Kelpie (Come Love a Fey) (4 page)

“You
are upset by something?”  He glanced at the phone and scowled.  “The man you
spoke to has done something to hurt you?”

Wow. 
I guess he had heard my conversation after all.  I shrugged.  “It’s nothing…its
lots of things.  It’s just been a strange day.”  I threw up my hands.  “I need
to sleep because I need to get up early tomorrow and go to work.  But I’m wide
awake now.”  I sighed in exasperation.

He
reached over and turned down the covers on one side of the bed.  “Lie down and
I will help you to sleep.”  I stared at him, wondering if it was possible that he
really didn’t understand how weird that was.  His dark blue eyes were level and
serious.  “I promise I mean you no harm.”

I
laughed aloud, the tension from the last twelve hours finally overflowing.  This
whole situation was ridiculous.  I snorted and wiped my watering eyes.  “I’m
sure that’s what all the serial killer rapists say.”

He
glared, a muscle flexing in his lean cheek as he clenched his teeth.  “Stop
being stubborn and come here!  You wish to sleep, do you not?”

I
made my way to the bed with dragging steps.  “Fine, but I swear to God, if you
try to molest me again I will kill you.”  I stopped at the side of the bed and
stood looking down on him, hands on hips.

He
laughed.  “Believe me.  That is the farthest thing from my mind.”  I didn’t
know how to take that.  Switching off the bedside lamp, I slipped into bed and
turned on my side, facing away from him.  
This so isn’t going to work
, I
thought, adjusting my pillow.  If I was too keyed up to sleep, having a crazy,
drugged-up whacko sitting on the bed next to me certainly wasn’t going to help.

I
was tense and restless, entirely too conscious of the man sitting just a few
inches away.  I expected him to do something- I don’t know what, but something
weird.  Instead, he just sat there quietly, not moving, barely breathing.  I
was surprised when eyelids grew heavy and my breathing slow.  Maybe I was more
tired than I had thought.

I
tried to roll over and tell Leith that he could leave now, but I couldn’t seem
to muster up the energy to move.  “Sleep well,” he said softly, his deep voice
reverberating in my head.

I
slept.

I
woke to a
jarring beep that grated on my nerves.  Acting out of habit, I rolled over
automatically and thwacked the alarm clock, silencing it.  I stretched and considered
going back to sleep.  I’d been having an interesting dream before I was so
rudely awakened.  Something about blue eyes and deep blue water.  I sat up in
sudden realization as my sleep-fogged brain sharpened and joined me in the here
and now.

I
made my way out to the living room, part of me still hoping I had dreamed the
whole thing.  I stopped halfway there.  Leith had donned the jeans I bought
him.  They were a little loose in the waist, but they clung to his glorious ass
like a second skin as he lean against the counter.  He was also wearing one of
the t-shirts.  I knew it would have the Ferrari logo prancing across the front,
but I was admiring the way the soft cotton stretched across his wide shoulders
as he fumbled with the fish tank light.  He was studying the little tank as if
it held some sort of treasure.

“Is
this fish your pet?”  He didn’t look up from his perusal of the fat gold
glutton.

“Oh
good morning to you too,” I said with a sigh.  Cat twined around my legs and
yowled.  I went to the cupboard and got him a can of food.

Leith
straightened and turned to face me.  “Why do you keep this thing?  Wouldn’t it
be happier in a lake?”

Oh,
right… almost forgot he was crazy.  I turned my back and headed to the
bathroom.  It was way too early for this crap.

When
I emerged- clean, dressed, and much more awake- Leith was feeding bits of bread
to the goldfish.  I silently set the little container of fish food on the
counter near him and opened the refrigerator to get the milk.  I had planned to
make him eggs, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  I’m not a morning
person.  I’m also a terrible cook.  Reports, problem clients, and insurance
companies I could do with one arm tied behind my back.  Omelets that weren’t
stuck to the bottom of the pan, brown on one side and runny on the other- not
so much.

I
jumped when Leith’s deep voice spoke from right by my shoulder.  “Is this for
me?”  He snaked out a long arm and grabbed the container of sushi, then
straightened and stood looking down at me expectantly.

“You
really want fish for breakfast?”

He
nodded, his blue eyes twinkling.  “This is fresher than what we ate yesterday….though
it has something added to it.”  He sniffed the tray and I grimaced in distaste.

“Help
yourself,” I said, trying not to laugh.  
What a nut case
.

“What
will you eat?”  He watched me get out the milk and cereal, looking as disgusted
by the Wheat Chex as I had at the thought of eating fish.

I
glanced at the clock and saw that it was already half-past seven.  I had to be
at work at eight and I still had an errand to run.  I shoveled my cereal in as
fast as I could between fascinated glances at my guest.  He ate all the sushi-
including the decorative garnish- in a matter of seconds.

“Wow,”
I said around a mouthful of cereal, “you really like fish.”

He
shrugged and tossed the tray in the trash.  “I am kelpie.”

I
rolled my eyes and went to put my bowl and spoon in the sink.  “Look Kelpie, I
have to work until four o’clock today.  Then we’re going to go and find you
some help, okay?”

He
nodded as I stooped to slip into my heels.  “I will wait here and assimilate
myself.  Do you have a newspaper, or something of the sort?”

I
straightened and pointed at the T.V. “No newspaper, but you can watch T.V. -CNN
or something.”

He
frowned at me, his dark brows nearly touching.  “T.V.?”

“Here,”
I handed him the remote.  “I don’t pay extra for the premium channels, but you
should be able to find some news.”

He
took the remote reluctantly and let it dangle from his fingers as if he were
holding a dead thing.  He wrinkled his brow, perplexed.  “What do I do with
this?”  I stared at him.  It would almost be cute, if I weren’t already running
late.

Taking
the remote back, I turned on the T.V. “Look, you point this at the little box
and push the buttons.  There’s one for changing the channels and one for the
volume.  And this one turns it on and off.”  I put it on CNN and tossed the
remote on the couch.  “You can figure it out from there.”  I rolled my eyes.  Like
I really believed he’d never seen a T.V. before.  Maybe the drugs had caused
memory loss.

He
shrugged.  “I will manage.  I can assimilate quickly.  Fey have to adapt in
order to survive among humans.”

I
snorted in disbelief.  Apparently, he hadn’t completely sobered up yet.  “Yeah
whatever.”  

Turning,
I grabbed my purse and paused to check my reflection in the little mirror by
the door.  I had pulled my boring brown hair up into a stylish clip and donned
a gray pinstriped suit.  My black heels added just a touch of femininity and
edge. I could see Leith’s reflection in mirror, and he grimaced at me.  “You
look terrible.”

I
clenched my teeth.  “Gee thanks.  And you look homeless and half starved.”

I
snatched up my keys and turned to glower at him.  “Don’t do anything weird
while I’m gone.”

I
shut the door behind me with more force than strictly necessary.  What a jerk. 
I glanced at my watch as I slipped into my car.  I was going to be late, but I
decided to stop by the police station on my way to work.  Leith would probably
refuse to go with me this afternoon, so I thought I should see what my options
were.

I
swung into the station’s tiny parking lot and killed the engine.  Then I
smoothed my hair and picked up my shiny bag.  My heels clacked smartly as I
entered the building and crossed to the front desk.  The tiled floors gleamed,
and the whole place radiated discipline and well-oiled machine.  I permitted
myself a satisfied smile.  I could practically smell the shoe polish.  Officers
in various stages of their morning routine watched me curiously for a moment
before turning back to their tasks. 

The
guy at the front desk raised an eyebrow and gave me a bored look.  “Can I help
you ma’am?”

I
gave him a nervous smile.  Now that I was here, I felt like a complete idiot. 
“Um, I hope so.  I need some advice.”  I straightened my spine and looked him
in the eyes.  “I was on a camping trip yesterday and I ran across a homeless
man out in the woods.”

He
compressed his lips, but said nothing.  “Well you see, he was naked and dirty,
and he seemed really confused.  I think maybe he was high?”  I licked my lips
and barreled on.  “And well, I sort of took him home with me.  I meant to get
him cleaned up and bring him here, but he’s paranoid about talking to anyone
else.  I need to know what to, um, you know… do…. with him?”

The
officer leveled a look at me that sent a warm blush rushing to my cheeks.  God,
I sounded like a ditz.  I wanted to defend myself-
I swear officer I’m usually
an intelligent and levelheaded woman, honest.
  There was no way I could
convey the sense of terror that I’d experienced when I heard that thing
screeching in the night.  A crazy homeless guy was nothing compared to that. 
Besides, I trusted him somehow.

The
officer heaved a sigh, the single sound managing to convey just how fed up he
was with ignorant civilians.  “So there is a homeless guy that you picked up
off the street staying in your apartment?”  He scratched his chin and I thought
he was trying not to laugh.

“I
understand you were just trying to be a good person, but honestly lady, how
stupid can you get?”

I
clenched my teeth.  “Pretty stupid, I guess.  So should I bring him here?  Or
maybe to the drug rehab place?”

The
officer shook his head and became serious.  “I hate to say this, ma’am, but
your best bet is to just put him in a cab to the nearest shelter.”

I
started to reply angrily to his heartless answer, but he held up his thick hands
in self-defense.  “I don’t mean to be a hard-ass, but it’s just the way things
are.  If you bring him here, there’s really nothing we can do to help him.”  He
shook his graying head.  If he’d done something to you, we could lock him up
for a few days- at least then he’d get a few free meals.  But unless there is
some sort of crime, there really isn’t anything we can do.”  He shook his head. 
“You can take him to the drug rehab place, but if he’s homeless then he won’t
have health insurance or any way to pay for services.  The county mental health
system could help him, but their resources are nil.  Once he completes their
program- which will be a joke- he’ll just be out on the street again.”  He
shrugged helplessly.  “That’s why homeless people are homeless.”

I
hiked my bag over my shoulder and turned to go.  I knew all of this already. 
I’m a social worker; it’s kind of what I do.  Somehow, I had just assumed my
problems would be different.  I was surprised at my own arrogance.  “Thanks for
your time, officer.”

“Ma’am,”
he called after me.  I paused and he gave me a tired look.  “I’ll tell you what
I would tell my sister or my mother.  You’re damned lucky you haven’t been
robbed, raped, or killed.  Put his ass in a cab and replace all your locks. 
Maybe start carrying some pepper spray.”

I
nodded, looking back.  He was completely right.  “Thanks.  I’ll do that.”  My
professional heels tapped a rapid tattoo across the tile floor.

I
made it to work a few minutes later.  Our office was on the ground floor of one
of the old brick buildings in the small downtown area.  I made my way across
the entryway, and to my cubicle.  I had been bursting with pride the day I
started working here, five years ago.  I was so excited about my having my own
workspace and my shiny new career.  I felt like I’d finally made it.  I
wouldn’t be living hand to mouth like my parents always had.  My kids wouldn’t
grow up in second hand clothes like my brother and I had. 

I
tucked my purse in my overhead cabinet and stooped to turn on the computer.  Christie
slunk out of the next cubicle and came to stand mine.  “You made it!”  She
sipped her coffee and patted her perfectly highlighted blonde hair, then gave
me a dramatic look.  “We thought you were lost in the woods somewhere.”  More
like you
hoped
I was lost in the woods, I thought.

I
felt my “work face” slip into place as I gave her a warm smile.  “Aw, thank you
for worrying about me, but I’m okay.”  I sat down and swiveled my chair to face
the computer screen.  I had client meetings and phone calls to insurance
companies scheduled all day.

She
didn’t take the hint.  “How did you make it home?  I know you didn’t run off
with Noah.”  She sounded pretty sure about that.  I clenched my teeth and
plastered the smile back on my face.

“I
walked home,” I said casually.  “I don’t know what everyone was up to, but I decided
I didn’t want any part of it.”  I laughed lightly.  “Sounds like things got
pretty wild after I left.”