Chapter 32
Chapter
Thirty-Two
He answered the phone on the first ring. “What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t help the grin forming on my face. “Do I only call you in an emergency?”
“Yes,” Ben growled. “These days at least.”
“There’s nothing wrong. With me, at least,” I clarified. “But I think there might be something wrong with Caelan.”
Silence over the line for a long moment. “Wrong how?”
I explained a few things, Ben not interrupting. “We broke up a couple of hours ago.”
Ben sighed, and I could hear the sound of something rough rubbing against the phone speaker. “I don’t know, Evie,” he said hesitantly. “Are you sure you haven’t grown apart?”
I took the phone away from my ear and stared down at it in disbelief. “A few weeks ago, he asked me to marry him!”
I could almost see his wince through the phone. “I know. I’m not saying you did anything to cause this—”
“You sure as hell better not be!” I snapped.
Dad, sitting in the kitchen, eating the caramel popcorn I special ordered, laughed.
I covered the speaker and hissed, “Do not eat all my popcorn!”
Dad wiggled his eyebrows and grabbed another handful.
Ben chuckled. “Sometimes things change. He and this Rachel woman have a past. Who’s to say things didn’t rekindle as soon as he saw her?”
Because that would mean everything we had was a lie. And if it wasn’t a lie, it was an indicator that what I felt for him was much stronger than whatever he’d felt for me, no matter how doggedly he’d pursued me.
Both left a terrible taste in my mouth and an ache in my heart that would never go away.
“You’re being an asshole,” I grumbled.
“Evie.” He paused. “I know you love him. From everything I saw, he loved you too. But things don’t always work out, and you two weren’t mated, were you?”
“You damn well know we weren’t. I don’t even know if a bond like that can happen between a fae and a shifter.”
“Shifters can mate outside of their species.”
“You are not helping right now.”
Ben’s laugh eased something in my heart. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. And, if it will make you feel better, I’ll travel to Joy Springs in a few days to check him out.”
“Thank you,” I breathed.
“Don’t get too excited,” he warned. “Caelan damn near went to war over you with the Lords, and he has not been friendly to us since. He and Rowan are still on good terms, but he’s testy even with me.”
“It’s because we smooched,” I teased.
“He should be more jealous of Rowan than me,” Ben said seriously. “That man stares at you like you’re the sun.”
I laughed, but Ben didn’t. “It’s not like that between us.”
“Maybe not,” he agreed. “But it doesn’t mean he doesn’t wish for it.”
I sank deeper into the couch cushions. “Enough of such talk. Rowan and I are only friends. Please try to see Caelan if you can. If anything, he needs a friend. Rachel is…”
“I know exactly what Rachel is,” Ben growled. “She is not fit to be their Lady.”
“Then maybe you can talk some reason into him. Even if he doesn’t choose me, Ben, he should choose someone…better. Someone fit to lead his people into the future.”
“Someone like you?” His tone wasn’t mocking or cruel, only contemplative.
I laughed. “Have we met? I’m a hot mess eighty percent of the time. No. Not me. Though I was willing to do it. I have my own problems to worry about now.”
Dad grinned and wiggled his fingers at me.
I suppressed my sigh. Yes. Plenty of problems both current and future.
“I’m sorry, Evie.” He sounded like he meant the words. “Don’t dismiss what I said about Rowan. Not right away. He’s a good man. A good shifter. A good Lord. Wildly different from Caelan, but maybe that’s what you need.”
I couldn’t think about anything other than the ache in my heart right now. “Ben, I’m putting one foot in front of the other, and that’s all I can do. I’m letting go and giving it to the universe to sort out for me because the gods know I have enough on my plate.”
Ben’s chuckle reverberated over the line. “Fair enough. I’ll call you when I make it to town. Until then, be careful. Female shifters are known to be volatile with their current partner’s old flames.”
He hung up before I could squawk. An old flame meant I was in the past, and the sun hadn’t even set over this yet.
Old flame, my ass.
Right now, the only flame burning was the one in my heart, and it was so hot, everything felt like ash.
My father set his bowl of popcorn down and brushed off his hands. “Come. Let us watch some of that fishing net movie film program.”
I blinked. “What?”
Dad waved his hand at the television. “The program with all the movies. The net movie network.”
“Netflix?”
Dad’s face lit up. “Yes! Net Flix.”
“One word, Dad.” I started laughing. “Have you ever watched anything from there?”
He shook his head. “No. But your mother loves it. She claims it’s the best invention for immortals ever invented.
” Dad rolled his eyes. “I once watched her spend a full eight hours lying in a prone position on the couch watching British aristocrats be overentitled.” Dad rolled his eyes.
“It was maddening, but every time I tried to turn it off, she’d throw something at me. ”
Something inside me thawed at the thought of my mom and dad fighting over something as normal as too much streaming tv time. “I’m going to tell her about Britbox.”
Dad frowned. “What is that?”
“It’s like the British Netflix.”
“Don’t you dare!”
A knock on the door interrupted Dad’s horror. To my surprise, Garrett and Simone stood on the front porch.
“This is a surprise,” I said, opening the door to let them in.
Garrett, always a man of many words, grunted in greeting. Simone grinned at his back and shrugged. “We’re here to ask you a favor.”
I shut the door behind me. Dad, in the few seconds it took me to greet them had sprawled on one of the couches and was pressing every button on the remote.
Garrett’s eyebrows flicked up at the sight. “Hello.”
“Greetings, young Enforcer,” Dad said, doing a hell of a Vulcan impression. “You are here to ask my daughter for employment, are you not?”
I froze. Simone shot Dad a glare. “Seriously?” She shook her head and headed for the kitchen. “Is he always like this?”
“Always,” I confirmed. “But what’s this about a job? Is everything okay?” I thought about it. “The shop stays pretty busy, but we can always use help with making extra bouquets if you really need extra employment.” I eyed her. “Or you can just ask Caelan for a raise.”
“Not that kind of employment,” Garrett said.
“Have a seat,” I told him because if I didn’t, he’d never relax.
Simone was digging through the liquor cabinet. “You got any vanilla vodka?” she called over her shoulder.
“Err. Yes?” I pointed to the top left of the cabinet. “Behind the plum brandy.”
“Who keeps plum brandy?” Garrett grumbled.
“It’s for mulled wine, and it’s delicious.”
The Enforcer rolled his eyes and crossed his arms behind his head.
“Espresso?” Simone yelled.
“Pods are by the machine.”
“Simple syrup?”
I gaped at her. She was acting super weird. “There’s agave syrup in the cabinet above the coffee.”
Simone sighed. “I guess that will do,” she grumbled.
“Cocktail shaker is above the fridge,” I added since she seemed to be on a mission.
“Thanks.” Silence fell in the kitchen until the sounds of the ice machine and Simone shaking the hell out of a cocktail shattered the quiet of the living room.
“Who wants one?” she yelled.
Dad frowned. “What is it?”
“An espresso martini, I think. They’re delicious.”
“Yes, please,” Dad called.
Garrett waved his hand.
“I’ll have one. Mom and Moira are in the greenhouse. How many did you make?”
“A lot.”
“Good. I’ll text them.”
A moment later, Simone shoved a drink under my nose, and Mom and Moira burst through the door.
“Gimme!” Moira said.
Simone jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “There are two on the kitchen island.”
Mom shoved Moira so hard the vampire flipped over the back of the recliner and crashed to the ground.
She cackled and sprinted to the kitchen. “Me first!” Mom crowed.
“Looks like you two made up,” I drawled as Moira tried to untangle herself from the blanket I’d draped on the back of the chair.
“Your mother is a damn menace.” She finally freed herself and rose.
“Here.” Mom handed her the drink and grinned. “I wanted the one that was a little fuller.”
Moira took the drink and narrowed her eyes at my mom. “Did you do anything to it?”
Mom sipped her cocktail. “Mmm. This is delicious. Who’s the bartender?”
I pointed at Simone who’d sprawled next to Garrett.
“We’ll have to keep you around,” Mom said before she nudged Moira out of the way with her hip and took the chair for herself.
“That’s actually why we’re here,” Simone began.
“She doesn’t want a job at the shop,” I said.
Garrett groaned. “For the gods’ sake. Do women always take this long to get to the point?”
Simone nudged him. “Shut up,” she hissed.
“Yes,” Dad said.
“We left Caelan,” Garrett said. “Permanently. As such, we can no longer live in his territory.”
I sucked in a shocked gasp. “What. Why?”
Both the shifters looked profoundly uncomfortable.
Dad snorted and sat up straighter. “Caelan has proven himself unfit at the current time. Simone and Garrett have lost faith in their leadership and since they are both far more powerful than they let on, they must find someone more powerful to serve.”
I stared at my father for a long moment. “Serve?” The word felt…uncomfortable. “I don’t want anyone serving me.”
“No.” Dad shook his head. “Shifters are born and naturally inclined to serve in a strong hierarchy. Without one, they become lost. Volatile. Sometimes dangerous.”
Simone and Garrett sat there like stones.
And me? I was confused as all hell. Those two had served Caelan for generations.
What in the hell had happened in the short time since I’d left them?
“I don’t understand how I can help you. I’m not a—a shifter or have a Keep or anything of the sort.
I want to help, but I don’t have any work. ”