Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
Ari knocked on my door the next night and didn’t wait for me to invite her inside before pushing her way in.
“You see the news?”
“Umm. I don’t watch the news.”
She gave me a weird look. “Then how do you know what’s going on in the world?”
“I live on a Keep with a goddess. Pretty sure we can handle whatever the world throws our way.”
Ari rolled her eyes and looked around for my remote. A second later, the television droned on about the upcoming elections, complete with pictures of people I’d never seen before.
“It will come back around,” she said when she saw my dubious expression.
I plopped onto the couch. “You interrupted sitcom binge night for this. It better be good.”
Ari snorted and plopped down beside me. “You need to get out more. I never see you around town. Do you just hole up here and hide?”
“No.”
Yes. Ugh.
Ari nudged me. “Lies. How about you come to the shop at closing time next Thursday? It’s Ladies Night all across town. Women get two-dollar drinks. Their choice.”
“The last time I went to Ladies Night, Evie arm wrestled a shifter, and I got carried out by Ethan.” A reluctant smile tugged my lips at the memory.
Ari cackled. “You two were the talk of the town for weeks!”
Boy, did I know it. “I’m probably banned from that bar.”
Ari scoffed. “Are you kidding? That was the most fun everyone had in years, and there was no property destruction. Total win all the way around.”
All of a sudden, she smacked me on the arm and shushed me. “Look.”
A breaking news alert blared, flashing red and blue across the screen.
“It’s recorded but pay attention. Shit’s creepy.”
I glanced at her in question, but Ari’s eyes were glued to the screen.
The reporter’s voice came on. “Tonight we’re here with Minka Belyaev.”
I froze when my mother’s face appeared on the screen.
“Damn,” Ari murmured. “I forget how super hot your mom is. Fucked up, but hot.”
“Ari!”
“Sorry.” The words were there, but she didn’t look sorry at all. “Why are you worried? You two look like each other, so that means you, too, are super hot.”
The reporter continued. “Minka’s shop was destroyed in a cruel personal attack. One person perished during the explosion, though the victim’s identity is still unknown due to the condition of the body.”
Ari sucked her teeth. “Ooh. Good luck finding DNA in that ash.”
I snorted.
“Keep watching. This is where it gets good.”
Mom peered into the camera with her creepy green gaze. “We will find the person responsible for this heinous attack and respond accordingly.”
It felt like Mom was staring right into my soul.
“Strangely enough, the attack was contained to only Minka’s shop, which is closed for the foreseeable future. Some suspect magic, some suspect a clever use of explosives. Investigators are still sifting through—”
“Marie’s ashes,” Ari said with a snort.
“—the evidence to find who or what was responsible for this heinous crime.”
“Heinous,” I scoffed. “Maybe I’ll write to the station and tell them that bitch started it.”
“As one of the largest philanthropists in the area, Minka’s contributions to our small town cannot be ignored.”
“Ugh. Gag me,” Ari said. “Bitch stole my weapon.”
“If you have any information concerning this crime, please call the local police station.” A number flashed on the screen.
“Booooo.” If I had any popcorn, I’d toss it at the screen.
“Yeah. Your mom sucks.” Ari smacked my knee and stood. “Alright. Just wanted to make sure you knew your awful mom had your number.”
“Not literally, thank the gods.”
“Might be easier if she could call you.”
I winced. “No. Can you imagine her calling me and asking how my day went?”
The shudder rattled my body.
Ari waved. “Next Thursday. You. Me. Copious amounts of booze. Don’t miss it.”
“We’ll see! Depends on if my mother starts trying to kill me again.”
“Only your imminent death is an acceptable excuse. But if she’s not actively trying to kill you, then I expect you to meet me at Grace’s. Eight p.m. Wear something you don’t mind throwing up in.”
“Gross. We’re not twenty anymore.”
“We are next Thursday!” Ari gave me a little salute and disappeared in a shower of silver light.
The news report had ruined my desire to binge. I turned off the TV and unfolded myself from the couch. It wasn’t too late, and I’d already had dinner. All the junk food in the cabinets had gone bad during my busy work schedule, so I had nothing sweet to munch on.
I dug through the pantry and found flour, sugar, chocolate chips, and all the other accoutrements for the cookie bars I wanted to make. After preheating the oven and tying an apron around my waist, I turned on music and got to work.
A couple of hours later, just as I was sprinkling the last of the toasted coconut on top of the cooled bars, someone knocked on the door.
“It’s open!” I called.
Ethan let himself in. I smelled him as soon as he walked inside. My hand, still filled with coconut, froze.
His eyebrows flicked up when he saw me. “Making those for someone specific or can I have one?”
My eyes narrowed. “Lots of people hate coconut. You one of them?”
“Would I be asking if I hated coconut?”
“I’m unsure.”
He came closer, bent over the pan, and inhaled. “Quit being weird and cut me a bar, darling.”
I snorted and finished sprinkling the coconut. Ethan took a pinch of the extra from the bowl beside the pan and tossed it into his mouth.
“Mmm,” he said, and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Have you ever had magic bars before?”
“Can’t say I have. What’s in them?” He turned his nose into the air and sniffed. “Chocolate, coconut, maybe condensed milk. Nuts, too?”
I nodded. “Graham crackers, too.”
“In that case, can I have two?”
“Pour us some milk? I made the pan because I was craving something sweet.”
Ethan’s eyes glittered. “Why do you need those when I’m right here?”
My lips twitched. “Because chocolate doesn’t talk back.”
Ethan laughed and went to grab the milk while I focused on cutting the bars into perfect but generous squares.
Once I had our plates piled high, I took them to the living room. Ethan followed with the glasses. Neither of us spoke until we’d finished off one full bar.
Ethan sighed. “Damn, Moira. Those are delicious.”
My cheeks heated. “Thanks. They’re easy to make.” I nudged the plate closer to him.
“As long as you don’t mind.”
“Just save me one more.”
Ethan piled two more bars onto his plate.
“Are you here for a reason?” I did the mental count of his travel potions. This might be his last one. If he asked me for more, I wasn’t sure I’d fork them over.
He watched me as if he could see the direction my thoughts had gone. “Cernunnos came to visit me.”
I choked on my bar, crumbs spraying from my mouth.
Ethan watched me with a mild expression. “You’re right. For some reason, he really wants me to give you blood.”
I nodded. No surprise there.
“But that’s not all. Rowan paid me a visit.” He took a bite of the bar and closed his eyes as he chewed, and I wondered if I’d ever seen anything as sexy as Ethan eating.
I looked away before my body betrayed me and Ethan scented my thoughts. Being around shifters was a pain in the ass sometimes.
“Does that explain the still healing black eye?” I said with amusement.
Everyone had grown used to seeing both Rowan and Ethan walking around with the occasional bruise or black eye once those two had started sparring practice.
No one said a word because it proved to be good for both of them, but more so Ethan.
Shifters had a lot of aggression already, but Lords practically bristled with it.
Sparring and physical activity helped take the edge off, which is why shifters were all in good shape and randy as bunnies during spring time.
Ethan grinned. “Yeah, we got a little rambunctious this time.”
When he used words like that, he didn’t mean them the same way someone else did. Rambunctious could mean anything from he punched me in the face to he lacerated my liver and I almost died.
“Rowan said other shifters can’t smell when you’ve consumed Cernunnos blood, but he could.”
I exhaled. “Shit. Cernunnos would know then.”
Ethan nodded. “Safe to assume so. Rowan could be a different kind of fae with that shifter blood, but I think we need to err on the side of caution.” He watched me with those midnight eyes. “Although, I don’t care if he knows, but you might.”
I chewed on my bar as I thought. “I can still ask Caelan or Soren.”
Ethan’s eyes ringed with gold. “No, darling. You’ll feed from me.”
I let out an annoyed huff. “You can’t tell me what to do.”
He inclined his head. “You’re right.” Ethan set his plate down. “But I know who you want to taste, and it isn’t either one of them, is it?”
He rose and settled beside me, not touching, but probably too close to be a strictly friendly gesture.
“Don’t do this,” I murmured.
“I’m not doing nothing.” He shot me a wicked smile. “But that’s not the only reason I’m here.”
“Oh?”
“I need help.”
“If you want dinner, you’ll have to ask me another time. I’ve already cooked and cleaned up.”
Ethan snorted. “No. Ever since Cernunnos’s visit, things have been off.”
My eyes narrowed. “Off how?”
“My animals are acting weird. I sense a presence watching.” Ethan frowned and ran a hand through his hair, sending it into disarray. “It’s not too big of a deal right now, but having a vampire who can sneak around is ideal.”
My fingers itched to straighten him up. “You think it’s Cernunnos?”
“Can’t rightly say. Part of me says no, but the timing is suspicious, isn’t it? My refusal pissed him off.”
“He does like to get his way,” I murmured. The thought of going back to Ethan’s property both warmed and frightened me. “How long will I be gone?”
“Hard to say. A day or two at first. Time to get the lay of the land. Then you can come back here if you want. Or you can stay and help me fix whatever this is.”