Free Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 03 - Dark Legacy by Nancy K. Duplechain Page B

guy out. Fast.”
     
    ***
    Noah dropped
Nadia off at the convent and apologized to Sister Alice. He said Nadia had been
with him at his house, and she could call his mother if she didn’t believe him.
The nun was still not happy with Nadia running off, but held her tongue.
    When Noah got
home, he found Selena in the kitchen. She was on the phone, and he was
surprised to see her smiling.
    He leaned
against the door frame to the kitchen. She grinned at him. For the first time
in a long time, she had a light in her eyes.
    “Yes,” she said,
nodding with the receiver to her ear. “I can do that. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Thank you again. Goodbye.” As soon as she hung up, she jumped up and squealed.
She wrapped her arms around Noah and danced with him. Despite the night he had,
he couldn’t help but smile. It was good to see her happy.
    “Are you going
to tell me?” he said.
    She went to the
refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of peach wine. “That was the principal at St.
Sebastian’s! I applied there a couple of weeks ago. She wants me to meet her tomorrow
afternoon. Their first grade teacher’s husband got transferred to Atlanta, and
they need someone to take her place right away.” She opened the cabinet doors,
searching. “Where are the wine glasses?” she muttered to herself and then
checked the dishwasher.
    “That’s great.
You think you’re gonna get it?”
    “It looks really
good, baby. Really good.” She grabbed a couple of plastic cups from the
cupboard and poured the wine, handing Noah a cup. “I’m only giving you a
little, okay? Don’t tell anyone.” She giggled and touched her cup to his.
“Bottoms up!”
    After they
downed their cups, she said, “I really feel like things are looking up.”
    He didn’t have
the heart to dash her hopes.

11
Dying Ember
     
    “We have to
protect her!”
    “We will. I
think if we follow the trail of the grimoire—”
    “Screw the damn
book! This is my mother we’re talking about!”
    Miles maintained
his calm demeanor. “I’m doing everything I can.”
    “Well it’s not
enough!” Noah punched the wall near the door frame, leaving a small dent. “It’s
not enough, Miles!”
    The doorbell
rang. Noah looked like he wanted to say more. He and Miles just stood there in
the foyer, facing each other.
    “I will help you and your mother,” assured Miles.
    Noah shook his
head, too angry to even speak. The only words his frustration would allow were “It
can’t wait.” He swung open the front door and saw an elderly priest on the
other side. He brushed past him, not even saying hello.
    The priest
looked at Miles with questioning eyes.
    “Hello, Ben,”
said Miles.
    Ben looked over
his shoulder at Noah, who walked briskly toward the Charger in the driveway. Ben
went inside the house, and Miles closed the door behind them.
    Almost back at
the car, Noah stopped midway. He realized who the priest was. It must have been
the paladin Miles and Sister Alice talked about. He snuck back toward the house
and peeked in through the living room window. There was too much condensation
on the glass, but he could hear every word spoken.
     
    ***
     
    Miles could tell
right away Ben’s smile was fake because it did not show in the old man’s deep
and tired eyes. What did show was pain and sorrow just behind the mask.
    “Hello, Miles,”
he said in his raspy voice. For the all the years he had been a priest at St. John’s
in Lafayette, he had insisted on not using a microphone, instead using his
commanding voice that echoed to the last pew and even made fidgety and
squirming children pay attention.
    Miles looked
concerned. “Please come in.” He led him to the living room where they sat on
the leather sofa near the fireplace.
    Ben looked
around the vast room and at the collection of leather-bound books stacked on
shelves that covered a whole wall. He took in the grandeur of the fireplace
with the stone lion face embedded in the mantle. He leaned back on