Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
After a quick call to Hazel, Moira and I were stumped. The older witch was adamant I did nothing of the sort to myself while I was there. When I described what it looked like, Hazel had consulted some texts but came up empty.
Her advice was to “poke it with a mental stick and see what happened.”
“Should we wait?” I said.
“Up to you.” Moira shoved a French fry into her mouth and chewed.
She’d gone to pick up dinner, and I wanted to kiss her right on her pretty mouth, because all Caelan and Ben had let me eat was soup and bread.
I was immortal, not an eight-year-old child.
Moira had picked me up a double cheeseburger from one of our favorite mom and pop restaurants and some of their to-die-for curly fries.
I voted for now. “What the hell was in that brew you made me?”
About twenty minutes ago, I was able to get off the couch and take myself to the bathroom. On top of that, I poured myself a cup of coffee and went back to the couch, all without getting out of breath.
Moira’s smile was secretive. “Witchy secrets. But I’m glad you’re feeling better. Your color is improving, too.”
“Ben will bug you to death for that recipe if we tell him about this.”
“Which we won’t,” Moira said, an intense look in her eyes. “He has his way, I have mine.” She sniffed. “Plus, it’s a private family recipe. And we don’t like Ben right now.”
“True. But why do I feel like you aren’t giving me the whole story?”
“Don’t look a vampire horse in the mouth.”
“Idiot,” I said affectionately.
“And yet, you adore me.”
Someone knocked on the door. My power levels still weren’t high enough for me to tell who it was, though my senses tingled when someone passed through. Maybe two someones.
Moira hopped up and wiggled her finger at me. “Stay there.”
As soon as the door opened, I knew who it was.
“Ash!”
The dryad kissed Moira on the cheek and breezed over. Tess followed behind him, and I breathed easier because riding together was serious progress.
Ash reached over the back of the couch to ruffle my hair. “Hey. Glad we finally got to visit. Your harem was not receptive to outside visitors.”
Tess came around the couch and reached in for a lavender scented hug. “I’m glad you didn’t die.”
Ash snorted softly.
“Me too,” I said solemnly. “What a bummer that would have been.”
I eyed Ash. “As far as my non-existent harem, both of them have been shuffled out the door. They won’t be back.”
The dryad winced. “Everything okay?”
“It hasn’t been okay since we met, but it’s not worse. Not really. He’s just annoying me, that’s all.”
“Caelan is possessive, and it’s making Evie itchy under the collar,” Moira said.
Another knock on the door. Moira’s attention sharpened. “Expecting any other company?”
“No.”
When Moira answered the door again, Simone stood there.
“Evie?” Moira called, asking for permission to let her in.
“I come in peace, I swear.” Caelan’s Omega held a covered dish. “And I brought goodies.”
“What kind of goodies?” I asked before I answered.
“Salted caramel cookies and shortbread.”
“I’ll allow it,” I said.
Ash rose and took the container from Simone, knowing us well enough to get some plates and napkins out. As he dished everything up, Simone kicked off her shoes and settled into an oversized chair.
“It took you long enough,” she said.
“What were the betting pool odds?” I asked.
She grinned and didn’t deny it. “Twenty-four hours. You held out far longer than anyone thought you would.”
There was something she wasn’t saying. “How much did you walk away with?”
Simone laughed and dug through her purse to pull out a massive wad of cash. “Almost two grand!”
“Holy shit.” I shook my head. “Next time, I want in on those odds.”
“Only if it’s to do with Caelan. Can’t have any collusion going on in the betting pool.”
We grinned at each other. Ash came back in with his hands full of plates and handed them out.
“It’s good to see you looking well.”
Moira gave a sharp shake of her head outside of Simone’s peripheral. Interesting, she did not want anyone to know about her brew. I’d grill her later and make her spill her secrets. She knew most of mine. It was about time she trusted me enough to tell me hers.
“It helped getting the bullies out of here,” I said instead. “My air conditioner couldn’t keep up with all the hot air those two were putting out.”
“Tell me about it,” Simone groaned. “Ben almost never gets angry until Caelan gets involved.”
I bit into the cookie, the crisp salt crunching under my tongue and the caramel rich and creamy in my mouth. “This is amazing,” I said after a moment. “I didn’t know you liked to bake.”
“Stress baker,” Simone confessed. “Things get weird around the Keep when Caelan’s not there.”
“He wasn’t gone that long,” Moira said.
“The length of time never seems to matter. Imagine a house full of hyped-up toddlers without parental supervision, and that would be the Keep.” She rolled her eyes and bit into her cookie. “It’s a madhouse.”
“You need more women,” Ash observed.
“I wish it were that easy,” she said. “Unfortunately, female wolf shifters aren’t all that common.”
“Is that why Gianna was chosen?” The woman had been a swan shifter.
“Partially. Her family background clinched the win.” Simone’s brow furrowed. “Speaking of her, Caelan had a guest while he was gone.”
My stomach clenched. I had a terrible feeling I knew who’d shown up. “Oh?”
“Her cousin dropped by to see if Caelan had any further updates on Gianna’s disappearance.” She rubbed her hand over her face. “The entire thing is so strange. She just disappeared off the face of the earth. Odd behavior for someone so in love with the spotlight.”
A fine tension hummed in the room, and Simone wasn’t stupid. Someone had to say something before she got suspicious. “Caelan hasn’t contacted her since the last time he spoke to her?”
I’d been there for the conversation, but Caelan hadn’t known then where Gianna was or that the swan shifter was dust in the wind after I found her buried on my property.
He knew now, and shifters had a keen nose for sniffing out lies.
Simone shook her head. “He’s been caught up in other things, but it’s also unlike him not to follow up on something that serious.”
“Is she still at the Keep?” Moira asked. “Caelan’s on his way back.”
Simone snorted. “He didn’t tell me what happened here, but he was more subdued than usual when he called. Nadia left yesterday, but I know she’ll be back if Caelan doesn’t get into contact with her.”
“He will,” I assured her, mostly in an effort to turn the conversation to other things.
“We’ll see.” Simone bit into her second cookie and eyed me. “Something’s on your mind.”
“At any given moment of the day, I have approximately four hundred and twenty-six things on my mind.”
Simone blinked. “Weirdo. What’s going on?”
“We can’t tell you all the cool stuff because you’ll tattle to Caelan,” Moira said.
Simone’s lips thinned. “Mean.”
“But true,” I added. “Sorry. As long as you’re linked to him, we can’t be true blue besties.”
“I don’t tell him everything,” she said.
“But if he compelled you to, you would have to spill, wouldn’t you?”
Simone glared at me. “Fine. I get it. Are you okay, at least?”
“She’s fine,” Ash interjected.
I almost laughed. Shifters couldn’t tell when a dryad lied to them, something we’d discovered a long time ago. Whether it was because his genetic makeup was mostly earth or what, Ash could claim pink bunny rabbits had come in on spaceships and no one would be able to sniff out a lie.
Simone’s eyes narrowed. “Are you lying?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I looked at the wound when I got here. She’s healing well. By tomorrow, I think she’ll be on light duty.”
She slowly shook her head. “Caelan made it sound like you wouldn’t be up and about for days. He’s usually not wrong.”
“There’s no way he knows what’s going on inside me unless he has x-ray vision.” I smiled and hoped she didn’t push it.
“I’ll let Caelen know you’re doing better.” She rose and took her plate to the sink to rinse off. “I’ll get out of your hair. I’m sure you’re tired.”
Moira’s eyes widened a little as she got up behind Simone. “I can walk you out.”
When they disappeared out the door, I closed my eyes and sank into the couch.
Tess let out a warbly sigh. “She’ll figure out what happened to Gianna. Simone’s too smart not to.”
“Let me just dream for a little while,” I said dramatically.
Moira came back in and sagged against the door. “Too close,” she said with a groan. “Caelan needs to head Nadia off at the pass.”
“I’ll call him later,” I promised. We needed to talk anyway.
Ash and Tess sat across the room from each other. Tension still sang in the air between them, but it wasn’t as much as before. “And you two?” I asked. “Is everything okay?”
Moira grinned. “That’s our Evie. Not much subtlety with her, is there?”
Ash snorted. “Tess and I talked. Time will help.”
Tess nodded. “I know I have a lot of things to work on to be…normal.”
Ash paled. “Tess. No. That’s not what I meant at all.”
I shot him a disapproving look. What had they talked about? “None of us are normal. The best we can do is pretend.”
“Ash said I talk about death too much and it makes people uncomfortable.”
“Ash,” Moira said, a disapproving note in her voice. Her lips thinned. “Tess, you’re a banshee. Death is the family business. None of us expect you to be anything other than what you are.” Her eyes lingered on Ash. “Right, bark boy?”
Ash’s stricken expression tugged at my heart. “Of course. Tess.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I never meant to imply you were less or abnormal.”
Tess tilted her head and studied him with her pale, curious eyes. “It’s okay, Ash. You don’t have to lie.”
Ash opened his mouth, frowned, then snapped it shut.
Moira jerked her head at Ash. She walked into the guest room, and Ash followed behind. The door slammed and hushed voices murmured so low I couldn’t make anything out.
“Is Ash mad?” Tess asked.