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

eyes. “Fine. It was brought to my attention yesterday morning that the High Council was looking into you, which meant I looked into why they were looking into you. Then I did a little leg work on the Keepers of Knowledge situation. Turns out, they are a little more than just a bunch of book-reading historian types. Who knew? We’ve never had any reasons to interact with them, so they haven’t been on our radar. I know they purchased an international flight for you from Dublin to Boston for a week from yesterday. I also know that I changed it because I have that kind of authority. You’ll be flying into New York in two days,” she seemed satisfied with herself.

“That’s not an abuse of power at all,” I joked.

“I have a legit reason,” she assured me with a tone that told me she had made up a reason and was calling it legit.

“Aye. Legit, ya say?”

“Yes. We need to discuss how you’re going to balance being a Keeper of Knowledge and still maintain your standing here at Natra for the month while you’re in Pyreshore,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“I see. So . . . we’re going t’ have these meetings o’er wine and sushi at my favorite place around the corner from your apartment, I take it?”

“Naturally,” she replied, taking another pull from her mug. “And the Italian place across town. The one with the hot waiter and to die for lasagna. I mean, we’ll go into the office once, too, for good measure.”

“Right. Fer good measure,” I repeated with a chuckle. “I have t’ ask something, though.”

“Shoot.”

“Ya say all that as if ya don’t expect me t’ be in Pyreshore more than a month. I did a little background work m’self last night. This isn’t just a one-month gig, K. This is meant t’ be a permanent position.”

Kara paused for a moment and narrowed her eyes at me through the screen as she twisted the corner of her mouth up like she did when she was contemplating something. Then she spoke with a more serious tone. “Aish, I know you. You’re my best friend. And I know that it would take something extraordinary for you to accept a job that kept you in one place indefinitely. Let’s face it, you could have had my job, but you didn’t want to put down the roots. Frankly, I’m a little shocked you’ve stayed in Dublin as long as you have. But I know why. And I know that won’t be the case in Pyreshore. So, you’ll have to forgive me if I’m putting my money on this not being a permanent life change for you.” She took a breath and offered me a reassuring smile.

She wasn’t wrong. It was something I had thought a lot about since getting the invitation the day before. But my gut told me I needed to go to Pyreshore. I needed to, at the very least, talk to Uncle Lachlan and see what the role of Keeper was truly about. My instincts said there was more to this trip than just a simple job interview.

“I won’t deny what you’re sayin’,” I replied. “But I feel like I’m being pushed to Pyreshore . . . or pulled. I’m just not sure which. Maybe both. Either way, I know ‘tis time fer me to leave Dublin. At least fer a while.” I paused and breathed in slowly. “I saw him yesterday.”

Kara stopped mid movement, her mug halfway to the table next to her. “Darek?” she asked.

I nodded my head. “Aye.”

“Oh crap. You didn’t speak to him, did you?” she prompted me to go on.

“Actually, I did.”

“Oooookay . . . how’d that go down? He didn’t recognize you, right?”

“Well . . . we bumped into each other outside of Joe’s Coffee on Liffey Street. And fer a moment, he just stared at me. Caught me a lit’l off guard. I held my breath, thinkin’ he was about to call me by name . . . well, the name we gave him after the memory hack, that is.”

“So, he didn’t recognize you then?” Kara asked to make sure.

“I got the feelin’ that some part of him did. He looked straight at me and said, ‘I know you.’ But I immediately assured him I wasn’t who he thought I was. Then he broke eye contact and apologized fer not payin’ attention t’ where he was goin’.”

Kara regarded me with sincere concern. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“Seriously, Aish. You don’t have to play tough with me. I know that probably stung a little. I mean, ya cared about him. Probably still do.”

She was right. I did. You don’t stop caring about someone just because you had to walk away.

“Of course, I do. But it was fer the best. Besides, it’s not like I was in love with him or anything,” I clarified.

Kara laughed.

“What’s funny?” I asked.

“I should not have let that slip,” she mumbled.

“Well, ya did. So, now ya have to tell me why you laughed,” I insisted.

“It’s just . . . I know you didn’t love him. Don’t love him,” she began but I interrupted.

“And just how do ya know that, smarty pants?”

“I just know. I drink wine and I know things,” she smirked at me and grabbed her mug again.

“That’s not wine,” I retorted.

“Details. It has whiskey in it. That counts for something.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Fine. But that doesn’t answer my question. How do you know I didn’t . . . don’t love Darek?” I pushed back.

“Because I know you. And I know how fierce you are in everything you do. If you loved someone, you’d fight both heaven and hell before you’d walk away. The fact that he’s a hunter wouldn’t matter in the slightest.”

“It might to him,” I added.

She shrugged. “Well, then I guess he wouldn’t be the right one, would he?” She winked at me and grinned. “Ya know I’m right.”

“I s’pose ya are,” I conceded. “Speaking of the hunters, any word on what The