Page 16 of The Last Kelpie

Áedán's head snapped back toward me. His eyes were wide. “What?”

“I think you're beautiful,” I said it again, steadier this time. “In both forms. The horse and the man. You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. That's why I couldn't speak.”

He stared at me. His mouth opened slightly, as if he were going to say something, then it closed. The anger in his expression faltered, and confusion replaced it. Then came something raw and uncertain. “You're lying.”

“I'm not.”

“You have to be. Humans dinnae—” He stopped and shook his head. “You saw what I am. You saw the creature. The monster from your pamphlets and your nightmares. You cannae think that's beautiful.”

“But I do.”

The words hung in the air between us. Áedán looked at me as if I'd said something in a language he didn't understand.

I took a step closer. Not too close. Just enough that the distance between us felt less vast. “I never said you were a monster. I said you were a guardian, remember? And, Áedán, I believe those stories. Not whatever garbage they're selling in Luss.”

Áedán's hands unclenched slowly. He was still staring at me, but the anger had drained out of his expression entirely. What remained was something more complicated. He looked at me for a long moment. The wind moved through his hair, and water dripped from his skin onto the rocks. He looked impossibly alone standing there. And tired.

“Why did you come back?” he asked finally.

“Because I couldn't leave things the way they were last night.”

“You shoulda.” He wrapped his arms around himself. “You shoulda gone back to your Velasca and told them I was impossible to save. That I was too dangerous. Too hostile. Too—”

“You aren't any of those things, and I don't want to leave.”

Áedán's eyes met mine. “You're going to get hurt. Everyone who gets close to me does. I'm fading, Ethan. Every day I lose a little more. Soon I wullnae be able to hold this form. Soon I wullnae remember my own name. And you'll have to watch that happen.”

“Maybe.” My chest felt tight. “Or maybe I can help you survive.”

“You cannae save me.”

“That's what the Velasca does.” I took another step closer. “Help me save you. Tell me who you are and help me preserve that. We can root out the lies you've heard and fight them.”

Áedán's expression cracked. Just for a second. Long enough for me to see the fear underneath. The loneliness. The desperate hope that he was trying so hard to hide.

“I dinnae ken how to do this.” His voice was barely audible. “I dinnae ken how to let someone see me. The real me. Not the stories. Not the monster. Just—” He gestured helplessly at himself. “This.”

“Then we'll figure it out together.”

He laughed. It was a broken sound. “You're either very brave or very stupid.”

“Probably both, but that may be exactly what you need.”

That won me a real smile. Small, but genuine. It was the first one I'd seen from him that didn't have an edge of bitterness or danger to it.

“You're still staring,” he said.

I was. I looked away, felt heat in my face. “Sorry. I just—” I shrugged. “You're handsome and naked. Asking me not to stare is asking too much.”

Áedán burst out laughing. When it settled into a smile, he said, “Well, I wouldnae dare ask too much of you.”

“That's a relief.” I chuckled. “I'm sorry, but do you have some pants stashed around here or something?”

He stepped closer. “Havenae you ever seen another man's cock?”

“Whoa!” I held up a hand. “That was aggressive.”

“Aggressive am I?” He grinned. “You're supposed to be documenting me. Maybe you should take a picture for your files?”