Thorvin snorted.
“Minus the glitter,” Soren added. “You definitely pissed someone off if they’ve turned you into a teenage romantic drama.”
More footsteps from down the hall.
Thorvin’s face was almost back to normal, only a hint of the silvery glow still showing.
I lowered my voice. “If you don’t want him to know, I suggest you stick to the truth or figure out a way to talk around it.”
Thorvin nodded just as Ethan came through the door. His dark eyes studied us, lingering on me. He couldn’t know it was me and Evie who’d saved him the other night, and if he did, I needed to dig deeper into his capabilities.
“Lords,” he said in his deep, emotionless voice.
He looked none the worse for wear after his ordeal with Donovan and Nadia, but today would tell us if he was trustworthy or if we should find a way to depose him. The last thing I wanted was an internal war, but if Nadia and Donovan were taking Lords hostage to squeeze them for information on Gianna’s body, and Ethan failed to disclose what happened, he was as untrustworthy as the Lord we all thought was dead.
“Welcome, Ethan,” Soren said. “The coffee is still fresh. We were just catching up.”
Ethan grunted and took the chair beside Soren, reaching over to take an empty mug. He said nothing while he poured his coffee, until he took a long drink and sighed.
“This has been a shit week,” he growled.
I almost laughed. “Oh? It’s nice to know my territory might be the calmest this quarter.”
“Speak for yourself,” Rowan said. He held up his index finger. “I’m the only one who hasn’t managed to make an enemy out of your Floromancer.”
A second finger. “No rogues.”
A third finger. “And I’m everyone’s favorite.”
“Fuck off, Rowan,” Soren said with a groan.
“We’re missing Ben.” He wasn’t late yet, but Ben was a stickler for being on time. I hadn’t sensed him in the hotel or around the grounds when I’d arrived, but thought nothing of it because I’d gotten here so early.
Ethan shrugged. “I haven’t heard from him, but he’s more likely to reach out to you than me.”
Rowan frowned. “You haven’t heard from him?”
I shook my head, a sense of unease unfurling deep in my stomach. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Without waiting for acknowledgment, I rose, already pulling my cell from my pocket.
Chapter
Sixteen
Moira skipped out of work at five on the dot, moving so quickly I didn’t get the chance to pin her down before she skedaddled out the door. I sent her a text bitching at her, and she left me on unread.
Once I finished sweeping up the shop, I planned to stop by her house and bang on the door until she let me in.
If she didn’t let me in, she was going to get a yardful of nettles and fire ants. On that note, Ash stopped by my worktable on his way out.
“Need anything else?”
“No.” I waved him away. “When are you due back?”
“Next week. I waited too long to go this time and need an extra couple of days.”
Ash was a dryad who needed to return to his tree periodically to recharge his magic. If he failed to do so, his innate power would slowly drain away, eventually leading to his death. Dryads were sticklers about their time with their trees, but Ash had stuck around for longer than normal. After my own foray into a greedy fae tree, every one of my friends was worried I’d disappear again.
