Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
Seconds after Dad dropped us off, Moira swore under her breath. “What the hell happened?”
Garrett took a step forward, his face a dark thundercloud.
Rowan's expression tightened, his hazel eyes ringed with color. I tightened my grip on his hand and slowly looked at my surroundings.
Joy Springs, a once flourishing town not too far from Texas wine country, had become a ghost town. Seventy percent of the businesses no longer existed, their cheery facades faded and vacant. No tourists milled the sidewalks or sat on the benches eating gelato.
“Sirena is gone,” Moira said.
Things were more than bad if the siren had bailed.
Last time I saw her, Sirena was worried about the direction things were going, but she planned to stay as long as she could.
Sirens weren't popular and many paranormals didn't trust them.
Finding a spot where they were not only tolerated but could also open a business was rare.
Guilt gnawed at me. I let out a heavy exhale.
“This isn't your fault,” Rowan said quietly, rightly sensing how I was feeling.
“Isn't it?”
Moira shook her head. “No. We saw this happening last time we were here, and we had nothing to do with that. Caelan brought his own downfall around by his actions.”
Things were never quite that simple, were they?
I let go of Rowan and did a slow turn. “Something is wrong.”
“In addition to the utter failure of the Lord?” Garrett snarled.
I ignored his anger, knowing his fury wasn't directed at me.
“Can't you sense the otherness in the air?” I whispered. What was it? Magic other than Caelan's tainted the air, its influence seeping into everything around us.
Rowan's brow furrowed. He closed his eyes and inhaled. Garrett did the same.
“What is that?” Rowan whispered.
A deep male voice spoke from behind us. “The gods have come.”
I spun. Neit stood a few feet away, hands shoved into the pocket of a pair of blue jeans I could not believe he was wearing.
“Where's your armor?”
Neit winced. “Easier if I blend in. We aren't exactly popular around here.”
“What happened?” Rowan demanded.
Neit turned his attention to my mate. “You must be the reason the Joy Springs Lord has fallen.” He sucked his teeth and looked at me once more. “I can see why you chose him.”
I huffed a frustrated laugh. “Thanks, I think? I'm not looking for your approval. What do you mean the gods have come? Surely you wouldn't have done this?”
Neit snorted. “I'm not in the business of ruining lives, your mother being the one exception.”
Yeah. Yeah. He totally wanted to do my mother and was sticking around to play the odds. One of my eyebrows went up.
Neit rolled his eyes. “I don't want to talk about it.”
He jerked his head toward the woods. “Let's chat in private. This place is too open.”
Dad could have put us into a bubble of silence, but he was gone. When I went to follow after Rowan, he took my arm to stop me. “Going into the woods with a god seems a bit dicey, doesn't it?”
Neit stopped and turned, his eyes flashing that strange violet. “I've never hurt Evie.”
Present tense. What about the future? “Do you plan to start?” I asked with a frown.
Neit huffed. “Dammit, Evie. Walk with me, please. I would never harm the daughter of the woman I am desperately trying to woo.”
“So you are hot for Mom,” I teased.
Neit shook his head and disappeared into the dense forest. Garrett stepped in front of me. “Wait.”
Without another word, he followed Neit. I didn't think he'd hurt anyone in my party, but the gods were fickle, and Neit was acting…off. Nervous, even. Odd behavior for a god of war.
Garrett popped his head out a few seconds later. “Come on.”
We followed Garrett into the woods.
Neit led us to a densely forested area and sat down on an old stump. “I'm surprised your father isn't here.”
I shrugged. “Dad stays out of Lord business.”
At Rowan's disbelieving snort, I sighed. “For the most part.”
“Lies,” Garrett muttered under his breath.
I threw up my hands. “Fine. I have no idea why Dad didn't stay. In fact, he loves drama so much I'm surprised he isn't lurking around somewhere eavesdropping.”
Everyone fell silent. Neit squinted up at the trees. “Is he?”
“No.” I would know if he was close.
“Very unlike him,” Garrett remarked. “Wonder what else caught his attention?”
“Anyway,” I drawled. “Why the cloak and dagger act?”
Neit scrubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. “Shit has gotten weird.” He rose and started pacing. “I assume you're here to see Caelan. He won't allow anyone on his property, and I don't have the heart to tear his wards down.”
Neit said the words without judgment. Guilt flooded me just the same.
Rowan's hand landed gently on my shoulder. “Caelan's actions warranted this retaliation.”
He didn't have to say ours, but his claiming of my punishment only reinforced how different relationships can be when you allow yourself to truly trust.
Neit held his hands out. “We all know what Caelan did. You'll find no judgment from us.”
A sly look flashed over his face. “Some of us wonder if the punishment fit the crime. We have a betting pool for how soon your father will kill him.”
“You will all lose. I don’t want him dead.” Dad was furious when he realized the extent of Caelan’s damage to my psyche and would have delighted in taking Caelan’s life if I had allowed him to.
If Caelan had been a bad person, I might have let him. But I wasn’t in the business of being in serious relationships with bad people. Even my ex-husband wasn’t a bad person in the strictest sense of the word. Yes, he cheated. Yes, he kinda sucked. Was he a murderer or physically abusive? No.
He was just an asshole.
But even assholes could leave lasting damage.
Caelan had been a bit more than just an asshole. He’d come close to destroying me. With trust, patience, and love, Rowan had rebuilt my inner sanctum brick by brick. To Caelan, our mating and marriage must have seemed fast.
Hell, it was. But if he could feel what I feel when I look at Rowan, when I feel him inside that knot deep in my heart, he would realize I was helpless to resist committing the rest of my life to him.
“He’s redeemable,” I said when the silence had gone on too long. “Or at least I hope he is.”
“And if he’s not?” Neit asked quietly.
“Then I’ll kill him myself.”
Rowan’s hand tightened. Guess I should have said as long as Rowan doesn’t get there first.
“Why are we here?” Garrett asked.
Moira had remained suspiciously quiet since we’d arrived. I glanced over to see her sitting cross-legged on the ground, her face tilted up to the sky. Her eyes were closed, and a faint silver and violet glow surrounded her.
I’d never seen its like before. Rowan and I exchanged a concerned glance.
“I’m fine,” Moira drawled. “I can feel your eyeballs on me.”
“You’re glowing,” I observed helpfully. “Is this a new thing?”
She cracked an eye open. “New enough.”
Neit’s sharp gaze lingered on her. “When were you touched by the gods, vampire?”
Moira’s lips thinned. “A couple of times.”
I hid my wince. Moira and Ash were both present on Caelan’s Keep land when fae and Chimera magic were flying all over the place. While Ash seemed to have escaped unscathed, Moira had suffered some unfortunate side effects.
Several months ago, she was manipulated into pulling a god through worlds—an event that had caused no lack of headaches for us.
Moira refused to talk about what was going on with her and assured me she had it all under control. Dad remained tight-lipped as well. Mom stayed out of everyone’s business, for the most part.
I had moderate success, but this was business I wanted to be in because it involved Moira. “Does the glow have a purpose?”
She lifted a thin shoulder. “I sense things.”
Moira rose and dusted her hands off. “We’re quite alone in these woods. No trace of shifters or gods.” She eyed Neit. “Unusual since we’re close to Caelan’s lands.”
“I cannot give you any information on Keep movements. I’ve tried my best to give the Lord space.” His eyes landed on my face and slid away. “He is not in the right frame of mind to be of assistance right now and could do more harm than good.”
“Where are the gods then? This is why you dragged us here, isn’t it?”
Neit nodded. “You sealed off Keep property, which might have saved Caelan’s life.”
I stilled.
“The rest of Joy Springs has fallen to fickle gods.”
“Who?” Rowan asked.
“Danu, for one.”
At my grimace, Neit nodded. “Yes. After your refusal to take her place, she came here almost immediately and broke Caelan’s wards.”
A faint smile tipped his lips. “But the old bitch couldn’t set foot on his lands because of how you marked them.” He chuckled. “No idea how you managed it, but Danu tore up a good portion of the forest close to his property during her tantrum.”
I closed my eyes and let out a breath of relief. If Danu had killed him over my refusal to be her retirement plan, I would never forgive myself.
“Who else?” I croaked.
His lips thinned. “I haven’t seen anyone else, but I know there’s at least one more here. I think it’s Titania.”
I blinked as dread filled my stomach. Titania had worked with the Lords to stab me in the back when I was away from my lands for a forced meeting with the fae.
That bitch was the main reason I’d been trapped in the world tree for months.
“She’s dead.” I’d killed her myself. She’d exploded into ash while I watched.
Neit nodded. “Supposed to be, but gods have a pesky way of surviving the unsurvivable sometimes.”
“If she’s alive, we’ll delight in ensuring she stays dead this time,” Garrett growled.
Moira stood by my side. She entwined our fingers together and said nothing, a stalwart and steady presence.
“What do they want with this place?” I couldn’t figure it out. Joy Springs wasn’t much. The town wasn’t close to any major hubs or industry. Wine country was here, but what did the fae care about wine?
Neit shook his head. “It’s not Joy Springs. They want it because it belongs to a Lord. Some fae never supported withdrawing from this realm. They believe we have the only rights to the earth and all the other dimensions, and everyone else is an interloper.”
“Taking it from a Lord proves the fae are more powerful and sends a message to those who may want to fight back,” Garrett said. He swore under his breath. “Caelan long suspected the fae were plotting against him.”
“Not just him,” Neit said. “Every Lord should be on their guard. The blight on their lands was only Danu’s first move. She is ancient and knows how to play the long game.
“So chess, not checkers,” Rowan said.
“Exactly,” Neit agreed.
“Why exactly are you here?” Moira said. “I don’t understand your dog in this fight, or if you have one at all.”
His eyes flashed. “When I first came here, I was searching for Cliona.”
Neit’s lips twitched. “When she proved…elusive, I spent some time getting to know this place.” He held out his hands. “There is much charm in this world and many beautiful things to see. While your world is not without its issues—”
Moira and I grimaced at the same time, making Neit laugh.
“I believe it is worth saving. I do not wish to be a usurper, even by association.” He pinned me with his strange, violet-flecked dark eyes. “You’ve proven you can stand against her, Evie. And I fear we must do so once again. Danu must be driven from this realm.”
“And Titania?” I asked.
His teeth flashed in disgust. “Titania is a simpering fool. She is attracted to power and will follow such wherever it pops up. If you banish Danu, Titania will prove no challenge. She has no real use to us.”
“Harsh,” Moira remarked.
“True,” Neit said. “Titania holds power, but hers is nothing compared to yours. She wanted to replace Danu, but Titania could not hold more than one land at a time. Her powers function in a similar way to yours, but she cannot control the earth, only small portions.”
I shook my head. “I cannot either. While my power has grown, I am not up to my mother or father’s level yet.”
Neit’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “We both know that’s not true. Just ask the Lord when you see him.”
He looked at Rowan. “You will have my sword as long as you need to reclaim this place and banish the gods. May I visit your territory when I have need?”
“Guest rights,” Rowan said with a nod. “Harm no one and we shall do the same.”
Neit touched his chest. “On my honor.” With a nod to the rest of us, he disappeared in a shimmer of violet light.
“Well, fuck,” I said.