I couldn’t believe I was thinking about wiping out an entire species to save myself, but they were thinking about enslaving me to use me as a brood mare, so maybe I could think of it as tit for tat.
We’d know more in a little while, provided Barrett was honest with us.
He openedthe door on the first knock, seemingly unsurprised to see us standing on the porch. Barrett held open the door.
“I was about to take a cup of coffee on the outdoor patio. Would you like to join me?”
“Sure. We have some questions,” I said.
Barrett inclined his head. “I figured you’d want more information.” He poured us both a cup, offering us cream and sugar, before leading us outdoors to a beautiful, covered patio area.
“This is a nice place,” I remarked. The patio backed up to a densely wooded pocket of land.
“Not as private as I’d like, but with quick access to the woods, it was acceptable.”
Barrett was rumpled this morning, blond hair unkempt and a five o’clock shadow gracing his strong jaw. He wore a pair of loose pants and a long-sleeved sweatshirt with a pair of what had to be wool socks.
“Have you given any more thought to my proposal?” He picked up his coffee mug and took a sip, and I had an odd thought that he had nice hands, strong and scarred.
“I thought your timing was unusual,” I said. “You came when things had finally settled down for me, disrupting everything once more.”
Barrett’s lip curled in a one-sided smile. “I’m afraid I’m not psychic, Miss Quinn. My timing was irrelevant. I came when I could and when it was most advantageous to me.”
“Some concerning information has come to light. I’m here to see if you knew about it in advance.”
His eyes tightened at the edges. Barrett set his mug down and faced me. “You know about the swans.”
It was not a question. “Yes. They were after Finn initially.”
“They were. Your involvement was a complete, unfortunate accident.”
“They have my blood.”
Barrett blinked in surprise. A sharp inhale and a nod. “That explains how they knew what you were other than a mere Floromancer.”
“Do you know what they want from me?” The coffee had soured in my stomach.
To his credit, his expression turned grim. “There are only a couple of reasons someone might want one of our kind.”
“My next question is, are you here to help or hinder me?”
Barrett’s eyes crinkled at the edges. “Our people are scattered across the world. I believe there are less than ten of us left, including you and me. If we hope to replenish our numbers, we will have to intermarry or find peace with each other.”
I opened my mouth to object, but Barrett held up a hand. “I am not suggesting you do either. Our people have been driven to near extinction due to the hatred and prejudice of others. I do not plan to continue down that road. If you find a willing Chimera partner, we will all bless the union. If you find another outside of our kind, I will do the same. Or, if you choose to staysingle and produce no children, you will have no argument from me.”
Moira had stayed suspiciously silent. I glanced at her, but she was still and silent, long fingers wrapped around her mug as she watched Barrett.
“My hope is for us to make such a commotion the Lords have no choice other than to sit down at the table with us and bring us into the fold. We deserve to have a say. We are too powerful not to.”
I agreed with what he was saying, but I wanted no part of the Lords. He smiled when he saw my face.
“You underestimate yourself. I’d like you to think about stepping up as our representative.”
Moira finally spoke. “You don’t want the job?”
Barrett shook his head. “No, though I will have to step in if Evie refuses. She is what our race is meant to be. Smart, powerful, beautiful… she would bring our race into the forefront of the world.”
I grimaced. “You are all of those things, too.”
