Who knows what waits underground…

The Staran has been healed, but that doesn’t mean that the world is safe yet. There are new problems to overcome, and Luch won’t be able to hold Mahoun back forever.

The Seven Wardens’ time has come, but will they be able to fulfill their destiny without breaking under the pressure?

The Staran is now healed and the Wardens are resting from their battle. Macey makes the decision to return home explaining to Amber and Izban that the house grew to accommodate as many as it needs too. Macey also looked forward to the pool, she needed to get into the water for a while to recharge.

This is a favorite scene.

When she reached the swimming pool, she breathed in deeply, then smiled. No chlorine. Just fresh, beautiful sea water.

“Thank you, house,” she whispered, feeling a little silly about talking to the tiled walls around her.

She took off her clothes as fast as she could and jumped into the cool water, shifting almost as soon as she hit the surface. It was the fastest she’d ever shifted. One second, she was human, the next, a large, scaled kelpie.

She breathed in a large gulp of water and expelled it back through her gills. Oh, it was the most amazing feeling.

She whinnied loudly and began to swim back and forth, occasionally jumping out of the water to enjoy the splash of tiny droplets against her smooth scales.

This was her element. Her home.

With a happy swirl of her tail, she extended her magic, letting it soak up the water’s energy.

She felt as if she hadn’t been in water for years. As if she’d been dying of thirst. It was strange, but she didn’t care, as long as she was able to stay in the pool. Maybe the guys could bring her waffles. Things tasted different when she was in her kelpie form, but waffles surely had to be good no matter what, right?

A change in the energy around her made her resurface and look around the room. Rónán was standing by the edge of the pool, looking at her with a smile.

“Can I join you?”

Did that mean that he was going to change into a seal? Macey didn’t know much about selkies, except that they took off their seal skins when they came onto land. But where was his skin? Or was that all just a legend and he was a regular shifter like her? Selkies were strange.

She whinnied in agreement and he began to take off his clothes. Pointedly, she turned around, not wanting to see his selkie bits. She had her own three men, thank you very much. As sexy as he was… no, she didn’t just think that. He wasn’t sexy. Well, he was, but not in that way. Weren’t three men enough? There was only so much testosterone a kelpie could cope with.

A splash alerted her to his presence in the pool. Curiously, she turned, expecting a seal swimming in the water. But no, he wasn’t a seal at all. He was just as human as he’d been moments before, except that he was now naked.

The disadvantage of being the only kelpie here was that nobody could understand her. She tried looking at him questioningly, but her eyes kept wandering beneath the surface, and that was plain rude.

“Why aren’t you a seal?” she asked in her kelpie click language, but he just looked at her in confusion.

She whinnied in frustration. Maybe they should have this conversation later on, when she was human again.

“Can I touch you?” he suddenly asked, stunning her. What was he on about? That wasn’t really a polite question to ask a lady. She wasn’t a horse to be stroked. He’d never ask that if she’d been human…

She flicked her tail and swam away from him, hoping he’d get the message.

“Sorry, that was impolite!” he called. “It’s just that it’s supposed to be good luck to touch a kelpie, and I think we could all use a bit of good luck at the moment.”

She’d never heard that before. If it was true, kelpies themselves had to be the luckiest creatures ever. Definitely just a legend, but obviously, Rónán believed in it. Or he was just using it as an excuse. Either way, Macey was intrigued. Flattered, almost.

Forgoing her pride, she approached him again. When she was in touching distance, she stopped, using her tail and webbed hooves to stay in position. Kelpies may not be the prettiest beings, but they were adapted perfectly to life underwater.

Rónán stretched out a hand and gently touched her muzzle. No human – or selkie – had ever touched her there before. And not in the gently, admiring way Rónán was. When kelpies met, they rubbed their cheeks together, but this was different. His hand was small on her forehead, running over her smooth scales.

“You’re beautiful,” he muttered. “Thank you.”

With one final stroke, he retracted his hand, leaving her bereft of his touch. Maybe she should ask her men to do the same to her the next time she was swimming. She’d never realised how good human touch could feel.

“We should go back, Cam was busy burning the kitchen when I left,” Rónán said with a wink. “I’ll let you change in peace.”

He climbed out of the water, showing Macey his perfectly formed arse. Despite her reservations, she was more and more tempted to add him to her men. One more couldn’t hurt, right? Even if he wasn’t a Warden.
Greenwood, Laura; MacKinnon, Skye. Seven Wardens Omnibus: Books 1-4 (Seven Wardens Collections) (pp. 441-444). Peryton Press. Kindle Edition.

Some pretty humorous things take place what with Cam cooking, but also comes the realization they still need to know more about what they have to accomplish. A visit to Malan gives some insight and sends them on their way but not before warning Macey to get control of her powers.

The earth is being poisoned and an evil portrayal of an Orca is threating the sea creatures. Several interesting ways to travel and curious creatures are met even as they seek to stop the evil from destroying everything.

I am truly enjoying theses books filled with magic, surprises, battles and of course sizzling heat.

5 Contented Purrs for Laura and Skye!

Skye MacKinnon

Skye MacKinnon is a USA Today & International Bestselling Author whose books are filled with strong heroines who don’t have to choose.

She embraces her Scottishness with fantastical Scottish settings and a dash of mythology, no matter if she’s writing about Celtic gods, cat shifters, or the streets of Edinburgh.

When she’s not typing away at her favourite cafe, Skye loves dried mango, as much exotic tea as she can squeeze into her cupboards, and being covered in pet hair by her two bunnies, Emma and Darwin.

Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary romance. When she’s not writing, she can be found drinking ridiculous amounts of tea, trying to resist French Macaroons, and watching the Pitch Perfect trilogy for the hundredth time (at least!)