Chapter 29 #2
Life cried out, joyful and free. Tears sprang to my eyes.
This place was saturated with happiness and memories, but as I sank deeper, I realized it had its fair share of pain, too.
I sank to the ground and sat cross legged, closing my eyes as I sank the other hand into the ground.
Threads of life everywhere. Every root, every vine, every creepy crawly thing blipped against my senses.
Caelan’s soil was well cared for but mostly left alone, the perfect way to allow nature to thrive.
Someone had done the work to nurse the soil back to health and then let it be. I smiled.
Magic poured from my body into the ground, saturating a good acre of Caelan’s property with extra nutrients. Flowers burst from the ground, trees straightened, seeds sprouted. My senses touched the back of the house—a kitchen garden.
“Your basil is struggling,” I rasped. “It doesn’t have enough light, and it’s too close to your cucumbers.”
I sensed Caelan sitting down beside me. “Evie. Do whatever you think is right.”
I uprooted the basil with barely a thought and moved it next to the oregano, where full sunlight would reach both. A couple additional tweaks and the garden would flourish. “You might want to warn whoever planted it, so they won’t be freaked out tomorrow.”
I could almost feel his grin. “He already knows and is a little embarrassed.”
Startled, I cracked an eye open. “You planted everything?”
Caelan nodded. “I try to do a small kitchen garden every year, and no one ever corrects me.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s annoying being a Lord sometimes.”
“I bet Simone would.”
He laughed. “She gets her hands dirty all the time dealing with my affairs. The last thing she wants is to dig in literal dirt.”
I closed my eyes again, doing one final check on his garden. “You planted your cilantro too deep.” Almost missed it the first time. A quick tweak and…“There. It should sprout soon. Don’t worry if you don’t see anything for a while. Cilantro is a slow grower.”
Another quick scan and I pulled my fingers from the dirt and rose, dusting off the seat of my pants. “Your land is healthy and happy.”
“Shifters tend to care for their lands well, flower girl.” He looked to the distance. “Shall we?”
We walked on, and even though I stopped periodically to investigate, Caelan never grew annoyed. We’d just turned a corner when something orange and blue streaked past my face. I gasped and spun to follow it.
A shriek of pure happiness exploded in the clearing.
“Fee!” Tears sprang to my eyes.
The phoenix soared high in the air and dive bombed straight for me. Caelan tensed, but I held out my arms. Fee screeched to a halt, inches from my face, and I grabbed her, bringing her in for a gentle hug.
Ancient magic hummed from her body. I stroked a gentle hand down her silky, glowing feathers. “You look stunning.”
Fee rubbed her head against my cheek and made an odd chirping noise. I lifted my head and locked eyes with Caelan.
He’d done this for me and didn’t have to, done it for no other reason than me asking. “Thank you,” I breathed.
A small nod.
A dark, sleek bomb with vivid purple eyes headed right for me, the raven’s cry piercing the quiet. He flew over me, circled back, and landed on my shoulder, his feathers brushing my hair as he nuzzled me.
“Hello Poe.”
“Evie. Hello.”
I reached up and stroked his cheek. “Fee is flying.”
The raven dipped his head. “Fee. Fly. Happy.”
“I’m glad. Are you coming home any time soon?”
Poe said nothing for a moment. “Fee. Home.”
My brows lifted. “You want to stay with Fee?”
Another dip of his head. “Oh Poe. Forever?”
“Fee is home.”
He reached for Fee, and she reached for him, Poe stroking her head with his. My heart warmed even as it cracked. If I wanted to visit Poe, I’d have to come here. Fee couldn’t leave.
“Are you sure?”
“Poe sure. Poe stay.”
I blinked away tears. Everything was changing. “Okay. You’re happy?”
Poe ruffled his feathers. “Wolves give meat. Hunt with wolves.”
I glanced at the Lord who shrugged. “Poe has excellent eyesight and a bird’s eye view.”
I chuckled. “Isn’t that cheating?”
“Acquiring dinner is never cheating.”
Poe flapped over and landed on Caelan’s shoulder, nuzzling the Shifter Lord’s cheek. “Caelan. Friend.”
Well. Shit. Even the raven was charmed.
“Yes, Poe,” I whispered as our eyes met once again. “Caelan friend.”
Poe lifted off and soared through the air. Fee nuzzled me one more time and followed, spreading her wings wide, a cry of joy shattering the night.
I sniffed away the tears. “They’re both happy.”
“I’m not the dastardly villain you think I am.”
I rubbed my face. “I never said you were a villain. Things are complicated.”
He took a step forward. “They don’t have to be.”
A half sob escaped me. “Says the Shifter Lord. Not everyone has your power, Caelan.” I held my hand up and stepped away. “But that’s not why I’m here.”
He came closer. “Why are you here, flower girl?”
“For two things. One you may agree to. The other will…” I sighed.
“Evie?” Concern brimmed in his eyes.
“The other may sunder us.”
He gripped me by the upper arms. “Have you paid attention to nothing?” His nostrils flared, and anger flashed bright over his handsome face. “Nothing will break this.”
I reached up and touched his face. “Promise me you will care for Poe and Fee no matter what happens.”
“Evie.”
“Swear to me, Caelan. And please don’t take anything out on Moira, Ash, or Tessa.”
His jaw tightened, irises expanding until there was no silvery gray left. “You think me a monster.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m the monster.”
The pendant, lying warm and serene between my breasts, flared with heat. I hissed and pulled it away, and as I did, an awareness came over me. Caelan’s attention snapped to the edge of the clearing.
I pulled my cellphone out and shot off a text to the others.
Caelan’s Keep. Now.
“Moira and the others will be here soon,” I murmured.
Rhona and Cliona stepped out of the woods, Finn was behind him. Someone else stood in the shadows to the right. He looked familiar, but he was too far away for me to identify.
Caelan swore viciously. “Donovan.”
The other Lord stepped forward. “I told you things weren’t right here.”
Vicious glee swam over his face. “Do you know what you have in your territory, Lord?” The last word was a sneer, an insult to Caelan’s position.
Donovan’s gaze flicked to me, satisfaction lighting his eyes. I reached over and touched Caelan’s arm.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I was going to tell you.”
Caelan’s attention snapped to me.
To my surprise, my mother didn’t say a word and allowed Donovan to take the lead. Caelan’s pendant heated, the temperature so high I winced.
I touched it, the obsidian pulsing under my fingers.
Rhona smiled. “It wants to grow and yet, you stifle it.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Donovan,” Caelan snapped. “Get out of my territory. You’re here without permission.” His eyes narrowed. “How did you get onto my land?”
A wolf padded out from the woods. Caelan sucked in a breath.
“Pack defectors,” Donovan said, his voice dripping with derision. “Gods, rogue magic, betrayal by your Pack.” He made a tsking noise. “And even worse, you have—”
A boom of sound, something slamming into the earth. A man—no, a god rose from his crouch, crimson runes sparking against his dark armor.
“You cannot interfere in the affairs of the paranormals,” Neit said, his gaze on my mother.
Cliona smirked. “Evangeline has something that belongs to me. She refuses to hand it over. Am I to allow theft now, Neit?”
Neit turned to me. Dark hair, dark eyes glowing with vivid violet magic, his face a mask of anger. “Is this true?”
I shook my head. “It doesn’t belong to her.”
“She admits she has it!” Cliona barked.
Neit’s jaw tightened. “Silence!”
He strode over, his armor silent as he moved. His eyes burned with anger, but I didn’t feel like it was directed at me. Caelan stiffened at Neit’s proximity, and a soft growl escaped him when Neit leaned so close he could kiss me.
“Do you have it?” he whispered so low only Caelan and I could hear him.
“What’s going to happen if I say yes?” I whispered back.
Neit closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Whatever you do, do not let your mother take it from you. Everything depends on this, Evie. Do you understand?”
I froze. “Yes,” I said after a long moment.
“Good.”
He turned to face my mother. “She says she doesn’t have it.”
I could almost hear my mother’s teeth crack when her jaw tightened. “The seed is in the pendant she wears.”
“Evie, do you have something that belongs to your mother inside the pendant you wear?”
I noticed his careful wording. “Nope.”
“Getting involved is a direct violation of our law, Cliona. Walk away now or tangle with me.”
Rage flashed over my mother’s face, there and gone in an instant. A second later, her eyes softened and went limpid.
A soft laugh escaped Neit as Cliona floated toward him, her dress flowing away from her body like a fae queen. Commotion from behind and the scent of fresh greenery told me Ash and the others were here. I shifted closer to Caelan and turned.
Ash and Moira walked toward us, Tess nowhere to be seen, but I knew she was here. I could feel her.
“Where is she?” I whispered in Moira’s ear.
“Close, but she won’t engage unless it’s the last resort.”
It made sense. Tess had terrible magic and spent years getting it under control. “Thank you for coming.”
Moira nudged me with her shoulder. “We’re besties. I love family drama.”
Neit didn’t let Cliona get too close. He met her in the middle. She reached out a pale hand and traced an elegant finger down his armor. “Neit. Don’t let my daughter stand in the way of this. She’s nothing, a demigod. The seed will reject her once it realizes how little power she possesses.”
Moira leaned over. “What the fuck is she talking about?”
“I think Mom has some baby daddy paternity confusion,” I whispered. “She thinks I’m still half human.”
Moira’s eyes widened. “Holy shit.” A grin spread across her face. “This is going to be epic.”
Dozens of birds appeared in the sky behind my mother, floating behind her like a dark, feathered cloud.
Oh. Fuck. I sent a desperate look to Caelan.
“Fee,” I whispered.
Caelan stiffened. He snatched his cell phone from his back pocket and fired off a quick text. “Simone will handle it.”
I hoped so. If my mother was pissed off now, wait until she saw the phoenix. Not to mention the complications if Fee revealed herself. The seed might not belong to her, but Fee…under fae law, she belonged to my mother.
Once he put his cell back in his pocket, Caelan moved.
One moment he stood right next to me. The next, Caelan held his rogue shifter by the neck with one hand.
A savage howl tore from the Lord’s throat seconds before he used his other hand to tear the shifter’s head off.
The sound of snapping tendons and breaking bones would live forever in my nightmares.
Blood sprayed in an arc, covering Caelan’s face in a crimson truth. A Shifter Lord never allowed a traitor to live.
Caelan tossed the body aside like trash and stalked toward the other Lord. Donovan paled and took a step back, his hands held out. “I have information you need,” he blurted.
My magic tugged from my stomach, a sickening lurch of power. I swayed on my feet. Cliona was no longer staring at Neit. A small smile curved her lips as our eyes met.
“Evangeline. Are you okay?” False concern made my mother’s voice an octave higher.
A ripping pain tore through my chest. Blood bubbled from my lips.
The earth responded. Trees ripped from the ground, shooting toward the sky. Vines slithered across the ground. Sleeping bulbs sprouted, sending fully grown stalks up, blooms unfurling to send an intoxicating aroma through the air.
I went to my knees. Moira went down beside me, her hands stroking over me with urgency, searching for a wound that wasn’t there.
Ash crouched beside me, his eyes pained. Emerald light glowed in his palms. He touched my back and closed his eyes. Earth magic poured into me, but Ash’s magic was no use against such power.
“Cliona!” Neit barked. “Release her!”
“I’m not doing a thing,” my mother said. She floated over and bent at the waist, a cool hand reaching out to brush my hair from my brow. “Poor thing.” Her tongue clicked. “You don’t look so good.”
“Rhona,” I breathed through the blood pouring from my mouth. The Chimera stood off to the side, eyes crimson red as she poured magic into me.
Hundreds of wolves streamed through the Keep grounds, their coordinated howls piercing the air.
Cliona reached for the necklace, poised to tear it from my throat. I lurched back, remembering Neit’s words. With trembling fingers, I opened the catch, tipping the seed into my hand.
It pulsed with warmth, with life, and called to me more than any magic I’d ever known.
“I’m glad you came to your senses,” my mother said. She bent down and flicked her hand. “Give it to me.”
Power cracked through the air, the skies splitting open. An enormous stag flew from the tear, shifting into the fae king an instant before he hit the ground.
Cliona’s face whitened. She turned to me. “Give me the seed,” she hissed.
When I didn’t react, she lunged, fast as a snake.
I panicked. Not my finest moment.
And popped the world seed into my mouth like it was a Tic Tac and swallowed the world ending magic down.