Chapter 22
LACHLAN MACBETH
The sea air in Margate is crisp and cool, tasting faintly of salt and the sugary donuts Elena and I just shared on the boardwalk. Behind us the sandy beachfront fades with a soft afternoon glow as the sun peels down from the clouds, marking the end of our visit with Maren.
I purposely take smaller steps, keeping my stride easy while watching Elena carefully, so I don’t accidentally outpace her with my long legs. I know well that I’m a large man, and I try my best to be aware of her and ensure I don’t lumber over her with my big self.
Right now, looking down at her, a soft and content smile tugs at my lips.
I hold her small hand in mine, feeling like my chest may very well burst from happiness.
The devotion I feel for her makes me want to please her in any way I can, and I’m positively charmed to be able to walk with her by my side.
“Maren was sad to see us go,” I tell her softly. “She kept telling me how lovely you are and that I’d better treat you like a queen. She’s entirely right of course.”
“She was so very wonderful. I still can’t get over it that selkies are real,” she says with a shake of her blonde head, and smiles up at me before leaning her shoulder affectionately against my arm.
The contact makes my chest swell with more than pride.
“And it was really sweet of her to pack us some lunch for the trip too.”
I let out a wry laugh thinking on the cooler bag currently slung over my shoulder.
“Aye, well, Maren was convinced the train buffet cart would be demolished soon as I got my mitts on it, and didn’t think it’d have enough food to keep me fed.
She thinks I can still eat like I used to, before my time imprisoned in the moat.
My appetite shrank quite a bit while I was in that cage, and I think she’s determined to fatten me back up. ”
“Well, I think its sweet she wants to take care of you,” she says gently, squeezing my free fingers as we reach the entrance of the train station.
“I look forward to when I can show you my home and finally take care of you,” I murmur, smiling down at her round face.
The station is absolutely bustling with life, like an urban jungle filled with the people rushing everywhere, most on their phones gabbing or staring down their fingers moving as they walk.
Suitcases rattle against the floors and loud announcements come over the speakers overhead. It’s loud and packed, which has my instincts going a bit haywire, but I manage to tamp it down. The last thing I need is for my tail or ear fins to make an appearance in such a crowded space.
I maneuver us through the throng of people using my size to guide Elena through the crowd, acting like a shield against the rushing travelers who get too close.
Before we reach the ticket barriers, I pull her over to a quieter corner of the station.
I turn to face her and carefully let the handles of the suitcases rest against my leg while keeping my hands free to rest them about her curvy waist. I keep the touch light, but tighten my grip and give her my full attention.
“Are you doing alright, lass?” I ask, gazing into her loch-colored eyes. “I know traveling across the lands this way can be tiring and I want you to tell me if you need rest.”
“I’m doing perfect,” Elena answers, her hands reaching up to smooth down the collar of my jacket. “I’ll be fine. My little human legs are used to walking, remember?”
The warm and soft spread of affection lights up in my chest, and I move to cup her face in my hand.
I lean down slowly, giving her plenty of time to meet me halfway and press my lips to hers. The kiss is tender unhurried and comforting. When I pull back, I let out a soft happy breath, preparing myself to keep her safe amidst the chaos of the station.
“Right then,” I murmur, giving her a gentle smile.
In one motion, I bend to scoop the heavy suitcases and Maren’s cooler back into my sure grip, keeping my index finger free to snag into Elena’s smaller hand to guide her along.
“Let’s get boarded, sweetheart. I’ve been away from Loch Ness for long enough. ”
We walk through the train station out onto the platform where the big railcar awaits, and I can already see through the small windows that its completely packed with people.
My ears twitch slightly at the heavy wall of sound coming from the train.
My posture straightens a bit as my instincts flag the lack of space and a hint of nerves enters my system.
I really don’t like tight spaces, but I look down at Elena and the reassuring smile on her face.
I want to make sure she doesn’t worry. I can be strong for her.
“Looks like we’ll be making a lot more friends on the trip north,” I joke lightly, managing to keep my tone a cheerful one. “After you, my flower.”
I wait for her to step up to the train first, keeping the heavy bags firmly balanced as I guide the small of her back to steady her through the crowded aisle.
The heat inside the train car hits me like a physical wall.
The thick scent of damp wool, cheap coffee, and various perfumes are cloying, and there are far too many heartbeats packed into one small space.
My ears twitch, filtering out the heavy screech of the other trains nearby, only to be assaulted by dozens of overlapping and cacophonous conversations.
I forward my shoulders inward and tilt our suitcases along with the cooler, so they don’t brush against anyone packed into the aisle.
I’ll truly never understand why humans insist on packing as many of themselves as possibly can on these mobile metal boxes, flying or otherwise.
Here they willingly crush themselves shoulder to shoulder, breathing in each other’s stale air without a second thought.
I try my very best to put on a brave front, keeping my expression bright and cheerful.
I’m just being a nice normal male helping his girl through a crowd, but my inner monster is already sweating from the significant lack of breathing room.
I keep my free hand firmly anchored to the small of her back and let my body act as a wall between her and everyone else.
“There,” she whispers and glances over her shoulder at me with a small and hopeful smile. “Look, there’s two seats open just there.”
Relief washes over me like the tide, but it’s short lived because the booth isn’t vacant.
A young human is already sitting on one side, his legs stretched out comfortably along under the fixed table.
As we approach, he looks up from his phone, and the millisecond his gaze locks onto Elena, an immediate predatory brightness in his expression has my hair on the nape of my neck standing up.
“Mind if we sit here?” Elena asks, gesturing at the seats and offering a polite and friendly smile to the male.
“Not at all, please,” he says, his voice smoothing into a slow cadence. He quickly slides his legs to the side to make room but doesn’t offer a glance in my direction once. His gaze stays glued to Elena as she slides into the window seat across from him.
I lift our suitcases onto the overhead rack in one easy motion and tuck Maren’s cooler safely under the table before squeezing my big frame into the seat next to her.
My knees instantly meet and bang against the underside of the small table and my shoulder is pinned flat against the wall of the carriage.
I’m entirely too big for this space but I keep my affable and gentle smile in place, resting my large hands on my lap.
I’ve a mind to be a good boy for her, and I can be a civilized gentleman.
Unfortunately, my internal monstrous instincts are screaming.
“Heading up north?” the man asks, leaning his elbows onto the table and physically encroaching on Elena’s personal space.
“Yeah, just on a bit of a vacation,” Elena replies. She’s only trying to be nice, but through the noisiness of the train I can sense the subtle tone in her voice. She knows I’m uncomfortable.
“A holiday? How brilliant,” he smiles, flashing a row of perfect and straight human teeth. He tilts his head and his voice drops an octave as he leans a fraction ever closer to her. “Wait you’re an American aren’t you? Your accent is endearing.”
“I’m from the states, yeah,” she says, and offers a single polite nod as if expecting that to be the end of it.
“I’m Callum,” he says, his gaze lighting up with enthusiasm, obviously unaware of the danger he’s putting himself in.
“I love Americans, and I’m on a bit of a holiday myself.
Let me know if you’d like any recommendations for some good stop off spots along the way.
A beautiful girl like you shouldn’t waste time with the tourist traps when you’ve come all this way. ”
A sudden sharp spike flares deep in my sternum, and my grand ideas of staying calm cool and collected vanishes.
My gaze darkens as I listen to the rapid and arrogant thud of Callum’s heart. The smell of testosterone and unearned confidence rolls off him in waves as he flirts with my mate.
He’s using her nationality as a cheap excuse to get closer, the bugger, and ignoring my presence completely. The fiend.
And treating me as if I’m a piece of furniture while I sit here quietly.
I could eat him whole.
Under the table, my claws begin to pulse against my palms, wanting to dig right through the denim of my trousers. My pupils dilate and a dark and heavy weight strikes me and settles deep in my gut. The urge to tear this fragile little man away from what belongs to me rears its head.
I don’t growl aloud, as I promised myself to be good, but a low, barely audible, vibration rumbles deep in my chest.
Callum freezes mid-sentence, his smarmy smile faltering as his primate and sluggish human survival instinct finally make an appearance and try to scream at him that he’s sitting across from an apex predator.
But instead of heeding the warning, the idiot blinks and seems to shake off the situation, flashing Elena another cocksure smile.