Chapter 31
Chapter
Thirty-One
Moira was beside herself when I skidded into the shared living area of the main dormitory. Misty lay in her crib happily burbling away while glowing with an intense red light.
“She seems fine,” Moira said, her face stricken. “I—I don’t know what happened, but she won’t let me near her. Every time I try, it’s like she has this field that pushes me away.”
Hope came to an abrupt stop and gasped at the scene. “Holy shit.”
I moved toward the baby. Hope gripped my arm. “Wait. Me first.”
“No. Let me. I’m her kind. If this is the first manifestation of her magic, she might need to see someone like her.” I shook my head at the words. No idea if what I was saying was true, but it felt right.
“Be careful,” Moira urged.
I shook Hope’s grip loose and carefully moved closer.
“Hi, Misty,” I said in a singsong voice. “Hey little baby. Everything okay?”
Nothing happened, so I ventured closer, close enough I could peer over the edge and see her.
Misty waved a chubby fist and made a spit bubble. Relief filled me. “You scared the hell out of everyone,” I said softly.
And probably made us a few enemies, I didn’t say aloud. I reached out and stroked her downy hair. “What is this? You’re glowing like an Amsterdam club.”
Moira snorted.
“Can I pick you up?” I scooped her up, waiting for something to happen, but Misty seemed content.
A breath of relief escaped me. I tucked her against my hip and booped her nose. “What was all that about?”
Misty let out a loud laugh.
“Mmm hmm. Funny for you. Terrifying for everyone else.”
Moira and I locked eyes. “I don’t know how far the light can be seen.”
“Miles,” Hope said grimly. “Maybe more.”
“If any of the swans or other Chimeras are out there, Misty just put out a homing beacon.”
Hope nodded. “They’ll be investigating. Soon. I’ll speak with the Lord about bolstering security. In the meantime, is there something you can do to tone that light down?”
Misty blinked slower than normal.
I grinned and looked up at Hope. “I think so. At least for a little while.”
The Omega nodded and hurried from the room.
I gently shook the baby’s fist. “How about a nap, little monster?”
Misty gave me a gummy smile.
“We have maybe two hours,” I said to Rowan when I got back to the house. “Moira is with Misty, but she won’t allow anyone but me near her right now.”
It took me a while to get her to sleep, but I had to admit, holding an innocent little baby for any amount of time was amazing for my dopamine receptors. Even with the threat of Barrett hanging over our heads, I felt more relaxed today than I had in weeks.
Poor Moira was a frazzled mess, though.
Rowan pushed a purplish drink toward me. He sat at the table nursing his own amber-colored drink. His hair was a little mussed and there were purple smudges under his eyes.
“Barrett hasn’t left.” His heavy sigh spoke volumes about how he felt about that. “He’s pacing outside the wards, demanding to be let back in.”
“Great.” I took a fortifying sip and blinked. “Damn. This is delicious.”
Rowan’s tired smile made my heart hurt. “Spiked lavender lemonade. Hope brought it over earlier and said to tell you there’s no time for arm-wrestling tonight.”
“I’ll never live that one down.”
“Nope,” Rowan said cheerfully.
We fell silent. “There’s more,” he said after a moment.
“Of course there is.” I took another drink.
Rowan refilled my lemonade from the pitcher. “Barrett is claiming the Chimera is his daughter.”
“Not unexpected,” I murmured. “Any way to prove it?”
“Unfortunately, the blueprints to build our DNA lab are delayed.” He softened his sarcasm with a smile.
“I’m hopeful your parents can help. If Barrett is Misty’s father, we cannot legally hold her at the Keep without entangling us in complicated politics.
Barrett has proclaimed you as the de facto Chimera leader in earshot more than once, and you are my mate… ”
His voice trailed off.
“Conflict of interest,” I finished.
I pulled my phone out and texted Mom. She showed up, but she wasn’t alone. A tall woman with brilliant red hair appeared beside her. Rowan went still.
I sucked in a breath.
“Peace, Lord,” Mom said. “She has agreed to help with your…issue.”
Brigid, goddess of the home and hearth, smiled at me, the look not especially friendly. She was tall and beautiful, pale blue eyes like ice chips. My father considered her a friend.
I found it hard to believe this woman was anyone’s friend.
“Nice to see you again, Evie.”
I didn’t have to have any special abilities to know the woman was lying. “Likewise.”
My smile was all jagged edges.
Brigid gave me the first genuine smile I’d seen from her. “Well, then. Let us not delay. Bring me to the child.”
Misty was just rousing from her nap when she spied Brigid and went completely silent. Even the baby was awed by her beauty. The goddess swept her up and tucked her in the crook of her arm.
Brigid might look like an ice queen, but her demeanor thawed as soon as Misty was in her arms. She swayed gently back and forth and spoke nonsense, gently stroking the baby’s hair. Mom still stared at her like one would a poisonous viper.
I clamped my lips together to keep from laughing.
“Where is the male who claims kinship?” Brigid asked.
“Outside of the wards,” Rowan said.
One of the goddess’s eyebrows rose. “Show me to him.”
Rowan’s jaw tightened at being ordered around, but he escorted Brigid outside.
Our walk to the front of the wards was silent. The only sound was Brigid speaking quietly to the child. When Barrett spotted us, he slammed his fists against the wards. The impact reverberated through my skull, though not as painful as it must have been for Rowan, who winced with every blow.
We stopped before Barrett. The male always looked well put together every time I saw him, but the baby’s presence had shaken something loose inside of him. His hair was mussed from its normal, neatly combed appearance. His irises were ringed with crimson, and his chest heaved with every breath.
“I am trying to be reasonable, Rowan.” Barrett’s voice was guttural and hoarse. “We both know I can break these wards.”
“If you do, you will find yourself in a war with my people,” Rowan said mildly. “I’d recommend you maintain your restraint.”
Brigid stepped up, smart enough to shadow the baby’s face with the blanket. She eyed Barrett for a moment.
The hair rose on the back of my neck. I glanced at Rowan. He straightened, a slight furrow between his brows.
Mom sucked in a breath. Her eyes widened and flashed with azure-colored magic.
“I have to go,” she whispered, her face stricken with fear.
Mom blinked away. I stepped forward, my hand outstretched. What was happening?
“HOPE!” Rowan called, his voice booming through the clearing.
Brigid smiled at Barrett, a slow, satisfied curl of her lips.
Barrett smiled back, a roll of crimson magic shining from his eyes.
Rowan’s wards shattered, a boom of sound that launched us backward through the air.
Shadows melted from the tree cover. Hundreds of shifters appeared, swans, wolves, and a few others I couldn’t make out as I flew through the air.
I flung out a hand, commanding the earth. Vines ripped from the earth and wrapped themselves around me and Rowan, bringing us to a gentle stop. I glanced behind me. Rowan’s eyes glowed that strange new color.
Moira, Hope, and Declan came over the rise, my friend in the lead, her dark hair streaming like a ribbon behind her.
The vines released Rowan. He rose, a terrible look on his face. “I’ve called the others. This will be a difficult fight. Evacuate the children. You know the plan. This is what we’ve practiced for all these years”
Hope nodded and turned back toward the dorms. Declan shifted, a massive brown bear in the place where the male had just stood.
“The moment they step into Keep territory, down as many as you can,” Rowan commanded.
Moira came up beside me. “What can I do?” My best friend wasn’t scared, her lovely face set into a determined expression.
Rowan looked to me. “Whatever you say, Rowan.”
My mate nodded. “Same instructions I gave to Declan. No mercy, Moira. Kill or be killed. They want to come onto my land and take what belongs to us, we will show them why that’s a terrible idea.”
Brigid turned, still holding the baby. “Thank you for your hospitality.” She started to shimmer away, but Barrett came up behind her. I spotted a flash of black as his arm rose.
Brigid’s eyes widened. She tried to spin, but stumbled, blood arcing in a half circle above her back. Her lips parted, crimson streaming from between her lips. The goddess went to her knees, the bundle in her arms slipping. Barrett bent and removed the child, tucking Misty in his arms.
Moira swore. “What the hell did he stab her with?”
“Iron,” Rowan said grimly. “Keep your distance.”
I shook my head. “No. Iron has never affected me like the other fae. He’ll soon find out his weapon is useless.” Barrett’s attention was momentarily distracted by the child. Whether she was his or not, he would die today.
“This land is yours just as much as it is mine,” I said. “Barrett will know our might.”
Rowan gathered me around the waist and pressed a fierce kiss to my lips. “Happy hunting, mate of mine.”
“Happy hunting,” I breathed, my lips tingling from the taste of him.
Barrett turned and handed the baby to one of the swans.
“Moira, change of plans.”
“Find the baby,” she whispered.
“Find the baby,” I agreed. “Secure her somewhere no one can find her. Then come back and kill as many of these fuckers as you want.”
Moira’s grin held a touch of vicious delight. “Can’t wait.”
She made an astonishing leap toward the swan, who gaped and stumbled as they turned and ran from Rowan’s property.
That bitch wouldn’t get far with Moira on her tail.
Rowan took off for the shifters surging onto Keep property. I kept my eyes on Barrett and walked toward him, hands loose at my side.
“Is she yours?” I asked.
“Does it matter?” The Chimera rode his words, his irises ringed with crimson.
Mine had been content since Rowan and I had completed the bond, rising only when I wanted it to. I hadn’t thought much about that since I’d been so focused on other things, but I felt overall more settled, more secure in my skin.
“It does,” I said simply. We stood a few feet away from each other. “If she’s yours, we can work something out.”
“If she’s mine, you have no claim.”
“You tore down Rowan’s wards and entered onto Keep property, a declaration of war. I’m within my rights to kill you.”
Barrett’s eyes lit with surprise and amusement. “You always have been a big talker for someone who can’t manage her own magic. You operate at the level of a Chimera child, Evie. What makes you think you have even the smallest of chances of walking out of this alive?”
I smiled. “You always seem to forget I am not only a Chimera.”
I brought my hands up. Vines and roots shot from the ground, but Barrett was too fast. He disappeared in a heartbeat, either a trick of the light or a Chimera secret I hadn’t yet learned.
I spun around, looking for him, only to see shifters tangled with each other, some in human form, others fighting in their animal forms. Teeth and claws and bladed wings ripping and tearing at each other.
The scene made my heart ache.
So much violence. For what?
I was so sick of these power games, so sick of these people who wanted more than what they were entitled to or what they worked for. Tired of people fighting and dying.
Tears sprang to my eyes. A shift of wind direction was the only thing that saved me. I shifted to the left, just as a bladed wing snipped off a lock of my hair.
Barrett forgotten for now, I spun to face the swan.
“Hello, bitch,” a grinning male said. “I can’t wait to breed you.”
My nose crinkled with disgust. “Sorry. Dinner and conversation before breeding. You haven’t even asked me for my number yet.”
The swan blinked in confusion. “Stupid bitch.”
“Mmm. Yes, you’ve called me that already. Not the sharpest tool in the drawer, are you?”
A cruel ugliness crept into the swan’s eyes.
Seconds later, I was in a fight for my life.