“Oi, Theo, lad.” Emmett grinned in the rearview mirror. “Look out the other window.”
Theo looked at Emmett quizzically but did as he asked, his jaw nearly dropping open. They were driving alongside a cliff’sedge, and the Loch Ness was coming into view. It was easy to see why there were so many legends about one lake.
The water was shining and reflecting the sunlight, surrounded by low, green hills. There were cliff edges and crags all around the border of the lake, giving way to some pebbled beaches and waterways. There were ruins of a castle tower on an inlet, giving the entire lake an atmospheric quality that Theo had only seen in movies.
“Oh, love, look at the look on his face.” Pippa smiled. “You forget the poor lad was raised in France.”
Emmett made a disgusted face. “Tragic, that. Take it all in, Theo. That's just a taste of the magic that is Scotland.”
Theo could feel it in his veins. His magic had been growing incrementally stronger every day he’d spent with Calum and continued to develop the more time he spent on Scottish soil. He was an heir to Scotland's magical throne, after all. It filled him with energy, and the aches and pains from being cramped in the backseat for three hours started to evaporate.
“Why are we starting here?” Theo asked, unable to turn away from the lake’s view. “Any particular reason?”
“Oh, Nessie is a friend.” Emmett turned down a dirt road leading to the shoreline. “She might have information for us.”
Theo short-circuited. “Nessie? As in the Loch Ness monster?”
“Yeah.” Pippa crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Emmett. “I’d love to know how you two became so close.”
Emmett sighed dramatically and put the car into park. He grabbed Pippa’s hand and kissed it. Theo fought the urge to roll his eyes as Pippa’s expression melted instantly.
Gods above, please remind me never to pick an adventure party consisting of two newly mated people.
“Nessie is an old friend,” Emmett insisted. “She’s the water sprite who, basically, is the personification of Loch Ness. She’sas elemental as they come and has been a friend to my clan since before I was born.”
Theo made a mental note. Wulver were deeply connected to Scotland, almost more than the fae, and it made sense that the nature spirits adored the creatures of the Highlands.
Pippa seemed satisfied with this answer and jumped out of the car. “All right, then, let’s go find her.” She took off towards the water’s edge, leaving Emmett chuckling and watching her walk.
“For fuck's sake,” Theo laughed, climbing out of the back seat, “can you two tone it down at all? If you don’t want a third on this trip, then keep the leering to a minimum.”
Emmett’s laugh was loud, and it echoed off the trees as he locked the car.
“All right, understood.” They began to follow Pippa. “But I can only promise to do my best.”
“Fair,” Theo acquiesced with a shrug. “So, Nessie? If I ask about the ‘monster,’ am I going to be saying something inappropriate?”
Emmett shook his head. “Oh, no. She loves it. When Scotland’s magic fell after the Battle of Culloden, the mortal world thought Scotland didn’t have magic for centuries.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “I never understood how they could think that about the land.” He looked around, nearly awestruck again with the scenic views surrounding them. They’d come to a part of the lake that didn’t have any obvious tourist vantage points, so they had the small area of beach to themselves.
“Humans will do or say a lot of things to avoid pain,” Emmett said. “It was easier to pretend there was no magic here instead of admitting it was gone. Nessie was trapped in the lake during the curse, so there wasn’t much she could do to entertain herself. She started the Loch Ness monster sightings as a way to play jokes on mortal humans.” Emmett snickered to himself. “Shestill does it. Even with the return of magic, humans still act shocked and surprised to see her in the water.”
Theo let out a low whistle, impressed yet entirely unsure what to expect from the water sprite. He realized he was unseasonably nervous. Any opportunity to get more help or information about his curse made his skin crawl.
He was harboring deep-seated insecurities about not being good enough to be a part of the royal family. Although Calum had done a lot in a short amount of time to rectify them, Theo was concerned the rest of the magical community might shun him. Calum told him that it was irrational, but anxiety never plays by the rules.
Theo and Emmett joined Pippa at the water’s edge, where she was skipping stones into the water.
“How do we summon her?” Pippa asked.
Emmett nodded towards the pebbles in Pippa’s hands.
“That should do the trick. Humans don’t think to come down to this particular stretch of shoreline, so Nessie will know it's someone magical.”
Pippa grinned excitedly and expertly skipped several more stones out over the water. Theo kept his eyes pinned on the lake as they waited in silence for a few minutes. Finally, small ripples began to appear in the water.
“Take a few steps back.” Emmett smirked.
