Chapter 31
Chapter
Thirty-One
CAELAN
We walked out of the forest nude and bloody, Evangeline’s arm wrapped around my waist, her touch proprietary, claiming. The wolf inside me preened at her possessiveness.
Her dark hair flowed down her back, azure eyes glowing with mixed power, a goddess in her own right.
One who belonged to me.
Finally.
I’d known what she was for a while or suspected at least. There were too many coincidences for her not to be Chimera, not with Finn’s presence and Rhona’s arrival.
At first, I’d cared and wondered what it might do to my rule, my grip on power in this place. But Evie proved difficult to resist.
We still had secrets between us. Big ones. The fallout of this night would echo for years to come, and Evangeline would have to come to terms with what she’d become, what she might yet become when the ramifications of the seed came home to roost.
And I had no doubt they would.
Cernunnos was her father, the fucking fae king. I still couldn’t wrap my head around that one.
And her mother was a raging bitch who’d disappeared as soon as Evie sent Rhona up in flames, though I was satisfied to see Cliona’s bone white, horrified expression when Evie had risen from the ground in legendary Chimera form.
I’d be a fool to believe the battle between them was over. There was a long way to go before their war was resolved.
Evie didn’t hesitate at the edge of the forest. She walked by my side, up to the place where she’d revealed her heritage. Hundreds of wolves sat on their haunches, silently waiting.
They’d all felt the claiming, by both of us. And another curious claiming I’d need to investigate later. My territory boundaries had expanded, and I knew the Lords would lose their shit over it when they realized.
Well, everyone but Donovan. He lay quite dead at the edge of the forest. One useless fucker down, and no one would mourn his loss.
As much as I wanted to take Evie to my bed and claim her again, we had one more important thing to face.
My shifters sat quietly, expectant, their glowing eyes trained on Evie.
We might not be officially mated, yet, but she was their Lady now, and as such, her word was their law.
Moira sucked in a breath and shrugged her cardigan off, hurrying over to Evie. She wrapped it around her friend’s shoulders, frowning as Evie let it slip and fall. “There’s probably something to wear in the house if you want me to find it,” Moira whispered.
Evie shook her head and gripped Moira’s hand tightly. The vampire swallowed hard, knowing things had changed forever tonight. Tears swam in her eyes as she stepped back and bowed her head.
Ash came forward and went to his knees. He gripped both of Evie’s hands in his.
“I knew you’d claim your heritage.” Not caring about her blood-soaked hands, he kissed the back of her palms.
Evie touched the top of his head. “Let’s never talk about the fact that you’ve seen me naked, okay?”
Ash let out a broken laugh. “Glad to see you haven’t lost yourself.” He rose and dragged her in for a hug.
My jaw tightened and jealousy reared its ugly head as Ash put his hands on her, and I had to take a deep, steadying breath before I swiped the dryad with a claw-tipped paw. I’d be an angry, jealous wreck for the next few weeks until the claiming settled.
And Evie would be, too.
Tess floated over. She reached a pale hand up and touched Evie’s face. “Don’t forget about those two weddings we booked. We’re going to be busy as hell.”
A laugh bubbled from Evie’s chest. “I won’t.”
Tess offered a faint smile and floated over to Ash’s side.
Cernunnos leaned against a tree, not interfering. Yet.
I swept my gaze across my people. “We were betrayed tonight,” I began
A few wolves shifted. I made a mental note of who they were.
“If you don’t want to be in this Pack, drop a request to Simone within the next twelve hours.
I will make arrangements for your release or transfer.
If you choose not to transfer and prefer to act as a lone shifter, you must be out of the Keep and out of the boundaries of my territory within twenty-four hours. ”
Evie’s hand tightened around my waist.
“I know none of you missed what happened a little while ago.” Cool hands pressed a large towel into my hands.
Evie’s attention snapped to Simone, eyes flashing bright red. A snarl curled her upper lip as her gaze locked on the woman who’d given it to me.
Pride at Evie’s possessiveness burst in my chest as Simone held her hands up and slowly backed away. “A towel, Evie. That’s all.”
Evie hadn’t bothered putting on the cardigan, so I didn’t bother with the towel. Having her stand with me, regal and covered in her enemies’ blood, hair streaming down her back and eyes shimmering with power, I’d never felt so raw, so real.
So alive.
The Floromancer watched my Omega until she disappeared into the crowd, her teeth pulling away from her lips in a silent snarl.
Creepy, violent, and possessive, just how I liked my Lady.
“Some of you have met Evangeline Quinn. Many of you have talked about her. She is a Floromancer and a Chimera.” I left out the goddess part. It was neither here nor there, and my wolves had seen quite enough tonight. “And she is mine.”
My eyes swept the crowd. “If anyone would like to challenge me for her, you are more than welcome.”
Evie shifted and glanced at me. “Do I have to kill them?” She stretched her neck. “I’m a little tired but I could be persuaded.”
She was going to be so embarrassed when she came down off her blood high. “No,” I murmured. “I get to this time.”
“Ah. Cool.” Evie gave an unnerving smile to the other wolves. “But I get to watch?”
I laughed. “All you want, flower girl.”
Evie closed her eyes and inhaled. “We did something to this land tonight,” she murmured in a voice for my ears only. “Should I be worried about it?”
“No. You did what you were born to do.”
A screech high in the air sounded, a flash of orange and purple streaking above, and Fee circled around, landing on Evie’s shoulder. Poe followed behind, landing on mine.
A few more wolves shifted uncomfortably.
A small part of me understood. We were shifters, born under a full moon, and born to run.
Freedom ran in our blood, but Evie was different.
She claimed land and healed wherever she went.
Home was wherever Evie chose to put down roots, literal and metaphorical.
But tonight, we’d all seen another side of her.
A violent predator lived within her, one who thirsted for the blood of those who wronged her.
Rhona and Finn were dead. Cliona would think twice before she tangled with Evie again, but Cernunnos still stood there, arms crossed over his chest. He hadn’t once taken his eyes off Evie.
And that was beginning to make my blood stir. He wanted something from her.
Donovan was dead, slain by my hands. I hadn’t violated the law, but I was one of the few Lords who kept to his territory and rarely caused issues. I wasn’t known for being a hothead.
The other Lord’s death would cause a firestorm of political upheaval.
His land was directly above mine. I stilled. Had Evie and I claimed it during our tryst in the woods after his death?
Satisfaction roared through my blood. It would serve him right if we had. Evie would know, but now wasn’t the time to ask.
When no one challenged me, I sent out a small pulse of power letting the wolves know I still reigned supreme over this land. I was still their Alpha, but there was someone new who commanded their loyalty as much as I.
Evie tilted her head back and inhaled, her breasts tilted toward the sky, her throat bare. She was the picture of earth, of life.
Mine.
As we watched, flowers sprouted under her feet, the destroyed trees healed and rose higher in the sky, forming a thick canopy above us, allowing only a sliver of moonlight to peek through.
Vines stretched around those trees, blooming with purple and white flowers, the heady scent of tropical blossoms sweeping across the property.
Roots sprang from her fingertips, and she crouched to sink her fingers into the earth. When she looked at the wolves, a small, serene smile tilted her lips, and flowers bloomed in her hair.
“Run,” she said quietly, her eyes flashing with crimson light. “I require the attention of your Lord.”
As if pulled by a string, every wolf under my command rose and streaked past us, headed for the glorious, healed forest Evie had created.
Exultant howls pierced the night, excited yips and howls as wolves tumbled over each other, tangling playfully, their paws tearing clods from the soil.
Cernunnos disappeared, but not without a mental warning.
I will return, he whispered through our minds.
Fee and Poe lifted into the air, soaring above us with a show of brilliant color.
And when Evie laughed, I pulled her to me and claimed her mouth in a kiss.