The woman had the audacity to give Leira a sneaky smirk. “Do you know anyone who would not be tempted by such power?”
“Right. I figured as much,” Leira said, throwing herself onto the couch and folding her arms. She wasn’t liking how everything she did seemed jinxed.
Ciaran cleared his throat. “Can I advise bringing my Alpha in on this discussion? This is his territory after all.”
Arania smiled though the expression was cold. “The djinn belong to no territory.”
Leira sighed. “He should know what’s going on. His people were there to protect me from Aldrich. And if he comes again, we could be putting more of the pack in danger. Think of it as a diplomatic courtesy, Arania.”
Leira felt exhausted and it must have seeped into her tone because the high priestess’s response was sharp. “Which is a perfect reason for you to return with me to the protection of the Djinn Overwatch and of the Priestesses themselves. Oh and, it’s good to know your political relations training has paid off.”
Weary now from the argument with Arania, Leira ignored the barb and said, “If you don’t join forces with the Alpha then you don’t get to see the book.”
The look on Arania’s face was priceless.
30
Ciaran
Ciaran wasn’t sure what to think. From the moment he’d entered the cabin to find Leira in shock, then having to rush out after her when she ran off, then seeing her wield fire and fight off Aldrich and his goons as though she was a warrior, then the revelation of the relic and now Aldrich’s true identity, his brain hadn’t taken a moment to absorb anything. He’d been in reaction mode the entire time.
Now he had to make the next move.
“I’ll give my Alpha a call and arrange for a meeting.” When neither woman objected, Ciaran went outside to the porch and placed the call. It went straight to voicemail so he left a short message and returned to the living room.
Leira was in the kitchen making tea while Arania, the high priestess paced in front of the fireplace. He watched her give the stack of wood a glare, then lift a finger and flick a small flame into the hearth. Within seconds the fire was blazing and the woman smiled to herself.
He didn’t know what to think of what he’d seen, but it was strange seeing a powerful woman look like a kid in a candy store just because she’d lit a fire with her magic.
“We’re not allowed to use our powers unless we have permission,” Leira whispered from beside him.
Eyebrows raised he looked at her and said, “But you used yours like you didn’t have a care in the world.”
She snorted. “Of course I had a care. For the fucking life of someone important. No rule is going to stop me when there are lives involved.” She smirked and handed him one of the mugs of coffee.
“Glad you did. I would have missed that person.”
“You would have?” she asked softly, her eyes not leaving his.
Arania cleared her throat and they both turned to see her standing right beside them at the kitchen counter.
Ciaran studied the woman though he kept his expression neutral while out of the side of his mouth he asked Leira, “And you said I was the one who walked around the place too quietly giving people near heart attacks?”
Arania shook her head, throwing Ciaran and impatient look, then took the cup of tea Leira was holding out to her. Ciaran watched their interactions and slowly he understood what had seemed strange about the pair.
They were so comfortable together. Neither felt threatened by the other despite the words that came out of their mouths. It was almost as if they shared a familial relationship. Something more than mentorship of course.
They’d barely gotten halfway into their hot drinks when a knock on the door sounded. Ciaran opened the door to find Elias, his Alpha standing there, his hair windblown, his expression dark.
Standing aside, Ciaran waited until Elias entered the room before closing the door. The Alpha was tall and his very presence dominated the room. Arania was still at the counter, her teacup halfway to her mouth as she studied Elias. Her expression was closed off, as though she wanted to make sure she wasn’t giving any of her thoughts away.
But in doing so, she’d given one thing away. That she had something to hide. Which translated into, Arania could not be trusted. He’d have to keep an eye on her.
Between Ciaran and Leira they brought the Alpha up to speed, Arania’s silence even more pronounced. Enough that Leira kept glancing at her, concern in her eyes.
Ciaran cleared his throat. “We need to find a way to subdue this guy. Just long enough for Leira to do her thing.”
Elias looked over at her. “What do you plan on doing?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
She answered so honestly that even Elias smiled before saying, “Fair enough. I’ll check with Felicity to see if she can come up with something to take him down and buy you some time. We’ll just need to figure out the delivery system. Dust, gas or liquid?”
Leira frowned then replied, “Anything. We just need to move as fast as possible.”
“I wouldn’t get ahead of myself if I were you. Menephilos isn’t your garden variety necromancer. He’s ancient and powerful. I don’t think any simple witch’s magic could best him.”
Ciaran snorted. “If he’s so all-powerful why does he have to imprison people and steal their power? Why is he going to such lengths in order to abduct Leira? And why does he have any need of the Book of Anubis?”
Arania was silent for a few seconds. Then she finally nodded and said, “Touché.”
Elias on the other hand barked out his question. “The book of Anubis?”
Ciaran replied, “That’s the relic Leira was keeping safe from Aldrich.”
“Well, it’s more imperative than ever that the book be kept safe. We can’t allow it to get into the wrong hands. Any hands for that matter,” Elias said, staring hard at Arania.
Ciaran and Leira shared an amused glance before he said, “We’ll need weapons. From what I noticed, Aldrich was packing something weird and extraordinary.”
Over the next few minutes Leira explained to the group exactly what the rifle looked like as well as the ammo and the way the green liquid had behaved. Elias looked more worried and even Arania was fidgeting. Elias had still looked worried when he’d left, promising to make arrangements with Felicity for an appropriate spell. Ciaran knew the woman’s powers were nothing to sniff at and he had to hope that whatever she concocted would be enough to subdue Aldrich.
The man hadn’t said much else though he had managed to put Arania on edge. From Leira’s expression she appeared to enjoy the woman’s discomfort. There was a relationship he’d love to know more about. More too about how Aldrich was connected to Leira.
Aldrich.
Menephilos.
Ciaran still wasn’t entirely sure that he’d heard it all right. Leira was the secret child of a fabled phoenix? A woman held captive by the very man who had dated Leira with the express purpose of taking her power for himself. He blinked the thoughts away as Arania glided around the counter to place her cup in the sink.
Leira’s eyebrows rose and he assumed this was out of character for the high priestess. Arania turned to face them, her back to the sink as she looked at Leira. “I think I shall return to the stronghold. I have a few things to attend too but I will return soon.” Then the djinn shifted her gaze to Ciaran’s face. “I trust it should only take a few hours before everyone gathers?”
He nodded. “We can’t predict when Aldrich will try again. So yes, we want to be ready now.”
Arania smiled and moved toward the counter, closer to Leira. She reached across the marble and gripped Leira’s forearm. “Please stay safe my dear. I think perhaps you will sense him when he draws closer.”
“How would I tell?” Leira asked, bewildered.
Arania lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “Your fire did touch him at some point did it not. Could you perhaps memorize those energy signa
tures and keep your senses on alert in case you feel anything similar?”
Leira’s eyes widened. “I…yes…I supposed I could do that. I hadn’t thought of it. I think I was focusing more on the djinn who was working for him.”
“Don’t worry about her, dear. I’ll deal with the fallout from her defection.”
“Then you do know her?”
Arania sighed as though impatient with the conversation. “Yes, she’s an aide to Bronax. I’ve seen her around and I have to assume she was a mole. Whatever she did for Menephilos, she did so while sneaking away for short periods because her absence wasn’t something that stands out in my recollection.”
“So Bronax could also be in cahoots with Aldrich?” asked Leira.
Ariana tilted her head then said, “It’s possible but unlikely. Either way, none of this is relevant to the fight you are now facing, dear. You must calm your mind. Clarity is what will win this battle.”
Leira swallowed and glanced at Ciaran. He wanted to go over to comfort her, to tell her this will all be fine. He wanted to say that she shouldn’t worry, that he’d take care of it, that he’d make it all better. But those would all be lies and he’d grown to understand that she didn’t need anyone to make things better for her. She simply needed support from those who cared because he was pretty sure she was capable of handling Aldrich all by herself.
Now he gave her a supportive smile and she took a breath. When they both looked back at Ariana, she was gone, departing in silence the same way she’d arrived.
“Sheesh. The woman needs to remember the door.”
Leira chuckled. “Arania doesn’t pretend to respect such menial courtesies. But she is right. I need to be ready.
Ciaran approached her and took the empty mug from her hands, cocking a chin at the bar stools. “Sit. I’ll make us something to eat while we figure this out.”
“Food?” Her eyebrows rose as though he’d suggest she eat rocks and bark. “I can’t eat at a time like this.”
Ciaran pursed his lips, giving her a dark glare. “This is precisely the time in which to rest and re-energize. You expended a lot of energy earlier. I doubt you’re capable of snapping your fingers and having that loss of power instantly replenished.”
She sank onto the bar stool closes to her and rolled her eyes. “Fine. What’s on the menu?”
“Chili. Nachos. Beer.”
Leira smiled and nodded. “Sounds perfect to me.”
Satisfied he began to pull out the ingredients but as he worked he shot her a question.
“So what are we going to do?”
31
Leira
Leira stiffened at the question. What are we going to do?
Her first instinct was to ask him who the we was he’d referred to, but then she realized such a response would hurt his feelings. He’d sounded genuinely concerned.
Leira swallowed against the tightness in her chest. When had she begun to act with Ciaran’s feelings being taken into consideration? He’d lied to her. She really shouldn’t be trusting him.
But he’d explained and apologized. And she understood he’d had the best of intentions. Lies beget lies and now that he understood the situation she was in, her instinct said his focus and loyalty was solely with her.
“I’m not certain. If Elias comes through with a stunning spell and if it works to slow Aldrich down, there is something I can do.” Leira mentally crossed her fingers and asked Ciaran, “Is there anywhere here, on or around the mountain, where there are ancient rocks, too big to ever be broken down, too dangerous to scale?”
He paused for a moment as he squinted. “There’s a rock face to the north of the mountain range. It’s too dangerous for climbers because the stone has a high metal content. Nothing can chip it or punch a dent into it. Could that work?” When she nodded, he asked, “What are you thinking?”
She studied his face for a long moment, wondering why she was able to trust him so easily despite his previous infractions. And she knew then it was because he was a good person, a decent man with his heart in the right place.
She could trust Ciaran after all. Trust him the way she’d trusted nobody before. And she had to admit, if only to herself, that there was something about him that set her blood to simmer.
Leira sucked in a ragged breath and said, “I have an idea how to stop Menephilos forever, so he’d never be free to hurt another person again. A way to stop him without killing him.”
Ciaran’s eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “You won’t kill him?” She shook her head. “Why the hell not? Give me have a chance and I’ll rip his head off with my teeth.”
Leira laughed as she pulled a block of cheese and a grater closer. “I’d rather not kill him. Execution isn’t exactly my style. It’s very the reason I left my djinn life behind. I was expected to join the council and be an agent on the ground.”
“And an agent on the ground amounted to assassination?” Ciaran asked.
“Yeah. For a variety of reasons. I wasn’t exactly excited about killing people, no matter the species or the crime. I didn’t want to be anyone’s executioner. And I won’t be.” She began to grate the cheese, a little too fiercely but Ciaran didn’t stop her.
“Even after what he did to your mother?” he asked.
“Especially after what her did to her. Justice must be impartial. And I can’t have his blood on my hands. Not if I want to live with myself. I don’t think she’d have wanted that for me.”
There were a few seconds of silence as Ciaran absorbed Leira’s words. She expected him to tell her she was being stupid or naive. That if she didn’t kill him, then Ciaran would do it for her. But he simply said, “I suppose you’re the only one that can make such a choice. I’ll stand by whatever you decide.”
Leira stopped grating and stared over at his bowed head as he chopped bell peppers and onions. “You will?”
“Of course. This is your fight.”
“And what about Elias? This is his territory.”
Ciaran looked up and shook his head. “Elias is powerful, respected. But he got that power by respecting tradition and rights. Of everyone including other paranormals. It’s why there is a harmonious community here in Dark Moon Falls. He’s at the center of it all, keeping the peace.”
“But I’ve brought Aldrich here and broken that peace.”
Ciaran shrugged. “Nothing new. Happens often enough that the pack has to gather to protect a new arrival. Elias with do what is right.”
“And if he thinks it’s his duty to kill Aldrich?” Which Leira suspected was exactly the Alpha’s intention.
“If he believes that, and you don’t want the asshole dead, then I suggest whatever your plan is, you need to execute it quick fast. If you fail, Elias will finish the job for you. His way.”
Leira sighed, suddenly exhausted. “I figured as much. Which is why I need your help.”
“Whatever you need. Your wish is my command.” He smirked, eyes sparkling with laughter.
She rolled her eyes. “Thought that was supposed to be my line,” she muttered as she returned to grating cheese.
Ciaran’s laughter was a comfort to her and she bathed in it, especially since in a few hours, things were possibly going to change forever.
Then he asked, “So what about the book?”
Leira’s peace shattered at the mention of the relic. She pursed her lips. “I’ve hidden it away. I’ll decide what to do with it once I’ve dealt with Aldrich. My brain only has enough capacity for one catastrophe at a time.”
“I hear you. I’m only asking because it looked like Arania wouldn’t mind being left in charge of the book. I get the feeling she’d enjoy having such power at her fingertips.”
“Of course, she would. But I don’t believe she’d use it.” She’d been about to insist that her mentor would never use the relic to gain the power it offered. But she realized in that split second that she really didn’t have an idea of how Arania’s mind worked, of what the woman’
s ambitions and decisions were. Leira sighed. “I guess Elias would be tempted too.”
Ciaran met her eyes. “I’d love to say emphatically no, but everyone is human, everyone can be broken. Being responsible for the safety of that book is a huge burden. One which comes with incredible temptation. I don’t think anyone is strong enough to withstand it.”
“What if we had Arania and Elias forge an alliance? Keep the tablet safe together. Keep the truth to themselves.”
Ciaran chuckled. “Did you see the way she looked at him? I’m more afraid of what would happen to Elias if he had to have your mentor as an ally. And I don’t believe what she wants is an alliance.”
Shaking her head, Leira said, “I think I’m going to have to come up with a different plan. Seems like I can’t entrust the book to anyone for safekeeping.”
Ciaran looked up, eyes dark with concern now. “Are you saying you’re going to keep it?”
She hesitated. “No. I don’t like that option either. I think I have an idea and I know Arania is going to blow her top when she finds out.”
“Not telling her beforehand, are you?”
She snorted. “You must be mistaking me for someone who is actually brave.”
32
Leira
Elias returned an hour later, his knock on the door commanding Leira’s attention like a slap in the face. She’d allowed herself to relax, partly because Ciaran had been good company, and partly because a calm mind allowed her to keep her senses on alert for Aldrich’s energy patterns.
Elias handed her a little black leather bag. “I spoke to Felicity and she said this is the best way to stall him. It may only last for a while as he figures out how to reset his defensive cards but it should buy you enough time.”
Leira took the bag. “What’s in it?”
“I’m not sure of the entire grocery list but she did say, blood of another powerful necromancer, blood of a white witch, and a special combination of metals which Aldrich would not react well too.”
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 47
