Thanks, Moira. Glad everyone made it home alive.
I sent him a smiley face back. Caelan was on my shit list for a long time, but he’d really turned things around. I hoped someday he could find what Evie had.
Now I felt like he finally deserved it.
I sent Evie a note asking if she had another way to contact Ben. She shot me back a number I didn’t have and a martini emoji.
You are a terrible influence, but we should do it again soon.
We will, but let’s keep the trespassing to a minimum next time.
We’ll see.
I poured myself a cup of coffee and walked out to the small patio at the back of my apartment. Several of the shifter children were outside wrestling with each other on the dewy green grass. Laughter rang throughout the area as their parents supervised.
I waved at everyone and sat at the small iron table. As much as I loved living on the Keep, there were times when I wanted to walk outside and see nothing but green trees and a sunrise.
Most Keeps were active, their shifters always in and out of the main house or patrolling the grounds. Ethan’s Keep was the only exception, but I think that was because his people were so spread out. Rowan had dorms all over the place, and I lived close to one.
The house Rowan offered to build was further away, but there was never a day that went by when I wasn’t greeted by multiple shifters.
Evie had grown used to the chaos. I loved Evie enough to tolerate it. And most days, I wasn’t too bothered. But today, waking up and coming out for a little peace and quiet on the heels of the awful dream, I longed for solitude.
I pulled out my cell and texted Ben’s secret number. My phone rang a few seconds later.
“Moira,” Ben’s deep voice drawled. “I’m surprised to hear from you.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll delete all evidence of your secret number as soon as we talk.”
He chuckled. “A man’s gotta have some freedom from the other Lords, ya know?”
I listened to the screech of laughter. “I totally understand.”
“I’ve heard some rumblings about Ethan. Is that why you’re calling?”
“It is.”
“Everything okay?”
My heart squeezed. “Depends on who you ask.”
Ben went silent for a moment. “Alright. Tell me what you think then.”
I told Ben everything, chatting for so long I went in to get another cup of coffee. When I finished, Ben didn’t say anything for so long, I thought we’d been disconnected.
“Ben?”
“I’m thinking.”
“That’s all I’ve been doing since the moment it happened.”
“I’m sure you know you can’t let Sarah live.”
Ben had always been a little no-nonsense. He saw most things in black and white, and it had bitten him in the ass when he lost Evie because of that habit. Since then, he’d become a little more flexible.
Except in this case.
“That’s what I’ve heard,” I said dryly.
