Chapter 30
Chapter
Thirty
Iknew why Rowan had let him in. Refusing him would rouse suspicion. I pulled out my cell and texted Moira.
Keep the baby away from the training field. Barrett is here.
Shit, came the almost immediate response. Will do.
Three little dots and then, Some weird shit is happening in the dorm. Unsure if it’s the baby but seems like it. Odd magic fluctuations.
Fuck.
Try to contain them if you can. He cannot know she’s here.
I’ll do my best.
“What is it?” Dad asked.
I smiled and waved to Barrett.
“There’s a Chimera baby in the dorm,” I whispered.
Dad blinked, his head snapping my direction. “What?”
“Someone dropped her off a few days ago. No idea where she came from or whose she is.”
Dad stared at me for a long moment. “You didn’t think this was important to mention?”
“I’ve had a lot going on,” I hissed. “He cannot know she’s here.”
“You think he might be her father?”
“I don’t know. Very few people offer the things he has for free unless there’s something in it for them.”
Dad grunted. “Fair enough.”
“He’s about to be within hearing distance. Pretend we’re talking about something else.”
“If you don’t get this down, you’ll be useless to us,” Dad snapped.
I blinked. “Geez, Dad.”
“You asked for it. Now, let’s try it again from the top.”
“Do I have to?” I whined. Half of the complaining wasn’t for show. Mom’s drops helped, but they weren’t perfect. I still felt like I’d been wrung out and hung to dry.
“Do you want your people to die horrible deaths when others come for your territories and raid them?”
“We aren’t Vikings.”
“No,” Dad agreed. “The fae are worse. Again, Evie.”
Barrett seemed relaxed. He nodded to both of us. “I see your father is being hard on you again.”
I rolled my eyes, careful to keep my emotions in check.
Barrett had a keen sense of smell, and he knew how to use his magic far better than I did mine.
I had to pretend like everything was normal.
Barrett might be the best guy in the world, but I didn’t trust him like I did Moira or Rowan, or my parents. He was still an unknown.
“Always,” I agreed. “I’m glad you’re here, actually. Once I get through this last drill, I have some questions about Chimera abilities.”
Barrett’s gaze lingered on me a beat too long. “When you canceled training the other day, I thought I’d done something wrong.”
“Not at all,” I said with a dismissive wave. “If you haven’t noticed, Rowan and I are mated. That took precedence for a few days.” The heat on my cheeks wasn’t fake. I could still be such a prudish human sometimes.
Rowan’s face was apologetic, but he’d done the right thing. If Barrett wasn’t here for the right reasons, leaving him at the gate would only rouse suspicion.
His presence put us in a bad position. Barrett had never purposely wandered off or snooped, but we always kept a close eye on him.
Garrett and Simone were never too far away when I was wandering the grounds, and Declan and Hope were making their rounds as well.
Barrett wouldn’t get far if his purposes were nefarious.
A wise man had once told me, “Trust, then verify.” Barrett was still in the verification stages.
“Of course,” Barrett said with a chuckle. “Mating as a Chimera is supposed to be an intense experience as well. I can’t imagine any shifter has it easy during those first few days.”
Rowan’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes as he came up beside me. “We were pretty busy for a while.”
I choked on a laugh. “Rowan!”
His words broke the subtle tension. Barrett sat down on an old tree stump. “Please. I didn’t mean to interrupt the middle of a session. We can continue on once you and your father finish.”
Dad inclined his head. “There’s not much happening right now other than Evie’s tingles.”
“Is this bully Evie day?” I grumbled.
“When Evie finally gets this part down, worlds will rejoice.” My father took a few steps back. “Now. Try again.”
We were at it for hours before Dad finally gave up. He said his goodbyes and left me with another lecture.
The moment he disappeared, Barrett rose. “Dusk comes soon, but we have some time. You up for another practice round?”
I nodded, though exhaustion was set in every line of my body. “Go through the warmups first?”
He shook his head. “Not this time. You should be plenty warmed up after your time with Cernunnos. Let’s get right into it.”
Everything seemed normal with Barrett. He wasn’t acting weird or searching for something he thought we might have. His attention stayed on me. His touches were polite but guiding, and he made no cryptic comments about anything.
I was beginning to feel bad about mistrusting him. Just as I turned to ask him something, magic rocked the Keep.
Powerful magic.
Chimera magic.
Simone and Garrett hurried out of the forest cover and skidded to a stop on either side of me. They’d long ago noted Barrett’s presence and said nothing that might reveal our secret.
Barrett stumbled, his eyes sharpening. “What was that?”
The problem with thinking fast is I was bad at it sometimes. “Mom is still on Keep grounds. Maybe she blew up something in her lab.”
Barrett gave me an odd look. “No,” he said slowly. “That magic is familiar.”
A thin stream of crimson magic shot through the air, highlighting the sky with the color of blood. Barrett sucked in a shocked breath.
“Is there another Chimera on the grounds?” He started to take off, but Garrett grabbed him by the arm
“Apologies, Barrett. This is Keep only business. I’m afraid I’ll have to escort you off the grounds.”
Declan and Hope walked up just as Garrett was leading Barrett away, but the Chimera dug his heels in.
“Evie! What was that?” His eyes narrowed. “What are you hiding?”
I smiled apologetically. “Sorry, Barrett. He’s right. This is Keep business.”
His face drained of color. “After everything I’ve done for you, you’d keep a secret like this from me? Where is the other Chimera? Who is it? Did you find the swans?”
I still wasn’t sure if he was playing me or not. Finn had been an amazing actor until he wasn’t. Chimeras were born and lived in secret. All of us had the capacity for great deception when it came to hiding our identities.
Rowan gently squeezed my arm. “My mate has spoken, Barrett. Once we have everything under control, we can resume training.”
Barrett’s genial mask fell away. “I knew you were hiding something from me. Who are you keeping here?”
Simone gripped Barrett’s other arm and together they dragged him away. Rowan followed behind. With the three of them, he’d think twice about trying to break away.
“Evie!” Barrett roared. “I WILL find out!”
The sky still glowed crimson. Shifters poured out of the dormitory where the flash of light occurred. Several came running toward us.
“Pick up the pace,” Rowan said tightly.
I turned away, confident in Rowan’s control of the situation, and hurried toward the dorms.