Page 121 of Moonlit Nights & Northern Lights
A pause crackled through the speaker. “Right, well… we’re still at the airport. Four-hour delay, and I’ve had to check in all my equipment.”
“Well, do you think you could do something on your phone?”
Another pause, longer this time. I could practically hear Felix’s nervous fidgeting through the connection.
“Umm… not really…”
Rory’s face crumpled with frustration. I caught his eye and gave him a warning look.
When Rory spoke again, his voice had taken on an artificially bright tone that almost made me laugh, despite the situation. “Well, thank you anyway, Felix. Have a nice flight.”
“Um… okay?” Felix’s confusion bled through the phone. “I’ll go through any cameras I can get access to as soon as I reach the hotel tomorrow.”
Another syrupy thank you, then Rory hung up.
“Great work,” I said. “Real growth, here. But next time, try meaning it as well.”
A sock hit me square in the face.
“Right, let’s go, then,” Rory announced, already moving towards the bedroom door. “If you’re coming with me.”
The challenge in his voice was unmistakable—he expected me to find an excuse, to talk him out of this, to abandon him when it mattered most.
“You know I’m coming with you.” I wrestled with my shirt. “But we need to ring Seb first.”
“No time for that!”
Before I could reply, Rory was already thundering down the cottage stairs, his footsteps echoing through the narrow stairwell like gunshots. I followed, fumbling for my phone as I took the steps two at a time.
I jammed Seb’s name, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I laced up my hiking boots.
No answer.
“Well, we tried!” Rory said.
I grumbled under my breath. “Bloody nocturnal vampire should be answering his phone, for fuck’s sake.”
The thought of ringing Kit flickered through my mind, but I didn’t have the strength for another argument. Besides, Rory alreadyhad the front door open, letting in a rush of air that carried the scent of pine and damp earth.
A soft patter of tiny paws on wood announced Freddy’s arrival. The ferret scampered across the floor, launching himself onto Rory’s shoulder.
Rory turned his head, pressing a gentle kiss to Freddy’s matted grey nose. “Dev loved Freddy. Maybe he can help us.”
Of course he bloody did.The thought stabbed through me with unexpected venom. Perfect Dev, who is amazing and awesome and does modelling on the side and loves zombie ferrets that bite you.Perfect in every way… aside from trampling all over Rory’s heart.
I grabbed my rucksack from the side table, slinging it over my shoulder as we stepped out into the night. Moonlight illuminated the path ahead—at least it was a mostly cloudless night, silver light casting everything in sharp relief.
We reached the end of the cottage path, where the manicured garden gave way to wild Highland terrain. Rory lifted his face to the breeze, nostrils flaring as he sampled the air.
“I need to shift to track him properly,” he said, already reaching for the hem of his shirt. “Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
His clothes hit the ground with lightning speed—the man could undress faster than anyone I’d ever met. While I stuffed them into my bag, he glanced around, apparently searching for somewhere private to complete his transformation.
“You can just shift here,” I said. “I’ve seen you shift now, anyway.”
Rory’s face twisted. Clearly he still didn’t want me to see him all inside out.
