Page 20 of Shift of Morals
“Do you know who’s creating these dresses?”
I shook my head. “No idea. They’re stunning, but I could never afford something like this on my own.”
Ash chuckled. “Keep antagonizing Caelan and you might find yourself a rich woman.” He winked and walked out of the office.
I shook my head and carefully folded the dress, placing it back into the mountain of tissue paper inside the box. A faint floral scent and Caelan’s lingering magic pulsed against my palm.
How had a man I didn’t trust come to know me so deeply? Discomfited, I put the lid on the box and carried it to the car.
I hadn’t decided whether to wear it yet, but as I walked out, a delivery man holding another box walked in.
“Is there a Moira Devlin here?” he asked.
The vampire’s brows rose. “Here.” She took the offered clipboard and scrawled her signature before the man handed her the box. “Who’s it from?”
The man’s brow furrowed. “The Shifter Lord, ma’am.” He dipped his head and left the shop.
We stared at the box like it was a snake.
“Should we set it on fire?” Moira asked.
I wanted to laugh, but her question was serious. “No,” I said after a moment. “Caelan knows you’re my bestie and how I might react if anything were to happen to you.”
She frowned. “I don’t sense a heartbeat inside. Can you take a look, too?”
I bent and pressed my palm against the top of the box, trying to sense if there was anything alive or sentient inside. Rising, I shook my head. “All I sense is Caelan’s magic.”
Moira sighed and reached for a pair of scissors lying on the worktable. “If this bites me, I’m going to bite you.”
“You can try.” I gave her a smile with all teeth.
Moira unsealed the box, keeping it at an arm’s distance, as if she expected whatever was inside to reach up and bite her as soon as she opened the flaps. Instead, a hint of vampiric magic mixed with Caelan’s floated up, and Moira gasped with delight.
“Oh,” she breathed, reaching in to pull out a shimmering garment of crimson silk. “Mama like.”
Moira held up a calf-length silk dress, with a scandalous neckline and a slit cut all the way to the upper thigh. She pressed the garment against her, swaying left and right.
I gaped. That was quite the dress. A slip of paper fell as she moved.
“There’s a note.” I picked it up and unfolded the parchment.
Miss Devlin,
Only the best for my favorite Floromancer’s best friend. Be careful, my dear. On the right person, this dress might tame a Lord.
It was signed Caelan.
Moira’s eyes glittered with amusement. “I like your Lord, Evie. He’s a troublemaker.”
“He’s a menace,” I muttered. “From his note, it seems like there might be another Lord there?”
Moira wiggled her eyebrows. “I hope it’s that delicious Soren.” She closed her eyes. “He is yummy.”
“And an unrepentant womanizer.”
Moira rolled her eyes. “All the Shifter Lords are womanizers. Just think. If I managed to tame Soren, we could still live rightnext door. He’s the Lord of the South, so…just a hop, skip, and a jump back here.” She grinned.
“Absolutely not. You’re not leaving the shop. Ever.” My words were gruff, but we both knew I’d never stop her from following her heart. Even if it was for Soren. I eyed her. “You’re not seriously going to pursue him, are you?”
