Thorvin dipped his head. “Your generosity is immense.”
Oh brother.
Soren dipped his head. “Cernunnos. Welcome.”
Cernunnos studied him for a long moment. “You are heartsore, young Lord. Perhaps there is a dark-haired woman who would soothe your ache?”
My lips twitched. So he was pining after Moira. Iknewit.
Soren’s eyes flashed with horror, but he remained silent.
Ethan was the last to speak. “Cernunnos.”
The Lord looked furious at the Fae King’s presence, which was highly amusing, and also disturbing because did Ethan not realize my father could crush him like a bug if he wanted to?
Instead of greeting Ethan, my father tilted his head and studied the Lord. “I couldn’t help but overhear some of your conversation about your Floromancer.”
I braced myself. Cernunnos never randomly showed up just to show up—unless he was coming over for tacos. He didn’t show up in a room full of Lords after I’d had a shit day and had just lost my temper over the idiocy of shifters.
The Fae King was here for a reason, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like it.
“Your Majesty,” I said, placing my hand over my heart and bowing my head.
When I lifted my eyes, amusement sparkled in the swirling depths of his gaze. “One woman has graced me with my formal title instead of my given name. She has shown deference where the rest of you have shown familiarity despite not being given permission.”
The temperature in the room dropped by about twenty degrees.
“You are no king of ours,” Ethan said.
I wanted to sigh. Ethan could be such a dumbass sometimes.
“Perhaps not,” my father said, “but you forget I could be, and that each of you stand here by my grace.”
Ethan’s eyes glittered with anger. Cords of fury stood out on his neck, but he could not refuse Cernunnos’ statement. If thefae ever tired of existing side by side with us, it would not be a difficult thing to take over our world if Cernunnos stepped in to assist.
“Evie,” my father said. “It is nice to see you again.”
“And you.”
“Is there something we can do for you?” Rowan asked after a long silence.
“There is,” Cernunnos said. “But it’s not for me. It’s for Evie.”
I stilled. Oh shit. Here it comes…
What in the world could he possibly ask or demand of them, and, the more important question, how much worse would it make my life?
“You ask for a favor for a Floromancer?” Ethan said, derision dripping from his voice.
Cernunnos laughed, the sound wickedly amused. “I do not ask for favors, Lord. You seem to have forgotten who she is, and what her capabilities are.”
“We know of her magic and abilities,” Ethan snapped. “We are merely trying to find a place for her…uniqueness within our world.”
“Oh?” Cernunnos said, far too much curiosity in his voice. “What have you decided?”
Rowan blinked, his eyes narrowing on my father. He knew of our relationship, and based on everyone else’s lack of reaction, he hadn’t said a word to the others, which only made me like him more.
Ethan looked at Thorvin, who gave him one sharp shake of his head. He wanted Ethan to shut the fuck up, just like everyone else in the room. No matter what Ethan said, things would not go well for him. The absolute last thing Caelan needed was one less Lord. Ethan’s absence would complicate everything, and I’m not even sure it would stop them from trying to find “a place” for me and my “uniqueness.”
