Midnight Falls (Sky Brooks Series Book 3)

by McKenzie Hunter

  I couldn’t deny it, I was curious as well. It was a rather hushed story of how she had become involved with Dr. Jeremy. There was a unique bond between them, usually forged by an either a secret or going through adversity. The curve of her lips was genial and welcoming, but her face was firmly set with determination. Whether she was promised to secrecy or not, there must have been confidences in the story that she wasn’t willing to disclose to an outsider.

  “I’m sure the reason you declined the position as the elves’ leader is far more interesting.” Dismiss and redirect, it was as if she had read Sebastian and Ethan’s “how to be evasive” handbook.

  He brandished a coy smile, but his curiosity was hard to ignore. “You tell me your story and I will tell you mine,” he teased.

  Maybe it was the time that she spent around were-animals, and being plunged into a world that had more than its share of violence, domination, secrets, and power, because her intimate relationship with it was starting to show. Her ebullient, wide smile remained. “I already know your story, Gideon Mercle, son of Darion, one the most respected and ruled longer than any of his predecessors. It was expected that his death would have led to his son’s succession into leadership. I suspect that you don’t want the position because of the fear that you will never live up to everyone’s expectations. That is understandable.”

  His forced pleasant smile didn’t hide the flickers of irritation. “I am his son, not he; their votes would solely be based on their desire to have him back.”

  But it was the things that he didn’t say that resonated. He would never live up to the legacy his father left behind and although he attempted to hide it behind a charismatic smile, the insecurity was there.

  “Ill-placed adulation and foolish votes are better ways to become a leader than the ways others have.” The tinge of disgust that laced her words made me fully aware that she knew the rules of the pack. She knew that the leader was chosen based on dominance, which was usually determined by a fight, often to the death. I could see how it would have left a dank taste in one’s mouth. And it should have in mine. Once upon a time it did. Perhaps I had bonded too much with the animal that dwelled in me, but I understood and respected the need for the superior person to be in charge. It guaranteed survival.

  “Yes, the elves would have supported you and voted for you because your dad was a good leader and every supporter wished your mom was theirs. But it is up to you to replace his legacy with your own. You set the elven world aflutter because you decided to be—well, let’s use a nice word for it, a rebel—and turn your back on the politics. Some say it’s admirable; most think it was selfish. Ten years have passed and now it is time for a new leader,” she said.

  I glared at the side of her face, but she kept her attention firmly on him. She was itching to tell him of the assassination attempt. Would she betray us again because of her overzealous ethics? “Well, it’s up to you, but you don’t seem like the type that responds well to others leading. You have the opportunity to lead, not follow, and I don’t understand why you won’t take it. If it were me, I would at least try it. You buck against traditions and rules anyway. If you don’t like it; quit.” She glanced in my direction with a smirk.

  He chuckled, “I feel like I’m at a disadvantage. You know so much about me and I don’t know anything about you. Sebastian is quite invested in your well-being, but it seems to be tied to Dr. Jeremy’s affection for you. If he is half as good as he is rumored to be, I guess Sebastian will do whatever it takes to make him happy. You make him happy,” he said, watching her intense amusement with every moment of the Q&A. “The question is, why are you so important to him?”

  Dr. Jeremy liked most people, but his adoration of Kelly was the apparent result of something more than her exceptional clinical skills, bright personality, and witty sense of humor. There had to be a story—a good one. And I wanted to hear it.

  “He likes lasagna. I make really good lasagna,” she mocked dismissively.

  He grinned. “Of course.”

  Gideon’s curiosity was no longer a blithe inquiry; it was intense thirst for the information that she was purposefully withholding. Everything was always a game of power. Find the person’s Achilles, exploit it, threaten it, control it if necessary. Kelly was important to Jeremy; that was good information to know. Sebastian would do a great deal to protect her—even better information. There was a story behind the adoration and for some reason Gideon was hell-bent on finding out.

  He seemed determined to be there until she was willing to answer any questions, but Dr. Jeremy peeked his head in. “Gideon, I need you.”

  “For what?”

  “Please come with me,” was his only response. Usually paternal and friendly, it seemed Dr. Jeremy didn’t seem to have it in him to be either just then.

  Gideon moved, but it was slow and measured and the moment he was out the door, I turned to Kelly. “How did you get mixed up with us?” I asked.

  She grinned. “Dr. Jeremy got me suspended from work.” Using her arms, she pulled herself up a little more. “Well, I got myself suspended, but it was because I helped him.”

  I waited for her to continue.

  “I worked in the ER two years ago with Dr. Jeremy. He worked at the hospital a few days a month. I assumed he was semi-retired, now I know he probably did it to keep his skills sharp. You guys may get injured more and in worse ways, but you all heal fast and have an advantage that we don’t.”

  “But how did you know he was a were-animal?”

  “I didn’t. But he made me feel strange. You all do, but not in a bad way. Dr. Jeremy was quite impressive in the ER. It was like he was working on a different level than the others. Once, we had a gunshot wound and the guy’s assailant came in to finish the job. He didn’t get past Dr. Jeremy. He had him disarmed within seconds. The whole time, he seemed off. Feral, instinctive and dangerously primal. If I hadn’t pulled him off the guy he would have killed him. That part didn’t bother me. If you have the gall to come in a hospital and risk the life of fifty people over drug territories, I can’t find the compassion to care if someone kills you in the process. I just didn’t want Dr. Jeremy to get in trouble for beating the man to death in front of a room full of eyewitnesses. He couldn’t even plead self-defense. I was able to get him to follow me out, but he looked weird. Really weird. His eyes had shifted to an odd brown and he seemed savage, like an animal. It’s really hard to be afraid of him. He’s such a cuddle-bear, but that day I was a little afraid.”

  Okay, there wasn’t anything cuddly about any were-animal I’d met. Did she know what cuddly meant? Bear, yes, and just like one, they are likely to rip you to shreds.

  “He thanked me and I didn’t see him for months. I thought he had quit. Then one weekend, the ambulance brought in a were-animal. But I didn’t know what he was at the time. I don’t know what attacked him, but he was barely holding on, and the only thing he would say was Dr. Jeremy’s name. I didn’t know if he was a relative or what. But when he opened his eyes, they were just like Jeremy’s… um, like Dr. Jeremy’s were that day. Then his hands did something really gross.”

  “He was about to change?”

  “Yeah, I know that now, but I didn’t then. I put him in another room and called Dr. Jeremy. He and Sebastian came and got him. But as far as the staff was concerned, I lost a patient. They suspected it was drug or gang related and even in his bad condition, he didn’t want to be there in case the police were called. But as far as they were concerned, I had lost him.”

  “You weren’t fired?”

  “Nope. But I was written up and given a couple of days off. Dr. Jeremy came by my home a couple days later.”

  “Then he offered you a job here?”

  She shook her head. “No, he came up with some bogus story about it being a friend with a rare blood disease. Maybe if I was a naïve person off the street I might have believed him. But I wasn’t buying it. He stuck with the damn story for a long time—months. He eventua
lly returned to the hospital and continued to work as though nothing had happened. Can you believe that?”

  Of course. They would change in front of her and convince her that she hadn’t seen it. So yes, I could believe it.

  “Then one night while I was jogging in the woods—” she stopped and cast a look in my direction. “I don’t need a lecture from you about how stupid it is to jog in the woods at night, I got the same one from Dr. Jeremy two years ago.” She smiled fondly as though she remembered him chastising her, which I know from experience is a little comical. His voice always has a smooth, soothing inflection to it, and even when his voice was raised, it was still there.

  “There was a woman lying on the ground. I thought she was unconscious but when I checked her, she was dead. On the side of her neck were two puncture wounds. I had to call the police, but by the time I had retrieved my phone, she was missing. That night I thought my mind was playing tricks on me because I swore I saw a figure move in front of me; but it was so fast I could barely register the movement. That night I ended up at Dr. Jeremy’s house. I told him what I had seen. I wasn’t crazy, but he treated me as if I were. He asked about medication, my history with illicit drugs, alcohol, family medical history and so on. You know the drill. I was so angry.”

  There was a long lull as she retrieved the memories to give me an accurate account. “By the time he finished with his fake questions, I’d resigned to staying right there until I had answers. I knew I wasn’t going mad. In a span of six months: I had seen him display what could only be described as supernatural speed and strength, feral animal eyes on a human, and an odd patient that kept calling for him, and to top it off, a dead body had just vanished in front of me. I knew it was connected and he knew about it.”

  “I guess he really didn’t have any choice but to come clean, huh?”

  “You would think, but of course he didn’t. You all are so stubborn. It is a wonder anything gets accomplished here. He went on and on about some nonsense as though I was stupid enough to believe it. I was finally fed up. I sat on his sofa and refused to leave until he gave me answers.”

  I could imagine her doing just that. Pouncing over to it, plopping down, arms crossed and face screwed in defiance refusing to move until he came up with something that made sense.

  “It was stupid, because with his strength he could have just thrown me out. But I pointed out that I called him when the injured were-animal came to the hospital and that I got in trouble because of it. He wasn’t aware of the suspension. He took me outside and started to strip. I wasn’t expecting that at all. Then he changed.” She was quiet for a few moments. “I guess I should have been scared, but I wasn’t.”

  Her curiosity belied good sense.

  “I had to pet him. How often do you get to touch a tiger?” she said excitedly. “Here I am. I still work at different hospitals to fill in as needed; but it’s just to keep my connections there. Who knows? If another were-animal shows up, I can make sure to get them out in time.”

  The desolate look returned when she attempted to move her legs. I wonder if she wished that she had never gone to Dr. Jeremy’s home that day. I wished it for her even if she didn’t wish it for herself.

  She fidgeted with her hands and it only made me feel worse. I didn’t know what to say to make things better.

  “You will not stay like this,” I said with more confidence than I really felt. I hated doing that, but I hated her sorrowful look even more.

  The smile was forced and fake, but she tried her best to pull it off. “Of course.”

  Getting kicked out of places was starting to get a little annoying, but at least Kelly saying she was tired and wanted to rest was reasonable. I could use the reprieve. Watching her try to be optimistic made me feel bad. A house this big and I still felt like there wasn’t a place to go. I decided to go back to the library and see if I could try to translate the Clostra. I searched through it, but the books were nowhere to be found.

  “What are you looking for?” Ethan asked from the door.

  “My glass slipper, have you seen it? What do you think? The Clostra. I want to finish translating.”

  He closed the door behind us and then moved the rug back. Slipping his finger into a small space in the floor; he slid it back, revealing a lockbox. Then he unlocked it and handed me the books from inside it.

  “Sheesh, it’s just us, don’t you think this is a little over the top?” I asked, taking a seat at the table.

  “Apparently we are now running a shelter for misfits,” he said as he took a seat in front of me. “We have enough carelessness here; I will not add to the problem.” The dark eyes lifted in my direction.

  Why battle with Ethan? I didn’t have the energy, and honestly, it was just a waste of time.

  I laid out the book, grabbed a tablet from one the shelves and placed it on the table. Ethan moved the tablet over towards him and pulled out a pen. “Start.”

  “You know Latin?”

  “You don’t have a mother who’s a witch without learning Latin,” he said, barely making eye contact.

  “And yet you made Josh do all the work,” I said in an attempt at a half-hearted joke.

  There was a glint of annoyance as his attention went back to his notepad. “Josh is the only one that finds your little quirks entertaining,” he said. “Can we start?”

  Josh and I were more compatible, but Ethan and I worked better together. There wasn’t any joking, breaks that extended too long, or even inside witticisms, which for someone on the outside could be annoying. The more we translated the more complicated things were. There were spells about faes, elves and those that controlled magic. Nearly a third of the way through, I stopped. The words “spiritus umbra” jumped out at me. Spirit shade. Since I discovered I hosted one, I was familiar with the word in almost any language. I read the sentence: “Et non consurget a umbra spiritu militia…What does it mean?”

  Ethan studied the sentence for a moment. “The spirit shade will rise from its host and no longer…” His lips pressed into a sharp line.

  “There are spells for spirit shades which mean that there has to be more than just me,” I said.

  When he didn’t answer, I asked the question again.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  Dealing with Ethan was frustrating because I didn’t know where the truth lay between his answers. He operated on a need-to-know basis. He and Sebastian acted as gatekeepers of sensitive information. “If you are lying to me, then stop it. Despite what you seem to think or believe, we are on the same team,” I said, pushing the book aside. I was getting tired and I had a feeling that dealing with Ethan was about to exhaust whatever energy I had left.

  His glower always held a look of mistrust and contempt. “If I knew the answer, I would give it to you. For now, we are on the same team; but I am under no delusions that you will be the undoing of this pack. Unfortunately, the feelings people have for you will cause them to ignore affronts and tolerate things longer than they should and only deal with it once there is irreparable damage.”

  “I am sorry, are we talking about this pack?” I seemed to remember when Sebastian threatened to kill Winter for disobeying him. Ethan and Sebastian had to be talked into a calm to stop from killing each other after a disagreement about Josh. I wasn’t under any naïve delusions that the affections of this pack extended further than loyalty and their perceived value. Perhaps we were somewhat like a family, a sick and twisted one that had each other’s backs because we shared that same bloodline. We were a family that would fight off the bullies on behalf of our lineage, keep the skeletons deep in the closet where they belonged, and overlook each other’s shortcoming because we were somewhat family. But, unlike family, it was conditional. In return, the pack expected blind loyalty, and anything less was considered betrayal. Sometimes I felt like it was a bad trade-off, but if it weren’t for my psycho family, I doubted I would be alive.

  Ethan sat back in his chair eyeing me with the same
curiosity he had when we first met. The veil of all the things that made me an anomaly had been exposed: I was a host to a spirit shade, my mother had been a low-level witch, and although most were-animals can’t, I am able to bring a vampire back from reversion, their form of death. Because of the death of my mother, I am a Moura Encantada, responsible for protecting the Aufero. I have a pack family that doesn’t really trust me and a real family that couldn’t care less if I lived or died. He had his answers. It wasn’t pretty or nice, but it had been handed to him in a messy complicated box.

  The more Ethan studied me, the more indignant I became. He wasn’t exactly a simple little box either. It was just that he and Sebastian were very good at keeping the skeletons at bay. And if one of those bones fell out of the closet, all they did was make you see their “reality.” Dark things found Ethan’s presence abhorrent and withdrew in aversion. He could not only break wards, but protective fields as well, something that were-animals cannot do. And I was convinced he was connected the fifth object that he and Sebastian seemed to want me to forget was mentioned once. If anyone deserved not to be trusted, it was him.

  “People make mistakes, it happens. No one sets out to do anything to jeopardize this pack." My thoughts quickly went to Winter’s situation with Abigail and the guilt she felt over this situation. She wasn’t wrong. Why should she be made to feel bad for helping an ex-girlfriend in need?

  I relaxed back in the chair and studied him with a purpose, "If I am not mistaken, your relationship with Chris compromised this pack quite a bit. You sleeping with the Master of the Northern Seethe’s mistress wasn’t good for the pack. Yet, you continued to do so without reservation.”

  It was just a spark: anger flashed, then faded just as quickly. “She’s not his mistress,” he said. “My relationship with Chris was never a question of compromise when it comes to this pack. We had no delusions about our roles and the boundaries of our loyalty to each other. If she was a problem or ever became one, trust that she and the situation would have been handled without hesitation.”