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"Nah, wouldn't want to beat you at your own game." I gave a wink and walked away, lifting a hand to wave behind me as I went.
Back inside my cabin, it felt like I could finally drop the pretence. The familiarity of the space mixed with the lingering sense of magic and mystery from my time in the woods made me uneasy, and it was like my mind was being pulled in two directions at once. I couldn't seem to find balance. Could barely believe that I had truly experienced what I knew was real, but it couldn't be.
Sleep. I needed sleep. In the morning, everything would feel better and I could shake off this feeling; this urge to run back into the forest and see if Selene really existed. Like the only thing that could convince me was seeing her again.
I opened the fridge door and scanned the contents, reaching for a bottle of beer, hoping it would help knock me out. I had sleeping pills too, and the two combined should do the trick. Stripping off my shirt, I tossed it on the floor and headed toward the bathroom to wash the funk of my adventure in the woods off.
My mind flashed to the image of Selene's brown skin, the flash of her skin, soft and silky in the pale light, the curve of her breasts beneath her chest covering. The way her hand had felt against my skin. My cock twitched, unexpected arousal. It felt wrong to be turned on by her when the reason she had been lying on the ground was because I'd accidentally shot her, but my body could not be convinced otherwise.
There was only one thing to do for it. I turned the water on and stripped naked, stepping under the stream as I gripped my cock.
* * *
When I wokeup to find the sun was glowing through the curtains. It was just like any other day and it would have been so easy to pretend that last night was a dream, a nightmare, a combination of too much sun and not enough water.
I slathered on some sunscreen and grabbed my windbreaker before going up to breakfast. There was nothing that stood out as a taste to delight, so I crammed a few pieces of toast in my mouth before heading down the cliff path to the breach.
I arrived on the shore just as the sun peeked over the horizon. A few people had already gathered there, though the expected stragglers were late to arrive.
Everyone began lugging their kayaks down to the shoreline and after a safety briefing and a last-minute check to make sure everyone had their lifejackets on correctly, we set off.
I was thankful for the fact these were one person kayaks; knowing my luck, I'd have been paired with Josh and have to endure hours of his ribbing. Our primary instructor, Corey, paddled out past the waves crashing onto the shore and into deeper waters, with the rest of us following behind him and Tamara, his assistant, bringing up the rear. The sound of everyone's paddles hitting against the water filled my ears, and I felt a surge of energy course through me; this is what it meant to be alive!
For hours, we navigated through the waves and marveled at the beauty of nature around us. I stopped to take in the view and for a moment, felt like I was one with the ocean. Out here, there was no room for anything but the sea and the wind, for the here and now. We were so freaking lucky to be here and able to enjoy this day.
We headed up the coast and I glanced up at the tall trees. A sliver of thought tried to consider where in the woods the harpies lived; whether these were the same ones at all, but I forced my mind back to the task at hand. Soon, Corey was circling his paddle, showing that it was time to head back down the coast. I focused on the way my ass hurt now and how chilled my feet were getting in the slosh of sea water that filled the bottom of my kayak, using these sensations of bodily discomfort to keep me grounded in reality.
Harpies.
No one would believe me if I told them. I had to have been hallucinating, right?
And yet the feel of her soft feathers, the luminous glow of her eyes in the darkness, the gentle tone of her voice despite the fact that I'd literally shot her in the side with an arrow…
It was all too real to me.
Too real to be a dream.
I dragged my kayak onto the beach with the others, leaving it by the trailer. We had a picnic lunch on the beach before slogging back up the pathway to the retreat.
At dinner tonight, I was determined to find something delicious to take to Selene, and as soon as I could slip away, I'd be back in the woods and on my way to her.
Selene
Mother had smeareda poultice on my wound and the skin was tightening around it already, flesh meshing with flesh. Within a few nights, I'd be able to move easily from the safety of this hollow, though it would be a week or more until I could take to the skies again. I itched to be free, but I knew that once I was gone from this place, it would be much harder for Brody to find me.
He must find me. If he took too long to bring me something to taste, then he would feel the impact of the curse, and I couldn't bear the thought of that.
I yearned for the sight of him, my body aching with an almost unbearable longing. I knew it was the magic working on me, knew that mother had been waiting for a moment to make this happen; and I had been stupid enough to give in to my curiosity. Even before the geas, I'd been drawn to Brody, though. His tall frame, lean yet muscular, the ease with which he seemed to move through the world. The way his dark hair fell across his eye sometimes made me want to reach out and push it back. I sighed, imagining Brody's powerful arms around me, his lips seeking mine. My lips parted, wanting.
I had never felt like this before. Never wanted to, either.
Because I knew what it meant.
Love was not for our kind, for any mate to a harpy would end up dead, and if he could not complete the tasks of the geas, then the queen would rip him apart with her claws and feast on his heart.
That was the part of this curse that I could not speak to him. Fear would only hamper his ability to think clearly.
He had to remain brave. Hopeful.
