Page 35 of Shift of Morals (Shifter Lords #2)

Chapter

Twenty-Four

T he shrill ring of Caelan’s cell broke the tension. I stepped away, keeping a wary eye on him.

His lips pressed together as he snatched his cell from the coffee table. “This is Caelan,” he barked.

His face went blank a second later. My hearing wasn’t as sharp as a shifter, but it was better than a human’s. The caller was female and agitated.

And from Caelan’s expression, the caller was his soon-to-be wife.

I grinned and wiggled my fingers at him, hurrying to escape to the bedroom. “Show yourself out,” I whispered.

It took a while, but Caelan finally vacated the house. I came back into the living room to find the rest of the debris picked up and Caelan’s trash gone from the kitchen. The only evidence he was here was the destroyed couch and flooring.

And a note lying on the kitchen table.

With trepidation, I picked it up.

I had fun last night. Let’s do it again, minus the blood, vomit, and property damage.

A smile tugged at my mouth. Folding the note, I tucked it into my pocket and went to get ready for the rest of the day. If Finn was stalking me, he must be waiting for me to let my guard down. Surviving him would mean being able to shift rapidly and on demand, while also using my Floromancy.

I fired off a quick text to Hazel to make sure she was okay. Knowing the witch, she stayed the night in the woods, but dangerous things prowled out there, and I needed to know where all the people I cared about were.

She responded right away and said she’d be home later.

Moira, Tess, and Ash were all at home, safe and sound.

I went to the back and put on a pair of workout leggings and a tank top.

On the way out, I tied my hair into a ponytail and slipped on a pair of flip-flops.

I didn’t mind destroying some workout clothes with the practice I had in mind, but I didn’t have many shoes.

Mostly because I only wore them when I went to work or had to be in public.

Other than that, it was bare feet all the time.

I moved away from the back porch and headed farther back into my property, far enough away from the house that if things went wrong, I wouldn’t destroy anything.

To avoid prying eyes, I sank onto the ground and dug my fingers into the soil, communing with the earth for a few minutes.

When all the stress of the last twenty-four hours had sunk into the ground, I called the earth to form a barrier of plant life around me, ensuring I had enough room to practice and move around.

The earth rumbled and cracked, and new trees and plants and vines rose from the ground, and I let it go until it was about ten feet high.

Take that, spies.

The only negative about the thick wall of protection was the lack of light. I folded the top barrier down, opening the area wider until I had enough daylight to see by.

Then I sank into my magic and practiced, determined to get it right this time. I let go of all my fear and all my worry and allowed the Chimera magic to function as it was supposed to.

I could barely muster an armful of feathers the first couple of hours, but by the time lunch rolled around and the sun was high in the sky, I managed a partial shift. A couple of hours after that, a half shift.

By evening time, I was sweaty and dragging ass but still trying to perfect the shift.

From what little I knew of Chimeras, I should be able to shift into anything, animal or plant life.

I stayed mostly in the bird family because my animal form was a wren, switching back and forth from wren to human to see if shifting to my fae form could help the shift to another one.

No dice. My fae magic was different from the Chimera and felt different. Shifting to a wren felt like second nature. The other magic felt like an unused, atrophied muscle I was trying to work out, stiff and unyielding.

I plopped onto the ground and lay like a starfish, arms and legs akimbo. My breath rattled in my chest, and every muscle in my body hurt. Why couldn’t I do this? What was I missing?

Not having another Chimera to teach me the ropes was aggravating, but if they were all like Finn, I was better off learning on my own. With a groan, I rolled onto my side and got back up.

I’d give it a few more tries before I gave up for the day.

An hour later, just as I was about to throw in the towel, I decided to try something different. I wasn’t just a shifter. I was a Chimera, and a Floromancer, and half-fae. Maybe the key was there?

Every time I tried to shift, I was standing up. My feet were locked onto the soil, but maybe I needed more contact. I frowned and thought what the hell. What could it hurt?

I dug a small channel with the back of my heels and planted my feet inside, digging my toes deeper into the earth. When I touched my Chimera magic, the change was immediate. My body exploded in a shower of light, and the shift rolled over me, power exploding in my veins.

Every cell in my body changed. Feathers rolled over my skin, and my head morphed into the sharply angled head of an eagle. I opened my mouth to scream my delight only for a loud screech to emit, startling me with its intensity.

Holy shit.

I flexed my wings, the size putting me off balance for a moment while I adjusted. A wren is a tiny bird. An eagle was a massive change from my normal form. But I could feel the strength in my wings and my claws.

A few test flaps later, and I launched myself into the air, screeching with delight. My heart beat a thousand miles per hour as I soared high into the air.

This was incredible!

Completely stunned at the transformation, I sailed through the sky, keeping to the boundaries of my property even as I yearned to explore everything.

I could see everything. I rose high above my property, looking over Joy Springs at night.

It was early enough for downtown to still be active, and the warm glow of lights cast the city in a magical haze.

I flew for a little while longer before landing, my body knowing what to do immediately.

Then I was Evie once more, my clothes thankfully still on, which was a cool trick.

“Awesome,” I breathed. Maybe being a Chimera wouldn’t be so bad after all. Not if I could do cool stuff like that all the time.

The protective barrier sank back into the ground after a quick command from me, and I hurried into the house. I was starving and had no idea if I had enough food in the fridge to scrounge up dinner.

I checked my phone to see a text from Caelan that simply said, Continue with the red and white centerpieces and bouquets.

I cringed but typed out an affirmative and asked how much leeway I had with the bonding ceremony bouquet. Not my wedding. Not my circus. Caelan was paying me handsomely to do what he asked, and that’s what I would do.

Make it your own.

Are you sure? Not red and white?

I’m sure. Whatever you think I would like as long as it has your spin on it.

I grinned and put my phone back down, ideas already spinning in my head. The best part of owning a flower shop was people trusting me with a vision.

Dinner first, then I’d head into the shop tonight to put some things together.

Hazel and I texted back and forth before I left, and I mentioned the bonding ceremony in case Caelan hadn’t. She said he reached out to her, and she was working on something for him, though she was a little confused about why he had contacted her and not someone local.

I didn’t have an answer to that. Maybe it was Caelan being Caelan. Understanding his logic required a PhD.

I inhaled the last of my egg scramble, filled my to-go mug with coffee, and headed out the door, excited to put a few examples together for Caelan.

But when I got to the shop, my hackles rose.

Nothing looked amiss, but there was an odd energy around the door.

Silent as a ghost, I slipped out of the car, quietly clicking the door shut.

Nothing to be done about the headlights when I had pulled in, but hopefully whoever might be in my shop hadn’t seen me yet.

I sent a thread of magic inside, immediately reading distress coming off all the plants. Someone was inside. Another tug of magic on one of the pothos close to the door to wrap around and silence the bell above allowed me to slip inside.

I alerted the six deadly plants I had scattered in various places around the shop to get ready. Whether their poison could infect Finn was unknown, but I had no qualms about trying if he got close enough for them to react.

No one was in the front, but the noise of shattering pots made my shoulders stiffen. On silent feet, I ventured to the back, picking two of those plants up to take with me to the back.

I found him in the walk-in, systematically destroying my seasonal arrangements. The cursed bouquet lay quiet on the warded table, but I knew that damned thing was the reason Finn was able to get inside without triggering my ward alarms. I planned to destroy that thing as soon as I was done here.

If Finn didn’t kill me first.

I came up behind Finn without him realizing it and watched as he gleefully shattered a three-hundred-dollar arrangement. Hate rose, a tidal wave in my blood. Silent as a wraith, I came closer, touched both of the plants I held in my arms and whispered a mental command.

Both vines lunged for Finn at the same time, poison leaking thorns appearing on the back of their leaves. As soon as they touched his skin, Finn froze, a hissing intake of breath the only sign of pain.

Without waiting, I spun on my heel and hauled ass from the fridge, putting both plants down on the stainless table, away from the cursed bouquet.

Finn walked out, casual and none the worse for the wear, though blood leaked down both biceps. Savage pleasure at the sight rang through me.

“It was far too easy to gain access to your sanctum, Evie.”

“I’m sure it had nothing to do with that leaking pile of garbage on my table.”