Eclipse

9.

Disintegrate

The cover of the book slammed shut with an audible thump. I stared at the dark space in front of me in shock. Well what did you expect, Megs? A lovely little happy ending where a wolf child just pops out? You should know better. But that was the problem. I didn't know what I should have expected. Maybe I expected something not so... wrong, perhaps? I didn't know.

"Megan?" Kieran murmured through the door, his voice surprisingly clear considering the time. He must have been awake for a long while.

"Yeah?" I replied shakily, and the door swung open with a soft squeak. Kieran glanced at the book on my lap and nodded to himself in understanding.

"The first one is a dark story, isn't it?"

"Is it a story, or..." I couldn't bring myself to voice the second thought from a mixture of fear and the absolute ridiculousness if it was actually...

"You could make your own assumptions regarding its merit as a story, but to be honest, it isn't that farfetched, all things considering. No one really knows how the Lupi came into existence, but I like to think that this is why."

"Comforting," I muttered. "So you couldn't sleep either, eh?"

Kieran's silhouette shook his head. "Not a chance. I've been trying to figure out what my next plan of action's going to be. You being here changes it all, too, to top it all off."

"Me?" I asked disbelievingly, raising my eyebrows. "Well, don't let me hold you back!"

Kieran shook his head with a small laugh and switched on the light, and I stared.

To put it simply, he looked like he'd just woken up from a drunken blackout from a wild night of partying. His shirt was crumpled and out of alignment, his hair stood up in all directions and purple bags hung under drooping and drowsy eyes.

"It isn't very polite to stare, Miss Vaughn," he scolded with mock condescension. "And besides, you don't look any better," he added, abandoning his supercilious tone.

"I'm not the slightest bit surprised," I mumbled as I got to my feet, Larentia's story still fresh in my mind. I wasn't going to be getting any sleep any time soon. "What now?"

"Now? A black coffee, to start. Then... ugh, damn it, I can't think straight," Kieran muttered, breaking off into a string of inaudible profanities. "Coffee first. Plans later."

I hunched over the bar stool on the other side of the kitchen counter while Kieran fiddled with the coffee machine, trying to extract the strongest possible drink out of it.

"Not very good machines, are you?" I asked wryly once he finally drew away from the machine with two steaming mugs of an almost tar like substance.

"No, not really," he replied taking a large gulp of the scalding liquid. I glanced down at the jet black liquid in distaste and hastily stirred in a good amount of milk and two sugars.

"I don't know how you drink that shit," I muttered, flinching at the flavour which was still too strong for my taste.

"It's an acquired taste, Megs."

I fought back a wince at the nickname that taunting little voice in my head called me. "Yeah. Sure."

After mere minutes, Kieran slammed his mug on the counter, and I could see the renewed life in his eyes, sparkling with the caffeine high. "Right. Let's get started."

I watched him quietly, sipping my coffee, as he brought an inch high stack of papers to the counter, topped with the book he'd given me previously.