Page 14 of Shift of Heart (Shifter Lords #1)

Chapter

Eleven

A sh and Tess stood at the market gate the next morning.

The banshee hadn’t responded to my text from last night, and relief filled me when I spotted her.

Tess was the youngest of all of us, early twenties, and was still learning to deal with her emotions in a healthy way.

Screaming, like most banshees did when they were angry, would injure us all, and it was one of the few rules I’d laid down when Tess came to work for me.

The only time she could use that particular deadly power was in a life-or-death situation.

Our eyes locked. I dropped the basket I held, gave her a hesitant smile, and when an answering one tugged her lips up, I let out a small sigh and hurried over to bring her into a hug. Tess gave a huff of laughter and wrapped her arms around me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered in her ear.

“Me too.”

“No. You were right, and I was wrong, Tess. It’s difficult for me. I have a lot of feelings surrounding what happened to me and what it caused.” I stepped back and held her by the arms. “But I promise, I will try.”

Silvery tears glittered in her eyes. “We should all be ourselves.”

I nodded. “We should.”

Ash’s eyes softened, and he opened his mouth to speak before something caught his attention and a hoarse wheeze sounded from his throat.

Tess’s brow furrowed. I turned only to see Moira waddling up to us in a canary yellow bee suit. Glowing honeybees floated around the hood.

I pressed my lips together. Tess’s soft laughter echoed around us.

“Shut it,” Moira growled as she stomped up to us. The bees angrily buzzed at the words. Her eyes narrowed. “Is there something you aren’t telling me about this suit?” she demanded. “Almost every time I speak, they get angry.”

I grinned.

“Evie! Dammit!”

The bees swirled around her face, bobbing and weaving, their buzzing drowning out the sound of conversation around us.

“If you lie or curse, the bees get...reactive.”

Moira closed her eyes. “How long do I have to wear this stupid suit?”

The bees buzzed again.

“Stupid is not a cuss word!”

The bees did not agree.

“Until the end of the day,” I said through my laughter.

She made a disgusted noise. “Which is?”

I glanced at Ash. “How long before you can grow those apples?”

“Once we finish up here, we’ll go back to the shop. Should be a few hours. No more than five.” He shrugged. “Nature is on its own schedule.”

“Okay weirdo,” Moira grumbled.

The gates to the market opened. I shook my basket at my friends. “You know what to do. Meet back here in an hour?”

Ash gave a little salute. Tess rolled her eyes. Moira swatted angrily at the magical bees buzzing around her.

“Right.” Rolling my eyes, I headed inside.

The Joy Springs Market was only open on weekends, and if you didn’t get there right when the gates opened, there was a good chance the shops would be out of stock when you finally arrived.

I headed straight for the egg guy first because he was always out of duck eggs if I got here even half an hour past opening time.

March, my egg guy, was an odd bird. He wore mismatched clothing, old sandals that had looked like they were on their last legs for at least the past three years, and a pristine Rolex.

His hair was sandy blond and pushed back with a brightly colored bandana, and he had a perpetual California surfer tan.

His teeth were blinding white, and when he smiled, it reminded me of Ross on that episode when he bleached his teeth and they glowed under UV light.

“Hey March,” I greeted.

“Heya Evie!” He reached into his cooler. “Two dozen today?”

He set them on the fold-out table separating us, and I picked them up and put them in my basket.

“Yup. You got anything else I might be interested in?”

March looked shifty on a good day, but today he made an odd little slouching motion and held up a finger. Intrigued in spite of myself, I leaned over the table to see what he was doing. He hissed and waved at me to get back.

I held up both hands and leaned back, curious but not willing to risk his wrath. March was always a little weird. Not unstable, but poking the bear seemed unwise.

Shuffling noises came from the bag that he dug in, and when he straightened, he held a small box.

I looked at him. “What is it?”

“Something special,” he promised. “You interested?”

Why was he acting so weird? “Err. Sure?”

March set the box down and carefully opened it. “I know you have the magic,” he whispered. “So you’re the only one who should have this.”

I froze. The Joy Springs Market was not a magical market. We had one, but it only came once a month, and it was a process to get into. This market was for humans only. An awkward laugh escaped me. “Okay, March. I’ll bite. What is it?”

Once he opened the box, he slid it across the table. I peered inside and sucked in a gasp. “Where did you get this?” I asked urgently as I shut the flaps of the box.

“A nest in a magical land.” March waved his hand around and giggled. “A gift to the lovely flower lady.”

“A gift?”

“Free for Evie lady. Take it, take it.” He giggled again.

I hurriedly took the box and put it in my basket, then tugged the scarf tied around my purse off and secured the box so it wouldn’t move around too much. “Are you sure? I can pay you, March.”

He waved a hand. “No. Gift for flower lady.”

I took out the money for the duck eggs and shoved it into his hands. “Then I thank you, March. And I’m glad you only showed this to me. Have you told anyone else about it?”

March put his index finger over his lips and made a shhh noise. “Magic is secret, Evie.”

Yes, yes, it is. Oh March. I reached over and touched his hand. “Do you have any flowers for me today?”

He nodded eagerly and motioned for me to go to his truck. A quick sweep of the crowd revealed nothing amiss, so I stepped around the table and headed back with him.

March had tons of plants, but not a lot of money for nutrients or fertilizers. When I first started visiting, he noticed my presence boosted his plants, something no one else would have put together. After the first couple of visits, he brought even more plants and asked me to touch them.

I sensed nothing magical in March, but he had an odd gift for seeing things, magical things, and I hoped it wouldn’t one day bite him in the ass.

March pointed to the back of his truck. I peered over and laughed at the dozens of potted plants reaching toward me. “Did you bring all of them today?”

He grinned. “They’re hungry.” His smile faltered. “But so am I.”

My heart squeezed. “Well, how about I juice them up really good for you?”

March’s face lit up. “Will you? For how long?”

I smiled. “How about a month? Will that work?”

“A whole month?” He nodded eagerly. “Thank you, flower lady!”

“My pleasure. Keep an eye out for me, will you, March? Make sure no one is coming?”

His head bobbed, and he turned away and crossed his arms like a tomb guard. I swept the area one more time to make sure there were no prying eyes around and called up my power.

His plants loved him, but they, as March had known, were nutrient deficient. They had plenty of light, plenty of water, and plenty of care, but March didn’t have access to good soil.

He only had what the ground provided, and with current farming and agricultural practices, as well as the human footprint, even the earth was deficient in nutrients.

I sent a thread of power out and touched each plant, boosting the soil’s health and adding nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus where needed.

Some needed more magnesium and sulfur than others, and so I spoke quickly to each plant until they were all well fed and satisfied.

When I called my magic back, the plants let out a collective sigh, their leaves stretching away from me and toward the sky. I smiled and shook the excess magic from my hands.

March was still facing away when I hopped out of the bed of his truck.

“All done. You may see some rapid growth and even some odd blooming. No need to worry. They haven’t been properly fed in a while, and all they’re doing is adjusting.”

He turned around and peered inside the truck, a wide smile turning his lips up when he spotted how green and glossy his plants were.

“Thank you, lovely Evie!”

“You’re welcome, March.” I fished inside my purse for another twenty and handed it to him. “I want you to get something for you to eat tonight. Do you have somewhere to cook?”

March stared at the bill in my hand. “I can’t. You keep it. I have enough.”

I took his hand and pressed the bill into his palm. “I insist. Besides, I should be paying you for letting me hang out with your plants.”

His eyes widened, and he shoved the bill in his pocket. “Th—thank you. I’m going to get some beans tonight and make a big pot! It will last me a whole week!”

“You do that, March.” I gathered my basket and patted him on the back. “See you next week.”

“Okay, lovely flower lady!”

I left him standing over his plants, cooing to them.

An hour later, I waited by the front entrance, feeling nervous as a cat.

I’d gotten what I needed for home as well as for the shop, but March’s box had me antsy.

I shouldn’t have taken it from him, but if anyone knew what he had, they’d kill him for it.

At least with me, I’d have a fighting chance if someone came after it.

Ash was the first to return. His canvas bag was filled to the brim with dried fruit, herbs, and fresh greens. Tess came next, her bag filled with fresh bread and baked goods.

Moira didn’t show up for another ten minutes, still swatting at those bees.

Her bag was empty.

“Uh. Moira?”

She made a disgusted noise. “I can’t pick anything up! Every time I do, my gloves stick to it! I am walking flypaper!” Moira huffed and threw her bag down. “I’m never making another bet for as long as I live.”

The bees’ buzzing rose in volume.

“Oh! Piss off, bees!”

Ash snickered. Tess dug into her bag and offered Moira a scone. I turned so the vampire wouldn’t see my grin.

“How am I supposed to eat that, Tess?” Moira screeched. “Hoooowwwww?”

“You take that hood off and eat it,” Tess explained, like Moira was a recalcitrant toddler.

“I’m scared of getting stung,” Moira grumbled. “Can we go home now?”

I bent down to pick up her bag. “We can go, you big baby. Meet you back at the shop. There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Ash’s brows went up. “Everything okay?”

I glanced down at my bag. “I’m not sure yet.”