Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
SELENE
When I opened the front door the following morning, sunlight spilled across the threshold and sent a rush of warmth through me.
After days of rain and low gray skies, the morning had turned bright and clear enough to make the wet grass glitter.
The air still held a sharp bite, but the clouds had pulled back from the mountains, revealing slopes washed in green.
Maeve nudged me from behind. “It’s not like you’ve never seen the sun, Selene.”
I chuckled. “I know, but it’s been a while since I’ve had a bright morning.”
She pushed past me as I headed down the steps, the sun catching the copper in her wild red waves. “We have better things to talk about than the weather.”
That much was true. She’d been waiting for me when I’d returned home the previous night, and she wasn’t happy in the least when I told her she’d have to wait until our morning drive for the details of my outing with Bren.
The moment we were in my car with the doors shut, Maeve turned to me. “I don’t understand the secrecy, but I’ve waited as long as I will. Spill.”
I clicked my seatbelt into place and started the engine. “If we’d been alone in the house last night, I would have told you. But I didn’t want to say anything with Nora around. She seems to have a way of knowing things.”
Maeve widened her eyes as she cracked open the passenger window.
“Is that so? That’s likely why she didn’t go home after dinner then and made it seem like it was her duty to ensure you got home safely.
Cillian was restless too. He brooded in his study, drinking enough whiskey that he should have been blustered. ”
I pulled away from the house, following the narrow drive toward the lane that led to Mystwood Castle. “The first time I saw him and Bren together when we signed the contract, I sensed some animosity between them. But it was nothing like last night. I wonder what’s up.”
Maeve gave me a bewildered look. “I had the same thoughts, so I asked Cillian if he’d mind if I sat on the sofa in his study to read.
It is the most comfortable place in the house, but, truly, I’d hoped he might say something about Bren.
He agreed, but then he spent the entire time staring at the shelves of books and drinking. ”
That only added to the mystery. “I wonder why Bren chose Cillian’s firm then. It makes no sense.”
Her full lips curved into a wide smile. “Don’t be daft. We’re the most talented team in Dublin. Who wouldn’t want us?”
I couldn’t say we were the most talented, but we were definitely the most passionate and committed to our projects.
The impressive rock archway at the entrance to Bren’s driveway loomed ahead, and I slowed to turn. From there, we passed the stone Georgian manor house, and I pointed it out. “Bren lives there.”
Maeve widened her eyes, looking thoroughly impressed. “What? Are you serious?” She sighed as she gazed out the passenger window. “Ah, the ivy on the columns. Delightful. The man has excellent taste. Which brings me back to why aren’t you dating him?”
She turned in her seat and pinned me with a suspicious gaze. “You said you had no time for it, but it was awfully romantic the way he showed up last night and demanded to take you with him. Are you going to tell me what happened, or should I let my imagination run wild?”
Maeve winked. “Because it can get pretty wild.”
Maybe so, but I doubted she could come up with anything as crazy as what had actually happened. I scoffed. “Control yourself. It’s nothing like that.”
We shared a chuckle as I drove my car off the paved driveway and onto the gravel lane.
Sunlight filtered through the trees and flashed across the windshield in brief, bright bursts.
The scent of damp moss and wet bark drifted in Maeve’s window, and for once, the forest did not feel heavy with mist or secrets, unlike the previous evening.
Maeve huffed. “And? I’m still waiting.”
“I know.” I drew my thoughts back to the present. “Bren actually brought me here. Not the castle, but we visited the old abbey behind it.”
She fell back against her seat, over-dramatizing as usual. “For feck’s sake, Selene. You’re only telling me now that there’s an abbey? What else are you withholding?”
Plenty, actually. Eventually, I’d tell her everything. I just needed to figure out how. For now, I’d give her the short version.
I pulled to a stop in front of the old tower house and glanced up as usual, awed every single day by its beauty and the fact that I had a part in shaping its future.
“I only found out about the abbey last night too, and I asked Bren the same question. He gave me the lame excuse that the abbey isn’t part of the project. ”
Maeve released her seatbelt and turned to me with a firm look. “Sounds like a man. Well, he can’t stop us from taking a peek right now, can he? Let’s go before we start our work.”
I was all for her suggestion as I gathered my things and tugged on the door handle. “I actually want to see it as well, without the shadows.” And the wraith.
A low mist swirled about our boots as we rounded the side of the castle, and I led her into the trees. The path was still damp from the previous night’s rain, but the sun found its way through the canopy overhead in long, shifting columns that turned the moss underfoot a vivid green.
Birds took turns singing, their chirps coming from every direction overhead. I filled my lungs with the revitalizing scents of wet earth and pine resin as I tromped forward.
“How far?” Maeve asked, stepping over a gnarled root.
Bren’s presence had distorted my sense of time and space the previous evening, so I guessed. “Five minutes. Maybe less.”
She glanced around with open pleasure. “You’d think I’d saturated myself enough with history, having lived in Ireland my whole life, but places like this are so interesting.”
I pushed a low branch aside and ducked under it. “You’re speaking my language.”
Maeve sucked in an excited breath and gripped my arm. “There it is.” She pushed past me, increasing her pace.
A sudden concern filled me, and I called out. “Maeve, wait.”
She stopped and turned to me, her expression wary. “What is it?”
I hadn’t meant to scare her, but an overwhelming need to ensure we were actually safe rushed through me. I closed the distance between us. “I need to tell you something first.”
“Okay. I’m right here.”
I tilted my head from side to side, not wanting to make things bigger than I already had.
“So, last night was definitely not a date. Bren had sensed a breach here in the abbey, and he thought I might want to help seal it, to practice using my skills again. There was also a small, common wraith here that he took care of.”
Maeve blinked several times, her lashes fluttering over eyes as green as moss. “Sweet suffering saints. How did we get from me telling you about fairies and you not believing me to this?”
I shook my head several times. “I know how it sounds. If I wasn’t living it, I’d never believe it.”
She raised her brows as she absorbed my words and glanced back toward the abbey. “Well then. I suppose you’re worried there might be another?”
I moved closer and linked my arm with hers. “I don’t think so. But I want a moment to check before we explore the place.”
Uncertainty glinted in her eyes as she shot me a sideways glance. “And you’re capable of determining that, are you now?”
Embers from my adventure the previous night flared in my gut and left me with shivers.
“I think so. It was really cold and odd. I sensed the breaches too. That’s similar to how I feel when something is off in a room.
I just…know? Bren had thought there was only one, and I felt it immediately.
But then I sensed another that he hadn’t. ”
She nodded woodenly. “So, you’re telling me my friend is now more powerful in sensing disturbances than the man who’s been doing it for years?”
I dropped my shoulders and frowned. “When you say it like that, it doesn’t seem possible.” I eased out a breath. “But it happened. In any case, let’s take our time approaching, and let me see if I notice anything, okay?”
Her snort echoed around us. “Of course. I would be crazy to say no.”
I managed a small smile and tugged her forward. We remained silent as we strode beneath the arch and into what remained of the abbey.
In the light of day, I noticed more signs of damage along the bases of the remaining walls. Moss grew on the columns, while grass sprouted wherever it could find space.
The night before, something in my chest had drawn tight, a pressure building like a held breath. This morning, the forest offered no such warning. The air moved softly. The birds continued their noise. Nothing coiled beneath the quiet.
I glanced at Maeve, sending her a reassuring smile. “I sense nothing but peace. I think we’re fine to wander.”
Maeve considered that for a moment. “You sound very certain.”
“I am, actually.”
That surprised her. I could tell by the way she glanced at me, reassessing. It caught me off guard too. Three weeks ago, I would not have said that. Three weeks ago, I would have ignored or explained away anything I sensed.
She bumped her shoulder against mine. “I feel the peace of the place too. But if it’s all the same to you, I’ll stay close.”
We shared a quiet chuckle and continued on.