Northcliffe (The Ethereal Crossings, 3)

By D.L. Miles

Liv feels as if her problems are pulling her apart. Her new transformation has left her with powers she doesn’t want. Jared has decided to stay in Ellengale, but has started to get annoyingly possessive of her. Luke is still vanishing into Shadeland, and his trips are getting longer. There are more attacks in town, and Liv’s older brother Neeson seems to be involved.
Desperate for help, Liv contacts the only person she thinks will help her; and Agent Tang comes running. But when they discover that the deaths are actually casualties of a war they need to find out whose war it is, and Liv hopes Neeson isn’t part of it. Because if he is, SILC will have a new target to make disappear.

• Language: English
• Publisher: D.L. Miles
• Release date: Mar 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301578283

D.L. Miles

Miles is a Sun Scorpio with the heart of a Moon Pisces. She began her publishing journey in 2012, admittedly maybe a little too soon. Her eclectic taste comes through in each book she writes, ranging from soft fantasy romances to dark brooding poetry to serial killers that hold a grudge.For special offers and updates check out her Patreon! www.patreon.com/dlmilesbooks

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Northcliffe

D.L. Miles

Copyright 2013 by Devin Miles

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental

Cover photography by Marek Szturc/Unsplash.com and Adrien Ledoux/Unsplash.com

Books by D.L. Miles

The Ethereal Crossings

Shadeland

Fenridge

Northcliffe

Glenbrook

The Dark Origins

Shimmering

Phasing

Igniting

Threads of Chaos

Astral Bodies

With Cross & Charm

Prologue

Neeson hated what he had to hide from his sister, but this was for her own good. If she knew the truth about the body found in the woods, knew how he was a part of it, she might not forgive him. He considered himself lucky that she was even willing to look at him after she found out that he was a werewolf.

He tried to hide a sigh by blowing on his coffee, Liv long gone after he had warned her not to investigate the body with Jared. If they did, he couldn’t guarantee either of their safety, not from them.

How could she want that life? And how did she find out that their mother was possibly Eidolon? Neeson wasn’t even sure he believed it.

But that didn’t matter right now. He shook his head, hoping to clear his thoughts.

What mattered was making them happy, then they would leave him, and his family, alone. As long as he did what they said, they’d remain peaceful and only attack when threatened.

Wouldn’t they?

Chapter 1

I spun in a circle in my little chair at work, tapping the down button on my keyboard to make it look like I was still working just to waste the last five minutes. It had been two weeks since my transformation, and it was so much easier to get bored now. I scrolled down a few pages, and spun in another circle.

Susie’s head popped up behind me, and she laughed, Why don’t you just clock out early if you want? You got what, two seconds left of your shift?

I twisted my neck to see her and shrugged. I’m not getting picked up for another half hour. My hands immediately went to my phone, where the message from Luke still sat declaring he would be late. But a sigh escaped my lungs again, and my head lolled back on the chair.

Susie shrugged, but stayed with me. Her arms rested on the cubicle walls, watching my movements. She asked, So how’s the boyfriend?

I flinched. I hadn’t meant to, it just happened, but my thoughts went immediately to Jared. Ever since they found out I was seeing someone, which I wasn’t even sure I was, they had taken a huge interest in me. Specifically the girls on either side of my cubicle. I said, I don’t have a boyfriend. Because honestly, I didn’t know what Jared was.

Right, right. She waved her hands at me with a roll of her eyes. The guy you’re seeing. I thought girls your age just skipped all that and went right to declaring your love.

She eyed me a moment before jumping back down to her cubicle. My phone buzzed and I got an illegible text from Luke; which meant he had jumped into Shadeland.

It had become a regular thing to find white smoke in our apartment, it happened whenever Luke accidentally sent himself into the other world, or he was pulled there; I wasn’t allowed to know how it worked. Either way, it wasn’t his choice and that worried me.

I quickly gathered my things, deciding I would be walking home that evening since I never knew how long Luke would stay in the Shade. Susie and I exchanged an awkward wave, and I headed to the elevator. My finger pressed the cool button already beginning to bounce on my heels as I waited. That was something else that came with the dragon’s venom; lots of energy.

It was still hard to wrap my mind around that fact; I was part dragon. Me. Liv Burnett. Voted absolutely nothing in high school, was part Eidolon. It was just my biology that had changed, but it was enough. My fingertips touched the soft skin of my cheekbone, reminding myself that there weren’t scales there. Not anymore.

The elevators dinged open, and I stepped into the empty box, my finger shoving against another button. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if I would see Jared soon, especially after the last conversation we had had.

My thoughts drifted towards Neeson, my older brother, and the last conversation we had had as well. He had warned me to not get involved with the latest death in the Ellengale area; a body of a person had been found mangled in the Northcliffe woods. It was an animal attack, but when I showed interest in it, Neeson had told me not to get involved. He was hiding something, and I wanted to find out what, but the fear in his eyes made me stall. I looked down at my fingernails, noticing their hard shine. I didn’t want Neeson involved in this.

The elevator dinged again as the doors opened on the third floor, and two men stepped inside. They stood in front of me, not even giving me a glance; that’s usually how it went between those that worked in data entry, and those that worked, well, everywhere else in the building.

I noticed their suits were tailored perfectly, my new vision giving me more details than I would have liked. The one on my right had two dogs, both golden retrievers; one was young, while the other was turning white with age. The man on my left smelled of coffee and stale doughnuts as he played on his phone. Beneath that I could smell a cologne and perfume, one sweeter, older that the musky one. Women’s perfume? I noticed the white tan line of a wedding ring and shook my head. How obvious could a person be?

He said, There’s been another attack, eh. Another body, some guy from Haddonfield got tossed off the cliffs or something. The doors shut, the elevator gliding into motion.

Seriously? His coworker glanced back at me and I averted my gaze. "What’s gotten into this town? I moved here to get away from the murder."

Nah, said the other man, it’s another animal attack. They’re thinking it might be a bear.

The dog owner snorted, Yeah right! Those freaks know just how to make it look like an ‘animal attack’. You think those feds would come back for it?

Feds? questioned one. The elevator dinged again, and the men climbed off as the doors opened. A woman got on, giving me a smile. It was hard to give her one back, so I merely looked away.

As the doors shut again, she pressed a button for Parking and asked, Not to be rude, but what are you?

My eyebrows resisted a raise, my eyes glancing at her. Pardon?

It’s okay. With eyes burning red, she faced me. I’m not about to out you. But you weren’t always Eidolon, right? You Changed.

How can you tell? I asked. It wasn’t like I had to ask; all the Eidolon seemed to tell by scent; that was how Neeson and Dr. Wineman knew anyway.

You’re aura, she shrugged, light blonde hair barely shaking from the motion. It’s wavy now, a little more—clear.

When the elevator doors opened again it was, thankfully, the ground floor. I didn’t look at the woman as I stepped off and she didn’t ask me anything else.

I really hated that nobody knew dragons still existed. It was getting annoying; almost every Eidolon I ran into would ask what I was because as far as they knew, dragons were extinct. Well, most of them anyway; apparently there were poachers that knew of them. My bones were now great weapons, and could sell for thousands, if not millions, of dollars.

The image of Utah Turner, local illegal animal dealer, drug dealer, and apparently witch, came to mind. He had tried stealing one of Harker’s…no, one of Melody’s victims last week. The blonde girl with the daisy in her hair…but she wasn’t one of their victims, was she? I was still confused about everything; her leg had been cut off by an instrument, not torn off by an animal. A fire burned in the pit of my stomach, growing stronger with anger at the thought of the poachers. How could they do such a thing?

I moved past the front desk and into the late summer air, wishing that it would rain. Reading a book in my room, with the rain pattering against the glass…it was hypnotic. As I was about to cross the street a hand caught my arm.

Hey, Liv, Harker said, his shaggy hair looking even worse than when I had last seen him. Which was saying a lot, considering I had seen him about to kill himself after realizing what he was becoming. What I had almost become.

Harker? my voice was quiet. What are you doing here?

His eyes fell to the concrete beneath our feet, his fingers beginning to play with the edges of his oversized tee-shirt when his hand dropped. He confessed, I just wanted to see you. I had a—um—doctor’s appointment in town and thought I would come by.

I had a feeling his appointment was with a therapist, but I didn’t say anything.

Why me? I glanced over my shoulder, and then asked, Do you want to come to my apartment? We can talk there if you like.

He smiled, his eyes taking on a sudden sparkle. Sure.

We started walking. I kept my hands wrapped around the strap of my side bag, not sure how I was going to entertain Harker at home. Guests weren’t exactly my strong suit.

How are you doing…with your…Change? Harked suddenly asked. I could smell tea coming from his breath, black, with just a bit of sugar. After that it was a flowery scent of condition from his hair, and a soapy smell from his skin.

I shrugged. It’s fine. I’m used to it. I gave him a sidelong glance. How are you doing?

Okay. He scratched the back of his head. Just have to deal with…the nightmares.

Sorry, I mumbled, unsure of what else I was supposed to say. It’ll get better.

We rounded a corner and were only a few blocks away from the apartment. A dread began to come over me, the thought of Kat hit me with a fresh slash of guilt. The image of him lying on the ground, bleeding to death from a cursed bullet; one of Jared’s cursed bullets. My lips pulled inwards at the thought of his empty apartment that sat next to mine. Someone was set to move in already tomorrow, according to Luke.

I wanted to ask… Harker began. Those animal attacks…they weren’t me, were they?

He stopped me on the sidewalk, a few humans wandering by. They didn’t seem to care for our conversation, maybe because the attacks were all anyone talked about. After two serial killers…death was all that seemed to happen in Ellengale.

I shook my head. No. It’s something else, I silently added. And hopefully not what I think it is.

Harker gave me another weak smile, clearly not relieved. So I told him, Come on. We can talk more inside.

It was quiet on the way back to the apartment from there. Well, as quiet as it would ever be for me. The normal songs of the birds sounded like screeches, even the sounds of our footsteps seemed overbearing at times. When we made it to the front doors of my building, I got my mail, and led Harker up the stairs.

Do you live alone? he asked, sounding nervous. I wondered if I had always been able to hear people’s voices shake as easily before.

I live with a friend, I told him, reaching my floor. Why was Harker so curious about this?

Boyfriend?

Friend. I jammed my key in the lock, and shoved the door open. We were welcomed with abnormally cool air, which I recently learned was a side effect of Luke travelling into Shadeland. I pointed Harker towards the living room and shut the door behind us, my eyes avoiding Kat’s door.

I had yet to deliver his dying message.

You have a very nice home, Harker called to me as I hung up my bag on the rustic coatrack. I wish I could move out of my mother’s house.

I turned the corner to find him standing awkwardly by the window, the very same one he had crawled through to attack Neeson. He peeked at it and quickly moved to sit on the couch. I joined him.

You thought you killed those two people in the woods? I asked, already seeing the answer on his face.

He slowly nodded. I don’t remember it, he gave me, but I just…I don’t know. When I heard animal attacks I just thought…

It is an animal, I lied, the SILC agents already went back to— I stalled, not knowing where they were actually from. Considering the number of questions I had for them about my mother I thought I would try and contact them. But the business cards of Agent Eyre and Agent Tang sat unused on my dresser, right next to my silver box.

Thanks, Harker leaned forward, covering his face, I guess I just…I wanted someone to tell me I’m not a killer. Even though—

You’re not, I said as I stood, do you want something to drink?

Um…tea? he requested and I nodded. I moved into the kitchen and put the kettle on the stove, preparing the cups. When I came back around the corner his left leg was bouncing on the couch, teeth biting down on his nails. At least he wasn’t part dragon anymore, like me; that bite might have brought blood.

I sat down next to him again, grateful that Harmony was able to save him. It must have been hard, to be saved by the twin sister of the girl that used you as a weapon; I couldn’t even imagine what that was like.

Can I— he started, his speech breaking off into fragments. Can I—I mean…I just. Would you mind if I came to see you, sometimes? I just…I can’t talk to anyone about it. I want to talk about it.

What about your therapist? I suggested, not keen on the idea of his visits. Not that I was going to refuse, I just wasn’t sure if I was the person he should be talking to.

He can’t. He can’t understand.

I guess so, then, I shrugged, just call before you come over. You still have my number?

He nodded. I had given his mother my contact information when he was in the hospital, just after I had found him in Utah’s shed. Neither of them had contacted me though. Until now.

Harker whispered, I’m scared.

Of what? I rested my head against my fingers, elbow touching the armrest.

Me? Witches? I don’t know. Everything, maybe. His leg finally stopped bouncing as he faced me.

You don’t need to be afraid of yourself, I said. Witches, however, were a wise thing to add to the list. I shivered as I thought of Yamuna and her expanding prison. Had Jared done anything about that? Whenever I asked about the witch he changed the subject.

Harker shook his head. But I should, shouldn’t I? Even before I had…before I started my Change, I couldn’t trust myself. The things I did; I should be afraid of me, shouldn’t I?

Were we talking about fear, or trust? I wondered. But Harker seemed to be talking about both.

We all have our choices, I muttered, make them one at a time.

But I’m always wrong, he whispered. I could smell the tears brimming on his eyes; taste the salt of them before they even fell. It was terrifying. Harker jumped at the sound of the kettle, and I told him I would be back.

As I poured the water into the cups, a tangy taste hit my tongue. Before I even turned around, I said, Hi Luke.

Hey, Liv, my friend groaned, breathless. How’d you know?

I can taste when you’re back. The kettle just boiled.

Okay.

Harker appeared around the corner, eyes wide on Luke. My eyes flicked between them, and I passed Harker a steaming cup. He asked, Should I—leave?

It’s fine. I blew on my cup, even though it wasn’t necessary. I wasn’t capable of getting burned, not with the Fenridge Dragons Clan venom in me.

I need to call Richard, Luke said as he tried to smile, but it came out strained as he took himself out of the room.

Part of me wanted to rush after him, to figure out what was going on, but everyone had made it very clear that I was not to be involved. Even Jared was against me finding out why Luke was travelling into the Shade. Harker seemed to notice my indecision as I debated on what to do.

Is everything all right? he murmured. Your friend?

He’s fine, I lied again. Let’s sit down.

Harker only stayed for another hour after that, and by the time he left I felt drained. After checking on Luke quickly, and seeing he was already passed out in bed, moved to my own. Azazel, my latest roommate, purred at my ankles.

He was the size of an adult cat now, already twice his size in less than a week. Fully grown in less than two months. I greeted him and he jumped with an unusual grace onto the bed, his strange collar that bound him to his current form swinging along with him.

I glanced at the SILC cards that sat on my dresser, and sighed. I wanted so badly to call one of the agents, to demand they tell me their connection to my mother. But after finding out that she was Eidolon, or I thought she was, and that she worked with SILC, I wasn’t sure how much more I wanted to know.

I had told Neeson my thoughts as well, though I made sure to not mention that our mom possibly worked for the Shadeland Investigative and Liaison Consultants. Or that they wanted me to join them as well. Resisting the call of SILC, I flopped onto my bed with another sigh. Azazel nuzzled at my cheek and I gave him a pat.

Data entry was no longer what I wanted to do. Granted, it was never what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but it was there. It was simple, and I made enough to live off of while putting some away for a rainy day. But what good was I doing? I wanted to help people, and sitting in front of a computer transferring data wasn’t going to do that.

My head rolled to the side, and just over Azazel’s grey fur I saw that it was already seven o’clock. And before I knew what I was doing, I was dialing Jared’s number.

Chapter 2

Jared told me he was downtown and I asked if I could meet him at the diner, or something. He said that he would pick me up and was already on his way. My stomach began to do a strange flutter like it usually did when I thought of him. At first I had actually thought I was sick, but Luke noticed and reassured me it was normal.

Huh. Normal.

Like I was even close to that.

But instead of worrying about it, I hurried downstairs and waited in the parking lot. It was only a few minutes until I could hear Jared’s black Charger rumbling in the distance, and shortly it came into view. The sun was setting, casting a reflection of purple and gold onto the windshield, obscuring his face. As he approached I came forward, and the car slowed to a stop in front of me.

Jared leaned over and pushed the door open just as I reached for the handle. When I climbed in he shot me a grin. Hey, honey. Miss me?

I paused as I buckled my seatbelt, looking to him with wide eyes. Should I have?

His smile faltered, and he shook his head with a small laugh. No, never mind. Let’s go grab a bite.

I felt like I had failed, which was ridiculous. All he did was ask a question, and I had replied with another question. How could I have gotten it wrong? But my lips tightened as we drove towards downtown, my brain trying to figure out what to say.

Jared had decided to stay because of me, at least that’s what he didn’t say. I had learned that when it came to him, he usually said the opposite of what he meant. When I asked if he was going to stay in Ellengale, he told me it was because of Violet and Yamuna, and I was an afterthought. But I felt like that was a lie.

As we pulled in front of the diner I climbed out of the Charger too quickly. The smell of leather and steel was overpowering, more so than usual. And the scent of dirt,