of begging for his tongue. She lifted her hips to his face, and he pulled away with a devilish grin.

“A little anxious, are we?” he asked, the grin growing wider. He lifted his chin, the soft hair of his beard tickling over the sensitive skin between her thighs. She bucked again, squealing in anticipation. Daire chuckled before pressing his hands into her hips, pushing her down into the mattress to be pinned there. Again, he continued to tickle, tease, and blow over her, driving her into a frenzy. She couldn’t lift her hips, but she still tried, finding herself even more turned on by the control he had over her body. Her back arched as she ran her fingers into her hair, whining in frustration. 

“Please,” she panted, reaching her fingers down to entwine into his curls. His eyes grew darker. 

“Please? What do you want?” he said, his voice growing more husky. Ceara bit her lip, groaning as he pressed his tongue to her slit, teasing her in an up-and-down rhythm. Ceara gasped, then let out a deep moan. Daire’s tongue paused, and he kissed the inside of her thigh. 

“What do you want, my darling?”

“Your tongue.”

“My tongue? That’s how you ask for my tongue?” he chuckled, flicking his tongue over her clit, making her squirm. 

“Please give me your tongue,” she begged, losing her train of thought as he bit lightly into her thighs. He kissed the fine marks left behind as indentations on her skin. 

“Good girl.” Ceara could feel herself melt as Daire buried his face between her thighs. A guttural sound escaped her as his tongue explored and tasted her, her thighs tightening around his head. He worked over her pleasure points, sending her into gales of ecstasy.

A hand slipped away from one side, the other centering itself to compensate. There was a pause in Daire’s tongue as he pulled away slightly to wipe her sweet fluids from his beard. He grinned up at her, obviously pleased with the response. He looked back down, gently blowing on her and sending goosebumps crawling over her skin. Fingers parted her lips, gently teasing the entrance before gently plunging into her. Ceara clutched the sheets beneath her, reveling in the feeling of his fingers working her pleasure center, leaving her begging for release. Daire’s fingers were relentless, masterfully working her over until finally, she crested the peaks of orgasm, calling out his name. 

Daire removed his fingers, lifting them to Ceara’s mouth. She swirled her tongue around his fingers, sucking them clean. He crawled up her body as he removed his fingers from her mouth, replacing them with his lips instead. Ceara could taste and smell herself on him, driving her into a frenzy of desperate need and desire. She dug her nails into his back, pulling him to her body. For just a moment, Daire lifted his face from Ceara’s groaning with his own desires building. The head of his cock was pressed against her, not quite penetrating into her. He was rock hard, a slight curve urging to be buried inside her. 

“Give me it.” Ceara’s eyes were showing Daire the frenzy she was feeling. He gave her a mischievous grin. 

“Give you what exactly?” he asked, a slight growl in his voice. Ceara squirmed underneath him, trying to lift her hips to meet the shaft of him. 

“You. Stretch me. Fill me. Fuck me.” Ceara dug her nails into his backside, trying to pull him into her. He kept himself positioned right at the entry, teasing her. Ceara needed to experience every inch of him inside of her, her begging growing more insistent. Daire lowered his face to her ear, letting out a low growl. 

“You haven’t used your manners once.” 

The delicious plum shape at the head of his cock ran up and down her slit, the warmth of it causing her to writhe in need. He would pause, sometimes pushing just the head into her before taking it back out. He pressed it back in again, this time pushing just a little bit further inside her. Ceara groaned loudly. 

“Give me more, please,” she begged, panting between words. This time, Daire didn’t fully remove himself from her, pushing himself a little further into her, finally brushing the pleasure center that was waiting and aching for him. She whimpered into his ear as he worked just a few inches of himself into her, teasing her closer to orgasm. 

“Such a good girl… Are you sure you want it all?” he asked. Ceara nodded her head vigorously. 

“Yes. Please.” She filled her hands with his backside, trying to help guide him inside of her fully. He slid about halfway inside her, then paused. The impending orgasm was pushing her to the edge of her sanity. She circled her hips around him, then noticed he’d frozen. He furrowed his brow as he looked down at her. 

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?” 

“We can’t finish right now,” he said. Ceara froze, confused. He lowered himself slightly over her, pushing himself further inside of her by just an inch or two. He placed his face next to her ear. He kissed her neck first before placing his lips next to her ear. 

“It’s time to wake up.” 

“What?”

“Wake up.”


*****


Ceara gingerly lifted her head, only to see the sun nearing sunset. She growled slightly as she stretched strong flippers ahead of her, disappointed at such a potentially mind-blowing moment being ripped away from her. Meandering into the water, she let the waves help her be swept into the waves, the cool water easing her frustrations. As Ceara laid back in the water to float on the surface, images of Daire holding himself over her body flooded her mind. She shook her head. Pushing herself under the water to swim off the tension that was building throughout her. In the distance was a school of fish. Ceara paused, then swam after them, eating her fill and distracting herself with the thrill of the hunt. 

Before long, the sky was settling into hues of coral and lavender. Ceara pushed herself to the shore, slipping from her seal skin as she prepared to take Daire up on his offer. She scaled the yew tree, carefully hiding her folded coat in the highest branches, then opening her basket of dresses. The beautiful gemstone shades shone back at her as she pondered what to wear. The dream came to mind, reminding her of the bold sapphire blue she’d worn. She decided that the dream may as well have been prophetic as she pulled the dress from the pile. She stashed it into her pouch, carefully dropping them to the ground before she made her way down the branches. Once dressed, she put her hair into a long, elegant braid. Her stomach was in knots of excitement and anxiety as she made her way up the path into Jade Cliffs. Her mind was racing the entire time; perhaps she could make her dream a reality tonight.