Page 9 of Shift of Morals (Shifter Lords #2)

The flap of wings sounding made me turn once more to the window. A huge black bird with burning red eyes landed on the sill.

Not Poe. Not a raven at all. Something different, a modified crow perhaps.

The thing watched us with an unnerving intensity, but there was something familiar…

Shit.

I turned to where Caroline couldn’t see my face and mouthed, “Fuck you,” to the window.

The bird let out an unholy shriek and pecked at the glass. A hole the size of a bullet appeared, sending spider-webbed cracks spiraling throughout the glass.

I turned away, trusting Moira to take care of the problem if the bird that was not a bird managed to get inside. The vampire’s eyes flashed with violence as she sauntered closer to the window.

“What happened to the groom?” I asked Caroline.

“I don’t know!” Caroline’s hands trembled. A broken sob escaped her. “I can’t remember. I’m so sorry.” She put her head down on her desk and cried.

The bird let out another ear-splitting shriek and flapped away.

We’d gotten all we could out of her. Ash, who’d sat quietly through the entire ordeal, said nothing as we walked out, past the receptionist staring at us with judgment in her eyes, and into the elevator.

“That bird,” he said at last. “Was it Finn?”

I nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“Does he always have the red eyes?” Moira asked. “If he does, that will help us identify him.”

“I don’t think so. At least not while he’s in human form. Maybe only when he’s in animal form?” The memories of my attack were hazy at best, prone to showing up in my dreams, but try as I might, I couldn’t remember Finn’s eyes when he shifted.

“Caelan might know,” Moira mused. “There’s no way he didn’t shift into wolf form while the Lords were gathered.”

As loathe as I was to talk to Caelan about anything, we’d already be at the Keep tomorrow, and I had other things to discuss with him. “I’ll ask,” I said begrudgingly.

Right after I bitched at him about the dress.

Once we were safely in the car and a few miles down the road, we spoke about Caroline.

“I don’t think she’s lying,” Moira said.

“Agreed. She’s too scared to lie convincingly.”

The bouquet lay in the back seat, as far away from Ash as he could get it.

“And Finn was involved. Somehow,” I said, surprised that I was actually surprised. He’d shown himself to be a despicable male, so it wasn’t a stretch for him to curse a symbol of love and hope to get his way. But what did he want?

That was the million-dollar question.

Later, when we returned to the shop, I opened the box Simone had given me and pulled out a shimmering emerald silk floor length sheath dress pulsing with magic.

It was similar to the other gown he’d given me for the formal dinner where Finn had attacked, but this one was slinkier with cleaner lines.

The other dress had embroidered flowers all over the skirt, hundreds of tiny flowers brimming with plant life.

This one only had embroidery across the bodice, primed with deadly seeds and vines.

I wanted to hate it but smiled despite myself. The dress was gorgeous and deadly. Like Caelan.

Maybe like me, too.

Ash whistled under his breath. “You’re going to look like a knockout in that, Evie.”

I turned, holding the dress up to the golden light. The silk shimmered like a jewel, magic glinting from the bodice. Ash moved closer, peering at the bodice with narrowed eyes.

“Do you know who’s creating these dresses?”

I shook my head. “No idea. They’re stunning, but I could never afford something like this on my own.”

Ash chuckled. “Keep antagonizing Caelan and you might find yourself a rich woman.” He winked and walked out of the office.

I shook my head and carefully folded the dress, placing it back into the mountain of tissue paper inside the box. A faint floral scent and Caelan’s lingering magic pulsed against my palm.

How had a man I didn’t trust come to know me so deeply? Discomfited, I put the lid on the box and carried it to the car.

I hadn’t decided whether to wear it yet, but as I walked out, a delivery man holding another box walked in.

“Is there a Moira Devlin here?” he asked.

The vampire’s brows rose. “Here.” She took the offered clipboard and scrawled her signature before the man handed her the box. “Who’s it from?”

The man’s brow furrowed. “The Shifter Lord, ma’am.” He dipped his head and left the shop.

We stared at the box like it was a snake.

“Should we set it on fire?” Moira asked.

I wanted to laugh, but her question was serious. “No,” I said after a moment. “Caelan knows you’re my bestie and how I might react if anything were to happen to you.”

She frowned. “I don’t sense a heartbeat inside. Can you take a look, too?”

I bent and pressed my palm against the top of the box, trying to sense if there was anything alive or sentient inside. Rising, I shook my head. “All I sense is Caelan’s magic.”

Moira sighed and reached for a pair of scissors lying on the worktable. “If this bites me, I’m going to bite you.”

“You can try.” I gave her a smile with all teeth.

Moira unsealed the box, keeping it at an arm’s distance, as if she expected whatever was inside to reach up and bite her as soon as she opened the flaps. Instead, a hint of vampiric magic mixed with Caelan’s floated up, and Moira gasped with delight.

“Oh,” she breathed, reaching in to pull out a shimmering garment of crimson silk. “Mama like.”

Moira held up a calf-length silk dress, with a scandalous neckline and a slit cut all the way to the upper thigh. She pressed the garment against her, swaying left and right.

I gaped. That was quite the dress. A slip of paper fell as she moved.

“There’s a note.” I picked it up and unfolded the parchment.

Miss Devlin,

Only the best for my favorite Floromancer’s best friend. Be careful, my dear. On the right person, this dress might tame a Lord.

It was signed Caelan.

Moira’s eyes glittered with amusement. “I like your Lord, Evie. He’s a troublemaker.”

“He’s a menace,” I muttered. “From his note, it seems like there might be another Lord there?”

Moira wiggled her eyebrows. “I hope it’s that delicious Soren.” She closed her eyes. “He is yummy.”

“And an unrepentant womanizer.”

Moira rolled her eyes. “All the Shifter Lords are womanizers. Just think. If I managed to tame Soren, we could still live right next door. He’s the Lord of the South, so…just a hop, skip, and a jump back here.” She grinned.

“Absolutely not. You’re not leaving the shop. Ever.” My words were gruff, but we both knew I’d never stop her from following her heart. Even if it was for Soren. I eyed her. “You’re not seriously going to pursue him, are you?”

She snorted. “Soren? Absolutely not.” Moira’s eyes glittered with laughter. “Haven’t you heard? He’s an unrepentant womanizer.”