Page 23 of Crimson Moon Falling

Emmett’s lips curled up. “Nice to meet you too, Eli’s daughter. Finish your food, then we’ll talk.” He strode back to the kitchen.

When I sat back down, my appetite was gone. Gunnar didn’t suffer from the problem. He looked over at my half-eaten plate.

“You gonna finish that?”

I pushed the plate toward him as the bell on the door jangled. “It’s all yours.”

Glancing up, I saw Zaria Novak walk into the diner. Her eyes immediately found mine, and a small smile touched her lips. She inclined her head, then went to the counter and pulled up a stool.

“Hey, Zar. The usual?” Donna asked her.

“Yes, please, and a latte with the pistachio and rose flavor. I would like it to go today.”

Donna smirked. “You got it. One bowl of Emmett’s granola with plain Greek yogurt, and a fancy-ass latte to go.”

When the server left, Zaria turned her stool to look at me. Her long, stark white hair hung over her shoulder in a loose braid, and she wore a beautiful green knit cardigan.

I pushed on Gunnar’s arm to let me out of the booth. He grunted in annoyance, but set his fork down and let me out. Zaria smiled when I walked over and patted the stool next to hers. Even through the smell of bacon and coffee, I detected the faint scent of lavender and witch hazel on her.

“Hello, Riley Blackthorne. When I woke up this morning, I had a craving for Emmett’s homemade granola, even though he sometimes uses too much flaxseed, and now I know why. How is your investigation going?”

“Alright. Thank you for meeting with us the other day.” I paused, unsure how to ask my next question. “You said you could show me how to manage the cold inside me.”

She turned her stool to study me. “Yes. I sensed it inside you. I’ve never felt anything like it, and it seems to be… separate from you. Do you know what causes it?”

As Conall watched us closely and the men finished their food, I told Zaria about the implant. Her eyes flickered as I glossed over the Roswell facility, but intense anger and pain swirled through her aura. As I finished, Donna handed the witch her order, and Zaria pulled a twenty from her pocket and laid it on the counter.

Her aura dimmed as she slipped off the stool. “Your eyes are such a unique shade of blue, almost violet. The cold inside you is not static. I think it can be molded, or perhaps bargained with. If I have time left, I will try to help you. Maybe I could meet you at Viggo’s cabin next week to look through his overlarge book collection.”

“I would like that.” I stepped back, sorry that she was leaving.

Zaria turned and walked out. When I went back to the table, Donna came over, her eyes sharp.

“You folks done stirring up trouble?”

“We just need information.” Conall laid two hundred-dollar bills on the table as Donna cleared our plates.

The server deftly scooped up the bills and finished gathering our plates. “You folks need anything else?”

Conall shook his head. “No, thank you. Keep the change.”

It was just after eleven when Emmett emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron. “Breakfast’s over,” he announced in a loud, rumbling voice. When nobody moved, his scowl deepened. “Get the fuck out.”

“Come on, Emmett,” a worker at the bar grumbled. “We just got our food.”

Emmett’s response was a low, distinctly inhuman rumble that made the silverware rattle. Chairs scraped across linoleum as people hurried to comply. The workers grumbled but didn’t argue. A few brave souls grabbed takeout containers from a stack by the register and scooped eggs and pancakes into them. Donna rolled her eyes as she rang up the last few customers, but she didn’t contradict her boss.

Within minutes, the café had emptied, and Emmett flipped the sign to “Closed.”

“Donna, you can go. I’ll clean up.” The server glared at us before heading out the front door, Emmett locking it behind her.

Then he pulled a chair from a nearby table, flipped it around, and straddled it, his thick forearms resting on the backrest.

“You have your daddy’s eyes. That’s the giveaway—even more than the energy.”

“You knew my father?”

He rubbed his head. “Yeah. I’m one of the few black bears left from a sleuth out of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Your father tried to keep us safe while he was the admin there.”