Page 26 of Dead Air (Moon Murder Mysteries)

“Your name is Cenn?” Mr. Oglethorpe’s beady eyes tightened as he scanned Cenn.

“Very odd name, isn’t it?” he said as he turned, raising his brows at Professor MacIlwraith.

“But we’ve heard it before. And Chance Curn is an odd one as well.

” He used the end of his staff to scratch the name on the bottom step, making Niall and Everly gasp as the sizzling blue letters remained etched into the wood.

Then, Mr. Oglethorpe crossed through the C, E, N, and N.

C H A N C E C U R N

“Cruach. He is Cenn Cruach,” Professor MacIlwraith said in a heavy, shaking whisper.

Cenn bowed his head. “Lord Smoak at your service,” he drawled.

A loud growl swelled from one of the twins and Mr. Oglethorpe’s eyes were wild as he aimed the crystal on his staff at Cenn. Niall whistled and waved, hoping to calm everyone down.

“It’s okay! I know that he’s a…demon,” he said quietly. “But he won’t hurt me and I trust him.” He slid Cenn a warning glare, then smiled at Mr. Oglethorpe. “He told me what he is and why he’s here and I’ve made peace with that.” Niall tilted his chin back, nodding defiantly.

“Did he?” Mr. Oglethorpe asked, gasping excitedly before smiling mischievously at Cenn.

“Did he also tell you that Cenn Cruach is not just any old, garden variety demon?” He climbed the stairs, avoiding the name on the bottom one.

“He is the first and the father of all demons, aren’t you?

” he asked when he reached the top and leaned to see around Niall.

“The…father of demons?” Niall said hoarsely as he turned to Cenn.

He nodded slowly, his eyes glued to Niall’s boots. “I was a little unclear about that.”

“Huh.” Niall swallowed the dry lump clogging his throat.

“And why did he say he was here?” Mr. Oglethorpe whispered from behind Niall’s shoulder.

“To protect me,” he answered weakly but already knew that Cenn had been unclear about that as well.

Mr. Oglethorpe chuckled wryly. “Is that so?”

“I’m protecting him now ,” Cenn growled, pushing away from the door so he could pull Niall closer and slide an arm around his shoulders. “No one will ever hurt him again.”

“Until he dies?” Mr. Oglethorpe guessed, pinning Cenn with an accusative scowl. “What did you offer him for his soul and what will happen when he dies?” he countered but Cenn shook his head.

“We made no deal. His soul is his own and it will go on to glory when he dies.”

Professor MacIlwraith shook his head and pointed at Cenn and Niall. “He’s lying to you, Niall! This place reeks of sulphur and I can smell his smoke all over your soul.”

“What?” Niall lifted the front of his shirt and smelled it, then gave Cenn a sniff.

“That’s just demon lust,” Cenn said with a dry snort. “We didn’t make a deal. He’ll be fine.”

“Demon lust, my ass!” Mr. Oglethorpe countered. “You might not have made a deal yet but he’s just as good as ruined.”

“Ruined?” Niall shrank back, his face hot with shame.

Cenn hushed him and gave Niall’s shoulder a reassuring knead. “Don’t listen to them. I wouldn’t touch your soul—like that—and there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“Yet!” Mr. Oglethorpe aimed the dark, jagged crystal on the end of his staff at Cenn again, making him draw back. “Tell him of the nephilim and the cambion and what comes of mating with demons,” he ordered but a wicked grin tilted Cenn’s lips.

“I can tell you what won’t come from us mating.”

“You jackal!” Mr. Oglethorpe shouted and squared up to Cenn. “You cannot expose a mortal to that much magick without consequences. It will multiply and manifest and if there is no offspring to carry it, it will change him ,” he said as he pointed at Niall.

“No!” Cenn laughed, and swatted. “You don’t know that.”

Professor MacIlwraith coughed and waved. “Hello, I’m the product of a magickal mating with no heir. Gay magick is strange, strong magick,” he boasted. “In my case, at least. This is dark and I don’t like it,” he said, gesturing at Cenn and Niall.

“I didn’t ask your permission,” Cenn returned.

“I don’t want any magick, though,” Niall whispered out of the side of his mouth and Cenn shushed softly.

“That’s just the worse-case scenario. They don’t know anything for sure and we’d know if something was wrong with you.”

Niall squinted and checked to see if he felt any weird sensations or if any part of him seemed different. “I think I’m the same basic, boring Niall.”

“Stop it. You’re not basic or boring,” Cenn scolded as his arm tightened around Niall. “They’re trying to scare you but I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“You know,” Mr. Oglethorpe said, turning back to his party. “I think he might mean it. At the moment,” he qualified as he raised a finger and a questioning brow at Cenn. “What will you do and how will you protect him from the demna aeóir?”

“How do you—?” Cenn’s face twisted into a terrifying snarl and he shook his head. “It won’t come to that.”

“An oracle has seen it!” Mr. Oglethorpe yelled at him. “That is why we have come, to save Niall from a sky full of smoke demons.”

“Wait!” Niall couldn’t tell if he was going to throw up or faint. He knew exactly what Cenn was capable of and what he looked like when he wasn’t a hot lumberjack. “There are more, like him? And they’re coming here?”

Mr. Oglethorpe nodded. “Yes! Our oracle saw a sky full of smoke demons, showering down on this very cabin.”

“I see.” Then, Niall fainted.