He swore under his breath. “I’m sorry, Rowan. I wondered about their suitability. You know I had my own issues with Evie, but I’m sorry he treated her so poorly.”
“Had?” I questioned.
A flash of a grin. “Caught that, did you? Yes, had in the past tense. I have my own reasons for distrusting the fae, but none of them are Evie’s fault. But all the Lords will still be wary about Evie coming onto their property.” His eyes sparkled. “Besides Ben.”
I glared at Ethan. Ben had professed his intentions toward Evie some time back, but thank the gods he’d screwed that up all on his own. Once he shunned Evie due to his own prejudices, she’d turned her back on him. If there were ever a threat, it would be Ben. He was a good man, an even better Lord, and an off-the-charts healer. They would have made a good pair.
I’d be eternally grateful he couldn’t get over himself.
“Ben made his own bed.” I grinned. “Now it’s far too late for him to do anything but be jealous.”
Ethan laughed. “I’m here for another reason.”
“Caelan wants to oust me.”
A nod. Ethan figured I already knew.
“What are his chances?” I asked.
“Hard to say. We aren’t as tight knit as we used to be. Ben might vote against you because of Evie.”
Shit. I hadn’t even thought of that.
“After Evie threw Thorvin down a deep hole and delivered him to a goddess as retribution, he might vote against you too.”
I pinched the space between my brows.
“Caelan is obviously against you. There’s no way to tell with Soren. He hasn’t been as close to Caelan as usual.”
“And you?”
His expression sobered. “I’ll hear Caelan’s case and make a determination at that time.”
As usual, the odds were against me. Would it be so bad to be stripped of a title I never wanted?
The urgent ring of my cellphone jerked me out of my reverie.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
ROWAN
Evie and Moira had one of the most admirable friendships I’d ever been exposed to, but sometimes, their friendship turned from cozy familial bickering into chaos incarnate.
The pub was a madhouse when we walked in. Shifters of all kinds crowded around us. Everyone recognized me right away, but few knew who the man beside me was. Even so, they gave us a wide berth, opening a path to guide us to where Evie and Moira were.
Evie was at a small circular table, about two dozen shifters standing around her intently, concentrating on what was going on between her and the male shifter who sat on the opposite side. A large potted plant sat on the floor right beside her, one that was growing at a fantastic rate, one far faster than nature allowed for.
Unless thatnaturewas my mate arm wrestling a Navy vet shifter named Rick.
I choked down a guffaw of laughter, put my finger up to my lips when the other shifters spotted me, and watched. Ethan stepped up beside me and gaped at the scene.
My mate had lost her sweater somewhere and wore a blue, strappy tank top. She had on a thin bra underneath, but evenso, her curves were highlighted in the low light, moisture casting a golden glow over her skin. Evie’s hair had long abandoned any sense of decorum and had sprung into a wild mess of wave and curl. I don’t think she noticed, but when she was expending a lot of magic, her hair responded accordingly. A thin line of sweat dotted along her brow, and her eyes glowed azure and watermelon tourmaline.
Her smile was edged with savage glee, and her eyes sparkled with the thrill of the win.
Evie, like the rest of my shifters, was quite drunk and having a grand old time.
