Page 4 of Shift of Morals
Technology might be awesome, but we were all pretty old school. I liked to look at my schedule on a wall, not down at my phone. “Make it big and monthly, with large enough space to write in the blocks. Also, make sure there’s a side area to write upcoming shop events.”
Moira nodded. “Will do. There’s a good spot in your office to hang it. But everyone has to remember to update their schedule.”
“I won’t forget,” Tess said. “We’re still keeping the digital work schedule though, right?”
“Yep. That won’t change.” Something niggled at the back of my mind. “Ward it from prying eyes, would you, Ash?”
His eyes widened. “Good idea. Once it’s up, I’ll take care of it.”
No one needed to know any of our personal business. Not with Finn still roaming around. A shiver went down my spine when I thought about our last encounter.
Posing as Halvar, one of the Shifter Lords, Finn had infiltrated Caelan’s stronghold and accosted me at one of the events Caelan had hired me for. No one saw what happened because I’d encaged us to keep my secrets, but I’d wounded Finn and he’d escaped before I could finish the job. But not before he almost took me down with him.
He and I weren’t done with each other. I felt the knowledge in my bones as strongly as I did that extra power he’d fed into me that night. Even now, I felt Finn’s presence inside and outside, all around me. His and the Chimera’s magic seeping into my bones, preparing me for…I had no idea. But I’d noticed odd things happening with my Floromancy and more urges than normal.
More hunger, physical and emotional. And the urges…
Well, let’s just say it’s a good thing Ben doesn’t come around all the time, because I might have him laid out like my own personal buffet.
And he seemed way too proper for that.
Once the bouquet was on the worktable and everyone had dispersed to go about their assignments, I cleared my thoughts and turned on streaming music. I preferred the worktable inthe front, given to me by Ash’s uncle, a powerful dryad named Septimus, but this one was safer.
If something went awry during the preservation process, no customers would be in the blast radius. All the magic would stay contained to this area thanks to the wards I’d just activated around me and the table, pushed out in a four-foot radius.
Of course, I might get blown to smithereens, but everyone else would be safe.
Chris Stapleton’s bluesy, soulful voice came through the speakers, and peace settled over my shoulders. I took a few deep inhales, steadied my magic, and opened the pouch.
Chapter
Two
The preservation spell wasn’t exactly successful, not without tapping into some hefty Floromancy. I wasn’t charging the woman nearly enough to do that, so once I had the bouquet stable and the flower heads reattached, I stepped outside the wards to find the others.
Moira was just finishing up with a customer, and Tess was busy putting together the beginnings of Hattie’s flower arrangement. Ash was next to her, scribbling something in the ledger.
“It looks a little better,” Moira hedged, keeping her distance.
“But it still feels the same,” Ash said.
“He’s a bad man,” Tess remarked, the words an earlier echo of when the flowers had first come through our doors.
Tess was right. Whoever this groom was, he hurt his bride. Repeatedly. I couldn’t get a strong enough read on the flowers to tell exactly what he was doing to her, but I felt the need to find out who he was and inform his Alpha. All I could hope was that his Alpha wasn’t Caelan. “I think he’s a shifter.”
Moira’s attention snapped to me. “One of Caelan’s?”
“Impossible to tell. Can we get the mom in here?”
Moira held up a finger. “Let me get the book.”
She was back in less than a minute, flipping through the orders. “Here. The mother’s name is Amy. Would you rather I email or call?”
“Put this one in writing. Do we have the lines set up to record?” It was one more security touch I added after the run-in with Finn.
“All we have to do is push the button,” Tess assured me.
“Good. If Amy or the bride calls, make sure you push record.”
