Retirement had never crossed my mind, not for myself. What would I do with myself? Probably get into trouble. There’d be no flirting with handsome men or the like. Not that I wanted to. I had all I wanted outside, giving me some privacy. Seeing the world was appealing, but Rowan was still a Lord. And soon, I’d take up my mantle as the fae queen. Our time for fun would be limited.
“You’re smart enough to think through all the pitfalls of accepting Ethan’s offer. I recommend putting a time limit on things and a clause where you can bow out for specific reasons. If he wants you bad enough, he’ll be forced to agree.”
Moira’s lips twisted. “There’s some wiggle room, but not much.”
I didn’t ask. He obviously had something on her if he was twisting her arm. “See how far he’s willing to bend.”
“I have a few weeks to decide.”
“Enough time to figure out an easy out if things get dicey.”
Moira’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I know you don’t want me to do this.”
I released a heavy breath. “The situation reminds me too much of Caelan. Ethan is charismatic, I’ll give you that, but you two seem like gasoline and a match together.”
“I’ll insist on professional boundaries. Shouldn’t be a big deal since he dislikes me so much.” Her lips twisted.
“I don’t think that’s true,” I said quietly.
I went to the fridge and took a small bottle out, passing it across the table. “Take a dropper full. You’ll feel better in a few hours.”
Moira snatched the bottle like it was the Holy Grail.
“Mom is an evil genius.”
She grimaced as she swallowed the drops. “I had a ton of fun last night. The entire Keep is talking about your arm-wrestling stunt.”
I grinned. “Probably a good thing Mom’s booze is a relatively new invention. The world might be an entirely different place if we had that stuff around the entire time.”
We chatted for a little while longer and planned to go see the baby in a few hours. I had a session with Dad today. We were still trying to nail the instant travel thing. I still felt only tingles and hadn’t budged an inch.
I waved as Moira let herself out. Rowan came back in a few minutes later and helped himself to the rest of the coffee.
“Moira all right?” he asked.
“Ethan wants her to work for him.”
Rowan choked on his drink. “What?”
“I know. It’s a lot. He did a background check on her, one of the kinds that digs too deep for comfort and uncovered some things about her he’s using to strong-arm Moira into doing what he wants.”
Rowan closed his eyes for a long moment. “These Lords never learn, do they?”
A surprised laugh bubbled from my lips. “No, they really don’t.” My amusement soured a moment later. “This reminds me too much of what happened to me. Moira is probably a little less naive than I am, but I don’t want her to have to deal with the things I had to.”
Rowan’s face turned thoughtful. “Ethan and Caelan are completely different. I think he brings his own unique set of issues to the table.”
I gave him a dark look. “That doesn’t make me feel better.”
Rowan grinned. “Moira isn’t as nice as you are.”
My eyebrows lifted, making Rowan laugh. “I’m serious! You’d never get hauled out of a bar screaming bloody murder.”
“No, I just arm wrestle massive shifters and make dangerous bets.”
Rowan laughed, his eyes sparkling. “You’re a hit, by the way. The entire Keep is talking about you and Ricky.”
I groaned. “He challenged me, and I had a few too many to say no.”
