Page 11 of Shift of Heart (Shifter Lords #1)

“She drives like a grandma on downers,” Ash muttered under his breath.

“Shut it,” I growled. “This is necessary.”

“Is it though?” Moira asked.

“I’ll get over my fear one day. I just need to take more out-of-town deliveries.”

“Or you could leave them to us and save us from your bad driving,” Ash said helpfully from the back.

“When you lose, I’m going to harvest all those apples and not give you a single slice of pie later,” I muttered.

“Cruel mistress,” Ash said with a sigh.

“I’m immortal, but I feel like I’m dying in slow motion,” Tess whined.

Moira barked a laugh. Tess so rarely made a joke, my lips twitched.

“Very funny.” But I added a bit of pressure to the gas pedal to keep the peons quiet.

It took twice as long as it should have, but we finally pulled up in front of a massive estate with wrought-iron gates. I gawked at the entrance as we slowly pulled up to the speaker and keypad.

“State your business,” a dry voice crackled over the speaker.

“Delivery for Mr. Wayne Jeffers. I’m Evie Quinn from Little Shop of Florals.”

The keypad beeped, and the gate swung open, revealing a large circular driveway.

“Guess we’re good,” I whispered.

“Make sure you go fast enough so the gate doesn’t close on the van,” Ash said.

“Piss off, tree.” I rolled through the gate in more than enough time, sending Ash a dark glare through the rearview mirror.

He snickered.

Moira rolled her window down and put her head out, gaping at the expansive house. “This place is crazy,” she breathed.

“Still think he’s cheating?” I asked.

“Oh yeah. More so now than before.”

I pulled up to the front door. Moira and Ash got out, but Tess elected to stay in the car.

The sun was out today, though it was just setting behind the tree cover.

Summer was Tess’s nemesis, and she rarely went out unless she had to.

I never asked if it was a banshee or a Tess thing, and she never offered any information.

Moira and Ash each took a handle, gently extricating the basket from the seat.

“Watch the steps,” I cautioned, staying close behind them just in case one of them lost their balance.

When we stood at the massive blue door, I gave the arrangement a last critical eye, providing a boost to a few petals a little worse for the wear after travel.

Once I was satisfied every bloom was in the best possible shape, I turned, smoothed my hands down my blouse, and rang the doorbell.

While we were waiting for someone to answer the door, a shiny BMW pulled through the gate and parked behind our van. A tall, handsome man exited the driver’s side and hurried up the steps.

“Oh shit,” Moira whispered. “That’s Mr. Jeffers.”

“Here we gooooo,” Ash said with glee.

A strange moan came from the van. Even Tess was getting into the drama.

“I’m so glad I timed this correctly,” the man breathed as he stopped next to me. “Have you rung the doorbell yet?”

I nodded stupidly.

“Good.” He took a deep breath. “I hope this works.” Mr. Jeffers glanced down at the flowers. “Oh. Wow. Impressive. Worth the extra money.”

His eyes crinkled when he smiled, and I was charmed in spite of myself. I hoped this guy wasn’t a cheater. He seemed like a good dude.

Moira and I gave each other a confused look. Footsteps sounded from inside, and the door creaked open, revealing a lean, dark-haired man. He had bright blue eyes and salt and pepper hair, and offered a polite smile when he saw me, which widened when he saw the basket.

“Goodness. He outdid himself this time, didn’t he?”

Mr. Jeffers stepped forward. The man looked up, eyes widening when he saw who stood before him. “Wayne,” he breathed.

“Liam.” Mr. Jeffers reached out and took Liam’s hands.

I winced and motioned for Moira and Ash to set the basket down. “Come on,” I whispered. They set the flowers to the side and walked down the steps.

“I am so sorry. For everything.” Mr. Jeffers inhaled and bowed his head. “This is the last delivery. I’m here to see if you’d consider giving me a second chance.” He dropped down to one knee and pulled something from his jacket pocket.

“That woman wasn’t his wife,” I said with quiet glee.

Moira swore viciously under her breath. Ash let out a long sigh. And we stood there and watched Mr. Jeffers propose to the apparent love of his life, who accepted with a shout of delight.

Tess leaned out the window. “Mrs. Jeffers is his sister.”

Ash and Moira spun, identical looks of astonishment on their faces. I let out a loud laugh and opened the van door.

“You little—you knew the whole time?” Moira sputtered.

Tess gave a tiny little grin, leaned back, and rolled up the window.

“She’s a menace,” Ash muttered.

I waved at the two men, but they were so wrapped up in each other they didn’t notice. I was glad they’d already paid me.

When I started to get back into the car, Moira nudged me. “Nope. I’m driving home.”

“I need to stop at least once,” I tried to argue. Even after making the bouquet for Mr. Jeffers, I hadn’t expended enough magic.

“Then we’ll stop. Just point out the place, and I’ll pull over.”

“Fine.” I dropped the keys in her hand. Once we were settled in, she pulled out of the driveway and back onto the country road.

“How’d you find out about Mrs. Jeffers?” Ash asked Tess a few minutes later.

“The internet,” Tess said simply. “There’s a picture of them together on her social media and the caption is congratulating her big brother on his promotion.

Of all people, I wouldn’t think you’d assume she was a traditionalist and automatically took her husband’s name.

Mrs. Jeffers kept her maiden name.” The banshee paused.

“I guess it was an easy assumption to make. If you’re living in 1955.

” She smiled sweetly at him and popped her headphones in.

Ash stared at her open-mouthed, then shook his head. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

“I didn’t either,” Moira said darkly.

Fingers of dusk brushed across the sky as we drove, streaks of orange and purple turning the sunset into a glorious riot of color.

Now that I wasn’t white knuckling the steering wheel, I could get a better look at the landscape on either side of us.

This part of the state was an odd mix of wide-open spaces, scrubby plants, and rolling hills crammed with native plants and wildflowers.

“Over there,” I pointed. A large hill filled with flowers of all colors lay about half a mile ahead. It’d be the perfect place to release some magic. As a bonus, or maybe not for the locals, by tomorrow it’d be a picturesque stopping point for tourists heading into wine country.

Moira pulled the vehicle over, and I slipped out. “Give me half an hour.”

“Be careful.” Moira turned the car off and unbuckled her seatbelt. “If you’re not back in forty-five, we’re coming to find you.”

I smiled. “You know I can take care of myself.”

Moira grinned. “It’s not you I’m worried about.”

I laughed and shut the door. Fresh, hill country air ruffled my hair as I kicked off my sandals and set them on top of the hood.

I loosened my hair from my ponytail and shrugged off my cardigan, neatly folding it and setting it beside my shoes.

In just my tank top and a pair of loose linen pants, I walked off the side of the road and up the hill.

No traffic passed by. Moira turned off the headlights and darkness fell, but I had no trouble seeing.

Cernunnos’ words—the words I’d shoved away for over a week now—surfaced in my mind. Embrace who I was meant to be.

But who was I?

As I strolled, flowers bloomed under my feet.

Vines stretched from below the surface and slithered along the ground.

Tree branches reached down and gently brushed strands of hair away from my face.

Magic poured from my body, soaking into the earth, the release weeks in the making.

Once I reached the top of the hill, I sat cross-legged on the ground and closed my eyes, content for the first time in weeks.