Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2

by Bella Roccaforte

  The kitchen appeared modern enough with a glint of metal here and there that hinted at dishwashers and microwaves though the general decor would lead one to believe it had remained untouched for more than a century. A large fireplace occupied one wall, within which an ancient oven took most of the space.

  Leira had to wonder who would be brave enough to tackle baking in an oven so old even most of the older generations would have forgotten how to use the thing by now. And yet the sight of it warmed her heart. Ciaran clearly had an appreciation for things, both old and new.

  Another stone fireplace occupied the wall in the living room and she focused at least they wouldn’t suffer from lack of warmth. A part of her was still screaming danger, that same part asking if trusting Ciaran had been a mistake. But what choice had she been given other than to accept his help? She was still waiting to get in touch with Ivan who was probably dying for her to confirm she was safe.

  And then her heart tightened. What if she couldn’t trust Ivan either? So many things had gone wrong. Things that he’d reassured her would be fine. He’d confirmed her devices were clean and yet Aldrich still had access. He’d confirmed she couldn’t be tracked and yet something in her gut was yelling out that she was still in danger.

  Ivan had also been right, something Leira couldn’t deny. Ciaran was good at his job. But the whole miscommunication thing regarding their meeting at the diner still didn’t sit all that well with her. His sexiness aside, the security guy was nice enough, professional and knowledgeable, but he’d been tricked into taking her case. Had Ivan known? Leira shook her head.

  He couldn’t possibly have predicted what had happened. The whole thing still seemed a little far-fetched. This Frankie guy had obviously taken the job on behalf of Ciaran, though if you asked Leira, even such a possibility made her distrust the guy. She could understand why Ciaran had been confused. He’d clearly not understood that his sidekick tech guy had gone and set him up with a new job when he’d made it clear he wasn’t taking any on.

  Leira blinked. If Ciaran wasn’t all that interested in working, would he even give his professional best to her case? But she hadn’t noticed anything in his actions or behavior to concern her other than the GPS on the ATV. And the fact that he’d forgotten the food in the truck.

  She smirked. Was it simply because he’d also forgotten the food in the truck and Leira’s partially satiated hunger was making her more judgmental than she really had a right to be?

  She shook her head and shifted on the sofa. Her lids were heavy now, after remaining in the same position for so long with the backpack on her shoulders. All those hours of driving and then walking up the side of a freaking mountain was taking its toll on her. Her head dropped forward and she grunted and shook away the webs of sleep threatening to take hold of her. She couldn’t fall asleep. Not until Ciaran had returned and confirmed they were safe.

  Chances were that she’d shut her eyes for three seconds only to open them and watch Aldrich storm into the cabin with Ciaran at gunpoint.

  Leira had to shove down the surge of panic that threatened to drown her. She forced her fear and doubt back inside the tiny corner of her mind where she’d held it in control for all this time. She’d have plenty of time to lose her shit when she knew exactly where they stood. If she wasn’t safe then she’d probably be dead before she got the chance. And if she was safe here, there’d be no reason to reveal her crazy side to Ciaran.

  She smiled to herself as she recalled warming his coffee for him when they’d eaten the cake. He’d believed the barista and the flask were both responsible for the warmth of the coffee but it had been Leira herself who’d sent pulses of energy into the cup to reheat the cold coffee.

  Even if the barista had been kind enough to make them both fresh coffees, the thermos had failed entirely to keep the drink warm. And Leira had been glad to heat the coffee for Ciaran, had enjoyed the small show of her gratitude for him taking her case even when he hadn’t even been prepared for it.

  And he’d accepted the job even though he hadn’t wanted to. He’d gone all the way back down the mountain to fetch the food and had even been prepared to forgo his share so she’d feel better. Of what she’d seen so far, his actions were made of generosity and concern, not reluctant obligation.

  She’d been so mired within the depths of her thoughts that she’d almost missed the sound. Her head shot up, eyes snapping to the entrance as the lock clicked and a shaft of dull light streaked across the slate floor. Then a shadow followed and someone tall and imposing stepped inside. She held her breath until he turned to her, his expression hidden in the shadows.

  Ciaran had returned alive.

  20

  Ciaran

  Ciaran locked the door then checked all the windows in the kitchen and the living area before going to the sofas. He took a seat on the two-seater opposite Leira and sank against the cushions. He wanted to kick off his shoes and stretch his tense muscles but he remained still.

  “We’re all clear out there,” he said, giving the covered window a quick glance.

  “Is it possible for someone to still be watching from the forest without you knowing?” asked Leira, her tone sober. “I mean, could your senses have missed anything?”

  Ciaran nodded slowly, eyes on Leira’s face. He would have preferred a white lie to reassure her, but she wouldn’t appreciate anything but the truth. “I couldn’t smell anything out there that would imply an intruder. But there are paranormals who can escape detection. And, of course, things like drones and remote-controlled devices.”

  “Would the mountains interfere with connectivity to the devices?” she asked, her voice holding a peak of hope.

  “There’s a high enough likelihood that no remote-controlled device would achieve connectivity out here. There’s enough metal in this mountain to repel most signals. But I can’t say it’s impossible. Sat-connections will be strong enough as long at the satellite remains overhead.”

  Leira bit her lip and sighed. “So we’re most likely safe. But not definitely.”

  “Sounds about right.” Ciaran’s smile was rueful as he met her gaze. “I’m going to go down to the basement to check on the generator and the other supplies. But I’ll show you to your room first.”

  She nodded and got to her feet slowly. Ciaran paused in the hall and felt for the lights. A soft glow lit the floor from bottom of the walls where he had installed low lighting.

  He strode ahead of Leira and led here to the smaller room, then stood aside as she entered. He flicked the light on and she spun about, eyes wide. She smiled then as the room came slowly into view. The lighting glowed soft at first and then gradually adjusted to a comfortable glow rather than a stark eye-stabbing brightness.

  Leira turned and headed for the bed where she shrugged off the backpack. When she stepped back and looked up, she caught Ciaran staring at the bag. He cleared his throat. “Probably best to put the laptop and phone in the study. Just to be safe?”

  She frowned. “You got a safe in there or something?”

  “Something like that. I’ll show you.” He left the room not wanting to make a big show of insisting she let him secure her devices as soon as possible. He didn’t want to make her panic. Probably why he still hadn’t told her what had happened to the B&B.

  Down the hall, he pointed at the bathroom door. “Shower, tub, toilet in there. Plenty of towels and soap etcetera in the cupboards.”

  She nodded in silence, her fingers tight on the straps of the bag. She’d brought the whole thing with her, which he’d found odd. He’d have expected her to hide the relic away instead of walking around with it wherever he took her.

  He entered the study and beckoned her inside. “You can leave the box on the table. We can open in up later, but for now it’s safe.”

  “Simply by being inside this room?” she asked, perplexed as she scanned the wooden walls covered in narrow shelves holding intricate miniature ships of every size and age from battle ships of the si
xteenth century too World War 2 war frigates. The main desk sat in the centre of the room and Leira walked toward it.

  Ciaran replied. “Yes, the walls of this room are reinforced with wiring that forms what for all intents and purposes is a giant faraday cage. The devices are fine inside here. We can come check on it after we get settled in. Frankie can glean what he can from them to confirm or deny if you were hacked.” When she stiffened, he held up a hand. “I didn’t mean to imply that you were lying. What I meant was that Frankie can determine exactly how they found you.”

  Leira threw him a weak smile and shook her head. “I know. I’m not being overly sensitive. You just reminded me of how I felt when I heard his voice coming from the laptop. I almost passed out.”

  “Well, let’s try not to pass out or anything, okay?” Ciaran asked, eyes intent on her face.

  She set the bag on the table and retrieved the small case from inside. She left the case on the table and backed away as though it contained a nest of vipers. He could understand how she felt. He’d also be concerned if he was in her position.

  She held her bag loosely by one strap, but he caught sight of her white-knuckled grip. It had to be that the relic she’d stolen from the museum was in that bag. Not that he’d snoop. He wanted her to trust him with the truth.

  That way he’d know he could trust her as well.

  21

  Leira

  Though Leira felt bereft when leaving her devices on the desk, she understood what Ciaran meant. His description of the faraday-cage set up within the worlds had again impressed her and she found herself able to exit the study and leave Ciaran alone. She returned to the room he’d allocated to her and sank onto the bed, toeing her sneakers off and scrunching her toes.

  She was still holding the backpack in her tight-fisted fingers and now forced herself to set it on the mattress beside her. She hadn’t closed the door so she wasn’t about to go rummaging inside the bag to take the relic out and inspect it.

  To be honest she wasn’t at all enthusiastic even having the thing in her possession. She didn’t have enough knowledge of the book to be sure that she or Ciaran would accidentally say something to set the thing off.

  She also found it something to consider that Ciaran happened to be a wolf shifter and the book she’d run off with was said to have been penned by Anubis who also happened to be a shifter of the canine persuasions.

  She shook her head. Maybe she was seeing connections where there weren’t any. Or maybe she wasn’t. But, just right now she was too tired to pull it apart and study it.

  Leira sighed and pushed to her feet, then hauled the little bag with her to go in search of her rucksack. She tiptoed out into the hall, retrieved the bag and returned to the room where she dumped the contents onto the mattress.

  For now, she was too tired to think about packing so she simply selected clean underwear and a pair of flannel pajamas, her toiletries and then tiptoed to the bathroom. She could hear Ciaran’s voice as he spoke to his hacker and though she was tempted to try to eavesdrop the voice of reason reminded her that attempting to sneak up on a shifter with a super powerful sense of smell and hearing was most assuredly a stupid idea.

  Leira closed the bathroom door behind and studied the small tiled space. She was impressed. He really did have a bathtub which seemed to her like a dream come true. She ran the water, testing it for heat. Ciaran had turned on the generator but she guessed there wouldn’t have been enough time to heat the water. Which didn’t matter to her. She smiled, allowing the cold water to run.

  While the tub filled, she brushed her teeth, removed the wig and mouthpieces then scrubbed her face and put her hair up in a loose bun. Then she sat at the edge of the tub and trailed her fingers along the water creating multiple waves while also infusing simmering heat into the bathwater. The water boiled, steam rising form the heated surface. Leira ran the cold water again and when she was satisfied that she had the temperature perfect, she sank inside all the way up to her ears.

  Clouds of steam billowed around her and she sighed as her muscles grew warm and softened, releasing the pain and tension that had grown. Sadly, the tension within her chest refused to abate.

  She was tiptoeing back to her bedroom, her skin flushed pink from the heat of her bath when she heard Ciaran mention the hacker’s name, his tone abrasive. “No, Frankie. I don’t think it’s wise to worry her. The safehouse blowing up probably had nothing to do with her even being here. We can’t be sure it even had anything to do with her.”

  Leira stiffened as she paused beside the half open door. A different heat filled her now, the fire of anger. He’d chosen not to tell her that the safe-house had been blown up? Why would he have thought it best to keep such information from her?

  Without thinking, she walked into the study and glared at Ciaran who was holding the bulky sat phone to his ear. He glanced up, saw her expression and said into the phone, “Frankie, I gotta go. I’ll call you back later once I have the cameras all up and running.” Ciaran cut the call and set the phone back onto the desk.

  She wasn’t hiding her anger and from his expression he was struggling to figure out what to say. So she snapped, “What happened to the safe-house?” Her tone was ice cold, totally in contrast to the blazing hot fury she felt surging through her.

  Heat surrounded her and when the air shifted and mingled brushed her cheek as hot air dislodged it from her haphazard bun, she took a slow breath to regain control.

  He held his hands up in front of her and sighed. “I really didn’t want to upset you. Which is why I didn’t tell you about it.”

  She shook her head. “Not good enough. Sorry.”

  Ciaran was staring at her, as though still reluctant to discuss the topic but he must have seen something in her eyes that made him eventually sit back with a low sigh. He waved at the armchair on the other side of the desk and said, “Ok. I’ll explain.”

  Leira stalked over to the armchair, aware that her arms were filled with her bath things. She stuffed them all inside the backpack which was swinging from her arm and then took a seat, her spine still stiff, features tight.

  This had better be good.

  22

  Leira

  Ciaran cleared his throat. “After you left the diner, Frankie called me and yelled at me for turning you down. I understood then, after he explained in a little more detail, that you were in real danger. So I agreed to go check out the safehouse he keeps on the outskirts of town. I knew you were at the coffeehouse, so I figured you’d be okay there until I verified that the place was clear to have you brought over. I did manage to check it out and retrieve the bag with the disguise but as I was leaving Frankie warned me that the security of the place was compromised and that I had to get out fast. So I ran. I escaped seconds before the building exploded.”

  Leira’s heart thudded. “Was anyone hurt?” What she was thinking was how she’d ever be able to live with herself if someone had died because Aldrich was playing dangerous and dirty.

  Ciaran shook his head. “The place is empty. But someone had managed to get there before I even arrived.”

  “And Frankie thinks someone overheard your conversation?”

  Ciaran nodded. “Hence the secure box and my request to put your devices inside this room.”

  Leira bit her lip and scanned the walls as though she had x-ray vision and could see inside to the protective wiring. Then she frowned. “But if someone overheard the conversation in the diner, how were they able to get ahead of you fast enough to blow the building up? Surely they would need to set charges for a bomb.”

  He shook his head. “I am not sure. There are ways. Drones maybe? Frankie is looking into how it was even possible.”

  But Leira had stopped listening to him. She knew how someone could blow up that building without having set any charges. It was possible that the person who obliterated the safehouse was a djinn like her, capable of incineration anything they put their mind too.

  She was silen
t for a little too long and Ciaran shifted in his chair, leaning forward to put his elbows on the table as he studied her face. “What are you thinking?”

  She shook her head then stopped. “There are supernaturals out there capable of exploding buildings. Perhaps Aldrich hired one of them?”

  Ciaran didn’t blink. “Even so, djinn don’t teleport. They would have had to get out there before me.”

  But she was waving her finger to counter his statement. “No. All they would need to have done was follow you. Is it possible you were a target simply because we had a discussion? Maybe they didn’t overhear your discussion but instead simply tailed you there then tried to blow the place up while you were inside.”

  He sat back again and pursed his lips. “That’s far more feasible a theory than anything Frankie or I have come up with to explain the sequence of events.”

  Then she sat up. “How did Frankie know someone had breached your security?”

  Ciaran’s brow furrowed. “He said the sensors were tripped. And that someone had gotten through my phone’s security.”

  Leira sat back again and frowned. “Okay. Maybe they did hack your phone, but we can’t be sure they heard anything they could use. I think they followed you.” Then her eyes went wide. “This theory only works on the assumption that they knew where I was. So how do we know they didn’t come up the mountain after us?”

  Ciaran nodded. “That’s a likely possibility so I think we need to batten down the hatches. The windows are bullet proof and the walls and doors are armored. The cabin is pretty secure, so nobody is getting inside.”