Chapter 27
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
ROWAN
Evie and Moira had one of the most admirable friendships I’d ever been exposed to, but sometimes, their friendship turned from cozy familial bickering into chaos incarnate.
The pub was a madhouse when we walked in. Shifters of all kinds crowded around us. Everyone recognized me right away, but few knew who the man beside me was. Even so, they gave us a wide berth, opening a path to guide us to where Evie and Moira were.
Evie was at a small circular table, about two dozen shifters standing around her intently, concentrating on what was going on between her and the male shifter who sat on the opposite side.
A large potted plant sat on the floor right beside her, one that was growing at a fantastic rate, one far faster than nature allowed for.
Unless that nature was my mate arm wrestling a Navy vet shifter named Rick.
I choked down a guffaw of laughter, put my finger up to my lips when the other shifters spotted me, and watched. Ethan stepped up beside me and gaped at the scene.
My mate had lost her sweater somewhere and wore a blue, strappy tank top.
She had on a thin bra underneath, but even so, her curves were highlighted in the low light, moisture casting a golden glow over her skin.
Evie’s hair had long abandoned any sense of decorum and had sprung into a wild mess of wave and curl.
I don’t think she noticed, but when she was expending a lot of magic, her hair responded accordingly.
A thin line of sweat dotted along her brow, and her eyes glowed azure and watermelon tourmaline.
Her smile was edged with savage glee, and her eyes sparkled with the thrill of the win.
Evie, like the rest of my shifters, was quite drunk and having a grand old time.
She sat with her posture perfectly straight, her right hand clasped within Ricky’s.
Both of them glared at each other, but neither was angry.
The glare was one of effort and intimidation.
I smelled desire thick and heavy in the room, though it wasn’t coming from the participants, only some of the other shifters watching their Lady arm wrestle someone who could snap someone’s neck with a twinge of his thumb.
The only reason I didn’t interfere was because I liked Ricky. He wouldn’t hurt Evie.
Plus, I wanted to see who’d win. I wasn’t sure it would be my shifter.
“If I win, you have to weed the roses for a month,” Evie growled.
Rick bared his teeth. “And if I do, you get latrine duty for a month.”
Evie snorted. “Hardly fair. Weeding is far different than cleaning up wolf piss.”
Several of the shifters burst out laughing.
“You forgot bear piss!” Someone shouted.
Evie’s grin was evil. “Bear piss. Wolf piss. Cat piss. It’s all the same. There’s no piss on my roses. Come up with something else.”
Ricky’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Dishes for a month.”
“For a dormitory of a hundred? Your ass. No. How about you weed the roses for a month, do the dishes at the main house for a month, and chauffeur me around when I need a ride?”
“You haven’t learned to fucking drive yet?” Someone shouted from the back.
“I know how to drive,” Evie called back. “I just don’t want to.”
More laughter. “Passenger princess!” someone shouted.
“Damn right,” Evie called back. “Someone give me a crown!”
I liked seeing her like this, talking shit and completely relaxed.
Ricky mulled it over. “And you get latrine duty for a month?”
Evie nodded and flexed her hand. “You skeered?”
Ricky’s teeth pulled back in a grin. “I ain’t skeered of nothing.” He inhaled. “Alright, Lady. You got yourself a deal.”
Hope, my unruffled, unflappable, capable, and usually sober Omega let out a whoop.
She’d stripped her overshirt off and wore a white tank top and a pair of tight jeans.
Every shifter in the room cast the occasional glance at her.
Good thing Declan wasn’t here. He’d lose his shit and their fun would be over in an instant.
Staring was a lot different than action. As long as Hope didn’t mind, I didn’t mind. And if she did mind, she could take care of herself. I’d only step in if she needed me to.
And right now, this seemed to be overall, pretty innocent fun.
Evie held up her hand. “Wait! I need another plant.” Her eyes narrowed. “Large. Same size as this guy if you have it.” She pointed to the tree on her other side.
Someone scurried away and came back less than a minute later toting what I assumed to be a Ficus tree. Why the fuck a bar had real Ficus trees was a question for another time. The shifter set it beside her and stepped back into place.
Evie flashed him a grateful, sloppy smile, and touched her fingers into the soil. Her eyes flashed and the tree grew several inches. When she was done, she wiped her fingers on her jeans.
“Alright Ricky Bobby, let’s go.” Evie’s grin held an edge of violence.
Ricky returned her crazy smile and nodded his head.
Like everyone else, I was captivated.
Hope raised her hands. “One! Two! Three! Begin!”
Both trees burst with blooms they shouldn’t have. Evie bared her teeth, her smile edged with the promise of pain.
Desire prickled over my skin.
Ricky grinned at her and leaned forward. “We’re having tacos and burritos every single night.”
Evie snorted. “I’m going to purchase bat shit from the local farm and fertilize my flowers.”
The veins in Ricky’s arms bulged. Evie’s Ficus trees kept growing.
“I’m going to buy the worst piece of shit beater I can find and tote you around in it,” Ricky promised.
“Who gives a shit. A passenger princess is still a princess no matter what car she’s in.”
Ricky cracked a laugh. “I’m going to have all the toddlers potty train in our bathroom.”
Evie’s eyes narrowed. “Dirty pool,” she accused. “I’m going to plant the thorniest roses I can find and cross breed one of them to be poisonous.” Her smile widened. “And not tell you which one it is.”
Ricky’s hand tilted about twenty degrees the wrong way.
Everyone went nuts. Shouts of encouragement, shit talking, and insults flew every which way. A wild, delighted laugh broke from my mate.
“If I win, a round for the entire bar on me!” she shouted.
The entire bar went nuts this time. An even larger crowd gathered, this time fae mixed in with the bunch.
I wished every single day could be like this for her. Maybe minus the drunk part. I’d never seen Evie so relaxed and free. She was stunning, the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Well shit,” Ricky rasped, “a free round makes me want to lose.”
“You’re losing already!” someone shouted.
It was true. Ricky slipped another twenty degrees. Those plants grew another few inches and lost a few inches, back and forth as Evie and Ricky struggled.
But there was a sparkle in Evie’s eyes.
Was my mate playing him? A slow grin spread over my face. Her muscles were bulging but not as much as they should be.
Just how much extra energy and strength were those plants providing her? The lights flickered above us.
“Ricky?” Evie said.
“Hmm?”
“Do you prefer bat or cow shit?”
Ricky’s brow furrowed for a second until he made the same realization I had.
He opened his mouth just as Evie cackled and slammed his hand down to the table’s surface.
The bar went wild. Shifters shouted with glee, money changed hands, and Hope was screaming with laughter. She reached over and ruffled Evie’s hair.
Ricky sat back in his chair and let out a good-natured laugh. “Well shit, plant lady. Good match.” He reached over the table and stuck his hand out. Evie shook it.
“Rematch one day?” she asked.
He nodded. “You bet your ass.”
Ricky slapped the table and rose. Our eyes locked. The shifter went pale. “Erm. Umm.”
I walked over and clamped his shoulder with my hand. “Thank you,” I said quietly. “That’s the most fun I’ve ever seen Evie have.”
Ricky blushed. “You brought us an amazing Lady, Lord.” He rubbed his elbow. “And a surprisingly good arm wrestler.”
We grinned at each other. I turned and brought my hand up and made a circle with my finger. “Two rounds for the bar on the Keep Lord and Lady!”
I’d been so focused on Evie I forgot Ethan was with me. He had an odd look on his face.
“I wish you all the happiness possible, Rowan.”
We locked gazes for a long moment. The bastard was sincere. Huh. How about that. I grinned. “I hope one day you experience the epic level of craziness I get to.”
Ethan snorted. “I’m not sure about that one, but maybe one day I’ll experience this.” He gestured around the bar.
I turned to see Evie watching me with parted lips and wide eyes. Her hair was even worse, if possible.
“Hi,” she breathed. Color heated her cheeks.
I stalked over and hauled her from the table for a searing kiss. Evie melted into me, boneless and tasting of berries.
Wolf whistles and catcalls rang out.
I grinned against her lips.
“You aren’t mad?” she whispered.
I reared back. “Mad that you singlehandedly united my shifters and kicked one of their asses in an arm-wrestling contest?”
Her color deepened.
“Absolutely not. They’ll be talking about this for years.”
Evie snorted and shoved her hair out of her face. “I am quite drunk, Rowan.”
“Oh, I know it, darling. I brought drops for you.”
“Thank the gods,” she breathed.
“Are you ready to go?”
She nodded. “Wait. Moira is somewhere around here.”
I hadn’t seen her, but when I turned and saw Ethan go predator still, I winced.
He’d spotted her and whatever he saw was bound to cause trouble.
Evie sucked in a breath. “Why the hell is Ethan here?” she breathed.
“Lord business,” I said, not wanting to get into the weeds about Moira just now.
She smacked me on the chest when I started to walk. “No. Wait. I gotta see this. Turn around.”
I grimaced and turned to see Ethan stalking toward a dark-haired woman sitting on top of an enormous shifter.
Oh. Fuck. Moira had met Kelton, arguably the randiest of my shifters. From the looks of it, Kelton’s hands had been busy.
“Ohhhhh shit,” Evie whispered, blue eyes wide. “Kelton needs to get the hell out of there.”
Ethan wasn’t the type to start a bar fight. He didn’t need to. He was a Lord. Kelton would recognize he was beaten the second Ethan came within a foot of him.
He stopped right by Moira and crossed his arms over his chest. Moira, busy dotting kisses over Kelton’s face, looked up and went completely still. Her face went expressionless.
Kelton tried to drag her back down, but Moira shoved his hands away.
I couldn’t hear what was said, but whatever it was wasn’t good.
“We should go,” I murmured.
Evie clicked her tongue. “Hell no! Moira never gets into trouble. This is way too good to leave.”
I stared down at her, but Evie gave me a guileless smile. “One more minute,” she pleaded.
I was helpless to resist her. “Fine.”