I slunk toward him, putting a sway into my hips. “It’s just you and me out here, and you hate me anyway, so why bother?”
Something flashed in Ethan’s eyes, a ring of midnight and gold circling his iris. I had an incredible sense of smell, butEthan was a difficult man to read. His emotions were locked down tighter than a Russian prison.
“Guess you’re right.” He handed the baby over. “Everything alright up there?”
“No. One of the Chimeras training Evie betrayed her. He was working with the fae the entire time. They tore the wards down and came onto the property.”
Ethan’s eyes widened. “Because of the baby?”
I slowly shook my head. “Partially. I remain unconvinced that’s the entire reason.”
“Need some help?”
“I’m sure Rowan won’t say no to some assistance.”
Ethan nodded. “Lead the way, lady vampire.”
I flashed a grin. “See if you can keep up.”
I shot through the trees like a rocket.
Chapter
Thirty-Three
My Floromancy hadn’t been much help in this fight. Barrett was too quick for me to catch. I bled from a dozen wounds. Sweat obscured my vision, and I still couldn’t get a good lock on the Chimera’s location. Whatever this ability he was using, I needed it.
I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to catch him, when something occurred to me. No one could ever be completely silent. Such was impossible. When Barrett moved, he would make vibrations in the ground.
I grimaced and shucked off my shoes, fishing in my pocket for a few seeds I dropped onto the ground. I sent a tendril of magic through the earth.
The slightest of sounds.There.
I ducked just as a clawed tipped hand swiped through the air. Thorns shot up where the sound came from. Barrett let out a yelp of pain and materialized. I shifted into a leopard and leaped for him.
He swore and moved like quicksilver. I flew past him but not before getting in a good swipe with my claws. Blood sprayed over my fur.
Vines sprang from the earth at my command, tangling Barrett’s feet under him.
Chaos rang all around us, the shouts and screams of pain a cacophony of sound in my head. Rowan was still out there, the bond a beating heart between us.
Dark crawled over the horizon, the full moon cresting above the trees. Mom and Dad had not come back. Whatever had distracted them must have been important.
I spotted Moira coming back onto the property, a bundle in her arms, followed by a tall, lean man with glowing eyes.
Ethan. Relief filled me. He’d be a huge help right now.
There was no way to tell who was winning or losing, though the number of swans who’d come onto the property had been substantially diminished.
Barrett sliced through the vines faster than I could make them. Three lines of bloody claw marks marred his handsome face.
“You’re learning,” he said with a dark chuckle. “But your vines won’t hold me.”
“I know.” I tilted my head and smiled. “Those aren’t normal vines.”
The first trickle of uncertainty flashed over his face.
I’d been busy in Rowan’s greenhouse when I first arrived. At first, I planted normal things—herbs, petunias, some cold weather vegetables, but I also had Dad bring over my plants, the ones I’d made when I was in Scotland, and I managed to coax them into producing seed pods.
