Chapter
One
Iwas a puddle of bruises and regret. Barrett, my father, and Rowan stood over me, each wearing a different expression, ranging from guilt to regret to annoyance.
“You have to learn these things,” Barrett said. He was the one who wore the guilty expression. “It’s regrettable you had no Chimera there to show you the ropes when you came out of the initial fog. The things I’m showing you now are taught to our children.”
Rowan’s attention snapped to the man. “Careful,” he warned.
The Lord was aware of Finn’s obsession with me and what had happened to me in that field and afterward. I’d told him everything a week ago, even the parts that still shook me out of a deep sleep in a cold sweat during the wee hours of the morning.
Rowan had not been the same since. If Finn were still alive…
Well. The Chimera responsible for all of this wouldn’t have been alive for very long, that’s for sure.
Barrett was lucky he was allowed within a hundred yards of me, but I’d convinced Rowan that I needed the male’s help, and the Lord had always been reasonable, at least when it came to me. As Chimeras went, I was stunted, unable to do much of anything one of our kind should be able to do, except shift. I oncesaw Finn pause time, turning himself into a whirlwind on the battlefield. Not all Chimeras could do the same things. Like the Lords, we each had a special gift that would eventually manifest within us, sometimes with devastating effect.
Mine had yet to be uncovered. For now, I could shift into anything, which was a handy gift to have, but I was pretty limited on other abilities.
Rowan bent and reached a hand out. I clasped it, reveling in the feel of his calloused palm against mine, and allowed him to help me up. Things between us were good, but the bond between us strained for release.
I was the only thing standing in the way.
He was my mate, according to Rowan, shifter biology and lore, and the constant tug toward him and the warmth in my chest when he was near. I was born of gods but mostly raised by humans, and there were no mates, only those we chose to spend our lives with.
So far, I’d chosen poorly twice. Not a great track record there.
My first husband was an unrepentant philanderer. Caelan was driven by duty and power, and I’d surpassed his threshold for acceptability in a partner and became a threat. Add Lugh’s terrible magic and toss in an ex-lover, and Caelan tore everything down and burned it to cinders.
Rowan started as a friend and stayed a steady one, all the way up until I revealed my Chimera heritage and had to leave town. Then he became not only my friend, but something more. Something I was still figuring out.
Barrett scratched his chin and looked at my dad. “There has never been a fae Chimera before,” he mused. “Maybe the inherent Chimera magic works differently when mixed with fae blood.”
Dad tilted his head. He studied me and slowly nodded. “Good theory. We can test it tomorrow. Evie is exhausted and needs to rest.”
Exhausted wasn’t quite the right word. Two weeks had passed since Tess announced Caelan was marked for death. He’d shut my offer of help down as fast as I’d extended a hand and had cut off all contact with the other Lords about the matter. He only responded to routine communications or items dealing with other Lord duties, but he didn’t respond to Rowan at all.
I refused to let Caelan die because he was a stubborn ass. As soon as we returned to Rowan’s territory, I’d contacted Dad and Barrett and asked them to step up all my training. They’d happily obliged, and a few days later, they showed up and had been kicking my ass ever since.
“Tomorrow?” I asked.
Dad shook his head. “No. Rest and catch up on your duties. We’ll reconvene on Wednesday.”
My duties consisted of the grand opening of Little Shop of Florals and maintaining Rowan’s land to ensure the spell still creeping across the landscape never gained a foothold here. I’d shoved it out once, but the damned thing was persistent. Next week, I’d be on Thorvin’s land, purging his territory, and the week after, Ethan’s.
Ben and Soren had not answered our request yet. Ben was as hardheaded as Caelan was, so he could go either way, but I was surprised about Soren. He had the strongest streak of self-preservation. Maybe he was waiting to see what happened in Thorvin’s territory before he agreed to allow my help.
“Alright.” I shook Barrett’s hand and watched the Chimera walk back to his vehicle. Simone and Garrett followed a short distance behind to ensure he left.
Hope and Declan were somewhere close, keeping a watchful eye on things, but I couldn’t pinpoint their exact location.
Dad started to shimmer away, but I held a hand out to stop him. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
Rowan stepped away. “I’ll be in the main house seeing to lunch. Find me when you’re finished?”
I nodded. Rowan dipped his head to my father and walked away.
Hiding a smile, I studied the former fae king. Rowan had never been as respectful to him as Caelan was, and it rankled my father. For whatever reason, though, I suspected he liked Rowan far more than the other Lord.
