In many ways it was worse to know someone lied to you when their face and their words said something else than it was to be met by a brick wall.
He spread his hands out. “I will not deny I went there to talk some reason into him. Ethan refused. I left soon after.”
There was no way it was that easy. Ethan and Cernunnos were both hardheaded as senior goats.
“Alright. Say I believe you. Are you telling me you aren’t responsible for what’s going on over there right now?”
“Again, Moira, what is going on?” His multi-colored eyes swirled with annoyance. “I have not returned to Ethan’s Keep since the day he asked me to leave.”
“If I find out this is your doing, I’ll be back to kick your ass,” I said softly.
Cernunnos grinned, making my breath catch. I was super pissed at him, but man, he was difficult to resist when he smiled at me like that.
“You can have a bar if you want,” I grumbled.
Cernunnos snatched one up like it was his preciousssss.
“Are you okay with me being at Ethan’s Keep for a couple of days?”
Cernunnos eyed me from over the top of his bar. “Should I be any other way?”
“No. Ethan knows my boundaries. I won’t break my promise to you.”
His face softened. “I never worried you would. If you need my aid, call for me, and I will come.”
He licked chocolate from his thumbs, his tongue darting out to swirl around his finger. My mouth went dry. A slow grin curved his mouth.
“I’m still mad at you,” I muttered. “Don’t be all sexy right now. It’s only making me angrier.”
Cernunnos laughed. “Very well. I shall refrain from sexiness until you return then.”
He came over and bent to brush a soft kiss over my lips. “It’s important,” he said again. “In this, you must trust.”
“I don’t know why you have to be so cryptic. You’ve seen all my bits and bobs in Technicolor. Kinda seems like we’re past the stage of keeping secrets from each other.”
He smiled against my lips. “I like your bits and bobs, but we are still sort of new to this, aren’t we? No one can sort out thousands of years of secrets in only a few short months. Perhaps in time, I will learn not to be so…cryptic.”
“Dammit, Cernunnos! You’re being cryptic right now!”
He stood, winked, and disappeared in a flash of emerald and gold magic.
I picked up the last bar and shoved it into my mouth.
Chapter
Eight
Iloved Ethan’s lands. Rowan had mountains and nature as well, but Ethan’s lands felt less forgiving. The topography and climate were harsher, and more predators prowled his lands, and something about that appealed to me. I sat on the deck watching some deer venture closer to Ethan’s flowers, grinning as they looked to and fro to see if anyone would disturb them if they tried to take a nibble.
The Lord himself was inside speaking to a few of his staff about a mundane problem I’d already forgotten about. He’d brought me a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of fresh blueberry scones, and all the thoughts went right out of my head.
Ethan didn’t live in the main Keep house unless there was a reason. He preferred the property toward the back, the one with the view of a massive mountain range. I curled my fingers around my mug and sighed. The air was crisp with the smell of pine and growing things this morning, and there was a chill to it that made me glad I’d brought extra sweaters. Though I needn’t have worried. Ethan had handed me a thick cashmere cardigan at the same time he’d brought out the scones. Without hesitation, I’d tugged it on and sighed at the way the luxurious material felt against my skin, along with the warmth it provided.
I found a pair of thick wool socks tucked into the sweater’s pockets—ones that smelled like him. Without overthinking, I tugged off my thinner socks and put those on, too.
Nothing had been amiss when we arrived earlier. His people welcomed me back with smiles and hugs, and his chef—a small woman named Vicki—had promised to adjust the menu, sliding a look of pique Ethan’s way. “He didn’t tell a soul you were coming,” she chided. “And I’d set the menu up for his tastes, all steaks and potatoes.”
Vicki rolled her eyes and laughed. “I’m glad he has someone here with a more discerning palate.”
