Kelpie Boyfriend: Reece #2 (complete)

A fence was being built surrounding the lake, but people are still found within it having drowned to their deaths. Rivariel will not stop playing his violin and luring those poor souls until Calliope has been found and returned to him. His anguish is palpable and his rage is endless. I have tried, for Reece’s sake, to reach out to Rivariel, but I fear nothing will work.

Rivariel refuses to eat and as soon as he wakes from his slumber during the day, he stalks outside his home, playing the violin as he searches the ground to find her. He cannot stay too far from the water or he grows ill. Several times, Reece has had to drag him back home against his will.

I have spent many hours trying to find where they are keeping Calliope, but I have had very little luck in doing so. I don’t even know if they have used any of Calliope’s wishes yet. While she is captured, she is chained to them until all three wishes have been granted. Reece and I both worry they will drag them out for as long as possible. That means, even if we do find her, then we won’t be able to free her at all. She is chained to her captors for as long as they want those wishes to last.

Months have passed and there are still no signs of her. I have wandered every inch of the village, searching for where they could be keeping her captive. I didn’t think Tom’s men would be that smart, but apparently they are. If only they understood that it is their fault that people are drowning en masse in the lake. If they would just hurry up and use their wishes then it would all end.

I dare not think what the other option might be, that something else may have happened to Calliope. No. I won’t allow those thoughts to enter my mind. She’s alive, she just has to be. 

One evening, I had been out riding with Reece, scouring farther out than we have before. It is coming up to be dawn and I am so exhausted, I nearly topple from Reece’s back.

“You’re falling asleep, you need to rest.” Reece fusses.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” I rub my eyes and it is like grinding sand to them. “Let’s keep going. If we go out a little further, maybe the lighthouse-”

Reece stoops down and I slip from his back. He shifts to his human form and brings me into his arms. “You’re exhausted,” he sighs. “You haven’t slept and you’ve barely eaten anything.”

I lay against his chest and feel myself fading into a deep sleep. “We can keep going. Let’s keep searching.” My argument is weak as I am already drifting away.

Reece leans back against the tree and strokes my hair. “Please. Just sleep,” Reece pleads. “You’ve done so much for us. Just rest.”

“Reece,” I mewl as I slip away. I fall asleep in his arms.

I find myself standing in a void of all black. When I breathe, it echoes all around me and whispers something back I can’t understand. As I move, the floor ripples like I’m walking on the surface of water.

I hear a soft cry and I turn around where there is a large stone sticking up out of the ground. Chained to the base of it, I see Calliope. I race towards her and the water ripples outward. I keep trying to get closer and closer to her, but it is like I am running in place.

Calliope lifts her head and she has a mournful expression on her face. Her vivid eyes are dull and listless and, as she looks as me, she smiles.

“Where are you?” I cry out. “Calliope! Where are you?”

She rests her cheek back against the rock. “It’s so bright sometimes,” she whispers. “Across the water.”

“What?” I gasp. A beam of light cuts through the black. It blinds me for a moment before spinning back around. I turn, gazing as I see the light house in the distance. The light shines back in my eyes and I wake up, jumping as I come to.

I sit up, looking around at the strange room I’m in. Outside, it is raining hard and it beats against the cracked pane of glass before me. I look down, seeing that Reece is asleep on an old mat on a dirt floor. I look around, realizing we’re in the abandoned cabin in the woods.

I lean back down and shake Reece’s shoulder. “Wake up. Reece,” I urge.

He stirs and stretches out. His long black hair spills over his frame as he blinks up at me. “What’s wrong?”

“I had a dream,” I gasp. “I saw your mother! I think I know where she is.”

Reece sits up and his hair covers his face and shoulders. “A dream?”

I brush his hair away from his face and look into his eyes. “She’s across from the lighthouse,” I whisper. “I saw it! She was chained to a stone and the lighthouse kept shining on her. There’s a small island just beyond the lighthouse where the fishermen have a cabin. She must be there!”

Reece shakes his head and puts his hands on my waist. “Are you certain?” His eyes grow wide and wild. “Is that what you saw? Is that truly what you felt?”

“This is the closest we’ve gotten to the ocean.” I look down. “I never came out this way because I was afraid.” I put my hands on his chest. “She must have been trying so hard to reach out. This is the only time we’ve been close enough.”

Reece kisses me, pressing close as his hands glide up my back.

I moan against his lips and gaze dreamily at him when he pulls away. “What was that for?” I whisper.

“You’ve done so much to help us.” Reece holds the back of my neck as he kisses down my cheek to my neck. “You’re so good.”

I whimper as his sharp teeth graze my skin. “Reece,” I moan. His kisses go down my chest. “Wait. Stop.”

Reece looks up at me with those beautiful green eyes. I place my palm on his cheek and rub my thumb across his lips. “Easy now, easy.” I lean in, kissing him softly. “What are you doing?”

Reece kisses me again, pushing me down onto the mat. “I want to thank you.” His big hand slips under my skirt and up my leg.

“You don’t need to do that,” I moan against his hair. “Reece.”

He tugs the strings on my dress and opens up the top. He nuzzles to my skin and his tongue slips between my breasts. “Simone,” he answers me. “I need you.”

I hold his head in my arms and sigh as his fingers rub to my thighs. His soft kisses trail on my breasts and he looks up at me. As he Lifts his head, I see how long his neck is. I reach out and touch him, gliding my hands down his neck and to his chest.

“I love you,” he whispers into my ear. 

I pull him down to me so his body weight is rested against me. I kiss him and guide his hands where to touch. I have him touch my bare breasts and his fingers press against my wide, dark nipples. His pearly white skin against my dark skin looks strange but beautiful. As I lay naked beneath him, I see what opposites we are. He’s so long, thin, and white, while I am short, curvy, and dark. 

“Reece,” I hold my arms open to him. “Come to me.”

Reece places himself in my arms and moves his hips between my thighs. I gasp loudly as I feel him press for entrance against my folds.

“I love you, I love you,” I moan to him.

His hips jerk and buck, struggling to find the right way to move. Reece gasps and moans and his long, blue tongue hangs down from his lips. Finally, he finds purchase and slips inside of me. My warm wet walls welcome him in greedily and I melt to his shape. 

“Be gentle,” I mewl. 

“You’re bleeding,” Reece suddenly gasps.

I touch him and guide his face to look back at me. “It’s ok. Keep going. It doesn’t hurt.” I moan and arch my back. “Touch me!”

Reece lays his weight on me again, my warm breasts pressed against his body. He moves slowly, watching me and studying my expression. His long, black hair surrounds us like a veil and all I see is his face.

I tug at the nape of his neck, pulling him down to me so I can kiss him. My short, fat legs wrap around his tiny waist and he pulses inside me. We have both been so consumed with anger and worry, we never considered our growing passion for one another. I have loved Reece for so long, but this is the first time I have been able to admit it, let alone show it. 

Small stolen kisses here and there make me feel guilty. How can we feel this and take joy in it when Calliope is out there suffering? Now that we have some hope, it feels right to give in and comfort one another.

Reece grunts and struggles, his long blue tongue drips on my chest as he starts to rut harder. I feel him deep inside me and soon his overflowing heat fills me. I gasp and spasm as my toes curl. I claw at his back as the fluttering in my belly grows.

Reece pulls out of me slowly and he dips down between my knees. My bleeding must have started while I slept. I lost track. Reece slips his fingers inside me and I whimper as my belly flutters again.

Reece kisses my belly and goes down until his lips are at my folds. His tongue then pushes inside me and I take hold of his hair.

“Reece, wait, I’m-” I’m choked off as his tongue pushes even deeper inside. I squeak and sigh, struggling with the sensation. 

His voice is deep and snarling, he slurps and licks while his fingers rub against me. The strange tickling covers my entire body. It grows from my belly and down to my toes, it even feels like the tips of my hair can feel it. I cry out, shuddering and kicking my legs. I flop down on the floor, breathing heavy as my heart throbs in my chest.

Reece sits up, blood smeared all over his lips and jaw. He licks at his chops and takes in a deep breath. “I was so hungry,” he whispers.

“Huh?” My vision is blurred between blinks.

Reece smirks down at me. “I haven’t had raw blood like I should since Mom vanished.” He lays back down beside me. “Smelling yours nearly drove me crazy.”

“Oh,” I gasp. “So you do eat-” I stop myself and I use my handkerchief to clean off his mouth. “Why haven’t you been eating?”

“How can I?” Reece presses his forehead to mine. “Dad barely eats. You’re barely resting. I’m so racked with guilt and worry over all this.”

I touch his face, holding it between both of my palms. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to make you worry at all.”

Reece kisses my palm and smiles at me. “You’ve done so much for us. It’s the least I can do for you.”

I run my hand down his chest. “I do love you.”

Reece grabs my hand and holds it over his heart. “I know why my Dad is acting the way he is.” He tangles his fingers in my curls. “If anything ever happened to you, I would seek vengeance against anyone who caused you harm. I would drown an ocean of men to have you returned to me.”

I loop my arms around his neck and kiss him, the taste of blood still lingering on his tongue. “Let’s go to the island, now, while it’s raining. No one should be there and they wouldn’t go when there is a storm. We can see her, we can make sure she’s ok.”

“Simone,” he whispers. “You don’t have to do this. I know you’re scared.”

I hold him tight. “I’ll be with you. I can do this.”

Reece kisses me again. “I love you. I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear.”

“I know,” I coo. “That’s why I’m not afraid.”

We gather our things and go to the water. Reece takes his Kelpie form and I ride on his back. I shiver and hide my face as we ease into the ocean. Even more so than the lake, the ocean is my worst fear of all. I cling to Reece for dear life, shaking the entire time, and not just because of the cold. Rain beats down on us from above, so I am surrounded by water on all sides. It is my worst nightmare come true. 

Reece swims around the rock island until he finds the opening to a cave. We have to dive underwater to get inside, and by the time we surface inside the cave, I am sobbing and almost screaming from fear.

“Is that Simone?” A weak voice calls out.

“Mama!” Reece screams.

Calliope sighs. “You came.”

We swim forward and a light shines inside for the briefest moment. We see Calliope chained face forward to a massive stone. Reece swims up to her and tries to bite at the chains.

“Stop, baby, that is going to do no good.” Calliope argues weakly. 

I come down into the water, grabbing hold of her and hugging her close. “I’m so glad we found you!”

“I’m sorry you’ve been worried. I am so happy to see you safe and well.” She lifts her head as the beam from the lighthouse enters the cave again. “How is your father?” She murmurs to Reece. “Please, don’t sugar coat it, tell me the horrible truth.”

“He’s not stopped playing his violin anytime he’s awake. He’s drowned so many people. And he searches through the forest until he grows sick.” Reece presses his forehead to his mother’s. “It’s a wonder there are still people left alive.”

“I knew it,” Calliope sighs.

“How many wishes are left?” I ask urgently. “How much longer?”

Calliope takes in a deep, slow breath. “One last one,” she murmurs. “But I do not think they plan to use it anytime soon.”

“Dammit!” Reece strikes against the rock.

“The longer I am here, the more their suffering will be. So I am not worried. They will reap their true reward in the long run.” She then relaxes herself. “I am just happy to see you two. It has been so long since I’ve seen a face I didn’t want to bite off.”

“I’m so sorry, Calliope.” I rub her back.

“Do not apologize, darling,” Calliope hums. “You have no reason to feel guilt over this. Be angry with me and Rivariel. That’ll make me feel better more than anything.” She then grunts. “I smell blood.”

I look to Reece anxiously then nod. “I’m having my bleeding right now.”

“Oh, you poor thing. In the ocean, in the rain, and suffering that uterus nonsense.” She tsks her tongue then chuckles. “It’s been so long since I’ve ripped the flesh off a man.”

“Soon, Mama. I promise.” Reece whispers.

“Go home,” she urges. “Go tell your father you’ve seen me, but please, I beg you. Don’t bring him here.” She bows her head. “Simone, dear, take some of my hair. Show Rivariel that and surely that will be enough to assure him I’m still alive.”

I pull a few strands from her head and wrap them up in my handkerchief. 

“Now go home. Both of you. Reece, get her somewhere warm and dry and take care of her. She’s shaking so horribly.” Calliope smiles and closes her eyes. “Thank you for coming.”

Reece kisses her forehead then takes me. We swim out of the cave and back to land. We waste no time and race home, going to the house in the lake where we can hear Rivariel playing. I race inside and grab him, pulling his arm down and thrusting out the long strands of red hair before him.

The violin clatters to the ground and Rivariel clutches the few strands. “Where?” He cries. “Where?” He grabs hold of my hand. “Ms. Simone! You answer me right now!”

“They’re holding her captive. They have one wish left.” I rub his arm. “She told us not to take you to her. She made us promise.”

Rivariel glares up at Reece. “You saw her! You know where she is!”

Reece nods. “Not much longer,” he murmurs.

“But you will not take me to her?” Rivariel falls to his knees and sobs, clutching Calliope’s strands of hair to his face. 

“I can not stand this!” He screams. “My heart is bleeding!” He looks up at me. “I have loved her since the moment I set eyes on her. Did you know this?”

I kneel down beside him and put my arms around him. “Reece told me she never even once looked at you. Not until she saw how you avenged the death of his herd.”

“He was so tiny,” Rivariel whimpers. “I found him crying and alone in the river. I had never held something so precious in my life. But he was bleeding and scared and I wanted so badly to find the ones who did it.” He sits back and I wipe the tears from his eyes.

“You’re such a lovely girl. Dealing with an angry old man like me.” His teeth glow as he smiles. He then grimaces and sobs. “I found the hunters and I did to them what they did to the Kelpies. I took Reece, not knowing I’d been watched the entire time. Calliope had seen what I did, she saw how I held Reece. Had I known murder and some tenderness would woo her heart, I would have done it long before,” he looks up at me with sad, black eyes. 

“She has been my whole world ever since. Her and Reece. I would react this way for either of them.” He lets out a painful sob. “How can I wait? What will I do?”

I take the violin and I hold it to my chest. “Please. Stop playing.”

“Have I been?” He whispers.

I furrow my brow and glance back to Reece. I then look to Rivariel again and nod. “I’m afraid you’ve never stopped.”

“Oh,” Rivariel laughs. “I never realized. How many-” he cackles. “Oh gods! I’ve killed so many, haven’t I?”

Reece kneels down and hugs his father tight. “It won’t be long. I promise.”

I keep the violin. I tuck it safe under my bed where Rivariel cannot use it, but I will return it as soon as Calliope comes home.

The fall becomes winter and soon winter gives way to spring. The trees blossom and the surface of the lake is filled with lily pads and their flowers. A golden dusting of pollen coats everything and then something cuts through the water. The lily pads part along the surface as the sun sets.

Rivariel wakes and rises from the waters in the basement of the house. As he gazes toward the window, a strange look crosses his face. He looks aside as bubbles rise from the edge of the wall. Red hair floats to the top and he screams at the top of his lungs.

Upstairs, I wake in bed with Reece as the scream shakes the walls and knocks several tea cups from the shelf. Reece and I quickly run downstairs to find Rivariel and Calliope in a tight embrace. 

“Mama!” Reece lunges into the water and swims out to her.

I sob and fall to my knees, so happy to see her back home. 

After a while, Calliope regains her strength and when I return the violin to Rivariel, they leave the house to perform on the lake.

“You should go home now,” Reece whispers to me. “I don’t want you to see this.”

I wrap my arms around him and kiss him. “I know.” I look into his eyes. “Just be careful. Alright?”

Reece kisses my cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow night. By then it will be over.” He tucks a curl behind my ear. “Once you get home, make sure to find a way to cover your ears. Promise me.”

I nod. “I will,” I reply. “I don’t want to hear the screams.”

“Those too.” He kisses me again. “Now hurry. Cover your ears as soon as you get home!”

As I leave, Rivariel’s violin cries out into the night and makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Calliope sings and shivers go down my back. They are taking their revenge tonight and no one is safe.

I go home and tuck myself into bed, covering my ears using the heavy duty ear muffs my Mom made for my Dad. Come morning, I get up and things appear to be going on like normal. My parents seem chipper and unaware of anything. Even in town, people seem strangely pleasant. 

I go to meet Reece that night, standing by the well and whistling. He comes out of the trees and rushes up to me, picking me up and kissing me. 

“How was it?” I ask with hesitance.

“You’re here,” he whispers. “That’s good enough.”

I rub my fingers down the nape of his neck. “No, I mean-” I stop when I look into his eyes. “Why does no one seem to remember?”

“You covered your ears, right?” Reece smirks. “Isn’t that answer enough?”

I huff and place my head on his shoulder. “I suppose,” I grumble. I look back up at him. “Will you be leaving?” I whimper.

“You remember that?” He brushes his long fingers against my cheek. “Since the memory is gone, we can stay for a bit longer. But eventually, we will have to leave at some point.”

I rub my hand up his side. “I know.”

“I will try my hardest to linger for as long as possible.” He tilts my chin up and kisses me. He then pulls back and smiles. “I want to tell my parents about us.”

I chuckle. “You sure?”

Reece takes my hand and laces our fingers together. “You do know it will make them happy, right?”

“I know.” I follow him to the house, walking across the bridge as it bubbles up through the water. I can already hear them singing and playing the violin. 

Once downstairs, Calliope stops singing and swims to the edge. She hugs me and pats my cheeks. “Welcome, Simone! I hope you slept well.”

“I didn’t hear anything to wake me.”

“Wonderful!” Rivariel strikes a sharp chord on the violin. 

“Mom, dad,” Reece starts as he takes my hand again. “We have something we want to tell you.”

Calliope smirks and wiggles her tail. “You two are together, right?”

Reece stares for a moment and he looks away. “How did you know?”

“We’re not stupid, young man.” Rivariel points his bow at him. “You two have been inseparable all this time.”

“I expect a grand wedding soon!” Calliope sighs dreamily.

I chuckle and look up to Reece. “I suppose we didn’t give them enough credit.”

“Love knows love.” Rivariel then holds his hand out to me. “We trust you will take care of our son.”

I take his hand and squeeze it. “That’s all I ever want to do.”

“This calls for something special!” Rivariel says. “Calliope, a new song to celebrate!”

“Of course,” Calliope starts singing and her voice is more bright and beautiful than I have ever heard it.

Reece takes me and pulls me close, spinning us to the music. We then step on the water and, to my shock, we glide across the surface as we dance.