Chapter 8
Chapter
Eight
CAELAN
Simone didn’t say a word until we were halfway home. I braced myself for the litany of curses coming my way, but when she finally spoke, her tone was calm but worried.
“I didn’t see the god.” For Simone to admit something like that took a lot of steel. She prided herself on noticing everything. “There was a small blip where it felt like time skipped a beat, but I put it down to Joy Springs nonsense. Who was it?”
It frustrated me to no end, but I couldn’t place him. “No idea. He was dressed like a warrior and had glowing runes on his skin and armor.”
Simone frowned and shook her head after a moment. “I’ve never had dealings with the gods, but I can ask around.”
Many things bothered me about the sighting, but one thing made my blood boil.
The flicker of fear I felt when the god appeared hadn’t come from me.
It came from Evie. Even though her words belied her emotions, I’d smelled her bone-deep fear in the air when she spotted him across the street. She knew him, and I wanted to know why.
“I’ll ask Rowan.” Maybe Soren, too. “He’s more in tune with the wild parts of the world and may have sensed something.”
We drove in silence for a while. Just as we were about to turn onto the main road to take us to the Keep, I glanced up and spotted the same god sitting on top of a roof, those same runes glowing crimson under the morning sun, watching our vehicle as we drove past.
As soon as he spotted me watching, he lifted his hand in a mocking salute, grinned, and disappeared, divine magic shimmering in the air.
A trickle of unease ran through my veins.
“Did you see him?” I asked quietly.
Simone’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Dammit. No. Why is he only appearing to you?”
I held my tongue. There could be only one reason.
Evie.
Soren was waiting in my office, his feet kicked up on the coffee table, while Seymour waved his traps at him from a few feet away.
Relief flashed in his eyes when I walked in. “That thing is an abomination,” he said. “Why do you keep it around?”
Seymour took umbrage and snapped at Soren’s boots, cracking a piece of the rubber sole off. He happily munched on it as Soren looked on in horror.
“Because he’s a good deterrent against guests,” I muttered.
Soren’s bark of laughter made me snort. “There’s more of Evie inside that thing than I expected.”
“She can be quite prickly,” I admitted as I took a seat on the couch. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
Simone came inside at that moment, spotted Soren, rolled her eyes and sat on the opposite side of the couch. “Do I need to take notes?”
Soren leaned forward, his eyes glittering. “Do you ever put that pen down?”
Simone leaned into his space. “Only when I use it to stab someone in the eye.”
Soren grinned. “How much does Caelan pay you?”
“Enough to make your bank account shrivel up and die,” Simone said sweetly.
“Try to steal her and I’ll let Seymour eat you.
” It was true. I paid Simone an exorbitant amount of money, directly equivalent to the amount of bullshit she had to deal with.
Being a Shifter Lord meant Simone was up to her eyeballs in bullshit, and the less I had to deal with, the more I happily shelled out to her.
The woman was worth every wince from my accountant when he direct deposited her monthly paycheck.
Soren sat back. “Do you have a sister as equally competent? A niece or friend?”
“I have no friends,” Simone said deadpan.
The Lord rolled his eyes. “Fine. This discussion isn’t over, though.”
Simone flicked her fingers. “I’m not leaving. A pretty face and pretty words will never be enough to win my loyalty.”
“So you think I’m pretty then?” Soren said, his lips twitching.
“For the love of the gods, can we get on with it?” I wanted to sit in peace for a while and unravel everything that happened this morning, and I couldn’t do so with these two knuckleheads verbally sparring in my presence.
“Chimera energy is popping up all over your territory.”
I straightened. “Where?”
“I went for a run in the woods behind your property and sensed a disturbance at the town edge. After that, I stopped at a coffee shop, Mer-owned, I think, and sensed it again. We should reach out to the other Lords and see if they’ve sensed the same.”
“We don’t want to cause a panic. If Donovan smells blood in the water, he’ll complicate shit.”
“True. Rowan then?”
I nodded. “Rowan first. We’ll discuss telling the others once we know if Rowan’s territory remains stable.”
“That’s not all.” Soren’s expression sobered. “There are whispers about your Floromancer. I’ve not heard anything directly, but my Second has caught wind of her name mixed up with rumors of magical anomalies in your territory.”
Had to be the gods. I nodded, keeping my face blank. “We all know Evie herself is an anomaly with the strength of her Floromancy. I’ll send Garrett out and see if he can substantiate any of the rumors.”
“She’s a weakness, Caelan.” Soren’s voice was solemn, his voice lacking the usual teasing note.
“One man’s weakness is another man’s strength,” I responded, not bothering to deny the observation.
“Are you sure she’s yours?”
“She’s obstinate and refuses to have much to do with me, so right now she’s merely my on-retainer florist.”
Soren laughed and rose. “When you want to formalize things with her, call me first and I’ll try to soften up the others.”
I watched him. “Why are you being so agreeable?”
The other Lord’s eyes flickered. “Evie is Moira’s best friend.”
A surprised laugh burst from me. “Right. On the surface it’s a good idea, but I suspect Moira is as hard-headed as Evie in different ways.”
“I think you’re right, but I can throw everything at the wall, can’t I?” He thumped the wall once and disappeared down the hall.
Evie and I were barreling toward something. Whether it was good or bad remained to be seen.