Full Fathoms FIve

By Shannon West

The first time Bryn Coraline, grandson of King Sameal Coraline, of Hy Brasil, the Orkney Islands and the North Sea, comes to see Kace Darkhammer, Kace slams into him on his way out of his office and the young Selkie faints dead away in his arms. Typical Fae flair for drama. But Kace soon learns that Bryn wants to hire him for a vital mission—to find his Selkie skin that’s been stolen from him as he slept. Without his skin, Bryn can’t return to his home in the sea and will be trapped on land forever. Kace and Bryn set off to travel all over the realm, even going through the Blood Gates to the Human world, and they discover the shocking truth about Bryn’s past, a truth that is more terrible than either of them ever imagined. Using his powers as a witch and a detective, Kace manages to track down the culprit, and along the way, he develops a fierce and burning attraction to the beautiful Selkie that he knows is dangerous. Once he finds his pelt, Bryn will swim out to sea, leaving Kace behind. Yet he’s given his word to Bryn and he has to help him, even if he winds up breaking his own heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Painted Hearts Publishing
• Release date: Oct 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9781946379429

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FULL FATHOMS FIVE

SHANNON WEST

Full Fathoms Five

Copyright © 2019, Shannon West

Published by Painted Hearts Publishing

Smashwords Edition

About the Book You Have Purchased

All rights reserved. Without reserving the rights under copyright, reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Such action is in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law.

Unauthorized reproduction of distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

Full Fathoms Five

Copyright © 2019 Shannon West

ISBN 10: 1-946379-42-5

ISBN 13: 978-1-946379-42-9

Publication Date: October 2019

All cover art and logo copyright © 2019 by Painted Hearts Publishing

Cover design by E Keith

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

Foreword

In the 1960s, humans learned that all the sightings and stories of ghosts, vampires, witches, and fairies, along with all the other impossible, magical or paranormal creatures, had their basis in an alternate universe called the Vargr Realm. From time to time, the people of this realm had visited the human world, but had either glamoured themselves to look human or just allowed humans to see their true forms, knowing that humans would create myths and legends about the strange creatures to explain it all away. Humans were among the few creatures in the universe who could stare an unknown entity in the face, speak to it, record its voice, even take a picture of it and still question its existence.

The Vargr had existed right alongside the human universe since time began, or so the theories went. That part was a little murky. But the Vargr had always been aware of humans, even though humans hadn’t always known about them. Until 1963, that is, when a Vargr citizen slipped through one of the Blood Gates, the passages between the worlds, and assassinated an American president.

The troll had merely been doing what came natural to trolls, who were, at best, unpleasant creatures with poor socialization skills. Nevertheless, the humans took extraordinary exception to the heinous crime. When the troll who’d been responsible was killed, he reverted to his true form, terrifying the staff in the morgue, and necessitating an intervention from the Vargr royal family to cover it all up and smooth things over. King Egill, the ruling Demon, had no choice then, but to make the Vargr presence known to human authorities.

After much debate at the highest levels, it was decided at that time to create WRAITH or Witness Relocation and Interdimensional Tactical Hunters, a team of both Vargr and human agents who would prevent future incidents from happening again. They cooperated to close all the Blood Gates between the worlds and to keep them sealed in order to prevent the Vargr from preying on the vulnerable human population and to prevent humans from accidentally entering the Vargr Realm.

Unfortunately, and from time to time, shit still happened.

Chapter One

"Full fathom five thy father lies; of his bones are coral made."

—William Shakespeare

Bryn Coraline

The courtier had big chocolate colored eyes that narrowed as he looked at me, and his lips did a downward turn. I realized he did look familiar, but I had no clue as to where I might have seen him before, or what I had done to warrant such a look.

The puffing courtier, one of a mob of them who hung around court these days, trying to curry favor with the new king, gave me a long, disdainful look that seemed personal before he snapped out, Follow me. And take off that ridiculous hat!

I ignored him—the man obviously had no appreciation for beauty, and I had no intention of taking off my handsome blue hat with the long pale ostrich feathers until the king had seen it. I’d just purchased it, after all, at some great expense, especially for this occasion. Besides, I thought King Elvie would like it.

It suddenly occurred to me where I knew the courtier from—I had let him pick me up in a bar four nights ago and take me home with him. I had fallen asleep right away because I’d had too much to drink, and I’d sneaked out of his bed before he woke the next morning. I had used him, actually, really only wanting a place to stay the night, and I was a little ashamed of the way I’d treated him. Little wonder that he was wrinkling his nose like he smelled bad fish. He escorted me just inside the room, ground out, Wait here till you’re called, between his teeth and left me cooling my heels by the door.

I could see the king on his dais just ahead, looking regal and effortlessly handsome in his white and gold robes, with his jeweled crown banding his forehead. He looked a little weary, as if he’d had a long day, and it was indeed late afternoon by this time. My own wait to see him had been worth it—he really was something to see. I wasn’t intimidated by kings as a general rule, but an inhumanly gorgeous Fairy King, married to a fierce Demon Prince, did make me feel a bit nervous. Should I even be taking my case before the king? And would he even be able to help me if I did?

I waited fretfully in the corridor outside King Elvie’s throne room for over an hour for my audience. When the courtier finally returned to take me in to see the two of them, I had to admit, I was very nervous. I was feeling a bit desperate, too, because if he couldn’t help me, I didn’t know who could.

Once every week, the king allowed his subjects to come in to see him with their problems and requests, and it was a practice that had proven to be popular. Rumor had it that he always listened and tried his best to help solve the problems or grant the requests, no matter how trivial they might be, so I was hopeful he’d do the same for me. I might have given some thought to flirting with the handsome king except for one rather large obstacle.

That obstacle sat beside him, in the same size throne, but a throne that was somehow even golder, with even more jewels encrusted on either side of it. Crown Prince Levi, the Demon Prince of the Vargr Realm and the Tuatha Dé Danann, currently acting as Lord Regent to his father, King Egill—he was as physically impressive as his titles.

There had been some kind of trouble around the time Elvie came to the throne, and I’d heard that King Egill’s estranged wife—Prince Levi’s mother—had been involved in it. Whatever it had been, it had led to King Egill’s present illness. Again, according to rumor, Levi’s mother had scandalously and shockingly tried to kill Levi’s new consort, Elvie, along with one of his friends, a human who was also a member of WRAITH. It had all come right in the end, and drama like this wasn’t exactly uncommon in the Fairy world. I found the gossip delicious. In fact, my own family had more than its fair share of scandals, and a few that were so secret even I didn’t know about them. Though, to be honest, I had tried to make it my business to find out.

Prince Levi was every bit as handsome as I’d heard he was, and every bit as brooding and frightening. He was currently lounging—there was no other word for it—on his throne, looking supremely bored, only a few seconds away from examining his fingernails. One shapely thigh was thrown over the arm of his throne and he looked bad-tempered, ill-mannered and dangerous—the yin to King Elvie’s yang. He barely glanced up at any of the people who came down to speak to the king, but I had the feeling he wasn’t missing much of anything that went on.

A page standing by the throne motioned to me, with a little hurry-up wave, and I walked down the long red carpet that looked like the lolling tongue of some monstrous old dragon stretched out before me, with rows of glittering Fairy nobility dotting each side of it. All of them were staring at me and whispering behind their bejeweled hands.

Again, nothing I wasn’t used to—my grandfather’s throne room was much the same—but his was eminently more familiar, and I used to play hide-and-go-seek with the courtiers behind the giant, mother-of-pearl sea shells, encrusted with lost Spanish treasure, that made up my family’s royal thrones.

Suddenly I was in front of King Elvie, and I swept off my hat with a flourish and bowed low in front of him, my long black hair falling across my face. I stood up, tossing it out of my eyes, and smiled at him.

Thank you for seeing me, Your Majesty.

He inclined his head with a sweet expression. What is your name, sir?

I am Viscount Orkney, or Brynjar Coraline, grandson to King Sameal Coraline, of the Orkney Islands and the North Sea.

Levi glanced up and looked over in my direction and King Elvie looked surprised. My goodness, you’re a Selkie, aren’t you? he said, looking over at his consort and smiling excitedly. Levi, even as close as we are here to the sea, I’ve never met a Selkie before!

Yes, sweeting, I know. How thrilling for you to finally get your chance. Though the words were appropriate, the tone was disinterested and lazy. His eyes narrowed a bit at me as he looked me over. How do you come to be here in this kingdom, Coraline?

Prince Levi’s home was in the Demon Realm, but since his marriage, he’d been spending most of his time in the Fairy Kingdom—a fact that didn’t bode well for my grandfather. The prince’s father and my grandfather were old and bitter enemies, as my grandfather didn’t recognize the Demon King’s dominion over the sea. Especially not in the Human Realm, which King Egill, and apparently his son, had declared off limits to Vargr, even my grandfather and my father. He had called them insurrectionists and rebels.

Did your grandfather send you? Levi asked. "If so, the proper etiquette would have been to present yourself to me as my loyal subject, seeing as how I now have domain over the Selkies, not to mention the territory they occupy."

I—uh—well, you see, Your Majesty, I’m here to see King Elvie on a completely private matter—totally unrelated to my grandfather.

I see. His gazed raked me up and down. And what might that be?

I hesitated, glancing over at King Elvie for help. It’s a somewhat sensitive matter, Sire.

Sensitive, how? Levi persisted.

I sighed and resigned myself to telling my personal business to the entire court. Still, I lowered my voice conspiratorially. I-I seem to have…misplaced my pelt, Your Majesty.

Misplaced it? You mean to say you lost your Selkie skin? he said in a voice so loud they probably heard him in the next kingdom. How did you manage that?

But what do you mean by that? Elvie interrupted. I don’t think I understand.

He’s talking about his pelt. His seal skin. The one he slips off to roam around land in his human form.

Oh my God, that’s right. Selkies are shapeshifters! They spend the majority of their time as seals. King Elvie clapped his hands together in delight, and Levi glanced over at him with amused affection. As for me, I could feel my face turning red with embarrassment, and I heard a tittering little laugh—probably from that damn courtier, whatever his name was, coming from somewhere behind me.

Yes, you see, I had a minor…dalliance…with a Nymph a couple of nights ago. And somehow…

Somehow? Levi demanded, peremptorily. "Are you saying this