Chapter 1
It was so early in the morning that it was only one step removed from night. The mist rolled in from the sea. Abbey walked with a purposeful stride towards the cliffs, surrounded by mist. Muttering distractedly to herself.
Reaching the cliff edge, she stumbled. Looking down, she saw the body of a male. His eyes stared lifeless. She shuddered, knowing he was dead, but she bent towards him anyway. Her fingers stretched to check for a pulse. Her hand shook as she reached to touch his neck.
Before touching the skin, the mist eased, and she saw his stomach was ripped open and raw flesh was visible, with blood congealed around the gash.
With a gasp, she pulled her hand back, reversing away from the male in horror, trying to suppress the need to vomit.
She closed her eyes, but the image was superimposed behind her closed eyelids.
It was then she realised she had recognized the male.
Jimmy Jones, owner of the bar in Misty Vale.
Misty Vale lay one step beyond the mist. The door only opened at dusk and dawn when the mist rolled in from the sea. It was a place for the Others to call home. Normals could not see the door, even when the mist was thick. Or rather, most normals could not see the door. But Abbey could.
She had returned to Ballybunion as an adult.
Trying to recapture the happiness she had experienced there as a child when she had walked this beach with her great aunt.
Her great-aunt explaining to her that you could tell the time from the sun.
She had squinted at the sun, trying to read it like a clock, before her great aunt explained it was the position of the sun which told the time.
She had walked the beach, her mind wandering as dawn splashed across the cliffs, and she had walked into the mist and found herself in Misty Vale. Witches, vampires, werewolves, and all types of supernaturals were drawn there, and occasionally a normal.
When they stepped through the first time, a home awaited them.
Abbey had stepped through that December dawn and found herself outside a bungalow on the edge of the town.
Misty Vale was a haven for the Others. The werewolves could shift without fear.
The vampires could walk in the sun. And the witches could perform their magic openly.
The homes, each perfectly suited to its occupant.
Abbey straightened her spine. Taking a deep breath and suppressing a shudder, she approached the body. He was a large male, and Abbey was five foot seven, slim, although her figure had been described previously as boyish. This, unfortunately, did not mean she had a man’s strength.
She examined the body, nodding to herself.
She reached towards his neck and shoulders.
She should be able to drag him into Misty Vale if she got her grip right.
Preparing to shift him, she shook her head at her foolishness.
She stepped away and fished in her crossbody bag for her phone. She started taking photographs.
Stowing her phone, she looked at the body again.
She approached, but this time at the foot of the body.
She crouched down and grabbed the legs. Looking behind her, the door to Misty Vale was open.
She pulled; he was a big male, and the going was slow, but she had no choice.
She couldn't leave the body for the locals to find.
An autopsy of the body would find more than the wound.
She stepped into Misty Vale, with only Jimmy’s legs through the doorway. She was already sweating with the effort, and she shouted out for help.
A large male followed her through the Mist from Ballybunion. She had never seen him before. He stepped back out of Misty Vale, picked up Jimmy’s body and carried him across the border.
Placing the body on the beach at Misty Vale. He turned his accusing blue eyes on her. “What did you do?” he said. He spoke with a deep timbre, but he had no distinctive accent.
“Do?” She gulped, her normally soft Irish accent sounding guttural in her shock. “I didn’t do anything. I found him on the beach.” She fished her phone from her bag and opened the photographs, passing him the phone.
He scrolled through the photographs. “Hmph,” he said, using his fingers to zoom in on the body. His eyes opened wider, but he didn’t say anything further, merely passed her back the phone.
“We should tell someone,” she said.
“Who?” he asked, his eyebrows raised in question. “There is no law in Misty Vale,” he told her.
“I know that,” she said, flushing bright red. “But we can’t just do nothing!”
“There is no law in Misty Vale,” he repeated.
“Yes, but that is the problem,” she said. “Why bother to dump the body outside of Misty Vale where it would cause trouble? When they could have left the body where they killed him, but instead, they dumped him outside?”
He nodded slowly, understanding that this was not about the murder. It was something else. Something that could endanger the haven. “I will get a car,” he said, walking away with his back towards her. He called, “Stay with the body. I won’t be long.”
Abbey’s legs shaking, she sunk to the ground.
Misty Vale was home. The Others called it a haven, and it was a haven for Abbey, too.
The outside world had left her battered and bruised.
Her bruises from her last relationship had not only been emotional, but she had found the strength to walk away.
She had returned to Ballybunion, hoping that it would help rebuild her soul, and she had found instead the magical haven of Misty Vale.
A shadow fell over her. She looked up; the man stood over her.
Lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t noticed the time passing, and she hadn’t heard him return.
He reached his hand down to her, and she took it.
His hand was cold as ice. Vampire, she thought, getting to her feet.
They were always beautiful, and this one was no different, with his dark, nearly black hair, Roman nose, and square jaw.
She sighed; she was not afraid of vampires. They were no more dangerous than any of the Others. Murder was not against the law in Misty Vale. There was no law in Misty Vale, but crime was uncommon. And she had asked when she had first arrived, and no one had been killed in ten years or more.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Sirius Winters,” he said, raising his eyebrows in question, and she introduced herself.
He nodded, turning to open the boot of a black sedan.
He turned back around and picked up the body, placing him in the back.
He closed the door. Nodding to her, he indicated to the passenger door and went around to the driver’s side.
She scrambled to the passenger door, afraid he would go without her if she didn’t move quickly enough.
He drove away from the village centre, and Abbey suddenly realised what she had done.
He had come along just as she had found the body.
A body someone had dumped off the cliff at Ballybunion.
Probably intending the sea to take it. She had been the only person to see the body.
She had jumped into the car with a complete stranger, a vampire!
No one even knew she had returned to Misty Vale that day.
If she disappeared, her friends would assume she had decided not to come back.
Sirius drove slowly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, not paying her any attention.
That was fine with her. The roads of Misty Vale were cement but rough and not conducive to driving at speed.
This was rarely a problem. Misty Vale only made up a five-mile radius.
So, speed was rarely necessary, and most residents didn’t own a car.
They were normally only used for transporting goods.
Most places were easy to walk or cycle to.
Abbey looked at Sirius. His hands held the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles were white, and his jaw was clenched.
She turned away, staring out the side window. Was she overreacting? Should she ask where they were going? He was larger than her. If he wanted to kill her, she didn’t have a chance. The car began to slow, and Abbey looked around her.
They had pulled up to an old Tudor-style house with large oak trees on either side and potted plants in full bloom beside the door.
The house was dark, and it looked like the occupants hadn’t yet risen for the day.
Sirius got out of the car and approached the house.
Abbey thought, was this her chance to run?
He banged the knocker, and Abbey could hear the sound reverberating through the building. Abbey reached for the car door to get out. She saw the front door of the house open. A grey-haired woman with a surprisingly youthful face stood there.
Abbey sighed with relief. Climbing out of the car, he was bringing the body to someone else. The woman’s hair was dishevelled, and she wore an old-fashioned flower-festooned dressing gown. Abbey approached the door.
“Well?” she said, looking at them both.
Sirius said nothing just went to the car, took the male from the back, and walked back to the house entrance. The lady stepped aside to allow him inside, and Abbey walked in behind him. He placed the body on the floor.
She looked at Sirius and then at the body. “If you are looking for a diagnosis,” she said in a Boston accent, her eyebrows arched, “I can confirm he is dead.”
Although Misty Vale was situated off the west coast of Ireland, its population was international. However, from what Abbey had seen, most residents were from Western Europe. She didn’t know why this was.
“Yes,” said Sirius, “we can see that. We want to know how he died and how long ago.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I found him on the beach outside of Misty Vale,” Abbey said, speaking for the first time.
Looking at Abbey, the older woman said, “Well, we best have some coffee,” motioning for them to follow her. She led the way to the kitchen, leaving the body unattended. She directed them to the small bathroom off the kitchen where they could wash their hands.
Her kitchen was large and country-style. It had an old-fashioned stove as the centrepiece. She told them to sit down, and they took seats at the wooden table. She stoked the stove, adding timber to its belly.
She placed the coffee pot to brew, pulled scones from the fridge, and placed them on a tray and into the oven to heat.
She then placed milk, sugar, butter, jam and coffee cups, plates, and cutlery on the table.
Abbey felt awkward not offering to help, but the lady’s self-sufficiency discouraged her from doing so.
The coffee ready, the woman took the pot off the stove and placed it on a stand on the table.
She fished the scones from the oven and brought them with her as she took a seat.
“I am Lily Andrews, Dr Lily Andrews. I know Sirius,” she said. “But I don’t believe we have met?”
Abbey had thought she was a doctor, but it was good to have it confirmed. “I’m Abbey, Abbey Williams.”
“And you found the body?” she encouraged Abbey to tell the story.
“Yes, I was coming back to Misty Vale, having been in Dublin with my family for a few days. I was on the beach, waiting for the door to open. When the mist cleared, I saw him.” She stuttered to a halt.
“I realised I couldn’t leave him on the beach for the normals to find.
So, I took photographs and tried to drag him into Misty Vale.
That’s when I met Sirius. He carried him into Misty Vale for me. ”
“You have photographs? That could be useful.” Abbey took her phone from her bag, opened the photograph app, and passed her the phone.” Lily looked at the pictures and then handed it back to her. “Can you send me the photos?” she asked.
Abbey nodded, and Lily recited her phone number. Abbey sent them through right away. She put her phone back in her bag and selected a scone, adding butter and jam. She was surprised that she could eat after finding Jimmy like that, but the scones smelled delicious, and she suddenly felt hungry.
Lily sipped her coffee, a thoughtful look on her face. “It will take time for an autopsy. Two to three days minimum.”
“Why so long?” Sirius asked.
“I will be able to do the physical exam quickly, but I will have to do a toxicology check, and that will need to be sent away. I don’t have the facilities here. I will have to pull in favours to get it done.”
“You will let us know when you have the results?” Abbey asked. Lily agreed to let them know. Abbey started to speculate about what occurred. But Lily warned it was better to wait for the results of the autopsy. She asked Abbey how long she had been in Misty Vale.
Abbey told her she had been living there for five months.
They drank their coffee and ate their scones, speaking about the town and the diner.
Abbey told them about Lydia, the diner owner, who had befriended her when she had first arrived.
She told them how Lydia had helped Abbey with her confusion and fear of finding herself in this supernatural place.
Abbey was surprised to see Sirius eating.
She had been here for five months, and she had never seen a vampire eat before.
Sirius listened attentively to the conversation but rarely joined in.
Once they had finished eating, Lily asked Sirius to carry Jimmy’s body to the back room.
Sirius picked up Jimmy and followed Lily.
Abbey trailed behind him. Lily directed him to an examination room.
She laid a plastic sheet on the examination bed, and Sirius put Jimmy down on top of it.
She saw them to the door with promises to update them on her progress.
Outside, Sirius offered her a lift home, and Abbey took it with a deep sigh of gratitude. She gave him directions. Her fear and suspicion of Sirius had left her when they had arrived at Lily’s house. Sitting in the passenger seat, she directed him to her home.
“You should let me have your phone number, and I will give you mine,” he said. She took out her phone, and he recited his number for her to input it. She rang his number and hung up. Seeing they had arrived; she thanked him for the lift. She got out, happy to be home.