She hurried after him. ‘Do you think he’s in trouble?’
‘He can handle himself.’
‘That’s avoiding the question.’
Lachlan exhaled, carefully maintaining an air of calm for both their sakes. ‘Yes, he’s probably in trouble. Trouble seems to stick to him like tar to a feather.’
‘You’re not wrong,’ Meredith muttered, hurrying to keep up.
They reached the jetty and Lachlan led the way to the end of it. He stared out across the open water. If Cam was nearby, then he’d see their silhouettes in the remaining daylight.
His heart jumped with relief when he spotted a large shadow moving towards them under the gently rippling water. It went still for a few moments. And then, in a slow and cautious manner, Cam’s curved plesiosaur head rose over the edge of the jetty.
Lachlan threw himself around Cam’s neck instantly. He was a cold and wet thing to hug, but Lachlan couldn’t care less. ‘You scared us,’ he mumbled against Cam’s cheek. ‘I thought you’d be at the Teapot already.’
‘Why aren’t you?’ Meredith asked in a clipped voice, which was nevertheless softened by her own obvious relief.
Lachlan pulled back to meet Cam’s gaze. It was a challenge to gauge the expression on such a reptilian face, but by a slight crease over Cam’s brow and the tightness of his jaw, Lachlan sensed anxiety in it. And in his unusually wide, dark eyes there flashed something that was alarmingly akin to… panic.
‘Are you okay?’ Lachlan whispered.
Cam nodded first, then swayed his head side to side in a ‘no’.
‘What do you mean?’ Meredith cut in sharply. ‘You’re not okay? Are you hurt? What’s wrong, Cam?’
Lachlan winced and held up a hand in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. ‘Slow down. Let’s go through this logically.’ He cupped Cam’s large face, stroking his cheek. ‘Is the Redcap still with you?’
Hesitation. Then a headshake: no.
That seemed like a good thing. Lachlan thought carefully. He had an awful hunch as to why Cam hadn’t made it to the Teapot. ‘Can you transform back to human?’
Headshake: no.
‘Are you… do you feel stuck? In the loch?’
Cam dropped his head, clearly dejected, and gave a small nod.
‘Okay,’ Lachlan said quietly. He stroked the top of Cam’s head, thinking. ‘Okay.’
‘What does he mean, he’s stuck?’ Meredith asked, crouching beside him.
Cam nuzzled into Lachlan’s chest, dripping water into his lap. He didn’t seem to want to meet their eyes.
Lachlan tipped Cam’s chin up, resting it in both palms and forcing Cam to look at him. ‘I’ve told you about the time I tried to escape the loch myself. You remember?’
A nod: yes.
‘When my time on land was up, the curse dragged me back. And locked me in.’ Lachlan paused, knowing these weren’t comforting words. ‘I was stuck as the monster again, like a punishment. I couldn’t even leave the water—it was like there was a chain pulling me straight back in.’
‘You think that’s what happened?’ Meredith gripped Lachlan’s shoulder, then turned a scolding glare upon Cam. ‘I thought you knew not to stay away too long! How could you be so careless?Bothof you!’
‘It was the Redcap,’ Lachlan reminded her firmly. ‘Not Cam’s fault.’
Cam let out a snarly kind of sound in agreement and Meredith’s ire deflated immediately. ‘Right. Sorry, hon. I just…’ She reached out to touch Cam’s neck. She couldn’t quite hold back her shudder at the feel of his rubbery skin, but patted it anyway. ‘I know you aren’t careless. I just can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt. That goes for you, too.’ She shoved at Lachlan’s shoulder. ‘How long will this last?’
Lachlan held back a grimace. ‘For me, it was six months. But for Cam, maybe a lot less,’ he added hastily before either of them could panic. ‘Cam’s been trapped by the curse before and overcame it in a heartbeat. I’m sure he can do it again.’
Cam tipped his head uncertainly, but at least he seemed calm.
