Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
CAELAN
My cell beeped as Simone was leaving the room after a security brief. Garrett was in town trying to decipher the rumors swirling about Evie and the Chimeras.
Can you come over? I have a proposition and don’t want to discuss it over the telephone.
I froze. Was this about the marriage? Hope wrapped a fist around my heart and squeezed.
Have you eaten? I’d fed her once before and was dying to do it again.
I made tacos. There’s plenty left if you want them.
Evie was going to feed me? A dark sense of rage filled me as I thought about who else she might have fed over these last few months. I vowed to ensure I’d be the only one she offered food to in the future.
Shaking those possessive thoughts off, I checked the time. I’ll be there in twenty. Are the wards still keyed to me?
Yes. The front door is unlocked. Come inside.
I didn’t waste an extra minute. After I tossed Seymour some mealworms and patted him on the head and gave the turtle vine a little water, I got my shoes on and headed out the door without telling anyone where I was going.
Something about Evie’s property relaxed me as soon as I stepped onto the land.
An intense peace had settled into the plants and soil, and the wind smelled of fresh, green life.
The wolf inside me inhaled and curled into a tight ball, falling asleep.
The Keep was my home, but it had never given me this much peace.
Evie’s garden brimmed and overflowed with the gentle part of her power.
On my land, some of her magic had aligned with mine, and the Keep grounds were much more relaxing than they used to be, but this was on another level.
Following Evie’s instructions, I knocked once and pushed my way inside.
Evie sat curled on the couch, her lower half covered by a blanket. Her dark hair was up in a messy bun, and her hands held a steaming mug. An e-reader sat on her lap next to a massive dark bird.
I blinked. This must be the one I saw her with all those months ago.
Resisting the urge to sink beside her and pull her into my arms, I waited.
“Lord.”
The bird’s deep voice startled a laugh from me.
“Hello,” I said.
Evie’s fingers stroked the back of the raven’s neck. “This is Poe.”
“Poe. I’m Caelan.”
The raven bobbed its head.
Evie pointed to the kitchen. “Everything is in there if you want to make yourself a plate. There’s a bottle of red wine on the counter. It doesn’t go with tacos, technically, but it’s good wine and the tacos are good, so…” Her voice trailed off.
“Thank you.” I went into the kitchen and made several tacos, my shoulders relaxing at the domestic task. Living in the Keep meant being catered to. Doing this small thing for myself and not having Evie scrape and bow at my feet was nice. Wonderful, actually.
I might be making my own plate, but Evie’s essence had sunk into every part of the meal.
She didn’t speak until I had settled into the chair across from her with a glass of wine and a heaping plate.
“You could have taken the rest if you wanted it. I know how much shifters eat.”
“I had dinner earlier.” Simone had brought a plate into the study before the security meeting and waited until I’d eaten every bite. The Keep had a chef, a great one, but I’d always preferred home cooking, simple meals that were filling and flavorful, and showed the effort someone had gone to.
“Go ahead and eat. We can talk afterward if you like.” She wore an odd expression, one of worry and concern.
“Everything alright?” I picked up the first taco and bit into it. Flavor exploded in my mouth as I chewed. Cumin and chili powder, garlic and onion, the salsa Verde I’d spooned out of a pretty, chipped china bowl decorated with multi-colored flowers around its edge.
“Fine,” she assured me. “I have a situation I need assistance with.”
My eyebrows rose. “Evie Quinn asking for help? I can’t believe it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“Where did you get this meat? It’s fantastic.” And it was. Flavorful and tender and possessed of a wild note, there was no way this was grocery store meat.
“I have a good relationship with a lot of farms. One of them ships me a box every month filled with grass-fed and finished beef, heritage pork, and chickens.” Evie smiled as she watched me devour the tacos. “I’ll send you home with a few packs if you like.”
“I like,” I said with my mouth full. Every single bite on this plate would go in my mouth because Evie had made it.
She snorted. “I have an extra dozen duck eggs in the fridge too, if you’d like to try some.”
I shoved down the magic threatening to burst from my body, the urge to lift her from the couch and wrap myself around her. It took me a moment to respond, and when I did, my voice was rough. “Duck eggs?”
I didn’t give a shit about the eggs. What I cared about was this gentle, giving Evie. We weren’t fighting or yelling or angry. Evie on a normal day was already dangerous to my heart. This Evie threatened to undo me.
Her eyes lit up. “Yes! The yolk is darker, richer than a normal egg. I use them when I bake and occasionally eat them for breakfast.”
“If you have some to spare, I’d love to try them.” And I would. My chef would try to run me out of the kitchen if I tried to cook, but in this case, she would need to bend.
Evie rose and grabbed the wine bottle, carrying it back to the sofa. Before she sat down, she waved the bottle and lifted her eyebrows in silent question.
My heart did a strange little trip as I held my glass up for a refill.
She smiled and poured some in mine and hers before re-taking her place.
Once I finished my tacos, I went to wash my plate, but Evie called out from the couch. “No need. I’ll take care of it later.”
Evie watched me carefully as I sat back down and waited. Whatever she wanted, it must be important.
“I’m not sure if it’s a proposition or a favor I’m about to ask, but I think it leans more into favor territory.”
I inclined my head. “Ask then.”
“It requires secrecy on both our parts, as well as from everyone in your Keep.”
My eyebrows flicked up. Interesting.
Evie’s raven quarked and lifted its wings before it hopped off the couch and glided over, settling into my lap. I froze in surprise. Most animals didn’t like wolf shifters, but Poe was a curious thing. He lifted his beak and studied me with intelligent, dark eyes. “Fee!”
“Wait, Poe,” Evie said. “Lord—”
“Caelan,” I growled.
Her lips quirked. “Caelan, I am in possession of something my mother wants. Desperately.”
“Oh?” I lifted a hesitant finger and when Poe didn’t move, stroked the back of his head, surprised by the silkiness of his feathers. “Did you steal it?”
Evie barked a laugh. “No!”
“I wouldn’t judge you even if you had. Whatever you have must be important if your mother wants it so badly.”
“It is an anomaly,” Evie said. She sighed and took a sip of her wine. “I find myself unable to offer this treasure the…care it requires.”
I lifted my gaze. “This treasure is living?”
“Fee! Fee!” croaked the raven.
“Patience, Poe.”
My brow furrowed. “Fee?”
Evie leaned forward, intensity burning in her gaze. “I need—”
I set my wineglass down and rose, carefully lifting Poe. In a few steps I was beside her, mere inches separating us. “What is it? Tell me.”
Evie’s nostrils flared. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Fee,” she said quietly. “Come on out.”
A blur of orange and vivid blue swept through the air. I watched in awed fascination as a being straight out of legend swooped and landed right on Evie Quinn’s lap.
“Well,” I breathed. “Alright. This is what your mother covets.”
Evie rubbed her fingers over the phoenix’s chest. “Yes. Do you know much about my mother?”
The moment I found out who her mother was, I went home, scoured the internet, and sent Garrett out to find whatever he could about her. “She’s ancient, part of the Tuatha, and she owns three legendary birds.”
“But not this one,” Evie said quietly. “Though I’m sure she wants to.”
“What I don’t know is why this one is a phoenix when none of her other birds are all that remarkable.”
Fee’s tail whipped around and landed on my leg, the glowing feathers pulsing with a type of magic I’d never felt before. “You are stunning,” I murmured.
“I have no idea why Fee is a phoenix,” Evie said. “Somehow, either the mom or someone loyal to my mother smuggled the egg out and it landed at the farmer’s market with a man whose booth I frequent. He gave it to me and asked that I keep it safe.”
“And this little girl came along a few months later.”
“Yes. And I don’t think I can care for her the way she needs. Not with all the current…scrutiny.”
Scrutiny I’d put her under. Fuck. “What is it you need from me?”
“I’m not sure what I need other than a space for Fee to be safe. She needs to be able to fly free. I let her out when I can, but I have to put a canopy up that restricts how high she can fly. My property is too close to town, and she’ll be noticed.”
As Shifter Lord, I had an immense amount of land at my disposal. As Caelan, I held even more.
“What do you want from me in exchange?” Evie asked quietly. Her shoulders slumped, making me feel like utter shit.
“You’ve never asked for anything for yourself.” I snorted. “Other than for me to leave you alone, which admittedly I am terrible at doing.”
A slight smile tilted her lips up.
I brushed a hand over her cheek. “I will gladly do this for you and ask for nothing in return.”
“There’s one more thing.”
“Poe!” the raven croaked. “Poe go!”
A wince. “My raven would like to accompany you and visit freely if you would allow it.”
“Of course. Poe is welcome. I’m sure Fee would like to have a friend with her.”
We chatted over the details, their diets, and what Evie needed, which was only that Fee be kept safe and allowed to fly whenever she wanted.
I let her in on a little-known secret. “The entire Keep is protected by a spy proof ward. That’s why you never see news stories about any of the goings on there. The media has never been able to pierce our veil of privacy.”
“Comforting, but what about magical means?”
“That too. Not once has any magic—” I paused at Evie’s grin, “other than yours, penetrated the keep. And yours was not for spying. The Keep has many talented magicians who work solely on my security team. Your treasures will be safe at the Keep.”
Evie watched me, a solemn expression on her face. “Caelan.”
My heart clenched at the rasp in her voice when she said my name.
“I can’t let you take them if you use them against me. Fee can’t be a pawn in whatever this is between us. And Poe must be allowed to enter and leave at will.”
“I swear to you, I will protect them both with my life.” I laid a hand over my heart. “In this, we are agreed.”
Evie swallowed hard. “Why?”
“For many reasons. The simplest one being for you.”
Suspicion flickered in her eyes. “I’m still not going to marry you.”
I laughed. “Maybe not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not even next year.” I rose and offered my arm to Fee. Poe hopped onto the top of the couch and flapped onto my shoulder. “But one day, Evangeline Quinn, you are going to be my wife.”
I turned and left the house before she could regain enough composure to scream at me, smiling all the way.