They were notorious for shapeshifting, turning themselves into anything and everything that would appeal most to their victims.
A separate part of Theo's brain broke off and started running through all the potential reasons the kelpie would appear as Lyra while trying to seduce him. He attempted to wrangle his thought process, but only ended up thinking about Lyra's smooth skin in the moonlight, at least until the twisting bodies reemerged again.
Theo was sweating with compounded energy, anxiety with nowhere to go, and nothing he could think to do to help. The kelpie had shifted back to its most natural state, with Lyra's arms locked around its thick, horse-like neck.
“Theo!” Lyra shouted, her eyes flashing red when she realized he was still standing on the shore. “What the fuck did I say? Run, you eedjit!”
The kelpie bucked and threw Lyra across the river, tossing her through the water as though she'd been launched clean through the air. Theo watched in horror as her body crashed against the rocky coastline, another dull roar echoing over the water. Lyra slammed against a boulder, her body crumbling on impact, and she slipped back under the waves as limp as a fish. Theo's logical decision-making skills were hanging on by a thread, and the sight of an unconscious Lyra snapped the delicate balance in half.
Theo charged into the water without a second thought, which, in theory, was a very gallant and athletically impressive maneuver. In reality, Theo awkwardly stomped and ran through the shallows until the water was deep enough for him to dive in, which took a few precious moments. The kelpie, blessedly, haddisappeared for the time being, which gave Theo enough time to swim over to the place he'd seen Lyra disappear under the water.
He wasn't a strong swimmer, but the most unathletic fae could still surpass Olympic mortals, so Theo made it to deeper parts of the river without a problem. The moon was bright, casting everything in its luminous glow, and luckily, the water was clear enough for Theo to see Lyra's glittering tail beneath the surface.
He sucked in a deep breath and kicked his feet, propelling himself forward until he reached the bottom of the river. Theo wrapped his hands around Lyra's waist and fought for the surface, her tail, thick with corded muscle, weighing them down.
Theo's lungs were burning when he finally reemerged, choking on a gasping breath. He kept his head on a swivel, looking around for any sign of the kelpie as he paddled towards the shoreline. By some stretch of luck, it must have considered its foe vanquished when it tossed Lyra against the rocks and disappeared.
“Theo…” Lyra murmured, her voice sounding slurred. It sent a chill through Theo's body that outweighed even the freezing water. Lyra sounded as though she'd been drugged, which wasn't a good sign.
“H-hang on.” Theo panted, clamoring to his feet in the shallows, which was a difficult feat in soaking wet clothes while holding the finned body of a siren.
He stumbled towards their mangled campsite, Theo's bedroll kicked over in the sand. He awkwardly poked at it with his foot, attempting to right it enough before he was able to lay Lyra's body on the sleeping bag.
“Lyra?” Theo cupped her face, searching for another flicker of consciousness.
Lyra sucked in a sharp breath, her hand coming up to grab Theo's wrist with a feeble grip.
“H-how many times do I have to tell you?” Lyra hissed the words, her dazed expression swiftly turning to one of fury.
“Tell me what?” Theo didn't release his hold on Lyra, seemingly unable to imagine pulling himself away from her in that moment. He scanned her face and tried to find any hint of what had forced her to anger so quickly, even though this was fairly on par for Lyra.
“Do not try to get involved in a fight!” Lyra tried to wiggle out of Theo's grip, but her body didn’t want to move. Theo was so warm, and his skin against hers radiated across her whole body like a furnace.
“You needed help!” Theo looked at her in shock, unbelieving that Lyra was lecturing him for this now.
“What, did you think I was going to drown?” Lyra cocked an eyebrow at him. “Be serious, Theo!”
“Well, what am I supposed to think when I see you thrown against the bloody rocks?” Theo bit back, a bit of edge appearing in his voice that hadn’t been there before. “Will you just accept help? God, are you always like this when someone tries to help you?” Theo scoffed, reluctantly understanding that he was more of a liability in the water but still rather indignant about Lyra's complaints, seeing as she had been the one knocked unconscious under the river's surface.
Lyra's expression flickered for just a moment. Something passed over her features that Theo couldn't identify. Regret? Sorrow? It was gone before he could attempt to decipher it any further, as quickly as their assailant had been.
“Don't worry about that. That's not the point,” Lyra rebutted, but her voice didn't have nearly half of the heat it had before.
Theo decided to table the discussion for now. They sat there in silence for another minute, neither of them willing to move away from the other but quickly running out of excuses for whyit was okay to stay—despite the post-orgasmic haze they had been in when they were interrupted.
“Well.” Theo broke the silence, turning away from Lyra's piercing gaze and helping her sit up before releasing her from his grip. “Do you want to tell me what that was?”
Lyra nodded and then pointed towards the campfire, which had already been burnt down to embers.
“Get the fire going, and I'll tell you,” Lyra whispered, her voice still a bit groggy. She didn't want to admit she was feeling cold. She was never cold. The water and the depths of the sea and the lochs had always been her home; its frigid temperatures could never bother her. She was immune to it. So why did Theo's touch feel so warm? How did it feel so good? Had she always been cold and never realized it before?
There were too many things to think through, so Lyra decided to think through none of them. She sat in silence, shifting carefully back to her most human appearance, tucking her chin on her knees as she wrapped her arms around her legs. She absentmindedly stroked her fingers across her skin, still always somewhat enamored by her own body when she didn't have a tail. Theo dutifully stoked the fire until the warmth spread throughout the clearing. He said nothing, only sat down and looked at Lyra expectantly.
“It was a kelpie,” Lyra sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Nasty things. I'm sure it got wind of the bounty on you too.”
“Shit.” Theo ran a hand through his hair. Despite the blessings they'd received and the prince's protection they carried with them, it seemed that the queen of the banshees’ offers were too tempting for many.
“We're never going to make it if we keep getting attacked like this,” Theo muttered, partially to himself. “Even with thisruse that you're taking me to Cliodhna, too many people want to claim the bounty for their own.”
