Then I turned my back and flew away, stopping only when I was safely out of reach from his people. From there, I shifted and called Dad.
“Everything ready?”
“Yes. Moira, Tess, and Ash are with me. They have news.”
“I’m ready.”
Dad said nothing for a beat. “It went that well?”
I snorted so I wouldn’t cry. “Can you show me how to keep Caelan and his people from my lands while I figure out what to do?”
“I’ll show you later. For now, I’ll ensure they remain safe.”
“Thank you. I’ll meet you at the place we discussed.”
“I’m sorry things went south.”
Me too. “I planned for things to end the way they did. See you all in a bit.”
We disconnected. I pulled out one of Moira’s precious travel potions and downed it, concentrating on the place I wanted to go.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
CAELAN
An emergency meeting notice went out later that evening from the wannabe new Lord, Dario. I thought about ignoring it, but the second text that came in gave me serious pause.
Rowan’s mark was on Donovan’s old land, somehow merged with Evie’s magic.
She’d given him a claim to territory that belonged to the Lords.
Rage bloomed in my veins. Evie had stolen everything from me. My good name, my Omega and Second, Seymour and Hannah, my heart, and now land that rightfully belonged to us. But not only had she taken the land, she’d shared it with someone who was not me.
I picked up the phone.
He answered on the first ring. “I’ve been expecting a call from you.”
“Why?” was all I could say.
“She trusts me. I did not ask. Evie offered.”
“You didn’t think this was a decision for the Council?”
Rowan snorted. “So you could fight like dogs over a bone and squabble over petty politics rather than act as a true steward of the land?”
Disgust filled me. “Cut this shit,” I snarled. “You took the land to secure more power for yourself.”
Rowan’s laugh sent my hackles up. “You think in terms of what you would do. All these years and you still don’t realize I don’t give a shit about power. I stay within the boundaries of my territory, rarely engage unless directly threatened, and try my best to keep the peace within the Council. I am not like you. I never have been. Evie can take that land back any time she wants to, and I wouldn’t bat an eye. She saw Dario trying to claim the land from under her nose and booted him out. That right there shows how fairly the Lords play. He hasn’t been officially approved by the Council yet and he’s already staking a claim.”
“That’s Donovan’s land.”
“Evie won the land by might and right. If you want to get deep in the woods about things, none of the land we hold belongs to us. We’re here by the grace of the fae. This land belongs to them and always has. They don’t want to be involved in petty human politics and allow us to govern.”
My laugh is mirthless. “I knew this was a way for the fae to reclaim their position.”
“She visited you, didn’t she?”
