Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
“Just because Cernunnos told me to trust you doesn’t mean I’m going to.” I stared at the troublemaking seed in my palm and wondered why in the world it had chosen me. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of people more capable than I.
All I needed was a break, not world-shattering trouble, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to get any kind of break for a long, long time.
“Should Ash store it again?” Moira asked.
I thought it over before shaking my head. “No. It’s too dangerous. Ash’s tree is too important for us to risk letting him store something this important.”
“What about the Keep?” Caelan asked.
“As fortified as your Keep is, my mother can sense the presence of this seed. My wards are the only thing keeping her out. It’s safest here.”
Caelan frowned. “Unless you provide the same wards for the Keep. We have a lot more places to hide something of this power. My Pack will guard it with their lives.”
“You already have Fee.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “And she’s having the time of her life in the skies with Poe. But those two things are not alike.”
“Right. This one might blow up the world.” I closed my fingers around the seed. “It’s not a good idea. If she discovers Fee, she’ll discover the seed. Vice versa. I can’t put you in that kind of danger. Asking you to keep Fee was bad enough.”
Caelan took Cernunnos’ place, an odd look on his face. “You aren’t the only powerful thing in this room.”
“That isn’t the point. Cernunnos said the seed would return to me. Even if I gave it to you, it wouldn’t stay.”
Ash had been suspiciously silent until now. “She’s right. The seed will return to her. Evie is the only one who can keep it safe.”
Caelan’s jaw tightened. “Then what do we do?”
Moira’s brow furrowed. “Can you disguise it somehow? Hide it in an arrangement and ward the shit out of it? Or maybe put it in a piece of jewelry so your magic will disguise its power?”
“Mom knew where it was not long after I brought it into the shop, even with the warding up.”
Excitement lit her eyes. “Because you brought the thing in unprotected. But if we ward the seed, wrap it in so much magic its signature is disguised by your magic and by ours, I think we might be able to pull it off.”
Ash was nodding to himself. “It could work. We’d need to find a piece of jewelry—”
“I’ll take care of it,” Caelan said.
Moira pressed her lips together, eyes sparkling with mirth.
“Nothing ridiculous,” I snapped. “Something simple, Caelan. Cheap. Something I can wear on a day-to-day basis. Alright?”
He held both hands up, his face screaming innocence. “Of course. I am yours to command.”
“No diamonds or rare stones or anything to make me stand out. Simple and elegant and on a chain or ring or bracelet that I won’t lose.”
Caelan’s nostrils flared. “A ring?”
I pinched the space between my brows. “Do not make this weird.”
“Oh, he’s going to make it weird,” Moira said with delight.
“So weird,” Tess said. She leaned closer to Ash. “Can you use my magic too?”
Ash blinked. “Of course. Why wouldn’t we?”
Tess dropped her eyes. “Mine is volatile. My true magic. Not the small things I do around the shop.”
“Tess. Yes. We’ll infuse the jewelry with a part of each of us, and you are always included.”
A pretty pink blush colored her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“And me?” Caelan growled. “What about me?”
I opened my mouth to say absolutely not, but there was a look in his eyes, and a hopeful look on his face that gave me pause. Caelan made me so snappy all the time, it became my first instinct to deny him. But this was a small ask. And Cernunnos had told me to trust him.
“Do you want to be included?” I asked quietly.
The Lord swallowed. “I do.”
I felt like I stood on the opposite side of a chasm from Caelan, and this moment would start building a bridge between us.
Whether that was good or bad, only time would tell.
“Then consider it done. Procure the jewelry and once we have it and see what we’re working with, then we’ll put together the spell. ”
I turned to the others. “Will that work?”
Ash and Moira gaped at me. The vampire was the first to recover. “Uh. Yes. Caelan will need to be there for the spell. Right, Ash?”
“Yes. Until then, I don’t think Evie should leave her land.”
At my strangled protest, Ash shook his head. “This is too important, and we can’t risk Cliona coming back to the shop. We’ll open the store tomorrow.”
He focused on Caelan. “It’s a lot to ask, but can you have something ready by tomorrow evening?”
The Shifter Lord didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Meet here at seven?”
Everyone agreed and started cleaning up the remnants of dinner. Ash, Tess, and Moira headed out, Caelan lingering behind. He stopped on the porch, right by the front door.
The warm light of the porch picked up the gold highlights in his eyes; the smoke blue of his sweater, setting off the stormy gray irises. His dark hair brushed against the collar, and he shoved one hand into the pocket of his dark blue jeans, the other holding Hannah.
“Thank you.”
I tilted my head. “For what?”
“For not dismissing me. I want you to know you can trust me and my Pack. It’s not often someone in town has the ability to take us all on, and we’d rather work together than be enemies.”
How much of this was sincere and how much was him trying to placate me? Or force my hand? I hated how suspicious I was all the time, but the paranoia served me well most of my life, and it was difficult breaking habits. Especially since I wasn’t sure of his angle, if there was one at all.
“You normally kick people out of town who have the ability to challenge you, don’t you?”
He slowly nodded. “I do. But those people also want my power. They aren’t content to run a flower shop.”
“You aren’t afraid I’ll one day grow mad with power and come after you?”
Caelan’s teeth glinted. “I’d like to see that. Could be fun.”
I leaned against the door jam. “You’re right. I don’t care about amassing power. I’d been here for years before you came into my shop.”
Caelan fished his keys from his pocket. “I wish I would have known you sooner.”
My heart did an annoying little skip thump. “So we could be fighting for years instead of months?”
His lips tipped in a smile. “I don’t think we’ll be fighting for years, flower girl. Something’s gotta give before then.”
I watched as he turned and headed toward the vehicle. “See you soon, Evangeline.”
Shaking my head, I went back inside and shut the door. Freaking shifters.