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"May I help you?" Jill swung around, her s tape and a piece of cloth that looked like the weaver had caught the Aurora borealis midripple

"I’m here to pick up an outfit for Iris? Iris Kuusi" Iris used the Finnish surnaed to the family to whom she’d been bound, until they all died out She often told us stories about her days with them, usually ere curled up near the fireplace with a big bowl of popcorn

Jill tossed the tape on the counter along with thein today to pick it up We’ve met, haven’t we?" She extended her hand, and I took it, shaking lightly

"Once, I came in with Iris when she ordered several custoht! Her dress is ready to go Hold on, and I’ll be right back" She ducked into what looked like a back room the size of a closet and returned with a white box tied with a big red ribbon A pewter unicorn charled from the bow "Here it is Tell her to letyou," she said, picking up theoff of her and picked up the box The holidays had most people I’dit

"You, too," she called as I left the shop and headed out of the ht by Discovery Park, which consisted of over five hundred acres of protected nolia Bluff The park included two nated as protected marine reserves

Camille and I often ca the tide flats, and it always see out over the bay toward the Olympic Mountains I preferred to stay up in the woods, while Caround

I navigated through the winding streets skirting the park, until I pulled to a stop in front of a two-story building It had originally been a large house and was now divided into four different condo up around the city, Siobhan’s ho had a ho out of ht side of the building There were two apartments on each floor, with stairs on either side of the building leading to the upper two residences

The building needed a new paint job, that was for sure Weathered from the winds and rain, paint flaked off the walls, but overall the place didn’t look run-down so e shrubs and bushes surrounded the house, and ivy twined up the walls Around back a patch of open lawn overlooked the bay

I dashed up the stairs and knocked at a faded white door old letters B-2 After a moment, the door opened Siobhan stood there, tall and thin, with long black hair and pale skin She was black Irish, and it showed Dressed in a pale gray linen skirt and turtleneck, she reh theon a cool autuh the door Siobhan moved like a shadow; one moment she’d be there, and the next she’d be on the other side of the roos of the sea, wild and foaraced the walls The sofa and love seat were a soft silver suede, and the wood gray and reht mirrored the colors of the ocean All whites and pale violets with an occasional spray of pink interspersed a to eat?" she asked, holding out a tray of serly bit into an hors d’oeuvre, then wipedroo she’d lived in the city Earthside Fae were as long-lived as the Fae from Otherworld Siobhan could be a hundred years old or five hundred

"When did you first co as the wind picked up, whipping the waves into white frenzied lines of sea foaave o I was barely into my maidenhood then, but I was ordered to leave ave her an inquisitive look "Why?"

"Our bloodline was, and is, wearing thin Inbreeding has caused probleer rate to the New World They wanted us to establish a new life, to bring our bloodline across the ocean, and strengthen it with the blood of the North Aest pods here in the world, you know"

I nodded I knew all of the Earthside Weres were having problerew, their own population shrank Add in the difficulty in finding open territory, and it was causing havoc on their nu an Earthside Were, isn’t it?" I asked

She nodded "We don’t have many options Unlike other Fae, selkies have toIt’s not like the movies, where you’re bitten by a olf and take on all the characteristics"

I nodded Earthside, bitten Weres were sterile and far fewer in nuends hinted at In OW, it was the same way And I, myself, would never bear a Were child because of h I would have a child as part Fae My being a Were was a quirk of genetic scra my father’s people

"So, our elders sent us across the ocean," she continued "And I made my way over to the coast But they should have sent sonant, and there aren’t any healers here for hed and raised her eyebrows "I hoped to have pups, and my boyfriend has been patient, but there doesn’t seem to be a family in the cards for us"

The catch in her voiceA thought occurred to me "Listen, would you like me to talk to the OIA ht be able to find out what’s wrong Your cover wouldn’t be blown, and perhaps we could find out why you can’t conceive"

Siobhan’s eyes lit up, and for the first tihost of a smile broke wide open "Oh Delilah, that would mean soanother woman Our numbers have dwindled to the point where all fertile selkies--of either sex--are expected to do their part to enlarge the gene pool Mitch will be expected to inate another selkie if I can’t have a child, and then he’d have to take her under his protection Perhapson my nature, but I don’t want to share hi, but I’ll do everything I can," I said

She settled back, bea "Nohat did you want to know about the Rainier Puma Pride?"

I finished off another salat the floor, I said, "Zachary Lyonnesse came to see me at my office I can’t tell you why--that’s confidential--but I just want to know a little bit about the reputation of the clan What are they like? Do they have any enemies?"

Siobhan frowned in concentration "The Rainier Pumas are an old clan They stick to thehly respected in the Were community I can’t think of anybody who doesn’t like them, unless… There are two possibilities There’s a lesser Puton They resent the Rainier Pue the"

"Do you know their clan na out theAfter a moment she said, "I think they’re the Icicle Falls Pride, but I’m not certain But there’s another possibility There’s one other group who consider the Puh I haven’t the faintest idea what they could have to argue about"

"And who is that?" I asked, pulling out rapevine has it that there have been some skirmishes between the Rainer Pumas and the Hunters Moon Clan Froonism has led to several deaths over the years I don’t know if they have a vendetta going on or not"