“No.” His head snapped down to look at me with narrowed eyes, and his hands squeezed the sides of my arms roughly. “No, little one. I am not for eyes such as yours.”

I felt like I’d been slapped. He’d shared so much with me, I wanted to know more! I wanted to know it all. I wanted to love him completely.

He must have been able to tell that I meant to protest, because he shook his head firmly. “Your imagination would not be able to cope with seeing one of my kind in his true horrible majesty.”

“I can handle it,” I said. I loved him, though I hadn’t been brave enough to tell him so yet. But it was true nonetheless. And that love gave me the power to do anything where he was concerned. I was standing in the middle of the ocean with him, for Pete’s sake! With Riley, I was able to conquer my greatest fear. I wanted to know him fully, as he really was.

His midnight eyebrows knit in an expression I could almost call dismay. He was quiet for a moment as he studied my face, and then he shook his head again, a sad look in his emerald eyes. “Can’t you understand that I only refuse for your protection? Beholding my true form would drive you to madness. Why would you ask such a thing of me?”

Just like Psyche and her Cupid. Just like Christine and her Phantom. I was safe so long as I did not touch his mask… Would there ever be anything I could do that would make Riley realize that I was different from the others? Would he allow me to be?

I sighed in resignation, for now. “You said that you wanted to know everything about me. Well, I want to know everything about you too.” Surely he could understand that much, at least.

“I have already told you of myself,” he replied guardedly.

“No, there has to be more. So much more! What about your life before your came to Portsmouth? Before you… slumbered? You said you walked among the stars, but what about other times when you were here on Earth? Have you used this… human form before?” I felt my eyes drifting downward again and caught myself with a blush. I quickly diverted the subject. “And what about… Do you have any other friends? What about your family?”

He seemed to relax, his hands sliding down to rest against the sides of my waist under the water. “My family?” He shook his head with a softly bemused laugh.

“Well, I’ve met your uncle. And he mentioned your sister. What’s she like?”

“Aside from my uncle, I have not had contact with most of my family in many a strange aeon. Most of them slumber, and dream. Waiting… waiting for the day I awaken them with my call.”