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I studied her. “Why?”

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Moira’s mom is selfish. She wants to hog all her magic. If it were me, I’d take her to a place where it’s too harsh to host much life. That way it wouldn’t take so much magic to wipe the rest of the area clean.”

Ash cracked open a copper-colored eye. “That’s my girl,” he murmured.

Tess’s cheeks turned pink. She looked down at her knees. “I could be wrong, but that’s what I’d do if I had to hide someone from a person like you, Evie.”

The theory held weight. Maybe I’d been doing this search all wrong. I’d searched in places thriving with life, hoping one of the plants or vines could tell me where she’d gone.

I’d turned up absolutely nothing. Not a single hint to Moira’s whereabouts. While I hadn’t scoured the entire world yet, I was close to it. If I did the opposite and searched places where life struggled to thrive and then found dead spots, maybe one of those would lead me right to her door.

I reached over and pecked Tess on the cheek. “You’re a genius, friend. I’ll come back out after lunch and try again.”

Tess smiled. “Cliona is supposed to come over a little later. I’ll ask for her help.”

“Thanks, Tess.”

Rowan uncurled his lean body and stood, holding out a hand to help me up. I happily accepted, allowing him to pull me to standing. But instead of letting go, Rowan tugged me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me.

He smelled like the wild, pine and ocean salt, and home. I inhaled his scent and snuggled closer to him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“We’re close,” he murmured. “I can feel it.”

My attention snapped up to his face. When Rowan and I mated, his power had changed with him. He could use mine some, but he’d also gotten a touch of foresight, something he may have received from my mother. An odd magical recessive gene or something else, I had no idea, but occasionally it came in handy.

“In a metaphorical way?”

He shook his head. “However this ends,” he said somberly, “it ends soon.”

A chill rolled down my spine. “If she harms one hair on Moira’s head, I’ll taxidermy her head and hang it on my wall.”

Rowan snorted. “I’d expect nothing less,” he said, wrapping his arm around my waist. “Though I do hope you won’t hang it in the living room.” He shuddered. “I’m afraid I’ll lose my appetite if you do.”

We walked back to the main house. “I was thinking of the bathroom. That way Minka can sit with the smell for a while.”

My husband laughed. “Diabolical, darling. I love it.”

I waved at Ash and Tess. “I’ll see you two later. Coming for dinner?”

“We’ll be there!” Tess called. The banshee scooted closer to Ash and tucked her hand into the crook of Ash’s elbow.

The temps had dropped rapidly overnight, sending everyone scampering for jackets and scarves. Unlike when we lived in Texas, we could no longer get away with a lightweight jacket and heavier socks. This was PNW weather, and sometimes I felt cold down to the bone.

Rowan, being a true shifter, was mostly immune. My magic was still a little off the wall and probably always would be. I was a goddess, yes, but I was also still a Chimera—a true shapeshifter. My internal temperature gauge was consistently wonky. I hadn’t used my Chimera form in quite a while, though I still practiced my shift just to keep my magic from swelling too much.

But alas, it hadn’t helped me a whit in finding Moira, and that was all I could focus on these days.

A shimmer of emerald magic swirled by the back door. A second later, a male with ancient eyes appeared. His face softened when he spotted me.

“Evie.”

“Hey Dad.”

Rowan released me, and I hurried over to give Cernunnos a hug.

Dad wrapped me in an embrace scented with magic and the wilds, his warm breath ruffling my hair. He’d dressed in what I called his young man attire today—a pair of athletic pants, slip-on tennis shoes, and a long-sleeved T-shirt.

He’d never be able to 100 percent hide what he was unless he expended a lot of effort. Today, he hadn’t bothered much. His eyes still held ancient magic in their depths, and power swirled around him. He might be dressed casually, but Dad was ready to rumble at a moment’s notice.