Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
ROWAN
Ethan standing on Keep grounds bitching about my mate’s best friend was not on this year’s bingo card. His rant was very un-Ethan-like, and I struggled not to laugh.
So far, he had yet to point out anything Moira had done that might have made him this annoyed, other than her presence on Thorvin’s property without permission. Thorvin hadn’t said a word about it, and if he didn’t make a claim, the point, as far as I was concerned, was moot.
Ethan sounded a lot like…
I went still.
Ethan sounded like Caelan when he first met Evie.
I had to remember Ethan was not Caelan, not even close. The Lord standing next to me had always been difficult to get to know, which was why I found it so surprising he asked for permission to come into my territory. We weren’t friends and never had been.
I wasn’t sure Ethan had friends, to be frank.
After everything with Evie, I wasn’t his biggest fan, but he had pulled back on his vitriol the last few months.
Whether he realized Evie wasn’t the one in the wrong or had gotten a deeper look at Caelan’s behavior, Ethan had toned himself down and pulled back on his demands concerning my Floromancer.
He’d been downright decent lately, something I was nervous about.
But listening to him bitch about Moira lent me more of an insight into his personality.
Ethan, the usually unflappable Lord, was completely bothered by Moira’s complete disregard for authority or rules or pretty much anything. But he wasn’t bothered by her in the same way he was bothered by Evie.
This was different.
And very interesting.
Ethan had always been smart, and I could tell the moment he realized he’d said too much. He cleared his throat and stopped talking.
“Well, fuck,” he muttered, surprising me into a laugh. He sat on the edge of the porch, long legs dangling over the edge. “This is the first time I’ve had any dealings with Moira. Is she always like this?”
I chuckled. “No.”
When he nodded and let out a sigh of relief, I added the rest.
“Usually, she’s worse.”
Ethan snapped his attention to me. “Worse?”
“Yup.” I didn’t plan to tell him who’d fucked up Thorvin’s pipes or any of the other mischief she’d gotten into because it could get her and Evie into trouble, but I felt bad for the bastard and had to give him something.
“She and Evie are thick as thieves, and Moira is loyal to the point of her own detriment. If you do something to someone she loves, she will retaliate swiftly and viciously. Moira has her own sense of justice, and it might not agree with the mainstream. She’s difficult to read and unpredictable. ”
Ethan slowly nodded. “Do you like her?”
I thought about it and ended up shaking my head.
“I can’t rightly say, Ethan. She’s been a wonderful friend to Evie.
For that alone, I’d say yes. But I don’t know who Moira is.
She gives me nothing. I know she likes to bake, and she likes babies.
Other than that, she’s a blank slate. If you want to get to know her—”
Ethan scoffed. “No. Absolutely not. I just don’t want another problem like the Floromancer.”
I slid a glance his way. “You mean, my mate.”
Ethan waved a dismissive hand.
“Who, I might add, never did anything to you or any of us other than exist. The problem you had with her lies with Caelan.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “I realized that some months back.” He turned to look at me. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I can be insistent on things when I think I’m right.”
Ethan hadn’t apologized for a godsdamned thing in the entire time I’d known him. I could be a dick about it, but this was a rare olive branch. “As long as you respect Evie as my mate and know I will protect her as I would anyone in my Keep, even more so, you and I will not have any problems.”
Ethan nodded. “Where is she?”
I chuckled. “A pub downtown. My Omega is with her.”
“Moira with her?”
I nodded. “They both needed to blow off some steam.”
Ethan opened his mouth, then closed it, a furrow appearing between his brows.
“Ask,” I said quietly.
Ethan shifted, the first sign of nervousness I’d ever seen from him.
“How is it having a mate of a different kind?”
“You mean her being fae and me being a shifter?”
Ethan nodded. Telling him the entire truth would divulge a hard-kept secret about my own identity. We weren’t there yet and maybe never would be. But I could throw him a bone and see what happened. He deserved that much at least. Most people were different between work and home.
“That’s why she’s at the bar, actually,” I admitted.
Ethan’s eyebrows rose, but the Lord stayed silent.
“Evie’s magic is awe-inspiring to see in person.
Being affected by it is something out of this world.
When I took her out of Joy Springs, she was extremely careful about how she used my land because her type of power urges her to protect and nurture by claiming.
When she couldn’t use her magic as it was meant to be used, her power reservoir grew too full.
I had to take her far outside Keep boundaries so she could release some and not inadvertently claim my territory.
While she was busy siphoning, she spotted that spell and healed the area, which resulted in a massive boom of magic. Now we have over a dozen pregnancies.”
Ethan choked. “A dozen?”
I nodded. “Those are the ones we know about. There might be more.”
“Gods, man.” Ethan scrubbed a hand over his face. “That’s unheard of.”
“With that sort of power comes misunderstanding.”
Ethan’s eyes flashed. “Your people are afraid of her.”
“Some,” I corrected. “Evie overheard my Second speaking. It threw her for a tailspin, and Moira invited her to blow off some steam.”
“I bet she gets that a lot.” The words weren’t accusing, more thoughtful than anything.
“Caelan tanked their relationship due to fear of the unknown and his own insecurities.”
Ethan let out a heavy sigh. “I suspected. When you took her out of his territory, I fielded half a dozen furious phone calls from him. His rage was something to witness.”
“Every bit unjustified. Evie took weeks to come out of her room. He’d broken her.”
He swore under his breath. “I’m sorry, Rowan. I wondered about their suitability. You know I had my own issues with Evie, but I’m sorry he treated her so poorly.”
“Had?” I questioned.
A flash of a grin. “Caught that, did you? Yes, had in the past tense. I have my own reasons for distrusting the fae, but none of them are Evie’s fault. But all the Lords will still be wary about Evie coming onto their property.” His eyes sparkled. “Besides Ben.”
I glared at Ethan. Ben had professed his intentions toward Evie some time back, but thank the gods he’d screwed that up all on his own.
Once he shunned Evie due to his own prejudices, she’d turned her back on him.
If there were ever a threat, it would be Ben.
He was a good man, an even better Lord, and an off-the-charts healer. They would have made a good pair.
I’d be eternally grateful he couldn’t get over himself.
“Ben made his own bed.” I grinned. “Now it’s far too late for him to do anything but be jealous.”
Ethan laughed. “I’m here for another reason.”
“Caelan wants to oust me.”
A nod. Ethan figured I already knew.
“What are his chances?” I asked.
“Hard to say. We aren’t as tight knit as we used to be. Ben might vote against you because of Evie.”
Shit. I hadn’t even thought of that.
“After Evie threw Thorvin down a deep hole and delivered him to a goddess as retribution, he might vote against you too.”
I pinched the space between my brows.
“Caelan is obviously against you. There’s no way to tell with Soren. He hasn’t been as close to Caelan as usual.”
“And you?”
His expression sobered. “I’ll hear Caelan’s case and make a determination at that time.”
As usual, the odds were against me. Would it be so bad to be stripped of a title I never wanted?
The urgent ring of my cellphone jerked me out of my reverie.