“Loyalty is soul deep, Evangeline. My blood belongs to this land, to the shifters behind me.”
“I deserved your loyalty!” The scream shattered the night. “I would have given you everything, and you pushed me away like I was last night’s leftovers.”
“After time, I realized there would be no mating bond.”
“You said yourself that successful marriages and partnerships exist without one.”
“I am a Lord. My people deserve a true mating bond.”
“So all that pomp and circumstance after my shift to the Chimera was bullshit?”
His jaw tightened. Caelan had claimed me as his Lady but never made it true. His people had never accepted me. To make it worse, he never again made the declaration the same way, making me feel like he’d forgotten about me or went back on his word. Most of his people had been wary of me and stayed that way the entire time we were together.
Not like?—
I cut the thought of Rowan off.
“Things are different now.” Caelan made no move to come closer, stared at me like we were strangers. Maybe we were.
“Yes,” I agreed. “They are.” Shaking my head, I tried to reorder my thoughts. “We have to stop going in circles. This is our death knell. I’ll be out of your territory within the allotted time, but I refuse to give up my property until I’m good and ready. I’m the owner, not you. Until then, my offer stands. Allow me to temporarily claim the borders of your territory until this dark magic is brought under control. I’ll heal you as well.”
Caelan’s eyes glowed. “Is this the fae plan to seize territory back from the Lords?”
My temper snapped. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Caelan. Stop being a sniveling brat and listen to me. I’ve never lied to you. You’ve been feeling poorly. Parts of your land are dying. That mark on your cheek is the first manifestation of it consuming you. Allow me to help you. Do not let your pride stand in the way of my assistance.”
For a moment, he wavered, and I thought we’d reach some sort of truce. But once again, pride won over reason. Caelan’s jaw tightened, and claws slid from his fingertips.
“Get off my lands.” Gone was the Lord I knew, the male I loved. In its place stood a prideful, stubborn-beyond-all-reasonLord. One who wanted to protect his people at the cost of his own happiness.
I tried one more time. “Caelan, please. Don’t do this. Let me help you.”
He scoffed. “Help me? You’ve ruined everything.”
“I will not let you die because you refuse to see reason.”
“Get. Off. My. Lands.” His arms grew fur, his canines sliding into wicked fangs.
Shifters exited the main door, coming to stand a few feet away until I was surrounded. “I’m sorry it’s come to this,” I said softly.
I reached for my power andyanked. A circular barrier shot up from the ground, enclosing us in a cage of green. Caelan snarled. The sounds of shifters howling and tearing through the natural barricade sent a shiver down my spine. But I wouldn’t leave until I gave Caelan a chance.
“Will you take my lands by force, Evie?” The words were garbled by his fangs.
“No, you idiot. But I will do this.” Vines shot from the ground and wrapped around him, trapping his hands against his sides, flowing all the way to his jawline, keeping the Lord immobile. I lunged toward him, magic at the ready, and slapped my hand against his damaged cheek. Dark magic screamed against my skin. Watermelon tourmaline-colored power poured from my palms soaking his face with light. I concentrated, sweeping through his body to destroy every inch of the spell affecting him, not stopping until I found no trace of any more darkness.
I stepped back and studied him. Caelan stared at me like he’d seen a ghost. His hand crept up and touched his cheek.
“Feel better?” I didn’t add asshole to the end, but he deserved it.
His eyes narrowed. “I won’t thank you.”
“Surprise, surprise,” I said with a click of my tongue. “I’ve only bought you time today. If you won’t accept my help, that spell will continue to run unhindered through your lands. Eventually, it will infect you again. This is my final offer. Accept my assistance, or I will not return to help you again.”
A muscle in his cheek twitched. “Leave,” he said after a long pause.
I slipped the ring off my finger and dropped it in the dirt. “Despite everything, I only want the best for you, even if it’s not with me. I would have loved you for the rest of my days, Caelan.”
Without giving him a chance to respond, I shifted into my fae form and rose above the barrier. With a thought, I released Caelan from the vines and allowed the barricade to fall.
