Keela

When Keela defies her father and falls in love with a simple servant, she doesn’t expect to be exiled to the human world. No longer a Selkie, she is forced to live on land and fend for herself. She is desperate to find her seal skin and her dear Ronan, but something keeps her in a small village by the sea.

Ronan has pledged himself to his dearest Keela, and even when her father banishes them, Ronan keeps his promise to her. No matter what obstacle is thrown in his way, Ronan refuses to fail his betrothed.

Keela’s father continues to thwart their plans, but Ronan and Keela won’t be deterred from their quest to find each other. Will they triumph, or will they be lost to each other forever?

 Keela sat up and stretched on the sandy beach. She suddenly stopped. She wasn’t supposed to be here. She was to meet her dearest Ronan outside her father’s kingdom. Flashes of memory made Keela hold
her head in agony.

They’d been caught. Father had never approved of their friendship, and had only grown angrier as the two had grown closer.

And now she was here. Keela glanced about, but didn’t recognize the landscape. Where had her
father sent her? At least her sealskin—no. She looked around, horrified. The skin that allowed her to become a Selkie was gone. She let out a sob as she searched frantically for it.

Voices echoed as they came closer to her hiding place. Keela looked down at her legs in horror. They were only partially changed from her Selkie form. Whoever was coming could not see her like this. Trying to swim away at this point would be
futile. Not without her skin. She grabbed at the sand, doing her best to hide her legs. If she could get them dry enough, maybe they would take their human form.

“I tell you, I saw something down here.” The man’s voice was gentle, calming.

Keela stopped scooping up the sand, mesmerized by the stranger.

“Conall, we came here for some peace and quiet, not for one of your hunts.” A Leanan Sidhe. Keela knew it long before the woman came into view. The seductive power in her
voice flowed through the air.

Keela had been
foolish to stay here. She should have taken her chances by jumping back into the water. But it was too late now. She met eyes with the man. Conall? She ducked her head. She’d heard of a Conall once. He was a legend. And the fact that he was with the Leanan Sidhe sent Keela’s mind reeling. It wasn’t possible.

“See? I knew there was someone here.” Conall held up his hands. “You have no need to worry. We’re not here to hurt you. What’s your name?”

Again, she felt the calming nature of his voice. She tried to resist it, but she couldn’t help it. He was human—or he had been at one time. If legends were true, he’d lived
over a hundred years before as a hunter until he fell in love with this Leanan Sidhe. He’d been transformed to a creature as powerful as the Leanan Sidhe.

“I am Keela.” Her voice sounded strange outside of the water. She grabbed another handful of
sand and patted it down.

The Leanan Sidhe frowned. “Why are you covering yourself in sand?”

“I . . .” Keela held her breath, trying to think of something. “I’m not clothed. Please leave me.”

“Are you hurt?” The man took a step back, but didn’t leave. “Do you need assistance?”

Keela shook her head. “No. Please go.”

Conall and the woman glanced at each other and turned to leave. Keela breathed a sigh of relief that she was finally alone.

The footsteps stopped and the man came back. “You have no need to fear in this land. We will protect you. All you need to do is call my name and we will be there to help.”

Keela stopped burying her legs and glanced up at him. The kindness in his eyes put her at ease, even after everything she’d heard about him. In desperation she asked, “Did you take it?”

“Take? Take what?”

“My . . .” She stared down at her legs, unable to speak it out loud. If she did, it would be true.

Understanding dawned on his face. “You’re a Selkie?”

“Aye.” Teardrops fell down her cheeks, something she wasn’t used to either. “Did you take it?”

He shook his head. “I did not. But I will help you find the person responsible. If you need a place to stay, go up that path and find an inn. I’ll look for you there.”

“Thank you.” Keela stared down at the sand, unable to speak. This man was a curious one, but the fact that he was willing to help gave her strength. The thought that he
could be lying was there, but she knew through legends that he was true to his word.

As soon as they left, Keela stood and stretched her new legs. Until she found her skin, she would have to get used to them. The skin wasn’t in the area. She would have felt it. Keela stared out at the sea. I will find you, Ronan. That is my promise.

The way out of the small cove was rough on Keela’s hands and legs. She stumbled several times, scraping the skin. They would heal, but without her sealskin it would take much
longer.

Strange carriages moved along the cobbled streets of the small village on the edge of the ocean. People moved along the sidewalks going about their business. Only a
few looked over at Keela, and she preferred that. She looked down at herself.
She needed to find something to cover herself and quickly. The coverings her father had given her did not keep out the cold and seemed to draw attention. A
small shop had a few racks of clothing out on the sidewalk. She waited for a group of people to walk by, then joined in. As they passed the rack, she grabbed a gown off a hanger and ran when shouts pierced the air. Her new legs didn’t take her very far very fast, and someone grabbed onto her wrist.

The man holding her wrist glared at her. “You stole from the wrong person, lassie. It’s off to jail for you.”

“Please, no. I am cold.” Keela handed the dress back to the man with her other hand.

“Then pay for it like everyone else does.” He huffed and stomped back to his shop.

Keela held her wrist as she sought to find shelter. More people now stared at her, and she wondered if hiding in the cave below was the better idea. She cursed her father again for what he’d done to her.

A door down the road opened and loud music and laughter came from inside. Keela waited for a carriage to pass by before crossing the road. The sign above the door had a picture of a woman on it, along with writing. The reading lessons her father had given her did not pay off for the letters here were nothing like she’d seen before.

Another group of people came out of the door, and Keela was bathed in warmth for just a moment. She held the door open and paused for a moment before going inside. A woman sat on a stage singing about a poor sailor who lost the woman he loved.

Guests watched her sing while others sat at a bar drinking something yellow in mugs. She slid along the wall toward the fireplace in the corner. Her hands and feet slowly
thawed.

“Excuse me, lass, but I’ve been told to ask you to leave.” A young woman stood behind her, smiling kindly.

“Is this not a place to get warmth and food?” Keela asked.

The girl nodded and glanced over her shoulder. “It’s just that the state of your . . . dress is not good for the inn. I’m sorry.”

Keela glanced down at her covering. “I tried to find something to wear, but the angry man wouldn’t let me have it.”

“Well, did you pay for it?”

“Pay?”

The young woman sighed. “Come with me. But do not speak. I could be fired for helping you. My name is Catriona, but most call me Triona. And yours?”

“Keela.” She frowned. “Why would they not call you by your real name? Do they not like it?”

Triona laughed. “Triona is just a shorter version, and I like it better.”