Kelpie (Come Love a Fey) (27 page)

I
moved on to my bookshelves.  I took out a large duffle bag and filled it with
my absolute favorites, caressing the dog-eared volume of my favorite fantasy
book with a wry grimace.  The rest went into shopping bags to be left at the
local used bookstore.  As I went about my tasks, I let my mind go blank.  It
felt good just to be absorbed in a task.  I didn’t have to think about my
future.

I
packed up my favorite items of clothing.  The rest went in garbage bags to be
taken to the local Goodwill.  I cleaned out everything in my apartment,
methodically sorting it into keep and toss piles.  I kept the keep pile to a
bare minimum.  After all, I had no idea if I would even be allowed to bring
anything with me.

Cat
twined around my legs, begging for food, and I stooped to stroke his fluffy
fur.  “Well old man,” I said aloud.  “What are we going to do?”

By
the time I was done with the sorting, it was nine o’clock in the morning.  I
stretched my lower back and moaned.  I had been at it for six hours.  It seemed
like a long time, and yet not a long time, to say goodbye to your entire life.

I
coaxed Cat into his travel carrier.  I boxed up his food and toys.  I threw on
some old, comfortable jeans and a t-shirt and hauled my bags down to the car. 
By ten o’clock, I had gotten rid of all my books and clothes.  I sat in the
parking lot of the used bookstore clutching the steering wheel.  Now what?  I
had to explain to my parents, but what could I say?  Leith had warned me not to
say where I was going.  Was I just going to waltz in, say goodbye, and
disappear?  I had to at least say goodbye.  I couldn’t just disappear and leave
them to wonder what had happened to me.  I thought of them trying to get by
without my help, and my heart clenched.

I
pulled out my phone and called my worthless brother.  He actually answered for
once, which was a miracle.  I asked him to take care of Mom and Dad.  Of course,
he would never consider moving closer to them- not when he was busy chasing
skirts in the California sun- but if he could just check in on them… maybe send
them some cash once in a while.  He grudgingly agreed, and I prayed that for
once he would follow through.  He didn’t ask me what was wrong, or where I was
going.  He didn’t care.  I hung up the phone and slipped it back into my purse.

Then
I gave in and had a good cry.  It was a chart topping, soul deep kind of cry. 
When I was done, I wiped my eyes and stopped at the nearest fast food joint for
the biggest, greasiest, bacon-laden breakfast sandwich I could get.  Did I want
hash browns with that?  
Hell yes
.

I
had emptied my bank account that morning.  I paid for the two cars behind me. 
I left $50 too much and drove away, refusing to take my change.

I
drove past work.  I almost pulled over to stand outside one last time, but I
didn’t.  I had felt trapped by my career.  Leith was right all that time- I had
hated pretending to be someone I was not; I had hated the self-imposed box.  It
was gone now.  But that box had given me shelter, and now I was exposed and
unprotected.  I made myself breathe.  No panic attacks today.

 I
headed toward my parents’ duplex, enjoying my salty, calorie-laden breakfast.  After
all, who knew if I would ever get to eat fast food again.  For all I knew, I
would be surviving off a diet of leaves and berries from now on- and maybe
fish, if Leith kept me with him.  That was too much looking into my future, so
I shut my mind down again.

I
pulled into the gravel drive and killed the engine.  The curtains in the front
window twitched as Mom peeked out to see who was there.  I climbed out and
grabbed Cat’s carrier and a re-usable grocery bag full of kitchen staples. 

Mom
opened the door for me, giving me an odd look and a good -humored smile. 
“Hello sweetheart.  What’s all this?”

I
paused in the hallway to let Cat out.  He peered at me from his shelter and
gave me a pathetic meow.  I took the bags to the kitchen and began unpacking
items and putting them away.  “I have some stuff I won’t be using, so I thought
maybe you could use it.”

She
raised her eyebrows as she saw the types of items I was putting away.  Things
that wouldn’t go bad if you didn’t use them for a while.

“Honey,
what’s wrong?”

There
was a sliver of panic in her voice that made my eyes water.  I tossed my hair
back and crossed my arms, turning to face her.  “I’m leaving.”  I took a deep
breath.  “I’m going away.  I’m not sure how long.  Probably a long time.  ”

Mom
took out the teakettle and filled it with water.  “Where are you going?  Why so
suddenly?  Is it something for work?”

I
didn’t know what to say, so I tried honesty.  “I’m sorry, Mom, I can’t tell
you.  I’m not allowed to tell you where I’m going.”

She
set the kettle on the stove and fired up the burner.  Then she turned to face
me.  “Are you in some kind of trouble?”

I
shook my head.  “I don’t know.  I don’t think so.  I just….I have to go away.  I
should be fine.”

I
told myself that if the fey wanted to harm me, they would have just killed me
last night.  No need to go to the trouble of making me join their club first.  Nevertheless,
I did have some doubts.  Would I be a prisoner? A slave?  A  brood mare? Maybe food?

I
hid my thoughts from my mom, giving her what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

She
took down a set of teacups.  “Is Leith going with you?”

I
stared at her for a minute, thinking she had somehow figured it out.  “Oh, you
mean because he was staying with me.  Uh….”  I decided on truth again.  “He’ll
be with me.”

Mom
offered me a cookie and I took it, thinking it might be the last time I tasted
her baking.  She smiled like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.  “Then I’m
sure everything will be fine.  He loves you so much- he won’t ever let anything
bad happen to you.”

I
inhaled sharply and choked on my cookie.  Dad came in from the back yard just
then, and he stopped to pound me on the back.  “What’s all this?”  He could
obviously sense that something was off.

Mom
patted his arm and went to wash her cookie sheets.  “Ada is going away for a
while,” she said cheerfully.

Dad
looked surprised, but not alarmed.  He took in Mom’s expression and didn’t ask
questions.  My Dad is amazing that way.  He never makes a fuss.  It’s not that
he doesn’t care; it’s just that he knows it doesn’t do any good to blow things
out of proportion.

I
left my parents house as if it was any other Saturday afternoon.  I teared up,
but managed to keep from bawling.  Mom and Dad hugged me and pretended nothing
was wrong.  I left my spare apartment and car keys with them. 

“Take
good care of Cat.”

I
drove away with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I thought about
calling Noah- I should tell him to stop waiting for me- but I couldn’t.  I felt
guilty about leaving him to battle his demons alone, especially after the
promises he had made me.  There was really nothing I could do.  All day, I had
been letting go of the things that had held me down.  I sighed and said goodbye
to his familiar weight, some part of me feeling lighter for it. 

As
far as work went, I dashed off a letter of resignation that morning and
e-mailed it to Human Resources.  I specified that Christie and Bethany could
have any of my belongings that I had left behind.  Maybe Bethany would nurse my
little potted plant back to life.  I wondered if she would even continue
working there now, that Leith had returned to his world. 

When
I got home, I jotted out a quick note to Mrs. Larson and Pepper, and to each of
my neighbors, thanking them for their help over the last few years.  Then I sat
in the middle of my half-empty apartment and waited for night to come.

My
stomach rumbled and I realized it had grown dark.  I roused myself to find
something to eat.  Rummaging around, I managed to find some instant soup in the
back of the cupboard.

 
I sat on the balcony eating my noodle soup out of a chipped brown coffee mug. 
The night around me was heavy and cold.  I had thrown on an old, faded hoodie
and I paused to pull up the hood.  The stars were brilliant tonight, without a
trace of cloud cover.  With the chill in the air, it would probably frost.

I
don’t know how long Leith stood there before I noticed him.  When I finished my
soup and went to stand up, I glanced toward the woods.  He was standing in the
deeper shadows at the corner of the little balcony, leaning against the railing
as he gazed out at the night. 

I
thought it odd that he was wearing the pair of jeans I had bought him.  It
seemed like if you were going to be taken away by fey there should be more
pageantry involved-flowing robes and wings… maybe some glitter.  My abductor
was barefoot and shirtless in cheap denim.

I
went into the house and rinsed out the coffee mug.  Leith followed.  He waited
patiently while I procrastinated.

“Are
you ready?”  His deep voice was patient, and a little sad.  I turned to find
him standing by my keep pile.  He hefted a bag of clothes and slung my big
duffle bag of books over his shoulder.  Apparently, I got to keep my things.

I
crossed my arms and raised my chin.  “I’m not going anywhere with you.  Go
away.”

He
looked amused.  “Come here.”  It wasn’t a request; it was an order.  I swear I
could feel him willing me to move.

I
planted my feet and didn’t budge.  He lost the amused expression.  There was a
little flutter of panic in my chest.  “If the whole point was to scare me- to
punish me a little for throwing you out- I get it.” 

He
raised an eyebrow and I rushed on.  “I know you, Leith.  I took you in when I
thought you were homeless and crazy.  I fed you and clothed you.  I’ve done all
I can to help you.  We….we made love.”  I waved my hands in exasperation.  “I
saved your life for Christ’s sake!” 

I
took a breath and calmed myself.  “I know you won’t do this to me,” I said in a
whisper.

He
shook his head.  “You don’t get it at all.  Come here, we are leaving.”  His
eyes had taken on a red tinge.  I drew a breath to argue, but he threw the bag
of clothes at me.  I caught it reflexively, and then shrieked when he appeared
behind me while my hands were occupied.  He wrapped a long arm around my waist,
tight enough to squeeze all the air out of my lungs.  Then we fell into the
darkness between worlds.

When
I could see again, we were standing in the middle of an unfamiliar room.  I was
still clutching the big garbage bag of clothes.  Leith stepped away and dropped
my duffle bag and the box of miscellaneous things to the floor.

I
rounded on him, anger and fear burning in my chest.  “What did you do?  Where
the hell are we?”

He
ran a hand through his tousled hair and shrugged.  His deep blue eyes wouldn’t
meet mine.  “We’re home.”

I
looked around me again.  We were in a house, it seemed, and not in the earthen
tunnels of Underhill.  My stocking feet rested on dully gleaming hardwood, and
flowered wallpaper covered the walls.  I raised my eyes to what looked like an
old-fashioned tin ceiling.

“Is
this your house?”  I was confused.  As far as I knew, Leith didn’t own a
house.  He lived in the water.

He
regarded me with a look I had never seen before.  Embarrassment, maybe?  “You
said once that you liked old houses.  It is your- our- home.”  He looked at me
hopefully.  “I had it moved to the river.  I thought you would be happier with a
real house.”

I
shook my head.  “I would be
happier
if you hadn’t fucking abducted me!”

He
frowned and that flat mask came down over his face again.  “Shall I show you
around?”

I
dropped my bag of clothes.  “This is my house?”  He nodded slowly, clearly
suspicious.

“Then
get out.”

He
turned on a heel and left the room.  I heard a door bang closed and let out a
sigh of relief.  The room I was standing in appeared to be a living room.  I
could see a stretch of cabinets and countertop through the doorway to the
right.  I walked there and glanced into the room.  It was quite a large
kitchen, clearly built in a time when two point five kids wasn’t the norm. 
There was a big, solid wood table and chairs on one side of the room.  The
other side was filled with newer appliances.  They looked out of place in the
room, and I wondered just how old the house was.  I could remember very clearly
telling Leith how much I adored old Victorian houses as I had leafed through an
issue of Home and Garden.  A fresh surge of anger rushed me and I left the
kitchen with a muttered curse.

One
side of the living room was slightly rounded, and it was occupied by a big
window seat.  I guessed it must be part of a turret.  The other side of the
room was taken up by a massive wooden staircase.  I took this to the second
floor, running my hand over the smooth wooden banister.  A sinking feeling grew
in my stomach with every step I took.  This big old house was wonderful, but it
was just a pretty prison.

When
I reached the landing, I heard voices.  I paced down the hallway and peered
into a bedroom.  Bethany was talking to someone as she made the bed.  It was a
huge four-poster with gauzy drapes.  The whole room was over the top.  It
looked like something out of a gothic fairy tale.