The Golden Bell

by Autumn Dawn

  “I can guarantee the man who wants to hurt you is going to find it hard,” Fallon said firmly. “I’m trying to give you what privacy I can, but the security around you is very real, Rain. I’m watching out for you.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why would you feel the need? After all, without the Cult here, I’m just another penniless immigrant.” She watched him picking his words, wondering what he suspected, what he knew.

  “Perhaps I should be questioning you. You never did give me any details about your father’s murder, other than that Haunt were involved. There aren’t that many of us who could have participated. The Earth population is down to hundreds. I know the police investigated the murder and your disappearance. I’ve seen the reports, but by the time we found out and sent our own people to check into it, the scent traces were faint. I can’t guarantee that some of those Haunt haven’t since crossed over. The council knows this and wouldn’t have turned you loose here without a protector.”

  “So you’re just being cautious?”

  He scanned the moons for a moment. “You know, what happened to your father was overkill. He wasn’t a warrior. One, maybe two Haunt could have taken him out, but estimates are that there were at least four or five.” He considered her. “It seems like they were looking for something. What could that be, Rain?”

  She rubbed her right bicep. “Maybe it died with him. What little I saw as I was getting away…” she trailed off. The memories were stark.

  Fallon looked more thoughtful that pitying. “Do you know what I think, Rain? I think you do know what they wanted, and you took it with you. I also think you were pursued by more than members of the Cult.” He let that statement hang, then added, “I think whatever this thing was, you either hid it…or you still have it.”

  Her eyes widened.

  He shook his head slowly. “You’ve got to work on those tells, sweetheart. You’re a book. It’s a weapon, isn’t it?”

  “It’s not a…” She could have swallowed her tongue, she was so chagrined by her mistake.

  White teeth flashed in a predator’s smile. “Not a weapon. Are you sure? Men do kill for them.”

  A growl of vexation vibrated in her throat. “Not your business, Fallon.”

  “Things that can be used against my people are my business. So?”

  “You’ve been trying to gain my trust. That’s what this has been about. That’s why you seduced me.” If she couldn’t dodge him, she’d go on the attack.

  He shook his head, but remained relaxed. “While I’m not above those kind of tactics, no. I wanted to see what it would be like. Happily, it was all I expected.” His teeth flashed again.

  She snarled. “If I wanted to make a weapon, I’d test it on you first. I haven’t made any…yet.”

  He shrugged. “Why don’t you just show it to me and end the battle? Why all the secrecy?”

  “Because it’s mine. Because it’s none of your business! Not the council’s, not yours. Got it? It’s mine.” She didn’t like his pushing, didn’t want to think about giving up the Bell. It wouldn’t help anything.

  Fallon was relentless. “Is the secrecy worth risking your father’s murderers going free?”

  “If I knew anything about that, I’d come clean. I don’t. You werewolves all look alike to me.” She was going to lose her temper, so she left. Oddly, he didn’t follow her to her room. Maybe he knew she would be easy enough to find when he was ready to interrogate her again. This reprieve couldn’t last.

  Anxiety made her restless, and pacing her small room didn’t help. She needed out, so she threw on some jeans, a navy sports bra and a long sleeved, black shirt. Dressed for success, she scaled her garden wall.

  She wasn’t trying to escape the Dark Lands. It was freezing cold on the other side of the gate, assuming she could even find it. Her sense of direction sucked. Even if she could follow the snow machine tracks back, she’d freeze long before she reached civilization.

  No, she just needed a break from company, especially Fallon’s. Crossing the grassy spot behind the wall, she took a straight line toward the looming shape of an obstacle course she’d seen in the distance that morning. At the time it had been swarming with Haunt, but now it stood abandoned at the edge of the park.

  Rolling her neck, she jumped up and grabbed one of the dangling ropes. Wrapping the rope around one leg and holding it with her heels, she climbed up hand over hand to the top beam. Walking across was easy, she’d always had excellent balance and no fear of heights. She climbed down the cargo net and then sprinted over to the pole at the end, climbing it like a palm tree. The next bit was harder, a series of poles spaced at two-foot intervals, and not in a straight line. Pretending they were stepping stones, she paced across them, her carriage straight and confident. To dismount, she grabbed the hand bar and slid down the line, over an open pit filled with water.

  Enjoying the challenge, she slithered, shinnied and hopped at full speed, then sprinted back to the beginning of the course and did it all again.

  About the fourth run through, she started to tire. It was late and she’d been running a marathon of sorts for the better part of a year. She turned back toward the garden, and froze. She scented Haunt on the air. There, to her right.

  Her nose and ears were keener in human form than when she changed, oddly enough. Unfortunately, it wasn’t keen enough to distinguish individual Haunt scents. She looked in the direction of the smell, but couldn’t see anything, even with her superior night vision. Whoever it was, they hadn’t bothered her yet.

  Breathing deeply to ward off panic, paced toward her garden. Now that her senses were attuned, she could tell there was more than one following her, to her right, left and behind. Brilliant. She’d have to sprint for it if they moved in, and she’d already used up precious adrenaline.

  Reaching into her pocket, she casually removed a little toy of hers and closed her eyes as she held it up. A brilliant flash lit up the darkness as she broke the modified glow stick, wiping out the night vision of those following her. Opening her eyes, she sprinted the distance to the garden, leaping obstacles as she ran. Vaulting up, she grabbed the top of the wall and swung over, hitting the ground running. She threw open her patio door and dashed in…and muffled a shriek as the lights turned on.

  “You do realize that you just blinded your security detail.”

  “Fallon,” she gasped, blinking at him warily.

  “I can tolerate your sneaking out at night if you really must, but not your incapacitating your protection. What did you use on them?”

  She looked at her hand dumbly, then recovered and shoved it behind her back. “Just a little glow stick.”

  “Give it here.” He held out his hand.

  “No. It’s used up, anyway.”

  One minute she had the stick behind her back, the next he had it, leaving her blinking with his speed. “Hey!”

  He examined the glow stick and stuck it in his pocket. “You said you didn’t make weapons.”

  “That’s an overgrown flashlight.”

  “You just blinded three of my men with it. Had they been human, it would have been permanent. As it is, they’ll be days healing.”

  “Lucky them,” she said flippantly. “How was I to know I wasn’t running for my life?”

  He regarded her steadily. “Let’s get some ground rules straight. When you want to go out at night, you tell me or my head of security; I’ll introduce you. That way we can avoid your panicking and doing something rash. How many of these things do you have?” He raised the hand holding the spent glow stick.

  She shrugged. “I can make as many as I want.”

  Fallon sighed. “If we didn’t already have similar technology, I’d tell you to patent it. In another situation, I would applaud your quick thinking. As it is, take care not to hurt the people who care for you. You’re not an island anymore.” He left.

  Disconcerted by his quiet words, she sat down in a chair. Great. Now she felt bad. Well, how was she supposed t
o know it hadn’t been the bad guys chasing her? Those poor sods probably had families.

  Disgruntled, knowing she’d sleep poorly anyway, she sat around and tried to think of something to make amends.

  Fallon paused in drinking his coffee, one brow raised. Malian had just delivered a piece of paper with a complex schematic. He had to smile as he read the messy handwriting across the top. Rain had designed a night vision goggle to protect his Haunt’s eyes from sudden flashes.

  So that was how geniuses apologized. A simple ‘I’m sorry’ would have done. Apparently her mind worked differently. A point to remember.

  “Something funny, my lord?”

  Fallon smirked at his head of security and handed over the paper.

  Rykarr studied it, and laughed. “Interesting apology. I’d hire her, if I were you.”

  Fallon slanted him a glance and went back to his coffee. “You would, wouldn’t you? She’s a handful.”

  “Beauty, though.”

  That earned him another look. “You’re looking for me to fall in love and settle down, aren’t you? I plan to take her on, but I’m not in love yet.”

  “Matter of time with that one.” To look at him, you wouldn’t think Rykarr was a romantic. He looked like a mercenary with his gunmetal gray hair and black eye patch. Even a Haunt couldn’t heal all injuries.

  “A bottomless well of interesting turns, I’ll admit. That’s largely her appeal.”

  “Not her fetching hazel eyes. I understand. Her mind is exactly what I’d pursue, too.” An old veteran who’d served his father and taught Fallon much of what he knew, he got away with a lot of cheek.

  Fallon just smiled. Rykarr could fish all he liked, he wasn’t going to get a bite. “How are her replacement soldiers doing?”

  “Much warier than the last batch. Any idea what tricks she has left?”

  “Expect anything.” Her room had already been searched, but they hadn’t found anything suspicious. After the glow stick experience, he wasn’t sure they would recognize trouble if they saw it. She liked to disguise her tricks.

  Must have a thing for secret agents.

  He did like the way her mind worked. Combined with the British flavored accent, she more than held his interest. While he wouldn’t mistake that interest for love, it was growing. It was inevitable, and he planned to take her down with him. Getting her there, though… It would help if she trusted him.

  She didn’t trust him. Rain unscrewed the housing from a broken communication device and set it down in the clockwise pattern she’d started with the screws. Malian had rustled up an entire laundry basket of defunct and broken devices, plus a rather nice tool kit. If Rain had been the one paying her, she’d have given her a raise. Instead, she’d praised her ingenuity and sent her out for a list of components, chemicals and lunch. She wondered how long it would take before Fallon showed up to comment on her budding lab.

  Not that she was cooking up anything dangerous right now. If she had been, she’d have hidden it among the junk pile, fully expecting him to poke around. The best way to hide something was in plain sight, which is why she’d attached the Bell to a flat gold collar she’d had Malian find. Actually, she’d requested that Malian find something inexpensive like beads or leather to hang the pendant from. From the weight of the necklace, she didn’t think it was made of gold-plated nickel. It looked good, though she’d had to wear one of the dressier outfits Fallon had purchased for her to make it blend in. At least the amber silk tunic and harem pants were comfortable.

  As she was pondering the probability of ruining the hardwood floor if she started messing with chemicals, there came a knock on the door. “It’s open.”

  Fallon walked in and frowned at her table full of junk. “Malian requested a soldering gun for you.”

  “Yes. I’ll pay you back. I’m planning to construct a levitating solar light with some of these spare parts. It should sell well.”

  He waved that off. “This room isn’t meant to be a hobby shop. I’ll get you a proper workroom set up. If nothing else, you’ll need more tables.” He surveyed the spare parts spilling off the table, scattered on the floor and overflowing a basket with a frown. “Make a list of what you’d like to have and I’ll see it set up: books, tools, materials…whatever. I’d rather you had a safe and comfortable working environment than be forced to make do with the kitchen table and a fingernail file.”

  Stunned at his generosity, she stared at him. Suspicious moisture burned her eyes, and she had the alarming urge to run over and hug him. He probably had no idea what he’d just done for her. “Really?” she whispered.

  Slow and confident, his smile lit up her heart. “I don’t need to stifle your mind, sweetheart. It’s one of the sexiest things about you.”

  That did it. She got up and crushed him in a hug. After all, he’d broken the touch barrier when he’d nearly made love to her. Like a little girl suddenly shown affection, she seemed to look for an excuse to touch him. “Thank you,” she said, strangling on the emotion. If he didn’t stop it, she was going to fall in love with him.

  He laughed as if surprised, then returned the hug, stroking her back. “Here I thought it would be difficult to convince you to go sailing with me. Will that count as part of your thank you?”

  She reached up and pulled his head down for a kiss. There was nothing chaste about it. He took over and seemed to get serious enjoyment from it, then reluctantly raised his head. “Mm. Hold that thought, honey. I promise we’ll get back to it on the boat. Ready?”

  The boat turned out to be a thirty-five foot sailboat with blue and gold sails. Rain gaped when she saw it. “Are you sure you know how to drive this thing?”

  He laughed and handed her aboard the gleaming white vessel. “It’s called sailing when you’re in a boat. Do you like it?”

  “It’s pretty. What are we fishing for today? Tell me it resembles fish.”

  He dropped a fast kiss on her lips. “It resembles fish. Ready?”

  The waters were calm and they dropped anchor in the bay, within distant sight of the Citadel. Fallon baited his hook and tossed it over the side, fixing his pole in the special holder attached to the rail. “Now then, here comes my favorite part of fishing.” He leaned over and kissed her.

  Her hand loosened on the rod. He’d done something to her with his offer of a lab of her own. It wasn’t just the generosity, it was the thoughtfulness of the gesture. He was so easy with his affection, so open handed. If she did ever marry him…

  She pulled away, startled by her thoughts. Breathing raggedly, she looked back at her pole.

  He brushed a kiss on her temple and worked over to her ear. “So pretty,” he murmured. “You make me burn from the inside out.”

  “I think…”

  He placed one long finger against her lips. “If you’re about to make a comment about me and another woman, I promise you’ll unleash that hidden side you keep wondering about.”

  She shut her mouth.

  “Better. Let’s try this again.” This kiss was longer, more satisfying. Hot and restless.

  “I got a bite!” She grabbed for the pole. It had almost been jerked out of her hands.

  “Throw it back,” he suggested.

  “Are you nuts? Quick, get the net!”

  He sighed, but helped her haul forty-five pounds of thrashing, slippery fish on board.

  “Call it a day?” he asked hopefully after the fish had been stored in the live well.

  “No way! I’m on a roll now.”

  Unfortunately for him, she was. He let her haul in three more monster fish before declaring she’d caught her legal limit.

  She was beginning to think he didn’t have much use for fishing.

  She smiled at the wind in her face as he steered them back. “We’ll have to do this again soon.”

  Fallon grunted.

  “You know what we should do? We should build a fire on the beach and cook the fish over the coals. What leaves do you have that are edible?�
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  “We could let my cook do it, too. He does a great grilled fish.”

  She frowned. “I’ll compromise. We’ll set up a grill in my garden and eat it out there. I’m good at barbeque. I know you have sweet potatoes here, and we’ll cook a couple of those, too. You can have your cook do a side dish and dessert.”

  He smirked. “I had no idea you were so domestic.”

  “Well, I am letting you contribute something, even if you have to pay someone else to cook it. After all, I did catch all the fish.”

  “I provided the boat.”

  “Doesn’t count.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “I’ll think of a reason,” she promised.

  He laughed.

  CHAPTER 7

  They set up the picnic in her garden. The wok-like grill on the tripod slowly baked their dinner as they lounged on the blanket by the light of the triple moons. Rain considered them as she sipped her dream flower wine. “Can you ever see the stars? There’s all this light.”

  “Sometimes. They have different cycles, but we actually have a few days each month with only one moon.”

  “Wow. Must be hard to have much of an observatory. Who named this place the Dark Lands, then?”

  “Someone with a taste for drama. Did you know the elders arrived early? Their party is tomorrow afternoon.”

  She was silent. While she didn’t want to go, it was the best way to get answers.

  “Even if you don’t want to celebrate for their sake, you should go for your own. There will be other women there, and it would be good for you to get out of your room once in a while and make friends.”

  “I don’t socialize well.”

  “Practice helps.”

  She waved that off. “You haven’t seen me discuss the wonders of computer hacking or the thrill of magnetics with a room full of bored women before. They don’t care about science and I don’t care about waxing. You see the problem.”