Page 37 of Dead Air (Moon Murder Mysteries)

I t was hard to believe it was his last weekend at the summit but Niall was looking forward to starting over fresh with Cenn.

Instead of escaping a monster and hiding his past, they were moving to a shabby old farm house about an hour away from Georgetown to be near his new friends.

Niall had found the house with Nelson’s help and bought it himself, not wanting Cenn to pull any strings or snag the house from another couple who might deserve it more.

Cenn had thought that Niall was joking when he showed it to him, but it was going to be gorgeous once it was renovated.

Most of the work would be done by Niall but the twins, Fletcher, and Nelson had offered to help on the weekends.

The plan was to do as much of the remodel with salvaged and recycled materials, fixtures, and supplies as possible.

Niall had already found vintage lighting and plumbing fixtures from a hotel that had been torn down in D.C.

and most of the kitchen was rescued from a nearby bakery before it was demolished.

Niall was fitting the roof with solar panels and there would be a massive rainwater collection system for household chores, the toilets, and his new garden.

They weren’t living off-the-grid like Niall did at the summit, but all the appliances, bulbs, and windows would be energy efficient and he’d already looked into sources for sustainable building materials.

He’d miss his job and the cabin but Niall was looking forward to having his hands full with the remodel.

And Niall told Cenn that if he had to live in a real house, it would be the eco-friendly farmhouse of his dreams.

Once the house was completed, Niall would have lots of time on his hands since he planned to stay home and be a househusband and care for their four dogs and two cats.

The numbers often changed because they had yet to visit any shelters but Niall thought his future fur babies would feel safer and more supported in even numbers.

That way everyone had a buddy and no one was the only one of their kind.

Niall had to see his favorite spots once more before they finished packing up the cabin and all of his gear.

They had gone down to the creek and caught two fish for dinner and Niall was preparing to make his last climb down to his “secret” salamander spot to say goodbye to his other favorite inhabitants of the park.

“Are you sure I can’t carry you down there?” Cenn asked as Niall clipped his harness and tightened it around his waist. “That line’s looking a little ratty,” he warned but Niall waved dismissively.

“It’s got one more trip left in it and who knows when I’ll get to go climbing again,” he said and held onto the line as he hopped backwards off the edge of the cliff. He dropped and stopped himself with the other end of the line and bounced off the rock face with his feet.

“I’m sure we’ll find other ways for you to exercise and keep you entertained,” Cenn said from above.

“Oh?” Niall asked coyly and intended to release the line so he could drop again but looked up when he heard a thwip, thwip, thwip! as the line came apart just above his head. “Sug—!” Niall started to yell but it turned into a shout as he fell.

“Niall!” Cenn reached and flew after him but Niall banged into the side of the cliff once before he came down hard on the ledge below. There was a loud snap when he landed and Niall howled as pain exploded in his right leg.

“Flick!” He tried to check it but Niall’s left arm burned and throbbed and he noticed his sleeve had ripped and his whole side was covered with scrapes and bruises. “Motherflicker!”

“Just be still! I’ll have you back to the cabin in just a moment and you won’t feel a thing,” Cenn promised as he carefully lifted Niall.

Niall focused on his breathing, not wanting to faint. “Do you know any spells to heal a broken bone?”

“No,” Cenn admitted. “But I can stop you from feeling the pain and set it and I can get you to a doctor quickly.”

They flew up and Niall braced himself when Cenn turned toward the cabin and noticed the pain in his arm and leg had subsided. “Wait!” he yelled and Cenn halted. “Put me down!”

“I’m not going to put you down here with a brok?—”

“Just put me down!” Niall demanded.

Cenn must have sensed that something wasn’t right as well because he quickly lowered to the ground and was frowning as he cautiously set Niall on his feet. “Is it…?” he asked and circled Niall to get a closer look at his leg.

“The pain is gone and it feels…normal,” Niall said with a stunned look at Cenn. He checked his arm and the cuts and bruises were gone. “Oh, shit!” he said, then covered his mouth.

“Did you just…?” Cenn drew back, shaking his head as he stared at Niall and then his leg. “That isn’t possible,” he said and Niall gestured wildly at his leg.

“Tell that to my body! Look at me!” He pointed at his arm and kicked at Cenn. “What does this mean? ”

Cenn reeled for a moment before he held up his hands. “I have no idea,” he finally said and mouthed an apology.

“Fine. Then we’re going to Georgetown, Nox and Merlin need to know about this immediately.”

“Flick,” Cenn sighed as his head hung. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

The End