Page 2 of The Tides of March (Moon Murder Mysteries)

One

One month later…

D umped. Again.

Tony was beginning to suspect that there was something deeply undesirable about him, after being unceremoniously bundled out of a warm bed, shoved into another boat, and dumped on a dock at a marina before being told to have a nice life. It had to be a deeply buried reason because Tony did his best to be a decent and generous person and other people seemed to like him.

But the people that Tony truly wanted, never wanted him back.

His father had vanished after Tony’s mom told him she was pregnant and it turned out, his best friend of four years, Walt, had only been using him. Tony thought things were turning around and he was building a life, but his girlfriend left him and moved to England. About six months later, he learned that his other best friend and mentor had excluded him from some rather huge developments before handing Tony off to the grumpiest, ugliest asshole on the East Coast.

Tony wasn’t wanted on Pooles Island either and it was impossible not to take that personally. Instead of going straight home or calling his mother, like Tony should have done, he caught an über to Georgetown and Lennox MacIlwraith’s townhouse. He’d have to tell his mother a hundred lies because she’d never buy that he was fine. Not in the state Tony was in.

His body was whole and all his limbs worked as he climbed the stoop and rang the bell, but Tony felt empty and like he was fading as he waited. The door opened and Tony could only offer Agent Grady Nelson a halfhearted wave, instead of his usual cheerful greeting.

“Hey,” Tony said, then grunted when he was pulled into a hug.

Nelson laughed as he clasped Tony’s head and patted his back. “Thank goodness, you’re alright!”

“I’m okay,” Tony chuckled faintly, slightly alarmed at Nelson’s delight. Very little excited the lowkey agent and he rarely laughed.

“It’s Tony, Nox! He’s back!” Nelson shouted over his shoulder before pulling Tony into another hug. “I am so relieved to see you, awake and in one piece,” Nelson said and turned just as Nox raced from the study.

“Tony!” He shoved Nelson aside, tackling Tony. “You’re back!” Nox wound his arms around Tony, squeezing tight. “I’ve missed you so much. You have no idea!”

A wry snort slipped from Tony and he rolled his eyes. “Why? Got a mountain of papers that need grading?” he asked and Nox looked confused as he leaned back, his brow furrowing as his head cocked.

“No… I can manage those on my own, shockingly enough. I’ve been worried sick about you, though, T,” Nox said sincerely.

Nelson nodded, frowning. “We’ve all been worried about you. It’s been a rough month around here but Nox told the university he sent you on a super special, secret investigative mission and he’s been covering your classes while you were away,” he explained.

“I heard. Thanks,” Tony said with a nod at Nox. He looked around the foyer and the open dining room and study, seeking any clues he had missed before. But the house looked just as you’d expect an anthropology professor’s to look, with various religious and tribal artifacts, expensive antique rugs, and heirloom furnishings. Nox had inherited the house and its contents from his parents, also anthropology professors. Like Nox, all the past MacIlwraith men had taught at Georgetown and occupied the stately townhouse.

And all had shared the same secret gift.

“What’s up? You look great but you seem…off,” Nox said as he put an arm around Tony and steered him toward the study.

“Off?” Tony considered, then nodded. “I have been off since the…attack,” he admitted but wrinkled his nose as he was guided into the study and to the sofa. He sat and nodded again when Nox pointed at the decanters across the room. “Not because of whatever that zombie kid did to me,” he said, thanking Nox when he was handed a crystal tumbler.

“Did Ronan hurt you?” Nelson asked as he came around the sofa and hunkered to a knee in front of Tony.

Tony snorted into his drink. “No. Ronan never hurt me.” He took a slow sip, sighing at the heady, velvety fumes and the spicy burn. He had no idea what it was or where it came from, but Nox drank the most exquisite Irish whiskey. “Well… It was pretty rude, the way he yanked me out of bed this morning. Then, he shoved me off of his boat and back into the real world. But other than that, he was a total prince,” Tony said with another hard eye roll. “Decided he’d had enough of me, I guess.”

“You’re all better, though?” Nox asked as he sat next to Tony, warily lifting a hand to his brow.

“I’m fine.” Tony blocked Nox’s hand, giving him a pointed look. “I’ve grown up a lot while I was away and I’ve learned that I don’t belong here. Not the way I thought I did.”

“What do you mean? You’re my right hand and the person I trust the most if—” Nox started but Tony leaned away, widening his eyes.

“You trust me? Really?” he asked sarcastically, earning confused looks from Nox and Nelson. “Would you have told me the truth if I hadn’t been attacked or would I still be in the dark?”

“It wasn’t like that, T.” Nox took the drink and set it on the table so he could gather both of Tony’s hands in his. A wave of calm washed over Tony, making him drowsy and easing the tension in his shoulders. “I told you before, I barely understood it myself. But mostly, I was protecting you and shielding you from…so many horrors.”

“You mean like Walt and those girls?” Tony countered, his bitterness piercing the enchanting calm Nox had created.

“I’m so sorry,” Nox whispered soothingly, his hands tightening around Tony’s as the room grew dimmer and warmer. “I did it to protect you—shield you—from the truth. Not because I didn’t trust you, but because I will always fight to protect the light that shines from you.”

Tony shook off the dreamy haze and flashed Nox a wide, facetious smile. “Not feeling very light or shiny at the moment.”

“No, you aren’t,” Nox agreed, sounding concerned. “What happened on Pooles Island with Ronan? Every time we talked, you sounded fine.”

“I was.” Tony popped to his feet, snatched his drink off the table, and went to the window behind Nox’s desk to see if the view was as cold and gloomy as he felt. It had been easier to lie and laugh it off in the cottage. “I thought I had more time before I had to come back, I guess.”

“You didn’t want to come back?” Nelson asked softly and Tony shook his head as he turned from the window.

“Come back to what?” He waved his glass at Nox. “You don’t really need me and I barely matter to the university. I bet they wouldn’t have hired me if I wasn’t your…pet, or whatever.”

Nox gasped, shaking his head as he jumped to his feet. “I might have vouched for you and pulled a few strings, but I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t believe in you , T. You’re passionate about teaching and you’re still hungry to learn. Most professors are too smart to learn anything new . They’re so convinced they already know everything.”

“Maybe,” Tony said, shrugging. “I think it might have something to do with my people being from the Epona cult.”

“What?” Nox blinked back at him, earning a wry grin from Tony.

“Yup. I’m not a demigod or supernatural like you and Nelson and Merlin, but I’m not nothin’,” he said.

“Who said you were nothin’?” Nox asked angrily as he came around his desk. He captured Tony’s face in his hands, Nox’s eyes tightening as they searched his face. “How did I not see it?” Nox asked loudly, laughing as he hugged Tony’s head against his chest and stroked his hair.

“See what?” Nelson asked. “Tony looks almost the same as before.”

“No.” Nox sighed heavily but Tony’s face was still smooshed against his chest as he rocked back and forth. “He’s definitely changed but I can’t believe I didn’t put it together. He’s a Roman, Nelson. His mom’s a teacher, and he’s a nerd! It’s so obvious!”

Nelson frowned as he shrugged. “It’s not to me. What was the Epona cult?”

An adoring, dreamy sound vibrated from Nox and the room grew even warmer. “They were the followers of Epona, a truly unique, yet extremely popular goddess for the Romans. Particularly their cavalry. And that is the key,” he added and held up a finger.

“Why?” Nelson asked and Nox made a giddy sound as he held Tony away from him, beaming.

“Because Epona was a Celtic goddess! One of the few the Romans didn’t erase or replace. She remained intact and her cult was widespread because she was so beloved by the cavalry. They spread their practice as they traveled and erected temples to her throughout the empire.”

Tony hummed in agreement. “They acknowledged the Dagda and included him in their pantheon of gods, making her one of the rare links between the Romans and the Celts,” he explained and was rewarded with a kiss on his hair from Nox.

“They weren’t just worshippers of Epona and the Dagda,” Nox said. “They were clerics and scholars who carried their teachings with them throughout the Roman empire. You can find remnants of their temples and the triskelion scattered across Ireland and Europe, and all the way to Turkey and Northern Africa,” he said in wonder. “That’s why we fit so well together, T!”

“Not that well,” Tony said as he set Nox away from him, heading to the decanters for a refill. “Ronan figured it out but he said I was probably too human for you to notice it before and that the attack and Pooles Island must have brought it out of me,” he said, making Nox gasp again.

“Of course! You almost died and there’s an enchantment on Pooles Island. You can’t hide magick there. Especially from Ronan.”

“Apparently, you can hide it from yourself,” Tony said as he poured, filling his tumbler nearly to the top. “I had no idea, just that I felt drawn to you and like I was meant to work with you.”

Nox’s eyes glittered as they clung to Tony’s. “Because you were,” he said lovingly. “I can feel that you’re a little bitter—about a lot of things—and you’re disappointed with me. Give me a chance to make it right, T. I couldn’t let you in on any of this without putting you at risk before. But now that you know, there’s so much I’ve been dying to tell you.”

“Really?” Tony didn’t hide how skeptical he was. “Because I would have believed you before, Nox. No matter how crazy it sounded.”

There was a heavy groan from Nelson. He rubbed his temple as he lowered onto the arm of the sofa. “Trust me: he was sparing you. You don’t know the nightmares we’ve seen. What we’re still dealing with because of this,” he said, but Tony threw up his hands.

“That’s it, though! I’m not a childish goofball anymore. I’ve seen some wild stuff and I know there are monsters out there. Now .”

“I hope not,” Nox said. “That goofiness is one of the things I love most about you and one of the things I would never want to change.”

Tony shrugged. “People change, Nox. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others.”

“Tony…” Nox groaned, reaching for him. Tony allowed Nox to pull him into an embrace but didn’t feel compelled to hug him back. “I want you to stay here, now that you’re back. Tell your mom you’ve got a lot of research to fill me in on and I’ll tell the school you’re getting caught up so we can ease you back into things. I promise, I’ll explain everything and no more secrets,” he said as he crossed his heart, causing Tony to snort.

“You’re not a Catholic and I’m not lying to my mom anymore. I’m pretty sure she knew about the Epona thing and was hiding it too,” he said and Nox winced hard.

“She might… But she’s going to sound absolutely bonkers if she tells anyone else and I’ll have to deny it,” he warned.

Tony waved it off. “She won’t tell anyone. She’s smarter than you probably think and I trust her.” He widened his eyes at Nox, daring him to argue.

Nox flailed a hand dismissively. “I’ve never doubted that your mother was as wise as she is kind. She’s a teacher. Which tracks if she’s a follower of Epona. But this is a lot. Even if she’s already a believer.”

“She’ll be fine.” Tony was bluffing because there was still a tiny chance she didn’t know and would think he’d lost his mind, but he didn’t keep secrets from his mother. “I’ll handle her if you’ll stop treating me like a child and trust me. And I can handle whatever you’re dealing with. I don’t want to be left out anymore.”

“Very well…” Nox traded a loaded look with Nelson. “Show him what we’re currently dealing with,” he said as he gestured at the rolling chalkboard on the other side of the room.

Names and dates were written along a timeline in Merlin’s more elegant cursive. But Nelson took his time, rising and crossing the room before slowly turning the board around.

“Oh, fuck…” Tony whispered, his stomach dropping and flipping as he scanned a series of gruesome crime scene and autopsy photos of three young men, lifeless and naked. Their pale, battered bodies were covered in round welts and bruises. A closeup of one of the wounds revealed a circular burn-like pattern and several puncture wounds in the center. “What the hell happened to them?”

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Nelson said as he crossed his arms over his chest, his nostrils flaring as he stared at the rug. “We’ve found three in as many weeks. The first victim washed up on Pooles Island, while you were there.”

“I remember! Is that him?” Tony asked as he pointed at the first photo of a young man with large, round, angry welts circling his back and limbs. He recalled the day Ronan found a body washed up on the beach and the strange events that followed, but Tony never saw the body or heard about the strange wounds in the photos Nelson handed him.

“Ronan called it in and Attorney General and the ME from Roanoke, Dr. Fletcher Bixby, have been calling in favors so we can take the lead on these because they’re obviously related and not natural. But so far, we’re stumped.”

“Are they sure? What about some kind of…octopus?” Tony guessed with a grimace.

Nelson shook his head. “The wounds don’t match any known animal bites, from land or sea. And there is only one type of cephalopod found in Chesapeake Bay, the brief squid.”

“They were all found in Chesapeake Bay?” Tony said, stunned that anything that deadly could dwell in Ronan’s waters without him knowing.

“The last victim washed up on Hickory Point,” Nelson said as he pointed at a spot on a map and Tony’s jaw fell as he went to get a closer look.

“That’s almost smack dab between us and Pooles Island,” he noted and Nox nodded.

“We planned to ask Ronan if he’s seen anything strange out there.”

“Not that I know of,” Tony said with a sneer. “He mentioned having a trespasser last night but said it wasn’t worth worrying about and that he took care of it.”

“He usually calls me or Howard Sherwood if there’s trouble,” Nox said but stared at the map, seemingly unable to pull his eyes away from it. “You’re sure Ronan’s alright?”

Tony gave him a hard look. “What about Ronan is ever alright? He’s a miserable asshole, but he was the same miserable asshole he’s always been when he told me to get off his boat this morning, at Bowleys Marina.”

“Okay… Do you want to talk about that? Did you two have a falling out?” Nox asked carefully but Tony cut him a furious glare.

“ No. We didn’t have a ‘falling out’ but I don’t want to talk about Ronan. Ever. Fuck that miserable merrow. Fuck him for all of eternity,” Tony said with a firm nod, ending the subject forever as far as he was concerned.

“Got it!” Nox said, exchanging a quick look with Nelson, who raised his hands cluelessly.

“Sounds good to me?” he attempted and Tony nodded.

“Good. We never bring him up because he’s got nothing good or helpful to add to this,” he said and notched his chin at the board. “What can I do?” he asked, happy to have something other than Ronan to think about, prepared to dive headfirst into a worthwhile distraction. He was still fuming about being dumped— again— by Ronan, but Tony was going to prove that he could be useful and deserved a respected place on the team.