Chapter 3: On the Sea

The wind picks up as the ocean tide pulls me toward the water's edge. With each step out to sea, my footprints sink further and further into the sandbar. My feet create ripples every time a new step is taken. The moon is still out and comes and goes between the clouds. It hovers in the clouds with a soft brightness that only nocturnal creatures understand. Between the mist, the voice, and my desire to heed the message of the song, something or someone stops me from proceeding into the blackness of my destiny.

A hand touches my shoulder. A large hand that can't belong to Brianna. The hand is firm, and strong clearly attached to a male member of the human species.

"Where are you going? I wouldn't follow the voices tonight, lass. The fog is no place for a nice girl like you," I recognize the voice and turn around.

That's when I see Aiden's eyes as blue as they were the day we met on the beach. But why is he out here and topless no less? Not that I mind the view before my eyes, he's beautiful to look at but I don't know him well enough to continue my evaluation of his physique. I take my eyes off his six-pack and focus on the blueness of his eyes. There is a slight yellow within his eyes but that fades when the clouds cover the moon. They return to their full dark blue color.

By now it must be four in the morning. I'm a little creeped out that Aiden is out here and followed me into the water. But he did mention the voices. Perhaps he knows who or what those things are. That's something to ask for another time. At this moment, I need to get to the bottom of why he is here in the first place and I must figure out what his intentions truly are. Does he mean to hurt me? Does he mean to have his way with me? Or was he simply awake and happened to live nearby?

"Aiden, I appreciate your warning. But I must ask you, why the hell are you out here? Are you following me?" I cross my arms and brush his sturdy hands off my shoulder.

"No, I usually want to be alone at night during a moon like this one. I was out wandering around minding my own business when I heard a voice on the water. I thought a woman might be lost at sea and in need of my help. But then I found you wandering toward the ocean. That's when I heard the words of the voice. It would be best if you stayed away from the water. Something out there wants you, and it's best if you don't get involved."

Now I am really curious. He knows what's out there, otherwise, he wouldn't have stepped in to warn me. He would have let them, whoever they are, take me into the depths of the sea.

"What's down there anyway?" I turn around to face Aiden, as we both walk toward the shore. The waves move back and forth on the shoreline. An owl hoots nearby, reminding me it's still late.

"I'm not exactly sure what they're called. My people call them sea maids."

His long flowing hair is a wonderful site in the middle of the night. His looks are how lust stories evolve. Every mama cougar in her fifties would pay to have him be their swimming pool cleaner. His arms are toned and I catch myself checking out his physique once more. Something I shouldn't do during the aftermath of a previous breakup.

"You people? Do you mean your family? Why don't you just go back to them? Go home I mean. Instead of being out here in the middle of the night. Are you sure you aren't following me?"

I start to back up slowly but keep my body turned toward him so he won't start any funny business. I still don't know much about Aiden, other than his good looks.

"I am not following you, I assure you. My energy comes from the moon. I need to be out here every so often to get my fill of her beauty. And I can't go back...home. I can't return to my home, I mean."

He starts to look down and kicks the sand like he's avoiding embarrassment. I know how embarrassing families can be, before I lost mine they were always making fun of me. But now that they are lost, or possibly somewhere beyond the sea, I miss their quirks and sense of humor now more than ever.

"Why can't you go home? Don't know the way? I can give you a lift if you're lost." I signal him to follow me, I know it's early but if he needs a ride it's the least I can do for him saving me from the sea maids. Who knows what the voices out there really are?

"It's not that. I know the way home. I'm just not wanted there."

"Not wanted there? Just go home and tell them to get over themselves."

"It's not that simple. You see, I am banished. They banished me. My family is like a clan, and I broke a clan rule. And because of that, I am never allowed to come home."

The world has shifted and everything ironic has come to pass. His family is alive and doesn't want him. And my family is all dead or missing and I want them.

"That's insane. You can't banish family. Family forgives each other. My family is all dead or missing, at least yours is still breathing and I am going to return you to them. I can't help my family. But I can help you get back to yours."

Aiden's eyes shift from his kicking feet to mine. Those dark blue eyes capture me in a way my ex's eyes never did. And that's enough of a thought to force my knees to buckle and my outer klutz to surface as I shuffle through the sand toward my beach house.

"There's no need for any of this. I shouldn't have said anything. You were just so curious, I wanted to answer your question. I didn't intend for you to feel obligated to intervene on my behalf. I'm a big boy I can handle myself. But I appreciate the gesture, and your willingness to help a stranger."

Aiden doesn't get it. What he has is what I want. A family alive somewhere in the world, with a known address and location. Helping him return to his clan and helping him apologize for whatever it is he has done, I am sure that will be rewarding in the end.

"Before I help you, I need to know what great evil deed you did to your family."

He follows me up the rocky trail toward the back gate near the garden. Perhaps I will make him a scrambled egg breakfast, my grandfather and father both agreed that a man can never turn down protein when offered.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. We hardly know each other and it would make you think ill of me, I can assure you of that."

I think of all the great evil deeds a man like him is capable of performing and I can imagine quite a lot.

"Did you murder, rape, or steal something?"

"What? No." Aiden's quick response reveals a great deal about him, he is at least quick to defend himself and he must be a decent person if he didn't do any of the heinous acts I mentioned.

"Then how bad can it be?"

"Well, alright. I fell in love...with someone I wasn't supposed to."

The thought of Aiden having a big heart causes me to look into those deep dark blue eyes of his. Whoever she is she's a fool to turn him down, or maybe he was dumped like me.

"And what happened?"

"I got banished for falling in love with my eldest brother's fiance. In my clan, that's a big deal. My brother is destined to become the next chieftain, if you will, of the Atkinson family clan. My brother, Kalbert, found his fiance kissing me in the hanging gardens. They banished me for kissing the woman I love. All I was doing was ending our fling, and wishing her well. I was trying to let her go, but in the end, I am the one who gets banished. So now, my beautiful Ava has to live among the nuns and isn't allowed to marry and my brother has married some other woman. After the wedding, my brother, Kalbert became the Chief. He banished me to live out my days among the humans. I mean to live with other humans."

His story is long and one he's obviously needed to share for a while. I am not sure how I will explain to Brianna why Aiden is at our house, shirtless, or with a scrambled egg breakfast. But it's been an interesting day so far and anything and everything is possible at this point.

I still wonder though what he meant by being forced to live among humans. There's more to Aiden than meets the eye, but the one way to know is to calm him down and offer him food.

"Thanks for sharing your story with me. I think it's noble you loved someone and they loved you back. In fact, I'm a bit jealous you have that. I just got dumped by my ex this week, so at least you know you had someone, I never really did."

Why is it so easy to tell Aiden about everything? I am assuming he feels the same way. Despite my dragging the story out of him, he still opened up to me.

"Enough about me. How does breakfast sound? I can make eggs and sausage," I suggest. 

A large smile lingers on his face as he licks his lips. He pats his stomach and mulls it over.

"Breakfast would be great." I let Aiden settle himself into the kitchen as I prepare breakfast. The smell of meat cooking wakes Brianna up, she shuffles her feet into the kitchen and startles Aiden with one loud question.

"What the hell is he doing here?"