Silver at Midnight: A Paranormal Romance Urban Fantasy (The Keepers of Knowledge Series Book 5) by Bridgette O'Hare (best large ereader .TXT) 📕

How could he be standing in front of me. He was human. He had to be in order to be one of The Hunters. The Saiad would never have allowed a Supernatural to infiltrate their ranks so deeply.

“Ye also look surprised,” Darek said with a hint of the smile I remembered.

Cian moved around the table to stand next to me, his back toward Darek. As he leaned against the table to look down at me, he placed a hand over mine, and the gravity of the connection pulled me from my trance. I angled my face to meet Cian’s, darting my eyes back to Darek once and then returning to Cian’s stare.

“How?” I whispered to Cian, bewilderment behind my gaze.

Cian’s eyes narrowed. Clearly, he was as confused as I was. “How what, lass? What’s goin’ on? Ya okay?”

I glanced to Darek, who was hands down taking this better than I was, and back to Cian. “I thought he was human. How is he here?”

Recognition dawned on Cian, and he nodded as if he finally understood. But he didn’t really understand. There was no way he could possibly understand.

Darek stepped forward and placed a small wooden medallion on the table before me. “I think that's the answer you're looking for.”

The moment Darek laid the small artifact down, he was no longer protected by its power and the cloak of humanity was gone. For the third time since setting foot in Pyreshore, I was looking at a soul that was blocked from my view. Clearly a trait of anyone working with Davar Magén.

I picked it up, twirled it between my fingers and studied it. “You had the Gelimah Medallion.” The words spilled out as if I were speaking to myself.

“Aye,” Darek replied. “My question is, what artifact allowed you t’ hide among the natives?”

My focus shifted from the medallion to Darek and then fell to rest on Cian who was regarding me carefully. The confidence I had held when I was alone with Cian wavered. Had it only been him, I would have likely confessed to my innate ability to cloak the nature of who I am. But things had clearly changed very quickly. While I was certain Darek was trustworthy, I was hesitant to share my secrets. So, instead of being forthcoming, I gave my cover story.

“I’m afraid I’m not at liberty t’ share that information. My employer has strict guidelines.” I inhaled deeply and slumped back in the chair.

“Ya sure you’re okay, Aish?” Cian’s words held genuine concern.

I nodded. “Just a wee bit taken back.”

Knowing that Darek was, in fact, not human explained why he remembered me. The magic used to alter his memories was meant for humans. When used on any Supernatural, the effects would not be permanent. Eventually, the magic would have worn off on its own. However, if Davar Magén employed the same protocols as Natra, Darek would have undergone a series of cleanses after being pulled from an operation, just to be safe. A supernatural debriefing if you will. Those cleanses would have stripped away all magic, including the magic I had used to alter his memories.

“Is the weather still nice out?” I asked Cian.

“Aye, not a cloud in the sky. Why?”

“I think I’ll have my lunch in the fresh air. I’ll let ya two catch up on Davar Magén business, and we can discuss the list of artifacts when I get back.” I made eye contact with Cian as I grabbed my jacket from the table.

He reached for my hand. An unspoken apprehension passed between us, and I knew he sensed something was off. I forced a smile, but it wasn’t the smile he’d grown accustomed to in the short time we’d spent together.

“I’ll be in the picnic area next t’ the museum if ya need me,” I said softly to Cian as if he was the only one in the room.

“We’ll talk about this later?” Cian whispered his question.

I offered an affirming nod and picked up my coffee and lunch.

“I’ll see you boys when I return.” I tried to leave the room without looking at Darek, but his gaze locked on mine as I opened the door, and a rush of sensations assaulted me. I pulled the door shut quickly and bolted down both flights of stairs.

I contemplated calling Kara as soon as I was out of the building, but I was still processing. I decided to finish eating my lunch first. Just as I was throwing my trash away, I shot her a text saying she needed to call me ASAP. And I followed it with a 911. I knew no matter what she was doing, I'd have a call within a matter of two minutes. I was not wrong.

When I answered, in true Kara fashion, she didn't even say hello. Her concerned eyes filled the screen.

Kara’s first words were, “Do I need to get on a plane? Because I can get on a plane.”

“I don't know. Maybe. I'm fairly sure the world just imploded. At least, mine did.”

“Did Cian do something? I know people. You know I know people. What happened last night?”

“No, no, no. Cian is amazing, actually. Are ya sitting down?”

“I can be. Should I?”

“Umm . . . aye. I'm pretty sure ya need t’ be sitting down.” I watched Kara grab a chair and settle in.

“Okay. Sitting down. What's up?”

“I’m just gonna spit it out. Darek Walsh is not human.”

Kara's eyes shot wide open; her head cocked to one side in astonishment. “Say what?”

“But wait . . . there’s more,” I added.

“That wasn’t enough?”

I shook my head. “Apparently, no. Not enough. He’s here. Like, he was just standing in front of me here. And . . . he remembers everything.”

Kara covered her mouth with her hand in a very southern belle gesture. “And how are you handling this? I mean, ya seem a little calm. Wait, are you in shock? You’re in shock, aren’t ya?”

I nodded. “Lit’l bit.”

“Well, what are ya gonna do, Aish?”

“I’m not