Page 88 of Loched in Love

I laugh softly and strip off my shirt before sliding off the edge of the dock. The moment my skin contacts the cool water, the magic within me roars to life.

My human shape expands as my spine lengthens and tenses into the huge powerful coils of my sea form. My hands and feet reshape into broad claws as my hands and my neck extends upward as my true Loch Ness form takes shape beneath the surface of the water.

The small lake is shallow compared to the crushing and freezing abyss of my Scottish Loch, but it is beautifully clear, and as I glide through the dark waters I find Elena already waiting for me near the sandy floor, her beautiful tail moving in lazy circles as she floats in the gloom.

Och, but she does make my chest fairly stretch with pride just to look at her. My Elena was made for me, no doubt in my mind.

She looks down at herself and cocks her head, her brow furrowing as she gazes at her tail.

What is it, my flower? I ask her telepathically, and through our bond I can see the immense delight she has at being able to change like this.

Explain to me why I don’t change into something that looks like you? she relays back.

I was born with this form by my parents and could change at will before I could walk. Though you were born human, my power and our bond allow your body to choose its own aquatic expression rather than copying mine. Do you not like it?

Like it? I love it. It truly feels like a whole new world has opened that I never believed was possible. Thank you.

I loop around her in big sweeping circles, creating a small but gentle undercurrent that sends her floating upward with silent, bubbly laughter as she darts forward and her curvy and graceful form weaves playfully around the torso of my body.

But suddenly an unnatural vibration breaks through the water spoiling our quiet solitude and my stomach drops as my body reacts to the nearness of another supernatural predator. Even in the shallow lake, my centuries old instincts flare to life instantly and my clawed hands lock up, halting my body in mid-glide a second later.

What’s that? Elena asks through our link, and our bond lights up with worry.

Chapter 37

LACHLAN MACBETH

The sharp but muffled sound of a frantic commotion echoes down from the surface, piercing through the water. It sounds like shouting followed by the heavy metal slam of a door.

Let’s go find out. The playful magic of the night instantly disappears into thin air as whatever is happening up top, shatters through the quiet peace of Elena’s childhood home.

I push us rapidly toward the shoreline of the lake, and the moment my chest hits the sandy bank my magic recedes as my spine compresses and my limbs reshape themselves back into my human form.

Elena breaks the surface right beside me and her mermaid’s tail melts away into human legs as we scramble onto the grass. She shivers slightly as the cold night air touches our skin while we frantically put our clothes back on.

Down at this end of the property, the tree line is exceptionally thick and completely cuts off the view from the house. A few hundred yards away, sitting tucked safely in between a stretch of wide and secluded clearing near the edge of the woods, a dark, sleek helicopter idles on the grass as its blades slow down. Its rhythmic hum breaks up the quiet, but the sound is muffled by the dense grove of maple trees.

Up on the hill, the house remains entirely dark and silent, and the brothers are obviously still fast asleep, oblivious to the high-end aircraft parked far out of their sight.

“What in the world is that?” Elena gasps in a harsh whisper, pinning her wet hair back as we bolt toward the clearing.

The side door of the helicopter flies open, and a large figure steps out into the moonlight.

Frank Stein looks entirely out of place in the middle of the backdrop of the small Massachusetts suburbs, his pristine designer suit wrestling in the wind, and right behind him steps his mate, Bernadette. Her usual unflappable expression is drawn down, and she looks thoroughly exhausted, followed closely by Aubrey, who’s frantically trying to calm down her dramatic mate.

Stepping out last and looking utterly disheveled and completely furious is Vlad. He looks more unkempt than I’ve ever seen him with his dark hair a messy nest and his fangs fully bared at the open night sky.

“Lachlan,” Vlad shrieks, his aristocratic voice piercing straight through the quiet woods as though he doesn’t even notice the peaceful human house up on the hill, his crimson gaze locking onto me. “Lachlan, you’re going to come with me, this instant. I demand it.”

“Vlad,” I growl, my Scottish brogue dropping into a dangerous but protective bass as I step in front of Elena protectively. “What is the meaning of this? Why the bloody hell are you all here at my mate’s family property in the dead of night?”

“Don’t you dare take that tone with me,” Vlad fumes, storming across the grass, his suit jacket catching on a stray branch while Aubrey rushes after him, grabbing his arm.

“Vlad, it’s going to be alright. She’s going to be okay. And can you stop yelling?” she asks, rolling her eyes toward the tree canopies.

“Hilda has gone and gotten herself trapped behind a multi-layered magical barrier, and you’re going to get her out of it!” Vlad continues. “None of us can get through it. It’s going to require a lot of magic to fracture it, and you are going to help me. The rent has come due, sea monster, and it’s time to pay up.”

“Inside voice please?” Aubrey scolds.