Kelpie (Come Love a Fey) (8 page)

I
gaped at him.  “I said we could go after work tonight.”

He
shrugged.  “I think it’s best if I put out the word early, when the world is
just beginning to stir.  Besides, I felt that you were about to awake.”  Now he
had control over my circadian rhythms?

I
closed my eyes and took a deep breath.  “Fine.  Whatever.”  I was awake now
anyway.  I wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep.

Leith
crossed to the bed and handed me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.  “We’ll start
in the woods near here and work our way outward.  I will lose some of my
anonymity, but it can’t be helped.”

I
shooed him out of my room and got dressed in silence.  At this point, I was
just going along with the charade.  Maybe once he saw that he didn’t have any
random family living out in the woods, he would start to realize he needed some
professional help.

I
made my way to the bathroom, where I splashed some cold water on my face and
dragged a brush through my hair, leaving it loose and fluffy.  I squinted at
myself in the mirror.  My roots were starting to show, darker than the rich
caramel color I got out of a box.  I would need to touch up the color soon,
though Leith would probably complain about that as well- unnatural and all.  He
came to peer into the room impatiently.

“Are
you ready?”  He seemed keyed up.  I took in his reflection in the mirror while
I pretended to examine my face.  I swear he had filled out some in just the
brief time that I had known him.  The soft cotton shirt was a bit stretched
across his wide chest.  His crazy hair was a riot, as usual, and it gleamed as
if it were wet.  I flicked my gaze back to my reflection, feeling depressed at
the absurdity of the situation.  I had a gorgeous guy living with me, and we
were going to go off into the woods at five a.m. to look for his fairy
relatives. 

I
sighed and headed toward the kitchen to get my shoes and purse.  “Alright,
c’mon.”

We
drove to a small wooded area just outside of town.  At Leith’s direction, I
pulled over on the side of the road and followed him into the woods on foot. 
We walked for about five minutes or so, making good time as I scrambled to keep
up with his silent, flowing pace.  The smaller saplings near the road were
gradually replaced with larger maples and pines.  The rapid thumping sound of a
woodpecker sprang to life from somewhere nearby and I craned my head to try to
catch a glimpse of black and white in the trees around us.

“So,
uh, what are we looking for out here?  Do you really expect to find your family
out in the middle of the woods?”

He
snorted.  “My clan.  They aren’t relatives.”  He held a branch aside for me and
I ducked awkwardly, my breath catching as the maneuver brought me into the
shelter of his arms.

I
stepped away, rolling my eyes.  “So they aren’t all a bunch of horses like
you?”

Leith
sounded amused.  “A clan is a family, I suppose, but it’s made up of all
different sorts of fey.  My clan was made up of water fey and woodland
sprites.”

He
paused and looked around him.  “My real clan would be in Scotland, but some may
have moved here or been taken here as I was.  And any of the fey here with
similar affinities should recognize me as their brother.”

I
shook my head and kept walking.  Apparently, he’d had a lot of time to think
about these things.  The dream world that he lived in was so elaborate. 

Finally,
we came to a little stream running through the woods.  Leith paced to the water
and crouched by the rocky bed.  I plopped down on an old fallen log and stifled
a huge yawn.  The tree was a white birch, and I plucked at the papery, curling
bark as I waited to see what Leith would do next.  My companion stuck a finger
in the water and began whispering something under his breath.  I raised my
eyebrows but didn’t comment, using the time to soak in our surroundings.

I
had always loved nature.  When I was a child, my parents dragged my brother and
me all over the Upper Peninsula, and most of our vacations involved long hikes
along one body of water or another.  Now that I was an adult with a career and
a life, I rarely spent much time outside.  It was strange how just being in the
woods could make me feel completely at ease, as if I only now knew that
something had been missing, once I found it again.  The sky was beginning to
lighten, and little birds were chattering and hopping about in the branches
over our heads.  The air smelled of damp earth and green things.  I took a deep
breath and let myself relax, all my worries flowing out of me.  I would have to
be careful to keep track of time so I wasn’t late to work, but for right now I
could just breathe.

I
glanced at Leith to find that he was now sitting cross-legged beside the little
creek.  He had both hands submerged in the water halfway to his elbows.  His
eyes were closed, and he looked like he was meditating.

I
sank to the ground, so I could lean my back against the fallen log.  I breathed
deeply of the richly scented air and let my eyes slip closed.  The soft sounds
of the forest awakening lulled me into a place somewhere between sleep and
awake.  I could feel the gentle touch of the breeze on my cheeks and hear the
birds calling, but I was conscious of the fact that I had begun to dream.

I
was wandering in the woods.  I wasn’t lost, exactly.  I was searching for
someone.  Loneliness filled my chest.  I had been alone for so long, I barely
had any hope left.  Still, I kept searching for someone.  Someone very
important.  Someone I loved as much as the earth beneath my feet.  Someone as
essential as food and water, and air.  But he was gone.  He had been gone for a
long time.  Birds called in the woods around me, and the day began to darken
into twilight, but still I couldn’t find him.  I entered a clearing and tripped
over an old tire, tossed there by some unthinking soul.  I was thirsty.  I knew
that if I drank the water, it would be bitter and polluted.  But I was so
thirsty.  I knelt on the ground and put my lips to the water, knowing I was
just poisoning myself.  However, the water wasn’t bitter.  It was cool and
clean- perfect.  I sensed a power running through it.  Something pure.  My eyes
overflowed with tears.  It was him.  I could taste him in the water.  I lifted
my head and looked around the woods, but he was nowhere to be seen.  I could
hear his voice, but couldn’t make out words in the deep mummer.  I dashed
through the forest again, searching frantically.  He was here.  He had been
here.  Where?  Where was he?  My heart felt like it would burst.

Cool
hands grasped my shoulders and I opened my eyes to find Leith crouching in
front of me.  He gave me a soft smile, and I wrapped my arms around him, seized
with the intense urge to make sure he was real.  The dream blended with reality
and I could feel the echo of that intense love- the love of being alive, the
love for the one who protected my home. 

His
water-cold hands smoothed over my head and stroked my back, and the remnants of
the dream began to fade.  I sat up and pushed myself away from him.  “Sorry,” I
said shortly.

At
the irritated sound of my voice, he withdrew his hands and sat back.  “Did you
have a bad dream?”

I
shook my head and stood, brushing leaves and dirt off my backside.  “Not bad,
just…odd.”  I looked at him apologetically.  “I’m sorry.  My dreams are always
so vivid.  When I wake up, sometimes it takes me a minute to snap out of it.”

He
looked at me thoughtfully.  “Do you dream often?”

I
nodded.  “Almost every night.  And most of my dreams-even the scary ones- are
about water.”

Leith
frowned.  “How could dreams about the water ever be frightening?”

“Well…”
 I cleared my throat, embarrassed.  “There is a recurring one where there are
bodies in the water- cold, dead things that come up out of the muck and walk to
shore.”  I shuddered in memory.  

“Hmm…
that would be frightening indeed.”  His mouth quirked up at one corner and I
remembered that was exactly what he claimed to have done.  He stood, turning to
look at the stream.  “I’ve put my mark on this place.  No one came this
morning, but they will know I was here.  I’ll keep looking.”

I
frowned at him, wondering just what he meant by his “mark.”  Then I saw where he
was looking.  The creek seemed fuller.  Even the plants around it looked healthier,
lush and green.  I shook my head. 
I can see better, now that there’s more
light- that’s all it is,
I told myself firmly.

There
was a swirling near the edge of the stream and I stepped closer to look. 
Little schools of tiny minnows swam by, and crawfish crawled across the bottom.
 Water bugs skated across the quieter water at the edges of the stream, their
delicate legs barely denting the glassy surface.  It was teaming with life.

I
glanced at up at Leith to find him gazing off into the distance.  His eyes, usually
a deep blue, were lighter- a clear, crystal color like a summer sky.  He turned
his gaze to me and I looked away, caught staring. 

“You
will be late for work,” he said quietly.  I pulled my gaze back to him.  His
lip twitched and I narrowed my eyes at him.  He was laughing at me.

I
pulled my cell out of my pocket and glanced at the time.  “Crap!”  It was past
seven already. 

When
we got back to my apartment, I got ready for work in record time.  I emerged
from my room hopping on one foot as I pulled my heels on while I walked.  Leith
was leaning against the kitchen counter waiting for me.  He handed me my purse
and a little plate with a bagel on it.  He had even toasted it and topped it
with cream cheese and fruit.  I stared at him, wondering what weird thing he
would do to spoil it.

“For
helping me this morning…I know it was an inconvenience to you.”  He sounded
embarrassed.

I
shrugged and took the plate.  “It’s no big deal.  But thanks for the
breakfast.”  I glanced at him again and spoke without thinking.  “Hey, your
eyes are dark again.” 

He
gifted me with a slow, knowing smile that made me think of the dream I had had
in the woods.  “You still don’t believe me when I tell you I’m not human?”

I
rolled my eyes and hid my discomfort behind a frown.  “Of course not!  There is
no such thing as a fairy.  And kelpies are just legends made up by people in
the dark ages.”  
His eyes just look lighter in the natural light, that’s all
.

He
nodded.  “Have a good day at your work.”  His expression was one of strained
patience.  It pissed me off.  He was stark raving mad, and he thought
I
was the crazy one.

“Leave
the fish in the tank.  And if you’re gonna open all the windows, turn off the
air first!”  I slammed the door behind me, muttering under my breath about
crazy people.  Mrs. Larcen and Pepper walked by, the look on the old lady’s
face saying just what she thought of young people. I gave her a frosty smile
and headed to work.

I
got there early, probably thanks to my irritation-induced lead foot.  Bethany
piped up and I absently returned her greeting as I passed her desk.  “Um…  Ada?”
 I turned to her again, trying not to look impatient.  It wasn’t her fault I
had been dumb enough to let a strange man into my home.

“I’m
sorry,” she said timidly, “but I just noticed.  Are you um, wearing a new
perfume?”  I looked at her in surprise, and then sniffed at my shirt.

“No.
 Nothing new.”  In fact, I wasn’t wearing perfume at all.  Leith said it gave
him headaches when I sprayed the “unnatural odor” in the apartment.  I gritted
my teeth as I realized that I was altering my life to suit his whims.

She
shrugged and gave me an embarrassed smile.  “Never mind.  I just though you
smelled different.”  Seeing my odd look, she backpedaled. “Um, I’m really
sensitive to smells.  Maybe it’s a new air freshener around here or
something.”  She waved me away with a laugh and I continued on to my desk.

Noah
was waiting for me.  I almost turned around and walked back out the door.  With
everything else, I had been able to avoid thinking of him for the last couple
of days.  I squared my shoulders, refusing to let myself be an emotional wuss.

“Can
I help you?”  I plastered on my best professional smile as I stashed my purse
in my overhead bin.

He
looked strained, as if he had been up all night.  “I just wanted to apologize. 
For real.”  Seeing my mutinous expression, he held up his hands.  “I’m not
asking you to take me back or anything like that.  I just wanted to say I’m
sorry, and I am trying to change.  Thank you for giving me the push.”

He
left before I could reply, thank God.  I have no clue what I might have said. 
I sat down at my computer and started opening e-mails.  I paused to roll my
shoulders, and settled in.  I had just started my day, and pain was already creeping
into my neck and shoulders.  By the time the day was over, I knew it would work
its way up from my neck and into my head.  Over the past five years, tension
headaches had become second nature to me.

Christie
peeked around her cubicle.  “Hey.  I heard you and Noah broke up.  I’m sorry.” 

Funny,
she didn’t sound too sorry.  I shrugged.  Everyone in this office always knew
everything about everyone else.  “Don’t be.  I just got smart, that’s all.”