Page 32 of Shift of Heart (Shifter Lords #1)

Chapter

Twenty-Seven

T he second the furious howl rang out, I sent magic spiraling into the ground.

Full-grown trees burst from the earth, ripe with fruit.

Flowering vines wrapped around the house’s columns.

Bushes in a riot of colors popped up, ruining his perfect landscaping, but the most perfect part was the mix of native wildflowers and dandelions that sprang up, obliterating Caelan’s perfect grass in a carpet of stunning blooms.

I sat cross-legged on his roof, waiting for him to spot me.

Caelan stalked down the porch, stopped at the edge of the yard, and put his hands on his hips. A litany of curses blasted from his mouth. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing and watched as he stepped onto the wildflower carpet.

A massive man behind him followed, his deep, rumbling chuckle making my lips tilt up. “You gotta admit she has style.”

“Shut the fuck up, Ben.” Caelan went to the middle of his front yard and swept the area. I’d deliberately sat where he’d scent me and waited for the gentle breeze to reach his nose. Once it did, Caelan’s eyes snapped up.

The large man barked a laugh when I gave Caelan a little wave and dropped my fingers one by one until only the middle one was left.

Then I waved that one at him, turned into a wren, and leaped from the roof.

My car was parked a mile away, far enough to avoid suspicion, close enough for me to fly with ease.

But what I hadn’t counted on was Caelan’s agility. In one graceful movement, the Shifter Lord leapt into the air, reaching out a claw tipped hand to grasp me. I nosedived to dodge and swept away, warbling at him in annoyance.

Just as I was flying away, I heard the large man remark. “That’s Evie? Does she know only the male fairy wrens have that coloring?”

I almost fell out of the air. Not a single person had ever successfully identified me. Curious, I swept around and got a closer look at the big man.

He noticed. “Hello, pretty birdie. Clever work on that flytrap of yours.”

Caelan lunged for me again.

“You won’t get her,” Ben observed as I darted away. “She’s far too small.”

“Again, Ben. Shut the fuck up.”

I warbled at Caelan, dipped my head to the big man, and shot back into the air, before nosediving so low I brushed the Shifter Lord’s hair.

“She has no idea what she’s started, does she?” the big man asked.

Caelan’s wicked laugh sent a shiver down my spine. “That’s what makes this so much fun.”

I was back in my car in less than ten minutes and back home in less than twenty, feeling a little unsettled about the night’s events. What had Caelan meant by that last remark, and why had it sent a shiver of foreboding down my spine?

Shaking my head, I poured myself a glass of wine and was about to collapse onto the couch when the doorbell rang. Groaning, I padded barefoot to the door and peered out the peephole.

Moira stood there, a thunderous expression on her face.

I opened the door, and she stalked in, tossing her purse on the floor. Moira headed straight to the kitchen without a word, poured herself an enormous glass of wine, took a long sip, then closed her eyes.

“I love you, but what the hell were you thinking?”

This could only be about one thing. I opened my mouth to respond, but Moira held a hand up. “No. Don’t say a word. The answer is you weren’t thinking!” She stomped over to the couch and sat down, not spilling a single drop of her wine.

“How did you know? I just got back.”

Moira rolled her eyes. “There’s a mutant Jacaranda tree growing in the Shifter Lord’s front yard! I wouldn’t be surprised if you can see that purple fucker from the moon!”

I blinked. “Those trees don’t grow here.”

Moira scoffed in disbelief. “They do when your idiot Floromancer BFF gets a hold of your yard and sends so much magic through the ground the entire Keep is lit up like an amusement park!”

“Oh.” I cringed. “Um. I might have over corrected.”

“Ya think?” Moira screeched.

“I gave him a check for the repairs to the shop and the replacement equipment.”

“And a massive hard-on. Idiot.”

I snorted. “Hardly. He was so pissed off he tried to eat me.”

Moira leaned forward. “Evie, you beautiful, brilliant moron. There’s only one thing on your body he wants to eat.”

A crimson blush stained my cheeks. “Moira!”

She set her wine glass down and reached for my hands.

“Promise me you will leave the Shifter Lord alone. No matter what he asks or requests. Treat him like a customer, nothing more. If he tries to antagonize you, and he will because it’s in his nature, promise me you will not react.

Every time you do, he discovers how powerful you are.

It won’t be long before he discovers far more about you than you want him to. ”

“I want him to stop messing with us.”

Moira nodded. “And you know how to do that?”

“I’m going to guess the answer is not growing a hundred-foot Jacaranda tree in his front yard?”

“Gray rock him.”

I frowned. “What?”

“Become as interesting as a rock. Have zero sense of humor. Respond only to the questions he asks with short, limited conversation. Reveal nothing about yourself. You need to become the most uninteresting person on the planet. Normal Floromancer magic. Nothing flashy. No more of those fancy automatons that got our shop destroyed. No more fairy-tale gardens.”

I watched my friend, saw the tremble in her pale, slim fingers, and heard the quiver in her words, realizing for the first time she was truly afraid for me.

“Shifter Lords exist to keep the peace between our people. You never want to gain their interest, Evie, and you are failing terribly. If you don’t do it for me, do it for you.

Chimera blood is a death sentence, and if Caelan discovers it, he will put you to death. No discussion. No trial. No nothing.”

I opened my mouth to plead my case, but the look in her eyes stopped me. So I nodded. “Okay.” Clearing my throat, I spoke again, my voice thick with emotion. “I promise. Gray rock from now on. Interesting as a bag of dried beans.”

“Good. But nothing interesting like heirloom beans or those Adzuki beans. Be a regular old pinto.”

“Got it. Pinto it is.”

“Or even a Lima bean. Most people hate those and avoid them like the plague.”

“Sure. Of course. Want me to stop brushing my hair or maybe disappear for a while and come back with an internet addiction or something?”

Moira grinned. “Pinto bean is fine. If you go too far with it, you run the risk of becoming interesting again.”

“Heaven forbid.”

We grinned at each other. Moira let go and grabbed her wine. “You’re allowed to be as interesting as you’d like around us.”

“And if I ever get a boyfriend?”

Moira’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Are you looking for one?”

I scoffed. “Not even a little. But I might have to be interesting to land one.”

The vampire laughed. “My dear, all you have to do is flutter those pretty eyes at a man, and they’ll trip at your feet like an obsessed puppy.”

“What you’re saying is don’t speak, just be pretty?”

“That’s all I’ve ever had to do.”

I laughed and tossed a throw pillow at her. We sat and chatted for a while before Moira rose and stretched. “I’m heading home. Be careful tonight and stay incognito tomorrow. It may take some time for Caelan’s interest to wear off.”

“Interesting as a bean. Got it.”

I walked Moira to the door, and she grabbed me, pulling me in for a tight hug. “Come over next week. I’ve been neglectful of my house plants, and I think they hate me. They could use a friend.”

“How about Monday?”

“I’ll tell them. They always perk up when Aunt Evie visits.”

I laughed and waved her away, watching as she jogged down the steps to her car. Once her tail lights disappeared, I went back inside and locked the door.

My magic slumbered for the first time in a long time, curled up inside me like a contented cat. I’d expended a ton of power on Caelan’s property, and I wish there was a way I could do that daily because I felt amazing. Exhausted, but in a good way for once.

After another glass of wine, I showered and headed to bed.

Maybe tomorrow I’d work on restoring the greenhouse. That should expend quite a bit of power.

The dream shimmered into existence, revealing Cernunnos sitting on the same rock as the last time I’d seen him. He beckoned me over and held a hand out. Once I was settled beside him, we stared at the heavy moon hanging in the sky.

“You’re here because of what I did tonight, I assume.”

“Yes. And no. I’m here because the next several days will be a test of your resolve. One you need very much to pass.”

I glanced at his handsome profile, noting the tiny blooms curling in his hair, and the way the moonlight shimmered against his perfect skin. “The Shifter Lords?”

He dipped his head. “And others.”

A sigh escaped me. Cryptic as always. “Are any of the fae direct in their responses?”

Cernunnos laughed. “We aren’t American, Evie.”

That one made me laugh. “Can you tell me anything more?”

“Your talent has garnered the interest of powerful people. Most don’t know who you are or where the power comes from, but they know it’s centered in your town.

Your vampire friend is correct in her gray rock assessment.

You must become uninteresting. Do not allow anyone to rile you up.

They will try. You must possess an iron will.

They seek entrance into your life through cunning and charm. ”

“Like Caelan?”

Cernunnos smiled. “Your Shifter Lord’s interest is of a different kind.”

My brow furrowed. “Different?”

His smile deepened.

“Oh.” My blush was so hot it felt like I had a fever.

“There is a saying humans like to use about poking a bear. Are you familiar with it?”

I knew where he was going with this. “I am. And I know I’ve done it to Caelan.”

“You have. More than once. And now you have his entire keep in upheaval. Some are calling for your execution.”

“Damn. What kind of monsters don’t like flowers?” I muttered.

“The flowers are fine. Some don’t like man eating, dangerously altered flytraps, my dear.”

I winced. “Seymour is adorable, though.”

“Mmm. The healer is fascinated with the plant.” Cernunnos slid a glance my way. “And you.”

“I’m not aware of a healer in Caelan’s keep.”

“You will be.”

“Great,” I muttered.

“When’s the last time you’ve heard from your mother?”

I froze. “Why?”

“She is near. Your antics have gathered the attention of some divine forces.”

I rubbed a hand over my face. “I’m an idiot.”

“No. You are what you are, Evangeline. Life flows through your veins. But you did not take my advice.”

“The Chimera is dangerous. I am not myself when I become...whatever it is.”

“That’s because you have not mastered its power.”

“How can you master evil?”

He shook his head, a flash of disappointment in his swirling eyes. “Do you think you are evil?”

“Not usually.”

“A Chimera is not good, nor is it evil. Neither are humans. Or vampires. Or shifters. There are many facets to everyone and everything. If you are not evil, why do you think your Chimera will be?”

“It hungers,” I said softly.

Cernunnos sighed and rose in one graceful motion. He crouched and lay his hand on my shoulder, his face very close to mine. “Then feed it.”

He stepped off the edge of the rock and turned into a massive stag. With one last glance, he bounded away into the dark forest.

I awoke in my bed covered in a sheen of sweat, weak sunlight streaming through the windows.

Groaning, I rolled over and covered my head with the pillow.