Silver at Midnight: A Paranormal Romance Urban Fantasy (The Keepers of Knowledge Series Book 5) Bridgette O'Hare (ebook offline .txt) 📖

Cian nodded. “I understand. Is that something you want to finish now? Or are ya maybe hungry? It’s goin’ t’ be dark soon, and you’ve been at this all day. We could go grab a bite and come back here t’ work or grab a bite and finish up at your place. Your call.”

“Ya know, I’m over being cooped up in the archives. Also, I could really go for some pasta. Do ya have pasta over at the café?” I teased.

“I have a better idea,” he slid up next to me, slipping his arms around my waist.

“Oh, is that so?” I sat the coffee on the counter and snaked my arms up over his shoulders. “Do tell.”

“How about I stop and pick up a few things, bring them to your place, and cook dinner. Pasta . . . of course. I’ll even make sure there’s buttery garlic bread t’ really represent your favorite food group,” he wagged his eyebrows playfully.

“Mmm, now, how can I say no t’ that?”

“Hmm . . . I don’t think ya can.”

“Well, if I can’t, I can’t.”

“That’s settled then.” He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on my lips. “C’mon. I’ll help you get everything together.”

“We need t’ check on Uncle Lach, too. And over dinner, you can tell me what you’ve been up t’ this afternoon while I was chained t’ a desk.” What I meant was, you can tell me what you and Darek have been up to and if there was any conversation I needed to know about.

As we walked back down the hallway toward the stairs, I found myself scanning every room we passed and studying the walls and ceiling for anything that might indicate a possible escape route. After all, Pyreshore was built for Supernaturals, and Supernaturals tended to prepare for anything. Especially if it meant survival.

“So, how much do you know about these buildings?” I asked as we reached the artifacts room on the third floor.

Cian glanced at me over his shoulder with a sly grin. “You’re still tryin’ t’ figure out how that guy disappeared into thin air, aren’t ya?”

I shrugged one shoulder and smirked back. “Maybe.”

“I can’t say I know enough t’ cull your curiosities. I wish I did. But, and not that I really needed it, it’s more reason for you to not stay alone tonight,” he added and looked up from the books he was stacking together, as if he were waiting for me to give my permission for him to stay.

“Yeah, you’re right. I should probably stay over at Uncle Lach’s house,” I said with as straight a face as I could manage. I made sure to keep packing the materials to take with me.

His tone fell, but he was going to go along with it. “Okay. As long as you’re safe.”

That’s when I looked up and grinned. “I was joking, Cian. I’m sure Uncle Lach isn’t nearly as entertaining as you.”

He smiled. “True. I mean, I am hilarious, remember.”

“Ya know, I believe I’ve heard that somewhere.”

When we finished gathering what we needed, we carried everything to my car and settled it into the back seat.

“I’ll meet you at your place as soon as I get what we need for dinner and a change of clothes.” He kissed my forehead, opened my car door, and made sure I was safely inside before he headed to his SUV parked a few spots away.

I called Kara and filled her in on a few key developments as I drove back to the cottage.

Twenty-Three

“Did he try to kiss you?” Kara’s question echoed through the speakers of the car. “And what did you say? I mean, even I’d like to know the answer to that question.”

“No. He didn’t. We were interrupted. Uncle Lach and Cian came back just in the nick of time to save me!” I responded as I drove past a small public garden just one house down from my cottage. I made a mental note to check it out later.

“Well, it’s probably best if ya avoid that topic. How long is he in town? And you know I’m going to ask. Do you still have feelings for Darek?”

She asked just as I was pulling into my drive, and I saw him sitting on the steps of my front porch. “Ya know, K. I am going t’ have t’ discuss this with ya later.”

“No. You can discuss it now, young lady.”

“Umm. Darek is sitting on my steps, K. In person. We’ll discuss this later.”

“Ugghhh . . . you have got to be kidding me! This is like watching a show on Netflix that leaves you with a cliffhanger! You’re killin’ me,” she huffed.

“I wish it weren’t.” I put the car in park and tried not to look over at the man on my porch. “I’ll call ya later, not sure when because Cian is supposed to be here shortly. So, I need to see what Darek wants and get him out of here. Ugh. Why is my life such a soap opera right now?”

“Good luck! I hate to say ya might need it,” Kara offered. “But . . . ya might need it.”

“Yeah, thanks for that. I’ll keep ya posted. Talk later,” I added. Kara said her farewell and ended the call.

I pulled in a slow breath before looking over and making eye contact. The moment I did, Darek stood. I opened the door and got out.

“Hi.” It was all I said. I didn’t know what else to say, to be honest. Once again, he’d caught me off guard.

“Hey,” he replied, walking toward me. “Sorry t’ surprise ya like this, but I was hoping we could talk.”

I moved to the back door of the car and opened it, needing to gather the research materials and take them into the cottage, but also needing to have a reason to avoid looking at him.

“Here, let me help ya with that,” Darek offered, jogging up to me and taking the