Chapter 5
Chapter
Five
Icalled Dad to send Sheila and Jensen home. While one day I’d be able to do so without a thought, I was still nervous about my new magic. In my head, I imagined them exploding into a shower of atoms.
Dad told me I was overreacting and that the most that might happen was them winding up in a different place than where I’d sent them.
When I asked if he meant I might put them over the Atlantic Ocean at night, he paused way too long for comfort.
Now he acted as a taxi service until I was 100% confident I’d send people where they needed to go, when I needed them there.
Caelan might shit his pants when those two popped into existence from thin air, and knowing my father’s wicked sense of humor, he’d put them right in the most inconvenient and embarrassing place he could find.
Once they were gone and Dad had said his goodbyes, Rowan and I curled up on the couch.
“What’s the plan?”
I glanced up at him and smiled. Rowan always had a way about him that made me feel important, even powerful.
He rarely questioned my decisions, even when we both knew I was going too far.
I almost killed Caelan a few months ago and would have if he had not stepped in.
Rowan never told me not to, never questioned my right to vengeance, or even for violence. He merely asked me if I was sure.
His small, quiet question brought me back from the brink of something I could never take back.
I had been well within my rights to kill him, but if I had, I would have broken something inside—something vital.
Rowan realized this and handled the situation with care and love.
Without realizing what was happening, I’d fallen in love with him a little bit at a time. Friendship had come first, kinship second, safety third, attraction next, and then I realized I no longer wanted to live without him.
Caelan was a storm, an ocean squall I couldn’t escape, and for a while, I didn’t want to. But that storm grew and grew until suddenly, I could no longer keep my balance.
Rowan was a gentle spring rain, a safe harbor I could stand under until I came back to myself.
His brow furrowed. “You’re staring.”
“Mmm.” I touched his face. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
He blinked in surprise. A small smile lifted the edge of his lips. “Bears are stubborn. We don’t give up until there’s zero chance of winning.”
He cupped my chin. “I would have stayed by your side until the bitter end, Evie. Even if you had chosen against me.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “Well,” I said shakily, “it got real close for a while, didn’t it?”
“I knew you’d walk away from him. You’re too smart not to. Whether you’d open your heart to me was another matter entirely.”
He was right. I kept trying to talk myself out of loving him, convinced we were moving too fast, that I was somehow betraying Caelan.
The truth was love never waited for the right time, but it wouldn’t wait around forever. Rowan would have eventually left me if I hadn’t given in to my feelings, and he would have been well within his rights to do so.
He was way too much of a catch to wait around for me to get my shit together.
Instead, he’d given me the time I needed, even if the fae bond between us hadn’t been so patient.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as I curled into his chest. The bond had made us both feral for each other and showed no signs of stopping.
I wasn’t worried about that so much as the strange way our bonds had solidified.
Rowan knew I was his mate long before I did, but once the shifter bond began to form, the fae one followed soon after.
When we decided to be together no matter what may come, those bonds had melded into one and came with some surprising side effects.
Nothing major, yet, but Rowan’s innate magic had tripled in strength, and he was showing some signs of pulling on my Chimera magic.
I, on the other hand, had an overwhelming urge to eat all the time. Much like the bear I was snuggled against.
He brought his arms around me and rested his chin on top of my head.
“You worry wart,” he said affectionately. “I’m fine.”
“You’d tell me if you weren’t?”
He chuckled. “You’d know. Our bond does not allow us to lie to each other.” He paused. “Not well anyway. We will know when something is wrong with the other.” He shifted. “Look inside and tell me what you see?”
I sighed and laid my hand on his chest. The moment I closed my eyes and focused, the bond came into view. A few months ago, I could not see our mating bond, but Mom had been giving me lessons. Now I could do things I’d only once dreamed of.
The shifter and fae bonds had melded together in a knot of silver, gold, and watermelon tourmaline. Resting in the center of both our chests, the bond pulsed with life, content and rested. No sign of distress or illness. Rowan’s heart beat strong beneath my palm, his breath steady and even.
“Fine,” I huffed. “You gotta admit it’s weird.”
“Everything about us is weird.”
I snorted. “And how do you feel about the crown?”
Rowan shrugged. “Same way you do, I suppose. Not something I’m thrilled about, but I wasn’t keen on becoming a Lord, either. Duty always sits upon weary shoulders, Evie. You and I will be good rulers when the time comes. We've already proven such.”
Mom and Dad were having a tough time ceding power, and Rowan and I didn’t give a whit. We’d happily be the figureheads for as long as they wanted.
“I don't know many of the fae, but the ones I've dealt with haven't impressed me much.”
“Mmm. Yes. They have tried to kill you on occasion.”
“Tough way to start a new job.”
Rowan huffed a laugh. “Don't expect a Happy Boss's Day fruit basket any time soon.”
A smile tugged at my lips as a confession pushed up from my heart.
Rowan wouldn't judge me, but I still felt guilty every time I thought about what I'd done, as if I realized in the deepest recesses of my mind that things were beginning to fall apart.
“When everything first started going wrong with Caelan, I seeded his land with the poison plants I made while I was recovering at Hazel's house.”
Rowan stilled. “How many?”
I didn't say anything for a long moment. “Do you really want to know?”
His chuckle held a wicked edge. “Actually…” His voice trailed off. “No. Surprise me, wife.”
How was it possible to love someone this much? Sometimes my chest hurt because it felt so full. “You're coming with me to Texas.”
“You doubted me?”
I shook my head and smiled against his neck. “Never.”
Rowan sprawled on the couch behind the office computer reading a Sanderson novel. My finger hovered over the video link and had been for the last thirty seconds.
“You don't have to see his face. Just call him.”
“He won't answer. Caelan wants to see my face.”
“Yes,” Rowan agreed. “Because he luuuuuurves you.”
I sent him a dark look over the top of the screen. “I think it's more that he wants to kiiiiillll me.”
He winked. “Two things can be true at the same time.”
I tossed my pen at him. “Can you be serious for one moment?”
“Mmm.” Rowan tilted his head and squinted up at the ceiling. “Not when it makes you this uncomfortable.”
All I had to do was click the link. Click it and let it ring. Maybe he won't answer.
“He's definitely going to answer.”
“I still think you can read my mind sometimes,” I grumbled.
“No, my darling, but I do know the way you think. Hope is written all over your face.”
“He doesn't know I'm calling, so not answering is possible.”
Rowan laid his book on his chest and looked at me, his eyes filled with understanding. “The moment he sees your name on his phone, he will answer. Keep your answers short. Do not engage with him about personal matters. State the terms of your visit. Get him to agree, then cut the call.”
“And if he won't?”
Rowan shrugged. “Cut the call anyway.” He smiled at the worried expression I knew I wore. “I love how you can make murderous flytraps and seed your ex-fiancé’s land with poison, but the thought of a phone call petrifies you.”
I plopped my head in my hands and blew a raspberry. “It's easier when I don't have to see his face.”
“You can tell a lot from a man's face when he speaks to the woman he loves.”
“He doesn't love me,” I said quietly.
Rowan swung his legs off the couch and walked over, bending to press a kiss to my lips. “Untrue. He only realized it when he lost everything.” He kissed me again. “Or have you forgotten the whole trying to murder me in cold blood incident?”
I would never forget how I felt when I saw Caelan launch himself at Rowan's unprotected back, and I would never regret what I did next.
Rowan's face softened. “You hold all the power, Evie. Finally, make sure he knows it.”
He turned and plopped back onto the couch, scooping his book up. “Now, I'm right at a really good part. No more interruptions, please.” He winked and pretended to bury his nose in between the pages.
“You're a pain in the ass,” I grumbled.
Rowan laughed. “And handsome and manly and strong and very good in bed.”
All true. “And arrogant and far too full of himself.”
“Mmm. Yes. Well, I can't be perfect every single day. You ask far too much of a man.”
I rolled my eyes, squared my shoulders, and clicked the link.