Page 24 of Shift of Heart (Shifter Lords #1)

Chapter

Nineteen

I closed up late that night, giving the damaged plants one extra boost before heading home. There was one I needed to worry about, so I scooped it up and carried it with me to the front. I’d take it home and see if it did any better there, where the energy was more stable.

I stuck my key in the door to unlock it, only to see a figure standing outside.

Male. Tall. Lean. Dark haired. A choking amount of magic. Gorgeous.

Shit.

“What do you want?” I called through the door.

“I’m only here to talk.”

“And if I don’t want to?”

“Then I’ll leave.” His expression remained blank, though his gray eyes burned.

I snorted. “Are you alright? No veiled threats or I am the Shifter Lord, you must obey me nonsense?”

Caelan’s lips twitched. “I wouldn’t call it nonsense.”

I made no move to open the door. “I’m tired. It’s been a long day, and I want to go home.”

“Then allow me to walk you to your car.”

I barked a laugh. “My car is right behind you.”

“Then I will be quick.”

A sigh escaped me. “Fine,” I growled. Struggling to open the door with my hands full, Caelan stepped up and extricated the plant from me, using his foot to hold the door.

“Will this one be alright?” he asked.

My heart cracked a little at the concern in his voice, but I steeled myself. Don’t be weak, Evie. That way lies madness.

“It needs some extra care, so I’m taking it home.”

His massive hands wrapped with such care around that small pot did funny things to my insides.

Caelan bent his head and peered at the small succulent.

String of pearls was difficult enough to keep alive, that even I, the Floromancer, wasn’t convinced I could salvage the poor thing.

These plants were supposed to be easy to care for, but I always felt like these things had three modes.

First: Oh no, I added a single drop of extra water. Plant: I’m dead.

Second: I moved the pot a quarter of an inch. Plant: Hisssss. I’m dying!!

Third: I did absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Plant: Aargh. You’ve killed me.

Even Caelan staring at it made me nervous. He was an intimidating guy. Was he going to scare the plant to death?

But to my surprise, the plant shivered and lifted one of its vines toward Caelan. He blinked in surprise and gasped softly.

“Evie!” he whispered. “It—does it like me?”

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. “It seems so.”

He lifted a finger but hesitated and didn’t touch it. “Go ahead,” I encouraged. “It’s giving you permission.”

With a gentleness I didn’t know he possessed, Caelan touched the small, trembling vine. The String of pearls reached out and curled around his finger. An awed smile touched the Shifter Lord’s lips, and at that moment, a piece of the stone encasing my heart cracked.

This man, this Lord, was dangerous. To my body, my soul, and my heart. He could kill me if he wanted to, and yet he stood there awestruck by the dying plant in his hands.

Tears shimmered in my eyes, and I blinked them away before he noticed. “You can have it if you want to. Once I nurse it back to health.”

He lifted his stormy gray eyes to me, surprise lighting their depths. “Truly?”

The vine hadn’t let go of Caelan’s finger. “I think she’s chosen who she wants to go home with.”

“She?” he questioned.

I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Most plants hold both sexes. Some plants are only male or only female, and others have the ability to change their sex. I gauge mostly by their energy, and the one you’re holding possesses a strong feminine energy.”

“Does she have a name?”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. “No. I just cut her from the mother plant today. You can name her if you want. Once she gets better.” A frown marred my face. “I hope I can help her, but I can’t guarantee she’ll be okay.”

“I understand.” Caelan turned. “Want me to put her in the car?”

I clicked the unlock button. When the car beeped, Caelan opened the passenger door and set the pot inside the small tub I usually kept on the passenger side floor for occasions just like this.

I freshened the potting soil at least once a week, but today I added additional nutrients and an extra shot of magic because I suspected I’d be taking at least one plant home today.

“On top of the dirt?” he questioned.

“Yes. Wiggle it down a little more so the pot won’t topple.”

Caelan did as I instructed and dusted his hands off once he’d shut the door.

I stood on the opposite side. “Did you need something?”

Caelan stayed silent for a long moment. “I’d like to start over.”

The shifter had rendered me speechless. I stared at him mutely before opening and shutting my mouth.

What could one say to that? “You strongarmed me, then got pissed at being outwitted, and decided to retaliate by destroying my shop. So no, Caelan, I don’t think we can start over.

Starting over would be us in a coffee shop, and I trip and accidentally spill my drink on your shirt and ruin it or saying something weird because I was nervous!

” My voice was rising, and I couldn’t seem to help it.

“You don’t get to start over when you single-handedly try to ruin someone’s livelihood! ”

Without waiting for a response, I got into my car and slammed the door. A moment later, I was out of the parking spot, headlights reflecting on Caelan’s somber face, before I hit the gas and sped away.

The nerve of that man.

He wanted to start over? I would never forget the fear I felt when he backed me against the wall. My hand trembled against the steering wheel, and I willed myself to squash those memories down.

The human part of me suggested I simmer down, that Caelan had paid for the damage and seemed contrite for what he’d done.

But that was the part of me that made my heart beat when a man walked behind me on a dark evening, or when one wouldn’t take no as an answer.

In those instances, I had to remember who I was and what I was capable of.

Even if I didn’t use my Chimera magic, I could still use the earth as a defense, and I could turn into a wren and escape, a talent that was decidedly inhuman.

So, I had to tell that little part of me to shut it.

What Caelan deserved credit for was attempting to rectify his mistake and his sincere note.

But none of us had the ability to go back in time, and that was my biggest issue.

Why did some people think if they apologized or tried to make amends, it automatically erased everything that happened? It didn’t. It couldn’t.

Shaking away those thoughts, I turned into the driveway and once I parked, I reached for the plant, gently lifting it onto the passenger seat. I’d take it in the back way so I could quickly repot it into something that had more room for root growth.

With the back door opened and the tub in my hands, I stepped inside, but an odd scent on the wind made me freeze. Frowning, I set the tub on the kitchen table, then hurried back outside.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up. The scent was faint but familiar. I went down the steps and paused, lifting my face to the air and taking a deep inhale.

There. I fished my cell from my pocket and turned on the flashlight.

My night vision was better than most, but whatever it was seemed small, and the flashlight would help.

Following the scent trail led me around the side of the house.

Sweeping the light back and forth revealed nothing until I spotted something darker in the grass.

It was a small, fluffy bundle that resembled a dandelion puff, but when I got closer and bent down to peer at it, I realized it looked just like a tuft of fur.

Confused, I reached for the small tuft and held it up to my nose and sniffed.

Caelan’s familiar scent, along with the unmistakable tinge of wolf wafted up. My jaw clenched as I realized the implications of what I’d found.

Sonofabitch.

The question of why I had no glass in my skin when I woke up had been answered.

I was going to murder that nosy, meddling werewolf.