Page 47 of Shift of Morals
Ash chuckled under his breath.
Hazel moved closer, reaching out a finger to touch the pouch. She shook her head. “That thing is dangerous. Its magic is familiar to me, but I can’t place it. What I do know is there’s some kind of binding on it as well as concealment magic.”
The preservation spell holding the bouquet together flickered and died.
“Shit,” I muttered. “There won’t be much left if the preservation keeps failing.”
“Let me try something,” Hazel said. A faint emerald glow came from her fingertips as her magic rose, the scent of lavender and sage rising in the walk-in.
The bouquet thumped in its bag, retreating from Hazel’s magic.
A shocked gasp escaped me. “It moved!”
“It doesn’t like my magic,” Hazel said, a curious look on her face. “Put one more preservation spell on it, if you don’t mind. That will give me time to figure this one out.”
I did as she asked, the spell taking only moments. Hazel nodded with approval. “Your Floromancy has grown. You’ve practiced quite a lot.”
“Every day,” I said. “It’s easy enough to do with the shop and the greenhouse at home.”
“Good. It will keep the Chimera magic at bay.”
I wasn’t so sure about that these days. The beast lay just under my skin, waiting for a moment of weakness.
We left the bouquet in the fridge and settled at the front once more. The shop would open in half an hour, but until then, we had time to figure things out.
“Tell me everything you remember about that thing. Leave nothing out,” Hazel demanded.
Moira started at the beginning. Hazel listened intently, never interrupting even when I could tell she had a question. When she finished, Hazel nodded.
“When was it dropped off?”
Moira rattled off the date.
Hazel’s eyes widened a hair. “By whom?”
“Someone who said she was the bride’s mother, though we doubt that now.”
“Are you aware of the laws governing supernatural weddings?” Hazel asked.
“Err. Should we be?” I never thought to ask about laws, assuming supernatural weddings were the same as humans, except with a much scarier guest list.
Hazel’s look made me want to curl into the fetal position. “Any food or drink must be destroyed completely. Fire is the best way. Any flowers must be held in stasis for at least three weeks after the wedding, to allow any residual energies from the wedding party to fade.”
I blinked. “Moira, see if you can get a copy of those laws from…”
I looked at Hazel, who gave a put-upon sigh. “The Shifter Lord’s office usually has a copy.”
Moira wiggled her eyebrows. “Sure you don’t want to be the one to make that call?”
I shot her a dark look.
Hazel didn’t miss the exchange. “You messing around with the local Lord, Evie? That doesn’t sound like you.”
“Because it isn’t,” I muttered. “He hired me to do his wedding flowers.”
Hazel’s penetrating stare made me squirm. “Did you try to say no?”
“No,” Moira said, just as I said, “yes.”
