Page 43 of Shift of Morals
I’d left the wards open to Ben and Caelan, but now I wondered if that was a mistake. Shaking my head, I changed intoa pair of joggers, a tank, and a soft cardigan before sliding my feet into a flexible pair of sneakers.
The weight of everything followed me onto the property, so many decisions and forks in the road swirling through my mind. But soon enough, the fresh air and the wild flora and fauna on the land began to relax me, my Floromancy a humming, living thing inside my veins. I walked the acreage, siphoning my too full magic into plants who needed it, patchy areas of grass, trees lacking in nutrients, vines and other wildflowers I thought could use a boost, and soon enough, happiness and contentment had settled into my soul once again.
I rarely took my magic for granted, but I’d been far too busy and stressed lately to use my Floromancy like I should. Siphoning the magic helped immensely, and my shoulders felt loose for the first time in a couple of weeks.
My land had flourished under my touch, a wild space in a town controlled by powerful Lords. Much of Joy Springs had become commercialized under Caelan’s hands, but there were still wild spaces on the outskirts. Places I needed to visit to really siphon my magic. My land could only take so much, and letting my magic out in one wild burst would be a mistake. Collateral damage was real, and there’d be far too many questions if the entire town suddenly looked like a garden.
I visited the greenhouse next, wincing when the broken windows came into view. Making a mental note to contact Caelan’s handyman, I pulled the tray of thyme over, hoping this time I could boost their growth without my magic going haywire.
Nervous but hopeful, I sent a tendril in, and my magic responded with no issues. Siphoning had helped. Letting out a sigh of relief, I spent the next hour inside working on all the plant life.
When dusk fell, I stretched out the stiff muscles in my back and left the greenhouse. But the second I stepped onto the grass,I sensed a disturbance on the land. Heart thumping, I turned toward the new fencing at the back of the house. The fertile soil had taken on a brittle feeling in my mind, and some of the flowers were wilting, impossible since I’d just boosted them less than two hours ago.
Frowning, I got closer, only to sense a familiar hot prickling of magic. A cloaked figure stood by the fence, but I recognized Finn right away. Swearing, I gathered my magic, but it came too hard, too fast, reacting to the Chimera’s presence. An oversized Thistle grew in my palm and shot out toward Finn, embedding itself into the oak fence with a sharp thwacking sound.
My tattoo flared with heat, a scream tearing from my throat as my skin burned from within. Finn’s mocking chuckle sounded through the air, his silent message clear as day.
I can find you anywhere.
He disappeared with a mocking wave.
I stood there for several minutes, waiting for my land to settle once more. Disturbed, I turned back to head inside, but not before reinforcing my wards once more.
Later that evening, I burned a blend of sage and lavender, protective herbs, but when I lit the charcoal briquette, the flames burned green and too high. Cursing, I extinguished the blaze, but it had lit the charcoal, still allowing me to burn the herbs. As I walked through the house, coating the rooms in protective smoke, I watched the charcoal carefully and extinguished it using water when I was finished.
Back in my bedroom, I glanced at my cell and suppressed the urge to contact Ben or Caelan. Neither of them could help me in the way I needed it, so I put the cell on the charger and grabbed a dagger for under my pillow.
Sleep was a long time coming, but when it finally did, my dreams were disturbed and confusing.
Chapter
Eleven
CAELAN
Isat at my desk reviewing Council reports from across the country. Halvar still had not been found, a fact that had begun to press on the Lords. If there was no sign of him in the next thirty days, the Council would be forced to elect another Shifter Lord.
Every time an election happened, things would destabilize while all the older Lords got used to a new personality. Sighing, I tossed my pen down.
The pockets of rogue attacks were building, expanding to other Lords’ borders. In a way, it was good news. The rogues were testing others’ borders now, not just mine. But it would require a response sooner or later.
Simone sat in a chair across the room, studying something intently on her tablet. Her presence was soothing, as I hated being alone. Garrett was off trying to track down the missing Lord, and Ben…Well, things weren’t the best with him since he was trying to steal Evie right out from under my nose.
And how could I be mad? I had a fiancée waiting for me in the other room.
A shift of wind before I could react, and a feisty flytrap had chomped onto my forearm.
“Shit!” I hissed, extricating Seymour from my sleeve and righting his pot, relief flooding me that the damn thing hadn’t broken the skin. Evie had boosted the plant by making its bite poisonous. Or venomous. Hell. No idea, but Seymour held a dangerous paralytic in his teeth, one that had gotten more than once of us before. The Red Dragon flytrap announced his displeasure by chomping at me.
Amusement filled me, but I couldn’t let the little bastard know I liked his violent tendencies. “I know you like those special worms your mistress sends you, so if you don’t behave, I’m going to feed you houseflies.”
Seymour dramatically keeled over, the edge of his sharp teeth catching on part of my report. He chomped down, leaving several perfectly spaced holes at the top of the paper. I folded up a tissue paper and wiped the glistening poison from the edges.
“Last warning, Seymour.”
The plant went still. I reached for the base of the pot once more and righted it, careful not to position my arm where he could grab it. At first, the plant had amused me, but once he’d bitten me, I almost turned it into ash, but how could I destroy a piece of Evie?
The grumpy, dangerous flytrap was like having a piece of the Floromancer with me. Even if it still didn’t know whether to like me or try to kill me yet.
