The Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance

waves, swam past the breakers and disappeared. She never saw him again. The next shape that appeared was the supple body of a grey seal breaking the surface, diving again, appearing further out, swimming far, far away.
    She sat on the beach and cried, unable to think of anything but the square of sand where she sat and the patch of shining water where she saw him last. He’d taken her, drained her, she was empty now.
    She stayed in Mexico, learning Spanish and working in the village cleaning fish. She treasured mundane moments these days. Nights, she let the water lull her to sleep.
    The army never found her, but someone else did, a few months later.
    That night, she sat on the beach, watching moon-silvered waves crash onto the white sand, like her selkie used to. Sitting back, she grunted at the weight of her belly. The selkie hadn’t left her so empty after all. She stroked the roundness, felt the baby kick.
    She didn’t hear footsteps approach and gasped, startled, when a man sat down beside her.
    Dark hair, an aristocratic face, permanently wry expression. He was even graceful sitting in the sand. He wore tailored black slacks and a silk shirt in a flattering shade of dark blue, with the cuffs unbuttoned and rolled up. He flashed a smile and looked out at the water.
    “Rick! What are you doing here?”
    “Besides watching the waves?”
    “So you did it. You left.” She was smiling. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled.
    “Of course. I didn’t want to stay to explain to Colonel Ottoman what you’d done. I brought Mr Njalson along with me.”
    “Brad’s here?”
    “He’s hunting back on the mesa. Enjoying stretching all four legs.”
    Robin sighed, still smiling. Of course, Rick could have gotten himself out of there - just as soon as he convinced one of the doctors to look in his eyes in an unguarded moment. Now she wished she’d let them all out a long time before she did.
    “When are you due?” Rick asked softly.
    He startled her back to reality, and she swallowed the tightness in her throat. “In a month. It’ll have webbed feet and hands. Like in the stories.”
    “And how are you?”
    She took a breath, held it. She still cried every night. Not just from missing the selkie any more. She had another burden now, one she’d never considered, never even contemplated. The supernatural world, which she’d tried to treat so clinically, would be with her forever. She didn’t know the first thing about raising a child. She didn’t know how she was going to teach this one to swim.
    She touched her face, which was wet with tears. When she tried to answer Rick, she choked. He put his arms around her and held her while she cried on his shoulder.

Succubus Seduction
Cheyenne McCray
One
    Lilin opened and closed her wings, studying tonight’s prey: Archer Dane.
    As a Succubus, Lilin usually had her choice of any man. They were easy creatures. A naked woman and immediately a man hardened in greeting.
    She would ride him, take his seed . . . and his soul.
    But this male affected her in some strange way. After centuries of taking men to replenish herself she felt less and less pleasure. Most men proved to be little sport. She needed something more.
    Unseelie Queen Rusalka insisted Lilin bring her Archer’s soul. Odd. Normally, Lilin kept the male’s soul to nourish her until she claimed her next prey.
    For days she’d observed Archer. A powerful man with a muscular, hard body. Strong jaw, blue eyes, black hair and a rare smile that gave her tingles all over.
    Lilin licked her lower lip. She gripped the corner bedpost as her wings created a draught, teasing his hair as he slept. In all her centuries of existence, no man had thrilled her so.
    Stop thinking of Archer as if he’s more than an assignment. I’ll give his soul to Queen Rusalka and move to my next prey.
    After making her wings disappear, and with unusual excitement in her belly, she stepped towards him.
    Archer was being watched. He kept his breathing slow but slitted his eyes enough to see.
    He almost opened his eyes as surprise arrowed through him.
    A beautiful, petite naked woman.
    With wings. She fucking had wings.
    A breeze brushed his face every time she opened and closed those wings. The woman licked her bottom lip and looked at him like he was a treat. Her wings drew back and vanished.
    What the—
    Archer squeezed his eyes shut.
    Dream. No other explanation.
    He fully opened his eyes.
    Nope. Still there.
    The dream