Or she might be harmless and just enjoying the beach. I finished lunch and got up and headed across the beach.

Hopefully Kanesha could distract anyone else from following me, anyone who might be more vulnerable to her charms.

She turned and smiled. “Oh, this is interesting. A godling.”

“A sea fairy,” I responded.

“Are you here to chase me back into the water?”

I gave her the honest response. “Only if you’re up to no good.”

She laughed. “Does looking for a no strings roll in the hay count?”

I considered that. “If that’s really what you’re looking for.”

The laughter again, ringing, merry. “You’d be…”

“I’m taken.” Which was perhaps unfortunate. If I could distract her, she couldn’t trick me into Faerie, but…

“Oh, that’s unfortunate.” She glanced at the restaurant. “Oh, but there’s…”

“The black one’s mine,” I quipped.

Another laugh. “But what about the redhead?”

“Hrm. I think she’s single, but if you try and trick her into joining you for a hundred years I will find cold iron.”

She grinned at the threat. “I’m just bored and lonely.”

“Exactly.”

Her lips turned into a pout. “You don’t trust me.”

“Don’t worry. I don’t trust myself either, so don’t take it personal.” I found that I liked her.

Then, abruptly, she tensed, turned. “Oh no.” And she ran for the fishing pier.

I hesitated, then followed. Whatever she’d sensed I’d missed, but it was probably something important. Or something personal to her.

Maybe personal to her. She reached the pier and then just started looking around frantically.

“Did you lose something?” I asked gently.

“My…my cloak.”

Oh dear.
She was a selkie. Whoever had taken her sealskin cloak could control her. If they understood the legends.

I cast around with my eyes, but I really needed a witch for this. Or to watch for a smug face.

Or a confused one, if they didn’t know what they had. I hoped they didn’t know what they had.

I really did. I might not know this woman, and selkies might not exactly be in my jurisdiction, but the idea of her being forced to marry whoever had her cloak sat ill. Even if it was selkie tradition.

Even if I might face an arranged match myself. Or maybe especially. I kept looking around, trying to work out who had it.

But I didn’t see anyone with the right look on their face for any scenario I could imagine.