Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Theo tried to calm his racing thoughts as he followed behind Emmett and Pippa. Emmett assured him that someone would come to pick up his Jeep and that it was time for them to continue on foot. Theo didn’t know if the information they received from Nessie made him feel better or worse.
He’d barely started processing being reunited with his brother, let alone the fact that he now found himself a part of the world’s weirdest adventuring party.
“It’s going to be okay.” Pippa smiled quietly as she slid up alongside him.
Theo turned to look at her and tried to mimic her optimistic expression. “I know,” he said, although he didn’t feel it.
Pippa saw right through his bullshit. “It can be intense falling headfirst into Calum’s inner circle. I know I felt like an outsider.”
Pippa sounded vulnerable for the first time since Theo had met her. Some of the stress and panic lifted from his shoulders.
“Really?” He couldn’t hide the hopefulness in his voice.
Pippa’s smile widened, and she nodded. “Oh, yeah. I know we’re all loved up now,” Pippa pretended to make an exaggerated retching sound, “but Emmett and I were not fast friends. I had to handcuff him once.”
“Oh, gods, no.” Theo blanched. “I don’t need any more details.”
“Not like that!” Pippa protested and then blushed. “Okay, well, there was this one time…”
“Pippa!” Emmett’s voice boomed from where he was walking a few paces ahead of them. Theo should’ve remembered that the wulver was only pretending to give them a private moment. Nothing got past his supernatural hearing.
“Anyway,” Pippa rolled her eyes dramatically, “it can be intense. I can only imagine how it makes you feel, but I promise this group has a great record of curse-breaking. We’re like… five and oh, at this point.”
“That’s a pretty good record.” He smirked. “Were any of them against a goddess?”
Emmett scoffed playfully. “We managed to break all of Scotland away from her curse. I’m sure we can manage one goddess.”
“Honestly,” Pippa tagged on, “you’re just insulting our intelligence at this point, Theo.”
The rest of the afternoon passed with Pippa recounting stories about everyone in Calum’s inner circle. She only recounted the most lewd and embarrassing stories, much to Emmett’s disdain and Theo’s enjoyment.
By the time they had circled Loch Ness, they approached the head of the Moristown River. Emmett held up his hand, halting Pippa and Theo before they stepped any further.
“Now,” he whispered seriously, “as soon as we step onto the riverbank and leave Loch Ness, we’ll officially be out of Nessie’s domain.
She’ll do what she can from afar, but put your guards up.
If you see something, say something. We have to assume that any water-dweller might be working for Cliodhna. ”
Pippa flashed her mate a thumbs-up. “Treat everyone as a threat and apologize later. You got it, boss man.”
There was a teasing tone to her voice that Pippa used whenever she referred to Emmett as the boss or leader of their little expedition, and it never failed to make Theo chuckle under his breath.
The pair could be nauseating to be around, but he wondered if he’d ever have a shot at finding a love like theirs.
Maybe focus on your survival and your family first. Theo stopped his own line of thinking before he got too ahead of himself.
“Got it, Theo?” Emmett looked directly at him.
Part of Theo wanted to be offended that Emmett was asking him specifically, as if he couldn’t comprehend those instructions, but he knew it was Emmett being protective.
He hadn’t known the wulver for very long, but from what he did know, Emmett was fiercely protective of his friends and loved ones.
“Understood.” Theo flashed a wide smile, hoping it would project more confidence than he felt.
Emmett nodded once and started walking slowly down the riverbank.
They walked in silence for the better part of an hour, taking in the surrounding landscape while constantly pivoting to keep an eye on the water’s surface.
The mouth of the river that opened into Loch Ness was wide, but as they ventured farther away from the lake, the river's banks came closer together.
They were surrounded by deep forests on all sides, the river cutting through the trees.
Theo had spent most of his life avoiding water, but he could tell that the river was deceptive.
It looked calm on the surface and was about forty feet across, but those waters ran deep.
Massive boulders and rocks peppered the surface of the water, creating the perfect place for a water sprite or a kelpie to do some sunbathing.
Theo could feel the magic changing as they wandered farther from the lake.
Loch Ness was popular with tourists and locals alike, but they were walking deeper into the wilderness.
The air itself started to feel heavier, as if the weight of wild magic weighed it down.
Theo walked past some trees and thought he could feel an electric current running over their branches.
More than once, they heard a twig snap or a rustle in the underbrush, and all three of them would turn around and start looking for an opponent.
Theo’s heart rate kept skyrocketing and plummeting, over and over, as he tried to relax and take in the gorgeous scenery but was overrun with anticipation that they were about to be ambushed.
At every noise, Pippa would arm herself with two daggers, and Emmett would conjure his battle axe from midair.
Theo, having no weapons, would form fists. It was not as threatening as he wished it was. He was slowly starting to feel more accepted by the group, but now he was beginning to think he was being babysat.
By late afternoon, they’d walked several miles down the river’s coast. The forest began to change color, and the creatures of the night started to emerge.
“We’d better camp here.” Emmett stopped and looked around, pointing towards a small clearing that was only fifteen feet from the banks of the river. “We’re going to be too antsy if we keep walking at night.”
“We can all see in the dark, and we have a few more hours of light,” Pippa pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest. “If we stop now, we’re going to be sitting ducks. We should keep moving and only stop when necessary. Then, we sleep in shifts.”
Emmett shook his head. "If we keep walking at night, we’re going to be too on edge.
The forest comes alive at night. Half of Scotland’s magical creatures are nocturnal.
Are you telling me you don’t think we’ll drive ourselves mad trying to investigate every sound of brownie footprints in the underbrush at two in the morning?
” Emmett raised a brow, staring at his mate.
“Besides, I can hardly get you to wake up before noon. You really want to sacrifice sleep, of all things?”
Theo saw the exact moment Pippa relented. It was written all over her face, and she held up her hands in surrender.
“Okay, no arguments here.” Pippa smiled.
Emmett looked at Theo. “Any objections?”
Theo chewed on his lip and looked towards the riverbank. “I don’t love being this close to the water, but I know traveling right under Cliodhna’s nose is part of the plan.”
Emmett nodded and unhitched his pack, dumping it in the middle of the clearing.
They all got busy setting up camp, pulling out bedrolls and provisions from their backpacks.
It only took about thirty minutes for their entire campsite to be perfectly constructed and for Emmett to have a roaring fire going.
“You know,” Theo mused, staring out at the water, “if I weren’t worried about the threat on my life from the queen of the banshees, this would be a pretty relaxing camping spot.” Theo plopped down on one of the tree stumps Emmett had found and pulled into the clearing to use as seating.
“Ha.” Pippa rolled her eyes. “You’re only saying that because you’re fae. Everything in nature feels relaxing to you.” Pippa grinned wildly when she pulled a bag of marshmallows out of her bag and began roasting three on one stick.
“Not everything,” Theo whispered.
It was part of his curse that had worn him down the most over the years. He was one of the royal sons of the Scottish seelie fae. He always wanted to be outside, but keeping away from water for most of his life kept him out of Scotland's most wild habitats.
Before he could sink into his own melancholy, Emmett emerged from the woods, holding another stump. He plopped it down in front of the fire and took a seat, his expression falling when he saw Pippa roasting marshmallows.
“For fuck’s sake.” He wiped some of the sweat off his brow. “Can you eat somethin’ other than sugar for dinner, please?” Emmett sounded exasperated, and Pippa only giggled, which made Theo realize he was once again witnessing the same argument.
“I’m going to, uh, patrol the riverbank for a minute.” Theo excused himself quickly and walked towards the water.
Emmett and Pippa called out for him to be careful, and he flashed a thumbs-up without looking back.
Theo disappeared behind some large bushes and stared at the water. The colors of the sunlight were starting to reflect on the river’s surface. The forest was alive with the sounds of creatures coming out to play, but Theo relished the complete lack of sounds from cars or people.
There was still a sharp pang of fear in his chest when he looked at the water too long, and he tried to override it.
He knew it was a good plan to travel by water, and it was still their best option.
Theo sat down on the soft riverbank and wrapped his arms around his knees.
It might not have been the most dignified way to sit, but Theo was feeling tired and small.
He’d spent the entirety of his life in fight-or-flight, and now he was simultaneously preparing to fight and flee with Emmett and Pippa.
He wondered if they were ever going to be successful.
Without realizing it, Theo started to cry as he stared out over the sparkling water.
The sunset was starting to make the river look like the water was covered in jewels, just ready for the taking.
The overwhelmingly beautiful scenery, the wildness of the woods around him, all of it became too much for Theo.
He buried his head in his hands and started to sob, trying to release some of the pent-up feelings festering in his head.
Theo didn’t know how long he cried, but he kept his voice down so Emmett and Pippa wouldn’t hear him and come looking.
He needed to respect the time-honored tradition of breaking down in solitude.
When Theo’s tears finally stalled, the sun had almost completely set. The moon was rising high above him, casting the entire river in a soft glow. As his sobs quieted, Theo realized he could hear something.
He stood slowly, leaning towards the water as he tried to determine where it was coming from. It was a soft, tinkling sound, almost like bells. As Theo approached the riverbank, he realized it was definitely coming from the water.
“How?” Theo murmured, now more perplexed than anything. There was something about the gentle noise that washed away all of his concerns. His anxieties and fears had been softly scrubbed away, as if someone quickly and quietly wiped them from his memory.
He took one more step closer to the water.
The sound amplified tenfold. Theo nearly fell over but didn’t dare step back.
The melodies crystallized, their perfect, haunting harmonies hanging in the atmosphere around Theo.
The remaining fear drained from his body, and it was replaced with something different.
Something lighter and full of hope.
“She’s singing to me.” Theo moaned aloud as he started to sway on his feet. His head started to feel light and cloudy, like he’d had the best joint of his life. He took a few more eager steps forward, stepping into the water until his shoes were covered, and the water soaked the edge of his pants.
The sound shifted again, instantaneously, turning from a delicious, lighthearted tune to one full of lust and longing.
Theo’s body was alive while the air was stolen from his lungs.
He was swaying wildly now, barely able to keep his own weight up, sinking deeper into whatever wild intoxication seemed to be flowing through his blood.
“Where are you?” Theo screamed, starting to cry again, sounding almost like an overgrown child. “I need you! Oh, where are you? Beautiful one!” Theo started shouting random phrases, his head muddled and his speech slurring. He fell to his knees in the water until it reached waist height.
Theo was moaning loudly now, almost entirely consumed by a madness he couldn’t trace or understand.
He didn’t want to. All he wanted was to find the owner of that mysterious voice; that beautiful, high tune that was unlike anything he’d ever heard before.
In that moment, Theo would go without food or water if it meant discovering the elusive singer.
His blood started to race, and sweat trickled down his neck, an intense lust overcoming him and dancing with his sudden onslaught of madness.
“Where are you?” Theo screeched, some spit dribbling down his chin. “Beautiful one!”
A head broke the surface of the water directly in front of Theo, and he gasped, his eyes going wide. He swayed back and forth in the waist-deep water, unable to take his gaze off the mysterious singer.
Her skin was white as the moon, with delicate, webbed ears that stuck out from cascading dark hair.
Theo had never seen such unparalleled beauty in all of his life, and he leaned forward as if to kiss her.
Her full lips moved delicately with each note of her song, and Theo thought he could practically see the melody taking shape in the air around them.
Her presence so enraptured him that he hardly noticed the long claws on her fingers or the serpentine tail that broke the surface behind her.
All of Theo’s life had been reduced to one point, to the woman in front of him and the song she sang. He’d trade everything and give up his existence if she asked.
The words of her song started to change, and Theo knew what she was asking of him, even though he didn’t technically know the language.
He closed his eyes and bared his neck, holding his arms open wide as if she might crash into his embrace. Theo didn’t see her fanged teeth or watch her eyes roll back into her head as she closed the gap between them, still singing.
Theo didn’t hear Emmett crashing through the forest, and he couldn’t hear his warnings.
“Theo!” Emmett’s voice boomed and echoed off the trees. “Snap out of it! That’s a fucking siren!”