room.
Now the music blared and everyone danced, Selkie and human alike. I couldn’t see through the crowd as it jostled me back and forth. Sean stood at my side, distracted. He stared into the throng of teenagers, just like I did.
Riley was missing.
“Have you seen Kira?” Sean asked. He began walking across the room, pushing people out of his way. I followed him, concerned.
Apparently both Riley and Kira were missing and that wasn’t good. Not good at all.
“No,” I answered, wishing I had something else to say.
Dylan, one of my fellow Selkies shuffled past us then, arm around a human girl, her hair messed up, her shirt on backward. I could imagine what they’d been doing. It’s almost impossible to resist the Burning. All the humans responded so easily when my pheromones were flowing, when the heat seared my skin. The longer I ignored my desires, the stronger they got until only one thing could satisfy it.
The ocean.
We stood on the balcony now. I grabbed one of the human boys by the arm—it was disrespectful, but right now I didn’t care—and I yanked him closer.
“Have you seen Kira?” I asked.
He shook his head. I pulled him even closer.
“Think. Really, think about it,” I said. I tightened my grip on his arm and he looked frightened for a moment.
“The girl with the long black hair?” he asked. Then a sly grin crept across his face and I longed to smash my fist into his jaw. “She’s hot—”
“Where is she?”
Sean was at my side then. He’d already searched the downstairs. I could tell by his expression that he hoped she wasn’t upstairs with some juiced-up jock. He leaned into this guy’s face like he meant business.
“Have you seen her?” Sean demanded.
The guy tossed his head, swept long bangs out of his eyes, as if trying to get a better view of who was mad enough to rearrange the features on his face. "I—I—,” he stuttered.
“Spit it out,” Sean growled. "If you know something, you better spill it. Now !”
“I think she went down the stairs about fifteen minutes ago. With that tourist chick, the one with the sleeve tattoo.”
“What’s down there?” Sean asked, peering over the balcony edge.
I swallowed, trying not to think about what could be going on down there right now.
“The beach,” I said. Then I released my grip on the kid and darted toward the steps. Sean raced at my side, like we were in some sort of competition. “Wait,” I told him, one hand on his chest. “I’ll go down and see if I can find them, but you should go ask Brianna for a couple of flashlights. Otherwise, we won’t be able to see anything once we get down there.”
Sean paused, as if uncertain. He didn’t know that I could see fine in the dark. Or that I was pretty sure I already knew what was going on down there right now.
He wouldn’t want to see it. I’d heard about rituals like this. I needed to get there before Riley finished.
There was a good chance Kira wouldn’t survive if I didn’t get there soon.
“Hey, don’t know if it matters or not, but I think she was drunk,” the kid told us then.
“Which one?” Sean asked.
“Kira,” he answered. “The pretty one.”
I wondered if that was what this was all about as I rushed down the stairs. Already, I could hear Sean calling out Brianna’s name.
Was this because Riley was jealous of a townie? Because Kira was prettier than she was?
Chapter 20
Kira:
I swam and laughed, the water flowing over me in waves. For the first time all evening, the tension in my chest disappeared, it just melted. And the heat—that searing sensation that felt like my skin was on fire—disappeared. The ocean was like heaven and the four of us, bobbing up and down, were like flesh and blood angels in our Calvin Klein briefs and bras. A current tugged at us, moved us away from the stairway and the lights that cascaded down from Brianna’s house. It was strange, but I could still hear the music and the
Now the music blared and everyone danced, Selkie and human alike. I couldn’t see through the crowd as it jostled me back and forth. Sean stood at my side, distracted. He stared into the throng of teenagers, just like I did.
Riley was missing.
“Have you seen Kira?” Sean asked. He began walking across the room, pushing people out of his way. I followed him, concerned.
Apparently both Riley and Kira were missing and that wasn’t good. Not good at all.
“No,” I answered, wishing I had something else to say.
Dylan, one of my fellow Selkies shuffled past us then, arm around a human girl, her hair messed up, her shirt on backward. I could imagine what they’d been doing. It’s almost impossible to resist the Burning. All the humans responded so easily when my pheromones were flowing, when the heat seared my skin. The longer I ignored my desires, the stronger they got until only one thing could satisfy it.
The ocean.
We stood on the balcony now. I grabbed one of the human boys by the arm—it was disrespectful, but right now I didn’t care—and I yanked him closer.
“Have you seen Kira?” I asked.
He shook his head. I pulled him even closer.
“Think. Really, think about it,” I said. I tightened my grip on his arm and he looked frightened for a moment.
“The girl with the long black hair?” he asked. Then a sly grin crept across his face and I longed to smash my fist into his jaw. “She’s hot—”
“Where is she?”
Sean was at my side then. He’d already searched the downstairs. I could tell by his expression that he hoped she wasn’t upstairs with some juiced-up jock. He leaned into this guy’s face like he meant business.
“Have you seen her?” Sean demanded.
The guy tossed his head, swept long bangs out of his eyes, as if trying to get a better view of who was mad enough to rearrange the features on his face. "I—I—,” he stuttered.
“Spit it out,” Sean growled. "If you know something, you better spill it. Now !”
“I think she went down the stairs about fifteen minutes ago. With that tourist chick, the one with the sleeve tattoo.”
“What’s down there?” Sean asked, peering over the balcony edge.
I swallowed, trying not to think about what could be going on down there right now.
“The beach,” I said. Then I released my grip on the kid and darted toward the steps. Sean raced at my side, like we were in some sort of competition. “Wait,” I told him, one hand on his chest. “I’ll go down and see if I can find them, but you should go ask Brianna for a couple of flashlights. Otherwise, we won’t be able to see anything once we get down there.”
Sean paused, as if uncertain. He didn’t know that I could see fine in the dark. Or that I was pretty sure I already knew what was going on down there right now.
He wouldn’t want to see it. I’d heard about rituals like this. I needed to get there before Riley finished.
There was a good chance Kira wouldn’t survive if I didn’t get there soon.
“Hey, don’t know if it matters or not, but I think she was drunk,” the kid told us then.
“Which one?” Sean asked.
“Kira,” he answered. “The pretty one.”
I wondered if that was what this was all about as I rushed down the stairs. Already, I could hear Sean calling out Brianna’s name.
Was this because Riley was jealous of a townie? Because Kira was prettier than she was?
Chapter 20
Kira:
I swam and laughed, the water flowing over me in waves. For the first time all evening, the tension in my chest disappeared, it just melted. And the heat—that searing sensation that felt like my skin was on fire—disappeared. The ocean was like heaven and the four of us, bobbing up and down, were like flesh and blood angels in our Calvin Klein briefs and bras. A current tugged at us, moved us away from the stairway and the lights that cascaded down from Brianna’s house. It was strange, but I could still hear the music and the
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