I snorted and shook my head. “I’m serious. You’re the only Lord that would allow this, you know.”
“Because I trust you.”
I eyed him. There was something I’d been wanting to ask him for a while now. My conversation with Ash only solidified my decision. He was the only one I’d trust with such a thing. “What would you think about taking over Donovan’s territory?”
Rowan stilled. “Why would I do such a thing?”
“Because I’d give it to you.”
Rowan barked a laugh. “You can’t be serious.”
“Why not? I trust you too. You’re one of the only Lords I know who isn’t mad with power.”
A ring of gold outlined his irises. “Doing this would make me the most powerful Lord. You’d cement yourself to my side politically. You would forever ruin your relationship with Caelan.”
My lips twisted. “I don’t see that getting any better, so I don’t see why it matters.”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t returning to Joy Springs for him?”
I blinked and started laughing. “Did you see how we ended things? There’s probably no coming back from that.”
“He asked you to come home and you said yes. What was I supposed to think?”
“Well, that I’m not an idiot would be nice. Plus, even if I had been thinking of getting back together with him, he gave us sixty days to vacate our storefront.”
Rowan’s eyes flared bright gold. “That sonofabitch. Don’t you have a lease?”
“I do. The lease has a ‘Lord clause.’ He can kick us out whenever he wants for whatever reason. I assume he believes giving us sixty days is generous.”
“He has a caveat, doesn’t he?” Rowan sipped his mug, his eyes still glowing.
“He’ll drop the eviction notice if I come to my senses. His words, not mine.”
Rowan burst out laughing. “Totally reasonable request.”
“He’s always been a reasonable man,” I said. We grinned at each other. “So what do you say? Interested in being the brand-new Lord of a shit ton of extra territory?”
He held up a finger. “I’m texting Hope and Declan. Major decisions like this require more input than just me.”
Rowan’s phone beeped twice in rapid succession. “Hope asked me if I was an idiot and told me I should force you into marriage immediately.”
A laugh escaped me. Rowan lifted his head and wiggled his eyebrows before looking back down at his phone. “Declan said, ‘Hell yes. PNW rules, other Lords drool.’ As you can see, my Omega and Second are mature and reasonable adults.”
“Sounds like it.” Garrett and Simone rarely joked around. Was it their personalities or had serving in Caelan’s Keep molded their personalities? “Now that you have their opinions, what do you think?”
Rowan set his phone down and came to sit beside me. He made no move to touch me. “You’re placing a great deal of trust in me.”
“You didn’t shun me when you found out what I was. Instead, you welcomed me into your sanctuary and gave me choices. Your people obviously love you. If I were going to give the territory to anyone, why wouldn’t it be you?”
“You’re forgetting about the wannabe Lord sniffing around.”
I wrinkled my nose. I’d almost forgotten about the young and unproven shifter vying for Donovan’s old territory. He’d come around asking questions some time ago, and the last I heard, the Lords were considering adding him to the Council. Hard to do with my claim on the land, but they probably had a plan for that, too. “Dario? He seems more suited to a teen vampire drama than the world of the Lords.”
Rowan barked a laugh. “I never thought of it that way, but you’re right. He does have that look about him. Dario has enough power to become a Lord, but whether he has the stomach for it is an entirely different question. If you decide to do this, you will make an enemy of him.”
“What’s new? All the Lords have been a thorn in my side since the beginning. Dario is only one more to add to my list.”
“I do not want the territory.”
