Kelpie (Come Love a Fey) (3 page)

I
met Leith’s wide, deep blue eyes as regarded me over my knees.  He knelt on the
floor, holding my poor, battered feet.  At least I thought it was him- it was
kind of hard to tell.  A bowl of warm water and a filthy washcloth lay at his
side.  He returned his attention to gently patting the bottom of my foot with a
clean towel. 

“What….”
 I had trouble finding my voice and had to clear my throat and try again.  He was
clean.  He had cut his hair, and his lean face was framed in a riotous tumble
of wet, shiny black waves.  His skin that had looked pale and sickly under all
the muck was now glowing and clear.  A pair of full lips turned up in a smile. 
If he weren’t so scrawny, he’d be hands down the most beautiful person I’d ever
seen.

I
cleared my throat again.  “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”  

He
smiled at me and stood, taking the bowl to the sink.  “You were kind enough to
allow me into your home.  I wanted to help you in some way.  You are only human
after all -you must be exhausted.”

I
sat up and looked at the bottom of my feet.  They were covered with shallow
cuts and scrapes from walking barefoot through miles of forest, but at least
they were clean.  I placed them on the floor, wincing when I put pressure on
them.

Leith
crossed the room soundlessly and stood staring down at me.  I was surprised
that someone so tall and lanky could move with such grace.  “What are you
doing?”

I
looked up at him.  “I was planning on going to bed…but maybe I’ll stay here.”  I
was too tired for a bath now anyway.  I glanced at his tall frame.  “The couch
will be too short for you to sleep on.  So you can have my room.”

He
stooped and slid his long arms under my knees and behind my shoulders, scooping
me up of the couch as if it were nothing.  “What are you doing?”  I said in a startled
squeak.

He
gave me a look from those sharp blue eyes.  “You do not have the sense to stay
off your feet, so I will take you where you want to go.”

I
didn’t have the sense?  He was the one who’d been wandering around the woods.  I
clenched my teeth and tried to ignore the fact that I was pressed to his bare
chest.  “Fine.  That way!”  I pointed down the hall past the bathroom.  He
carried me there and deposited me on the bed, none too gently. 

I
pulled the covers over my head and rolled over, turning my back on him.  Let
him sleep on the couch for all I cared.  He obviously had some sort of
personality disorder.  I was so damned tired.  I heard his quiet footsteps
retreat and my eyes slipped closed again.

When
I woke, it was beginning to get dark.  I had slept fitfully through most of the
day.  Now that I’d rested, I felt bad for being snippy with Leith.  After all,
the guy had washed my feet, for Pete’s sake.  I limped to the dresser and got
out a pair of puffy red and green slipper-socks I usually wore in the winter.  I
pulled them on and gingerly made my way to the bathroom.

I
emerged clean, dressed, and feeling a hundred times more human.  Leith was
stretched out on the couch, fast asleep, his long feet protruding over the arm
rest.  I stood looking down at him, and took the opportunity to study him
without being caught.  His face was lean and angular, with a sharp jaw and
slightly pointed chin.  He had very long eyelashes.  When he was awake, he
looked stern and intimidating.  Now, his full mouth was relaxed and he looked
softer, gentler.  His chest was broad, tapering to a narrow, but well-defined
waist.  His long limbs were smooth with muscle, but not bulky.  He really was
beautiful, I decided wistfully.  Too bad he was stark raving mad.  Sighing, I bent
to pull the afghan over him.  His eyes flew open, piercing me with a wary blue
look.

I
stood and gestured toward the kitchen.  “Are you hungry?  I haven’t really
taken very good care of you.  Let me feed you and we’ll go down to the police
station.”

He
sat up, adjusting his towel.  The old sweats I’d given him earlier were filthy,
and I really had nothing else that would fit him.  “I’ll go out and get you
something to wear while you eat.”

One
corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk.  “That would be nice.”

I
crossed my arms and frowned at him.  “Why were you out in the woods naked?  I
mean, even homeless people generally wear clothes.”

He
sighed and spoke very slowly, as if he were repeating basic information to a
child.  “I slept.”  As if that explained everything.

“So
you just decided to take a nap in the woods.  Why were you naked?”

“As
told you, I am not human.  I must have been in my other form when I fell
asleep.  I think I was bespelled.”

I
raised my eyebrows.  “Other form? “

His
face took on a dark look.  “Yes.  I am kelpie.  Maybe I wasn’t in human form. 
I think someone has betrayed me.”

I
sighed and rubbed my temples.  “Ok, kelpie, what would you like to eat?  We’ll
get you full and dressed, and then we can go talk to the police.”  The sooner the
better, really.

He
stood, grasping my shoulders with his big hands.  “We cannot go to your
police.  I am not one of you.  Your people will be no help against fey.”

I
swallowed convulsively.  Even in his current emaciated state, I’d be willing to
bet he was far stronger than I was.  “Fine, fine.”  I disentangled myself from
him none too gently.

“What
do you want to eat?”

He
didn’t even hesitate.  “Fish.”

I
took a deep breath to center myself.  “I think there’s some Tilapia in the
freezer.”

Once
I had a plate in front of him, I ventured out to the nearest store to find him
some clothes.  When I left, he was shoveling baked fish and steamed vegetables
into his mouth as if he hadn’t eaten in years- which wasn’t too much of a
stretch, by the looks of him.

When
I got to the store, I did some serious speed shopping.  I was really nervous
about leaving a stranger alone at my place.  I cruised down the aisles in the
men’s section, grabbing things at random- boxers, some pajama pants, a pair of
jeans, and a couple of screen-printed t-shirts that were on clearance.  I even
got him a toothbrush.  I felt absurd as I sped down the aisles trying to
predict what he’d need.  I hit the food section for a dozen eggs.  The display
of fresh sushi trays caught my eye and I grabbed one on a whim.

When
I got back to the apartment, Leith was nowhere to be seen.  His plate was on
the floor, and Cat was generously polishing it for me.  I put the bags on the
table and glanced around the apartment, taking in the empty box sitting on the
top of the trashcan.  He’d eaten five pounds of fish.  I wondered when the last
time was he had anything to eat, let alone was able to eat as much as he
wanted.  A soft breeze fluttered the curtains over the sliding glass door.  I
crossed the room and moved the curtains aside, then stepped out onto the
balcony.  Leith was leaning against the black wrought iron railing, staring out
into the night.  It was never truly dark this close to town, but the view was
pretty all the same.  I leaned my back against the railing, facing the other
way.

“I
got you some clothes,” I said quietly.  His silence was intense.  It felt like
I was shouting.

He
kept staring out across the yard toward the woods, some distance away.  His
sharp profile was unreadable.  “I am lost,” he said, not looking at me.  Goose
bumps rippled across my forearms at the sound of his deep voice.  I kept quiet,
automatically slipping into therapeutic listening mode. 

“I
do not know where my people are.  I know nothing of this time or this place.”  His
voice sounded so empty and forlorn that I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him-
maybe because he was completely off his rocker. 

He
turned toward me, his face illuminated by the light that pooled out from the
apartment.  “I need to find my kin.”

For
a moment, those eyes were filled with pain and panic.  Then his expression went
flat.  He turned his face away again.  It was like turning off a light switch-
so much emotion overflowing one moment, then nothing the next.  I reached out
and patted his arm where it rested on the railing.  “I don’t know how, but I’ll
do everything I can to help you.”

He
stood up straight and turned to face me again.  “You promise this?”  

Boy
was he ever needy.  I waved my hand, irritated.  “Yes, I promise.  Now come
inside and get dressed.”  I eyed his skinny frame, wrapped only in a bath
towel.  “I do have neighbors, you know.  Gossipy ones.”

After
laying out my purchases on the couch for his inspection, I made my way back to
my room and slipped into some pajamas.  I had just slept the day away, but I
still felt tired.  I doubted I could go to sleep again so soon, but I had to
get up early the next day and go to work.  I couldn’t just stay up all night.  I
opened my laptop and pushed the power button.  It whirred to life and I pulled
out a pile of paperwork, thinking I might as well make good use of my time.  

My
eyes strayed to the nightstand, where the phone rested in its cradle.  Without
really thinking it through, I picked up the phone and called Noah.  He took a
while to answer, and when he did, he sounded distracted, his voice distant and
muffled.

“I
was just calling to see if everyone was alright after last night,” I said
neutrally.

He
laughed.  “That was some crazy shit.  I’ve been worried about you.”  I closed
my eyes.  If he was worried about me, why hadn’t he called or showed up to
check on me?

“Yeah,
I caught a ride home with some of the other girls.”  I strived for a calm
voice.

He
took my explanation at face value.  “Glad to hear you made it back okay.  Should
I come over?”  His tone had shifted and there was a hint of suggestion in the
rich baritone.  

I
thought of my houseguest.  “No.”  Realizing how abrupt that sounded, I rushed
to explain.  “Um, no I’m pretty tired.  I think I might be coming down with
something.”

He
sighed theatrically on the other end, and I laughed.  “Really though-what
happened last night?”

“Truthfully,”
he said in a tired voice, “I have no idea.  People- strangers- were running
around half-naked.  Everyone else was kind of dazed.  I felt like I was stoned.
 I shouldn’t tell you this, but I think I’m going to order a bunch of random drug
screens tomorrow when we get to work.  Maybe someone thought they’d be funny
and slip something in the s’mores.”  There were benefits to dating the office manager-
not that I had any reason to fear a drug test.

“Well
I should let you go.  I’m going to finish up some reports and go to bed.”

“Alright.
 I’ll see you tomorrow.  Wear a skirt.”  The flirting tone was back and it sent
ripples over my skin.  I closed my eyes, cursing my addiction to him.

“Good
night Noah.”  I stared at my phone’s screen as it told me the call had ended.

“I
love you too, jackass.” 

I
tossed the phone aside and sat staring at my hands.  There were rumors at the
office about Noah and me.  Of course, there were rumors about Noah and all the
women at the office.  And they were probably all true.  I’d never meant to get
entangled with him.  I hated that kind of man.  But somehow it happened, and
every time I tried to break it off, I failed.

There
was a soft sound in the hallway, and my gaze jerked to the door.  Leith was
standing in the doorway, no expression on his face.  I couldn’t tell if he’d
heard my conversation, or my little outburst afterward.  It bothered me that I
cared.

“What’s
up?”  I motioned him in when he hesitated on the threshold.  He’d put on the
grey flannel pajama pants I bought him, and he looked more relaxed.  It was
absurd how my eyes wanted to linger.  What
was
it with me and completely
inappropriate men?

“Will
you sleep now?”  He came and sat on the bed with me as if we were best
friends.  His lack of personal space was startling, but there was nothing
threatening in it.  If anything, I felt soothed.  I leaned back against the
headboard and plopped my laptop on my crossed legs. 

“I
don’t think I can sleep right now.  I’m going to do some work.”

His
dark brows drew together and he frowned at the laptop.  “Will it disturb you if
I stay here?”  He gestured back at the living room.  “My magic is weakened and I
feel….alone… out there.”

I
shrugged.  “It’s not bound to be any more exciting watching me do paperwork,
but you’re welcome to hang out.”  He aped my posture, sitting Indian-style with
his back against the headboard.  I started plugging away at reports, losing
myself in the world of numbers and words.

Finally,
I closed my laptop with a snap.  It was getting very late and I still wasn’t
tired.  I was worried about my job.  I had a million things to do tomorrow. 
Noah was going to do something inappropriate, and I’d probably go along with it
because… well because.  I kept hoping he’d grow up, but he never did.  It
didn’t stop me from loving him.  On top of that, there was the homeless guy to
take care of.

I
stood, went to my closet, and pulled the doors open.  
Skirt
my ass
. 
I riffled around until I found a conservative jacket and pants to wear the next
day.  I turned to find my silent companion regarding me with a frown.