Page 25 of Shift of Morals
He laughed. “Acceptable.”
I waved and told them to be careful. When the greenhouse door shut, I sagged against the worktable and put my head in my hands.
Holding back the Chimera shift was becoming impossible. I was doing a good job of hiding it at work, but every night when I got home, I fought a grueling battle between myself and the beast.
A battle I was losing.
Chapter
Seven
Iwore the dress. How could I not? Caelan, or whoever helped him, had excellent taste in clothing. The dress fit like a glove but wasn’t so tight I had trouble moving. Comforting magic slid over my skin, the awaiting life in the bodice of my dress pulsing against my collarbone. I traced my fingers over the embroidery and wondered how I could incorporate such magic into my daily wardrobe.
Sewing wasn’t one of my talents, but maybe I could find a local seamstress to help. A sharp knock on the door interrupted my thoughts and announced Moira’s presence. The front door opened with a creak, and Moira poked her head in.
“I’m here!” she called. “If you’re covered in baby oil and rolling around on plastic, yell ‘Kris Kringle!’ I won’t peek!”
“No baby oil, I’m afraid.”
“For shame.” Moira came into the bedroom grinning, but when she saw me, her eyes widened, and she whistled low. “Damn. If I liked women, I’d eat you like a lollipop.”
“First of all, gross.” I fastened a pair of gold teardrop stud earrings into my ears but kept my neck bare. The embroidery around the bodice was stunning, and adding jewelry would takeaway from the overall effect. Our eyes locked in the mirror. “Second of all, thank you.”
Moira winked. “You got it, babe.”
“Third,” I said when I turned, “you look vicious, deadly, and hot, hot, hot.”
And she did. Moira was lean and slinky, the dress skimming over all her dangerous curves. She wore her hair half up and half down, a pair of diamond earrings twinkling in her earlobes. A solitaire pendant lay in the hollow of her throat, and a thin, golden bracelet was clasped at her wrist. Her heels were sky-high, showcasing leanly muscled legs.
Moira was a stunning woman, but she was also deadly, and that fact was difficult to ignore in that dress.
The vampire did a pirouette, and I had to admire her ability to do that in those heels.
“If Soren is there, he won’t stand a chance.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “You ready to go?”
I held up a finger. “Let me get my shoes on.”
Moira clicked her tongue when she saw my much more reasonable kitten heels. “Uh-uh. You got anything higher?”
“Nope. Only certain women can wear heels that high. Vampires named Moira, and other women not named Evie.” I slid my feet into my sedate heels and stood, grabbing my small purse from the bed.
“No matter. Caelan will like anything you wear.”
I tossed a makeup brush at her. Moira dodged, swift as a viper, and laughed. “Let’s go see a Lord about a wedding.”
To my surprise,Caelan had changed nothing I’d done to his property. The Jacaranda tree stood in front of his home, still blooming despite the late season, and a riot of wildflowersdotted the entire landscape. A chuckle escaped me when we pulled in, turning into a full-on bellow of laughter when we parked.
Moira snorted. “I bet when guests show up here, they have no idea what to think.”
“Maybe I should cultivate it a little more.” The place looked like something straight out of a fairytale. I loved it, but few people loved that much flora with that many colors right outside their front door.
“If Caelan hasn’t done anything yet, I don’t think he plans to.”
“He’s a busy Lord. Maybe he hasn’t had the time.”
Moira gave me the side-eye. “Caelan gets things done, Evie. If he wanted to change up his landscaping, he would have done it weeks ago.”
