Moon Cursed (Book 2 in The Star and Her Moon Series)

Hearing Things

MERIBELLA

Meribella sat on the edge of her bed, staring into empty space. Addien had left nearly an hour ago, neither of them talking much as the woman dressed her. She tugged her eyes to the mirror and sighed. Her upper half was covered by a white, lace corset. Her mouth twisted- covered was a poor choice of words. She saw more skin than lace, and the soft, white leather leggings on her lower half molded to every curve of her backside and legs. At least the waist length fur cape- also white- would help her hide.

And help hiding was what Meribella needed most right now.

"What have I done?" she growled, flopping back onto the bed with a tortured sigh.

Scrubbing her hands over her face, she fought back tears. Once, Meribella would've never considered herself to be impulsive. Every move she made had been mulled over, thought through, and determined to be the best choice. But that described a girl whose only goal in life was searching for a magical selkie skin she believed would make her feel complete.

Then, that girl found something better. Someone better. And when things got rough, she threw Raff to the side and returned to her obsession with her selkie lineage. It was a defense mechanism. Meribella finally had answers to many of her questions, but instead of making her feel like she belonged to this world, it just reinforced her place in Raff's.

But what could she do now? Selkie Island still needed her help, though she had no clue as to how long she had to be on the island to infuse it with magic again. Or if that was even the solution.

To return to Camden would only reignite the problems she'd left behind. Meribella wanted every part of Raff- just thinking of him made her body- still heated from witnessing the selkie lovers' abandon the night before- tremble with need.

Hell, she thought if he walked into the room right now, she'd demand he take her, consequences be damned. Her hand drifted to her throat, and she trailed one finger along her skin. If he refused, she could always use her Siren skills.

At the thought of the seduction magic she rarely used, something prickled in Meribella's mind. A vague push for her to think longer on that type of magic, but her mind was too hazy with lust. Images of Raff's rippled abs and blazing artic eyes kept intruding, and she finally let them take over.

Panting, she drew the hand at her neck down, letting her nails scrape over the scalloped material edging her breasts. In her head, it wasn't her fingers but Raff's, tracing circles around her sensitive flesh. Her back arched off the bed, and she whispered his name. Just saying it made her moan-the roll of the R on her tongue, the single syllable synonymous with love and pleasure. Gods, she never knew just a name could have so much power.

Meribella...

She shot up on the bed, her fantasy frozen as her name, spoken in Raff's throaty voice, ricocheted through her mind. Had she actually gone so deep in her dreams that she was imagining him speaking to her now? Her hand went to her head. Wouldn't she have at least imagined him speaking with desire or longing? He sounded anguished. Desperate. Panic flared in her breast.

He sounded hurt.

Raff? Raff, can you hear me?

Nothing but her own voice echoed back at her, but she could feel him. She swore she could feel his essence lingering in the dark spaces. He was muted, the way a sound was beneath water, but he was there, struggling to reach out to her.

Raff? Answer.

A knock on the door jolted her to her feet, and she tried to smooth the agitation from her features before she answered. Whoever it was, she wanted them gone so she could focus her efforts on hearing Raff speak again.