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  THE RUIN BENEATH

  AUSTRALIAN SUPERNATURAL: GOLDFIELDS - BOOK FOUR

  NICOLE R. TAYLOR

  The Ruin Beneath (Australian Supernatural: Goldfields - Book Four) by Nicole R. Taylor

  Copyright © 2022-23 by Nicole R. Taylor

  All rights reserved.

  This book is written in British/AU English.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  www.nicolertaylorwrites.com

  Cover Design: Miblart

  Edited by: Silvia Curry

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  The Australian Supernatural Universe

  More by Nicole

  VIP Newsletter

  About Nicole

  CHAPTER 1

  Holly Burke stood in the middle of Samantha Dunne’s living room, wondering how it’d all come down to this—wearing yet another black dress.

  It was her third funeral since moving to Dunloe. First was Marty Dunne, then his daughter Sarah, and now Samantha Dunne was laid to rest with her family—although Sarah’s remains were still inside the Union Reef Mine.

  Holly sighed, making a mental note to ask Jin if he could do something about that. They should be together, because apparently, it was a big thing to bury a witch’s remains, cremated or otherwise. It was why the other Trine members’ families had chosen not to inter Kate or Miranda in the Dunloe cemetery.

  Samantha had been quite specific about hers.

  After being damaged the night of the ritual, the Colonial-era house had been repaired, especially for the wake. The ruined plasterboard was patched and painted, the splintered furniture removed, along with everything else that’d transpired here.

  Erased, Holly thought. Just like everything supernatural that happened in this stupid town.

  Now it was full of the who’s who of Dunloe, all dressed in their finest black outfits, making it feel like more like a networking event than a wake.

  Holly’s irritation grew at the sight of the mayor sharing a joke with another man she didn’t recognise—probably someone with deep pockets.

  She glanced at Jin, who was talking to an older man by the ornate fireplace. Sensing her gaze, he looked up and raised his eyebrows. Offering him a reassuring smile, she turned back to the refreshments table in front of her and began to make a cup of tea.

  Pouring hot water into a cup, she stared blankly as the tea began steeping. It’d been three nights since the standoff with Hazel at the cottage. Three nights since Samantha had ended the ritual with the blade of Hannah’s ritual anthame.

  Everyone had found peace in the aftermath, even the mass of spirits trapped by the vortex. So why did she feel so conflicted?

  “The coroner said it was an accident,” a woman behind her said, “but everyone knows it wasn’t.”

  Another woman gasped. “Samantha Dunne would never.”

  “She did. That poor woman lost her entire family in the span of a few months. That kind of grief would be more than enough, don’t you think?” She clucked her tongue. “It’s a terrible tragedy.”

  Holly’s eyes narrowed. The last thing Samantha would’ve tolerated was people thinking she was weak. She’d stride in here wearing her pearls and tailored pantsuit and cut all these gossiping busybodies down to size with nothing but her sharp tongue. One cutthroat remark and the entire town would cower in terrified silence.

  But Holly wasn’t Samantha.

  Abandoning the tea, she went outside. Autumn was giving way to winter; the sky was clogged with steely-grey clouds, the oak trees hugging the footpaths had finally dropped all their leaves, and the air carried a hint of ice that seemed as if it’d floated all the way from Antarctica.

  Holly sat on the porch steps, her thoughts moving to Sarah as she hugged her arms around her middle. So much had happened since she’d arrived in Dunloe. All this death and suffering, all because of the seductive lure of power held in a magical anomaly that no one understood…not even Hazel Burke.

  The door opened behind her, and she sensed another witch. She could tell the difference between human and supernatural now, though apparently, there were ways to hide it. Just when magic started to make sense, the rules seemed to change.

  “There you are,” Fiona said, sitting beside her. “It’s freezing out here.”

  “It feels kinda nice. It was stuffy in there.”

  “You’ll catch a chill if you’re not careful. Are you sure you won’t come inside?”

  She shook her head. “I can’t stand hearing all the gossip.”

  “Don’t listen to them. People always run their mouths off about useless crap. The juicer, the better. It gives them an escape from their miserable human lives.”

  Holly scowled. “Samantha died saving this town from a horde of corrupted spirits, and they’ll never know what she did for them.”

  Fiona was silent for a moment. “This is what it means to be supernatural in a world where we’re the minority. Humanity can’t know about us for so many reasons. We protect our world from magical threats, not for the adoration but because it’s the right thing to do. That’s what witchcraft is.”

  “I know,” Holly whispered. “It’s just…hard.”

  She wished she could wave a magic wand and make them all have a little compassion. Or at least cover them in boils or make them throw up slugs. Petty, but oh-so satisfying.

  “I sat here with Sarah the day of her father’s funeral,” she went on. “Then I attended hers here, too. I never thought I’d be doing it again.”

  “It seems like the bad part is behind us,” Fiona murmured. “Dunloe is safe. The spirits are at rest, and life is already returning to the diggings. This is what Samantha gave her life for. Peace.”

  Holly knew she was right, though she wished it hadn’t come to this. If she’d known more about magic, then maybe she could’ve stopped Hazel from starting the ritual in the first place.

  “Holly?”

  The witches looked up as Patrick appeared in the doorway behind them.

  “There’s a man here to see you,” he said.

  “A man?” Her heart stuttered as she wondered if it was her dad. “Who?”

  “He said he’s a solicitor…”

  Her expression fell as she realised what was happening. Samantha Dunne had left a will.

  Inside, Holly hesitated as she felt curious eyes turn towards her.

  “Do we have to do this now?” she hissed, grabbing Patrick’s sleeve. “It’s been five seconds.”

  “He’s waiting in the study.”

  Jin appeared beside them. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s some lawyer here to see me,” Holly told him with a scowl.

  “Samantha left a will,” Patrick explained. “He’s here to satisfy the human concept of bureaucracy.”

  “I didn’t know dying came with so much paperwork,” she drawled.

  “You should probably see what it’s about,” Jin murmured. “It’s a lot, but it seems like it was important to her that it was done today. Witches always have their reasons.”

  Holly sighed. “An ironic concept that’s still lost on me.”

  “Do you want us to come with you?” Fiona asked.

  “He asked for her alone,” Patrick said.

  “Of course he did.” Holly rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the nosy townspeople trying to eavesdrop.

  “Don’t worry about them,” Jin told her. “We’ll keep them busy. Any requests?”

  “No mind-control,” she scolded. “Not today.”

  Patrick shot a warning glare at Jin. “Not unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” the vampire replied.

  Holly turned towards the study, her heart hammering. Prior preparation meant Samantha had known there was no hope of her surviving. What could they have done differently if they’d known? Nothing was the answer.

  She wondered if Samantha had kept it to herself because she knew it’d only cause unnecessary turmoil in an already impossible situation. Hope was sometimes the only thing that kept people going when all other lights had gone out.

  All Holly was certain of was that Samantha Dunne was one hell of a complicated woman.

  Taking a deep breath, she went into the study.

  A middle-aged man wearing a black suit looked up at her appearance, smiling as she closed the door behind her.

  “Miss Burke?” He held out his hand. “I’m Matthew Stuart, one of Mrs. Dunne’s solicitors.”

  She raised an eyebrow. One of? Not only did the Trine rule with an iron fist, but they also had an army of lawyers—but then again, nothing surprised her anymore.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” he went on. “And I’m sorry to be bothering you with all this, today of all days, but it was Mrs. Dunne’s wish that her affairs be settled at the first possible moment.”
br />   “Affairs?” She narrowed her eyes. “She wants me to handle all this?”

  “As Mrs. Dunne has no living blood relatives, she made you the principal executor of her will,” he stated, unclipping his briefcase. “Her late ex-husband has family, but they have no claim. They shouldn’t bother you.”

  “Executor? What does that mean?”

  “You will be in control of all her earthly assets and affairs once you sign.” Mr. Stuart shuffled some papers and took out a thick stack that had been tabbed with coloured page flags. “As per her request, everything has been prepared, so all you have to worry about it asset management. All debts are clear, and insurances have been consolidated. All that’s left to do is transfer ownership.”

  “Ownership?”

  “Yes, for the title of the house, bank accounts, and investments.”

  Holly stared at him, unable to move. Samantha had left everything to her? Her house, her money, her belongings. It was all hers?

  “W-why?” she stammered.

  “It’s not for me to know why,” the solicitor told her. “I’m here to make sure her last wishes are carried out. For me, that just means paperwork.”

  “And for me?” she asked. “Once everything is signed over, what are Samantha’s wishes? I mean, what does she want me to do with all of it?”

  He reached inside his briefcase again and took out a sealed envelope. “Once the signatures are complete, I’ve been instructed to hand this over. I gather there’ll be an explanation inside, but I’m never privy to that sort of information.” He held out a fancy black and gold pen. “I know this is a difficult time, so whenever you’re ready. I can give you the room if it makes you more comfortable.”

  Holly took the pen with a shaky hand. “What do I do?”

  Mr. Stuart tapped the bright yellow flag on the front of the paperwork. “Just sign and date on each indicated page.”

  She sat at the desk, her hands shaking. Why her? After all they’d been through—the Trine’s conspiracy, the conduit myth, the vortex, the murders, the anomaly—why her?

  Because Samantha had no one else. She’d lost her entire family, the Trine was broken, the coven had abandoned her, and her past deeds had haunted her right until the end. Holly was the one surviving person who she’d hurt most of all, besides her abuse of Patrick. But she was all she’d had left.

  Holly wasn’t sure how to feel about any of it.

  “Would you like me to give you a moment?” Mr. Stuart asked.

  Blinking, she shook her head. “No. No, it’s fine.”

  Scratching the pen across the page, she signed at the first marker, then the next. The solicitor flipped each page for her, explaining what each one was for before she signed those, too.

  Finally, it was done.

  Just like that.

  “Here’s a copy of the paperwork. It outlines everything we’ve done here today, as well as a comprehensive list of assets. If you have any questions, here is my card.” He placed a business card on the contracts. “Feel free to contact me at any time, day or night. And finally…” He produced Samantha’s letter and set it on top like an explosive cherry. “Once again, I’m sorry for your loss, Miss Burke.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, staring at the scrawled handwriting on the envelope that read, Holly Burke.

  She didn’t know when Mr. Stuart left, but when she finally picked up the crisp white letter, she was alone. Sliding the page out, she unfolded it and read the single handwritten sentence.

  Better you have it all than let Marty’s bogun brother get his grubby hands on it.

  It was such a Samantha thing to say.

  A sudden thud startled her out of her reverie, and her hand flew to her chest.

  “Bloody hell,” she cursed, looking around the study. It was a wonder the door wasn’t being busted down by a pair of vampires.

  Holly’s gaze fell onto a leather-bound book laying on the polished floorboards. The rich chocolate-coloured cover seemed to glow as the gloomy sunbeams pierced through the window.

  She stood, drawn towards the fallen book and kneeled beside it. Her fingers stopped a millimetre short of the cover as a wave of magic reached outwards.

  In that moment, Holly knew exactly what Samantha had been up to when she’d made her preparations.

  Why it had to be today. Why it had to be here. And why it wasn’t about money, but something closer to home—Legacy.

  Holly Burke had been presented with the Dunne family grimoire.

  CHAPTER 2

  Jin walked into the Dunloe police station with an irritated scowl etched on his face.

  Returning to work was the last thing he wanted to do. The concept of a normal life in the twenty-first century was a tedious and overwhelming prospect.

  All this time, he’d pretended to be fine with his predicament—having missed one hundred and seventy years while the world moved on—but he was only fooling himself. Technology was one thing and society was another, but it was more than that.

  He couldn’t quite reconcile who he was and what he’d been through with the modern world.

  And Hazel was gone for good, the trapped spirits set free…and he was meant to be okay with that, too. He knew he’d never loved the real Hazel, but it didn’t make his feelings any less real.

  Jin had made his peace with his past relationship and found true contentment with Holly. So why did everything feel so wrong?

  There was nothing left to fight, he realised. His entire human and vampire life had been a constant struggle, and now he was just meant to what…? Be normal? What the hell was normal supposed to look like, anyway?

  “Think quick!”

  Jin caught the red football with ease, his vampire senses doing most of the work.

  “Nice catch, Xu,” Sergeant Brent Waters exclaimed, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe we should get you to join the local footy team. Maybe we’ll actually make the finals.”

  The male police officers hooted and hollered, while the few females rolled their eyes.

  “How was the funeral? They bury the witch yet?”

  Jin turned. “Excuse me?”

  “With Samantha Dunne in the ground, it’s one less posh busybody on the department’s back,” the sergeant drawled. “The way she acted, it was like she thought she was the bloody mayor.”

  “I don’t care what you thought of her. The woman is dead,” he snapped. “Have a little respect.”

  Waters held up his hands in defence. “Fair enough. But I’m not the only one talking.”

  Jin sat at his desk and sighed. He was annoyed he had to look at the sergeant all day long as it was, but now he had to listen to the stupidity of the human race, too.

  “There’s a lot of nasty rumours going around,” Waters went on. “Some of it has merit.”

  “There is no living family to contest the coroner’s report,” Jin said matter-of-factly. “The case is closed.”

  “I reckon the mayor will want to push for an investigation.”

  “Why?” He scowled, not wanting the hassle of compelling the entire town to forget whatever nonsense they were bandying about as fact.

  “Three pillars of the community died in the span of a week, and all under questionable circumstances,” Waters said, raising his eyebrows. “The coroner’s report can say all it wants, mate. People will always find their own conclusions. Dunloe is one of the most community-oriented towns I’ve worked in, an investigation is—”

  “A show,” Jin interrupted.

  “Six deaths in a few months—seven if you count Hannah Burke dropping dead on her front porch—and a whole slew of families just upped and moved out at the same time. If news gets around, Dunloe’s reputation will be in the toilet, and all those tourism dollars will follow. The council loves tourists, mate. Have you seen the amount of festivals and shit we have around here? They chuck a parade for just about anything.”

  Jin curled his lip as the sergeant began tossing the football into the air and catching it. The last thing Holly and Fiona needed was for people to start looking into what really happened to Samantha. One loose thread, and it was a slippery slope that ended in a pit of supernatural chaos. The questions had to stop.