Thorvin stepped forward, looking none the worse for the wear after Moira and I destroyed his foundation. “Caelan!”
Relief filled his eyes. “Thank the gods, man.” His eyes found Ben.
“They’ve found you.” Thorvin exhaled. “Mission successful, then.”
The Lord’s eyes found mine. “And Evie. I’m glad to see you are unscathed.”
A strange glitter came over his skin, a sheen that made him look like…
Ben burst out laughing. “The fuck, man? Why do you look like a regular in a teenage vampire movie?”
Thorvin flushed.
Caelan cleared his throat. “Good to know how you feel about Evie,” he murmured in a low voice.
All of a sudden, it clicked. “Oh gods.” I burst out laughing.
Whatever Moira had done to him triggered when he lied. “It’s good to see you, too,” I said before laughing again.
“Oh wait. That’s a lie.” I held up my arm and twisted it to and fro before clicking my tongue. “That’s a shame. I look good in glitter.” With a wink, I stepped closer to Caelan.
Ethan’s eyes found mine. “Evie.” He tilted his head in greeting. “I’m unsurprised to find you here.”
“Where Caelan goes, I go,” I said simply.
His eyes flickered before moving to Ben. “I’m glad you are unharmed.”
Ben stepped up. “Let’s take this back to the Keep. We have coffee and food there, and after everything, I’m starving, and I know Evie must be, too.”
I nodded. I’d burned off so much energy healing him, my fingers were starting to shake.
The Lords agreed, and we piled out of the store. Before we got into the vehicle, I pulled on Caelan’s arm to hold him back while everyone else loaded up.
“Donovan and Nadia?” I whispered.
“The Lord is dead. For good this time. Nadia…” His voice trailed off. “I’m not sure how she managed to hightail it out of here like she did, but she’s gone. When I return to the Keep, I’ll tap my contacts.”
I leaned in and whispered in his ear. “I think Gianna had something on her when she died. Something Nadia needs.”
Caelan squeezed my hip. “I agree.” His gaze flicked over my shoulder.
“We have an audience.” After pressing a firm kiss to my lips, he pulled open the passenger door. “Let’s get some food into you.”
Ben’s homeat the Keep was tasteful and understated, but Ben didn’t look like he fit in. He wore flannel, blue jeans, and work boots, and this was a place for wealthy family dinners on Sunday where everyone wore slacks and mock turtlenecks and talked about their stock portfolio.
But his chef was excellent. He was a jovial man named Boudreaux and had a thick accent that dripped south Louisiana. The man slapped a large bowl of something dark brown with large chunks of meat and okra, and a little rice. It smelled absolutely heavenly.
After the first two bowls, Boudreaux had given me a long, appraising look and nodded. “You want another bowl,cher?”
The word sounded likeshahwhen he said it, and it made me feel special, like a favorite grandpa had told me he was proud of me.
“Yes, please. May I have some more of that bread, too?”
“You can have whatever you want, little flower.”
The third bowl he set in front of me was twice as large as the one before. I smiled with delight and picked up my spoon before he added a large plate of bread and a small bowl filled with chilled butter.
“You’re no wolf, but you’re something,” he said more to himself than me. “You got the look of the fae about you, but that’s not it is it?”
