Page 36 of Shift of Morals (Shifter Lords #2)

He smiled, and even though I knew he was cruel and without morals, I remembered a cold night in Scotland where I thought I was getting a fresh start. The memory was a visceral punch, reminding me of how hard I worked to get back on my feet and build a life for myself.

And I’d be damned if I let him take that away from me.

“You’ve always been so easy to deceive.” He tucked his hands in his pockets, blood continuing to leak from his arms. A shifter should have been able to stop the bleeding by now, and I had an overwhelming urge to high-five my plants when this was over.

“But not so easy to beat. Otherwise, you wouldn’t still be here trying to bend me to your will.”

Anger glittered in his eyes, but his response was amused. “What can I say? I’ve always had a weakness for strong-willed women.” His fingers trailed over the ward on the bouquet. “Much like Caelan’s fiancée. So strong-willed in personality, but so very weak when it comes to her desire for power.”

I froze. “What did you do?”

“Nothing Gianna didn’t allow. I’m not a monster.”

“Yes, yes, you are a monster. That’s why we’re standing here right now.”

He slammed a fist on the edge of the table.

“You have no idea what a monster really is, Evie! I’ve been patient, allowing you to come to terms with what you are and what you mean to me.

And you’ve betrayed me in a hundred different ways.

I’ve even allowed your dalliance with the two shifters, knowing you would come to me eventually. ”

Finn swayed on his feet.

Two high-fives to those plants.

“Are you okay?” I asked sweetly.

Blood dripped from the edge of his lower lip. “This is the last time I ask. Come with me, Evie. Let me teach you what you need to know.”

I snorted. “I learned all I needed from you that night in Scotland. You broke my already fraught trust in men and taught me I didn’t need to be with a man to have a happy and fulfilling life. This is the last time I tell you, Finn. My answer is no.”

Crimson magic rose in the air, Finn’s entire body highlighted in an awful glow.

He lunged, but I was ready. Vines whipped from the potted plants on the shelf behind him, wrapping around his neck and waist. Finn jerked off balance and crashed to the floor, a bark of pain cracking from his lips.

He was up in seconds but stumbled, his face pale and sweaty.

“What did you do to me?” he rasped.

“Nothing you didn’t deserve,” I said sweetly.

His eyes flicked to the bouquet before settling on me once more. In a flash of crimson light, Finn shifted, a black puma stalking toward me.

Primal fear bleated through my bones. No matter how powerful I was, I’d never be unsurprised by a huge ass cat circling around me. Pumas were apex predators, and I was just a girl in a flower store hoping not to get murdered.

I reached for the poisonous vine again, holding it before me like a weapon

Finn chuffed, exposing brilliant white fangs.

The vine reached out and popped the top of Finn’s head twice, reminding me of a pissed-off cat. He screeched and reared back, glistening poison slipping down his face, right into one of his eyes.

Claws sliding on the floor, the cat slammed into the rack of metal cabinets at the back of the kitchen. A thought niggled at the back of my mind, and on a whim, I destroyed the wards holding the bouquet and forced my hand into a tight fist, calling back every bit of life from that damned thing.

My magic was life, bright and green and earthy, but I could also use my power to take that life away. I used this magic only when a plant or animal’s suffering became too much and I knew they wouldn’t make it. But every time I used the power, it took something away from me, a little piece of Evie.

Today was the first time I had no regrets about taking a life. And I had no regrets about taking two.

The bouquet crumbled to ash, a fine layer of black glittering dust on the surface of the worktable.

A flash of crimson light and an unending scream I’d hear in my nightmares ricocheted through the room.

Finn’s body bowed in a rictus of pain, his mouth wide open, and crimson veins pulsing against every piece of bare skin I could see.

A second later, he was gone.

I sank to my knees, a sob bubbling from my lips. Relief warred with worry because I didn’t believe Finn was dead. Injured, probably severely. But not dead.

I’d never been that lucky.

Rising on shaky legs, I stood there for a long moment, marveling at the fact that I was here. I was alive.

The only thing that could have made it better was if Finn were dead.

Glittering dust lay in a pile on the table. Not liking the look of it, I used a scraper to carefully brush every single bit from the table into a glass jar. I’d give it to Hazel for disposal later. She’d know what to do with it.

Then I went straight to the regular fridge and got myself a bottle of wine.

A few hours later, I stumbled out of the shop, planning to shift into a wren and fly home when I spotted a shadowy figure leaning against my car.

Energy hummed in the air, the god a finely honed weapon. I wasn’t drunk; the wine wasn’t strong enough to affect me much, but I also wasn’t in the mood to deal with the gods. “I’d be annoyed if I were driving home, but I don’t need my car tonight.”

“Too many spirits, little wren?” His teeth flashed white in the dark.

“We both know human wine does little more than give a temporary buzz.”

“True. If you’re nice, I can bring you some better spirits.”

The offer was tempting because there were many nights I wanted to drink myself into oblivion. “I’m always nice,” I said in a shitty tone.

Neit chuckled and snapped his fingers, an amber-colored bottle appearing in his hands.

“I shouldn’t drive this evening, so I can’t carry that home. Normally, I’d leave it in the shop, but…” My voice trailed off.

“Your security is compromised. I heard the commotion.”

I stared at him for a beat. “You could have helped.”

One dark eyebrow lifted, a mocking gesture I wasn’t in the mood for. “My favors don’t come for free.”

Of course not. That’d be too much to ask. “And the booze?”

He shrugged. “Not a favor. A gift.”

“How kind of you. I’m sure there are no strings attached. At all.”

Neit’s eyes danced with amusement. “Not all gods are cruel, Evie.”

I inclined my head. “Maybe.” Cernunnos wasn’t cruel. Not yet anyway.

“This place,” Neit said with a sweeping hand gesture, “is a house made of dry wood. And you, my dear, are a spark. Eventually, you will burn too hot and turn this town to ash.”

Goosebumps rose over my flesh. “You know nothing about me.”

“I know your mother, and I know you are nothing like her.”

Thank the gods for that.

“Cliona is aware of her power, and she squirrels it away, living in fear. You are a bright light in a dark world, and you have no idea how brightly you can burn.”

Neit held out his hand. “Come, little wren. Allow me to transport you and this lovely vintage Scotch home.”

I eyed his hand but made no move to take it.

Neit smiled again. “Smart girl. I promise you, nor this bottle, will come to any harm on our way.”

I still didn’t move. “And when we get there?”

He laughed. “You are safe from me this night.”

It was the best I could get from him, and we both knew it. “And the bottle, too?”

His laughter, rich and warm, rang through the night. “I will protect the bottle with my life.”

I slid my hand into his, power snaking up my arm—ancient, staggering power. He wrapped an arm around my waist, pulled me tight against his body, and shot straight into the air.

My stomach leapt to my throat, and a scream ripped from me. Neit’s deep laughter in my ear made my body stiffen. I slapped his arm. “Warn a girl next time.”

“Why? It’s so much more fun this way.” He took me high into the clouds, up and up and up until I shivered in his arms.

Neit pressed me tighter against his body, a spark of magic on his palms rising and flowing over us, warmth flowing from my head to my feet. I sighed at the languid heat soaking into my bones.

“So,” I said after a beat of silence. “You and my mom, eh?”

Neit snorted. “Not quite like that, little wren. Courtship with the fae is quite different from humans’. We were not lovers, not in the carnal sense.”

“I don’t understand. Mom says you’re her ex-boyfriend.”

The god’s arm tightened around my waist. “A simple explanation from your mother, and not quite true. We were betrothed for a time.”

“Holy shit! You were going to be my stepdaddy?”

“Impertinent child,” Neit growled, though he sounded more amused than angry.

“Daddy, can I have a car?” I snickered to myself.

“Definitely not like your mother.”

I opened the wards to allow Neit passage. We touched down in the middle of the yard, and the god released me immediately. His eyes swept over the property until they landed on me once again, a thoughtful look on his face. “You keep your land wild but well-maintained.”

“I’m a Floromancer. That’s kind of our job.”

“You are not only a Floromancer, but you know that already, don’t you?”

I stayed silent.

His teeth flashed in the darkness. “Very well, little wren.” Neit handed me the bottle. “Be careful with it. A little goes a long way.”

“Thanks for the ride.” I still didn’t understand why he was being so nice, so I tilted my head and blurted out the question bugging me from the moment I saw him. “Mom says you’re here to kill me. Is buttering me up part of your modus operandi or something?”

Neith’s smile fell away. “Your mother is a cruel woman, Evangeline, though I’m sure you know this already. Our children suffer needlessly due to our mistakes.”

“Will I suffer?”

He took a step back. “That is up to your mother, little wren.”

Without another word, Neit shot into the sky, a bolt of brilliant energy lighting up the sky.

One more thing to worry about. Awesome.