Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
“Does anyone have a plan?” Moira asked during the walk to Caelan’s.
Garrett cracked a laugh. “I do believe this might be the first time you’ve ever asked that question.”
Rowan snickered. I swatted at him, but I couldn’t help laughing either.
Moira snorted. “Assholes, the bunch of you.”
“I plan to talk to him. That’s all. Caelan has a way of escalating things, so we’ll see where it goes.”
“I always told him he had a natural talent for starting shit,” Garrett said. A tinge of sadness colored his voice.
The separation had been harder on him than Simone.
When the Omega realized how Caelan was treating me, she was ready to bolt immediately.
Garrett took longer to come around, but he had, and that was the most important thing.
He’d tried to help Caelan, and Caelan had refused both the help and Garrett’s advice.
When I almost died over Caelan’s actions, Garrett had walked away with Simone by his side.
“You don’t have to go if this is too difficult,” I said quietly.
Garrett shot me a look. “I won’t back down from a fight if it comes to that. My loyalty is to you and Rowan. Caelan was my friend, but some relationships aren’t meant to last. They’re meant to be lessons.”
Unfortunately, I understood what he meant far more than others might. I’d had a lot of those “lessons” in my life, many by Caelan’s hands. I reached over and touched his bicep. “Thank you, Garrett. I mean it.”
His eyes softened. “Of course.”
We kept walking for a bit before Garrett said, “Simone doesn’t want to ask you because she knows things are heating up again, but you made some granola a few weeks ago and she ate the entire batch in less than a day.”
Moira cackled. “She’d be mortified if she knew you told us that.”
Garrett grinned. “I caught her in the corner of the dorm’s kitchen, shoving a palm full in her mouth.”
Rowan let out a loud laugh. “What happens in Joy Springs stays in Joy Springs. We’ll keep that secret between us.”
“I’ll make her a huge batch when I get back,” I promised. Everyone loved that granola. Two other shifters had come to the back door a few days ago asking if I had any more. I’d planned to make more before Caelan sent one of his people to us. Guess I needed to move up the timeline.
Moira cleared her throat. “If I did anything with the shop, I bet you could sell it there. If you wanted to.”
Opening her own tea place had always been on her list, but she felt like she was betraying me.
But this wasn’t a job. This was ownership.
Rowan knew Moira had valuable skills and wouldn’t be content with only being an employee.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d made room for her to open up a business and made her think it was all her idea.
I reached for Rowan’s hand and entwined our fingers. “You should do it.”
Moira blinked. “Do what?”
“Open up the tea shop. You’re good at it. You love tea. Your brews are wonderful. I think it will be a hit.”
Moira frowned. “What about your shop?”
“That’s the thing. It’s my shop, but it’s never been your dream. You still hold ownership. Keep it, sell it back to me, whatever you want. I can hire someone else to help out. I want you to be happy, and however you make that happen is good with me.”
Tears shimmered in her dark eyes. “I—are you sure?”
“Of course.” I stopped walking and held out a hand to stop her. “This is what we’ve worked for.”
We stayed together because safety came in numbers, and it worked for a while. Until Caelan blew into my life like a summer storm.
“All those years we spent trying to be safe finally paid off. We’re safe now, Moira. Don’t hold yourself back because you’re worried about me. It’s time for you to spread your wings.”
She yanked me into a rib-bruising hug. “I love you.”
“Ditto,” I squeaked.
“I’m still not moving,” she said stubbornly.
“I hope you don’t.” I tugged a strand of her dark hair. “But if you do, I hope it’s for a spectacular reason.”
She grunted. “Enough sappiness. Someone or something is watching us. Best not poke the bear until we have to.”
Moira rubbed her hands over her arms. “This place gives me the creeps now.”
I agreed. “We still haven’t seen anyone,” I whispered.
“I don’t smell anyone. The place feels abandoned.”
“They’re here,” Rowan said. “Few would abandon their livelihoods if there was a chance the danger would pass. I can only assume they’re hunkering down at home.”
“Let’s hope,” I muttered.
We walked in silence for a while until the Keep came into full view. My heart did a painful stutter, and I stopped in my tracks. Rowan slipped an arm around my waist.
“Steady,” he murmured. “He can’t hurt you now.”
Untrue, but I appreciated the thought. “Do you think I’m here for anything positive?”
Rowan paused and appeared to think about it. “No,” he said eventually. “Caelan is a stubborn bastard.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
He tugged me to him, sliding a warm hand through my hair to cup the back of my neck. Rowan tilted my chin up and bent to look into my eyes.
His were more green than gold today, a ring of our shared bond outlining his iris.
“Remember who you are, Evie, and remember that you are mine, and I am yours. Remember who tried to take that away from you. Know you are far more powerful than he could ever be, but also know Caelan is flawed and part of him is human. He is wounded and hurting, and wounded animals often lash out at the people who can help them.”
I swallowed hard. “And if he tries to hurt me?”
His eyes flashed with vivid color. “Then you take that motherfucker down.”
I framed his face in my hands and brought him in for a scorching kiss. “I won’t be long.”
Rowan nodded and turned to Garrett and Moira. “Evie can take care of herself. You are her last line of defense if something goes awry.”
A ring of gold encircled Garrett’s irises. He nodded.
Moira’s incisors flashed down with a quiet snick. “Ready.”
We turned and headed toward the Keep grounds.
Someone I’d never seen before greeted us. He, like many shifters, was tall and lean, but from the way his emotions bristled against my finer senses, his animal rode him harder than most.
His hair was a soft brown, cut into a severe buzz with scalp showing.
A hard jaw and ice blue eyes highlighted a harsh face that wasn’t quite handsome.
This shifter was a killer. His eyes widened slightly when he spotted me, almost like he couldn’t believe I was the one who’d done this to their Lord.
His lips tightened with distaste. “Are you Evie?”
I nodded. “This is Moira and Garrett.”
The shifter snorted. “I know the traitor.”
Words meant to incite, but Garrett had dealt with shifters like this for years now. “Hello, Schute. Nice to see you again.”
Schute snorted. “Wish I could say the same.”
Garrett grinned, genuine amusement on his face. “How many of Caelan’s people did you have to kill to get my position?”
Schute’s face turned to granite.
Garrett chuckled. “Just as I thought. Take us to the Lord. Evie has graciously agreed to meet with him, but she does not have much time to spare. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner she can return to her Keep.”
Schute let out a disgusted snort. “And whore herself out to her new Lord?”
One moment Schute was standing. The next, he was motionless on the ground, his throat and stomach laid open, and his eyes staring blankly at the sky.
Moira choked.
I swallowed hard and let out an unsteady breath. I hadn’t even seen Garrett move.
Gods.
“Um,” Moira said shakily. “Holy shit, dude.”
“Power is a gift, Evie. He was a waste of space and bad for Caelan’s rule. I did that prick a favor.” Without a backward glance at Schute’s body, Garrett continued forward, his stride relaxed and confident.
Moira and I looked at each other for a long moment. “That was both terrifying and super hot,” she whispered. “My lady bits are on fire.”
“Did you see him move?”
Moira shook her head. “I should have, but—”
“Ladies,” Garrett drawled. “We don’t have all day.”
Moira fanned herself. “Man. First choice for my upcoming man harem.”
I covered my mouth to hide my smile. “Thalia might fight you.”
Moira snorted. “I don’t think your sister cares much about anything these days.”
She wasn’t wrong, but Garrett was quite besotted with Thalia, even as my sister wasn’t all that besotted with him. For a while, things seemed to be going well between them. Over the last few months, though, Thalia had regressed.
Garrett hadn’t said a word, but no one missed the fine tension riding his shoulders these days. My Second or whatever Garrett was to me these days cleared his throat.
We scurried after him. “If you do,” I whispered under my breath, “I want to know.”
Moira wiggled her eyebrows at me. “Martini and gossip night?”
“As long as we don’t get into another arm-wrestling contest.”
“Party pooper.”
“Stop yapping,” Garrett hissed. “At least try to pretend like we have our shit together, okay?”
“We’ve never been very good liars,” Moira drawled.
“For fuck’s sake,” Garrett said under his breath. “Did you bring her for a reason?” he asked me.
“I have very sharp claws and an even sharper tongue,” Moira said with a smile.
Caelan’s wards shimmered. A small opening appeared. Garrett walked through without stopping.
“Confidence,” he said quietly. “You’re the predator here, Evie.”
I straightened my shoulders and followed behind, Moira at my heels.
Here goes nothing…